Tag: blaster

REVIEW: Nerf Vortex Diatron (aka the Dead Space Plasma Cutter)

Nerf Vortex Diatron.  When I first saw it, I thought:

And as far as Nerf blasters get, this is about as close as I feel you can get to one without buying this:

Quick Stats:

Price: Approx $19.99
Ranges: 30-40′ @ Flat shooting (See video)

Ammo Type:  Vortex Discs
Ammo Capacity:  12 discs (load 10, prime, then load 2 more)
Orientation:  One-handed, ambidextrous handling possible
Tactical rails?  Yes, but not very comfortable (Read on)
Stock Attachment? Possible
Dual-Wield?  Not really

Annnnd Video:

The Nerf Vortex Diatron looks cool, first and foremost.  At least, I think so.  The Vortex discs give it decent range, and it’s part of the “MultiShot Madness” campaign that Nerf is running with it’s RoughCut and Triad, but that being said it’s a great thought but not without some reservations.

First, let’s take care of the good.  The MultiShot function works!  It fires 2 discs, and they both launch out of the top barrel.

Top barrel, only one disc shown but needs 2 to fire.

Also, higher capacity than a Vigilon, hence the common misconception that there are 2 barrel and one disc flies out of each.  It’s shaped as such to make room for the higher-capacity internal magazine:

There’s a tac rail on top, and if you’re aiming the blaster the priming lever is on the left, the disc release/jam clear is on the right.  The mag release switch is on both sides of the handle.  The rear part of the blaster can have stocks and such attached, adding to the customizable options of the blaster.


So the blaster’s multishot is a nice change of pace from what we’ve seen with the Vortex line so far, the paintjob is pretty cool, and the design is fresh from science fiction.  It fires pretty decently too, within the normal tolerances of a stock blaster, hitting anywhere from 40-50′.  The discs are stacked vertically when they exit the barrel and spread apart, with the bottom disc getting the lower end of the range, while the top-stacked disc goes a few feet further.  The thing is Vortex discs are so unpredictable in flight sometimes you do run the risk of getting tagged no matter what you do.

That being said, there are some issues to consider about the Nerf Vortex Diatron.  While the mag release IS on both sides, the priming lever and jam release placements might be problematic for lefties.  Also, the Diatron’s a bit tougher to reload than the Vigilon.  It’s a lot easier to palm 5 discs and slam them all in at once as opposed to the 10, 6 of which you might be able to bunch in, and individually reload the rest.  Thankfully, the extra shot trick still works (check the video for that).  The Diatron REQUIRES 2 discs loaded to fire, and it jams if there’s only one.  In the video I show how to troubleshoot the Diatron if only one disc loads on accident for some reason, but I see many people not reading the manual and wondering why their blaster is broken and the trigger is not pulling.  So, it’s a bit touchy.  One concern I have read about on other reviews is the Nerf Vortex Diatron’s priming lever is flimsy and counterintuitive. I agree that the priming lever is definitely not something I saw from this blaster in the preliminary photos, but what’s done is done, and if you can fit this with your playing style, then game on.  As for the arm being flimsy, I disagree on that.  I think it feels pretty robust and don’t see it breaking on me in the heat of the game.

Range-wise, the Diatron was on the low side for Vortex blasters I thought.  One of the discs only flies about 30′ while the other gets standard Vortex ranges, and I would have liked to see similar power put on both discs.  There’s an inherent inaccuracy with Vortex ammo, so that’s no surprise that the effective range is maybe 30-40′, and the discs slice severely after that.

One final thought is that I really would rather use this as a sidearm, but the Diatron’s so big it won’t even fit in my super-sized Grabit Pack.

Overall, is this worth the $20?  It’s no Pyragon, but the Diatron could be a fun little blaster in its own right.  If you liked the Vigilon, this is right up your alley.  If you like Dead Space but can’t afford a replica Plasma Cutter, this is your option right here (my cousin worked on the game and he agreed it looks pretty close).  The multishot feature is a bit disappointing in the disparate ranges between the fired discs, but I had no problems with the feature actually working.  And… ultimately, the Nerf Vortex Diatron looks really cool!  Whether you use Vortex discs or not or you play indoors or out, try it out and maybe you’ll find it does in fact work for you.  Try before you buy, if you can!

Year in Review Highlights: Nerf (and other Toy Blasters) – 2012!

Oh man… what a year!  2012 was a pretty big time for toy blasters.  There was just so much that came out and so many things have happened, here we are again.

Some of my fave things:

– New York Toy Fair 2012

– The Nerf Hailfire Release Party (Thanks Nerf!)

 
– BATTLE OF THE AMAZONS

The Release of the Nerf N-Strike Elite:
– Retaliator
– Rampage
– Hailfire
– Triad
– Stryfe
– Strongarm
– Elit Reflex/Eliminator (Though I don’t believe it actually has a range increase)
– Elite Rayven
– Firestrike
– RoughCut 2×4
– Stockade (outside the U.S.)

RoughCut 2×4
Nerf Hailfire
Nerf Retaliator

Nerf Rampage
Nerf Strongarm and Firestrike
Nerf Elite Rayven and Stryfe
Nerf Triad
Nerf Eliminator
Nerf Stockade and 30 pack of darts

Nerf Dart Tag:
– Snapfire 8 (outside the U.S.)

Nerf Vortex:
– PYRAGON


– Diatron

Whew!  It’s been a busy year 🙂

Nevermind that Nerf revamped the Lazer Tag line:


Buzz Bee and Air Zone/Prime Time Toys had some respectable years with new releases of their own, but the most notable was probably the Range Master, an air blaster w/pump that got good ranges and gave some folks out there a non-springer option:

But it wasn’t just the year of the foam dart blasters, not at all.  Disposable ammo is part of the game now, past the Max Force spit wads and the first run of Xploderz water pellet blasters, there’s now also BlasterPro, “X2” series Xploderz, and Vapor.

BlasterPro

Xploderz

Vapor

This branch of the toy blaster tree will definitely bear some watching come 2013.  I got a feeling we’re in for a whole new level of innovation, between Nerf upping the ante with their increased ranges from the Elite/Vortex lines, now these new companies are going to have to show what they can do next.

Definitely not least, Zing Toys is out there with some great products as well.  Definitely keep an eye out for their Air Storm line:

Zcurve bow

ZX Crossbow

Zing Shot and Pop Rocketz

Zip Bak Bow
Z-Tek Crossbow

WHAT  A YEAR, HOLY CRAP.  SO MANY TOYS.

On that note… let’s not forget the fallen.  Gone, give or take some leftover stock on the shelves.  Safe to say these brands aren’t supported in their current forms anymore:

Max Force
Light Strike

BUT… while two brands dropped out (apparently)… one more has risen.  Yup, Launch N Attack

And a more local offering, Bumpa’s Blowguns!

And that, as they say, is that!  Sorry if I missed anything, but there’s only so much one can recall!  Have a great New Year, and see you in 2013!

Review Time! Launch N Attack Annihilator

Alright!  Thanks to Eyespy Toys, I was able to get my hands on a Launch N Attack Annihilator and a Target Launcher.

Nerf Barricade, Prime Time Toys Quick Shot 6, Launch N Attack Disc, Launch N Attack Annihilator, Launch N Attack Disc Launcher

Cost:  $14.99 – $19.99 depending on vendor.
Ammo Capacity: 10 shots (closer to a Dart Tag Blaster in output)
Range:  Blaster shoots about 20-30′, the discs go up to 40′ upward (supposedly)

The disc launcher attaches to the blaster on the side, and you pull the rip cord which spins the disc that lifts it into the air.

Design:
It definitely looks styled after a Nerf Barricade, minus the trigger guard, or a nub to attach a stock.  It has the extra rail on the side to accomodate the attack disc, but some of the more important design differences are a bit closer…

Low amount of extra space in chamber to accommodate other darts.  This is literally sized for their ammo alone.
Dart length comparison between an original Nerf Streamline, a Nerf Elite Streamline, and a Launch N Attack Dart

The Launch N Attack rotating chamber only has enough clearance to barely cycle its own brand of darts through the blaster.  You can’t use other brands of ammo with it unless you force and manually rotate the blaster through each shot.  Not the most efficient if you’re in a pitched game where each shot counts and every movement means the difference between tagging or being tagged.  In the heat of things, finding this out could be wildly frustrating.  You can see the Launch N Attack Darts are just a touch shorter than Nerf ammo, hence the lack of compatibility.  One other quick note is the Launch N Attack Darts are a harder plastic/rubber on the tip, not as much give as the Nerf ammo tips, so you know if you decide to shoot your friend unawares.

Now, while I miss the trigger guard and the ability to use all types of ammo the Launch N Attack blasters do what they’re supposed to do blaster-wise, hitting 30′ or so and pretty consistently.  I say consistent in that it hits that range, but it does leave something to be desired in the accuracy department.  And that is a common trait among streamlined style blasters and flywheel ones at that.  The weather’s been a little bit crappy since I got these, so I haven’t had a chance to test the disc launcher outside yet to check the 40′ claim, but I do have something to compare it to:

Nerf N-Strike Disk Shot vs Launch N Attack Rapid Attack

Disc that comes with the annihilator, Rapid Attack Disc, and Nerf Disk Shot disk.

Utimately, how do I feel about the blaster?  With the market going the way it’s going,  to see a normal 20-30 range out of a blaster knowing there’s farther shooting stuff out there for just a few bucks more is a tough sell, in my opinion.  Never mind the lack of interchangeable ammo usage which makes using this in a game of tag a tough choice.  From a playability standpoint, the addition of the target disc is a good incentive to use it for target practice/reaction testing for yourself, or if you’re bored want a mobile target to shoot at.  I will definitely continue to keep an eye on this company though, as I like where they started, but definitely hope to see a more current take on their blasters considering what’s out there now.

Vapor Deltas and Atlases? At San Diego Comiccon? SDCC?!?! (Also, where to buy it if you’re not at the show….)

So the Vapor Delta and Vapor Atlas are a couple of new offerings from Vapor that are pretty cool.  Disposable ammo, streamlined looks, and pretty decent performance out of the box.  Looks like there’s something cooking on their end at San Diego Comic-Con.   The Vapor facebook page might have more details on what they’re preparing, but it looks like a lot of blasters and ammo.  Lots of ammo.  If you’re at SDCC, I’m super jealous.  Enjoy your time there, and hope you find Vapor while you’re there!  If you’re not (like me) then you can still find a Vapor blaster (Delta or Atlas) online, and for a discounted weekend-only price!

(MOAR after the cut)

Been wanting a Vapor Delta?   It’s on sale NOW!  http://shop.razor.com/Vapor-Delta-500/

25% off for this weekend only!  (Call it an SDCC perk)  Do me a favor and tell’em Foam From Above sent ya, eh?

Key note here, SDCC’ers – “Cruisin’ the streets of Comic-Con with a stockpile of free blasters to share with some lucky friends. Catch the vapor mother-wave tomorrow around 3pm… if you can find us.”

Check out @vaporblaster on twitter, and the Facebook page noted above!

A sign, if I ever saw one.  And Wilfred cosplayers?  Of course, SDCC. (picture taken from Vapor’s Facebook page)

Another shot off the Vapor Facebook page; look at all those blasters!  Keep your eyes open!   The Vapor Delta is a favorite, for sure.

And seriously, Walking Dead Escape?  Yes please!

Nerf N-Strike Elite… Bottom line

As we close in this week on the Nerf launch party for the Nerf N-Strike Elite Hailfire, I figure it’s only fair to finally do some actual writing, this being a blog and all.

So the Nerf N-Strike Elite line.  Hit or miss?

I’ll give it a hit, but tentatively.  I really want to love it, I really do!  And I’m impressed, don’t get me wrong.  But until I have the actual Hailfire in my hands to test and check out, I’m going with reservations.  Mainly cause I don’t want to think the novelty and newness of everything is clouding my judgment.  These are some sweet new toys, and I think they’ll add a lot of value to Nerf games far and wide, but let’s still maintain a grain of salt.

What we’ve seen so far are UPGRADES to existing blasters.  Nerf’s already received some fire for reshells (Spectre was a five-shot Maverick, the Alpha Trooper was functionally a Raider, and nevermind the countless repaints.)  I like what I’m seeing, but slam-fire and a single-shot modular blaster are things we’ve seen already.  The Hailfire has a new loading mech, but functionally it’s a Barricade or a Nitron that it’s a flywheel blaster and shoots one dart at a time as opposed to say, a spread of darts/discs.  But it’s either of those blasters on steroids.  UP TO 75′, and 144 shots (at max capacity) before having to refill another magazine.  It looks small, which might defuse bulky arguments, but that remains to be seen on what magazines will actually fit and how many (the speculation leads to: 35 rnd drums).  In any event, what functional hilarity this adds to the battlefield remains to be seen, and I can’t wait to try dual-wielding it.

Thanks to SGNerf for the photo!

All the skepticism aside… let’s get to it.  The Nerf Vortex line big ranges flat, but the discs fell victim to crosswinds more severely than darts.  They were also green, which made it harder to find in well-grown grass.  The Elite darts hit 50+ flat, but the advertised 75′ comes at an angle which is to be expected.  Either way, whichever range you hit that’s more than 20-30’+ that we’ve come to expect out of recent Nerf blaster releases.  So whether you like discs or darts, anything you’ve bought previous to Vortex and Elite will find you at a slight disadvantage.  I’ve managed to shoot straight with a Nerf Nitron, and the Retaliator and Rampage are pretty accurate at 40′ and a bit more than that even.

Those of us that hold stock-ammo/blaster games are going to have some fun with this new stuff, for sure.  It changes the field a lot, having this kind of range and accuracy straight outta the box without any additional work.  Everything from the previous N-Strike line is compatible with the Elite and vice versa, so don’t fret about all the streamlines you’ve already bought!  Just use them until you can’t anymore, and go buy Elite streamlines.  They fly a tad better than the originals.

So the only real gripe is I’m still looking for something way out of left field from Nerf.  Everything here looks impressive and I am impressed with how things fire, but the functionality still feels similar.  Even their vaunted Pyragon is a disc-shooting Raider.  While things look cool, I want to see something blow my mind both in how it looks AND how it plays.  I think the last blaster to do that was the Nerf Unity Power  System because it had 3 different blasters, one of which was essentially a shotgun.  When I saw the Raider for the first time it was awesome, but then boiled down to still putting out one dart at a time, just faster.  The Deploy was hilarious in function, but past the transformation (and nobody was fooled) it was a pump-action single shot blaster, or a Furyfire.

Still though, one step at a time.  Nerf’s given us souped-up ranges, a sleek color scheme, and dark blue darts. (I hope they make the darts brighter though… given the issue with green discs, white elite darts would be easier to find than dark blue.)  The Hailfire is going to have a reloading mech that looks promising at adding new body mechanics (I will admit, I liked the thumb switch on a Proton.  Made it feel very tactile and was satisfying on some level; the little things that count) to handling a blaster, which might be enough to sell it.

Speaking of selling – here we go once more with the pricing:

Nothing outrageous, and honestly I thought the Hailfire was going to cost more.  But that’s enough talk.  Time to get back to blasting, and shooting foam at anything that moves.  The Elite line shows a lot of promise, and I would definitely suggest picking them up and giving them a go.  The darts are new, the blasters are new (on the inside), and it looks like Nerf’s paying attention to what you, the fans want.  Better ranges and accuracy.  So show your support for what you wanted, and make sure Nerf knows this line is going to sell!  The blasters should start popping up around 8/1/12, and the Hailfire around 9/9/12.  Get on it, it’s time to upgrade.

Quick edit: I was asked if the Recon barrel changed in diameter for the Retaliator, but found this instead.  When pics first surfaced people speculated but I took a pic of my clear Recon for confirmation.

Nerf N-Strike Retaliator barrel extension

Nerf N-Strike Clear Recon barrel extension

I do declare, is that rifling I see?

Walk the ladder, compadres.
@VasTheStampede

P.S. – This Thursday I’ll be back here posting LIVE from the Nerf Hailfire Launch in NYC (New York City!)  Posting – Youtube:  http://youtube.com/foamfromabove
Twitter: @vasthestampede
aaaaaand this very blog!

Nerf N-Strike Elite: Centralized

Collected a number of the videos posted about the Nerf N-Strike Elite press kits and put them all in one playlist.  We all see things a little differently, so maybe there’s something here for everyone!

So far: Rogue1283, BasicNerf, and ClickClickBAMF all have videos up that I’ve found:

Curious about other parts of the Nerf N-Strike Elite line like the new bandolier, Tactical Vest, and even the Nerf Vortex Pyragon will price out:  Shining Foam went and got the whole listing straight off Nerf’s website.  Go have a look! 

At first glance, the Hailfire and Pyragon are going for $39.99, the Rampage is at $29.99 (different from the $34.99 listed in the press kit), and Nerf N-Strike Retaliator at $24.99.  Good lookin’ out!

Sales Update – Where to find the Vapor Atlas 250 and gel ammo! Toys R Us Online!

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12261094&CAWELAID=1156719981 – 1000 ROUNDS OF GEL AMMO

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12261091&CAWELAID=1156719983 – 500 ROUNDS OF GEL AMMO

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12261093&CAWELAID=1156719984 – VAPOR ATLAS 250

 And the previous review of the Vapor Atlas 250 – http://foamfromabove.blogspot.com/2011/08/razor-steps-into-ring-their-new-toy.html  

Also, remember the Vapor Delta 500?  Coming soon! – http://foamfromabove.blogspot.com/2012/02/pre-toy-fair-review-vapor-delta-500-us.html