Tag: 2010

A Year Under the Barrel II: Nerf and other related foam blasters in 2010

What at year. So much has changed and happened this year, both in regards to this blog, other blogs, and playing with Foam Blasters. Nerf, Lanard, and BuzzBee remain major players but when there’s this kind of buzz the true winners are the end users, you and me that head to the stores to see what’s new.

For at least the last 2 years, FoamFromAbove (and other sites, as I’m sure you’ve heard) started working with Nerf, releasing official press releases and information as it comes down the pipe. What this means though is you won’t catch rumors, pictures, and vids of stuff that has not officially come from those we work with, or even mods to said blasters. That’s why I was able to put out pics of the original clear series last year before they fully hit stores(

From Recently Updated

)

and the initial US shots of the Stampede back in July at a media-only release event: (FFA IZ MEDIA)

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Two years running now, and the champs from last year repeated! Who’da thunk? Here’s hoping there’s a year 3, and good luck to NARF at getting another shot! (I’m from IL, I support the hometown guys!)

Not to say BuzzBee’s been quiet on their end, either! Some of the more notable releases this year had to be the

Hunter

The Powerstrike

And most recently, the Hawk. (Check out http://nerfornothing.blogspot.com for images!)

And what about 2011? See me again in January, and we’ll talk then! Some pretty big news in the works, and hopefully some tweaks to the site itself. In the meantime, thank you so much for your patronage, and visiting this little blog about silly toys and blasters.

Oh, and my fave blaster of 2010? The Stampede was close, but I think the barricade might have stolen the year for me. Anyone who has seen “Hard-Boiled” with Chow-Yun Fat knows exactly what I’m talking about.

‘Til next time, remember to throw your blaster games how you wanna throw’em, and let the attendees sort it out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

P.S. I ignored commenting at length on the lawsuit Hasbro/Nerf filed on competitors BuzzBee and Lanard, as I’m really not qualified to do so. Hasbro won, and I’ll leave it at that.

And lo, the story breaks – 09/09/10 blaster news?

Well, I first saw this on Nerfhaven and it looks like amazon.com and other vendors started listing for a toy called the….

Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS-50.

So what does this mean, besides Nerf finally naming a blaster after me? (A guy can dream, right?)

Well, naming conventions being what they are this thing’ll have 50 shots in some kinda automatic configuration (the listing says 6 “D” batteries needed, like the vulcan) and signs indicate clip system. It’ll be out 09/09/10, suggesting the initial “Big Blast” moniker was possibly a code name.

I’m going to avoid speculating, but this is actually pretty interesting, and exciting! I almost hope there’s an early release somewhere…

LET THE WILD RUMP-

Wait, no. LET THE SPECULATION BEGIN!

See you next time, but definitely at the release in September!

-Vas The Stampede (No, not like the Nerf blaster!)

New Video from the Nerf youtube channel!

Nerf’s been busy since Toy Fair ended! Found this video on their youtube channel that features a couple of members of “Forever the Sickest Kids” whose musical stylings you’ve heard in some of the latest commercials. They take a look and give a view of some of the new stuff! Mum’s the word though on the 09/09/10 blaster still.

Keep an eye out for the N-Strike tactical vest and the “camo ammo”, for instance you have an idea of what the vest is going to look like on a full grown adult. And the camo ammo, will be hard to find in a forest. But anyway, here’s the vid:

-VasTheStampede

A Year Under the Barrel, Nerf 2009-2010

Down to it, 2009 was a good year for Nerf blasters and a growing Nerf enthusiast community. I’ve had a Nerf blaster as far back as I could remember, probably my ballzooka or blastfire being the first blasters in the armory. In 2005, I joined a site called Nerfhaven which focused on discussion and resources to modify and improve the performance of Nerf blasters as well as organize wars. Since then the internet made the world smaller and there has just been a much larger open channel of communication.

First off, let’s look at the blasters. While off-brand competitors have had their own share of new releases, Hasbro and Nerf haven’t exactly been sitting on their laurels. The N-Strike line has been jamming along, with the Raider CS-35 being released September 09, 2009. It joined the ranks of the Longshot, Secret Strike Pocket Blaster, Buzzsaw, Nitefinder Ex-3, Maverick, Firefly, Recon, Eliminators (REFLEX IX-1), Element/Disk Shot and Switch Shot already released. The N-Strike line prides itself on the tactical rail system that allows attachments on its blasters. So far there’s been a tactical light kit, a red-dot sight, scope set, and most recently a bandolier for all lines that holds blasters, ammo, and even melee weapons.

Yes, melee weapons! The N-Force line started this year with the release of the Thunder Fury and Shadow Fury swords, followed by the Marauder longsword and Warlock battle axe . It’s safe to assume that the N-Force brand is Nerf’s hand-to-hand weapon line which is a long way from the 90’s-era Nerf fencing sets.

Then there’s the Dart Tag line. It is the more sport-focused line of Nerf, using velcro-headed darts in order to assist in seeing hits. Where N-Strike’s streamlines and sonic darts just hit and bounce, the Dart Tag line uses velcro vests to open up different game types based on points and adding one more level to knowing when a player is hit. The Furyfire isn’t the only blaster in the Dart Tag line. There’s the Hyperfire (a repainted Dart Tag Blaster), the Strikefire (originally released as the Crossfire), and the Stormfire. There’s also the targeting set, which is an off-shoot of the Nerf Tech Target system, only this time packaged with an Eliminator.

Naturally, all these different brands means different ammo. In addition to normal micro suction darts, there are micro sonic, whistler, tagger, and streamline darts available, along with ammo boxes to hold everything.

Need a peek? Make sure to check out http://hasbro.com/nerf for a look at their online store to see what’s up!

In the meantime:

In my opinion probably the largest-scale development was the birth of the Nerf Dart Tag League (NDTL). In June 2009 the Nerf Dart Tag League was an event that coincided with ever stop on the 2009 Mt. Dew Action Sport Tour as part of their Festival Village. Here, people were allowed a look at a new release for Fall 2009: the Nerf Fury Fire blaster and Capture the Flag systems. There was also a larger competition, where teams of four participated in rounds of capture the flag (using the new electronic flag sets) in two different age groups (8-12, 13-17) to become regional champs, travel to Orlando, Florida, and compete against the other regional champs to become the first-ever NDTL National Champions for $25,000 at the final Mt. Dew Action Sport Tour stop. Being outside of both age groups it was a shame I couldn’t throw my own hat into the ring for $25,000. However, I was able to participate in a non-tournament scrimmage or two, and that was a lot of fun to get out there with normal, stock blasters. It was different to the usual Nerf cup of coffee I have with modified blasters and it was great. No technological advantages, just you, the dart, the same blaster as everyone else, and whatever skills you brought to the table.
Since then, Nerf’s on twitter, facebook, and even youtube:

http://twitter.com/nerfnation
http://www.facebook.com/NerfNation
http://www.youtube.com/user/nerf

So much to pump and blast, so little time. While the blaster modification internet community continues to grow East, West, Midwest, and beyond the stock blasters from Nerf and the other brands are where we all start and where the fun begins.

Ready, Aim, FOAM!

-VasTheStampede