Gizmodo: Nerf Centurion firing..

Just because:P

Sneak Peak At The Damage A Nerf N-Strike Elite Centurion Blaster Does via Gizmodo

Tek Recon: unofficial range tests

It's raw, it's honest, it's.. the new Tek Recon TV spot!  nah I kid, it's actually a quick lil' vid that shows what the Tek Recon blasters can do- using the incredibly accurate and uber technical measure of distance with "official flowers" (hehe), two of the staff from Tek Recon decided to step outside and do a range test on the upcoming Hammerhead blasters. Modest ranges of around 50-60 ft, with some up past 80ft- pretty impressive:)

Nerf official press release for Australia- legit :)

We received the official press release from Hasbro Australia this morning regarding the three main new releases for 2013. It's pretty much just reiterating intel we've already discovered over the past few months, but at least it's from the horses mouth:)

NERF N-STRIKE ELITE RAPIDSTRIKE CS-18 Blaster
(Ages 8 years and up | Approx. Retail Price: $64.99 | Available: September 2013)

In the heat of battle, speed can often determine the difference between victory and defeat. With the lightweight, high-speed N-STRIKE ELITE RAPIDSTRIKE CS-18 blaster, the first fully-motorized N-STRIKE ELITE blaster, victory is close at hand! The RAPIDSTRIKE CS-18 blasts at an impressive rate of 3.2 darts per second, sending each dart flying up to 30 metres. The lightweight design and adjustable stock allow for ultimate foam blasting fun. Compatible with the N-STRIKE ELITE Clip System and comes complete with the first-ever clear N-STRIKE ELITE 18 dart clip and 18 N-STRIKE ELITE darts. Requires 4 “C” batteries, not included. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide.

NERF N-STRIKE ELITE MEGA CENTURION Blaster
(Ages 8 years and up | Approx. Retail Price: $74.99 | Available: October 2013)

Launch a long-range assault with this incredible high-calibre Centurion blaster! This N-Strike Elite blaster features bigger darts that are engineered to fire farther than ever. Attach the bipod stand for even more accuracy and load up the MEGA Clip with your MEGA Whistler Darts. They scream as they fly! With a range of 30 metres and 6 MEGA darts, you can push the boundaries of your marksmanship. Amp up your sniper cred with the Centurion blaster! The Centurion blaster is a long-range blaster! Fires MEGA darts 30 metres! MEGA Whistler Darts scream as they fly. Includes 6 MEGA Whistler Darts. Load the darts in the MEGA Clip. Includes removable bipod stand for precision targeting! Blaster comes with 6 MEGA darts, MEGA Dart clip, removable bipod stand and instructions.

NERF VORTEX REVONIX 360 Blaster
(Ages 8 years and up | Approx. Retail Price: $74.99 | September 2013)

Amp up freestyle foam blasting performance with the NERF VORTEX REVONIX360 blaster which achieves the farthest VORTEX distance yet, up to 20 metres! This disc blaster features new, awesome deco and has a revolving drum that rotates each time you fire the blaster.Plus, the SLAM FIRE Handle gives you total control over your rate of fire – blast a single shot or hold the trigger down and slide the handle repeatedly to unleash an unstoppable stream of discs.Includes 30 multi-color XLR discs. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide.

 NERF N-STRIKE ELITE MISSION APP TACTICAL RAIL MOUNT
(Ages 8 years and up | Approx. Retail Price: $24.99 | Available: September 2013 @ TRU)

Turn your N-Strike Elite blaster into a battle cam with the Battle App Tactical Rail Mount! Download the free Nerf Battle app to your iPhone or iPod Touch and then attach your device to your blaster (devices and blasters sold separately) with the Tactical Rail Mount. Now you're ready to review mission briefs, activate the rangefinder to gauge the distance to your target, and even record the battle, all from your blaster!

Battle App Tactical Rail Mount accessory lets you mount your iPhone or iPod Touch on your blaster (devices and blasters sold separately)! Download the free app and complete N-Strike Elite missions! Review mission briefs. App has a rangefinder that gauges the target distance! Record your missions!  Includes Rail Mount accessory and instructions. Nerf and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro. iPad, iPod touch and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Ages 8 and up. Note: This device is not intended to provide protection to the iPhone/iPod touch. Hasbro is not responsible for damage to iPhone/iPod touch. Blaster does not charge device. Adult assembly required. No tools needed. © 2013 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

 Good to know:
• Internet connection needed for app download and updates (data charges may apply).
• Internet connection not needed during play.
• Make sure you’re using the latest version of the app.

Hasbro is not responsible for any content distributed through the App Store, except for Hasbro-generated content. Please refer to App Store terms and conditions for further information. Please note the only place this product will be available is Toys R US and they have a small allocation of 600 pieces that will sell out fast. Free App will be available globally on iTunes from 1st August 2013.

There are no plans for Android at this point of time.

The app will be available soon globally on the iTunes store from 1st August:

Nerf Mission App®
Nerf Mission App turns your Nerf™ blaster into a battle camera. Record, Share and More! Access Nerf HQ – Review Mission Briefs, Track your Arsenal and more in your Battle Headquarters

• Battle Camera Display – Active targeting screen with features to help you while you play. Camera controls let you record video or photos of the action. Zoom function lets you zero in on targets. Rangefinder helps gauge distance to your target. Compass keeps you on course.
• Missions – Guides provide different ways to have multiplayer Nerf battles.
• Record your Battles – share them with friends.
• Arsenal – Check and Track all the Nerf N-Strike Elite ™ blasters you own.
• Hand Signals – See the guide for ways to silently communicate with your squad when you play.

Attach your iPhone® or iPod touch® to your NERF blaster using the NERF N-Strike Elite Mission App Tactical Rail Mount sold separately!

For:  iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, Ipod Touch 4th Gen., iPod Touch 5th Gen.

Baidu: Nerf Rebelle Guardian unboxing images

Some neat unboxing images of the upcoming new Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow have made it onto Baidu. I honestly don't really care about the pink- I think it looks pretty cool to be honest. The collectible darts is an interesting slant:) More pics after the jump:) Cheers Blackops for the lead.

Upcoming Nerf release dates: Australia

This just in! Some official intel from Hasbro on some of the upcoming release dates for the new Nerf gear.

The upcoming N-Strike Elite Mega Centurion will be released in Australia in September, and will be subject to the same strict safety standards as previous N-Strike Elite kit. While the U.S version boasts up to 100ft distances, the Australian/ISO version will be badged 23m and the official word is "and any other blasters in this range" suggesting there will be more additions to the MEGA line.

The N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike CS-18 should also make it to Australian shelves in September.

The N-Strike Elite revisioning of the Spectre REV-5 will be available in small quantities at Toys R Us in July.

As for the upcoming Rebelle and Zombiestrike lines- as far as the Rebelle line is concerned, more info will be shared at a later date, but Target Australia will receive two exclusives for 2013 being the Hammer Shot and another blaster called the "SLEDGE FIRE". These will be available on Australian shelves in October this year.

The smart phone app cradle should be available from Toys R Us stores across the country in April.

And now for the weather....:P

Nerf Haven: Nerf Mega Centurion internals

Thanks to a gentleman by the name of 'Langley', images of the upcoming Nerf Mega Centurion are available on Nerf Haven with a bootload of discussion on the fact that interestingly the Centurion is a reverse plunger blaster. As a non modder, this doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but this could be considered a controversial decision by Nerf. I dunno, is it? More pics after the jump, or head on over to Nerf Haven to get in amongst the discussion. Thanks to everyone for the emails.

Nerf Mega Centurion unboxing vids: Click Click Bamf | Basic Nerf

Our fellow bloggers in the US have been lucky enough to be sent out the upcoming new Nerf Mega Centurion blaster for review and so far the initial responses have been okay. After the jump are two unboxing videos, one from Click Click Bamf and the other being from Basic Nerf. They're worth watching so take a look:) I've also just added my 2 cents worth on seeing these; is this the blaster you've been waiting on for this year or are there other blasters you're more keen for?

Aesthetic mods on Nerf Rapidstrike- already!

Wow talk about 'arms race'- while we're all speculating and crossing our fingers for when the upcoming new N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike is going to be released in our respective countries, our friends in China have already started to get stuck into the mods:) These pics show a pretty sweet paintjob- there's a fair bit more after the jump with a few glimpses of the blaster in pieces if that interests you! Cheers Blackops for the pics!

Vimeo: Case study video shows insight into Nerf Rebelle

It takes a fair amount of work to start up a new blaster line, let alone one for a totally new market that hasn't been explored to date. Design company Envisual put together this little video as a case study for their involvement in the upcoming Nerf Rebelle line. It's interesting stuff; I especially like the prototype drawings of the blasters:) Check it out after the jump. Cheers JB for the intel!

AwesomeNerfer1999: Elite Spectre lives!

AwesomeNerfer1999 has been lucky enough to pick up a Nerf N-Strike Elite Spectre REV-5; This gives me a happy because I've always been a big fan of the Spectre. At the time it was considered by some as a lower capacity, weak imitation of a Maverick, but we did a whole up close n' personal review of it back in 2010 where with more play we found it to have its own quirks and personality that made it actually our sidearm of choice. The rumours as you can see true that it's been given the Elite treatment and while I personally welcome this update, I can't help but think it's going to struggle with its place in the new Nerf world order; we always thought the Strongarm was the lovechild of the Maverick and the Spectre, so for the Spectre to live on? I dunno how that works.

STILL.. it's more than a paint job (which I might add I love) as the Spectre's reporting hot lil' Elite performances (yay!) and some subtle shell design changes. Of course, there's the attachments which was always a major drawcard to the Spectre in the first place- now in matching Elite colours. Of course there's still the whole "wtf is Nerf doing with its naming process"- this new Elite blaster maintains the identical name of its N-Strike predecessor but with Elite ranges whereas the Barrel Break IX-2 also keeps the existing name.. but is still considered to be a N-Strike blaster but with Elite colours. Confusing much?

More pics after the jump, or just go to AwesomeNerfer1999's post on it:)

Baidu: Nerf Rebelle box art surfaces

You know what seems to be synonymous with cool these days? Bows. Bows are the new black.  So many current pop culture trends feature them- The Hunger Games. The Avengers. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Game of Thrones. Revolution. Arrow. The Walking Dead.  Crysis 3.  Chewbacca... (Ok Chewbacca isn't that current per se.. but he's pretty timeless and who doesn't think Chewbacca is da ma.. wookie.)

In any case, there's something about a bow, be it a long bow or crossbow that gets us all excited.  Well, Nerf's upcoming Rebelle line embraces this in spades and they're bringing out a few. Here, courtesy of Baidu is a first look at the box art of the new "Guardian Crossbow"- a six round shooter that Buffy would be proud of:) Look how happy the box art model looks. She's lovin' the fact she's got a bow. More so than any N-Strike/N-Strike Elite/Vortex box art model. No grim black skivvy'd emo teen boys here.

Bow's are cool. :)

Rant: Tek Recon- best foot forward

Following on from my earlier post about the dominance of Nerf and its foam dart stranglehold, imagine what it'd be like to make the gutsy move of developing your own brand of blasters in an already saturated market. What would you do? How would you go about it? It got me thinking as it's often a point of conversation regarding "what would I do if I wanted to design the ideal blaster?" and while most of us just talk about it, sometimes some people are awesome or crazy enough to actually do it. While I was writing the previous post, one line kept ringing in my head- an alternative to Nerf that may just have the goods to be a game changer in the toy blaster market.

Tek Recon is the new kid on the block; well they haven't even moved in yet but the anticipation and buzz behind this new line is pretty positive thus far and better than anything I've seen in the time I've been blogging for an alternative blaster. Considering all the blaster lines in the past that have come and gone, how successful do you think Tek Recon will be?

Rant: Is it REALLY "Nerf or nothin'?"

There's only one choice...?

Over the last few years, new blaster lines have come and gone; they've all at the time emerged as an innovative new product hoping to claim their stake in the competitive toy blaster market and to make more than just a tiny dent in Hasbro's considerable presence. It's been a tough run though; even when good gear is released from a Non Nerf manufacturer and fans praise it, it serves as more of a novelty or "something different" for a short time before fans run back to Nerf and the gear is no longer of use.

With Nerf being not only the dominant brand, but also the default name for any type of blaster these days (Parents especially are schooled pretty darn quickly when they dare to get their kid something that's NOT Nerf- Cosmic Thruster aside!) there's not really a whole lot of reason for a fan to get anything else. So what is it that makes fans so loyal? Is it based on solid arguments or are we all just sheep? Let's explore this...

Boom! An afternoon with Tek Recon in Los Angeles

Every now and then, cosmic forces align and awesome things happen:) Right now I am very far away from home; across the pond in sunny Los Angeles California and was taking a break from everything when I learned of two rather excellent coincidences- 1) E3, perhaps one of the biggest exhibitions was going to be on while I was still here, and 2) new kids on the block  in the blaster world Tek Recon were going to be flying in to LA, selecting E3 as their showcase for their new gear, fresh off the highs of surpassing their kickstarter.com crowd sourcing campaign goal of $50k. Coincidence? Or.. DESTINY:D  

I was therefore very lucky to be able to catch some of the fellas from Tek Recon while they were setting up their stand for E3 for an early hands on look at the much anticipated gear and to have an in-depth chat with them about the upcoming line.  In short, there's a lot about this line that has us excited- not just the awesome blasters themselves but the work behind the scenes to bring this line to light has been extraordinary. Bootload of pictures available after the jump, so sorry for it being a tad grunty on the bandwidth! Most of this is just pic spam, but I'll do a more indepth write up when my plane lands back in Australia:)

Rumours: New look Retaliator stock suggests.. what? - Baidu

This was spotted on Baidu and it's opened up the rumour mill to all sorts of speculation as to WHAT this could mean. Sure, it's basically a Retaliator stock, but it's translucent which makes it less likely to be a fan repaint (which is always the first thing cynical nerfers cry). So, what do you think? A new elite series reshell in the works? A whole new blaster? A whole new blaster line?

YouTube: Rapidstrike CS-18 range tests- Randomshadow09

Also on YouTube are some neat range test videos of the upcoming Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike both stock and voltage modded courtesy of Randomshadow09. Just makes us want this blaster oh that little bit more:) Check them out after the jump.

YouTube: Nerf Zombiestrike Hammershot range test-Randomshadow09

Just for those of you who haven't seen this already- Nerf's much rumoured and discussed Zombiestrike Hammershot has made it into the hands of youtube fan Randomshadow09 and he makes a pretty schmick range test video. Check it out after the jump:)

Baidu- Rapidstrike /Strongarm integration

SO while we're all anxiously awaiting the upcoming Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike to make its way to our hot lil hands, those crazy kids in China are.. well doing this. Not the CLEANEST integration i've seen before, but still enough to make us somewhat envious that they're already doing mods. :)

While we're at it heres another one on Baidu that's been given a slight tacticool treatment..

Random: A trip to some Los Angeles toy stores

The rejigged Jolts- Toys R Us prices are somewhat.. high..

I'm currently in Los Angeles for other affairs but figured I'd pop into a few toy stores and see what stuff was available here that I hadn't really seen back at home in Australia. I'm sure for all of you American readers you may think "so what?" but I've just posted a few pics after the jump for our readers down under who might find it interesting:) More pics after the jump:)

Kickstarter.com: Tek Recon hits the mark with 6 days to go!

It's a good day- we've been very excited for the upcoming new Tek Recon line of blasters that you no doubt would have heard of by now; well their kickstarter.com efforts have come to fruition and we're stoked to find out they've made their target of 50k with 6 days to spare!

That doesn't mean you shouldn't all still get in and order some of these mad looking blasters while you still can get in early but it does mean they're at least going to happen, and happen in a big way. We pledged, so we're keen to get our hands on these and while it's premature to say they'll be game changers, we're quietly confident they're going to be everything we're hoping them to be:)

Tek Recon official page

Super Soaker Flash Blast: In theory a great idea but...

The 2013 Super Soaker line have some pretty amazing design moulds, but alas they're mostly triggerless piston based blasters which is one big fat fail in my book. The thing is, water guns are just not as popular as they used to be so there's no desire to put any effort into making them any more than glorified syringes. 

Nerf blasters are the thing everyone likes and so interestingly enough, the Flash Blast is the one Super Soaker Hasbro have brought out that DOES have a trigger and uses a rather novel spring based firing mechanism that takes its cues from Nerf blasters like the Maverick/Strong Arm to prime it. How does this translate to the water fighting arena? More after the jump.

Wolverine Claw: Snikkkt with safety, bub

Something rather novel I stumbled across while over here in the U.S is a pair of foam Wolverine claws:) They're Hasbro, and also "from the makers of Nerf" so basically they're N-Force foam roleplay fun, but for under 10 bucks I had to pick up a pair:) Although melee games are becoming more and more popular these days, I probably can't see them having much of a practical use other than impromptu living room role play, but hey.. that's good enough for me! More pics after the jump.

GI-Joe Snake Eyes Ninja Chucks

It's pretty well known I've always been wanting Nerf to bring out N-Force nunchuks, and for all intended purposes.. this is it. They announced these 'Snake Eyes Ninja Chucks"  almost a year ago as a tie-in to the new-but-delayed GI-Joe film  and while here in L.A I finally picked myself up a pair for funsies. Made of soft foam as found on Nerf's N-Force gear, and featuring the "from the makers of Nerf" badges, this is the closest I'm gonna get to a pair of foam nunchuks:) More pics after the jump.

Nerf N-Strike Elite Alpha Trooper CS-12- same same but different

The original Nerf N-Strike Alpha Trooper was definitely a massive fan favourite, and probably my personal favourite blaster for quite some time, with its pump action/slam fire capabilities and general all round good performances. It's received a much appreciated Elite overhaul, and whereas for all intended purposes it looks and feels like an N-Strike AT, there are small subtle differences that make it.. well better on the whole.  While readily available now in Australia, I still waited till I hit Los Angeles in the US to pick mine up so that I could appreciate the full orange trigger Elite performances. Lets get into it after the jump:)

Rumours: Baidu shows a 25 round drum colour variance

I dunno if this is news or not, but spotted on Baidu- to the right is the 25 round drum that comes with the Nerf N-Strike Elite Rampage. To the left- a different colour. Unfinished paint job, or cues for a new blaster/reshell?