Click Click BAMF

Zombie Outfitters: Any Need for Zombie-specific Marketing?

2013-05-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Recent rumors and news got me thinking: Do we really need to have zombie-specific merchandise? There are now at least three blaster companies reported to be involved with making zombie-hunting blasters. Let's take a look at the notable releases.

Toys R Us sells HvZ blasters -well, one HvZ blaster. They're really Air Zone blasters with a paint job. I was a bit annoyed by this. Air Zone is generally a miss for quality blasters. It's not like that should come as a surprise. So when Gnarwhal studios (the original HvZ folks from Goucher College) went with Geoffrey to do their official blaster line . . . it was sad. Doesn't seem they were so successful either. If you look at this as a way to support the original guys that started Humans vs. Zombies, I guess that might be something. But you'd think people who are trying to make a business would go with more quality.

Rumors with pic spam have started circulating about a "Zombiestrike" blaster. A user called yayaccav, posted pictures and then a video. The "Hammershot" has been attributed to NERF and has the logo on it. Doesn't look like a mod or hack. Actually, it looks like an alternate version of one of the new Rebelle blasters they are releasing (marketed to girls). The Baidu pics and video have since been removed. Some of my fellow NIC bloggers found a state-side video too, if you care to look. Nothing has been confirmed. Please keep in mind that this is still unofficial. I would not recommend promising money for this blaster to any retailer or third party seller yet.

If this blaster is confirmed, this will be one of the coolest sidearms. Looks like it will operate much like a wild west six-shooter, or . . . five-shooter. Even if it is a NERF Rebelle repaint, I don't mind if they release it within the season as an alternated for those who don't necessarily want pink.

Zing Toys seems to recycle their famous Z-Curve bow with other branding like Air Huntress (a pink version) and now Zombie Slayerz. I don't necessarily take issue with that. Especially when they say they are working on a glowing version! A consistent and quality product that can hit 125 foot ranges can re-release as many copies as they want! Keep in mind that HvZ Goucher-style (original+) rules specify that a hit shouldn't hurt. Be careful using the bow, if the moderators allow it. I'd like to see a Hawkeye look-alike picking off zombies with a bow! That just sounds fun.

One of our contributors won the recent Zing Toys contest, so we'll be looking at this beast soon.

So out of these, it looks like NERF might be the first company coming out with a zombie-specific release -at least at the same time the blaster comes out in another color scheme. It seems to be more than an afterthought. Zing has a quality product now marketing for zombie-hunting too. My question is do we really need anything marketed specifically for an HvZ game? Are you going to be more inclined to but something because it is zombie branded? ~Chris

Tek Recon Update

2013-05-17T06:58:00.001-07:00

Great news for the folks at Tek Recon; They've jumped to 38% funded on kickstarter. Looks like they've found one of their 5,000 dollar backers.

Wondering about the firing mechanism in the Tek Recon blasters? Tek Recon now has a third video update out to show you what's up. Remember to check out their kickstarter page!

The folks at Tek Recon also got back to us on a couple of our additional questions:

Q: Tek Recon. What made them choose that name? Is it meant to sound military -like Force Recon?

A:WE LOVE THE IDEA OF "RECON" AS IN RECONNAISSANCE WHICH IS VERY NECESSARY WHEN PLAYING WITH FRIENDS (ESPECIALLY WITH CAPTURE THE FLAG). ALLOWING BLASTERS SMARTPHONE ENHANCEMENTS WITH "TECH" FEATURES MAKES THE RECONNAISSANCE THAT MUCH BETTER AND MORE "VIDEO GAME-LIKE". ITS ALL ABOUT THE GAMEPLAY. FUN RECONNAISSANCE THAT WE ALL LOVE, IN REAL LIFE WITH VIDEO GAME-LIKE ENHANCEMENT.

Q:-Some readers/viewers are asking me about the company location. The kickstarter reads as from Canada. The shipping costs more anywhere outside the US. One particular viewer was excited about the design team being in his country, but curious about the shipping issue. Is this just due to where manufacturing will happen etc?

A:WE'RE A CANADIAN COMPANY WITH A US OFFICE. WE'RE SHIPPING MOSTLY FROM THE US HOWEVER WE WILL HAVE SOME STOCK IN CANADA THAT WE CAN SHIP OUT (FOR THE COMMAND PACK FOR EXAMPLE).

Warriors, as promised, I am working on a new review for next week. A sudden business trip is throwing a kink in things. I'll try to do it from the road. Thanks for reading! ~Chris

Tek Recon Power-Ups: Foam/Rubber Drone Attack?

2013-05-16T06:16:00.001-07:00

At last check, the Tek Recon kickstarter was funded up to around 27% - make that 28% and still has 25 days to go!

Tek Recon got back to us today regarding that hanging question about their apps. Doesn't sound like they are expecting contributors right now, but we did learn more about the power ups! Foam/rubber drone attack anyone? Not really, but on the screen! LOL!

Q: They talked about power-ups in the video. Will those be something you can program and print for scanning or that they want you to buy? Will they allow other developers to design and contribute scannable QR codes et cetera?

"A:POWERUPS WILL BE INCLUDED WITHIN OUR "ARMORY". HERE YOU CAN SELECT WHICH BLASTER YOU'RE USING (WHICH ALTERS THE AMMO COUNTER), SCOPE, BLASTER SOUND EFFECT FOR FIRING, AND POWERUP. YOU CAN USE 1 POWERUP PER GAME AND THERE WILL BE MANY POWERUPS AVAILABLE! HERE'S Are A FEW…..BUT I CAN'T REVEAL THEM ALL :)

–Invisibility: Turn this on and you won’t show up on radar for 45 seconds

–Drone Attack: While an opponent shows up on radar, if you enable this powerup and click on their blip before it disappears it sends a drone attack and removes them from the game. Click too late and the drone misses.

–Wire Tap: Enable this powerup and open up communication with the opposing team. Can talk to them and hear their messages for 1 minute.

-Disable Flag: disables anyone from scanning your flag for 20 seconds"

A few people have already been asking if I think this will mimic COD: Black Ops perks. I don't think you'll be seeing things like "flak jacket" and "hardened" manifest in the game. "Ghost" (or Invisibility) is doable because you could just be taken off the HUD -in this case for 45 seconds.

Here is some of the earlier information we learned about the app. Be sure to visit the Tek Recon kickstarter to learn more and to contribute!

Create your own Profile by selecting a Username and Avatar.
Armory to control and create game loadouts, including your blaster, scope, sound effect, and in-game powerups.
Familiar multiplayer game modes including Isolation (every man for himself), Team Supremacy (team battle), and Capture the Flag (with flags you scan when captured).
Radar which reveals teammates, as well as opponents.
In game features such as live chat, on screen ammo counter, simple swipe vision modes (Classic, Night Vision, Heat Seeker, X Ray), quick tap zoom + many more.

A couple of more new tidbits on the way today! Check in later. ~Chris

Zing Toys working on Glow-In-The-Dark bow?

2013-05-15T09:42:00.002-07:00

Hey Warriors!

So in case you missed it, Zing Toys is doing a facebook giveaway. You can qualify until Friday.

When they posted it, I asked about the graphic. It looks like the bow is glow-in-the-dark by the way the graphic is designed. That isn't the case, but Zing gave a hint that it may be in the works!

What do you think about using a bow and arrows in an HvZ game? ~Chris

No Frito-Lay Support for Click Click Soak

2013-05-14T10:44:00.001-07:00

Just an update since I mentioned it in the earlier article.

So, no support from Frito-Lay. I was hoping they'd actually look at it at least. Nope! Form letter:

"Hi Chris,

Thank you for contacting Frito-Lay. We are pleased to know that our company and snacks are of interest.

As you might expect, Frito-Lay receives a tremendous amount of product donation and sponsorship inquiries for many worthwhile causes. Although we would like to meet these requests, it is simply impossible for us to honor each one. Please be assured that we realize the tremendous benefit that groups such as yours represent, and we sincerely regret that we are unable to participate.

Thanks again for your interest in Frito-Lay.

Best regards,

[Redacted]
Frito-Lay Consumer Relations
[Redacted]"

It was worth a try!

Any ideas on other companies you'd like to see snacks provided by for an epic water fight!

Click Click SOAK - Our Own Super Soaker Block Party

2013-05-13T11:51:00.002-07:00

A few days ago, we were turned down by the folks at houseparty.com to host a Super Soaker Block Party. It's not like it stopped us from hosting our own party -which happens on June 1st.

Got to say it kind of sucked being turned down to do the thing we, as a company, are built to do. Example: check out our pic spam blog of the new Super Soaker products on shelves! Not only that, but the application process was screwed up and House Party's tech support failed at life. I don't know that we'll be trying again in the future with that particular company. That's not because we were turned down -there are parameters that a company like that and the sponsors agree to. We may have just not fit the profile. It's because of their lack of support and their ineffective communication.

Our friends at NERF are awesome enough to support us in our own party and we'll have the bigger blasters around thanks to that. So warriors, expect our debut of NERF Super Soaker Reviews near June 1st. If you are in or near the Colorado Springs area, feel free to join us. We're be at a local park. Check the event out on facebook! What do you think would make a great Super Soaker party?

BTW, we also decided it was worth a shot to see if the Frito-Lay company would go ahead and support us too. They don't generally take requests for sponsorship. So, we'll see how that turns out.

Answers From Tek Recon: NRG Rounds and Apps

2013-05-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

Well, Sunday morning and the kickstarter is sitting at just over 15 percent of goal with 28 to 29 days left. We're already getting some answers from the PR folks at Tek Recon. They were cool enough to answer most of our questions on a weekend. I will post the answers in italics. Refer back to our previous article for more background on the concerns.

Right off the bat, there is a reason behind some of the perceived damage to the NRG rounds: The footage in the video is from much earlier prototype and NRG Rounds that were pre-product. The production NRG Round hold up much better and will last a long time.

They assure us that the actual product is ready to rock!

Once you see the production NRG Rounds you will feel very confident that they are designed and manufactured to endure multiple use at any setting on our blasters. The product functionality is exceptional.

As you know, we asked about price for the replacement rounds too.

Price will range by retailer, but there will be multiple packs ranging from $7.99 and up depending on quantity.

Now on to the app questions. The app is apparently not going to track hits. You can see how that might be difficult to track what physically hits in an app.

No the app is meant for GPS Team Play and to track your opponents.

Really excited to see how GPS tracking will work in the heads up display.

For the question I posed about other developers working on power-ups and such, they'll get back to us on that one.

Going to try to get our eyes on that app as soon as possible. In the mean time, we'll watch out for other updates. BTW, did you see the official pics released of Tek Recon's two current blasters? ~Chris

A Real World Video Game? Tek Recon

2013-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

This past week brought the launch of an innovative kickstarter listing. Tek Recon has launched a 31-day bid to get $50,000 in crowd-funding from users of the famed kickstarter website. As I write this, they have 30 days left and are just over $6,100 on their way -a little over 12 percent.

President and CEO Brad Pederson says that this move is their most ambitious in company history. That makes sense, considering that it's time to put these things on the shelves.

"Two years ago we set out on a mission to bring video games, online connectivity and social interactive play together through innovation and great product design", says Pederson. "The outcome, TEK RECON has come to life and created a phenomenal play experience that has exceeded our expectations.”

I, for one, am very excited to see where this effort goes. Will this be that successful way that so many health professionals have been looking for to get kids off the couch? Campaigns have worked mildly recently, but there is not a massive appeal for those who would rather play Black Ops. Some folks will still not be happy because the game will still involve computer screens in the form of smart phones and other devices.

Is this the next step in gaming? Google glasses came out recently. I dreamed of a foam blaster or airsoft game where you could use those glasses for objectives and power-ups. Perhaps this is the step just ahead of that. A geek can dream!

At this time, the app is free that they offer to integrate a real-world blaster with online gaming. If they keep the prices for Hammerhead and Havok blasters at 25 and 40 dollars after the kickstarter promotion, I won't accuse them of overcharging to make the app "free" either. The app is exciting because of their promise of the use of GPS and the heads-up display. If you can set objectives for the app to help you track, perhaps it can include both game objectives and physical activity goals?

There are a lot of positive notes for this launch. Ultimately, I am all for it and will back the project too assuming I have the funds. Yet there are several questions left to answer as we move forward.

If you take a look at the video on kickstarter, there seems to be damage occurring to the NRG rounds as they build their "kinetic stretch energy" to fire. If you look closely at this shot in the video, particles of . . something are falling from the blaster after the round launches. Tek Recon says on kickstarter that the rounds are reusable, does that hold true and for how long? Also, how much will the refills actually cost? Keep in mind, this shot is from a demo of the long range setting. They've indicated that you can modify the range with a setting. Perhaps sacrificing distance will preserve your ammo?

Back to the app questions: Is this app meant to track if you get hits? I (and other journalists I showed the video to) skeptical of the usefulness of the app for tracking hits. I personally came away with the impression that it could be meant to function that way from the cup shooting demo in the video. Perhaps it was a misconception. Either way I am geeking out to give it a try!

I am also super-curious about further app development. They talked about power-ups in the video. Will those be something you can program and print for scanning or that they want you to buy? Will they allow other developers to design and contribute QR codes et cetera?

Obviously these questions should be asked to them and we will direct them there! Are there any other questions you are thinking of while we are asking? You can check out their kickstarter campaign for yourself here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/graemebissett/tek-recon-the-first-real-life-video-game

Until then, warriors . . . Game on! ~Chris

Foam Shotguns. Who wins?

2013-05-11T08:20:00.002-07:00

Hey Warriors! Just posting up the last couple of reviews. Been meaning to keep up on that! Just below is the most recent review from Coop in the West Coast division. I love the title -Double Barrels of FAIL! Take heed to his warning about the quality.

Here is a better shotgun attempt. Of course, this one would be from the folks at NERF.

Let us know what you think! Have you tried these blasters? Will you be getting them? ~Chris

Pic Spam - NERF Super Soaker 2013

2013-03-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

So, several of the new Super Soaker blasters and accessories have shown up in one of the local Walmarts near Click Click BAMF's Mountain Division in Colorado Springs. Not that any of these are a surprise.

THE SHOTWAVE: This may be one of the weirdest new blasters I've seen. The water clip just sticks so far out that it seems things would be awkward. Though, the input placement makes this a good candidate for the Hydro Pack vest.

HYDRO PACK: 100 ounces of water to douse your enemies with. It works with any of the clip system soakers. It looks good, though I doubt it will fit larger adult frames.

Check out the new clips. Between the banana clips and the individually sold drums, you may be better off reenacting any big movie scenes with Super Soakers over other NERF blasters. At 20 ounces a pop, the banana clip can hold it's own while looking good. I still really like the placement of the caps on the Super Soaker clips, they are really convenient for a quick fill-up. And yes, the banana clips have belt clips on them, which is good. The drums are bigger, of course, holding 37 ounces a piece. These aren't too pricey either, coming in a 8 or 10 dollars a piece.

FLASH BLAST: NERF is fronting this thing as a sneak attack blaster. It holds 3.7 Ounces. This is so it can be compact and concealable. It only costs $8.99 so it could be a great addition to your arsenal. Not a bad addition, though I'd personally stick with the Electrostorm for one-handed access.

ARCTIC SHOCK: Did you ever add ice cubes to your water gun to give your opponents a surprise? Well the clip on this blaster is designed to help you fit those frozen cubes in more easily. The blaster itself is nothing special, so we can only hope that NERF will soon sell these clips separately to satisfy the masses!

Lastly the Switch Shot. Sadly, they stole the name from an already existing blaster. Honestly it doesn't steal from the coolness of this one though. The Switch Shot allows you to select your spray pattern from fours choice. It comes with a 20 ounce banana clip. I like the blue design on the box better than the orange -just sayin'. Don't forget the awesome stock that comes with it. I still think it's the most beast one they've come out with.

We're working on some testing variables for the Super Soaker line. Perhaps you'll see some of our indepth reviews on NERF Super Soaker blasters in the near future.

~Chris

Diatron Review and Other Tidbits

2013-03-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

Seen the latest from Coop on Click Click BAMF? Good stuff!

Also, after much pumping . . . shotgun reviews and a sniper rifle review on the way in the following weeks. Did you know that the Roughcut will advance to fire a dart in the next row if there aren't two darts on one row? Pretty awesome (see below).

More to come -obviously! ~Chris

Preview Toy Fair - 2013

2013-02-08T10:44:00.002-08:00

Exciting news, Warriors! NERF just gave us the heads up on part of what they'll be talking about in the toy fair starting in a couple of days here.

As you know, many of the new Nerf N-Strike Elite releases have been trickling into the stores with an official release in Spring of 2013.

Two of the biggest things I'm excited about from the release we have are:

NERF's N-Strike Elite Stockade.

1) The N-Strike Elite Stockade WILL be released here in Fall of 2013. The average retail price is supposed to be $21.99. May will remember that this is a Barricade re-do. If they stay true to the Elite line, it will should farther than it's parent blaster. Can't wait to mess with that stock!

2) The NERF N-Strike Blazin' Bow is announced for Fall of 2013. Straight from the release:

" NERF N-STRIKE BLAZIN’ BOW Toy

(HASBRO/Ages 6 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 2013)

Who’s ready for more NERF action? Send NERF foam arrows soaring across the sky with the NERF N-STRIKE BLAZIN’ BOW toy. The BLAZIN’ BOW toy features an authentic pull-back bow design that you simply pull back, aim, and release to fire the NERF foam arrows. The BLAZIN’ BOW toy can hit targets from up to an impressive 40 feet away, and comes complete with integrated storage for two additional foam NERF arrows. Includes three NERF foam arrows. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com."

Previously we've enjoyed the NERF Big Bad Bow that has been around in various forms since 1998 -in the NERF Hypersight brading. Many people have shortened the name to just "BBB". It's latest version and color scheme came out in 2011, released under the N-Strike brand. Over a decade later, I'm personally excited to see what may be new in the Blazin' Bow design!

Looking forward to the care package NERF is sending us ahead of this weekend's New York Toy Fair 2013.

By the way; Here are the two lates episode from the channel. Feel free to subscribe so that you can keep up with us!

Stryfing for Victory?

2012-12-11T18:27:00.001-08:00

What's up, Warriors? Coop got his hands on a NERF Elite Stryfe thanks to our friend Jason at BasicNerf. So here goes the unboxing:

NERF Shotgun? NERF 2013 Releases

2012-12-10T11:29:00.002-08:00

Hey Warriors! We just got a heads up from NERF letting us know about their two latest blasters!
Figured it was time to stretch the blogging legs again. What better time than when the next of the NERF blasters have been announced? We'll lay out a full blog here with all of the latest blasters, but I wanted to get a place-holder up to show you the pics!!

Here is the official statement from the NERF facebook page latest two:

"Nerf Nation….are you ready for Multi-Shot Madness? We’re bringing you two new blasters in 2013 that allow you to fire TWO shots at once. Introducing the N-Strike Elite Rough Cut 2x4 blaster and the Vortex Diatron blaster. Each will fire two darts (Rough Cut 2x4 blaster) or discs (Diatron blaster) with every pull of the trigger, giving you twice the edge over the competition. Look for these blasters on shelves soon in 2013. (Please note: availability and timing will vary by country/state/city) Nation – let us know which multi-shot blaster you will be rockin’ in the new year!"

I am very excited about the Roughcut 2x4. The Hornet was around before as a kind of NERF shotgun, but this looks awesome!! And of course, Click Click BAMF's first review was the Barrel Break. As Foam From Above says, this is like a Barrel Break on steroids with the 4 sets darts firing two at a time. More to come . . .

Anyone else seeing a Halo gun in this design? A co-worker of mine mentioned that while walking by. Looking forward to trying this with the Lightning Storm Stock.

There is not so much to say about the Elite version of the Rayven. This is just because it seems to keep the best of the still rather new Rayven and maybe add some distance to it. I'm not complaining.

Personally, I am rather stoked about the Stryfe which looks like a cross between a minimized Longstrike and a Barricade. It will have all the versatility available with rails on top and bottom. Coop got his hands on one of these thanks to our friend BasicNerf. You'll be seeing an unboxing in no time!

NERF Elite! Any Questions?

2012-06-21T13:12:00.002-07:00

What's up, Warrior!? Check out the video and let us know what questions you may have for the NERF HQ folks tonight!

Here is the picture I mentioned in the video:

The NERF N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire. Courtesy: NERF Nation Facebook page

Holy Blasters, Batman!! . . . and Lumitron Un-boxing

2012-02-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got a great surprise from our friends at NERF! A package was waiting at the shipping company -a much larger package than expected. When I first opened it in the car, I thought there were a couple of blasters (which is great) and a lot of packing. Imagine my shock and surprise when I got home to find that there were 5 blasters in the box!!

So a huge thanks to NERF for the great blasters! Several reviews to come! Speaking of which, check out the Lumitron un-boxing video below! As reported, this is essentially a Praxis repaint, but with firefly tech included. I can't tell you how stoked I am about that. Well, I guess I could, but it might take a while. Suffice it to say, the camera didn't do it justice, but we'll be shooting more demos soon. ~Chris

"Quoth the Rayven . . ."

2012-02-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

This blaster may indeed be one of the best I've seen yet. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one become a favorite among many NERF players. Enjoy the review and be sure to let us know your thoughts on the blaster too! ~Chris

Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!' ~Edgar Allen Poe

Lumitron On The Shelves 1st of February

2012-01-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

Image created by Click Click BAMF, LLC

I inadvertently got my hands on some info today. This is from a sheet I found at the local Walmart that someone was using to organize the toy shelves. Looks like they've got some confusion as to the name of the NERF Lumitron. But, of course, the important part is that we'll be getting our hands on the Lumitron earlier than expected, at least in Colorado Springs. Too bad I couldn't just get copies of these things regularly!! I don't know about you, but I've fallen in love with the firefly tech in the Rayven and can't wait to see it's performance with the Vortex discs.

They also had a price label up for the Lumitron. It will ring at 32.88 US in Colorado Springs Walmarts -the same as they are carrying the Rayven for. No mention on that paperwork for any other "Light It Up" blasters. Wonder if we're going to get any others for that 3.3.12 release date. ~Chris

Electrostorm Shows Up

2012-01-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

Well, earlier I showed you that the Lightningstorm and the Micro Burst were in stock at my local Walmart. Today I found the Electrostorm at another local Walmart. I dropped 9.97 US on it here in Colorado Springs. Do remember that you're paying for some electronics with this one. I think I'm going to love the feel of this blaster. I wasn't so excited when looking at it through a digital picture, but this think screams comfy sidearm when you get to see it in person!

BTW, some paperwork indicated that 3 Super Soakers would be joining the line-up in Spring. I'm not sure if they meant these announced blasters or three more new ones when it actually gets to Spring.

Looking forward to warmer months to try some of the new line out! ~Chris

Lightning Storm and Microburst In hand!

2012-01-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hey Warriors! I had the chance to pick up the Lightning Storm and the Microburst both at Wal-Mart. I guess I didn't realize they'd both be out so soon after the official NERF announcement last week! As I mentioned in a previous blog, I am completely stoked about the new stock with the Lightning Storm. Man, we've got a lot of reviews to rock out on!

One extra note -dude looks pretty freakin' excited about being blasted with water, don't you think?

~Chris

Speedswarm: What the Swarmfire meant to be?

2012-01-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

As some of you may have seen on our Youtube channel already, we have the un-boxing up for the NEW NERF Dart Tag Speedswarm. It's weight is definitely more comfortable than the Swarmfire in pistol form, but you are also dealing with 10 less darts. I may be wrong, but perhaps the Swarmfire has a bit faster rate of fire too. The review will be coming soon! ~Chris

NERF Rayven Swoops In

2012-01-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to NERF for sending us one of their new NERF Rayvens! After the initial test in the dark, I am pretty dang excited about trying out a night battle with this "Light It Up" Series! Check out the unboxing below:

New Additions to the Super Soaker Line

2012-01-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

As Winter is in full swing in the Northern hemisphere, NERF announces it's 2012 additions to their Super Soaker line. Remember that there are several NERF and Super Soaker fans where it's nice and warm out, too! Over the past week, they've been trickling pictures of the water blasters out through their facebook page.

NERF announced the first new member of the Super Soaker line as the Electrostorm. The water clip is built in to this blaster with a 2.6oz capacity. This seems to be screaming "side arm" to most of us. It is a battery powered pistol, so no pumping required. I'm not sure you can call it a Super Soaker at this size, but we'll look at that later. This little guy claims a range of 25ft. Probably easier with batteries. As you can see, the new releases carry on the blue, white and orange color scheme introduced last year. All the new release so far use names referring to some type of meteorological event -mostly to do with water, but not always.

I've got to pick on NERF a little bit with their description of the new Microburst blaster. They say, "it holds two ounces of water with which to soak your opponents."

I don't really think that will count as soaking. They could probably say that it will annoy your opponent, or maybe even make them shriek like a girl (if you use really cold water). But I don't really think the has the capacity to soak. Still, it will be in my collection proudly. It's noteworthy that they've added a blaster small enough to pocket to their water blaster line, but I wonder if it will hold it's water well enough to be pocketed for good use?

Perhaps the most exciting part of the line for me personally is the new stock attachment that comes with the Lightning Storm. It looks much more like a tactical rifle stock than anything else that has been released and would fit very nicely with several of the N-Strike blasters -color notwithstanding. C'mon NERF, let's see those N-Strike color schemes!! The new blast shield looks like it should work comfortably with several NERF tactical rails also. In addition to the new stock, we see that this one has a drum water clip that boasts a 35-ounce capacity. That the biggest capacity in the current line. It looks like this clip will be compatible with the other clip-fed Super Soakers too! Let's see if they sell it separately. As other blogs have pointed out, this blaster sure looks reminiscent of last year's Thunderstorm release. (A little lightning? A little thunder? Movie reference anyone?)~Chris

"Light It Up" Series Is Official

2012-01-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

Hello Warriors!! We hope you've had an amazing holiday season and are ready to get back in the swings of things with us! We've got a lot on our plates this days, though we can't help but keep this digital rag going. Thanks for your support on Youtube, twitter and facebook! And now on to exciting news:

Yesterday, NERF made the official announcement for their March 3rd release on their facebook page. They confirmed that the Lumitron will join the Rayven as a member of the "Light It Up" Series of blasters. Some blogs and users have been talking about this release since December. Notice anything familiar about the new Lumitron?

When we heard of a new blaster called the Lumitron, I was stoked for about a second. If you follow Urban Taggers at all, you'll already know that the Lumitron is a Vortex Praxis re-paint. This was disappointing for me as Praxis was the only Vortex blaster I took real issue with. I doubt that the jam issues have been fixed with the re-release. Yet as details continued to unfold, we learned that the new four-blaster Light It Up release will likely have "firefly tech" included in each clip. We know that the Rayven has that tech included, which was a cool carry-over from the original N-Strike Firefly. (Props to them for respecting their heritage.) Now websites like walmart.com have the Vortex disc refills with "Firefly Tech" included. Apparently the renamed Praxis (Lumitron) will get the same tech in a Vortex clip! Dang, NERF; you stoked me again when I wasn't looking!

With the cross-branding, perhaps one of the other two releases for Light It Up will be from the NDTL line? Anyone thinking that they'll honor the parent of this line with a N-Strike Firefly re-paint? ~Chris

Air Zone is Keeping Up

2011-12-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

Coop took the opportunity in the past few weeks to review some other brands of foam weaponry that caught our eyes. Air Zone is a brand exclusive to Toys'R'Us in the United States. We've heard chatter from some users recently that several of the same designs show up elsewhere under the name Lanard. We've seen some Lanard products, but hadn't equated the two ourselves.

So here is the review of the Air Zone Turbo Fire:

It's definitely a turbo fire but like several blasters out there, it can be a bit of a drag to load. It's not quite as diverse in the types of ammunition it will actually fire, but it is Air Zone after all. Overall we may have found a good competitor in this "off-brand" machine.