Thanks for the kit, Nerf! Check out the unboxing and see what came in.
Tag: blogger
[REVIEW] Adventure Force Tactical Strike Liberator
Adventure Force Tactical Strike Liberator
STATS:
- Pump action
- Breech-loaded
- 10 round capacity (but flexible), ammo included
- Price: currently available for $17.97 at Walmart (exclusive)
- Interchangeable face plates (red, green, blue)
- Adventure Force branded, made by Dart Zone Blasters
Video filmed at Wicked Ball Chicago in Lombard, IL. Check them out, and thanks to them for letting me film!
Product provided by Dart Zone Blasters, but opinions remain my own.
Special mention to ClickClickBAMF for doing the editing on my video!
[REVIEW] Nerf Rival KNOCKOUT XX-100 (unreleased in the U.S. as of 2019/09/06
NERF RIVAL KNOCKOUT XX-100 Assortment
(HASBRO/Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $9.99/Available: October 1, 2019)
Available at most major toy retailers nationwide.
Basics:
– 2 x High-Impact Rounds included
– 1 x Nerf Rival Knockout
– Capacity: 1 round (technically, watch the video!)
– Jolt-style downward pull
– Fires one shot at a time
– Breech-loaded
– Tactical Rail
– FPS readings – approx. 90s
– Ranges: 40-50′ flat, can hit 80-90 angled
Mechanics:
– Flick release to spring barrel forward, revealing breech.
– Insert 1 round, slide barrel back into place.
– Pull priming handle down and push back into original position
– Fire
Pros:
+ Compact
+ Chrony shows it hits about 90 FPS
+ Undocumented (in instruction manual) ability to shotgun 2 rounds
+ Nice aesthetics/mechanics, the pop-release breech and priming mech work nicely for me
Cons:
– Other blasters available at similar price for higher ammo capacity
– Single shot, even against other pistols this is at a disadvantage head to head
– The jolt-style priming mech gets in the way of the grip to some degree, at least for my hands
– Shotgun loading is a happy side effect, not an explicit feature
Final Verdict:
Consider purchasing! It’s pretty good at the price and pretty simple to use. This blaster will be a good stocking stuffer/gift/intro blaster to the Rival line. The compact feel of the blaster is a trade-off with the ammo capacity, but may benefit some play styles and loadouts. Since it is so low profile finding a holster or pocket for it is highly probable.
Dart Zone Pro – The Preorder
Dart Zone did it. For weeks they teased the “Dart Zone Pro” line, promising 150′ and incredible accuracy. That was great, but the remaining question was, “how much will it cost?”
$180.00. Today, the preorders went live midnight from the looks of it and you can own this yourself. Some of the initial responses I see online go from “I’m buying it” (and I’ve seen people ordering them) to “whoa…. that’s a little steep.”
A lot of people were hoping that the budget-friendly pricing usually attached to Dart Zone products would apply here, and that collector’s edition pricing surprised a few folks for sure.
I personally don’t have any experience with kits/short darts/etc like this, so is it worth $180? I can’t really tell you, but the research and information is out there. I’d like to try this blaster for myself but wow, that price tag is pretty steep for me too. In a world where XShot and Nerf slug it out for cheaper blasters, Dart Zone seems to have gone for high-powered product at premium pricing, and performance you don’t get out of premium-priced Nerf products right now.
Are the demo videos enough to make you want to get a Dart Zone Pro Collector’s Edition blaster? Will you give it a second look if they offer a less pricey kit later on? If these don’t sell, will we see any additional DZ Pro kits? Stay tuned.
ORDER NOW!
Limited Edition (up to 1000 Units Available)
Delivers October 2019
MK-1 Collector’s Edition delivers Pro Power and Pro Performance right out of the box. MK-1 Collector’s Edition Case features everything you need to fit your own game. Each Dart Zone Pro MK-1 is individually numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity. The Dart Zone® Pro MK-1 is the first Dart Zone® blaster designed and produced to meet elite player’s expectations. The Pro MK-1 is easy to assemble and ready for battle.
MK-1 Collector’s Edition Case: $179.99
with FREE SHIPPING!
MK-1 Collector’s Edition delivers Pro Power and Pro Performance right out of the box. MK-1 Collector’s Edition Case features everything you need to fit your own game. Each Dart Zone Pro MK-1 is individually numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity. The Dart Zone® Pro MK-1 is the first Dart Zone® blaster designed and mass produced to meet elite player’s expectations. The Pro MK-1 is easy to assemble and ready for battle.
MK-1 Collector’s Edition Case: $179.99 Value with FREE SHIPPING! (US Orders Only)
Includes:
• Upper Receiver/ Front Blaster Body with Pre-Installed Metal Barrel
• Lower Receiver/ Rear Blaster Body
• Optional Plastic Barrel Included
• Adjustable Shoulder Stock
• Front Handle
• Rear and Front Sight for Tactical Picatinny Rail
• Thumb Screws (x2)
• Connector Pins (x2)
• O-Rings (x2)
• 15-Standard Dart Magazine (x1)
• 15-Half-Length Dart Magazine (x1)
• Half-Length Magazine Clip Adaptor (x1)
• 15 Dart Zone® Pro Standard Darts
• 15 Dart Zone® Pro Half-Length Darts
• Certificate of Authenticity – Individually Numbered (# of 1000 Limited Edition MK-1)
Bonus Offer included with all MK-1 Collector’s Edition Orders:
• Pro Dart Refill Set Included (a $29.99 Value for FREE!)
– Includes 120 Dart Zone® Pro Standard Darts
– Includes 120 Dart Zone® Pro Half-Length Darts
**Ships separately from MK-1 Collector’s Edition’s Case
**Brings Total Ammo Count up to 270 New Dart Zone® Pro Darts!
FREE SHIPPING – ONLINE EXCLUSIVE ONLY AT DARTZONEBLASTERS.COM
Order Now – Delivers October 2019 • US Orders only
(Non-Nerf Blasters) EXCLUSIVE Dart Zone Blasters reveal this week!
EXCLUSIVE reveal coming this week to foamfromabove! Dart Zone has a new look arriving exclusively to Target! I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s coming 🙂
Toy Fair 2019 Aftershock (the Livestream)
Original live broadcast on 2/19/2019, after New York Toy Fair. Panelists include Vas from FoamFromaAbove.com, Nerfers101 from Instagram, and Nikki from NY Dart Zone. Producer is Gabe E. of NY Dart Zone.
We talk about EVERYTHING we saw! HUGE THANKS (in no particular order) to Nerf, Dart Zone Blasters, Buzz Bee Toys, Top Secret Toys, Zing, Marshmallow Fun, Far Out Toys, and Paper Shooters (Spitball Blasterz)! Appreciate the samples provided!
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Nerf & Blasters Year in Review: 2018
THE END OF AN ERA FOR BLASTERS
2018 was witness to one of the biggest moments for me in the toy industry: the Fall of Toys R Us. If you read any of the Rock Father’s coverage, Toys R Us going bankrupt in the U.S. and shuttering its doors at all U.S. locations was a watershed moment that left ripples throughout the toy industry. While the brand lives on in Canada and Asia, losing the U.S. side of the business left a hole in consumer spending that many retailers tried to take advantage of. And after some initial reports, it’s not likely any true winner arose.
That meant more retailers carrying blasters, carrying exclusives, and a lot of private label items under air zone and stats had to find homes elsewhere. The Toys R Us exclusive brands and Nerf skins like the sonic series (there were still some fire/ice kits around), Alien Menace, all needed new homes too. Where once many blasters were consolidated under the House of Geoffrey, they scattered to new retailers, eager to draw in new business. One BIG example is Walmart making a grab with Adventure Force, their private label. Two of the brands below are distributed through Adventure Force, making some of those blasters Walmart exclusives. Target locked in their own exclusive deals as well, but this makes collecting and finding the blasters difficult for fans who make it a point to find what they can, and casual buyers couldn’t care less as long as the price is right.
Most of the products/brands on this list I had personal experience with, or was able to gain reliable discourse from trusted third party sources. If you think your product should be on this list, get in touch and let me know! I might not even know your product exists.
Nerf
Nerf had a pretty big year for 2018, and going into 2019 it makes me wonder what’s coming next. When I outlined it, Nerf had a ton of releases this year compared to everyone else. Sure, there were reskins/jolts, but considering volume alone there was a lot of shelf space that Nerf occupied. Besides blasters, Nerf released new goggles, pushed ahead some merchandise with Jazwares, and maintained some new exclusivity agreements across the board. Kohl’s, Amazon, Walmart, and Target were some of the exclusives I heard about, and Academy Sports is the only carrier of the Kronos battle sets (red or blue) as of this writing. Currently, a lot of the Nerf merchandise there is on clearance, so it makes me wonder how well it actually sold at those stores.
Regardless of the sales, Nerf certainly went big this year. Big in the form of the Nerf Prometheus, a $200 Rival blaster that shot faster and had a much higher capacity than a lot of the market, holding over 200 Rival rounds, firing 8 shots/sec, at about 100 FPS. After that they had the Nerf Rival Hades, a bigger version of the Nerf Rival Artemis that held 60 rounds and had slamfire. The Nerf Rival Stormtrooper blaster was functionally similar to a Helios. While still a good blaster, it looked good but didn’t offer anything new mechanism wise.
Other releases included the auto-loading Nerf Infinus (a first in tech), new Mega Accustrike darts released with the Mega Thunderhawk, revisiting light-up and clear plastic designs in the Ghost Ops Evader, and putting out a new chain blaster for Zombie Strike with the Ripchain. Other releases included* (and there were probably others I missed):
– Nerf Chronobarrel/ammo counter
– Nerf Ghost Ops reflective targeting set
– Nerf Rival Deadpool Apollo
– Nerf Modulus Longstrike
– Nerf Modulus Demolisher
– Nerf Vortex blasters (3 – Vigilon, Praxis, Pyragon)
– Star Wars dart blasters (Han, Qi’Ra, Chewbacca, Tobias Beckett)
– Nerf Microshots series 2 (Stryfe, Crossfire, Roughcut)
– Nerf BattleCamo (Stryfe, Firestrike, Roughcut, Battlescout, Splitstrike)
– Nerf Surgefire- Nerf Kronos Battle Sets
– Nerf Mediator Core blaster, stock, and barrel attachments
– Nerf Mega Tri-Break
– Nerf Kronos (technically, scheduled release for Spring 2018 in Phantom Corps)*Not including the Overwatch blasters since they were originally scheduled for 2019.
Nerf also brought back a new version of laser tag, calling it Laser Ops Pro. It was decently priced, sold as a rifle (DeltaBurst), pistol (AlphaPoint), or a two-player starter pack. Laser Ops Pro was pretty neat that it only needed one phone/mobile device to run an app to host online play, amidst a bevy of other features. Aside from all that, players could easily just turn on blasters and play right out of the box (after getting batteries). Here’s hoping they continue to support the new line down the road. From what I heard, there’s at least another year in the works with Laser Ops Pro, and we might see more at Toy Fair in February, if nothing leaks out ahead of time.
Besides the entertainment centers coming up, I think some of the biggest hits this year for Nerf/Hasbro came in the form of licensing. Not only did Hasbro take Power Rangers (and I expect more than a few blasters out of that line) but they gained a deal to make Fortnite and Overwatch themed blasters.
Considering the popularity of each game, this is a move to clearly pull new fans from larger audiences into picking up Nerf. Nerfnation is large, but there is still a lot of attention to be gained from expanding to new audiences, including gamers and cosplayers who may not have considered buying nerf blasters until now. Coupled with a renewed GI Joe brand, Star Wars, and Transformers, Nerf has a lot of licenses to generate blasters for, and it will be interesting to see what comes out this year and years down the road.
If I had to make noise about anything Nerf/Hasbro is doing, it’s the creeping prices on high-profile blasters. The Nerf Rival Prometheus ultimately got marked down, but consumers predictably balked at a $200 price tag. There’s a whole psychology at work in pricing and marketing, but to start right off the bat with that price took down the interest quite a bit I think. The Nerf Rival Hades was a good buy, and the Kronos DEFINITELY a good buy for this year. But a majority of the big ticket blasters that Nerf pushed (Infinus, Scravenger, Mega Thunderhawk, Prometheus, Evader) had pretty high price tags. The price tags on the Modulus Longstrike and Modulus Demolisher are way higher than I would expect as well, even with upgraded parts and new kit pieces.
The argument is that with each of those, Nerf also released a Scout Mk II, Quadrant, or Surgefire. That’s not what people were looking at this year though, and those releases quietly moved forward. As you will see, those prices could also backfire as lower cost alternatives grows in recognition all the time. And for many casual players, the price is definitely right when it comes to non-Nerf brands.
Bottom line for me is, that Nerf led the charge with higher ranges in foam darts and then changed the landscape with Nerf Rival. They continue to influence the market in big ways, regardless of where they come up short.
Zuru
Zuru, or XShot, continues to astound in the pricing of their blasters. They offer high ranges and (in the case of the Turbo Advance) high capacity blasting for much lower pricing than Nerf. The only real shortcomings are that there are no magfed designs compatible with Nerf blasters, and most magazines for XShot blasters are too small for Nerf size darts. The only exception is the Bug Attack Crossbow. XShot darts are also shorter than most other brands, and while it doesn’t seem to affect performance, it’s something not a lot of people are aware of. This doesn’t affect the front-loading/turret style blaster but it sometimes affects magfed blasters.
XShot also does not have a wide variety of styles to choose from. The Turbo Fire is basically a smaller version of the Turbo Advance (with a different priming mechanism and slamfire) and the other blasters are styles we saw before, but with some mechanical changes. The Vigilante 2.0 is now better able to accommodate longer darts, some XShot blasters now have a recoil feature (for blasting play without the ammo, much like a light and sound toy blaster). What is nice is the Swarm Seeker and Regenerator use the same clip, in spite of being in different segments. Previously, it was a huge disappointment that the Bug Attack Crossbow was not compatible with magazines from the Max Attack.
If you wonder how XShot manages such low pricing, look to their manufacturing. Their factories are almost entirely automated, cutting down on costs. What that also means though is why there is such a limited number of different designs. Yes, the argument could be made that Nerf puts the same internals in multiple blaster shells (Jolt and Kronos) but the point is they have different looks to offer different consumers. With XShot they keep a few designs but can’t have a lot of different tooling molds due to the automated process. That’s why you don’t see a lot of compelling exclusives on the level Nerf does.
HOWEVER, you will definitely have a hard time saying no to the prices they have their blasters and ammo. And in this case, you get a pretty good product for what you pay for. Keep in mind, when you see “Adventure Force” you might see XShot blasters, and the performance is worth the price.
– Swarm Seeker
– Turbo Advance
– Regenerator
– Hawkeye
– Max Attack
– Vigilante Mk 2
Dart Zone
Dart Zone made HUGE noise last year coming out with a Rival-compatible line, BallistixOps (or Adventure Force, if you shop at Walmart). Lower cost ammo, lower cost blasters with comparable range and ammo capacity, hopper fed mechanisms, and again at a much lower cost. Aside from some design differences (always-on vs accelerator trigger) Dart Zone continues to put out Rival level product that is worth a look if Nerf blasters are out of your budget. The BallistixOps ammo is on part with Nerf Rival, and in some reviews even a little bit firmer than Nerf, so it flies a little better.
Dart Zone/Adventure Force blasters don’t neglect darts either. Dart Zone introduced their version of “waffle-head” type ammo, similar to the K’next K-Force darts of the past. These waffle darts fly pretty well out of all blasters, are compatible with Nerf, and unlike the XShot ammo are of the same length as Nerf darts. But you can also get 200 rounds at Walmart for around $10. Definitely worth the money for that much ammo. The BallistixOps ammo gets up to 150 rounds for $20, which is pretty good as well, considering the cost of Nerf Rival ammo. The key note here is this is mass market produced ammo and safety tested for sale in a major chain, as opposed to some products you find on Amazon.
I mentioned the Dart Blasters, and Dart Zone represented well. The CommandFire is their take on the reloading mechanism like the Nerf Infinus, but with a larger amount of ammo, not just one dart at a time. They continued using chain blasters, making the Titan from the Light Command, a fan favorite. The Double Trouble is a fun front-loading blaster that is not something you would holster, but definitely worth looking at for gameplay. For $20, Dart Zone did a good job at matching price with functionality. Definitely glad to see them producing for another year.
– Releases this year from Dart Zone/Adventure Force:
+Quantum
+Velocity
+Titanium
+Accelerator
+Double Trouble
+CommandFire
– Waffle-tip darts for CHEAP
– Rival compatible ammo
Buzz Bee
Buzz Bee had a somewhat quiet 2018. The releases they managed, as seen below:
+Covert Squad
+Night Attack
+Thermal Tracker
+Crossbow
+Reissues/Battle sets through Adventure Force of previous releases
The blasters Buzz Bee put out were good, but where last year saw the Thermal Scope on the Thermal Hunter, this year didn’t have a standout product. At Toy Fair, they had a handheld chronograph, the Velocity X, and the Mutator. Neither saw release in the United States (and I don’t think the Velocity X released at all) but the ideas were sound. The Velocity X was a handheld chronograph that was usable for darts, rival ammo, mega ammo, but it didn’t move forward. The Mutator I hear is only available overseas. Adventure Force carried the above blasters for the most part, while Target picked up the Covert Squad blasters, walkie-talkie bolt-action blasters.
The Night Attack and Crossbow didn’t use bolt-action, but the Covert Squad, Thermal Tracker, and Mutator did. Buzz Bee does believe in the bolt-action play pattern for blasters, and it’s interesting that they continue to use it. I always felt like it made usage more difficult for left handed players, but maybe I’m wrong? And considering the Nerf Jupiter leaked some time ago, it looks like Nerf believes in the bolt-action play pattern as well.
Buzz Bee blasters fire on par with Nerf blasters now, and Buzz Bee also has Precision, XL Distance, and suction cup darts, depending on the type of blasting a player wants to use. The darts and magazines for Buzz Bee blasters are compatible with Nerf as well, and Buzz Bee still produces a tactical rail adapter for Nerf blasters, making it possible to use accessories between the two brands still. On top of all the compatibility, Buzz Bee blasters are also much lower in price compared to Nerf blasters, and the ammo too. Buzz Bee hasn’t made the jump to a higher-impact play segment like Dart Zone, but they continue to crank out product in their segment that stands well against Nerf product.
Third Party (Amazon, Evike, eBay)
Third party products are a whole post on their own. There are many to choose from, and all I can say for now is you do the research and be sure of the product you are getting. These products don’t always go through the same safety testing channels that Nerf and other brands in stores go through, so it can be a mixed bag what you are getting. Sometimes darts that say “Nerf” are actually solid plastic/rubber headed foam darts with stronger impact, or just smell funny. Whatever the case, when buying online, follow your common sense protocols. If there’s enough interest, I’ll do a deep-dive post on third party products,
Blast Forward to 2019!
I’ll keep this short and sweet. 2019 looks to have quite a few huge events on the horizon. The Nerf arenas opening, Overwatch and Fortnite blasters being released, continued steady competition from other blaster brands, and the continued search for a new de facto toy store. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Here are some things I would like/feel I will see in 2019-
– If you HAVE SLAMFIRE, PLEASE
o Stock to stabilize firing motion
o PUMP-ACTION
– TRIGGERS
o If you’re making a new blaster line, please make sure your blaster uses a trigger, unless there’s a very good thematic reason not to.
– Continued Growth of Nerf Rival (kinda obvious)
– Water ball blasters…. They were done poorly in the past (except for the Vapor line, that was pretty decent at the time) but definitely popular elsewhere in the world. Only a matter of time before they make their way back here.
– Better, much better GI Joe blasters to tie-in with the new movie (Though to be fair, no Bumblebee blasters yet).
– Hasbro will pick up more licenses, somewhere
– Big plans for Toy Fair in February
– Nerf will put out something even bigger than the Prometheus. Why? Because they can.
– More info coming up on the Nerf 50th anniversary, I am sure.
Nerf X Overwatch News @ BlizzCon – Pricing, availability, PREORDERS
Big Day at BlizzCon! Nerf announced McCree’s Rival Blaster, Ashe is a new hero, and pricing and preorders are live at GameStop!
See photos here:
New
Pre-Order
$29.99
PRE-ORDER
Platform: Collectibles
Category: Replicas & Vehicles
Publisher: Hasbro
Developer: Hasbro
Release Date: 01/01/2019
Details
Overwatch fans can play to win with this blaster designed in the style of D.Va’s signature accessory in Blizzard Entertainment’s internationally acclaimed team-based action game. It features recoil action on trigger pull, a trigger lock that prevents accidental firing, and D.Va’s signature bunny charm attached to the handle. This breech-load, spring-action Nerf Rival blaster holds 3 rounds and fires them 1 at a time at a velocity of up to 90 feet per second (27 meters per second). Comes with 3 Overwatch Nerf Rival rounds.
This blaster is designed in the style of Overwatch character D.Va’s signature accessory from Blizzard Entertainment’s internationally acclaimed team-based action game
Comes with bunny chain attached to the blaster handle
Activate the blaster’s recoil action every time you pull the trigger
Breech-load blaster holds 3 rounds and comes with 3 high-impact Nerf Rival rounds that it fires at a velocity of up to 90 feet per second (27 meters per second)
Has a spring-action mechanism, trigger lock, and ready indicator
Includes:
Includes: blaster, 3 rounds, and instructions.
Ages 14 and up
For use with Nerf Rival products only.
Includes 2 blasters designed in the style of accessories used by Overwatch hero Reaper (Wight Edition) in Blizzard Entertainment’s internationally acclaimed team-based action game
Comes with a replica Reaper face mask, with adjustable strap, for Overwatch fans to wear and display
Each blaster holds 8 rounds and fires them at a velocity of 90 feet per second (27 meters per second)
Includes 16 high-impact Overwatch Nerf Rival rounds
These breech-load blasters have spring-action mechanisms, trigger locks, and ready indicators
Includes:
Includes: 2 blasters, 16 rounds, face mask, and instructions.
Ages 14 and up
For use with Nerf Rival products only.
Overwatch McCree Nerf Rival Peacekeeper
Includes one blaster designed in the style of Overwatch hero McCree’s signature accessory from Blizzard Entertainment’s internationally acclaimed team-based action game Overwatch
Comes with a collectible die cast replica McCree badge
Holds 1 round and comes with 6 high-impact Overwatch Nerf Rival rounds
Fires rounds at a velocity of up to 90 feet per second (27 meters per second)
Has a swing-open barrel, reactive hammer, spinning spur on the end of the handle, spring-action mechanism, trigger lock, and ready indicator
Includes:
Includes: blaster, 6 rounds, die cast badge, and instructions.
Ages 14 and up
For use with Nerf Rival products only.
Ages 8 and up
CAUTION: Do not aim at eyes or face. TO AVOID INJURY: Use only with official NERF darts. Other darts may not meet safety standards. Do not modify darts or dart blaster.
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts may be generated. Not for children under 3 years.
Info grabbed from the Nerf instagram feed and GameStop site. All releasing 2019.
So there you have it. Big weekend of reveals for Nerf and a big licensing move for 2019. The D.Va and Reaper Nerf Rival blasters are similarly functional to the Nerf Kronos; breech-loading, trigger pull, internal magazine. McCree looks neat but it’s a little disappointing that it is only a single shot blaster. I wasn’t expecting a Snapfire style toy but hammer priming and hammerfire would have been nice. D.Va is a 3 shot Kronos, Reaper is an 8. The Micro Shots aren’t Rival but still look fun.
The additions are really neat. Reaper’s mask, D.Va’s bunny charm, and the die cast badge with McCree’s blaster seem like cool accessories, and I can’t wait to see them in person.
Naturally, the big issue here lies in the cost. The Reaper kit tops out at $129.99 USD, and the Microshots are $9.99 each with D.Va and McCree in the middle. Considering the Nerf blasters due out around the same time next year, the Fortnite AR-L (and probably others due to announce later), the rumored Hypnos, Nailbiter, Mega Bulldog, the new Ghost Ops pistol, the Rukkus, repaints, the new Demolisher kit, the new Modulus, and more additions after that, prepare your wallets. With Nerf making grand sport of $200 blasters now, casual and hardcore players may be hard-pressed about what blasters in the lineup to get. Completionists beware.
On one hand, seeing licensed quality performance product that will attract larger audiences could be a really beneficial partnership for Hasbro since other blasters haven’t quite landed licenses on that level yet (not to take away from Buzz Bee and Skybound/The Walking Dead.) On the other, the licensing certainly pumps up the price and functionally speaking these aren’t disimilar to existing product. Sales numbers will be interesting.
Will you pick these up? Do you play Overwatch? Would you now? Let me know!
Nerf Fest 2018 – Tour visit in Hodgkins, IL
Nerf Fest rolled out of Illinois over the weekend, and last I heard they were near Indiana! I stopped by the Hodgkins, IL stop and went to see what was up.
The staff was friendly, but if you are expecting to see anyone who works for the Nerf offices, they aren’t on this tour. You won’t get a lot of info on upcoming releases or talk shop, the road teams aren’t prepped for that.
They are familiar with the new product (in this case I saw a Hades, the Nerf blaster rack, Evader, battle camo stryfe, split strike, Infinus, Apollo, and Surgefire), have small freebies, including a blaster poster of Nerf releases through the years, darts, a button, and I even got some sunglasses. You can also sign up for Nerf Perks (and there’s a code for more points), see Nerf Dog toys, the Laser Ops pro, some licensed party supplies, and I think a charging station.
All that being said, I have questions.
Where was the press release? Apparently one was made but myself and other fan sites would have loved to learn about this ahead of time to push it. But only the local news apparently was made aware for each stop. I guess it boils down to what the goal of the tour was, brand awareness and demos for People of Walmart as opposed to straight up attendance numbers that could be brought in from fan sources. Missed opportunity to get large crowds and compelling images.
No free blaster giveaways? Even a spinning prizw wheel or raffle would have been nice to give away a Jolt or Triad. You got darts sure, but the thinly-veiled push to buy blasters was a bit awkward. For a free shirt you go into Walmart and buy over $24.88 of Nerf goodies, show your receipt, and pick your shirt from 8 different syles. Staff remained engaged and took pics, talked to the crowd, they did a fine job. I don’t think they had enough backing, prepping, and supplies.
The fandom is a small population sure, but NerfNation could do better. Ultimately, each stop is only a few hours so they couldn’t have a huge setup but after years of seeing things like this I really wish the fandom would be involved or represented somehow on events like this.
Still, I am glad I went and hope they do this again. As for the $14.88 I spent on a BattleCamo Firestrike…. That’s a rant for a different day.
Nerf Fest Mobile Tour dates through Select Parts of the United States
NerfFest is a thing! 500 Walmarts around America to be Visited by Nerf Mobile Tour. The tour is already underway, but here are the remaining dates and stops.
Just what the title says! Walmart and Nerf are partnering up to bring Nerf Fest at various locations (see the images above.) They don’t hit every state, but maybe you’ll be near one? They’ll bring the new blasters (not sure which ones) to try out, definitely Rival from what I heard. Be ready to see the Prometheus I would guess! There will be some promo items (while supplies last) it sounds like, such as a promo shirt after you spend $25. The stops in Illinois are coming up, I’ll be checking it out I hope!