Tag: tech

Nerf Rival Firing/Demo Video! Fresh from New York Toy Fair!

Nerf Rival Firing and Demo video from New York Toy Fair
 Vas The Stampede

Here’s what you’re here for:

Nerf Rival Zeus and Apollo

 Blasters for the line:

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(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $49.99/Available: Fall 2015)
Bring NERF battles to the next level with the mighty NERF RIVAL ZEUS MXV-1200 blaster. Simply push the power-up button, then take aim and unleash motorized blasting power on the opposing team. The powerful, precise RIVAL ZEUS MXV-1200 blaster gives fans and their allies an edge in battle and features an ambidextrous  clip loading and release button, safety switch, and fold-up sight. The included NERF RIVAL 12-round magazine is also compatible for use with the NERF RIVAL APOLLO XV-700 blaster, sold separately. Blaster is available in both red and blue and includes 12 NERF RIVAL Foam rounds. Six C batteries required, not included.
Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and at HasbroToyShop.com.
Nerf Rival Zeus in Red
Nerf RIVAL APOLLO XV-700 Blaster
(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $24.99/Available: Fall 2015) 
Perfect for the heat of the competition, the NERF RIVAL APOLLO XV-700 blaster sends NERF RIVAL foam rounds soaring in the air with extraordinary velocity. To defend themselves and teammates against the opposition, pull the lever to move the RIVAL foam round into place, then take aim and launch! Blaster is available in both red and blue includes seven NERF RIVAL foam rounds. 
Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and at HasbroToyShop.com.
Additional photos in the gallery:
 
Word has it these blasters will hit 100 fps, and up the accuracy in ways not seen before with Nerf blasters. While we won’t know for sure ’til these are released, I’m very intrigued with the intention and design of these blasters. Additional ammo, ammo tubes, and colored masks will be available when the line is launched.
I’ll continue to update with more Toy Fair reviews and thoughts as I get them done. You can imagine, there are a lot of pictures and videos to go through! Thanks!
Questions? Concerns? Leave them in the comments below!

Toy Fair 2015 – There, and Back Again. (Nerf and More Round up!)

Toy Fair 2015 Preview – Expectations and a look back at Blasters in 2014
Vas The Stampede

Sorry it’s been awhile, you all! Just a heads up, while I maintain here, I am also posting content at the following:

Instagram: Blasterbot1984
Facebook: Foam From Above

Just like the title says, I am here in New York City, and ready to go for another round at the New York Toy Fair. The blaster scene is a little different from last year, but there’s a lot of buzz surrounding this year’s show. Dare I say it, possibly even more than last year.

NERF:

Nerf had a hit on their hand it seems with the Rebelle line, expanding on the roleplay/bow and arrow aspect of the blasters to appeal to young girls. While I have my own opinions about gender specific toys, the line is still around, and going strong. So strong in fact, there will be a whole slew of new blasters to check out at this year’s show, including the Revolution Bow:

Image taken from Toyqueen, writing for about.com

 
Nerf’s largest release (literally) was something not on display last year, the Nerf Rhinofire. After the initial releases of the Slingfire, the Mega Thunderbow, and the Nerf Cam ECS-12, Nerf crashed through with one of the biggest, full auto blasters to date. While pricey and even a pain to reload, the blaster was a lot of fun to use.

There is already a large amount of buzz for Nerf in 2015 as well, starting with info about the Rotofury, The Doominator, the Nerf Modulus, and most recently today, NERF RIVALS.

The Rotofury
Nerf Rival blaster (this is the Zeus MVX-1200)
Nerf Zombie Strike DOOMINATOR

Needless to say, that’s a lot of blaster to look at over the weekend. I’ll be back Sunday with the report on Nerf, after my visit to their showroom that morning.

Other Brands:
 
Tomorrow is the actual Day 1 of Toy Fair, but the Hasbro Showroom isn’t open to tours yet, just a special event. That being the case, I’m going to spend time checking out the other brands such as Zing Toys, Primetime Toys (makers of the Scorpion Gatling Gun), Hogwild Toys (the Power Poppers makers), Marshmallow Shooters, Maya Group (whose offering this year might be something different, the branding doesn’t seem Xploderz related but you never know), Zuru (if you bought the Vigilante), and of course, K’Nex and their K-Force. BOOMco will also be on hand at Mattel’s showroom, but I won’t get a look at their new stuff until Monday, during one of their media events.

That being said, you never can be too sure what else might be on that show floor. I’ve seen push rockets, something called a “Titan Torpedo” (which looked a lot like the throwable Uberdart), and maybe there will be some new vehicle blasters like the VMD cars and Attacknid. But that’s part of the fun of the show for me, that extra sense of discovery!

The big release from Zing last year, the Firetek Bow
Ghostbusters Marshmallow Shooters first seen last year, just in time for the new film!

It’s going to be a busy few days, make sure to check the social links above for live-updates, but come back here for the full writeups. Thanks for your time!

REVEAL! Nerf MEGA Rotofury Press Release (Fresh from Nerf!)

***NERF MEGA RotoFury Blaster*** NEW FOR 2015!
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $34.99/Available: Fall 2015)
By: Vas The Stampede
“Supersize your NERF battles and dominate the field with the highest capacity MEGA blaster ever! The MEGA RotoFury blaster gives you the option of firing one MEGA Whistler Dart at a time, or slam firing a steady stream of ten darts in a row. Hear the darts whistle as they fly through the air and hit targets up to 90 feet away.  Includes 10 MEGA Whistler Darts. Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com.”

Thanks to Nerf for the image! There you have it, their Raider/Rampage gone MEGA. 10 shots. Single fire or slam. I don’t see a way to attach a stock, (which I liked using on a Rampage) buuuut as always, I need to see this blaster in person before I can really comment on it. But I can admit I’m a bit excited to shoot that much Mega ammo with slamfire. 2015 is looking pretty good!

What this tells me is that large ammo rules in my game groups are getting more and more interesting with every extension of the Mega line. What I wouldn’t give though to see something like this that shoots Demolisher missiles.

Or, can I just hope that a big release this year is going to be a full auto Mega blaster? A guy can dream. 

Still working on my 2014 roundup, stay tuned! It’ll coincide with the roundup of brands I’ll be visiting with at New York Toy Fair this year.

Paper Shooters: The Return! Launches January 30th!

Paper Shooters Launches Website January 30! (Paper shooting blasters)
Vas The Stampede

Paper Shooters is back, and this time, with funding. After a couple attempts at crowdsourcing, the product is ready to roll out and take orders! Featuring a familiar “paper ammo” (a la Max Force, if anyone remembers), these blasters are different for a few reasons:

+ A trigger!
+ Instead of buying more ammo, the product is supposed to include a mold that people can make their own out of normal paper (which then gets loaded into a shell, that loads in to the magazine, that loads into the blasters.)
+ A trigger!
+ Customization is something encouraged with these blasters as well. Make your ammo, build your own blaster (it starts out as a construction kit, from what I understand), and the game is yours.
+Nerf designers are part of the team working on this line.

Some things about this release that make me a bit nervous –

– The cost. Between $35 & $49.
– The Clan App gets used on a wristmounted smartphone? Hrm.
– Accuracy of the paper wads
– Using paper wads! They got messy before, and I can see loading each individually into a separate shell being time consuming.
– Shells/magazines sold separately, I assume. And when I first learned of this blaster, PvP wasn’t a big part of the conception, as I understood it. A Clan App to track stats changes that. But until I try it all out, I can’t say strongly either way if this is a good option for even casual or office wars.
Given the past history with other brands and their mobile apps, I’m a little reserved about that until I see it. 

Do I have reservations? Sure. But without the blaster in front of me, I’m at least willing to try it out. New blasters, new companies, new innovations can only help the hobby!

Previous articles:


Paper Shooters 1
Paper Shooters 2 
 
Countdown to Paper Shooters at their website, here.

REVIEW: Scorpion Gatling Blaster: Dart Zone/Prime Time Toys

Scorpion Gatling Blaster: Dart Zone/Prime Time Toys
By: Vas The Stampede

Size Comparison: Scorpion vs. Nerf Barrel Break and Zing Legends Bow

My firing video:
 


Basic Info:

Price: $19.99 (Wal-Mart Exclusive)
Range: Up to 70′ (angled)
Includes:
“Super Darts” x 20
20 Dart Ammo Belt x 1
Instructions
Scorpion Gatling Blaster x 1

Prime Time Toys keeps the hits coming with one of their latest entries, the CovertOps Scorpion Gatling Blaster. A Wal-Mart Exclusive, this blaster is obviously inspired by some earlier similarly styled “gatling” blasters like the Punisher and Gatling Blaster. This fully automatic, 20 shot blaster proves itself a pretty good value for 20 bucks.

It requires 6 AA batteries, and that spins the barrel (purely cosmetic effect) and also powers the flywheels. There’s no accelerator trigger here, once you hit the “on” button the flywheels go and all you have to do is hold the trigger down. It’s pretty easy to shoot in bursts, or just empty the entire belt for maximum hilarity. The blaster is small, probably smaller than either of the earlier gatling blasters. This does make it a bit easier to carry and move quickly, although the chains do swing about, nothing new if you’ve ever run with a Nerf Vulcan. Unlike the Punisher, there is no ammo box, so there’s a loss in aesthetic as well. Oddly enough, while the line is called Covert Ops, once this blaster is on, there is nothing covert about it. If you didn’t like the noise level of a Barricade, you will definitely not like this blaster. As I suggest with any of those complaints, just wait until you’re about to shoot and flick the power switch then, don’t run around an entire game or scenario with your flywheels running (unless there’s a strategic reason for it, as I’ve done in the past).

The Covert Ops line is a green and orange mash of colors, crossing toy safety and a color scheme reminiscent of the movie, “Predator.” While this isn’t the total minigun that some folks may want, it does pretty well all the same. To me, the plastic and build feels pretty sturdy and that it might take a drop or 2. That is only descriptive of the blaster body, though. I can’t attest to the strength of the electronics and the motor if you dropped this blaster. Bottom line, it feels solid.

The amount of clearance to fit other brand darts through the Scorpion.

 I repeat, the size proves deceptive as you might not expect the power you get out of this. I was able to hit almost 50′ flat and angled my shots hit about the advertised 70′ range. And this was with both the proprietary “super” darts and other leading brand darts. This blaster shot just about anything I put in the ammo belts. The accuracy did leave something to be desired, but with foam ammo that tends to just be the reality of the medium. And if you’re sending out about 20 shots at a time, maybe accuracy isn’t your main concern!

That being said, I can’t comment if chains from the earlier gatling blasters will work with the Scorpion, as I don’t have either. And if I had any real complaint about this blaster, it’s that additional chains aren’t available to use this as a proper defensive or offensive weapon. Extra chains and the fast reload (with some practice and preloaded chains) would make for a good time in a stock blaster game. As far as I know, separate chains are not sold anywhere so you have one 20 shot belt and that’s it with the Scorpion. Either check your fire or get ready to reload the same chain frequently. For $20 and only 6 AA batteries, I definitely think this blaster is worth the trip to a Wal-Mart (in the US) and adding to your inventory. It’s a great price for a 20 shot blaster that hits its range and fires pretty quickly.

Thanks so much to Prime Time Toys for the sample, and to you for reading! If there’s anything I missed feel free to use the contact form or make a comment below (comments are moderated, so they may not appear right away.

Don’t forget to check out “Foam From Above” on Facebook. and I am also on Twitter (@vasthestampede) & Instagram (@blasterbot1984)!

BREAKING UPDATE: Nerf Rhino-Fire Press Release! Full info!

Nerf Blaster Tops 100…. Dollars! Say Hello the Elite Rhino-Fire
By Vas Stampede
Nerf N-Strike Elite Rhino Fire. 90′ range. MSRP: $100.00 Available Fall 2014.

UPDATE: Here’s the full press release straight from Nerf:

NERF N-STRIKE ELITE RHINO-FIRE Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $99.99/Available: Fall 14)
Dominate the competition with the biggest, baddest NERF blaster yet! The N-STRIKE ELITE RHINO-FIRE blaster is the first fully automatic NERF blaster featuring rapid-fire, double barrel blasting, an amazing 50 dart capacity and two N-STRIKE ELITE dart drums, turning ordinary battles into extraordinary ones. The epic RHINO-FIRE blaster sends darts soaring impressive ELITE distances of up to 90 feet, and features both a front handle for mobility and tripod to ensure awesome accuracy. Includes 50 N-STRIKE ELITE darts.  Six “D” batteries required, not included. Available exclusively at Walmart.

Nerf Rhino images came off Amazon Spain, but nothing really solid to go on yet except the name and box art (which might change as well.)
Have fun!
 
  Whew! Ok, so if I may chime in… holy carp.
Back at the Nerf All Access event (videos are posted at click click bamf and AFON so far) we were informed there was one more big blaster coming. I’m guessing this is it. If anyone experienced a letdown with the Cam CS-12 being revealed, hopefully this is more your speed?

The story so far:

Available Fall 2014 (most likely around the holidays)

Wal-Mart Exclusive
MSRP: $99.99
Range: 90′
Includes 50 Darts, a tripod (I’m assuming 2 x 25 round drums)
Requires 6 D batteries (!)
While I’d prefer to wait for the actual product, here’s some of the chatter:
Flywheels
Pistoning barrels (like the Pulsator)
Tac-Rails (of course)
I’m sure it’s only one trigger, but the early speculation also says maybe selective firing capabilities.
I already thought $80 was a bit high for the Cam, but this one tops out at $99.99, definitely for the holiday shopping frenzy. With dual barrels and who knows what else by release, this is a huge gambit to see just how much people are willing to pay, especially around holiday splurging. For the cost and the range, and the ultimately big bad feeling to come with a blaster like this, I wonder how fast it will be snatched up. If the Centurion sales (lots of people DID buy them, regardless of the performance) this just might be a big beast during the holiday season. Personally, I’m very interested to see the final product, as impressed as I am with this hype and promise at the moment. Only one way to be sure!
Anyway, thoughts?

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.

TOY REVIEW: Spy Gear Sonic Distractors (GEAR)

GEAR REVIEW:  Spy Gear Sonic Distractors – Thanks to Spin Master Toys for the sample!  The opinions and thoughts are my own, however.

MSRP: $9.99
Available: Now
Range: As far as you can throw it

Includes:
2 x Sonic Distractor spheres (1 black, 1 grey – 4 different sounds apiece.  See the video for the different sounds)
1 x belt clip/holder

This is an interesting little gadget from Spy Gear. Relatively inexpensive (some stores have them on clearance), and in the right scenario/gametype, maybe these would be of some use if you have a particularly sneaky style of play. 

2 spheres, and you hold the button down to trigger a timer, and after a few seconds the distractor makes 1 of 4 noises.  If you can remember the sequence of the noises on each sphere, you can readily select which one you’re using (birds cawing, a cat yeowling, laser blasts) but in some instances maybe just a sudden noise of any kind would be enough).

Maybe even a game like this:

I didn’t whip these around on concrete (also I would NOT suggest throwing these at people) so I couldn’t tell you how durable they are from a dropped height.  I believe ideally you would roll these into position to use them, though rather than throw them around.  They are of a hard plastic construction so they would definitely bounce around.  Still, the amount of sound effects available, the compact build, included holster, and easy to use button are nice little touches. 

You might even find these on clearance at the moment, so if you have the right group and location, these could be a handy fun roleplay (spy vs counterspy, thief vs guard) element for your game types.  What do you think?  Would you try them? 

REVIEW: Spy Gear Panosphere 360 Spy Cam

NOTE: Sample was supplied by Spin Master Toys (thanks to them!).  The opinions in this review are my own.

Spy Gear Panosphere 360 Spy Cam – Possible additions to put a new spin on your blaster gameplay.
Vas The Stampede

Spy Gear Panosphere 360 Spy Cam

Spy Gear Panosphere 360 w/ Wall Mount

Spy Gear Panosphere 360 deconstructed (wrist strap goes inside housing)

Spy Gear Panosphere 360 all assembled

STATS:
MSRP: $59.99 (order at Meijer – on clearance for $14.97!)
Includes:

  • Camera x1
  • Mount x 1 
  • Housing x 1
  • Rubber band x 1 
  • Velcro wrist strap x 1 
  • USB recharging cord x 1
  • Suction cup Wall Mounting x 1
  • 2 GB microSD card (will use larger microSD cards too… I haven’t run into any issues yet) 
  • CD w/editing software

Specs:
W/2 GB card:

  • 2000 HD pics
  • 10 Mins. of video recording at 720p (at full charge).

Test Images (various lighting conditions. 

Office lighting (reasonably good lighting)

Hallway of my storage unit.

Low light, a peek inside the actual unit.

    At $60 the resolution isn’t the clearest in low-light (a touch grainy), but surprisingly better than I expected in well lit situations (also given that this is for kids 8-13 years of age).  it is a fish eye lens, in order to encompass the “360” look attached to a swivel that moves within a 90 degree arc..  Initially, I had wondered if the lens would be remotely operated somehow, but that isn’t the case.  Where ever you place the camera, the lens has to be aimed ahead of time.  With the fish eye lens though, there’s little room for missing something.  Given the low profile of the camera alone, and even the housing/mounts, getting the right angle shouldn’t be a problem.  Obviously, any other additions such as a viewfinder or anything would add to the visibility of the camera, and the cost.  For what it is, it is a pretty good price for your homegrown spy in training.

    The housing functions as a “hockey puck” style mount for the camera (see the video) and a container for the wrist strap, one of the little touches Spin Master does with its toys that I really like.

    It takes a few hours to charge using the included USB cord.  I have used both my computer and other wall-mounted plugs with a USB connector, so you’re not stuck if you have other electronic devices.  The included instructions were easy to follow, and I was up and running (literally) with the camera in minutes.  Already having editing software, I just use the microSD card in my card reader, and that does the job.  I haven’t used the editing software myself (I already have my own), but if you do perhaps you’ll get a kick out of it.

    Bottom line, I found it a lot of fun to try and see what angles, and just what the capabilities of the camera were.  Sliding the camera into position was hilarious, and various options of how to use the camera (wear, wall mount, super sneaky off the mount, etc.) might be a good time for a kid.  It goes without saying that the camera must be used responsibly, and those issues need to be brought up during purchase.

    As far as game types go, I don’t know if I’d use this as a mount or anything to record gameplay, but if you came up with a spies vs. counterspies scenario, this might be something to play around with (having to record a document or something else; let your imagination go wild, for the 10 mins. the charge will last recording video)  With the speed that a typical game can run, I don’t think this camera could keep up, and there are full on cameras for a little more that might be better to use.  This is still a toy for roleplay purposes, but even with that, it is still an impressive piece of tech.