Buzz Bee Air Warriors Tornado Review
September 16, 2022The Tornado has me conflicted. On the one hand, Buzz Bee tried something truly unique with this blaster, and the mechanism works. It’s appropriately sized for most hands, comfortable to hold, and even has a proper magazine release compared to older models. And yet, while I had fun using it, I have to acknowledge that it doesn’t live up to the box claims. It’s a blaster marked for ages 6 and up, yet the vast majority of target users won’t have the grip strength to achieve the advertised ranges and rate of fire. For most blaster fans, this will be a pass.
Event Announcement: Mall Mutation Madness: Hardcore 3!
September 5, 2022This event is a personal favorite of mine, so it’s worth making a quick post about it this Labor Day!
FRAG Society, a Nerf and LARP group in St. Louis, has been holding annual, overnight HvZ mall games in St. Peters, MO. At least until the pandemic happened. In any case, the first two games (2018 and 2019) were amazing, and number 3 looks to be more of the same! It will be on the evening of October 8th, running through the morning of the 9th.
The game this time around is more focused on squads of 5, be they friends who all came together or people who meet on the day of the game. The zombie threat is always close behind, and both sides can steadily upgrade their arsenals and abilities through the game to better assist their side.
Check out the Facebook event page for updates on rules and game mechanics, links for purchasing tickets, and more!
Nerf Fest 2022 Is Coming!
September 2, 2022Nerf is still going strong, and next week, there’s going to be an online fan stream on the Hasbro Pulse Youtube channel!
Apparently, I’m being told we should expect “the NERF team will share details on their latest LMTD partnership, an exciting product launch and a sneak peek at what’s to come for NERF for the rest of the month of September.”
Of course, given this massive hint on social media, we can imagine what that may be…
Tune in on Friday, September 9th at 11am ET!
Nerf Ultimate Championship Releases!
August 31, 2022I’m a bit late posting this, but better late than never for a press release!
Nerf may have a somewhat spotty record when it comes to video games (the Wii shooters were fun, whereas Nerf on Roblox is a bit disappointing). But if you have the newest VR headsets, you might have fun with a unique new experience.
Nerf Ultimate Championship is now available for Meta Quest 2, for just $15, and based on what I’ve heard from beta testers, it’s a load of fun. Press release stuff after the jump!
Blaster IP Issues, Part 2: Is Hasbro Patent Trolling the Gel Ball Market?
August 28, 2022Earlier this week, I saw a news article in Bloomberg Law, detailing a vote by the US International Trade Commission to investigate several manufacturers and importers of gel ball blasters. That vote was based on a complaint from Hasbro and Spin Master, and was made against brands ranging from SplatrBall to Hydro Strike (Dart Zone) to Gel Blaster. That complaint asserted that the others were importing products violating patents Hasbro had licensed from Spin Master.
Of course, you may remember that Hasbro recently announced their Nerf Pro Gelfire Mythic blaster, with preorders available for its November launch. Naturally, the timing seems more than coincidental, seeing as a successful action would leave a growing gel ball market in Hasbro’s hands. But with a recent filing in the United States District Court, Western District of Texas…things don’t seem to be that simple.
Blaster IP Issues, Part 1: Dart Zone Owning Blaster Tag?
August 26, 2022I’ve been sitting on this article for a bit, waiting for information and a good way to formulate my opinions. Two recent intellectual property (IP) issues have come to light this summer. In one, Dart Zone has filed to own “Blaster Tag” as a trademark – which seems questionable. In the other, Hasbro (along with Spin Master) is going after essentially all current gel ball blaster brands in the US, after being late to the party. Both are interesting topics to look at, so let’s dive in!
Dart Zone Max Dictator Review
August 18, 2022This year, it seems the Dart Zone Max blasters are a better deal overall than the Dart Zone Pro line. After covering the Mk1.2 and the Mk2.1, the Dictator was a nice change of pace. After a bit of war testing (and a bit of accuracy testing at a weekend retreat with friends), I like this blaster even more. It’s a Conquest Pro, but with better ergonomics and a bit more mag compatibility than the previous iteration. It’s a step in the right direction, for sure.
