Tag: buzz bee

Adventure Force Rebel Mech by Buzz Bee Toys!

  • Motorized, rapid fire dart drum clip blaster
  • Flip the switch on and shoot foam darts as fast as you can pull the trigger
  • Easy to load 30 count dart drum clip feeds into the dart blaster with lots of ammo
  • Blasts darts to 100 feet
  • Includes dart blaster, 30 long distance darts and 30 count dart drum clip

Definitely a good buy! At the price, performance, and ammo capacity this blaster is a good addition for any collection and a great gift!

[Review] Buzz Bee Agitator Blaster

Buzz Bee Air Warriors Agitator Reviewed

$19.99, available at Target now! The Buzz Bee Air Warriors Agitator allows you to hit your target every time! With the capability to blast targets from up to 100 feet away, this three foot blaster keeps the fun going with a flip clip so you don’t run out mid-battle. When one is empty, simply flip it around for another 10 count clip. Never lose sight of your target with the detachable barrel, which also doubles as a scope! [MSRP: $19.99; Ages 6+] $20, comes with a flip clip, and detachable barrel attaches to the top as a scope/sight.

See how my testing went, looking at mobility, mechanics, firing, and loading. Overall a pretty solid blaster at a great price. Comes with 20 XL Distance darts, but I recommend the PrecisePro instead.

Thanks to Buzz Bee Toys for the sample, and Wicked Ball Chicago for letting me use your space! Check them out for parties, including archery tag, Nerf Wars, Laser Tag, and Bubble Soccer. Wicked Ball Chicago is in Yorktown Mall, in Lombard, IL.

Buzz Bee Toys 2018 Toy Fair Roundup – Bolt-action cometh, and the return of an old pattern

Buzz Bee Toys came out swinging last year with a number of great items; the Thermal Hunter, the Zenith, and the Thermal Sensor were standouts for me. The Monorail was a good idea but it had some reliability issues when I tried it and that kept it off my favorites list. There were other blasters that had Overall though, the creation of Precision Darts, Long Distance Darts, and sucker darts was some great stuff that came out of Buzz Bee last year.

This year, Buzz Bee seems to have gone the other way. I saw a lot of bolt-action style blasters in their room, such as a new Snipe and their walkie-talkie blasters. Most telling though is that their headlining item, the Mutator – is going to be bolt-action. I can’t blame them either, the tactile feedback from sliding a bolt handle into firing is pretty cool, and plays heavily into the roleplay aspect of the blaster. 
The Buzz Bee Mutator

Buzz Bee Covert Squad – walkie talkies and single shot blasters
There are some exceptions, such as the new Demolisher for The Walking Dead line of blasters, and the PowerMech 20, but otherwise the majority of the blasters I saw on display were either out or bolt-action. Interesting how that works out given Nerf continuing to use flywheels, pump-action, or the traditional pullback slide. 
The Mutator gets its name from the quick change it can pull off in the middle of a blaster fight. There are two magazines because you can load each one with a different type of ammo. One magazine is loaded with the precision darts, and the other loaded with the long distance ammo for farther targets. Pull the barrel forward on The Mutator to shift between either ammo type, bolt-action, and fire. The prototype was still very early, so I didn’t fire it but I did carry it a bit and manipulate the barrel. Interested to see the final product, for sure. 
What I like about the Mutator is it’s a big show-me blaster and the reloading without needing to pop a magazine out and slap a new one in is a time-saving and efficient idea. I believe I heard a few more tweaks are needed and the blaster may not be out til 2019 to make sure it’s firing on all cylinders. I hope that’s not the case and we’ll see it sooner, to figure out more tricks to do with a blaster that reloads as the Mutator does.
The Covert Squad blasters were single-shot bolt action blasters, but the walkie-talkie action is a nice little twist. The blasters are compact enough to not be a bulky unit to hold up, and it’s just a neat gimmick feature for a simple blaster. If you remember the old Nerf Commlink, this is similar but a much greater range (300′), much more streamlined form, earbud connection, and more streamlined unit. For $24.99 (in a two-pack) I’ll go ahead and put this on my Gift Ideas list for the holidays.
The Demolisher was a flywheel unit, and then the PowerMech 20, but the real gem of the room was the Velocity X chronograph.

Velocity X
The big notes on the Velocity X are that it’s a chronograph, AND accommodates Nerf Rival and Mega ammo as well. The unit could be held in hand against the muzzle, or set up to stand on its own via tripod, but this will have a home with maybe arena owners and general users. One concern so far is if the device will be able to read higher (modded) velocities, but I don’t think anyone’s tried yet. All the same, a really good idea.

I got a few readings off it, and it was easy enough to use, but it’s a prototype as far as I’m concerned so when I see the production model I’ll chip in my 2 cents for a full, honest review. What was really cool was the range estimates; it would give distance estimates at an angle vs parallel to the ground. While the Nerf chronobarrel attaches to the barrel of the blaster and functions as an ammo counter, the distance reading, ammo diversity, and price ($14.99 MSRP!) get the edge here for Buzz Bee. At this stage in the game it’s too early in my opinion to really give my own review about anything, the Monorail was hyped last year but changed quite a bit before production. The Demolisher was a bit wonky from what I heard, so I didn’t really give that a try either, as prototypes tend to be. Prototypes from Toy Fair (if they work at all) may get altered en route to release. And that’s what could happen here. What we see at release may even be better, but you never can be sure. Is it great to know these things are coming out, however? You bet!
Buzz Bee had their thermal sensor packaged separately now and their own version of a red dot sight. That means more accessories for your tactical rails, and with the Buzz Bee adapter these will work on your Nerf blasters too, if you need to change things up on your loadout. New light-up swords that attach at the handle (think Darth Maul’s double-sided lightsaber) are coming out as well, but I didn’t notice anything like Michonne’s sword. Still, if you run games with melee weapons the Buzz Bee swords are not only some of the most budget friendly items out there but also pretty durable for the cost. There were some other items that I think were not released for full info yet (though I think they made it out of Nuremburg, if you search the right videos you may see them) so there will still be a few different releases past the press release. I think I can say though, just keep an eye out for these items in Walmart’s “Adventure Force” line.
Overall though, the Buzz Bee showroom showed that Buzz Bee continues to work their own place in the community with continued power increases and innovations from the brand. The Walking Dead license (for the comic, not the show!) and some different gimmicks and tech are on the way, which is a huge step for them to build on last year’s showing. Interestingly enough, they haven’t gone the Rival compatible route, opting to stick with the foam dart category and focusing on making some sweet blasters for dart users. The Demolisher’s aesthetic isn’t a Prometheus but I got a kick out of getting a feel for a gatling-styled blaster (Captain Xavier’s mod notwithstanding!) Definitely looking forward to more, and can’t wait to see the full form of the Mutator at release. Big thanks to Buzz Bee for having me, and see you on the shelves later this year.

Buzz Bee 2018 pricing and info!

Fresh off the press kit, here’s the pricing information and copy from the new Buzz Bee items for 2018. Yes, there’s a chronograph/distance accessory among them. Yes, it accommodates Rival ammo and Mega ammo.

● Covert Squad [MSRP $24.99; Ages 6+]:​ Team up to embark on a covert mission with these two walkie talkie blasters by Buzz Bee Toys. Each blaster has a built in Walkie Talkie with earbud communication that works up to 300 feet range so your opponents won’t hear you coming. With blasting power up to 100 feet, you will be unbeatable!
○ Additional Notes:
■ Includes 2 blasters, 8 long distance darts, and 2 sets of earbuds.

  • ●  Velocity X [MSRP $14.99; Ages 6+]:​ The Velocity X by Buzz Bee Toys measures dart speed and distance from any blaster, at any angle. Its versatility offers three modes so you can use in a hand-held position, on a tripod stand, or you can attach it to compatible dart blasters for continuous readings!
  • ●  Mutator [MSRP $29.99; Ages 6+]:​ The Mutator by Buzz Bee Toys offers unparalleled versatility that allows users to expand the barrel, transform the blaster and select distance blasting up to 100 feet or extreme accuracy with PrecisePro darts.

○ Additional Notes:
■ Includes blaster, 10 long distance darts, 10 PrecisePro darts, two 10
count clips, and removable stock.
● The Walking Dead Abraham’s Demolisher [MSRP $29.99; Ages 6+]: ​You can have the same blasting power as Abraham with this Demolisher by Buzz Bee Toys! This fully automatic, high speed dart blaster with a motorized barrel will blast darts up to 100 feet!
○ Additional Notes:

  • Includes blaster, 30 long distance darts, dart clip, and shoulder strap.
    Batteries are required.
  • Target Exclusive

● Thermal Hunter [MSRP $29.99; Ages 6+]: E​ scape is not an option with the Thermal Hunter! Its heatseeking scope detects a heat source up to 60 feet away, and its crosshairs will turn red to let you know when you’re on target. Its unbeatable spring power and pump action allows you to blast darts up to 100 feet thanks to Buzz Bee Toy’s long distance darts! The unique design lets you customize and build the perfect blaster with other brand’s accessories – and you can even place this scope on other brand’s blasters!
○ Additional Notes:
■ Includes blaster, 20 long distance darts, heatseeking scope, stock, rail
adapter, and a 10 count dart clip. Batteries are required.

● Predator [MSRP $9.99; Ages 6+]:​ Get ready for high-power, bolt action blasting with the Predator! This bolt action dart blaster by Buzz Bee Toys blasts up to 100 feet and also comes with soft and safe foam suction darts that pack staying power like never before! And with its secret storage area, you’ll never have to waste time refilling this blaster.
○ Additional Notes:
■ Includes blaster, 4 suction darts, 4 long distance darts, scope adapter,
and scope.
● The Walking Dead Andrea’s Rifle [MSRP $14.99; Ages 6+]:​ Put yourself in your favorite Walking Dead character’s shoes with this clip fed, bolt action dart blaster by Buzz Bee Toys! With a detachable scope you’ll be able to see walkers from afar, and you’ll never have to get too close with blasting power up to 100 feet!
○ Additional Notes:
■ Includes blaster, scope, 8 long distance darts and an 8 count dart clip.

ICYMI: New Buzz Bee 2017 Blasters from Toy Fair New York

Buzz Bee Brings the Blasters for 2017, Fall 2017*
Vas The Stampede
*- in stores by July possible according to the press release. Availability subject to location.

Buzz Bee definitely brought a lot of promise to Toy Fair 2017. They introduced three dart types (precision, long distance, and suction), increased the power of their blasters (openly claiming 100′ ranges on some blasters) and BROUGHT SOME NEW FEATURES.

Exhibit A: The Rail Blaster – the only video currently (as of March 30, 2017) of it firing

  • Price: $16
  • Available: Fall 2017*
  • Rear-loading
  • 6 shots
  • No slam fire


Rail Blaster on the left, Tactical Storm on the right.



Exhibit B: The Thermal Hunter –

And the sensor – (From RandomShadow09)

At Toy Fair, an adapter for the Thermal Sensor to fit onto Nerf blasters was in development as well, to be packed in the Thermal Hunter.

I was not able to get a price at this time, but I am following up and will update this post once I get some more information.
Additionally, some new tweaks on old patterns:
The Blizzard – 40 shots and slam-fire only, like the Buzz Bee Sidewinder –
No price on this one yet either, I may have missed it.

And the Tactical Storm (pictured above with the Rail Blaster):

  • Price: $17
  • Available: Fall 2017*
  • Interchangeable stock (supposedly with the Thermal Hunter stock).
  • Removable barrel for modular play

In closing, Buzz Bee continues to keep their low prices for the most part while upping their features. Some folks seem particularly excited about the Rail Blaster, others want to get their hands on the Thermal Hunter, and some just want a less pricey alternative to Nerf blasters. Given the products from last year, and the licensing for The Walking Dead, Buzz Bee continues to impress me with what they’re putting out in build quality and themes. As a good number of the blasters were prototypes I can’t say much about the build or the performance of these blasters, I’ll reserve that for the final retail models I will hopefully get later on. BUT…. some of the ideas that Buzz Bee had at Toy Fair were impressive indeed. Keep an eye on this blog and YouTube… as soon as I know, you’ll know 🙂
And some additional photos! Full Gallery of the Buzz Bee booth is here:

Like what you see? Like and Subscribe! Don’t forget to check me out on Instagram, either:

The Walking Dead Abraham’s M16 Zombie Blaster

The Walking Dead Abraham’s M16 Zombie Blaster Clip-fed dart blaster

Basics:
  • Includes: Blaster x 1, 12 Long Distance darts, 8 round magazine
  • Blasts Darts up to 72′
  • Carrying handle and extended stock
  • MSRP: $32.00 – Ages 6+ 

Abraham! A character from “The Walking Dead” but not quite the character you might be thinking of. There’s the Survivor played by Michael Cudlitz on the hugely popular TV show, and then the character on the hugely popular longrunning “The Walking Dead” comic. This blaster references the latter. Here’s a look at them both (images used from The Walking Dead wiki:    

As played by Michael Cudlitz

The Buzz Bee blasters in general really stepped up in the last year. Revealed at New York Toy Fair last year, the new “The Walking Dead” was a real surprise to me in terms of licensed blasters to any degree. Up to this point, the only licensed weaponry was from Thinkgeek (non-projectile, non-foam) or a pretty poor performing Daryl crossbow that shot large foam darts.

BUT WAIT NO MORE.

These “Walking Dead” blasters are not only in a $30 and less price range, but they also are marketed at hitting 72′. Given the rising price of blasters, this adds some much needed relief for comic fans, collectors, and blaster enthusiasts.

Let’s talk colors.

Once again, the blasters draw inspiration from “The Walking Dead” comic book universe, in packaging and font, so if you’re a fan of just the AMC show the aesthetics might seem different to you. Also, Daryl wasn’t originally a character in the comic book, so no crossbow (yet…?)

The colors are a vibrant yellow/red/white, which is common to keeping cosplay enthusiasts and players from being identified as using anything dangerous. It’s not exactly some of the first colors you think of with a black and white comic or the zombie apocalypse but I like them and think they work in the space of making easily identifiable toys. (Yes, Toys! Remember, these are toys.)

The blasters are also a bit on the larger side, some folks may say this has a lot of empty space in the shells. Personally, I like the dimensions of the Abraham blaster, as it feels the most comfortable of the bunch to me, even without the adjustable stock. The mag release button is in an intuitive location, and resistant enough that I won’t accidentally hit the release at some point and dump my ammo. The priming slide/carry handle is a familiar motion for me from past blasters, so it’s not a pain to use, and the handle actually helps keep my hand from sliding off for some reason, such as dirt, sweat, or rain. I haven’t had a horrible jamming problem at all, whether that’s to the design or the fact I use fresh darts regularly is anyone’s guess. But finding a comfortable hand position on the blaster is definitely not an issue, the only real problem for me is carrying enough magazines to keep myself blasting 🙂

The carrying handle did come in handy to use while running, oddly enough. It’s one of those neat touches to a blaster that while it doesn’t affect performance, it adds to the feel and look of it to a huge degree. Otherwise, the blaster’s length isn’t super problematic in close quarters either, and aiming at targets wasn’t obstructed (as you can see in the video). The Buzz Bee darts need some further testing, but I like where they’re going so far.

In all, I feel it’s a really solidly built toy. The cost is right, and the biggest boon for parents is the magazines and darts will work with Nerf branded toys. Through some alchemic reaction the Buzz Bee and Nerf mags and darts are cross-compatible from what I’ve seen so far, so having to reinvest in a new ammo type or mag type (while preferred) is not a necessity. Keep in mind that stock blasters are built for their own proprietary accessories, and while they work together it may not provide full range and may lead to jamming some of the time.

Whew! So is this on your to-buy list? Will you use it for a costume? I have more reviews on the way, if you have any questions make sure to comment below! The blaster is available now, at a suggested retail price of $32. Fight the dead, but fear the living!

Edit: Sample provided by Buzz Bee toys, opinions remain my own.

SPOILER:

RIP Abraham, in both comic and tv show universes.

F2A Friday Five: 5 Toy Fair 2016 Blaster Favorites

Five Takeaways from Toy Fair 2016
VasTheStampede

note: there was so much great stuff at Toy Fair! The Five involved with this list are by no means representative of the whole experience.

Edit: previous version of the article incorrectly listed the company for RBS as Super Impact, that has been corrected as of 2/29.

1. Nerf – I’m cheating a bit here. (See the full gallery of images here) The Nerf booth had a ton of things that I felt will be huge in 2016. Heck, the Nerf brand in general is going HUGE in 2016 and beyond, from what I could tell. Even the Platinum Bow from Rebelle is a huge offering and regardless of it being Rebelle I intend to own one. Other blasters, like the BattleScout and the HyperFire, offer new twists on previous features, like the stripper clip (seen on the Magstrike and Powerclip, mainly) and a new camera, while the HyperFire has an increased Rate of Fire. The Nerf Rival Khaos is a ridiculous beast, and while the magazine compatibility is lacking, that is a seriously hilariously large blaster and magazine.

The Nerf blasters this year are incredibly eye catching, but with that comes a level of functionality in some blasters that may change the blaster landscape over the next year. Not just because the Tri-Strike makes most available ammo types usable in a single game play, or that the Hyperfire may arguably be the fastest Rate of Fire for a stock blaster to date, but because Nerf is showing confidence in its brand to try some crazy, oversized ideas. The Brainsaw is evidence the Zombie Strike line continues to produce some fun toys (yes, TOYS) while the Double-Dealer is another massive eye catching piece with its double mag setup. (The Double-Dealer was a non-functioning prototype when I was at the booth, so sadly no firing video. But the stock is in fact a magazine holder, if you haven’t see it yet.) My main concern though is the main blasters are going anywhere between $30 to $80, and to a family that can add up, even to an enthusiast collector. But the fans have wanted bigger and better, and this year, Nerf served that up in spades.

2. Buzz Bee gets “The Walking Dead” license

 In addition to continuing to offer a low cost alternative to Nerf, Buzz Bee has the license for “The Walking Dead”, which I can see a lot of people getting excited about. Especially the rifle at the bottom, which does not seem to use an ammo belt like the last rifle of this style I saw (not from Buzz Bee, I believe). It looks like the license is more for the comics than the TV show, but at this point it’s  still “Hey! The Walking Dead!” There were some other prototypes at the booth (a blaster reminiscent of the Magstrike/Powerclip, air powered and still very cool) but this is what really caught my eye and has gotta be one of the most telling things for me that Buzz Bee has some serious plans for the future and bears watching even more than before.

3. The Precision RBS system (from Super Impulse) –

This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been taken with a new type of blaster and ammo, but there was something so elegant about the Precision RBS system it deserves a callout here. These are rubber band shooters. And not some specialty rubber band ammo, but every day standard rubber bands (three different sizes) which makes getting the ammo easy in a pinch. The larger models have integrated ammo holders, an integrated second blaster, multiple round firing (and the RoF is semiauto, in case you’re curious). The guys who invented this really did their homework about rubber band shooters, and what players look for (even a separate firing mode) in general from a user standpoint, they really thought of a lot of things for this line. I look forward to seeing more from this blaster, that’s for sure.

4. Paper Shooters

Finally! After years of communication, I finally met the owners behind Paper Shooters, and they look ready to hit the American market. Now, these aren’t your typical blasters- it’s a model kit first (so there is some build time to invest) and a functional blaster second. These are some pretty pieces of kit when you’re done, judging by what I saw at their booth, and when you finally get the blaster built it’s very satisfying shooting them. The shell ejection, the pullback lever, it all feels very cool (for lack of a better term) when shooting them. Even moreso cause this is a blaster you build from the ground up with the kit, so it’s a very different offering from when you have a blaster and modify it, now it is your own you built from basically scratch.

5. K’Nex

K’Nex continues the K-Force line – now we have magazines, motors, and turrets to add into the mix. The beast pictured above is a custom build, but it’s three linked triggers to fire three darts at once. I used the initial kits and found the build times a little long, but I attribute that to my unfamiliarity with using K’Nex pieces. All the same, I am glad this line is still kicking because of the customizability it offers, and really want to sink my teeth into some custom builds this year.

Questions? Comments? Did you want to add anything? More galleries and more in-depth writeups to come, thanks for tuning in!

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Random blaster test video!

The video explanation pretty much sums it up; Buzz Bee toys sent over a Thunderbolt for me to test and have a look at (they also sent a Belt Blaster; video on that later!) In case you were wondering what it is like right out of the box, here you go! Also featured; the Nerf Barrel Break IX-2 (purchased), Buzz Bee’s Ultimate Missile Blast (not sent, this one was out of pocket), and Zyphoon’s version of a ring shooter. Enjoy!