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October 31, 2013

Toy Story Blasters - Special Glow in the Dark Editions!

As previously covered, Lanard's licensed blasters in the Disney Store, the Zurg and Buzz Lightyear Blasters, are spectacular performers thanks to their Longshot-sized plunger tubes and strong extension springs. Now these blasters are available in translucent, glow in the dark shells, akin to Lanard's Clear-X line.
ALL THE PRETTY COLORS!!!!

Each one is available for $25 - a bit pricey, but worth it once you take into account both the licensing costs and the actual blaster performance. Links for the Buzz and Zerg Blasters are here and here, respectively.

Finally, if you're really into novelty items, there's an Emperor Zurg Popper available for $10!

October 30, 2013

Black Friday and Holiday Deals - Part 1

Well, it's that time of year again! Many stores do not have their toy catalogs or Black Friday advertisements published yet, but here's a few that have been spotted so far!

These come from smaller store chains - Fred's, Mill's Fleet Farm, and Blain's Farm and Fleet.

Fred's: Buzz Bee Range Master for $10


Blain's Farm and Fleet: Decent Heartbreaker Bow and Rapidstrike prices.


Lastly, two pages from the Mill's Farm Fleet. Good prices all around, but especially on the Buzz Bee blasters.

October 18, 2013

Combat Creatures - More R/C Goodness Coming this Fall!

While checking out Target for new toys, I came across a relatively new toy line, at least in the US. R/C attack spiders!
Ok, so not eight legs. But Attack Insects doesn't sound as cool!

The Combat Creatures Attacknids will be available at TRU, Target, and various online sources like Thinkgeek. The promotional ad, courtesy of Youtube (notice the kids firing back with Launch n Attack blasters! haha):
 
More info down below!

October 16, 2013

Target Reveals New Super Soaker Lineup

Sightings of next year's Super Soaker blasters have popped up here and there, but Target has posted early listings online!
Complete with prices!

Pics of the box art after the jump!

October 3, 2013

Inventory Updates: $10 Huntsman Boomstick, and a 360° Camera!

Well, first things first: another Lanard Huntsman blaster has been spotted on shelves! More importantly, it's far cheaper than online prices have reflected thus far.
Most online prices for this have been $16-$20, not including shipping.
This was at Dollar General, of all places. There seems to be an online inflation trend with Lanard blasters, considering that we've seen the Swiftstrike Crossbow at Walmart for $10, but for $20 online. Seems that we'll just have to track these blasters down if we want the best prices possible!

October 2, 2013

X-Shot Zombie Edition Blasters!

I stopped in Family Dollar today, to see if there were any oddities in stock. After all, it's far from being a Walmart or ToysRUs, but the low price point mean that it tends to get off-brand blasters. Turns out Nerf isn't the only brand venturing into undead territory.
Interestingly, the original Vigilante claimed 65 ft. ranges.
Zuru's X-Shot line has a cartoonish take on the zombie apocalypse, as you can see on the packaging. The Vigilante is marked up to $20 for some reason (I've seen it for $10-$14 elsewhere). Meanwhile, the Dual Double Pack is still $10.
Same range claims for these blasters, though.
This edition isn't advertised on the X-Shot website, so this is definitely a new promotion. No word yet on whether other X-Shot blasters get the same treatment.

Note that the only visible difference on the blasters themselves is the replacement of the "X" stickers with zombies. If you already have these, I personally see no reason to pick up new ones just for that.

VMD Missile Launcher Internals!

So, despite the $60 price tag, I bought one product from the Vehicles of Mass Destruction line, the Missile Launcher. I have yet to officially test it, but I do have internals!
Extremely simple!

As you can see, the turret consists of a large diameter pump, a large air tank, and a valve not unlike a Marshmallow Blaster. However, instead of a trigger to operate the valve, the Missile Launcher uses a small electric motor to push on the catchpiece.
Interesting...
The large diameter pump may be an issue - the surface area involved means you have to push harder on each stroke than you would a smaller diameter pump. It also means you can't just grab the toy and pump it; you have to get a grip on the shell directly underneath the pump. A bit more disassembly remains, but the large tank and familiar valve mechanism are good signs.