Urban Taggers.

Rumours: Mission App tactical rail mount

2013-05-18T18:45:00.002+10:00

We saw these cradles flagged for the upcoming Rebelle series of blasters, but here's a first look at ones for the N-Strike Elite line courtesy of you guessed it- Baidu:) It's an idea that's been thrown around lately- chuck in an Apple iPhone and you've got yourself a tactical rail mounted 'battle cam' via a free iOS app. I love the idea, but hate the fact they're pinning so much on Apple products (I don't own any Apple products) and will potentially encounter the same issues the Lazer Tag LTAR series had if they don't rectify the physical compatibility issue with devices. Still, if the app IS cool and well done, it does potentially add a new layer to gameplay hat they seem to feel is the "next gen" of Nerfing...

More pics after the jump.

Rumours: Nerf clip attachments- Now this IS a useful hack

2013-05-18T00:26:00.002+10:00

Now THIS is something I've never seen before- a browse on Chinese portal Baidu came up with these images of what looks like a Nerf clip attachment that allows you to carry extra clips via the tactical rails on your blaster. Simple, but they're definitely something that's actually quite useful for a change. Something for the likes of Sly Dev to whip up perhaps?:)

More images after the jump. Cheers to Mad Cow for the intel!

Baidu: More Nerf Zombiestrike Hammershot pics

2013-05-18T00:21:00.003+10:00

More pics of the rumoured new Nerf Zombie Strike Hammershot blaster pop up on Baidu- it's the same stuff, only different angles- which I still like looking at anyway:) Check 'em out after the jump:)

Random: 3000 Elite darts for sale for $799..

2013-05-17T11:34:00.004+10:00

How many darts would you say you've gone through in your 'foam career?' 100? 500? Well, true veteran battlers know the quality of your darts is almost as important as the blaster itself when partaking in foam battles and alas they DO wear out and require regular refreshing. If you want to spend less time buying new darts and more time raining foam on your opponents, US e-tailer Think Geek has this insane offer of a massive 3000 darts for sale for the grand price of $799US. THREE THOUSAND. I wonder how much that would weigh?:P

Smaller packs are available too, but where's the fun in that...

Nerf Elite dart ammo packs via Think Geek

Youku: Closed Quarters Nerf battle with Rapidstrike

2013-05-15T00:08:00.001+10:00

We've seen a few of these battle videos before; but this time around you'll see one of the players is packing an N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike:)

I love the unfinished/to be demolished building they're battling in, though there's no way a building like that would be allowed to be used in my town for OH+S reasons- guess it's less of an issue in China:)

Video after the jump!

Nerf Mega Centurion: an in-depth vid on Youku

2013-05-14T17:07:00.000+10:00

I'm not sure if it really the pinnacle of mad investigative reporting when all I'm doing is waiting on Baidu and posting stuff I see on daily, but hey, someone has to do it for the English speaking world I guess:P Thanks to all the emails and msgs about this, but here's a pretty neat vid on Youku from the guy who has the Nerf Mega Centurion (I'm gonna call him Chinese Tony Stark from here on!).

The vid is pretty comprehensive and even if you can't understand Mandarin, you'll still get the gist of what's going on:) Checkit after the jump:)

*Note: we've got a translation sent to us by our main man Black Ops. I've posted it after the vid. Thanks!

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTU2Mzc3MDg4.html

Long:

"today i want to show you this new mega centurion. the whole thing is very very big. The longshot has a blue color scheme, but this gun has a red color. This is a mega Centurion dart, it has two small holes at the top. This is also very big.the bullet is 20mm in diameter. the walls of the dart are too thin, and mabye will work better if i put something inside of it The front of it has an attached barrel. If you take a look here, Here you can see the connection point, here is the jam door, This is the slide, it is around 30 cm long. here is the logo N strike elite, and here you can see it says Mega. if you look at this bipod you can see that it attaches onto the rail. this gun has two rails, one here (under the barrel) and one here on top of the gun.the bipod has 3 different settings, fold front, fold back, and released downward.

This is what it looks like folded up. underneath is the large mag. there is one release lever that you need to push in order to take it out. it is located in front of the trigger on the underside of the gun. the magazine has two catch points that you need to press the release down the whole time or it will not release. here you can see the front and back of the mag has rubber bumpers where it may hit the ground. it holds six darts. you cannot put the darts in from the top, they need to put in the side alright now lets shoot it. now i will shoot it at this target. okay ill put the camera down here.the sights are normal, and very easy to aim down. the trigger has two different pulls, one pull is shorter and you do not release the trigger all the way, the second trigger pull you release all the way and the bullet will fire. Okay, that was my review today. Thank you

Short:

Introduces gun, shows where the barrel begins.

20mm diameter bullet

>30cm priming draw

Bullet wall is too thin. Deforms easily. He wonders if it'll perform better if he stuffs something into the bullet.

Bipod has 3 locking points. Fold forward, fold backwards, and deployed downwards.

Magazine has 2 catch points. You need to press the magazine release while pulling the magazine all the way out otherwise it'll catch halfway.

Magazine has soft bumpers at bottom corners where it might touch the ground.

You can't load the magazine easily by pressing the bullet downwards, so you'll have to slide the bullets in from the side.

You can load the magazine into the rifle without priming the rifle first.

Iron sights are plain. You can aim down sights quite easily.

Trigger pull has 2 stages. A bit of strength is needed to overcome the initial trigger resistance, after which you'll encounter the second point where the bullet fires.

More Nerf Zombiestrike Hammershot pics on Baidu

2013-05-14T07:29:00.002+10:00

A few more pics surfaced on Baidu of the upcoming Nerf Zombiestrike Hammershot. Just in case you wanted to see more.. so here's more! After the jump:)

More Rapidstrike internals on Baidu

2013-05-14T07:25:00.002+10:00

Naturally, "have blaster will mod" is a common stance for many- even for those who get these blasters way early:) On Baidu there's some form of tutorial to do "something" which alas being in Chinese (and the translation isn't any clearer- I'd probably not understand it anyway even if it was in English) so I have just posted the pics and you can work it out for yourself:) I'm guessing it's got something to do with increasing the ROF- cos that's what everyone wants to do with battery powered blasters:)

More pics after the jump! Cheers to Black Ops for the lead.

Random: Designer builds a transforming RC car from a Nerf Vortex blaster

2013-05-13T21:35:00.004+10:00

This is actually pretty neat. Industrial designer Patrick Fiori designed a full functioning prototype of a Nerf Vortex blaster that transforms into a radio controlled car for a Hasbro design competition in 2012. Sure it never got made it to production but it actually looks pretty cool; I'm not sure if it fires while in car mode but I think the idea of a firing drone is always appealing:)

Check the link out for more details:) Thanks Jason for the lead.

Design an Nerf Toy that Transforms via Patrick Fiori

Rumours: Nerf Mega Centurion firing vids on Youku

2013-05-13T20:14:00.002+10:00

Two videos of the upcoming Nerf Mega Centurion have found their way onto Youku- they are currently password protected but the video author publicised the passwords on Baidu so I guess it's free for all to have a look:)

Password for both of them is NERFER - the rounds look like they're clearing the 80-90 metre mark which is still pretty darn impressive. Thanks to Black Ops for all the leads today!

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTU1OTExMDIw.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTU1OTExMTA4.html

Rumours: Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike- just some more pics

2013-05-13T20:02:00.001+10:00

Funny how fast news comes and goes- it seems like so long ago that we were all so excited over the prospect of the Rapidstrike and it was only a few weeks back! Anyway more pics on Baidu surface, so have a look after the jump:)

Rumours: Nerf Zombiestrike Hammershot appears on Youku

2013-05-13T19:30:00.002+10:00

More on that "out-of-nowhere" Nerf 'Zombie Strike Hammershot', here's a video that shows it in all its glory. I gotta say it's gorgeous- the colour schemes and moulds are well done. I'm pretty impressed so far:) Video after the jump:)

Nerf Zombiestrike Hammershot via Youku

Rumours: Nerf Zombiestrike line- Hammershot is Rebelle

2013-05-13T09:18:00.000+10:00

If you're a fan of new Nerf blasters but were not sold on Nerf's upcoming new Rebelle line and were already buying sandpaper and paint in anticipation, maybe this'll make you hold out a little. This lil gem has popped up on Baidu and although the specs make it sound a lot like the upcoming Rebelle Wildshot, it's more than just a repaint- at least from the aesthetics with a faux bandaged grip and harder lines than the Wildshot.

The blaster's featuring badges of this being a part of a new line called "Zombie Strike" and it's apparently called a Hammershot (There's rumours of the full name being called ' Hammershot Orange Cattle' but I'll go with that being a mix up in translation from Chinese to English for now till I see some box art:P) More images after the jump- thanks to everyone who sent me the intel this morning:)

In comparison to the Wildshot- pic courtesy of FFA

Rumours: Nerf Mega Centurion unboxed.. oooh

2013-05-11T12:52:00.001+10:00

Our source for all things Nerf rumoured- Chinese site Baidu has images of an unboxed Mega Centurion. These images do answer many of the questions regarding size, both the blaster itself and the ammo. More images after the jump! (Once again.. it's not mine, I don't own them and the pics weren't taken by me!!)

Rumours: Nerf Mega Centurion box art gives clues

2013-05-09T08:03:00.004+10:00

Appearing on Baidu is what looks like an official box art pic of the upcoming Mega Centurion. While the image isn't the sharpest so it's hard to make out the text, it still does give us some more clues about the blaster- mainly that it's BIG, and it comes with 6 oversized whistler darts. You'll also notice the use of the app device cradle that was publicised with the upcoming Rebelle series- we can see it's going to be featured in the "boys" lines too. :P

It's also interesting how on the left they call it the "N-Strike MEGA series" whereas on the right top hand corner is the N-Strike ELITE logo so I do feel it's having a bit of an identity crisis:)

Thanks to Black Ops for the lead!

Tek Recon press release on Kickstarter

2013-05-08T23:58:00.001+10:00

There was a lot of interest behind the proposed new "Tek Recon" blaster line from the NY Toyfair 2013; mainly because they looked absolutely incredible aesthetically with real triggers and pump action cocking. They apparently use a new rubber band style ammo that hits over 75ft but they've also taken cues from other augmented reality attachments (such as with Hasbro's current Lazer Tag line and the upcoming new Nerf Rebelle gear) to add a new dimension to your gameplay using an iOS or Android device. We received the official press release this morning regarding Tek Recon's crowdsourcing efforts on Kickstarter.com.

I for one am pretty keen- more details after the jump:)

TEK RECON: BRINGING VIDEO GAMES TO LIFE! One of the most anticipated product launches of 2013 hits KICKSTARTER on May 9th TORONTO, May 8, 2013 – TEK RECON, one of the most anticipated new product launches of 2013 will be available for the first time through KICKSTARTER.COM on May 9th @ 8am eastern standard time.

The goal of the KICKSTARTER campaign is designed to further enhance the development of the TEK RECON blaster and free app, and to get the product into the hands of early adopters and key influencers helping to create the first real life online video game. Through the course of 31 days fans will be able to fund the project through purchasing product, exclusive rewards, and bid on great prizes that include appearances in the television commercial and an all expense paid trip to present at E3; all contributing towards our KICKSTARTER funding goal of raising $50,000.

“Bringing TEK RECON to market through this KICKSTARTER project is the most ambitious and exciting launch in our company history,” stated Brad Pedersen President and CEO of TEK RECON Inc. “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. The outcome, TEK RECON has come to life and created a phenomenal play experience that has exceeded our expectations.”

Gamers, adventure seekers and fans of technology, we need your help to create a revolutionary new way to connect and play video games with your friends IN REAL LIFE! Get off the couch and into the game with the newest and most realistic way to blast away on the field or anywhere. TEK RECON Blasters feature a first of its kind design with real trigger action and specially designed reusable “NRG Rounds” that blast up to 75 feet.

To optimize the battle and team experience TEK RECON developed a free “Real-Life Online Gaming” app to enhance blaster battles. Simply connect your mobile device to the blaster to bring video game styled play to life through mobile and GPS technology. The free TEK RECON App will be available for iOS and Android devices, enhancing real battle experience through an interactive heads up display, live chat, vision modes, and more. The time is now to be one of the first to experience Real Life Online Gaming and change the way you play.

For more information on this product and KICKSTARTER campaign please visit TekRecon.com.

Rumours: More Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike internals AND voltage mod vids?

2013-05-07T08:11:00.001+10:00

A few more Rapidstrike internals pics have surfaced- ie "pics of things I have no idea about but figured you the readers might make more sense out of them" :P More after the jump.

Also after the jump are links to some pretty interesting videos where it sounds like the owner has voltage modded his Rapidstrike AND using it with a rather swanky looking grey drum..

Cheers to all who provided the intel this morning!

Super Soaker: The Numbskull Way

2013-05-03T18:46:00.001+10:00

This one's actually closer to home- Two local Canberra boys and friends of mine Sam and Nick of "Numbskull People" entered a Mofilm film making competition and made this short film for Super Soaker- here we've got Red vs Blue in an ultimate shoot out with water:) This kinda stuff never gets old:D Do check out the vid after the jump:)

Rumours: Nerf Elite Rapidstrike internals

2013-04-27T22:36:00.001+10:00

As we continue down the strange and wonderous path of the intel that noone else seems to want to be covering but us, we've found more pics of the upcoming new Rapidstrike CS-18 on Chinese website Baidu- this time the much talked about internals. As always, this means nothing to me as I never open my gear up, but I have no doubt it'll be of much interest to many of you:)

Feel free to comment and share your thoughts in the comments after the jump. (Remember, this is NOT MINE, I DON'T HAVE A RAPIDSTRIKE!)

But what does it all mean? You tell me:D (and everyone else!)

Rumours: Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike CS-18 detailed pics: I'll take several thanks.

2013-04-20T09:26:00.001+10:00

Ok, in a pic spam that's after my own heart (and style!), courtesy of a Baidu member named 'Captain' here is a pretty comprehensive look at the upcoming new Rapidstrike CS-18. It's a tad smaller than I was expecting, but it looks pretty awesome and has me pretty keen to get a few when they're released. I'm loving it's styling; Nerf have done a fantastic job from what I can see, although I really need to have one in my hands to really say if it's really da business or not:)

Again, I have to say this- these pics are NOT mine, I found them on the internet on Baidu. I have no affiliation with Baidu OR 'Captain', I don't own this blaster, I haven't asked anyone to do this for me, but I think this is going to go to great lengths in generating buzz for the Rapidstrike and now you're all gonna go out and buy HEAPS because you're amped too.

Right? right on, on to the pics! :D

UPDATE 21-4-13 : And a few more random pics of the Rapidstrike I found with various attachments:)

Rumours: Baidu- Elite Rapidstrike firing video

2013-04-20T08:32:00.001+10:00

A firing video of the upcoming Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike surfaces on Baidu. Yup, if you really need confirmation it's a flywheel, here it is. What's very cool though is checking out the full auto performance- it's a lot faster than people have speculated.

Video after the jump:) I have to admit.. I'm keen as!

Nerf Elite Rapidfire firing via Youku

Rant: Believe the hype.. but then not always:D

2013-04-19T12:17:00.003+10:00

We're the first to say we love feeding the toy blaster rumour mill, mainly because there's a good chunk of what we report that actually turns out to be true. Normally we're on the money when it comes to new actual blasters, but it's the variations that make for more interesting reading. We'd like to think we're reputable, and we can tell what's legit and what's not.. but really let's face it- when it comes to rumours, only Hasbro can really say what's OFFICIAL and what's not.

How cool are rumours though?:) So let's begin with... the upcoming new Vortex Revonix360- we know it's coming.. but what with?

Something that’s been puzzling me for a bit that I thought I’d involve you all in discussion. Earlier in the year, we heard about the proposed new Vortex blaster- the Revonix360. It wasn’t from a leak or a rumour but from official sightings from the Toy fairs that made it to mainstream press and assumably Hasbro endorsed videos. It’s appeared on a few European websites for preorder, but most importantly, it’s got it’s own official looking box art style image. AND it’s even got an official press release already:

NERF VORTEX REVONIX360 Blaster
(HASBRO/Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $39.99/Available: Fall 2013)

Amp up freestyle foam blasting performance with the NERF VORTEX REVONIX360 blaster which achieves the farthest VORTEX distance yet, up to 70 feet!

This disc blaster features new, awesome deco and has a revolving drum that rotates each time you fire the blaster. Plus, the SLAM FIRE Handle gives you total control over your rate of fire – blast a single shot or hold the trigger down and slide the handle repeatedly to unleash an unstoppable stream of discs.

Includes 30 multi-color XLR discs. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com.

There’s no mention in any of the above intel that suggests it’s going to come with a stock.

But now there’s this image that's been circulated on the net that seems to show it with a pretty tough looking stock- an all new designed stock that looks quite at home with the new Revonix 360..

Which leads us to three possible outcomes (i'm sure there's more involving unicorns and aliens but for now..)

1) they changed their mind at the last minute and wanna provide a stock, but that’d be a huge amount of work, given chances are they’re already in production, boxed and ready to be distributed;

2) it was just a concept drawing that never should have seen the light of day but it somehow made it out into the interwebs or;

3) Nerf have realised there’s money to be made and are going to appease the fans finally and start selling stocks as optional accessories.

If you look at the new repaints of the Vortex gear, they're all now a more standardised white- which suggests this stock could be interchangeable..

New Diatron has tribal tattoo style designs and more white

Original Diatron was more orange with striping

But really, it’s my dreams of what "could be" influencing this post. It’s very unlikely it’s the first outcome, but probably more likely to be the second rather than my ideal third.

We get all kinds of rumours and leads sent to us all the time; some are obviously dodgy (or even well done) home made paint jobs attempting to fool, some are just mis-communication and mix-ups in language translation, but sometimes... you just can't help but to not be excited:D It's because often these rumours make SENSE and we as fans WANT to believe them.

It takes us back to all of those other weird and wonderful rumours that never came about but seemed so official at the time. Remember this weird looking image of what appears to be a lower capacity sickly green Pyragon that never amounted to anything:

I do kinda like the drum however.

or the Rampage with shield and stock:

I really wanted this shield.

The much discussed but never seen Nitron with shield:

Not sure this shield would serve much purpose, but a new accessory nonetheless!

The best nerf rumour ever that never died but also never eventuated- the Stampede ECS-50 drum:

And my personal favourite- The whiteout Spectre REV-5:

With the Revonix360 though, I just really WANT to believe there's more to it and I actually WANT to believe the rumour that the stock just might happen. An after market stock sold separately would be exactly what fans are after and proof that Nerf listens. I mean, how cool would it be to start seeing new stocks and barrel attachments and other after market accessories goodness?

#needrubyslippers :P

Rumours: More on the Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike CS-18

2013-04-18T18:32:00.003+10:00

Well, this was bound to happen eventually:) Here are some pics from the proposed upcoming new Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike CS-18, as posted on Baidu by "Babysong". I think this is one where I think it's best to leave you guys to make your own assumptions up on it (readers always spot things I always miss!) , but I have to admit I am really impressed with this baby's design. The stock and the iron sight.. WOW.

More pics after the jump and I'm of course interested in your thoughts. Thanks to all those who emailed me through on this. As always, NO I don't have one- it's not mine nor are they my pics!

Rumours: Nerf Elite Rapidstrike box art (20m)

2013-04-17T08:05:00.003+10:00

Apparently this was posted on blasted.de and shows the European box art for the upcoming Rapidstrike CS-18. Doesn't tell us anything new but is at least the full box:D Also.. the dude isn't smiling on this box?:P

Thanks to all those who emailed us with this and Browny who commented with the details!

Nerf N-Strike Elite grey trigger confusion: solved!

2013-04-16T23:06:00.000+10:00

20m grey triggers? Pic courtesy of S.O.F.T

On launch, the Nerf N-Strike Elite line in Australia (and other places worldwide with equally strict safety measures) were released with grey triggers and de-tuned performances, meaning the packaging would reflect "15m" labels as its maximum distance. This of course was weaker than the "75ft" or "20m" ranges that its orange trigger counterparts in the US/UK were boasting.

Recently however, eagle-eye fans have noticed some of the Australian released grey trigger blasters are actually boasting "20m" labels on the packaging, making us wonder if something has changed?? Well I got the official word from Hasbro on this, and it sort of clarifies why this has occurred albeit raising new questions.. official word after the jump:)

Original 15m label grey trigger..

Orange Trigger 20m label...

"There has been no change to legislation or Nerf product.

"The reason for the change to packaging was back in mid 2012 product packaging needed to be designed and printed before the blasters were actually produced.

"At the time of printing we did not have testing distance reports on the entire ISO version Elite range but knew that 15 metres was a safe claim to launch with and that the blasters would outperform 15 metres.

"After the printing had commenced, we received all the distance results and it showed a distance of up to 20 metres could be achieved.

We have changed the packing claim to 20 metres for future production runs though it may take a few months to clear through the old 15 metre packaging first."

So there you have it. The interesting thing IS though, is anyone who's imported an orange trigger blaster (say Firestrike or Strong Arm) from overseas will attest to it being more powerful than the grey trigger domestic models due to the difference in spring. Yet now, both are still boasting "20m".

Or maybe it's ALL in our heads! What do you think? Can you feel the difference or are we just wanting to believe?:D