Thursday, September 23, 2010

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..

If only Buffy had one of these..
The Nerf Crossbow is the ultimate in serious Nerf fanboy foam dreams. To be honest I've never seen one in real life and from the pics it looks pretty dorky, but it boasts dual ammo capabilities and apparently fires with some serious power and range. Hard to get a hold of for a decent price, but if you can, apparently you'll be the envy of Nerf geeks everywhere.

Nerf Airtech 3000's. So not hot.
There were a lot more air pressure blasters in the 90's + early part of this decade- Super Soakers were at an all time high and so air pressure ruled supreme. The Airtech series are also widely sort after with collectors and were pre Magstrike (although the Rapid Fire-20 has been around for ages). Not pretty, but each to their own.
Nerf Ballzooka. Shoot ballz.

The Ballzooka..as the name suggests.. shoots balls. A fair amount of them at the same time actually. I've never been a fan of the ball based Nerf blasters, you get more power and range from throwing it with your hand and they always look stupid (mm. Nerf Reactor. looks like a cross between a bong and a marital aid) Still, the Ballzooka get's Nerf collectors excited like a tweenie to Justin Bieber. Only with balls.


So far, none of the classic Nerf fav's have really excited me, but the Blastfire DX-500 is admittedly a pretty good looking blaster. Sure, it's only got 5 rounds, but it seems to be a decent predecessor to the Magstrike and Rapidfire 20 and has the ability to pop out the rounds either one at a time or all at once with the press of a button. It's probably the one blaster I wouldn't mind getting my hands on to compliment my Powerclip DX-1000.

Sooo.. what do you reckon? Would you consider going after classic Nerf blasters, even if they're from the vortex of bad design? If so, what would be you blasters of choice?
Images courtesy of Orange's Nerf Page

6 comments:

  1. I'm not fussed on them, personally. You'd have to get them from the states, and would you actually play with them? Paying so much for a never-to-be-made-again, I'd be tempted to put it in the pool room and let no man touch it. But that's just me.

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  2. I agree with your dilemma. I started my collecting a few years ago when the N-Strike line came out with the Recon and being a bit OCD and had to have them all. However the old Nerf never really had an appeal. They are just too goofy looking. I decided to have my collection start with N-Strike and move on from there. If the opportunity arises and the price is right... Maybe with the older stuff but probably not. Great topics by the by.

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  3. You're ignoring the fact that the people who do play with the old style blasters are the ones who play with a sense of competition. As in, we go out of our ways to play outside and not inside while wearing Iron Man masks. Feel free to ignore them. Leaves more material for the rest of the real nerfers.

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  4. The old blasters are mostly second hand and would haven been played with and scuffed, and possibly even on the way out. If you are not good at mods or repairs, it would probably not be a good buy.

    If they are in mint condition then you would probably want to keep them in the box which isnt fun. either way, it doesnt sound very practical for you.

    i agree you should leave them to the real nerfers who don't care about appearances. I mean, have you SEEN the way those guys look? N-Strike is so much cooler anyway.

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  5. Haha, it the classic question of which is better the old or the new, but in all reality they can't be compared. I collect what I can find and what's in my budget, although I live in the states so I can almost always find them at second hand stores. I don't think the old collection has much to offer but keep your eyes open and who knows what you'll find.
    I have a Nerf Whiptail Scorpion (http://www.nerfcenter.com/reviews-of/WhiptailScorpion.htm)
    , it has to be one of the most creative guns I've ever beheld but it doesn't shoot that great so alas it depends whether you want some history or just some modern foam launching devices.

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  6. I bought a DX-500 + a Supermaxx 3000:) I'm sure they'll work fine with my Iron man masks on the couch:)

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