Barricade RV-10 spotted.. well sort of.

Ok, this one's mine:)

Mr Toys Toyworld in Brisbane has put up the Barricade RV-10 on their website. It hasn't actually been given a name ON the site, nor an actual price ($0.00 is an awesome deal!) but the fact it's made it onto official toystore sites does suggest 1) it wasn't just a prototype, and 2) people can stop crying about it not being an official blaster. As I've joked many times, I'd be stoked if this blaster was only a prototype and then discontinued.. rare = worth more! Alas it's probably not worth much in the scheme of flywheels.. :P

Visit Mr Toys Toyworld for yourself, though it doesn't tell you a whole lot:)

Multiple Nerf blasters: What are your preferences?

It's like seeing double. But.. not.

As you'd probably guess from previous posts, this week is Vulcan EBF-25 appreciation week for us at Urban Taggers, and because of this I ended up picking up another one on special today. Other than being sans barrel extension, it's pretty much the same as the older Vulcan I bought 2 years ago. Two Vulcans + 2 Stampedes does lead to a sea of orange foam everywhere in my living area and a rather irritable gf who was trying to watch a movie..

It raises a question though: how many of you have multiple numbers of the same Nerf blaster, and what's your rationale for doing so? (I know 2 or more Mavericks is quite common)

Review: AA-D cell battery converters

D cell battery converters: but can the lil' AA take the strain?

A common complaint with the Nerf Vulcan EBF-25 and the Stampede ECS is the requirement of 6 D cell batteries to power them. This can be annoying due to 1) D cells cost more than AA's and are less likely to be lying around the house, and 2) 6 D cells adds a significant amount of weight to the blaster, which can be a bit of a strain for lengthy battles- or if the user is 7 years old.

"I just wish they'd run on ordinary AA's"... (insert dreamy music here)

Rediscovering my Vulcan EBF-25

I've recently rediscovered my love for the Vulcan EBF-25:)

Although at the time the Vulcan EBF-25 was considered the mother of all Nerf blasters, it seemed to over time lose popularity amongst avid Nerfers. I'm not really sure why, it IS a kick-ass blaster, popping off 3 rounds a second (or..lots more if you've got a modding streak in you) and is an absolute beast to go up against. It was also the 4th N-Strike blaster I acquired (after the Maverick, Nitefinder + Recon) and I recall while I thought it was awesome at the time, it very quickly fell into one of my least played with blasters.. until now:)

Vulcan vs Stampede- we solve nothing:)

Soo..the other night some friends randomly popped over for drinks which quickly turned into a "dude, show us all these Nerf blasters you've got..." session.

Drinks flowed, dribble talk followed, and then one of the girls just walked in and said those words:

"so which one is better?" (she coulda meant flavour of chips or drinks or us personally but we automatically assumed that for some insane reason an attractive girl would actually GIVE a damn about which Nerf blaster is better..)

Who would win? Just like with timeless debates on Aliens vs Predator, Terminator vs Robocop, Sam Fisher vs Solid Snake, Superman vs Mighty Mouse (?) Nerf now has it's own:  Vulcan vs Stampede. Is Nerf's new all blazing powerhouse the king of all Nerf blasters? Does it have what it takes to topple the mega blaster that is the Vulcan?

Single shot blasters: What's your piece of choice?

Single shots- what's your fav?

In the world of Stampedes and Vulcans, sometimes it's easy to forget about the humble single shot blaster. There are times where it's incredibly satisfying to boast the "one shot one kill" talent (or so I hear because.. I've yet to do this!) and there's definitely a place for them, especially in indoor warfare (easier to conceal when hunting down your opponent in the school library and doesn't get you "shhhhhh'd" by the libararian).

At times one would argue they have a level of accuracy that the larger blasters don't have. Soo.. tell all- what's your favourite single shot?

Random: Nerf is everywhere.. even in sci fi flicks..

I've never heard of this film before, but check out the armoured troops' weapons and tell me that doesn't look like a modded... yeah I think it is:)

Classic Nerf: Your thoughts

Supermaxx 3000. Mmm. in discreet Parker Lewis Can't Lose Camo:P

Nerf blasters have been around for several decades now, and while I was quite satisfied in doing the full sweep of the current N-Strike line, I admit I'm faced with the dilemma of whether or not I should start going after some of the older classic Nerf blasters of the past or not. The collector in me says I should, given it's still Nerf and some would argue that some of the classic blasters are actually better in performance.

The other side of me says Urban Taggers is all about the fun, role-playing "that's cool" nature of toy blasters, and there aren't a whole lot of classic blasters that look cool or fit into any form of role play.. unless you were role playing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air meets Marvin the Martian..

Review: Nerf N-Strike Magstrike AS-10

Nerf Magstrike AS-10. Like a Super Soaker. Without..the soak.

The Nerf N-Strike Magstrike (there's a mouthful!) AS-10 has been available worldwide for several years but as the Magstrike it has only really been available in Australia in the past 8-9 months. Prior to this it was released as an Iron Man N.R.F with the Iron Man inspired red and yellow colour schemes, and apparently before this it was even considered as part of the Dart Tag line, in blue and red guises. It's reminiscent of the old Super Soakers of the 90's, using pressurised air as its firing mechanism, but instead of shooting water, the Magstrike fires off 10 rounds of foam dart goodness in super fast succession.

Preview: Mounting a Stampede ECS shield on a Vulcan EBF

I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before. Mucking around with my Nerf haul last night (I've been away from home the past week) I fitted the tactical shield on a Recon red light and then it hit me... maybe this would mean what I think it means...

Excited, I then found out that this is old news for many in the Nerf community:P

Preview: Even more Stampede mix + match goodness

Longshot CS-6 with Stampede 18 round clip + tactical shield

Just a few more mix + match combos by request:)

Sneak Preview: WTF do we have in store?

Here at Urban Taggers we push the boundaries of good taste..

Now that we've done the clean sweep and have acquired all current Nerf blasters available, it's time to play, play, play and put them all to rigorous performance tests. Yup, our apartment warfare experts have been working on a whole lot of new content over the coming weeks; we'll be testing out-of-the-box Nerf like never before in a way only we at Urban Taggers can. (ie- relatively pointless and making no sense) It's gonna be foam-a-palooza!!!
(gawd hope I haven't oversold myself...)

Preview: Greg gets a facelift..

Supposed to be a forrest green camo effect.. either that or mold:P

Working on a new face for Greg.. haven't finished yet but you get the idea.. :)

Random: Guy builds his own Aliens power loader. Sooo cool..

Ok, so it's a bit of a stretch having this on our blog..but.. Aliens is one of the coolest movies of all time that inspired so many of us to wanna be marines and role played with our Nerf blasters...soo.. it stays:) You can do it yourself too! via instructables

Preview: More Stampede mix + match goodness

Reminds me of Stallone: Cobra:P 

More mix and match combos with the Stampede:) As recommended.. Alpha Trooper with the 18 round clip. Looks tonka tuff:P More after the jump:)

Preview: Stampede ECS Tactical Shield.. always use protection:)

Stampede ECS tactical shield. Protects against darts. adds to poor posture

One of the more innovative attachments that was available with the Stampede ECS was the tactical shield, designed to provide cover against opposing foam (though it's pretty useless against cushions and other makeshift throwing devices). I'm a fan of it in that it's finally something that sits on a tactical rail that ISN'T a scope or light, but it's also something that can kind of get in the way and is prone to falling off in the heat of the moment. Anyway I thought I'd try it out on other N-Strike blasters...

SG Nerf gets the Barricade RV-10- and rips it open!

It's what's inside that counts:)

SGNerf got their hands on the yet-to-be-released Barricade RV-10.. which leads me to believe if other people are getting it means it's gonna be released soon. They've done what I never dare to do (given my inability to put anything back together again!!)and opened it up to show the internals. Check the internals full review for more details:) 

Preview: Stampede mix and match

Recon CS-6 with some Stampede goodness. 

Sooo.. as always I decided to muck about with mixing and matching the Stampede attachments with other blasters to see how they look.. I quite like them on the Recon:)

Review: Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS

Nerf Stampede ECS. It's awesome.

The wait is finally over; months and months of speculation, Nerf have released their new 2010 flagship blaster- the Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS. Surprisingly, Australia hasn't been left that far behind compared to the rest of the world as with other Nerf blasters; 9-9-10 was the official launch date and there were those down under who actually got them in time. For me personally, my wishing and hoping for a Stampede must have been heard in spades, and I ended up with not just one, but two of them:) And to be honest, yes... the Stampede DOES live up to its hype:)

Stampede spotted. In a STORE!

Intel (thanks Neil) has it that Super Toyworld in the ACT has the Nerf Stampede ECS in stock! Apparently it's going for $109.00 AUS.

I probably shouldn't be publicising this before I actually get one myself.. although I'm trying to show restraint and wait till my Fishpond order arrives in a few days time:)

Showcase: Nerf N-Strike Longshot CS-6. Foam love doesn't get any more intense.

What's in the case today? Ok..it doesn't actually FIT in the case..

Any serious Nerf affectionado will tell you that when it comes to Nerf blasters, the ultimate N-Strike blaster is the Longshot CS-6. If you want to talk about fanboys, those who love this blaster are almost religious in their love of this piece and will aggressively argue till the cows come home about its merits compared to practically anything else out there. So.. what is it about the Longshot that makes it the epic blaster of choice for Nerf geeks everywhere?

Random: Black Eyed Peas mod their Nerf

"Does sticking a car speaker on the end of your Nerf blaster count as a mod?" :P
While this is probably old news, I thought it was Nerf-news worthy anyway. Watch this clip from the Black Eyed Peas, and check their weapons out...spotted by the girlfriend.. aww so proud:)

Preview: Official Nerf Stampede ECS Commercial

It's like a strip tease really. It's exciting, it's visually spectacular..You can see it, dream about it but it's not like the real thing:P

Review: New Nerf Round up- favourite configurations

Not including the Stampede (and the clear series of blasters), there are at least 5 "new" Nerf N-Strike blasters available overseas that are not available domestically in Australia. Adding to that items like the Longstrike (which doesn't seem to "officially" be an Australian release) and accessories like the Mission Kits, camouflage darts and the popular tactical vest, we down under do get royally shafted compared to our overseas cousins. As a collector, I've managed to acquiring all of the new gear to date and other than the novelty of them being "new", I personally believe the cool stakes are definitely much higher than older blasters from years gone by. My attention however has shifted now from merely "acquiring" to properly "playing" with them..

Random: Power Popper gets serious.. who needs a Stampede?:P

Power Popper Hailstorm. Now THAT's automatic fire.

Remember my post on the all "awesome" Power Popper with the zombie kid? Seems like the Power Popper wasn't a one off. Hell no, they've added some PRE-TTY powerful stuff that'll send Nerfers everywhere into the corner, cowering in fear. Behold the Power Popper Hailstorm. Rapid fire automatic mega power. And wait till you see what other weapons of mass foam-struction they have in store.. after the jump.

Review: Brits n Pieces Saturator STR80: Clear is the new black

Clear with orange internal parts. How original!

Clear is the new black. Everyone's doing it, it's so hot right now:P Now I normally don't deviate away from the Super Soaker line, but this particular blaster has had my interest for a while. Britz n Pieces Saturator line is a fully automatic, battery operated electronic water blaster.. anyone remember Entertech from the 90's?

Review: Super Soaker MaxD 6000

The Super Soaker MaxD 6000 originally came out in 2002 and was considered to be a very good mid sized water blaster at the time. Originally in black, yellow and orange colour schemes, it sported a funky air pressure gauge to let you know how "pumped" you were, and other than the Flashflood, would have been considered one of the better, if not best Super Soakers of this decade. Well.. I'm happy to say it's back. SO what's different in this updated model? I can happily say- almost nothing:)

Review: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition Night Vision Goggles

"Looks like you have a big penis on your head"-girlfriend

Part of the fun of apartment warfare is all the crazy role play of pretending you're in an action movie or video game. Wanting to be all covert ops Sam Fisher style, and to compliment the Nerf N-Strike Spectre REV-5, one always needs a pair of night vision goggles. Of course, REAL night vision goggles are uber expensive and unless you genuinely ARE military, will have you labeled a pervert:) Sooo... I picked up a pair of these instead off ebay for cheap: A pair of toy night vision goggles that came with last year's massive hit, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Prestige Edition. Can you really see in the dark? Whooo...

Preview: Call of Duty Black Ops Prestige Edition..sans explosives

I'm really interested in the proposed Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition. Actually, to be honest I'm easily impressed by any game that comes with a real life toy. Especially one that's as cool as this. Ok, so it's just a radio controlled car that's probably only worth 30 bucks. But it does come with a mad camera and mic on board, and a view screen in the remote. And it is modeled on the RC-XD explosive device from the game. Only it doesn't blow up. Which is probably a good thing:) The game itself is sure to rock- even though the Call of Duty series of first person shooters are ones that I royally suck at.

Preorder @ $228.00 AUS from EBGames or if you wanna do it online, $199.00 with Fishpond on either xbox 360 or PS3. (use the coupon "Gamers" will give you 10 dollars off your purchase with free shipping!)

Preview: Stampede launch..in...10...9...8...

It's almost here.. on the eve of 9-9-10, the biggest Nerf blaster launch is upon us. Some have already got theirs.. and I've done the sweep around town and alas, no store has blessed us with a pre-release just yet. Those who ordered from fishpond.com.au apparently have their blasters already dispatched and will possibly even have them by tomorrow. I unfortunately pre-ordered from toyguru.com.au ages ago who had claimed they'd get theirs first.. but won't probably deliver till October. 

I'll do a scout around town tomorrow.. but to those of you who'll get your hands on one before me... I have foam envy:P

Review: Nerf N-Strike Mission Kit Pinpoint Sight

Nerf Mission Kit Pinpoint Sight. Actually works:)

I don't normally review accessories on their own, but I do have to admit I'm pretty chuffed by the Nerf Mission Kit Pinpoint Sight. Personally I find tactical rail accessories (scopes for instance) more for show than anything else- they look cool but don't really do a whole lot. The Pinpoint sight ACTUALLY proved me wrong..

Arts + Crafts: Vulcan sentinel.. but the Aliens will still get ya

Aliens style sentinels, Nerf Vulcan style... Cool..but ultimately ineffective:P

Had several people send this to me; this guy has hooked up his Vulcan to heat sensors, automatically firing upon any creature who should come in it's path. Very cool, but as we know from the movies.. they mostly come out at night. Mostly:P

Heat Seeking Automatic Nerf Sentry Gun via Gizmodo

Infrared Nerf autocannon hunts predators, little sisters too via Engadget

Update: Deploys have landed.. Bruce's final shipment.

Just a heads up- a shipment of four Nerf Deploy CS-6's arrived today; the last order I made from "Bruce". If you were one of the people who placed an order, let me know by the weekend and we can arrange payment and shipping. Otherwise I'll just put them on Ebay. After exchange rate conversions, I have two yellow and two clear- yellow ones go for $64.50 AUS and clears for $69.00

Review: Spiderman vs Venom Dart Tag 2 player kit

Spiderman/Venom Dart Tag 2 player set. Weird. But cool.

Nerf shows up in interesting places- sometimes under different licences (Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk for example). The Spiderman /Venom Dart Tag blasters are one of the most unique looking Nerf blasters I've ever seen. I picked up a pair of these on recommendation from a fellow Nerf collector (thanks Jay) and it's a wonder they never really took off, because they make for a pretty good supplementary blaster..

Preview: Stampede availability- place your bets!

You can cut it with a knife.. or.. an automatic dart blaster. Pic courtesy of fishpond.com.au

The official launch of the Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS is in 2 days time; as always we in Australia are used to launches being notoriously late here. The thing is, there's quite a lot of evidence to suggest it MIGHT actually make it here on time. Fishpond.com.au have already posted on their Facebook page that if you preordered it- it's gonna get to you by 9-9-10.  But even more so, you know it's official when something makes mainstream press: - not just any mainstream press but the Mum's + Dad's style "there's-a-new-thing-called-the-ipad" uber late mainstream press. This article even claims it's already available across Australia. Whoooah.

I did a quick uber idealistic pass across my local Target + Myer, but sure enough.. not yet.. What's the bet that they're GOING to make it to KMart/Target/Myer ON Thursday? Place your bets... anyone?

Fathers Day Gift Guide: Today on Nine MSN

Off to Darwin.. back real soon now!

mm. nerf vs croc.. errrr..

I'm just heading up to Darwin for a few days, so there'll be a brief lack of posts; but I'm back early next week so I'll be back in the saddle then. I doubt anything drastic will happen in the Nerf world (knowing my luck my local KMart will bring out Stampedes early while I'm away...)

Cheers! - Pocket

Showcase: Our favourite blaster of the week

Ooh. metal brief case. How.. discreet:) 

Ok the question I get almost daily is "In your opinion what's the best Nerf blaster"; and it's a tough one, because it really does depend on my mood and what scenario I've got going at the time..when no-one is looking:)

We're going to start doing a piece once a week, showcasing what we think are the best blasters with the best configurations. Soooooo.. this week... what ARE we at Urban Taggers currently packing? What's out of the storage crate and in the briefcase?:)

Nostalgia: Nerf Hydroball- "Reusable" water bombs..

I was going through some of my old stuff at my Mum's place when I found one of these from the early 90's. Nerf released a "reusable water bomb" which was essentially just a glorified sponge:) One of my friends I used to work with at Toys R Us during high school claimed the texture of one of these was not unlike that of a girl's boob. It's wonder I didn't buy two?

Review: Super Soaker Rattler

Super Soaker Rattler. Weird lookin. I know.

Well, Winter has FINALLY left us here in Australia for another year, and we're starting to warm up which traditionally would mean WATER FIGHTS!!!! Albeit.. due to stage 3 water restrictions on the east coast, it does mean very controlled, small bursts of water, water fights!:)

I'm heading up to Darwin over the weekend, where 1) there are no water restrictions, and 2) it's 34 degrees up there in SPRING (to you Americans, that's near 95 degrees F) and so I figured I would do a review.. on a water blaster. I present to you, the Nerf Super Soaker Rattler.

Barricade RV-10 on ebay... 5 days to go!

So a browse through ebay this morning had me find another guy from Taiwan posting a genuine Nerf  Barricade RV-10 for auction. Sooo.. if you decided after my review you wanted one..there's your chance.

You have 5 days:) listing is here: Nerf N-Strike Barricade RV-10 Blaster Toy

Nerf Stampede- stripped!

Noticed that now that Stampede ECS's are becoming available, they're popping up on ebay- and being stripped into components to sell individually. This morning I noticed a guy is selling the tactical shield, bipod, clips and probably the cardboard box seperately to the main Stampede unit- which I guess gives him a bit more cash at the end of the day. If the guy shipped to Australia, I'd probably have bought those accessories already:)

Stampede available in Singapore- Now I REALLY have foam envy

The folks at SGNerf have revealed on their blog that the heavily anticipated 9-9-10 blaster- the Nerf Stampede ECS is now readily available in Singapore. Yup, they get it early. AGAIN.

"The Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS is now available at Takashimaya Dept Store in Singapore! Retail price @ SGD$109.90."

I have foam envy again. What's the likelihood that a trip down to my local K-Mart in Belconnen will give me similar good news? (whoah.. that's the fastest flying pig EVER!:P..)

Yeah, thought as much:P

Arts + Crafts: completed mask

Finally got around to finishing another "ballistic" mask- A few coats of paint, ripping apart some Nerf googles and some bullet hole decals:)

"Hi kids! Alpha Trooper gets the thumbs up!"

Turned out pretty good really:) A few more pics after the jump.

Random: Spectre REV-5..with something to hold...

Ok, so in my review of the Spectre REV-5 I made comment that putting a stock on the blaster encouraged a two handed grip.. although there wasn't really anything to hold on. Sooo... I came up with a solution..

Spectre.Silent, deadly, stealthy.....this configuration is none of those things:)

Ok I didn't say it was a GOOD solution :P

UPDATED: Co-ordinate! Nerf N-Strike attachment mix + match

Barricade with Shot Blast attachments. because..I can. :)

Here is where you'll find pictures of various N-Strike blasters with different attachment configurations, as requested by readers. I'll keep it updated as they come in.. please do be patient, but I will do my best to get to requests as soon as I can.