Sizzlin’ Cool X2O Liquiforce Water Blaster Review
July 6, 2014On a recent trip through the aisles of our local Toys “R” Us, we spotted a line of water blasters under the Toy “R” Us-exclusive “Air Zone” (now “Sizzlin’ Cool”) brand, called “X2O.” This interesting looking series included no less than four blasters of varying sizes: the Hydromatic, Liquiforce, Aqualizer, and Drenchinator. They ranged in price from $9.99 to $24.99, respectively, and are now on-sale for a couple bucks less (depending on model). We wondered if a value-priced water blaster could possibly compete with the big name brands, so we picked-up the mid-priced Liquiforce and put it to the test!
BOOMco Twisted Spinner Review
July 4, 2014Along with the Farshot and Rapid Madness, the Twisted Spinner is one of the first in a new line of blasters to be introduced by Mattel under the BOOMco brand. We were impressed by the build quality and ingenuity of the Farshot with its then-new “Smart Stick” dart technology, and we were likewise awed by the insanely quick rate-of-fire produced by the intimidating-looking Rapid Madness. The Twisted Spinner, for its part, sits between these two products in terms of size and price. We were interested, therefore, to see if it could straddle the line between the two in terms of performance and value. What we found surprised even us.
Nerf Zombie Strike Slingfire Review
July 2, 2014Along with the newly released Nerf Elite Demolisher 2-in-1, the Nerf Zombie Strike Slingfire is undoubtedly one of this year’s most highly sought-after new blasters from Hasbro. Ever since we first laid eyes on the flipping, spinning lever-action reload, we just knew this one would be a crowd-pleaser. But now that the Slingfire is out in the wild, the reality of its design hits home. Can a cool-looking blaster with a unique reloading action cut-it when it comes to anything beyond just looking good? Is the flashy Slingfire built to be something more than a stylish flash in the pan?
Nerf N-Strike Elite Demolisher 2-in-1 Review
June 30, 2014Easily among the most anticipated blasters to have been announced this year, the Nerf Elite Demolisher 2-in-1 is finally available. After having played with it at Toy Fair and at the recent Nerf All Access Event, we had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but no formal measurements to back-up our first-hand experiences. Now we finally have a Demolisher in for testing, and we’re happy to report it mostly lives up to expectations, but not without a few caveats.
Exclusive: Mattel BOOMco Rapid Madness Review
June 29, 2014“There’s nothing new under the sun.” Or so it’s been said. But what truly qualifies as “new?” At what point is a product or idea sufficiently different from a pre-existing thought or object that it can be considered unique? These are a few of thoughts that ran through our head while considering the all-new BOOMco Rapid Madness from Mattel, which takes a lot of inspiration from the 10 year old Nerf Magstrike AS-10. That the all new BOOMco Rapid Madness borrows ideas from another generation of products isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but does it serve-up enough new ideas to be considered an original in its own right?
"Nerf All Access" Post-Event UPDATES
June 26, 2014Here’s everything we learned during our time with Nerf in NYC!
We’ve been prohibited from reporting on any of the specifics of Hasbro’s Nerf All Access summer media event, including the exact location, date or time. But we can now reveal that we’ve just spent the past few hours at the event having a blast with the marketing and design folks responsible for the Nerf brand, and we’re ready to spill the beans on everything they told us! But before we get too far, we’d like to extend a sincere thank-you to Hasbro’s PR firm and Hasbro corporate, who put on a fantastic party. You guys pulled-out all the stops, and we had a great time. Now, on to the updates!
Full Coverage of the Mattel BOOMco North American Launch
June 25, 2014Blaster Labs is your direct source for everything related to Mattel’s new BOOMco product line!
While some blogs are just now getting their hands on the new BOOMco products from retailers that have leaked product early, Blaster Labs has been in direct contact with the good folks at Mattel and their PR firm, and have had in-depth, hands-on coverage of everything BOOMco-related since day one. Here are a few of our coverage highlights:
- Same-day coverage of the full line-up back in March, and the first public link to the US version of the “Coming Soon” website.
- First-hand product information, distance claims, high-res imagery, and official “July 2014” release information provided directly from Mattel.
- First mention of undisclosed “customizable BOOMco targets.”
- First ever North American BOOMco full review of the Farshot (Dual Defenders).
- First full product details and non-watermarked imagery of the Whipblast Blaster spotted.
- First chrono testing of a BOOMco product, with a documented 51 feet-per-second speed.
- First mention of the BOOMco Twisted Spinner contest on a major Nerf-related blog.
- First in-depth analysis of BOOMco Smart Stick dart weights and measurements.
- First spotting of “Extreme Battle Pack” and other new packs and accessories online.
And it gets better. We now have official release details on the North American BOOMco product line, and we have all of the North American-release BOOMco blasters currently on-hand for review.
