MOAR NEWS – NDTL – (Nerf Dart Tag League)

So there is this:

Yup. Hasbro’s gone and started a league of competitive nerf events, the Nerf Dart Tag League. It kicks off with the Mt. Dew Action Sport Tour in Chicago, IL the weekend of June 26th and 27th. That’s right, the Nike BMX 6.0 event.

There’ll be a winning team from the cities on the tour, culminating in a Championship Finale in Florida. The games will be decided using dart tag and capture the flag rules, meaning competitors wear the vests and will have scores determined by where they hit the vests on opposing players in addition to flag captures. The link contains the full rules, but it does sound like something. There’s even prize money!

Anyway, so what do I think about this? I actually really enjoy the idea. I even hope to get a glimpse of everything at Festival Village next week. I just hope my expectations of seeing the new CTF Dart Tag set are founded. I think taking stock ammo and darts is a good thing, and trying to garner attention to nerf fights with something like a league is brilliant. People will form teams, they will gather, and they will see. Not quite what the NIC is used to, but to even get the idea out there is plenty reason. I don’t care what anyone says about goobers or other elitist thinking. We run around with children’s toys, some more modified than others. Bring people in, let them figure out what more they can do. And that’s what introductory things like this mean. I look forward to checking it out and seeing what’s what, and getting out there. I invite other nerfers in/around Chicago to check it out. Hasbro needs to know that we’re in support, even if we do make such a small population of the market. Nerfers… come out to play-ayyyy…. NERFERS…. COME-OUT-TO-PLAY-AYYYYYYY.

Well hello there… Action Splat?

From Foam From Above

Say hello to the Blizzard “Paintblaster”. I got this from Tuesday Morning in Arlington Heights for around $12… totally worth it. It looks like the company Blizzard made something like a pistol splat by splatmatic http://www.amazon.com/Splatmatic-PS800-Pistol-Splat/dp/B0000TF6LY, rendering this the “Lanard” or “Buzzbee” of paintball splat thingies in my book. I can’t say anything for comparing the quality of construction, but from what I see on NH and my own experience, there’s the same ridiculous spring inside the same ridiculous plunger tube. Ridiculous success.

Informal testing tells me the range is decent… not sure if I’m getting the 100′ some folks do but it seems pretty good. It fires clear across the width of my street, for what that’s worth.

I’ve replaced the stock barrel with CPVC and that’s about it. In order to open’er up to do so, there was a ring around the barrel I had to remove and unfortunately that means the new barrel needs some sort of stabilizer, but I don’t really care enough to make it so. Hah! The new barrel has been superglued and electrical taped into oblivion, it’s not moving anywhere. It’s been said that if you don’t glue it properly the barrel will fire out, dart and all. Thankfully, that’s just hearsay on my end.

Right now I’m using stock darts, some weighted but at stock length. I think… I think I’m going to have to start cutting shorter darts in order to improve distance. I have noticed a difference from shorter stock darts right away. Between this and the ranges I’ve been getting from my XXL bazooka, I think that’s the only thing left to do to improve my ranges. I also might want to work on balancing my weights, so far the thing’s been powerful enough to make my darts flop about after being fired.

The grip is pretty ergonomic, It fits my hand pretty well, even moreso than a TTG. I found the nub near the handle is not as problematic as some others have said so I’ve left it alone.

It’s definitely too powerful for a regular pistol round, but as far as a primary goes this is something I look forward to taking with me on the field. I am a little curious as to the comparison between this near-stock and my TTG though, for sure. I have a rebarrel and extra spring in the TTG, so if it’s on par with the splatmatic I might have to reconsider using it during pistol rounds.

One thing… a ram rod is kind of a must for maximum efficacy. DO IT.

Keep reloadin’!

Gotta get this down…

Future projects-

Dartsmithing
BBB/RSCB Inline (w/cpvc barrel?)
Titan w/”special ammo”
Shotgun barrel attachment for heavy weapons

Leave it at that for now.

Well we’ve hashed it out here, what about you?

This is a pretty age old question… the necessity for a sidearm during a nerf round. There’s the camp that says you don’t need it and there’s the camp that carries one. For some voices on the subject (from the ChANO 2 thread at nerfhaven.com):

“Concerning sidearms – Even after the discussion I was thinking about it. With my hand fuched, I wasn’t able to use my magstrike. I enjoy having something as a backup in case I get rushed. While not a sidearm per se, to me the Shock and Awe of having sprayed that many darts quickly usually gets the kill or gives me time get the reload in to get the kill. Without it I was getting rushed more often. I caught Ryan reloading and he had to ninja sprint away. I chased him down but my NF was empty (he didn’t realize it). Becuase he had nothing to shoot back with he had to keep running. Due to my hand injury, I was not able to get my legs to match his speed. cool.gif Everyone plays their own way and to each his own, but I’m always going to have my NF at my side. It gives me piece of mind, and that’s what matters.”
-Snake

“I can understand their usefulness if you are using a single-shot primary. You need that extra short-ranged shot to dissuade rushing. Turrets, RSCB clips, or just running away negate that need. All of my primaries are capable of firing several shots in a row, and so a sidearm is superfluous. I can, however, see the usefulness of carrying an automatic, as it provides you with impressive short-ranged firepower.”
-Beaver

“Time to lend myself to the sidearm debate. I remembered from the SoCal wars that I attended that I never really used a sidearm; I don’t think I even had a springer pistol, as I borrowed someone’s G1NF for the pistols round at ‘Geddon. Chano I was no different, I knew I had no need for my NF when it wasn’t pistols round. This time it was even better, since the RSCB on my +bow provided a much higher rate of fire than the Uruk-Hai Crossbow normally does. I know for a fact that there was at least one instance where something fucked up on my RSCB (I failed to glue a piece and it was giving me trouble) and instead of dicking around for a sidearm, I straight-up ran. I might not have gotten the hit, but it’s at least as effective to keep you alive. I also know there was at least one instance of Zorn running out of shots on his BBB, pulling out his NF to shoot me, and realizing that it wasn’t primed. He said himself that he could count the instances where he needed it on one hand. I would prefer to just have a primary I knew I could hit with, rather than a primary I felt needed backing up. And if you get the better of me while I’m fucking with my RSCB? Congrats, sir, that was well done. Like when Beaver got me with the fucking SSPB.” – Ice Nine

“That’s my sidearm. My legs. Run like hell.” – Ryan#s

More on this later.