Nerf Rebel Ops went live early this AM on Nerf’s social media! To recap –
The Doom Cannon is a massive looking beast with shells and shotgun barreling, like a less circular Doomlands Judge. The DeadEye is your long blaster, and the “scope” can turn into a barrel attachment. The AmmoHawk has wing/fin like shield/ammo holder attachment that can give you added protection during blaster battles. Or put you in touch with your inner avian/dilophosaurus.
The most interesting bit isn’t the sheer amount of ammo the Doom Cannon can put out (60 darts total!) It’s that these new blasters are using streamlined ammo. The most recent Nerf release, the One Piece blaster, used streamlines and my understanding is that there were still some preexisting products that, once completed, Nerf would eventually move to N-Series and N1 darts completely. Last year that seemed to be how things went with the Loadout. Now, new line, same streamlines, it doesn’t seem like N-Series is in this year’s lineup or going forward. Hopefully, I’ll get some answers and as I’m here at Toy Fair of course I’ll mention it during my booth tour.
Of the line, this is reminiscent of older lines, where there was a story and distinct role play available between each blaster. Zombie Strike had some of the best of both. Here, you have the ammo, the modular, and the heavy. There was always at least one blaster that didn’t seem to make sense price wise or tactics wise, but definitely got the attention of the public. The Rhino Fire, the TItan (with the drum, not the rocket launcher), even the Cam-ECS. Each really stood out, had articles in major outlets like Popular Mechanics, and made for a good image.
Aside from the future of N-Series, there are some other questions – will shells for the Doom Cannon be sold separately? Will accessories for the DeadEye be compatible with older lines? (The N-Series could not use barrels for instance), and why not, can we get the ammo holders for the Ammohawk separately?
So with Nerf sticking with streamlines this year, is Rival still on the table? Conventional knowledge says no, as Rival may still be subject to regulations in other countries that don’t impact streamlines.
The show hasn’t even started! But, once I know anything solid, I’ll post it here and my socials.
Foam From Above 