Xshot Xcess (2018) Review
August 1, 2018Zuru has been doing a steady overhaul of the Xshot line, featuring improved but older blasters as well as new models. They’ve also been doing them in a really nice white and blue color scheme. The line as a whole has improved, and Zuru deserves lots of credit for stepping up in the blaster arena.
One of the newest blasters is a replacement for an old one, the Xcess. The new blaster shell features improved functionality, better dart compatibility, and a much better aesthetic, to the point that it’s my new favorite spring-powered pistol.
Adventure Force Quantum Review
July 30, 2018One of the most interesting blaster developments of the past year has been from Prime Time Toys. Starting with the inexpensive but capable Dart Zone BallistixOps Powerball, PTT has been building a line of blasters compatible with Rival. Now, with the Quantum (available at Walmart), PTT has a competitor for the Nemesis at an affordable price. It’s not without issues, however.
Adventure Force Thermal Tracker Review
July 29, 2018Walmart makes deals with various toy manufacturers to market their products for cheap under their in-house “Adventure Force” brand, and dart blasters are no exception. Zuru, Prime Time Toys, and Buzz Bee Toys have all made blasters and darts available under the Adventure Force name.
This year, that line is expanding aggressively, pushing many models to take up nearly as much space on the shelves as Hasbro does with Nerf. In the case of the Thermal Tracker, it’s using a Buzz Bee design to deliver bolt-action, clip fed blasting with heat-sensing optics. It’s not the platform for everyone, but it does its job well!
Note that this model was spotted in Walmart Canada. Price stats will be updated once spotted in the United States.
Nerf Laser Ops Pro Alphapoint Review
July 24, 2018Among Hasbro’s fall releases this year was an unexpected item – a new version of laser tag gear. Following previous iterations under both the Tiger Electronics and Hasbro brands, the Laser Ops series aims to enable play that is easy to pick up and use without any outside gear, but can be substantially upgraded when paired with smartphones. To that end, the first blasters in the line largely succeed.
Review: Nerf Modulus Mediator (Aus Grey Trigger)
July 21, 2018
Everything in the Mediator package minus darts.
The Mediator is an interesting blaster, combining the size of the Retaliator with the pump action and side magwell of the Rampage. I was initially not going to bother having seen its retail price, but picked one up second hand for a more reasonable price.
Nerf Rival Hades Review
July 20, 2018Fall 2018 has seen Rival go big in terms of capacity. The Prometheus doubled the capacity of the Nemesis. In similar fashion, the Nerf Rival Hades doubles the capacity of the Artemis, while offering similar performance. The larger blaster makes for less of a “run and gun” type of playstyle, but it’s nevertheless a fantastic blaster to use, especially for the older market it targets.
Nerf N-Strike Elite Infinus Review
July 9, 2018(This blaster was provided by Hasbro for free for this review. Thanks, guys!)
Ever since its official debut at Toy Fair this year, we’ve been waiting for the Infinus to finally appear. Was it the new Rapidstrike? It had automatic dart loading for the inserted clip, but would it be reliable? Was $70 worth it for this large new dart blaster? The answer to all of these is yes.
