Tag: nerf

Review: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Star Lord Quad Blaster! (Nerf)

 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY STAR-LORD LORD QUAD BLASTER:

Price: $19.99 (Target.com – ordered)
Range: 20′-30′
Includes: 
Nerf Elite darts x 4
Quad Blaster x 1

(The pics are reposts – But the video is new!)

There it is! The Star Lord Quad Blaster in all its glory. Last seen at New York Toy Fair, I managed to order one off Target.com.

The blaster has 2 triggers -> one opens the blaster up exposing the extra barrels, and the other fires darts. There are 2 slides behind each barrel that pull back and return to position, priming the blaster. Depending on which barrels have darts in them, those darts will fire. If all 4 barrels are loaded, the inner barrels fire first, then the outer. If you load darts any other way whichever barrels are loaded will fire (smart ARs).

Pretty basic, front-loading and a pullback slide with a sweet gimmick. It’s almost the perfect formula for a licensed product. And as far as licensed products go, I’m more used to them going 10′-15′, not 25′-30′. And that’s what you’re going to get out of this blaster. So while not on par with many Elite/other brands, it doesn’t have to. The push here isn’t someone looking for performance (mostly) but a comic fan who is looking to tag their nearest Ronan The Accuser-looking friend for fun. Costumers may get a kick out of this and folks who check out the movie that will become new fans of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Is it worth the $20? I enjoy the gimmick of the blaster, regardless of the ranges. I like my Nerf games stock and up close anyway, so 20′-30′, 50′, whatever that’s not what I got it for. I got it cause it looks cool and people will understand why I yell “OOGA CHAKA OOGA CHAKA” as my new battlecry 🙂 I will admit, I thought the ranges were a little longer at Toy Fair, but I don’t really care. It’s easier to holster when it’s closed up, but I’d probably use it by itself and not as a sidearm because that’s just how I do things.

Excelsior!

Pssst…. this was on the back. Looks like there is another blaster coming out! Star Lord doesn’t get to have all the fun 🙂

Review: The Ultimate Nerf Blaster Book (POW! Publishing)

NERF: The Ultimate Blaster Book by Nathaniel Marunas, published by POW!


There have been plenty of reviews already on this book, but what’s one more? Licensed by Nerf and developed/researched for some time by Mr. Marunas (note the shoutout to the collectors/other sites out there, which includes Adult Fans of Nerf) he went to Hasbro HQ and the internet to gather what info he could and consolidate the information as best he can. But with as many companies that owned the Nerf brand (Larami, Park Brothers, and so on) over the years, that’s 40+ years of history in foam.

Now right off, this is a kid’s book. It’s intended audience is for the 8+ crowd and even though there are mch older players everywhere, this book is for kids! There’s a brief history of the brand from the beginning, but this is in no way an omnibus of the entire armory of Nerf blasters from day 1. He mentions the early days, the creation of the foam ball which led to the development of the first blaster and some of the various types of ammo (including the first mega darts) from over the years,but the majority of the book’s blaster listings are for N-Strike blasters from 2004 to the present.

The book does include six exclusive N-Strike Elite camo darts in the cover as well, in case you need to protect yourself while reading. 🙂

The book explains different types of Nerf ammo, both discontinued and current. Mega Darts to Vortex discs, and everything in between. Each chapter separates the blasters by “classes” such as Light, Medium, Heavy, accessories, each page giving the technical specs of some blasters. It doesn’t go into exhaustive detail about different paintjobs/schemes (unless you count the Lumitron vs the Praxis, which is listed here, and the red strike series gets a shoutout next to the Longshot.) It also introduces common lingo/terms to someone who may not be familiar with blasters, explaining direct plungers, priming a blaster, and so on.

Either way, this technical info is good for the kids and their parents to help them understand the different types of blasters and why a dart tag dart won’t work inside an N-Strike magazine. Ranges don’t differentiate angled/flat, but the release date info and measurements are nice little touches and trivia.

The best part for ME, as an older Nerf enthusiast, is the timeline and design process pages.

The above page even explains the “Javelin” hullabaloo. These pages are by far the most intriguing thing about the book for me, having met designers and wondering about just how they conceive the ideas and test these blasters, and how long it takes to hit production. To know where we’re going, I like to see where we’ve been.

The book carries on its “intro to Nerf” feel by also including a few pages of gametypes –

And yes, you may play differently. These are guidelines, by no means are they law. Enjoy your games as you want to play, and let those who like what you do join in. BUT, it helps to also have some rules you may not have considered before!

OVERALL, is this worth the $20? part of me says the older fans have nothing to get out of it besides a couple of pages. BUT for the kids, the future of the hobby, this is a good buy for them. Big bold pictures, easy to follow, and darts. It’d be a great gift for the upcoming Easter baskets (if you celebrate) or just because they are all about their new active way to play. Also, the book sells, it’d show there’s a market for it, and there could be more like this in the future!

Either way, borrow your friend’s, have a quick look at the book store (they still have those, right?) and give this at least a glance. If you get it for your younger relatives, you can always borrow it.

Take it easy!
Stampede.

Mattel’s Blaster Line – BoomCo – Summer 2014

As has been heavily covered already (seriously, I’m basically the last one to post about this), Mattel’s jumping into the blaster market (again!) with a product called BOOMco. I heard rumblings about this at New York Toy Fair, amidst other companies and apparently the group at dartblaster.de heard about it during the International Toy Fair Nürnberg. Not having anything solid to go by, I haven’t been able to say much at all about it. Mattel was also booked solid by the time I found out, so I wasn’t able to bug them.

Proper news broke on Reddit – MarcusH26051

ANYWAY, here we go.


“Twisted Spinner Blaster – BOOMco. Blasters – Mattel 2014”


“Rapid Madness, Twisted Spinner, Farshot & Clipfire – BOOMco. Blasters – Mattel 2014”

Much EXTREME, such stunt. Wow.

The incoming available product line can be found here on Amazon.

Clipstrike – Cause it has a carabiner! A belt clip! Geddit? It also looks like it folds up, no?

The Farshot (shield deployed)

No cross-branding here! Dart refills (w/Smart-Stic Tech) look longer than Nerf darts, most likely not compatible.

Dual Defender pack

Rapid Madness!
Additional targets & other accessories (see below) will be for sale

Twisted Spinner blaster – NOT to be confused with a dilophosaur.


First things first. No relation –

 All joking aside, I’m a bit surprised and really interested at Mattel even getting near blasters again. I want to expect a knock-down, drag-out slugfest of innovation in blasters now that 2 of the top toy makers out there are on a collision course. They rule the roost with Barbie and Monster High, have some great games with Uno and Apples to Apples, but blasters and playing with blasters has been synonymous with Nerf. The other brands (not necessarily blasters) on the market are carving a great niche (Zing, Marshmallow Shooters, Power Poppers, Tek Recon come to mind) but admittedly, a blaster brand/company with the resources and deep pockets like Mattel has been long missing. Nerf, long synonymous with blasters for many years might have that challenger.

One thing I can tell, not all the blasters are triggered. The Twisted Spinner blaster isn’t, and has a… different kind of rotation mech.  The Rapid Madness does have a trigger though, but it also uses a clip reminiscent of a Powerclip/Magstrike (additional clips are sold separately).

Some quick specs:

– Blasters should hit around 70′ (not sure if this is for all of them, but it’s claims are close to N-Strike Elite)
– Darts use “Smart Stick” Tech to show hits, supposed to be used with the shields/targets that also stick to surfaces. As shown in the videos, the targets can be worn on clothes to optimize stickability.
– Eye protection, 2 in 1 bandolier, extra darts, targets, and clips will be sold separately.
– The shields are used to protect and collect, catch your opponent’s darts so you can fire them back. I guess that helps cut down on dart sweeps…. maybe? The shields are fixed to the blasters via tactical rail.
– Interesting bit, if you watch the videos from the pros in their interviews, one of them mentions how you don’t really know where the darts are going, adding to the satisfaction when you DO get a hit. Testament to the accuracy? Who knows. Honestly, that won’t be a confirmed thing until these come out Summer 2014.
– Mattel looks to be going big – Nerfnation meet the BOOMco League (and win a “Boom Box” while you’re there.)

Mattel has a reputation for putting out strong, quality products. Can’t attest that the reputation upholds though until these are out. The videos however make a good number of promises, and I will admit with Mattel’s name involved, I am just a touch less skeptical than I would normally be. Given the past incarnations of sticky ammo from other brands though, I wonder how those new darts will work on cloth and skin. But wondering is about all I can do, along with the rest of you, until these come out and hopefully I can get my hands on them. BUT, with the possible competitiveness between these two powerhouse toy companies… I truly hope it’s us the consumers who win out. With each trying to outdo the other we might see some of the best blasters to date in performance, quality, and features.

Lock and load, things just might get interesting.

GIANT ATTACKNID (not a photoshop) – BBC Absolutely Genius segment

Not the Nerf Attacknid coming out this Fall 2014 (for $79.99) but a much larger version! If there’s one thing to take away from this video, eye protection is always important. (Although, when the darts are the size of pool noodles, maybe a full mask might be good.)

This version is the current original version out there, and the Nerf version will have a few differences. Click Click BAMF did some initial investigative work, so have a look there as well!

I also posted a quick look at an Attacknid I purchased on the Foam From Above Facebook Page – get some initial thoughts there.

“Nerf AttacknidFall” – Trekkieb47 (www.youtube.com/trekkieb47)

New York Toy Fair – High Res videos! (UPDATED 03/01/2015!)

Bookmark this page! I’ve got a couple of those “High Quality” videos posted, and will update this as I continue to make more.

Nerf Tek Strike Writeup is HERE:


And look, a genuine demo video, showing how the hit registering works. I was pretty amazed, to be honest. Yes, it’s different, yes, you have to aim for the shield, but nothing is written in stone and to be able to track hits? Heck yes I’ll try this out.



NERF COMBAT CREATURE RC Robot
(HASBRO/Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $79.99/Available: Fall 2014)
NERF battles mobilize when combined with remote-controlled COMBAT CREATURE robots! Using the handheld remote, fans can activate the all-terrain, 6-legged mobility, shoot Nerf darts up to an impressive 45 feet and use the aiming elevator and 360 degree rotation to hit their targets. Battle friends and activate rapid-fire blasting to shoot up to twelve NERF darts in a row, changing the direction of each shot to keep advancing robots at bay. 6 AA batteries required, not included. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.

My time with the Nerf Zombie Strike Slingfire. You might even have an idea of the range/accuracy, as I used a GoPro for part of this video.

Now, if only they had 2 of them.

I’ll continue to embed videos here, so make sure to come back to this page!