February 28, 2013

Around the Internet - Goodies

I checked a few regional chains to see what Nerfy goodness was in stock. For you upper Midwest Nerfers, look at Mills Fleet Farm - the rest of you can order online.

Mainly, they have Maniacs (Newer version of the Berzerker) for $14, and they have some odd Banzai blasters, including this one - never seen or heard of it before.

That looks like the Launch n Attack blasters in terms of function. Might be fun to order one for science.

February 27, 2013

XCESS Revolvers now at ToysRUs!

Spotted on the way home from lecture! Zuru is still stamped on the side of the blaster (blasters, in this case).
Priced at $30 - a tad expensive, so I'll wait for an Air Zone sale. Those tend to be pretty regular.

What else was new? More after the jump.


February 23, 2013

What Should I Turn This Thing Into? (Vote!)

I found one of these things thrifting: a Nyko Perfect Shot. It's just a Wii Remote shell, but at $.50, I grabbed it. Quite comfy, and looks easy to convert into a homemade blaster.

February 21, 2013

Gun Control Sweeps Carnegie Mellon University?

I came across this satire out of the README, CMU's satirical magazine. It gave me a good laugh, so I thought I'd share!
Link to the story HERE!

Late to the Game, NBC?

I was browsing the news this morning when this NBCnews article caught my eye. You know, like we didn't already know about this for quite a while.
Nevertheless, it's great to see some wider exposure/promotion outside of the typical Nerf community. I'd like to see more articles - if people buy these things, perhaps Hasbro will figure out we like having simple blasters with great ranges. Even if they're pink. :)

February 20, 2013

Double Barrel Blaster Update

While I haven't modified the internals, I did pull out the small rubber air restrictors. I used needle-nose pliers to pull them out the front, between the plastic "arms" supporting the dart peg.

That small change alone did wonders; now the blaster is firing 25' flat, if not more. These were blocking a TON of air.

With this new information, I would now recommend buying the blaster if you see it. It's got power; you just need to pull out the ARs to see it.

The previous review has been edited to reflect this easy boost in available power.

BUY THAT SHIT!

X-Shot Xcess Blasters Coming Stateside?

Among other things I've spotted online was this entry on the Toys R US website. Quote:
Go loco and create absolute mayhem, blasting a spray of darts everywhere with the X-Shot XCESS's insanely huge, 12-dart capacity, double trouble, rotating barrels!!!

Assuming they ever have them in stock, this means the long-hyped double turret revolver will finally be widely available in the US. $30 for a pair seems a tad high, but considering you'd be paying more than that for the two Mavericks needed to make one on your own, it could be worse.

Of course, the Nerf Strongarm outclasses all other off-brand revolvers at the moment, but as far as sheer capacity is concerned, this blaster is at least worth a look when I get a hold of one.

February 19, 2013

Nerfhaven 2013 Mod Contest

Langley over at Nerfhaven has just announced a 2013 Modding Contest! To quote from the rules:

In order to be considered, your submission must satisfy the following criteria:
  • The primary blaster being modded must be an official Nerf product.
  • The blaster must have a 2013 Release date (official list TBA. If you're not sure, feel free to ask)
  • You must complete a full write-up of your mod with detailed build instructions and photographs of the process. Every step required must be documented. 
  • The write-up must be reproducible. All parts and materials must be widely available and tools used must be common to most nerfers.
  • The write-up must be easily understood by new nerfers. Do not assume that the reader knows what you're talking about. Your writing must be accessible to people who are new to this site. 
  • You must post the write-up between the time of this writing and midnight on May 31st, EST. If you already posted a mod that applies before the beginning of this contest, you can't re-post the same mod. You can build on an existing mod and improve on the write-up.

There will be prizes. Click the link and read the rules. I encourage everyone to try!

This One's For The Girls

I spotted this at Toys R Us yesterday while grabbing the Double Barrel Blaster. It was mentioned in a Toy Fair 2013 post by Foam From Above, among other bloggers, but it was the first time I've seen it in the wild.

Way up top? Yep, a Zing Toys Air Huntress.

February 18, 2013

Air Zone Double Barrel Blaster Review

Another new blaster has appeared in the Air Zone line at Toys R Us. It's a rebranded Lanard blaster, firing oversized darts. They call it the Double Barrel Blaster. What do I call it? Something that with some modding, could operate better - with even MORE modding, could even be a primary.

More after the jump!

Retro Review: Nerf Razor Fin

In our first Retro Review of the year, we're looking back to 1997, when the Max Force 2112 line was still in full gear. That year saw the release of the Razor Fin, a descendant of sorts to the Sharpshooter II with its ability to hold and fire two darts in succession. The unique development in this blaster was the priming and firing mechanism; the plunger was contained in the handle, and the trigger was mounted on the handle (or rather, behind it). If the Triple Torch is the forefather of the Nerf Jolt, then the Razor Fin is the grandfather of the newly released Triad.

February 17, 2013

Iron Man ARC FX Gauntlet Mod

The ARC FX Gauntlet is a wrist-mounted disc shooter - using old-style foam discs (of considerable thickness), not Vortex discs. That doesn't mean it lacks usefulness, however. For the original review, click HERE.

With an increase in voltage and a tad bit of internal changes, you can get 40-50 ft. ranges. The discs do curve to the right, but they do so in a relatively predictable manner, allowing the user some control by aiming to the left and/or tilting your arm slightly to the left.

Modifications and results are similar to that of my modified Captain America Disc Launching Shield.

February 16, 2013

Air Zone Dart Shooter Review

The "creatively" named Foam Dart Shooter is one of this year's new additions to the Air Zone collection at ToysRUs. Priced at $10, it was worth picking up to check it out. In my opinion, it's a decent blaster, with modding potential. Read on for more.


February 15, 2013

New Air Zone Blasters Spotted!

On the way home this week, I stopped at a few ToysRUs stores to check the selection and see if it matched the website. Much to my surprise, they were more up to date than the website! Lots of new Air Zone blasters are appearing on shelves.

Toy Story Woody's Blaster Review

I found this blaster earlier in the week while thrifting - it was only available at Disney Stores (for $20) or for higher online. I took the opportunity to grab one for cheap, as few people have really played with these things, let alone tore them apart.

It's interesting, if only for the novelty factor. In the end, though, it's just a mediocre pistol. More after the jump.

February 12, 2013

Iron Man 3 ARC FX Gauntlet Review

I found this disc launcher at Target for $20, which is at least somewhat reasonable (the Captain America Disc Launching Shield retailed for the same price). Always remember to check any line of toys made by Hasbro - Nerfy things aren't always in the Nerf section! More after the jump.

February 11, 2013

More sales and spottings!

First, I"d like to highlight some signs from Toys R Us. These specials will be running for most of the month. If anything, these blasters are now reasonably priced - something TRU has a tendency not to do.



 Meanwhile, at Target, some of the new Marvel Avengers toys have been released: a motorized disc shooter, and a pull and release wrist blaster. The Spiderman toy appears to essentially be a wrist-mounted Quickstrike, sans the second dart. I bought the disc launcher - while it's certainly not Vortex, a bit of tweaking and additional voltage should make it decently fun. That's what I did with the Captain America Disc Launching Shield.






February 8, 2013

2013 Releases

Been a rough couple weeks with school. But I'm here to identify some internet discoveries!

First, as first indicated by iSoaker on Waterwar.net and then spread on sites like Basicnerf, Buzz Bee Toys has updated its web site for Spring 2013 releases in both Water Warriors and Air Warriors. Interesting things like the Tek 5 Revolver are coming out. There's been some speculation that Buzz Bee is going downhill in blaster design after great products like the Panther and Range Master; I'm of the opinion that we haven't seen everything yet :)

More after the jump!