Buzz Bee Updates for Mayhem; Primus Appears, Xshot Interviews, and More!

We’ve got a lot of updates on upcoming products. Some store appearances, a website refresh, and a long interview covering the toy business in general (tariffs, trade law, etc.) that also features upcoming products.

Links will be featured below, but a special thanks to the Foam News Collective (especially the Discord server and its residents) where people like me trade links to things we’ve spotted both for general awareness and for the biweekly video update. Consider subscribing to them or even supporting them on Ko-Fi. For one thing, they’re able to cover a lot more community designs/3D prints/event news than I’ll ever have time for!

Buzz Bee Mayhem News!

General Stryfe on the FNC Discord spotted this update first: Buzz Bee finally redid their website! It has the usual pages for Air Warriors, Water Warriors, etc., but there’s also a new page for the upcoming Mayhem blaster line! Obvious use of AI for a cover image aside (not only is that kid holding a “Power Surge” that doesn’t match the actual blaster, but the drum and darts are actually facing backwards), seeing the line in full is refreshing.

There are six SKUs listed, with 80ft ranges being the general standard (the three shot pistols don’t show a range, but the plungers are large enough that they’ll be far better than the old Tek 3 design). There are also transparent windows on multiple blasters for seeing how they work. Just as interesting, though, is the fact that the Twist Fury, derived from Taffy’s original 3D printed Skewer blaster, has been recolored and renamed…Skewer. Apparently some things just come full circle!

Notably, the Mayhem Power Surge is listed as an International only blaster…though I hope Buzz Bee ends up making a US version under a different name (Adventure Force for Walmart, for example).

Zuru’s Los Angeles Showroom Interview

Zuru’s CEO did a recent interview about the toy business in general, and it wasn’t all just fluff. There were actual answers about many aspects of the industry, from how manufacturers and retailers are dealing with tariffs/how that affects their relationships and the disclosure of costs, to trademark and legal issues, to how committed Zuru has become to using the China supply chain and automation.

In the video, however, there are also shots of the Piston Pump AEB being demoed, as well as product displays with some new SKUs as well as potential new ones (packaging mockups that are used for pitching when the item isn’t made yet). Double packs of Unicorn blasters, as well as revolver/electronic target combos were present, as was a new Light & Sound blaster line (whether those fire darts or are just for role play is unknown). One blaster that stands out, though, is a shell-fed, bolt action blaster that was not only present as a mock-up, but was also featured on the wall display.

Dart Zone Down Under!

We’ve been waiting to hear when the Dart Zone Primus would release…and it appears that it’s already out in Australia!

Kmart Australia has a listing, with the blaster sold under the house brand, and it’s already been spotted on shelves and purchased by hobbyists in that part of the world. One person posted on Facebook with chronograph numbers, indicating that the Australian version of the blaster is made weaker than the intended US version (74fps average in semi-auto and 56fps average in full-auto). I’m still waiting to hear if the blaster feeds short darts at all when using a Talon magazine and adapter (if the full Mk3 feeding mechanism is present, it *should*).

Nerf Loadout Appears?

Finally, just a teaser, but apparently Big W in Australia has already sold some…