Tag: toy fair

Product Demo/Review: Foam Strike Pocket Shots – Monkey Business Sports!

Monkey Business Sports was awesome enough to send over some of their Foam Strike line, in this case Pocket Shots, their take on the slingshot. 

Monkey Business Sport Pocket Shot - what it includes!

Thanks for the package, Monkey Business Sports!

Stats:
Pocket Shot –
MSRP: $6.00
Includes:  Pocket Shot x 1, Ball ammo x 3
Range: Just under 30′

VIDEO:

Ammo comparison
Pocket Shot ammo (center) vs. Nerf ballistic balls

Size comparison vs a Nerf Eliminator

In order to load it, you wedge a ball between the uprights of the Pocket Shot, pull back the “hammer” and release, striking the ball forward. 

As you can see, it took some adjusting to get the shot to go straight but it flew well once I had the mechanics dialed in.  The table was set up around 30′ away, and the ball dropped a little short so there’s your range there.

The Pocket Shot strikes me as a blaster that truly can get played indoors or out.  The ammo flies softly enough that I don’t think it could knock over a vase or anything breakable.  It is also small enough to pocket, even if you are carrying additional ammo which is a good characteristic for a sidearm.  The only shortcoming is that unless you are carrying additional ammo, you’re stuck with 3 shots before you have to retrieve.

The action of pulling back the bungee cord (as all Foam Strike shooters use; compared to the rubber tubing Zing Toys uses) is a very satisfying and tactile sensation, so while this won’t set any range records it is still a bit of fun to play with.  Definitely leave a group of them on a table at a party and see what happens:)

The shape makes these shooters very low profile and unassuming, as opposed to some typical gun shapes that might scare administrators or parents.  Coupled with the softness of the ammo and the low velocity rate, if my nephew were still 5 years old, I’d feel safe letting him play with this under supervision (he’s 10 now).  The Pocket Shot is pretty quick to load and a convenient sidearm if you’re in the market for one.  At the very least, having a slew of them around and random shootouts with friends is a great way to even trigger interest in the hobby at large.  Pretty good offering from Foam Strike with this mini shooter, and after seeing their own bow and arrow hit 200’+, I look forward to seeing more from Monkey Business Sports, for sure.


Action Figures!


Entertainment Earth Exclusive Star Wars Action Fig

Spin Master – Land of Spy Gear and innovations

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

Some great shots of Spin Master toys, makers of Doctor Dreadful and Air Hogs!  They had some pretty cool stuff for boys and girls, in particular interest was Spy Gear.  Formerly of Wild Planet, Spy Gear’s got some great gadgets on the way.  I wasn’t allowed pictures at the show, but I’ll manage to get some from a press kit.

For some highlights:

Kawaii Crush!

Flutterbye (flies like Air Hogs)

That’s right… a “no bake” donut maker!

Toothless

Baaaaad

Best.  Board game.  Ever.  Roll the dice, push the sticks, and hope it doesn’t pop on your turn!

New Nerf Super Soaker lineup – 2013

PPretty sure these dropped in stores, but what’s a little more info out there?

The 2013 NERF SUPER SOAKER line includes:
NERF SUPER SOAKER ARCTIC SHOCK Water Blaster
(HASBRO/Ages 6 & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Spring 2013)
Ice cubes in a NERF SUPER SOAKER blaster? Get ready to give friends a soaking shock of Xtreme cold with the new SUPER SOAKER ARCTIC SHOCK water blaster. Featuring a wide mouth 25 fluid ounce clip that can fit ice cubes for a sub-zero blast, this pump-to-fire water blaster delivers a steady stream of icy water to shock your friends. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
NERF SUPER SOAKER SWITCHSHOT Water Blaster
(HASBRO/Ages 6 & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Spring 2013)
Intimidate the competition with the SUPER SOAKER SWITCHSHOT water blaster, which allows players to deliver extreme soakage by choosing one of four different spray options! Additionally, the SWITCHSHOT water blaster boasts a 20 fluid ounce detachable banana clip and detachable shoulder stock so fans can tailor their blaster for each water battle. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
NERF SUPER SOAKER HYDRO PACK
(HASBRO/Ages 6 & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Spring 2013)
Outlast and outsoak your friends with the Xtreme capacity of the NERF SUPER SOAKER HYDRO PACK. Featuring a three liter water reservoir, this water backpack connects to any SUPER SOAKER clip system blaster, keeping players fully stocked and ready for action. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
NERF SUPER SOAKER SHOTWAVE Water Blaster
(HASBRO/Ages 6 & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99/Available: Spring 2013)
Featuring an exposed clip for easy reload, the SUPER SOAKER SHOTWAVE water blaster is pump-to-fire for quick release during battle. The mid-sized water clip fits on all clip system SUPER SOAKER water blasters (each sold separately) for maximum customization and can hold up to 10 ounces (.3 L). Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
NERF SUPER SOAKER FLASHBLAST Water Blaster
(HASBRO/Ages 6 & up/Approx. Retail Price: $8.99/Available: Spring 2013)
Stealth enough for a sneak attack and compact enough for easy concealment, the SUPER SOAKER FLASH BLAST water blaster features a cocking slide for quick trigger fire action or slam-fire for non-stop soakage. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
NERF SUPER SOAKER DOMINATION DRUM Accessory
(HASBRO/Ages 6 & up/Approx. Retail Price: $9.99/Available: Spring 2013)
Upgrade the capacity of any clip-system SUPER SOAKER water blaster with the SUPER SOAKER DOMINATION DRUM accessory. The massive water drum holds 37 ounces of water – perfect for keeping the water battle going. SUPER SOAKER blaster sold separately. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.

Whew! New York Toy Fair 2013 – Nerf Debrief (In case you didn’t want to click through my WHOLE album)

Nerf Revonix 360

Where you load the discs

Iron Man spring launcher (reminiscent of a small pistol)

Iron Man disc shooter (in the spirit of the foam disc captain America Shield)

Heartbreaker Bow (click for info)

Nerf Rebelle Alpha Girl Mission Kit (click for info)

Nerf Rebelle Sneak Attacker 2-pack (Click for info)

Nerf Rebelle PINK CRUSH mini crossbow (Click for info)

Nerf Rebelle Crossbow (Click for info)

Nerf Blazin’ Blitz Bow (Click for Info)

Nerf Vortex Firefly tech Glow in the Dark Mission Kit

Firevision Flyer

Angry Birds blaster (Koosh)

Angry Birds blaster

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!