Tag: preview

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.

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!

New York Toy Fair 2014 Overview – Tek Recon Predator

https://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf

Tek Recon was a bit of a find for me last year at Toy Fair. A year after the Kickstarter and subsequent release, what have they been up to? The Tek Recon Predator.



STATS:

  • MSRP: $49.99
  • Ammo Capacity: 100 (50 rounds on each side of the magazine)
  • Range: 100′

Features:

  • Removable stock, sight(s), LED light on the front (all picatinny compatible)
  • New style magazine (Interesting note, the Havok magazine will work in the Predator, but the Predator magazine is not backwards compatible)
  • New style cradle, a lot more robust than the original. This one features a HUGE metal screw to fix the mobile device holder in place.
Old style cradle
New style cradle

 The prototype fired using the pump grip (edit: there will be trigger this time, the Predator will only fire using the pump grip. The trigger shown in the picture is for the light) and it had some heft. The rubber end of the stock was great as before, so no complaints there.

As has been the case from the beginning, the folks at Tek Recon I spoke with (Harold, Steve, and Graeme) were all receptive to my critiques to the Hammer Head and Havok, and reminded me that information like that is important to their design process. As their first foray into blasters, they realize there’s work to be done, and they welcome it. For the record, did you answer their request for suggestions on Facebook?

As previously reported, there aren’t just new blasters but ammo types as well in the works. These will either affect rate of fire or range, so we’ll just have to see. As it looks, Tech4Kids is still strongly behind Tek Recon to bring the best experience for the players. Judging from Toy Fair, their energy into the brand is on the right track, and I’m looking forward to seeing this in the Fall in its Final Form.

Toy Fair Preview: N-Strike Elite NERF Cam ECS-12 Blaster – Coming Fall 2014

“Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war…” – Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 1, page 13
 
 And Engadget sure did.  They posted Yet Another Nerf Exclusive and it was the N-Strike Elite NERF Cam ECS-12 Blaster.  No press release, but as discussed on my Facebook page (join the conversation!  “Like” me!) here is the story so far:

  • Integrated camera (!) – 0.3 megapixels (urk) at 20 fps(urkx2), comes with 4 GB SD card (ok).
  • MSRP: $75 (?!)
  • 8 (!?!) AA batteries (4 for the camera, 4 for the blaster)
  • Flywheels (dat accelerator trigger)/semiauto (but looks like a Rapidstrike, no?)
  • Allegedly hits up to 90′ (probably angled)

 

Nerf Cam ECS-12 (prototype to Engadget)
Photo courtesy of engadget.  Opted for this one because it’s the real life prototype they used.  Final will have a clear magazine and blue trim.      

That being said, let’s get some quick thoughts down:

Holy carp, $75?  The biggest complaint I’ve been receiving is that is just too much $$$ for a camera that isn’t even a single megapixel.  Furthermore, even if it is for kids (which it is), that’s a lot for an 8 year old’s toy who either has a mobile device of some sort or some other camera in this day and age.  Even if it is integrated, that price is so darn high against other tech toys with better resolution.  Regardless of the blaster hitting 90′ (the Elite line originally touted 75′ ranges) I can’t see telling anyone to pay for the camera AND blaster when the camera is of such low quality.  Engadget’s piece also has a video, and…. well, I hope the camera gets an improvement from this prototype to the final version.  The flywheels and camera each require 4 AA batteries, so there’s an additional cost right there.

Also, the proximity of the camera to the motors.  The engadget video illustrates it perfectly: “VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR” is what I heard. 

Otherwise, the aesthetics and power boost (hopefully) are the better parts I can see about this blaster.  While I can’t advocate strapping an expensive iPhone or iPod Touch to the top of your blaster (personally, I use a GoPro, but that’s me.  Yes, maybe the camera will provide a tactical advantage cornering and yes, the camera integrated into the shell is more streamline, but a Rapidstrike is considerably less and full auto.  If you need practice with trigger control, then this is more your style unless you would rather get a Stryfe.

So I’m ambivalent about this blaster.  I want to love the way it looks, but I don’t know if that’s enough for me.  For $75 I could buy a Rapidstrike or Stryfe and extra darts.  I can remove whatever camera I’m using to put on other blasters or for a project unrelated to Nerf.  But for the Nerf Cam?  Thumb middle of the road until the final version.  Hopefully this will be available at New York Toy Fair, and I’ll get a better look then.

G’luck in your struggles!

Nerf Centurion – Fall 2013! $49.99!

So after a few months of hubbub, here we are with the Nerf Centurion. (Popular Science got the exclusive “official” post on this, here’s their take – http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2013-05/exclusive-nerf%E2%80%99s-newest-gun-fires-100-feet)

picture taken from the article, illustrating distance

Highlights:
Release is set for Fall 2013
Price: $49.99 (a bit lower than I expected, thankfully)

“As for the gun [sic] itself, we’ll be blunt: this thing is freaking huge. It spans 40.7 inches from nose to heel, and at least 2/3 of that length is barrel. As with any gun, the longer the barrel, the straighter – and hopefully the farther – shots will soar.”

“To get the velocity necessary (nearly 55 mph) to catapult ammo one-third of a football field, the designers had to supersize the typical Nerf launch mechanism. With a dart-filled magazine in place, you pull back on a loading handle to allow the top dart to pop into the firing chamber. Pushing the same handle forward sets the firing mechanism in place, and pulling the trigger releases a spring-loaded piston that launches the dart.”

“The Centurion is the first in a new line of Nerf guns that use MEGA darts. The darts are about twice the size of typical Nerf darts, which engineers say helps them get the momentum they need to fly further. The also whistle, an oddly satisfying addition to long-range shootouts.”

So we can expect more Mega blasters down the road.  This all still begs the questions-

– Extra mags/mission kits will be sold when?
– I think we can assume there will be some kind of “value” pack that comes out after the inital release (happens during the holidays especially – Double Discs/Darts, blaster packs, etc.)
– The cradle… and maybe we’ll get a proper scope?
– Ranges are reported to hit 100′.  Is this with the 35 degrees that has been used in the past as the angle for max range claims? (see here) – most likely yes
– Bipod better be robust
– DAT DRAW PULL.  HOLY CRAP.

Not gonna lie though… Yet Another Ammo Type?  Just when things calmed down from Sonics/Micros/Streamlines/Taggers/Discs now Megas are in the mix.  While Sonics and Micros aren’t as prevalent in stores, they are still in circulation and part of many a community dart stash.  So here we go again with one more “caliber” of sorts to sort through when cleaning up.

But don’t get me wrong!  I’m excited to see range and mega darts again, for sure.  Will this change Nerf games?  How?  And it is the shot in the arm in range and performance that Nerf could use?  We’ll see once it hits shelves in the Fall.  And yes, I plan to figure out how to dual-wield these, too.

Toys R Us Visit – New stuff? (Nerf, Xploderz, new brand)

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Just some shots of new things I found at Toys R Us and Target recently.  Highlights?

Nerf Double Dart/Disc Packs

Some new line called “NXT Tactical”

A pull-release blaster game system called “SlugTerra” (apparently a cartoon)

SpyNet wrist shooter

Don’t remember seeing this when I first spotted Launch N Attack, could be wrong tho.

A faux hammer pistol from Air Zone!

Oh right!  Found THIS, too:

After last year’s Toy Fair, FINALLY SNAPFIRE 8 in the U.S.! (Well, at least near me)

Nerf Elite Alpha Trooper & Nerf Dart Tag Stinger!

The Nerf Dart Tag Stinger.  Looks like the Nerf Elite Jolt was turned Dart Tag, and now comes with a target board like the Tech Target.

ELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE AAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLPHA TROOOOOOOOOOOOOOPERRRRRRRRRRRRR (here’s hoping they fixed the problem with the pump handle)

Got a shoutout on facebook about these, and now UK Nerf has put up the images.  Also… note the “Nerf Alliance” tags?  Looks like a “gather points for super stuff” deal… should be interesting to see where it goes!  Now we have incentives to buy the same blaster 4 or 5 times 😛

Later!

Revisit: http://foamfromabove.blogspot.com/2012/06/nerf-n-strike-elite-info-lowdown.html

Nerf Preview Images Incoming: Vortex Diatron and Roughtcut 2×4

Images from Nerf this morning; high-res shots of the Nerf Vortex Diatron and Nerf N-Strike Elite Roughcut 2×4.  There are already tons of videos out there from folks who got Roughcuts early due to stores putting them out ahead of release dates, so there’s plenty of info out there on that.  The Nerf Diatron however, has maintained some semblance of secrecy.  Who knows if it’ll pop ahead of Spring 2013, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

(BTW, for those who don’t know, my relationship with Nerf dictates that when it comes to early releases/info/mods/etc., I can’t post about it.  In return, there are in fact some perks such as release event access and product samples.)

The Roughtcut for those who don’t know, is an eight-shot, slam-fire capable, pump-action blaster with Elite ranges.  It also fires two darts at a time, making it the closest approximation to a shotgun-spread blaster that anyone has made in a long time (the Triple Shot DOES NOT COUNT.  It was good modded, but the stock shotgun spread on that thing was terrible).  Either way, it looks interesting and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.  None of the stores in my area have it on shelves, so I would need to order via Amazon.

The Nerf Vortex Diatron, that’s a whole ‘nother story.  It looks remarkably like a Plasma Cutter from Dead Space (bonus) and fires two discs at once (double-bonus!).  It looks like a doubled up Nerf Vortex Vigilon, so I’m guessing the capacity is ten discs per reload. (11 or 12, depending on how you load it, amirite guys?)  I do wonder if the discs will collide with each other at some point in mid-air during flight, so it’ll be interesting to see how this fires.  Of all the recent blasters, this one is the only one not seen on shelves yet.  Yet.

In any event, these two blasters have the “multishot madness” tagline on their boxes so Nerf is definitely leaning towards a different type of functionality, seeing as how they’ve increased ranges using Vortex and Elite styles.  Make sure to check the Nerf Facebook page (linked at the beginning of this post) for further info such as pricing and alleged availability.  And naturally, once I get my samples in I’ll have my reviews up as usual.  Although at the rate things are going, who knows what’ll even be left by then!

Preview Review: Zing Toys Z-Tek Crossbow

Just some advance pics of a review I’ll be working on soon enough.  Latest air drop from the fine folks at Zing Toys, makers of the ZCurve Bow And Arrow, Hunter Crossbow, and others sent along a sample of their latest offering in the Air Storm line, the Z-Tek Crossbow.  Don’t have time to do a full range test, but it’s a definite improvement over the ZX Hunter Crossbow (which was pretty solid itself). 

For now, some pics.  You folks like pics, right?

Z-Tek Crossbow!  Flip-out bow arms, but the body is EXTENDABLE for a longer stretch!

Before opening

Z-Tek Crossbow
Released!  And comes with a target, too.  Note:  NOT extended as in the above photo.