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.
Review: Buzz Bee Water Warriors Outlaw (Equalizer)
June 20, 2014Back in 2009, Buzz Bee Toys introduced the Water Warriors Equalizer, a compact, air-pressure-based water blaster that offered very good performance for its relatively modest size. Now, five years later, we have the Water Warriors Outlaw, which is pretty much exactly the same as the Equalizer, save for a sticker that says “Outlaw” instead of “Equalizer,” and a priming handle that is orange instead of blue. And you know what? We are a-ok with that, because it doesn’t matter what they call it, or how old the design is, this blaster is one impressive performer.
The most distinguishing feature of the Outlaw is a compact, purpose-built aesthetic that features a body built entirely around the massive 48 oz. water tank. It’s a design that is attractive while being almost entirely utilitarian. There’s a single, non-adjustable nozzle in the front, a reservoir cap up-top, a priming handle down below, a trigger in the back, and some cladding on the sides to hold the tank in place. And that’s it. There are no superfluous bells and whistles… no multiple nozzles, no gimmicky angle meters, no clips, no batteries, so sights, no stocks. In other words, it’s entirely no-nonsense. And when you design a blaster that performs as well as the Outlaw, you don’t need them.
Nerf Design and Marketing Teams Google Hangouts: Full Update
June 18, 2014Here’s everything we learned from the invite-only event!
On Wednesday, June 18th we had the unique opportunity to participate in a Google Hangouts Q&A session with Hasbro’s Nerf marketing and design teams (reportedly, the first one ever). And while we’ll always have more questions than time (or confidentiality) will allow us to ask, we nonetheless came away answers to some of your questions, as well as teasers for a few items we can expect to see and hear more about later this year.
