Tag: toy fair

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!

Nerf N-Strike Elite – info lowdown:

Heads up!  Finally feeling like a human again, I’m able to put together a more coherent post of everything that happened.  Well, not EVERYTHING as some of what I heard was supa top-secret in specifics, but let’s get some business out of the way:

  • N-Strike Elite is going to become the standard of the N-Strike line.  That means the new streamlines, the Elite branding, all of it is here to stay.  The original streamlines and N-Strike brand as we know it are going to be replaced by N-Strike Elite.
    • N-Strike Elite is going to revisit previous N-Strike blasters and release Elite versions of them.  CALM DOWN.  Without going into specifics, not all blasters are going to get Elite ranges.  More recent releases than what came out when N-Strike first appeared are more likely to become Elite.
      • I CAN’T TELL YOU WHICH BLASTERS ARE GETTING THE ELITE TREATMENT.  The key phrase here is, “In the realm of possibility.”  But a Longshot is NOT (I repeat, NOT) one of them.
  • The Nerf Firevision might have something for blaster fans 🙂  That’s about all I can say until Toy Fair 2013.
  • Elite is Elite, Dart Tag is Dart Tag, Vortex is Vortex.  They like to keep the brands separated so I wouldn’t hold my breath for Dart Tag Elite and so on.
  • They aren’t done with Dart Tag yet!  Just the NDTL had been around long enough, and it was time to move on for them.  Dart Tag blasters are still going to be rolled out, but it’s up to the fans to run their own.  From what I’ve heard, Australia’s doing a bang-up job of that:)
  • N-Force isn’t over with, they’re still going to support that.  Just nothing new yet (understandable, with the N-Strike Elite and new Vortex blasters)
  • Clearly, the Nerf Vortex line is going to be supported still.
  • One Direction was NOT at the party.  :*(
  • No oversized Vortex disc shooter anytime soon 😦
  • Nerf N-Strike Elite Darts will be the standard in the future.  Micros and Sonic darts are going to be phased out, in order to make things easier for people.  Elite darts will fit better in most blasters currently released.  Dart Tag darts and Nerf Vortex discs will obviously still be available, as the lines are still supported.
  • SOME international markets (Australia, mainland China, Philippines, etc.) will have a range-reduced version due to the toy safety regulations of their governing bodies.  This means the blasters will achieve somewhere around advertised 50-55′, down from the 75′ that everyone else gets.  
  • Speaking of ranges, around a 35 degree angle is what the advertised ranges we see for darts, while Vortex is fired at 10-15 degrees to determine their range.

Questions?  Comments?  Lemme know!