Tag: play

Nerf Nitro Unboxing! Samples are in, what’s inside?

Unboxing the Nerf Nitro samples from Nerf

Opening up the latest supply drop from Nerfnation, sending along the four initial toys from the Nerf Nitro line!

Included:

Duelfury Demolition Set – $39.99 MSRP
Flashfury Chaos Set – $29.99 MSRP
Longshot Smash Set – $19.99 MSRP
ThrottleShot Blitz* – $9.99 MSRP

*Marked as an “assortment” – will clarify but maybe it means you can get different cars in this particular pack?

Additional photos and information are available here!

As you can imagine, in full reviews of the sets as well as some launches and trick shots to follow! It’s already an interesting idea, making toy cars out of foam and plastic. And if these work out for Nerf, it could be a whole new line of things to put their different licenses on. Either way, stay tuned 🙂

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:

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Unboxing: Fort Boards from New York Toy Fair (Nerf Bunker construction idea)

Fort Boards Assist in Nerf Game Bunker construction



Fort Boards! Pretty cool!

Fort Boards are 8″x8″ plastic interlocking panels that can be used to create a variety of shapes, including curved surfaces, blocks, walls, panels, panels with doors, etc. They come in a variety of colors, in a “Starter” pack of 22 panels (along with additional connectors) or a “Prime” pack of 44 panels (with additional connectors. Customizable with (sold separately) metal or wooden texture inserts, bull’s eye inserts (coming soon with Blaster Board Target panels).

There’s a LOT of potential I see here with this toy, with a little practice building your own customizable bunkers (with targetable panels) could work out pretty quickly. Different color schemes would keep things fresh as well (and maybe even help with branding for some arenas) while the modular nature keeps things varied and enhances objective style gameplay. I most certainly see the applications of this toy, and they are diverse beyond just building a clubhouse. Not going to lie, building an octopus looks pretty neat though.

Basic Stats:

Starter Pack:
Includes 22 boards (8”x 8”) and 21 connectors (for interlocking) and instructions – $61.99

Prime Pack:
Includes 44 boards (8”x 8”) and 46 connectors (for interlocking) and instructions


Find the Fort Boards on Amazon –
Amazon Associate Links (affiliate links, help keep the lights on for F2A! This is a provided sample by Fort Boards for review, I assure you my opinions remain my own):

Fort Boards Prime Pack – Kids Fort Building Kit – Jumbo Toy Blocks – 90 Piece Set – Yellow

Fort Boards Prime Pack – Kids Fort Building Kit – Jumbo Toy Blocks – 90 Piece Set – Gray

Fort Boards Prime Pack – Kid’s Building Toy and Construction Blocks – 90 Piece Set – Red

Fort Boards Starter Pack – Kids Building Toy – Jumbo Construction Blocks – 43 Piece Set – Light Blue

Fort Boards Starter Pack – Kids Building Toy and Construction Blocks – 43 Piece Set – Gray

Fort Boards Design Cards Stone Pattern Accessory for Building Toys

Fort Boards Design Cards (Metal Pattern) – Accessory for Fort Boards Building Toys

Design Cards (Wood Pattern) – Accessory for Fort Boards Building Toys

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New York Toy Fair 2017 Picture Gallery is live!

Nerf Showroom Photo Gallery from TFNY 2017 is live! 
Vas The Stampede

Click the link here to view the full album.

Nerf blaster firing videos from Toy Fair are found here.

(photos taken by Leywink, she helped me out a ton during the show. Most of the video? Her work, too.)

Nerf continues to provide blasters in the higher price category, but not without good reason. The Nemesis seems to be the hallmark blaster for them this show, providing a high capacity, high rate of fire, full auto, quickly reloaded blaster. At approximately $100 this is a pretty pricey toy, but for an older age group and with possibly a bit more disposable income. Using the Rival rounds is convenient (and offers a play style similar to paintball) even further encouraged with the hopper fed firing mechanism. Even as a prototype, this blaster really sets a bar that will be tough to meet on certain criteria. Again, this is a premium priced toy, but you might possibly get your money’s worth out of it.

“NERF MODULUS REGULATOR Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $59.99/Available: Fall 2017)
Bring the power of three firing modes with one epic blaster! The NERF MODULUS REGULATOR blaster features single-fire, burst-fire, and fully motorized blasting power. The REGULATOR blaster is customizable and compatible with accessories within the MODULUS system, sold separately, so fans can build their blasters and have the ultimate blasting experience. Includes two 12-dart clips and 24 MODULUS darts. Requires 4 C batteries, not included. Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyshop.com.”
The Regulator, I could see that blaster being quite a bit of fun across board as well. The select fire feature, complete with 3 round burst setting, is a fascinating bit of engineering. The Nerf video game had a burst round blaster, and now art imitates life here. The fire select option worked pretty decently going between single, burst, and full auto, but given it’s a prototype I don’t want to get my hopes up too much until the final product. At best I can estimate performance similar to the Hyperfire (based on the batteries needed) and my own visual experience. My only real confusion with this blaster is the carrying handle, I can see that adding to the full auto feel of the blaster but it comes across to me as just unnecessary. But, given the intended market and 8 year old switching from burst to Full Auto can really get in character with the help of the muzzle handle. Even more impressive is you can still sight through the handle even when it’s on. Well done for finding the Devil in the Details, Nerf.

“NERF DOOMLANDS THE JUDGE Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $59.99/Available: Fall 2017)
Bring justice to a doomed land with the DOOMLANDS THE JUDGE blaster. With an impressive 30 dart capacity, THE JUDGE blaster can fire three darts at once! This massive blaster is ready for anything the post-apocalyptic wasteland can send its way. Includes 30 DOOMLANDS Elite darts. Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyshop.com.”
The Judge’s size was not lost on anyone. ANYONE. This blaster is ridiculously huge, and say what you want about dead space, useless plastic, etc., this toy was still wowing and amazing people on the design. Now Nerf isn’t promising full range on all three darts from each barrel, there will still be a dip in performance for each burst. That being said, this would still be on my list of things to buy just because of how insane it looks. Would I have liked slam fire? Sure. Would I have liked a stock? Maybe? Would I have liked to see 4 or 5 dart bursts? Definitely. But even this prototype at Toy Fair did a fine job of leaving an impression and should find its way into a gift box or two. I would be interested to see this play out at some of the games I go to though (blasters can count as shields there, and the players go super stock. There is also a decent amount of cover, so high range blasters get equaled out a bit more.)

“NERF N-STRIKE ELITE ACCUSTRIKE RAPTORSTRIKE Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $49.99/Available: Fall 2017)
Hone your skills and hit your mark with the NERF N-STRIKE ELITE ACCUSTRIKE RAPTORSTRIKE blaster. This clip-fed blaster with pop-up sight, adjustable stock and bipod helps players line up their shot and to aim with precision and confidence. Includes two six-dart clips and 18 ACCUSTRIKE series NERF darts. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com.”

The Raptorstrike. You might not see anything with this Accustrike blaster that you haven’t seen already, outside of the precision/range increase from Elite and Accustrike technology. The blaster comes with 2 six shot magazines, extendable bipod, but a flip-up sight. the sight means no top tactical rail, which is unfortunate, but it does have a neat look and a very cool feeling carry handle along the underside. Also of note is the solid priming bar, not the insert tab style on the Alphahawk. Also missing is a barrel attachment point, but the iron sights are another nice detail on the blaster that some folks should get a kick out of. The ammo storage in the stock is a neat touch, and it’s one of the long type rifles that Longstrike/”sniper” fans might get a kick out of. Again, I’ll reserve full judgment until it hits stores.

NERF ZOMBIE STRIKE DREADBOLT Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $49.99/Available: Fall 2017)
Outsmart and dominate the zombie hordes with the ZOMBIE STRIKE DREADBOLT blaster. The first-ever arrow-firing ZOMBIE STRIKE crossbow, the DREADBOLT blaster can take down zombies like never before. Use the detachable scope to line up the target, aim, and fire! Includes five arrows and detachable scope. Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyshop.com.

The Nerf Zombie Strike Dreadbolt surprised me. I had not expected it to be nearly as big as it was, with previous crossbows in the line (Outbreaker, Crossfire Crossbow, etc.) and the Rebelle Courage Crossbow was supposedly a similar design, BUT SO MUCH SMALLER.

With the Dreadbolt, the blaster has a pretty sizable wingspan at the arms, and uses the soft head arrows introduced in the Rebelle line, with the Agent Bow. It’s also comfortable to hold, and the priming mechanism is a wrench along the bottom to crank back the string. Nothing you haven’t seen before either, but also nothing this big crossbow styled yet. I could see a few faithful users to this blaster just because of how much fun it could be. Using arrow ammo would be a pain during the usual Nerf war, but just the hilariousness of this blaster could make it worth it.

Speaking of arrows….

Really looking forward to the Signature Bow. I really hoped it would come out last year, but it looks like that was not the case, and this is why. It went rebranded to be released as part of the Dude Perfect trick shot items. I’ll still get it, just because of the archery aspect. Not much to say about it, as this is essentially the Platinum Bow from last year, and I wanted to get it then too.
Nerf Nitro was in full effect as well! The cars really are a firm foam construction, and Nerf isn’t kidding when they say you’ll hit new heights with the cars. They launch off the ramps a lot higher than I did with Hot Wheels cars I used back when I was younger, and if they hit wood floors or furniture, the marking and dents should be minimal. It’s a really neat idea and while not your usual cup of foam from Nerf, I can see why they did it. My next big question about this innovation is what does Nerf have lined up on the licensing side of things if this line takes off.
Nerf Rebelle only had a couple of new blasters to show off, the new Accustrike crossbows and then a crossbow/bow combo blaster. One might think Rebelle is getting scaled back after storming out with revolvers and other triggered blasters, but it’s hard to say. There wasn’t anything terribly striking from the Rebelle line this year though, unlike last year when the Corner Sight was part of the lineup. No new narrative was apparent either, unlike the “Secrets and Spies” from a couple of years ago, or the Charmed line from last year. Given how early it is in the year though, I’ll definitely not be surprised if Rebelle comes out with something else later this year.
Don’t forget that Jazwares will also be making new Nerf accessories for 2017! Check out the press release here.
Thanks for reading! I have plenty more booth visits to write up (Buzz Bee, Zuru will be out later this week) and some additional brands worth checking out to recommend (Whombatz and Fort Boards, I’m looking at you).
All in all, Nerf had a pretty strong showing with a couple of blasters, but stayed the course in functionality with a few others. I feel like there are still a few “buzz generating” items they’re holding off on even now, and will just bear watching in the future. A few more brands came out of Toy Fair swinging, so the brand synonymous with the blaster battle activity is going to have to keep coming out strong themselves.

Nerf News from TFNY: Jazwares Gains Agreement to Make Nerf Tactical Gear & Accessories

Jazwares to Make Nerf Gear and Accessories 
Update: this video has some of the accessories in the background at 5:06.


Jazwares Gears Up for NERF Battles!

SUNRISE, FL – February 16, 2017 – “Jazwares, a leader in the toy and entertainment
marketplace, is thrilled to announce that they will be gearing up the NERF Nation community! In
collaboration with Hasbro, Jazwares is introducing an innovative NERF Toy Adjacency line that
includes targets, tactical gear, storage, and more to take NERF battles to a new level of fun,
competition, and achievement!
From Hasbro, NERF is the leading brand in the blaster category. Since launching in 1969,
NERF has become a staple in every toy store and continues to the dominate the category with
new and unique designs. NERF empowers kids everywhere to feel the rush of fun, social, active
play, and to ultimately achieve the impossible!
“Jazwares is excited to collaborate with Hasbro on one of the industry’s most iconic brands,
NERF,” said Laura Zebersky, Jazwares EVP and Chief Commercial Officer. “NERF has
consistently brought products that engage children of all ages and we’re ecstatic to bring our
innovative twist on product design to the NERF line.”
Jazwares will offer a wide variety of products to enhance the NERF lifestyle and blaster play.
Products will embody functionality and capacity in a cool trendy fashion. In addition, Jazwares
will also be complimenting the Nerf Sports segment with indoor & outdoor sports and games.
“We’re always listening to fans and consumers to make sure we are providing high quality,
innovative products that enhance the users play experience,” says Michael Ritchie, VP, Global
Brand Marketing, NERF Franchise. “We’re excited to reimagine new ways for fans to engage
with NERF through our latest collaboration with Jazwares.”
NERF Nation! Get ready for new gear, new battles! The Jazwares Nerf Collection coming Fall
2017, at major retailers starting in North American and EMEA.“
So, this is now a thing and I found out about it yesterday. Jazwares, action figure company extraordinaire (makers of RWBY toys, Minecraft, and so many more) is going to produce storage accessories and tactical gear for Nerf. Wow. Previously, Perpetual Play Group was making similar items for Nerf, but it looks like that’s no longer the case. I was not allowed pictures in the showroom, but the press release is real and verified. As soon as I am allowed pictures, I will most certainly post them to show what is in store (and I liked what I saw).

[Build Video] – K’Nex KForce Rotoshot 25x

K’Nex KForce Build video – Rotoshot K25x blaster

Product provided! Opinions remain my own, thanks K’Nex!

Ultimately, the blaster took me over an hour to build, from dumping out the contents to the first shot. I did make some mistakes during the build, but unfortunately I didn’t catch them until well after they happened which meant backtracking and dismantling parts of the build to go back. As someone unfamiliar with using K’Nex construction kits, maybe this is growing pains at learning a different medium. The build isn’t even entirely like the one on the box because I messed something up and would have had to flip pieces that I installed at the beginning. But that’s the point of the line, right? Making your own blaster ultimately, after building the one shown?

For a blaster that reports 75′ on the box for 5 shots, at approximately $25 for the whole thing the replay value is potentially endless for a kit you can build and rebuild, with additional shots and turrets if you have the other kits. Is it worth it? If you aren’t heavily modding your blasters already, and do enjoy the satisfaction that comes from completing puzzles and building kits, this could be a neat addition for your collection. The colors are eye-catching for sure, and there are some spots on the blaster body I naturally found to be good for gripping, I didn’t stab my hands on any corners. Minus anything that resembled a stock, holding the blaster seemed pretty intuitive.

Battle-tested, I have tried some k’nex blasters at games before and maybe it’s just me but I definitely worry about losing the odd connector or slamming the blaster unexpectedly and spraying pieces everywhere. It hasn’t happened yet, but I have lost the odd piece from the body… maybe 2 at this point on other kits. Not a terribly bad ratio I guess but that’s not something you worry about right off the bat from other blasters.

K’Nex is planning on being at New York Toy Fair again, and so will I! Don’t forget to tune in here please and see what I find. (Full schedule posted shortly before the trip)

Amazon Associate notice:

Thanks for reading! Like what you see? Interested in the product? Get your own at Amazon.com (Associate links help me keep the site open and allow me more time to do this!)

Detroit Dart Club Needs your Votes! (Nerf Arena in Detroit, MI)

Vote for the Detroit Dart Club – a Top 10 Semifinalist 

Hatch Detroit is hosting a contest for a savvy entrepreneur to win $50,000, and Detroit Dart Club is in the running! Go to the link here (or the Hatch Detroit link at the beginning) to cast your vote for the Detroit Dart Club. I visited the place last summer, and the owner, Connor, has a really good grasp on the place and about accessible gametypes for newcomers and vets alike. Currently, they can fit about 40 people in the club at a time, and there are lockers (one of which is adorned with a sticker from yours truly), a party area for food, and foam…. so much foam. This is just the semifinals so the contest is far from over, but let’s help get them to the next round and vote, keep the Nerf Arenas growing in the U.S.!

Here’s a shot from last year, but it hardly does them any justice. See more action shots at their instagram feed

Thanks a lot in advance, community! Please let’s help them out and get them growing! (Hatching? Incubating?)

Dart Zone LegendFire Range Test/Demo video/overview

Testing the Dart Zone LegendFire blaster – ranges and reloading

Quick Stats:
 MSRP: $14.99
Range: 80′
Available: Now (I just saw these at Target)
 Includes:
2 x swappable ammo cartridges
1 x LegendFire
18 x darts

 More to come on what I think about this blaster after I get some game time in with it in Wisconsin this weekend. See you then!

Des Plaines Nerf Tournament, 2016

Des Plaines Park District in Illinois Beats the Heat to host 4th annual Nerf Dart Tournament
Vas The Stampede

https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf

Over the weekend, I dropped in at the Des Plaines Park District for their 4th (pretty sure it was their 4th) annual Nerf tournament! Nerf was nice enough to send along prizes for the players, thanks so much to them for that. Players braved the heat and humidity for a few hours of foam slinging fun, and got a blaster for their efforts. I sincerely hope everyone had a great time! This park district is consistent at their love of the hobby, and is one of the few Park Districts I know of that implements blaster games in their events. Their rules are a little different from the usual NIC rules obviously, using stock blasters and ranges, but given the size of the playing field and the layout, it still makes for some fast-paced gameplay. Keep it going, Des Plaines, and looking forward to the next one!

Full Gallery is HERE