Friday, September 30, 2011

Arts + Crafts: Robotic Double Vulcan Nerf Gun Turret


If you're a fan of robotics and overkill, this vid is for you. If you're not one to care for the finer details, skip forward to the 5 min mark and marvel at this beast of a rig..

MailChimp’s Robotic Double Vulcan Nerf Gun Turret | MailChimp

Nerf Mods & Reviews: HVZ Triple Shot, Another HVZ blaster

It's basically a Lanard Triple Shot, but what's cool about this new HVZ branded blaster is.. it shows Humans vs Zombies is now big enough to GET their own blaster, and for it to be a Toys R Us exclusive:) I personally love the aesthetics of this blaster, and the new HVZ paint scheme is pretty schmick. No doubt out of the box they'll be pretty ordinary performance-wise, but you modders are a clever bunch...

Over to you Jerm:)

Nerf Mods &Reviews: HVZ Triple Shot, Another HVZ blaster:


Whiteout Deploy CS-6 spotted (Big W)


The Whiteout series of blasters are our favourite colour schemes and the Deploy just looks so darn pretty in white grey and orange. We got our hands on one several months ago, but they've finally made it to Australian shores and just to prove it, I picked up another from Big W, Woden (ACT). Was around 28 bucks but the upcoming sale will have them for a tad cheaper, along with the Whiteout Maverick and Nitefinder pieces. (Still no sign of the Longstrike though) 

A few more pics of the box art after the jump, and a few older pics of the actual blaster to jog your memory:)

Super Soaker Monster (2001)


The Super Soaker Monster was released in 2001 as a smaller, more practical version of their Monster series- the previous being the X and XL. Sure it’s smaller and more practical compared to its bigger brothers, but it’s like saying a baby elephant is pint sized; it’s just not! It’s still quite a sizable unit that can still dominate any water fight; alas these blasters aren’t available any more and they’re pretty hard to come by, unless you’re lucky- which we were:) We had a rare opportunity to pick up a never been used Monster for our test unit given it was 10 years old but still in original packaging; it was to say the least.. impressive..

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Vintage Super Soakers.. SCORE.


Old school Constant Pressure System (CPS) Super Soakers are a precious find; if you can find one in decent condition you'll be able to pretty much outclass any current water blaster available in stores today. The thing is, finding them is never easy and tends to cost a mint- eBay sellers do tend to be opportunists which can mean jacking the price up to in the hundreds and beyond, not to mention the ridiculously high shipping charges that go with it for international postage. It's a fair amount to pay for a blaster that you KNOW has been scuffed, wet and thrown around in the sun.

So you can imagine my amazement when I spotted an ad in the local paper for some "vintage toys still in boxes' and found these two pieces.. just as advertised- NIB. The boxes were a little crumpled, and there were a few scuff marks on the blasters as well as a fair amount of dust, but they were still unopened and never been used.  The lady used to own a toy store many years ago and these were just some units that ended up never selling and collecting dust in her spare room.

Behold a 2001 Super Soaker Monster complete with the quick filling attachment for the hose, and a 2002 Super Soaker CPS 2100. The best part? Both units together for a grand total of 30 BUCKS.  Reviews to come, but I unpackaged them and tested them out and they're operational and the real deal:)

Sometimes in life, you just get really, really LUCKY and this was one of those times:)

Arts + Crafts: Warhammer Lanard Shell Shock X-6

UK props designer "The Model + Props Guy" Does some seriously insane work; he was responsible for the wooden Big Daddy blaster/Barricade RV-10 mod we listed below, and now we're gobsmacked by his Warhammer take on the Lanard Shell Shock X-6. Check out the site below, or more images of this beast of a mod after the jump.

The Model and Props Guy

Arts + Crafts: It's a Barricade RV-10.. but not as we know it..


For a more organic feel to your Nerf craft-, this Barricade RV-10 powered home made spotted on Etsy.com  is "crafted from wood planks that were part of a 75-year-old chair and hand-riveted aluminum, and sports a working scope". More pics after the jump:)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Arts + Crafts: Storm Tommy


Two Buzzbee Tommy 20's and a broken power drill = whole lot of whooo hooo:)

Lanard X-Stream Air Tri-Blaster (Clear)


Another blaster that Lanard Toys have released in their clear series is their ball-projectile X-Stream Air Tri-Blaster. As with all of the X-Stream Air clear blasters, they sort of popped out of nowhere and aren't even listed on the Lanard website so it was just one of those "well that's interesting" moments that just got me curious and after walking past the shelves of Myer several times this past few weeks, I finally decided to pick one up. 

I have to say, this is a first for me as I have NEVER bought a ball blaster before; I was tempted a few times to pick up a Nerf Reactor but even as a completionist collector I was still able to ignore it due to the crap performance and lack of trigger. This one from Lanard however finally reeled me in- a rotating triple barrel 9 shooter with a funky cocking mechanism and a trigger? ooooh, lemme see..

Friday, September 23, 2011

Rant: More? You want some MORE?!


Today's announcement of the "new exclusive Nerf blaster" was definitely received pretty poorly on the whole by fans, who were obviously all expecting something.. well bigger and better than another Barricade RV-10 repaint. It's interesting how the benchmark Nerf has set is something that even they are struggling to deliver on; the delivery of four new blasters in the shape of the new Vortex line has not even been a month old and already people are screaming for "what's next?".. whoah. Ease down turbo!!!

Speaking of Barricades...

I keep having Blogger issues, but finally have been able to get this post up. Nerf keep pushing the Barricade RV-10 (maybe it cost a mint in R+D and they need to recover costs! :P) regardless of the fact being a flywheel blaster it's got a boot load of critics... except for a select few of close peeps I know with modded ones who stand by them as awesome:) Well..  the Barricade is now looking to come out in the "I dunno how I feel about lime green but it's still kinda cool" Sonic Series translucent finish.

Not much else I can really say other than.. coming soon!

Nerf Barricade RV 10: New York Comic-Con Blaster

In perhaps one of the more anti-climatic announcements of the year, Nerf have officially released a Bumblebee repaint of the Barricade RV-10 to coincide with the New York Comic-Con (October 13-16 2011) in similar fashion to the Optimus Prime repaint for the San-Diego Comic-Con earlier this year. 

Nerf released news of a" new exclusive Nerf blaster" yesterday on their Facebook page which although came out of nowhere, had us all speculating over what it could be over the past day; it's always ballsy to deliberately generate hype in this space, as more often than not fans expectations are VERY high. 

Unfortunately, a repaint of a blaster that to be honest isn't a fan favourite was never going to really meet that said 24hr hype and so far responses haven't been fantastic. Personally, I admit I like it due to the fact the artwork is from IDW publishing who do some very sweet Transformers comic work and it still keeps with Nerf's colours while bringing in Bumblebee to the mix. Still.. How much would a Swarmfire work in this space?:P

From our take though, it's interesting times ahead. What I personally find cool about it all is it's the attempt to generate a whole new market for Nerf- the comic collector. Using the a Nerf blaster as a canvas for art and making them 'exclusive' (or at least limited runs) means it's less about using them in wars and more about collecting and storing them with comic collectibles; we're talking about marketing to a different breed of toy collector. The choice of using the Barricade again makes you wonder if they'll keep using it as a canvas for future limited Comic-Con releases, or if the Decepticons/other franchises will have a different blaster etc etc.

As with the Optimus Prime repaint, it's initially only available at the New York Comic-Con- and then a limited run on Hasbro's online store. (US)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

SG Nerf: Nerf N-Strike 18-dart Drum Magazine Set!

A great example of "fans ask, Nerf listens";)  Spotted on premier Nerf blog SGNerf, the 18round drum normally accompanying the Alpha Trooper CS-18 looks to soon be available on its own.

Not sure WHEN on availability yet, but hopefully, it's comin! UPDATE: For our US folks, we hear from one of our readers it's confirmed "Kmart Pocatello ID 83201 $14.99 6 in stock spotted yesterday"- Thanks Jesse! 

More on the link below:)

SG Nerf: Nerf N-Strike 18-dart Drum Magazine Set!:

Facebook: Nerf announces new blaster for tomorrow

A quick Photoshop manip from yours truly.. sorry for the confusion! :P

Whoo hoo! This came out of nowhere- Nerf announced this on their official Facebook Page today:

"Get those eyelids opened wide, Nation! We'll be posting details on a new, exclusive Nerf blaster tomorrow around 3pm EST right here on the Facebook Wall. Is it Thursday yet?"

Speculation time! You have... just under 24 hrs:P

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Tactical Tag: LTX DMR Complete!

Phoenix LTX Lazer Tag blaster in a Nerf Stampede ECS shell. Hot.

In my honest opinion...The. Best. Laser Tag. Reshell.Mod. EVER. (If anyone local can say "I can do that" I'll happily commission you to make one for me. )

Tactical Tag: LTX DMR Complete!

Rumours: Bumblebee Barricade RV10 in the works?


Much like the Optimus Prime painted Barricade RV-10, it appears a new yellow version has been spotted, maintaining the traditional yellow and orange N-Strike colours but adding Autobot graphics- this time it looks like a Bumblebee theme (although I PERSONALLY think the character looks more like a Gen1 Cliff Jumper..)

It's interesting that it's another Barricade and personally it's not grabbing me, BUT.... what I DO think is cool is it offers a whole new variety of aesthetic mod; the "urban canvas" style as seen on  phone covers,sneakers and skateboard decks. As a budding toon artist myself, there's a lot of "hmmmmm's" going on in my mind right about now for possibilities.... :)

Tactical Tag: New LTX Accessories!


 If you're a Phoenix LTX fan you'll have known a few years ago there were plans to develop additional attachments (such as the much coveted Rapid Fire unit above), but it never happened and alas we were all left begging.

What they DID provide many of us who bought the blasters brand new is a somewhat useless TV game attachment- I say useless mainly due to 1) most people at this point owned 100hz Flatscreen, Plasma or LCD televisions which it didn't work on, and 2) the game was crap. I am a tad bummed that my gf (admittedly with my blessing) threw these out given I thought I'd never need them ever.. until now.

News from Tactical Tag that the designer of our much loved Phoenix LTX laser tag blasters is now in the process of developing new attachments! Words from the actual developer of these blasters:

"I am completing the design of a PCB that can be easily soldered together by hobbyists and will convert the LTX TV Game into a new weapon barrel. Initially there will be two models, RapidBlast (same function as the RapidFire) and SniperShot (self explanatory). "


That's AWESOME. If I still had my TV game attachments:( That being said,I'm not really a hobbiest- more of a goober at this sorta thing; so I'm also pleased to learn they will be producing ready to play attachments with the same capabilities, eventually from these good people at 1 Source Laser Tag.

Learn more below:)

Tactical Tag: New LTX Accessories!:

Nerf Dart Tag: Possible 10 shot blaster?

I received this in my email but noticed Nerf Mods + Reviews have it up too- a mysterious Swarmfire looking blaster but streamlined to 10 rounds and as a pistol. I'll throw down a "it's legit" mainly on the grounds the photo of the unit has "Not for sale" etched into the side of the blaster.. sorta doesn't make sense to be etching that into a fake, don't you think?:)

 I'm sure we'll find out more over the following months, but my initial responses is the blaster looks kinda ugly. While the Swarmfire seemed to make lots of sense in design and functionality, this looks sort of rushed and an ergonomic fail as a pistol style blaster given the size and probably weight. Or perhaps they're going after a more "submachine gun" plan for it.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Orange Modworks: Longshot kits are coming...

Orange Modworks is definitely making waves in Nerf land, bringing the joys of modding to the masses. What started off as a kit for the tried and true Recon, has now grown to kits for the Alpha Trooper, Longstrike and Raider but there's always been that underlying thought on everyone's mind.. "What about the almighty Longshot?"

Well! Word has it from their newsletter that Longshot is getting the Orange Modworks treatment pretty damn soon, not to mention Polycarbonate stage 2 kits for the Recon, Alpha Trooper, Longstrike and Raider. I know, we at Urbantaggers aren't modders, but we're definitely a fan of innovators so we'll be getting ours cos I like keeping up with the cool kids:)

Check out their site if you haven't already; no doubt when these kits are released they'll sell out pretty quickly so here's the heads up that they're coming.. watch this space!

Orange Mod Works

Sunday, September 18, 2011

YouTube: Hyperfire/Supermaxx 1500 mod is a beast

   

As you know modding isn't our thing, but credit where credit is due, this is pretty damn cool. From Makeitgo, the same dude who made the very cool 'Octoshot' from a Lanard Quadshot rifle is a Frankenstein-esque mod of a Nerf Supermax 1500 crossed with a Dart Tag Hyperfire. It looks awesome but more importantly.. how about dem ranges eh?



More on Makeitgo's YouTube channel.

Nerf Mods & Reviews: HVZ Zombie Fighter 8 Shot


Jerm from Nerf Mods + Reviews did get himself the HVZ 8 Shot blaster we posted about last week. Apparently it's actually not that bad. As always I'm sceptical of whether it'll come to Australia or not, but we'll see:) Check out his review at the link below.

Nerf Mods &Reviews: HVZ Zombie Fighter 8 Shot Review

Tactical Tag: More on the LTX Combo Mount


We touched on this last week regarding the custom attachment rig seen on laser tag blog Tactical Tag for the Lazer Tag Phoenix LTX's developed by laser tag affectionatos Custom Tag Dynamics. As much as we love it and were very keen to get our hands on some kit, alas the cost to mass produce these is pretty damn exi given they pretty much have to buy full Airsoft rifles first and cull them for parts. If Airsoft was even remotely available in Australia I have no doubt I could commission someone very clever Down Under to do it for us, but alas it ain't.  That being said, I don't think it's an issue ordering stocks or sights though, so these kits could very much make it to Australia IF there was enough demand.
It's SUCH a good idea and definitely gives the Lazer Tag Phoenix LTX blaster a whole new dimension, but one of the biggest issues is the Phoenix LTX was never officially released here, thus meaning any Australian who has a set would have had to have imported them. It's hard enough for Australia to get on manufacturer/distributor's radars let alone for a product that was never actually sold in stores here. 

Still.. I'm going to attempt to drum up support here not just on behalf of us Aussies but for anyone with a Lazer Tag love; if you've got the Lazer Tag Phoenix LTX blasters, let us know and show the folks at Custom Tag Dynamics that it's worth making more of these. We for one would pick up several rigs easily:)

More info on this kit on the link below. If anything, it's great eye candy:)

Tactical Tag: More on the LTX Combo Mount:

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

My Air Cannon: Toilet Paper Bazooka


Neil brought this to my attention; 'My Air Cannons' is a website that sells the instructional guides to building some incredible do-it-yourself blasters. From shooting popcorn, marshmallows, water balloons and my personal fav- toilet paper, this site seems to just take home made blasters to a whole new level:) Check it out- it'll make you laugh in any case:)

SHOULDER FIRED TOILET PAPER BAZOOKA GUN. TOILET PAPER EVERYTHNG!!:

Nerfenstein:Aesthetic modding one to watch


New kid on the block "Nerfenstein" has been gaining decent interest due to thia mad Blade Runner inspired Proton aesthetic mod. What I quite like about their work is the different take on design that differs from many others; it's not better or worse, it's just different. For the record the Nerfenstein painter IS a girl (well assuming so from her blog "girliegamer.com.au") which may or may not be the reason for this unique take- not a common thing to see girls in Nerf land, let alone modding. Cool!

Either way, definitely one to look out for. Did we mention Nerfenstein hails from Down Under too? Props in my book right there:)

Dr Who Tardis inspired Proton. Left field right there!

Vortex Proton Nerf mod – Blade Runner blaster homage
Nerfenstein official Facebook page

Nerf Vortex: Praxis drop clip issues


Of the four Nerf Vortex blasters, my clear favourite would have to the be Praxis. It looks tuff, performs beautifully and has a mad pump action mechanism. That being said, it's also the blaster I have been hearing the most amount of issues with, namely a rather bizarre quirk of the clip dropping out after firing the blaster.  Not ALL of them do this I might add- the majority of fans seem to find their Praxis' are working fine, but so far I've counted more than 17 instances reported of the same drop clip problem from posts, emails and comments, so I decided to test this out for myself and on top of the Praxis I already have.. I went out and bought.. two more. (That's what I do for you all folks!)

Having tested the 3 Praxis', one of them seemed perfectly fine and yet to have any issues; however the OTHER two seem to suffer from the occasional "drop clip" on pulling the trigger. It's not a constant thing, and also was not something I could easily replicate given I didn't know why it was doing it in the first place.  I had a play with wiggling the safety/clip release switch, mucked about with how hard I pulled the trigger, angle of the blaster when firing.. but nope, still couldn't get it to do it again. Until I least expected it to:P

To be honest, until I can really get to the bottom of this problem (ie anyone wanna enlighten us on why this is happening?!) I think the easiest solution is if you buy one and your does this.. take it back and exchange it for another It's still a great blaster though and I still believe it's our Vortex blaster of choice- but just like some of you reported amazing stock distances from Alpha Troopers and some of you reported.. dismal dribbles, it's just one of those "see what we get" instances:P

Tactical Tag: Phoenix LTX Combo Mount

Ooooh. Mount up!
The Lazer Tag Phoenix LTX has always been a huge favourite with us at Urban Taggers however due to their relatively limited release (or non existent release in Australia) there just weren't enough accessories for them; there were hints for future customisation with an accessory rail (similar to tactical rails on Nerf blasters)that unfortunately just went begging.

For many Lazer Tag fans, the one thing lacking with the Phoenix LTX's was the ability to mount a stock; Laser Tag affectionatos in Taiwan came up with a way that was very cool but it blocked the flashing recoil hammer (which some would say is a good thing).  That being said, Kevin Ericon did say:

"I find it easier to intergrate MP5 stock, not as cool but you can always add tactical rail on top, and it too opens up a WHOLE LOT of ways to enhance it."

Soooo.. Custom Tag Dynamics (CYTDYNE) have come up with this attachment system that allows for a scope and stock to the blaster without requiring any modification to the actual Phoenix LTX unit itself. This is VERY cool; I just hope they become available to buy:) Check out the link below to Tactical Tag to learn more.

Tactical Tag: CTDYNE: LTX Combo Mount:

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Humans vs Zombies Blaster


Brought to our attention; check out this Humans VS Zombies "Zombie Fighter 8 shot" branded blaster. 

While I've seen many a design student project to create a one off packaging/product display for their end of semester project, I'd have to say this is looking pretty damn polished to be one of those:) I don't know anything else about this blaster , so happy to put it to the peeps if anyone can give me more info.  

Update- The blaster is genuine and found in US Toys R Us stores, with info found on the HVZ forums. Also check out the blog where I got it from, but it doesn't give us much more intel than what I've provided:) Thanks again Jason and to the others who've given us more intel.

It's kinda.. lil- compared to Barricade and Spectre. Pic from the HVZ forums
The View From Up Here - “Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!” ...:

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Nerf Vortex: Blaster of choice?

Praxis, Nitron scope and clip, sans stock. Soo tuff.
I have no doubt this question is going to be asked many a time over the next few weeks but it's inevitable with new blasters; now that Nerf's Vortex line has been officially released and many of you have already had the opportunity to have a decent play with them, which one is your favourite and why?

For me- it's the Praxis. I like the way it looks- I like the form factor and aesthetics; I like the pump action mechanism and the way it feels in hand. It's also a decent performer and in my opinion it stands tall even amongst all other great blasters. Although it's got the ability to take on N-Strike attachments, the green colour makes it difficult to like it with them on, but that's ok because personally, it looks awesome with the Nitron scope and sans stock (and the Nitron larger capacity clip makes it look soo tuff)...

Sooo.. Your turn?:)

Lanard Shell Shock X-6 Clear


The Shell Shock X-6 is another one of the Lanard "Clear X" release of blasters that we stumbled across at our local mall; these blasters have been around in the US for some time but it is the first time I have seen them in Australia under the Lanard brand (more often than not Lanard stuff gets rebranded as Air Zone and sold overpriced at Toys R Us). From photos I've always liked the look of these and while I'm really not a fan of blasters with dart holder shells, I still decided to pick one up to see how if it was any good or not..

Lanard Total X-Stream Air Rotator X-8

The "Total X-Stream Air" Rotator X-8 is a revolver style blaster from Lanard Toys; it has been available for several months in the US, but it's the first time I've seen them available in Australia, let alone in a new "Clear-X" finish. Lanard don't have the biggest presence in Australia-they normally get rebranded under the Toys R Us exclusive Air Zone banner or occasionally show up at Toyworld's so it was quite the surprise to find them at our biggest department store chain Myer. Looking for a Maverick alternative? Well it's hard to not make comparisons between the Rotator X-8 and the Nerf classic, but is it a genuine rival?

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Tactical Tag: Amped Nitron



From Tactical Tag: feeling like your new Nerf Vortex Nitron is lacking a bit of oomph? Need a bit more.. lead in your pencil? :P Try upping the juice...

Tactical Tag: Amped Nitron:

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Tactical Tag: Next Lazer Tag System!

Laser Tag Phoenix LTX concept from 2008..can someone say VORTEX?:P Courtesy of Tactical Tag
Laser Tag really struggles to make it in the home consumer market, especially in Australia. We were pretty damn pumped for Wow Wee's Light Strike- it's a great attempt at a laser tag system and has lots of very cool features but the big problem is support. Light Strike obviously didn't do as well on the shelves of Australian toy stores as we would have liked (not without trying-as many of you know, we promoted the hell out of it) and I haven't seen stores replenish their stock, leaving just a scattering of blaster attachments and mini targets sitting on the shelves that will probably not sell without blasters to go with them.

Ubi Soft's Battle Tag showed promise but pretty much died before it even began and never even made it to Australian shores, leaving laser tag fans not a whole lot to cheer about.

Sooo, it's good to learn today from laser tag blog Tactical Tag that the rumours of a revitalised Lazer Tag line from Shoot the Moon (the original designers of the Lazer Tag line including the Phoenix LTX's we're always going on about) are true- we're looking at a new line that will stick with the "dome on the blaster" style sensor, be backwards compatible with the Phoenix LTX and LTTO lines and hopefully be something pretty damn spesh.  Quoting one of the developers:

"We are constantly developing new models, and while the market hasn't been solid enough to introduce a lot recently, we see it as picking up in the near future. Because of that we have a new model in the works that I think everyone will be amazed at. And it will be fully backwards-compatible with LTTO and LTX, something that is non-negotiable from our standpoint for all models."

I'm really optimistic about this; we LOVE our Lazer Tag Phoenix LTX's so fingers crossed they actually ship to Australia this time around.

Tactical Tag: Next Lazer Tag System!:

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Vapor Atlas 250: Razor rocks the squishy ballz


Popular kick scooter manufacturer Razor have turned their efforts towards the popular toy blaster market and are to be releasing their new "Vapor" line of projectile weapons very soon (though yet to have word of Australian availability) . These blasters appear to fire similar ammunition to the X-Ploderz line of blaster in the squishy "water balls"  and appears to be similar to that often found in flower displays and table decorations at weddings; difference being the balls come ready for firing rather than requiring you to "grow" them as with the X-Ploderz. The other massive advantage to the X-Ploderz line is these Vapor blasters come with a trigger; me thinks Razor are definitely fingers on the pulse on that one:)

For now there seems to only be an Atlas 250 model which boasts 50 rounds with "no reload". The blaster itself looks decent and hopefully would be decently built coming from the Razor stable. That being said, a toy blaster and a kick scooter is kinda chalk and cheese so it's hard to know if the designers of either toy even talk to one another:)

Our friends from Foam from Above have gotten their hands on one, so do check their blog out for further info. Otherwise check the official Vapor Blaster Facebook page if you're interested.

Vapor official site
Vapor Blaster via Facebook
Razor steps into the ring - their new toy blaster, the Vapor Atlas 250! via Foam From Above

Friday, September 2, 2011

Nerf Vortex: Well and truly here down under


I was pretty impressed on my travels to manage to pick up some Nerf Vortex blasters from Nashville of all places; I mailed it to myself so that I'd not have to cart them around and have them waiting for me when I got home. Ironically, I didn't probably need to do that (and probably got shafted a lil with shipping) as sure enough, the full Vortex range has been popping up all over the shop all over Australia. I've been receiving emails and reports of them appearing in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra- originally rather sporadically but then more and more sightings had me rather sheepish that I just went to such lengths to import 'em from the US!

A stroll today in my local Westfield in Belconnen, Canberra had me very impressed with the availability. Target, Toys R Us and KMart all stocked the full line up, with Target proving to be the cheapest, but either way all three stores had the Nitron for 79.95- cheaper than the RRP I've seen advertised elsewhere. Reports of them also appearing in Big W's and Toyworlds mean it's a clean sweep that we're not only getting the full line up, but we're getting them in bulk and getting them early! (Big W has the Nitron for 70 atm)

It's quite an amazing time for Nerf in Australia- Sure we missed out on Dart Tag blasters, but to get such a good haul so early in the piece- 9-10-11 or not, no doubt these Vortex blasters are going to be doing Nerf some serious $$$!

Dart Zone Quickfire 12/ Airzone Double Barrel Shooter


The Dart Zone Quick Fire 12 is a rather novel handheld blaster that utilises a 6 round revolving barrel, much like the Nerf N-Strike Maverick REV-6. What makes it that little bit more interesting is the fact it comes with an additional barrel that can be interchanged (hence the '12' in the blaster's name)

I picked up one of these early in my trip to the US for some novel fun to muck about with on my travels, as it hadn't made it to Australian shores at the time. Ironically, while I was away The Quick Fire 12  WAS actually released in Australia, albeit rebranded as the "Air Zone Double Barrel Shooter" and hence found at Toys R US. For the sake of this post, I'll keep calling it the Quick Fire 12 though:)