Tag: nerf gun

Blast OFF to 2023!

… by looking at 2022.

It’s here, the end of the year. 2022 brought A LOT of different things to blasters and related toys, and the field is bigger than ever. I’m going to focus on the “main” blaster brands you can find in US big box retailers, but Amazon sellers and direct to consumer vendors, I see you too. 

2022 Blaster Brand Power Rankings

Top of the Power Rankings this Year is Nerf.

I’ll say it. Nerf and Hasbro can be criticized for their prices, their designs, the barrage of new ammo types introduced, etc., but the main event in blasters I still have to say is in Potato Head’s house. Nerf had A LOT of lines come out this year. Rival isn’t dead. Ultra had new models. I couldn’t even keep up with all the Nerf Elite 2.0 releases, Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Dino Squad, and everything in between. Hyper got new releases, and Gelfire is new to the Nerf line but another segment for them to put a foothold in. (There’s even more on the hroizon, and the future predictions will be on another post,)

That’s a lot of blasters. Not even mentioning Nerf LMTD. And there’s the rub. Nerf LMTD opens the doors so much wider than I think anyone but the people at Nerf understand (and their lawyers). If you had told me 5 years ago I would own a Nerf Aliens Pulse Rifle, I’d have called you a liar. And… I now own a foam dart firing blaster from Aliens. With more on the way, the Halo Needler certainly is grabbing attention even now. Technically, Nerf Ball was announced as well, it’s just more Nerf to go around.

So Nerf is not only claiming a lot of real estate on toy shelves, but on literal land too. They have campaigns and marketing all over the place with deep pockets to go along with it. From potentially having limitless IPs to make legendary blasters for, to having a wide variety of blasters and lines to choose from, and experiential attractions, Nerf has the spread and the reach to easily claim being the strongest brand even now.

Fave Nerf blaster from 2022 – 

TIE: Aliens Pulse Blaster & Nerf Elite Moto Blitz 

One of the Favorites from Nerf in 2022!

Tied for 2nd – 

Dart  Zone & Buzz Bee Toys

Dart Zone – Fortifying their Position

Dart Zone had HUGE year. They’ve taken the niche of “pro” level blasters and games and really carved a piece of it for themselves. They offer a variety of darts but the darts are usable in other blasters for the most part. The Tomcat can’t use full length darts, but the 1.2 and Nexus Pro are compatible to use both half and full length ammo. The only drawback was I couldn’t use a majority of the pro blasters at some nerf wars I attended. The blasters shoot pretty strongly and a majority of the attendees were kids of other players.

However, I’d be remiss not mentioning the whole tournament Dart Zone held as well. Across multiple states, even attracting players from Singapore, it definitely made noise. The other grumblings I heard are a story time for another day, but as I wasn’t an attendee everything I heard is hearsay. All the same, well done on them for even doing it. 

Getting the license to use Jurassic World on blasters was fantastic for Dart Zone too. I know I always wanted a dino hunting blaster from watching Jurassic Park, and their Jurassic Pro fulfilled an age old want.The other non pro blasters like the Pyroraptor and Blue Blaster were fun too, but the real theme came out with the Pro. I also really liked the Vulcanator, the wacky design reminded me why silly blasters are great to own, and not to take this hobby too seriously. 

Fave Release: Dart Zone Vulcanator

BuzzBee Toys – Not Just Bolt Action

Buzz Bee Toys is never to be counted out. Typically they have a few solid performers every year, but they don’t have the production output that Nerf has. Abraham’s M4 blaster, the Thermal Hunter, and other past releases from other years were great, 

This year was no exception. the Alpha Auto 72 is one of my favorite blasters this year, no doubt about it. It has high capacity, drum fed, good range, and I definitely managed to get tags with it. And it was still a regular strength blaster, so I could use it anywhere I played. Buzz Bee also released fun looking blasters like the Pixelator and Tornado, but the Alpha Auto hits so many positive notes for me. Cost, Capacity, Functionality, and aesthetics are all there. Well done this year, Buzz Bee.

Fave Released Blaster: Alpha Auto 72

ZING

I love the Zing brand. Marshmallow Blasters is under their label now, they make a consistently good product, them being at this spot on the list isn’t a knock on them. Someone had to go here, and the other lines had so much going on in comparison.

The new Dominator bow and battle packs are great for outdoor play, and their continued efforts to capitalize on archery tag continued this year, and I’m here for it. But, that’s about all I have to say blaster/launcher wise this year. Zing makes so much more than bows, but it’s not a lot I can factor into this list. That being said, I look forward to what they have coming up and will definitely get my bows and arrows out once the weather warms up for me. 

Fave Release: Dominator Bow

XShot

I don’t have a lot to say about XShot this year. I haven’t heard from their PR team since the Faze Clan blasters dropped, and all I know is they released a new Skins line since. But like every year, XShot has multiple color refreshes (in the Skins line this time, the Faze Clan blasters were the third recolor of the Orbit and Meteor I’ve seen). One year the new model was the Crusher, this year I think there are two new models? Maybe one? Everything else I already have in last year’s color. 

Sure, everyone does it but they also have multiple new products. I haven’t seen that from XShot yet. The entire line is budget friendly and has impressive power from what I know in past experience, but this year I just don’t have much more to report on them and I don’t have the budget to buy more of the Same Thing.

Honorable Mentions

And there really is SO MUCH MORE available on the internet! Amazon, Direct to Consumer, and Amazon make all these other different toys available. Foam blasters that no one else is making, gel blasting toys that are super realistic, and so on. Buyer beware on safety, because there’s no guarantee these toys adhere to the same strict US toy safety guidelines but there is definitely some impressive product out there.

One of my favorite gel blasters. High powered, magfed, and decently priced!

To 2023! 

Nerf Review] – Nerf Hyper Evolve 100 Blaster (New 2022)

TRANSCRIPTION: (apologies in advance, I used free Notta software for this)

Welcome to a foam from above. We are looking at the Nerf Hyper evolve 100. I believe it’s around 60 or $70. But let’s go over some of the basics. Your jam door there. And here, safety. Docking bay doors.  Going to call it a docking bay because it looks like a spaceship when it does that. When I initially saw this announced, I thought it was electric. It was basically a reshell of the Mach 100. That is not the case. 

The blaster itself comes with only 70 rounds. This is kind of what I got in here. It also comes with eye protection. And that’s about it. Still feels comfortable. And then there is no slam fire.  It’s a new Ammo type. A couple of new models. This is the latest one. The loading switch for the bay doors. It’s accessible by both left and right hands. The safety is on the left and the right side. Rail system there.  Rail system there. You can mount the additional ammo containers on it along with I believe the rival accessory should work on this too. This looks like the same thing. I’d say it’s not as heavy as the Hyper Mach 100.  And I do prefer a pump action forward mech.

The new door, I love it. And if you want to get the new stuff. Your Nerf Hyper Evolve 100 is out. This really depends on the type of ammo that you like.  However, I do have this caveat. Make sure to use the blaster indoors. Your ammo retrieval rate for this is going to be you do run the risk of it being pretty low just because how small these are compared to rival rounds, but yeah, still solidly built blaster, solid ammo.  Nice looks.

Love the presentation of it. Thanks again to Hasbro for sending out a free sample. I appreciate it. Appreciate you for tuning in. If you like what you see, make sure to hit like and subscribe.  Blast that Like & Subscribe button for me!  

NERF MASCOT INBOUND

Nerf is FINALLY rolling out a mascot. Meet Murph!     Unleash the Play in You.

Made completely out of official NERF dart “materials, Murph is the personification of the playful spirit – the one that can only be unleashed with NERF.  They’re a natural athlete, great at NERFoop and an expert at surprise NERF Super Soaker ambushes. They can also toss a NERF Vortex Football like no other and, of course, are a fantastic trick shooter with any NERF blaster.”

I’m curious to see where this goes, the brand has needed a character to rally kids around, and something like Murph could easily travel the multiverse of Nerf brands. With Nerf making theme parks, mobile tours, virtual reality, and social media, it’s only natural to have a mascot that can appear at those places too.

And, it’s a camouflage suit. I’d wear this just cause it’s the silliest thing ever and I am all for that! #nerfnation

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTdECQMDw/?k=1

[Video] NERF MEGA XL BOOM DOZER

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRHBPE5U/

NERF MEGA XL BOOM DOZER

(HASBRO/Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $41.99/Available: 10/1/2021) 


When you’re ready to make your NERF battles bigger than ever, gear up with NERF MEGA XL blasters, featuring the largest NERF MEGA darts ever! And when these monster-sized NERF MEGA XL darts fly through the air, they make a whistling sound. The competition will see and hear them coming — and will know that you’re in this battle to win big. The NERF MEGA XL BOOM DOZER blaster has a 6-dart rotating drum to bombard targets with 6 darts in a row. Load the drum, pump the priming handle, and press the trigger to fire 1 dart. The blaster is designed with smash-into-action details which let everyone know that you’re changing the size of the battle! Includes 6 Official NERF MEGA XL whistler darts. Eyewear recommended (not included). Includes: blaster, 6 darts, and instructions. Available at Target on or around 10/1.

The Nerf X Aliens Blaster Collab You Always Wanted!

“Hasbro announced details of an all-new NERF product in honor of the 35th anniversary of the iconic film Aliens– the Nerf LMTD Aliens M41A Pulse Blaster, which is now available for pre-order via GameStop and Hasbro Pulse in the US, and EB Games in Canada. The limited edition blaster features two different kinds of darts – Elite Darts, which can be fast-blasted rapidly in a row, and NERF Mega Darts, with a Pump-Action Blast. The Nerf LMTD Aliens M41A Pulse Blaster includes a removable 10-dart Elite dart clip, 10 Nerf Elite foam darts, 4 Nerf Mega foam darts, and an LCD dart counter.”

ADDITIONALLY:

“The blaster will make sounds for: firing when loaded, firing when empty, adjusting the dart count, and blasting mega.”

GET HYPE! I didn’t see this happening. Apparently there’s a branch at Nerf called “Nerf LMTD”, and given it was their department that made this happen, where does it end? What intellectual properties are next? NECA to my knowledge still has Aliens related properties, so what kinda magic did the legal team manage, and what’s next?

Blade Runner, Gears of War, Dead Space…. what else? Does a deal with Call of Duty mean getting a Nerf M1 Garand? Much like the multiverse, seeing this just opened a lot of other doors! One of the most popular expressions I ever get from the Hasbro team was “not outside the realm of possibility”, and the realm of possibilities just got bigger. The Aliens announcement is one of the craziest most hype things I’ve ever seen from Nerf yet, and that it’s a blaster is fantastic. Not sneakers, not a video game, but a blaster.

And the blaster might not be anything spectacular in terms of performance. It’s flywheeled, potentially full auto, so it might be on par with a Rapidstrike or Hyperfire. The magwell might not accommodate anything beyond stick mags (no drums!) and stock performance of elite darts lately gets to be 40′-50′. The mega launcher may hit 30′-40′.

And that’s ok. I usually don’t fall for the “but it looks cool, right?” mentality in blasters, but it gets a pass here. Because it’s the FREAKIN’ ALIENS SPACE MARINE CARBINE. WITH SOUNDS. So yes, Hasbro, take my money.

It’s funny, because the day this got announced there were the usual “ho hum, cool it’s a rapidstrike with a master key. We’ve already BEEN DOING THIS. TRY AGAIN” comments in the ether.

To those folks, uh, have some fun. Not everyone is buying 3D parts or spending hours modding in their workshops, if they even have one. This blaster saves me about $200 by NOT buying the airsoft version, and I get the Aliens carbine I always wanted. Not all of us surf through YouTube to get news and mods because we have other things we’re doing. Here, we have an out of the box, sound making, licensed rifle that connects us to one of our favorite films. You don’t like it, move on, don’t buy it, but don’t try to kill my buzz.

Either way, I’m excited and it sucks that this won’t be out ’til 2022. In the meantime, we have the Amban Phase Rifle from The Mandalorian to look forward to.

Dart Zone Pro MK II is listed! Where to buy it.

The Dart Zone Pro MK II is piquing the interest across the community. At high 100+ FPS, pistol aesthetics, and promised quality from Dart Zone blasters, this is certainly a compact high powered blaster to think about.

It comes with:

(1) Pro MK-2 Dart Blaster

(18) Short-Length Pro Darts that shoot up to 120 feet

(2) 6-Dart Speed Loaders(1) Speed Loader Holster (holds 2 speed loaders)

(1) Blaster Belt Holster

(1) Muzzle Brake”Available only on Target.com

[Review]: Nerf Ultra One – Latest in Blasting, with an Important Caveat

Nerf Ultra One

  • MSRP: $49.99
  • Ammo: Nerf Ultra Aerofin darts
  • Capacity: 25 darts
  • Batteries: 4 C batteries
  • Range: Claim is 120’, observed 50’-60’ BUT, angling of course would increase.
  • Features: Semiauto firing
  • Mechanism: Flywheels
  • Available: Now
  • Ages: 8+

SUMMARY:

When I first heard about the Nerf Ultra One I wasn’t sure what to think. 120’ (Rival style ranges? Higher “power” than Elite? What?) but being around blasters for so long I know not to buy 100% into the marketing. And when I saw the Ultra One press copy read that the blasters were for “8+”, that told me how to dial in my expectations. Honestly, Rival is designed for 14+. What would you expect?

The Nerf Ultra One to me doesn’t seem that revolutionary. I reliably hit my target (which you can hear in the video), the Ultra darts don’t seem to have the same wacky flight patterns as Nerf streamline darts, and it achieves better range than Nerf Accustrike.

But it’s a semiauto blaster with a drum you load. Nothing we haven’t seen from Nerf or other brands, and for a first blaster it’s underwhelming. I remember not a lot of people too impressed with the Apollo in the beginning, so the naysayers with Ultra isn’t surprising. Maybe future designs will be more innovative to that end, but that remains to be seen.

Controlling Dart Usage

The “dart DRM” as it’s been called is discussed in the video. I don’t really like that Nerf went with this kind of mechanic to enforce using Nerf darts only, but outside the fandom I don’t think it matters to consumers. I’ve seen a number of non-hobbyist posts about the Ultra One (not just the sponsored ads) that like the blaster. And more casual consumers don’t have a hoard of ammo that won’t work or the myriad of other complaints about the DRM. Hobbyists, arena/mobile party owners, game groups with a communal supply will be affected. I will hazard a guess that most consumers will be outside those populations, buy the Ultra One and an extra pack of ammo, and call it a day.

I had this very conversation in the toy aisle. A mom and her child were trying to find a Nerf blaster to buy. They looked at the Ultra One and remarked at how it was a new blaster. I informed them that the Ultra One would only work with the darts it comes with, so the mom told her child that they would get it on his birthday, with extra ammo. No remarks about how unfair it was, Hasbro market share, stock quotes, nothing. Just a promise to get it as a gift and a pack of ammo.

Different Darts Happens

In addition, PUT THOSE TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS DOWN. Yes, You too. And you. STOP.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME HASBRO HAS INTRODUCED NEW AMMO.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME HASBRO HAS MADE AMMO THAT FITS ONLY IN CERTAIN BLASTERS.

Back in the 90s, you had micro darts, old school megas, Arrows of Unusual Size, and all sorts of other stuff. Let’s look at some history.

Even before Nerf Ultra, Nerf released streamlines, the original mega darts, rip rockets, whatever the darts were that came with the SM 3000, arrows, Dart Tag Darts (of various incarnations), whistler darts, suction darts, Vortex discs, Mega darts, Elite Streamlines, Accustrikes, Mega Accustrikes, Rival rounds, the list goes on. Every few years they release something new to fire. In the case of Vortex, Mega, and Rival those only fit their specified brands unless otherwise noted. Not just any dart into an n-strike magazine and make it work, and you definitely couldn’t cross other brand ammo in other blasters unless they were front-loading. If Nerf were taking existing ammo off the market, that would be another story. As it stands, the Ultra ammo segment is an addition, not a whole paradigm shift leading to the elimination of everything we already have.

Nerf Rival is also not sold everywhere in the world. I don’t work for Hasbro, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Nerf Ultra satisfies demand for a “higher range” blaster in areas where Rival cannot go, such as Australia. Now the range is questionable, but as long as Nerf can make it to other areas with a new segment, that may not matter to most consumers. They’ll just be happy to see the latest Nerf blasters in their stores.

The Ultra One, Where to Next?

Again, I’m glad that Hasbro sent me a sample and saved me the trouble of buying one. The blaster features aren’t revolutionary and the dart type is interesting for something new, but past the first pack of ammo I am not sold on this line yet. Yeah, you can snap the ammo in half and some of it even got gouged by my Dart Rover but it’s not super brittle and in your pocket it’ll keep shape better than current Nerf darts. My favorite segment from Nerf is still Rival, but that’s a different market from Ultra, ultimately.

I recognize that the blaster is made for 8+ and is intended for younger users, like everything else in this hobby. My biggest complaint is the drum and the trigger working with the new dart recognition mechanism. It’s pretty uncomfortable to slam my finger against the trigger when a dart isn’t correct or loaded properly, which happens a noticeable amount of times. When in the thick of a blaster battle or trying to shoot targets, that jolt against your finger from a missing/jammed dart really sucks.

In the end, I can’t give the Ultra One a high recommendation like the Nerf Perses. It looks cool, but needing C batteries, the annoyance of the Nerf-only dart mechanism, and the overall cost are problematic. There are a lot of other great, more reliable blasters out there worth your money, Nerf or not Nerf brand. I would suggest waiting for the Nerf Ultra One to drop in price as a sale (probably Black Friday) before dropping your money on it. And you may not want an Ultra One for any number of reasons, THAT IS TOTALLY OK.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Totally appreciate your coming by and getting through my rambling. Make sure to check me out on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for continued updates, reviews, and other content! Thanks again to Click Click BAMF as well for putting in some work on the video.

 

Parting Shot (middle comment):

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