(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $34.99/Available: Fall 2015)
By: Vas The Stampede
“Supersize your NERF battles and dominate the field with the highest capacity MEGA blaster ever! The MEGA RotoFury blaster gives you the option of firing one MEGA Whistler Dart at a time, or slam firing a steady stream of ten darts in a row. Hear the darts whistle as they fly through the air and hit targets up to 90 feet away. Includes 10 MEGA Whistler Darts. Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com.”
Thanks to Nerf for the image! There you have it, their Raider/Rampage gone MEGA. 10 shots. Single fire or slam. I don’t see a way to attach a stock, (which I liked using on a Rampage) buuuut as always, I need to see this blaster in person before I can really comment on it. But I can admit I’m a bit excited to shoot that much Mega ammo with slamfire. 2015 is looking pretty good!
What this tells me is that large ammo rules in my game groups are getting more and more interesting with every extension of the Mega line. What I wouldn’t give though to see something like this that shoots Demolisher missiles.
Or, can I just hope that a big release this year is going to be a full auto Mega blaster? A guy can dream.
Still working on my 2014 roundup, stay tuned! It’ll coincide with the roundup of brands I’ll be visiting with at New York Toy Fair this year.
Paper Shooters Launches Website January 30! (Paper shooting blasters) Vas The Stampede
Paper Shooters is back, and this time, with funding. After a couple attempts at crowdsourcing, the product is ready to roll out and take orders! Featuring a familiar “paper ammo” (a la Max Force, if anyone remembers), these blasters are different for a few reasons:
+ A trigger! + Instead of buying more ammo, the product is supposed to include a mold that people can make their own out of normal paper (which then gets loaded into a shell, that loads in to the magazine, that loads into the blasters.) + A trigger! + Customization is something encouraged with these blasters as well. Make your ammo, build your own blaster (it starts out as a construction kit, from what I understand), and the game is yours. +Nerf designers are part of the team working on this line.
Some things about this release that make me a bit nervous –
– The cost. Between $35 & $49. – The Clan App gets used on a wristmounted smartphone? Hrm. – Accuracy of the paper wads – Using paper wads! They got messy before, and I can see loading each individually into a separate shell being time consuming. – Shells/magazines sold separately, I assume. And when I first learned of this blaster, PvP wasn’t a big part of the conception, as I understood it. A Clan App to track stats changes that. But until I try it all out, I can’t say strongly either way if this is a good option for even casual or office wars. Given the past history with other brands and their mobile apps, I’m a little reserved about that until I see it.
Do I have reservations? Sure. But without the blaster in front of me, I’m at least willing to try it out. New blasters, new companies, new innovations can only help the hobby!
Marshmallow Shooters and the Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary – in Time for Halloween! Vas The Stampede
Happy Halloween! Back at Toy Fair I saw that Marshmallow Shooters had managed to get the Ghostbusters license, and while I normally don’t like repaints, I thought the Ghostbusters scheme (Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and all) looked pretty great. It fit, with the lines and the shapes of the Shooters being very reminiscent of the Ghostbusters own proton pack.
As it so happens, 2014 is also the 30th Anniversary of the original Ghostbusters film franchise,starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis (rest in peace), Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson. Thirty years, a sequel, a cartoon series, a comic book, and many other forms of media later, the franchise still has a huge following and is even in talks to get a reboot for a new generation of Ghostbusters.
Marshmallow Blaster – MSRP: $28.00 (final price depends on vendor)
Marshmallow Shooters was kind enough to send along some samples of their “Stay Puft” Ghostbusters Shooters, and they look just as good as I remember. The Shooters are functionally the same, as they tend to be with every new skin. Same ranges anywhere between 30′-40′ depending on the shooter you have, whether it is classic, or the blaster. I’ve always enjoyed the satisfying “POP!” from shooting the blaster, personally.
Some new products are the orb “Slimeball” and the “Snap Dragon”
Orb “Slime Ball”- MSRP: $16.00
Snap Dragon (note, the ammo holder in the handle) – MSRP: $11.00
And I don’t remember seeing Straight Shooters before, but they’re blow gun type shooters –
Not pictured in Ghostbusters colors:
the Mini Bow, the Bow & Mallow, and the Double Shooter (I have a firing video of the original Double Shooter here).
Gameplay wise, I’ve used Marshmallow Shooters to great hilarity during games, usually resulting in someone running up and stealing my ammo for a snack or trying to catch my ammo mid-air (NOT RECOMMENDED.) And while I’ve found a lack of separately available hoppers/inline cartridges affecting my reload time (as I have to stop, detach, reload, and then keep firing) the Marshmallow blaster is probably my favorite (followed by the Snap Dragon) because it doesn’t require a tube to to load and fires pretty well. The Snap Dragon is not vulnerable to marshmallow build up (as happens with the breech loading shooters) interfering with the functioning of the blaster and the ammo holder is a really nice touch.
All the same, a great look from Marshmallow Shooters for the Ghostbusters. If you’re a fan of the movies (and even if you’re not and want Marshmallow Shooters) these would be a fun buy… now who ya gonna call?
Scorpion Gatling Blaster: Dart Zone/Prime Time Toys By: Vas The Stampede
Size Comparison: Scorpion vs. Nerf Barrel Break and Zing Legends Bow
My firing video:
Basic Info:
Price: $19.99 (Wal-Mart Exclusive) Range: Up to 70′ (angled) Includes: “Super Darts” x 20 20 Dart Ammo Belt x 1 Instructions Scorpion Gatling Blaster x 1
Prime Time Toys keeps the hits coming with one of their latest entries, the CovertOps Scorpion Gatling Blaster. A Wal-Mart Exclusive, this blaster is obviously inspired by some earlier similarly styled “gatling” blasters like the Punisherand Gatling Blaster. This fully automatic, 20 shot blaster proves itself a pretty good value for 20 bucks.
It requires 6 AA batteries, and that spins the barrel (purely cosmetic effect) and also powers the flywheels. There’s no accelerator trigger here, once you hit the “on” button the flywheels go and all you have to do is hold the trigger down. It’s pretty easy to shoot in bursts, or just empty the entire belt for maximum hilarity. The blaster is small, probably smaller than either of the earlier gatling blasters. This does make it a bit easier to carry and move quickly, although the chains do swing about, nothing new if you’ve ever run with a Nerf Vulcan. Unlike the Punisher, there is no ammo box, so there’s a loss in aesthetic as well. Oddly enough, while the line is called Covert Ops, once this blaster is on, there is nothing covert about it. If you didn’t like the noise level of a Barricade, you will definitely not like this blaster. As I suggest with any of those complaints, just wait until you’re about to shoot and flick the power switch then, don’t run around an entire game or scenario with your flywheels running (unless there’s a strategic reason for it, as I’ve done in the past).
The Covert Ops line is a green and orange mash of colors, crossing toy safety and a color scheme reminiscent of the movie, “Predator.” While this isn’t the total minigun that some folks may want, it does pretty well all the same. To me, the plastic and build feels pretty sturdy and that it might take a drop or 2. That is only descriptive of the blaster body, though. I can’t attest to the strength of the electronics and the motor if you dropped this blaster. Bottom line, it feels solid.
The amount of clearance to fit other brand darts through the Scorpion.
I repeat, the size proves deceptive as you might not expect the power you get out of this. I was able to hit almost 50′ flat and angled my shots hit about the advertised 70′ range. And this was with both the proprietary “super” darts and other leading brand darts. This blaster shot just about anything I put in the ammo belts. The accuracy did leave something to be desired, but with foam ammo that tends to just be the reality of the medium. And if you’re sending out about 20 shots at a time, maybe accuracy isn’t your main concern!
That being said, I can’t comment if chains from the earlier gatling blasters will work with the Scorpion, as I don’t have either. And if I had any real complaint about this blaster, it’s that additional chains aren’t available to use this as a proper defensive or offensive weapon. Extra chains and the fast reload (with some practice and preloaded chains) would make for a good time in a stock blaster game. As far as I know, separate chains are not sold anywhere so you have one 20 shot belt and that’s it with the Scorpion. Either check your fire or get ready to reload the same chain frequently. For $20 and only 6 AA batteries, I definitely think this blaster is worth the trip to a Wal-Mart (in the US) and adding to your inventory. It’s a great price for a 20 shot blaster that hits its range and fires pretty quickly.
Thanks so much to Prime Time Toys for the sample, and to you for reading! If there’s anything I missed feel free to use the contact form or make a comment below (comments are moderated, so they may not appear right away.
Don’t forget to check out “Foam From Above” on Facebook. and I am also on Twitter (@vasthestampede) & Instagram (@blasterbot1984)!
GEAR REVIEW: Spy Gear Sonic Distractors – Thanks to Spin Master Toys for the sample! The opinions and thoughts are my own, however.
MSRP: $9.99 Available: Now Range: As far as you can throw it
Includes: 2 x Sonic Distractor spheres (1 black, 1 grey – 4 different sounds apiece. See the video for the different sounds) 1 x belt clip/holder
This is an interesting little gadget from Spy Gear. Relatively inexpensive (some stores have them on clearance), and in the right scenario/gametype, maybe these would be of some use if you have a particularly sneaky style of play.
2 spheres, and you hold the button down to trigger a timer, and after a few seconds the distractor makes 1 of 4 noises. If you can remember the sequence of the noises on each sphere, you can readily select which one you’re using (birds cawing, a cat yeowling, laser blasts) but in some instances maybe just a sudden noise of any kind would be enough).
Maybe even a game like this:
I didn’t whip these around on concrete (also I would NOT suggest throwing these at people) so I couldn’t tell you how durable they are from a dropped height. I believe ideally you would roll these into position to use them, though rather than throw them around. They are of a hard plastic construction so they would definitely bounce around. Still, the amount of sound effects available, the compact build, included holster, and easy to use button are nice little touches.
You might even find these on clearance at the moment, so if you have the right group and location, these could be a handy fun roleplay (spy vs counterspy, thief vs guard) element for your game types. What do you think? Would you try them?
One of my faves, the Spy Gear Signal Launcher! It’s a fun blaster stock, but between the massive tank on the inside and the compact size, I like using it plenty. Not sure what the ranges are, but it’s enough for me. 🙂 Music’s not mine, but property of applicable parties.
So, the Nerf Dart Tag line has a separate line of Dart Tag Vision Gear available without purchasing a blaster. Instead, it comes with 16 orange tagger darts. Running around $9.99, it was a nice little package. These feel a bit glossier, a bit more sturdy (if that were possible) and all around much better constructed than the freebies.
In fact, word has it from the web site that these goggles are rated for UVA protection. They’ve come a long way, baby. Word has it that you can color coordinate your teams according to eyewear color, but the darker colors (black and dark blue) don’t come out nearly as well as the white frames, obviously. In the heat of the moment, you’re probably better off going red vs. blue vs. orange vs. green blaster colors.
Foam From Above 
