As many of you may have noticed, I try to score blasters relative to their “class”. It’s the reason you could have a rapid-fire Rival blaster and a small, clip-fed pistol with the same score; they fill different roles, and thus should be scored independently of each other. However, there’s really nothing on the market to compare this next product to, so forgive me if I struggle with subjective judgement!
Little Tikes, in an interesting move, has made several “My First Mighty Blasters” products. They launch large soft ammo at low ranges, with the play idea that each shot is a different kind of power. The base model, the Boom Blaster, fires one “Power Pod” at a time with a simple, pull-back launch system. And considering the intended audience…it’s pretty good!
Made For Kids – Little Kids
The Boom Blaster (and its brethren) fire colorful, stitched fabric bags filled with stuffing – not quite hackysacks, as they’re soft throughout. These Power Pods, as they’re called, are simply stuffed into the barrel. Once there, the user can hold the blaster in one hand, and operate the pull handle with the other. At the end of travel, an internal catch will release, launching the Power Pod.
The Boom Blaster comes with three Power Pods: Red Fireball, Missile Launch, and a secret, third one (in my case, Lightning Storm). Use the imagination of the three year old inside you! Also note the punch-out monster target on the back of the package.
Overall the blaster feels solidly built; while the handles are undersized for an adult, that’s not the target audience. For the couple toddlers I had access to in the apartment complex, the blaster was perfectly sized.
Performance
The Boom Blaster, as a toddler toy, only claims 12′ ranges, and at an angle, it does in fact make it to 12′ consistently. I didn’t bother trying to chronograph the blaster, for obvious reasons. If you’re fast about it, you can fire off a Power Pod every two seconds. Of course, the average toddler probably won’t do it that fast.
The main issue for toddlers will be getting down aiming and angling for range at the same time. Once they pick that up, however, things improve greatly. I think it’s just a matter of how far along they are on hand-eye coordination. And possibly improving on it.
Internals
Just an interesting thing to look at!
Final Opinion
Obviously, for grown-up blaster enthusiasts like myself, the Mighty Blasters are a bit underpowered. They’re also a fun challenge to try and use at an actual Nerf war. For the target audience, however, they’re quite nice. The Boom Blaster is a bright, well-built blaster that’s safe for little kids, and encourages some imagination as they fling their Power Pods about, being superheroes. It’s at least a fun step until they’re ready for harder-hitting toys when they get older.