New York Toy Fair 2017: Part Two
February 19, 2017Today, we continue our reporting, starting with comments from a short conversation with Reed McIntyre, VP Sales at Buzz Bee Toys. Forgive my paraphrasing, but I’ll try to get everything as accurate as possible. Then we’ll cover several more items of interest, and wait for large info dumps from Hasbro and Buzz Bee tomorrow.
New York Toy Fair 2017: Part One
February 18, 2017
We’re going to have a LONG post, covering lots of info, In fact it may be multiple posts, as there are press releases, pictures, a couple videos to upload eventually, etc. But there are TONS of new things to explore. Buzz Bee Toys, Zuru, oddities from China, a few hidden gems, and lots more. Hold on!
Hard Knocks Laser Tag Review
February 12, 2017Here at Blasterhub, we usually focus on things like dart and water blasters. There are a few related items, however, that don’t always get a lot of attention. Laser tag has been around for quite a while, and since Bazookafied ended his blog, I really haven’t seen much on the topic. Today’s post considers not a store-bought product, but rather an expanding indoor laser tag fanchise. Hard Knocks is up to seven currently open locations in the eastern half of the United States, with more opening soon. Here are my thoughts.
Nerf News: What we’ll see at the 2017 New York Toy Fair
February 9, 2017
The Terrascout 180: Nerf Remote Combat Evolved
February 4, 2017FIRST!
The Terrascout has been on ToysRUs shelves for many months now, serving as the most expensive Nerf product in the arsenal (license deals notwithstanding). In form and function, it is an R/C vehicle with both a video camera and a Rapidstrike mounted on top, all running off an 8S (~9.6V) NiMH rechargeable battery.
Modding the Terrascout is a bit different than modding your typical blaster. For one, there’s an entire PCB (printed circuit board) in the blaster turret that is designed for stock use. Trying anything silly could, for the average Nerfer, result in a camera that doesn’t work. Or you might make things work, just not as well as you’d hope. If you have patience and keep your circuits separate, however, you can get an R/C vehicle that’s downright SCARY. (See video at the end)
WARNING: THIS IS A LONG POST!
Less than Three Weeks to New York Toy Fair!
January 30, 2017This is just a short sweet post announcing that I have the incredible opportunity this year to go to New York for Toy Fair and see many of the new things coming out! And there are so many things – all the recent Nerf leaks, plus today’s official Wired article release of the Accustrike Raptorstrike, Mega Twinshock, and the Modulus Regulator. I know for a fact I’ll be at the presentation for Buzz Bee Toys’ 2017 lineup. And I’ll be wandering through the exhibits, finding both the exciting and the odd. There are such things as Marshmallow Blasters and Stomp Rockets and Zing Bows, after all!
I probably won’t be the first person to get a hold of anything, but I’ll do my best to be the most informative!
Buzz Bee Jaguar Review: a New Breed of Blaster
We’ve seen companies make alterations to blasters on the market, and we’ve seen brand new versions. For example, Hasbro remade many old Nstrike blasters in their creation of the Nstrike Elite line. We’ve also seen Elite blasters recolored and labeled “Elite XD”, with supposedly greater ranges (spoiler: they didn’t).
Now, Buzz Bee Toys has a new version of the Jaguar appearing on store shelves. It claims to be an Ultra Tek blaster, with ranges to match. But is it a redesign, or a marketing stunt? All indications signal the former!
