Up and Coming? Buzz Bee's upcoming Big Blast

It's often said that competition is good for consumers because it forces manufacturers to innovate. For the longest while, Buzz Bee Toys' products weren't quite as aesthetically pleasing or well received by the NIC (Nerf Internet Community).

In the past, I had not really been a big fan of Buzz Bee's products due to the cheap looking plastic and the "me too!" approach. I generally see their stuff in supermarkets or what-not sold more cheaply than Hasbro's Nerf line. From a marketing standpoint, some companies try to come to market with something that's not-so-great but cheap in the hopes that the public will buy it, and revenues will increase and then the company would be able to reinvest into their production cycle and hopefully come out with something progressively better each cycle.

However, the configuration bears resemblance to the Lanard Toys Ltd.'s Blast Bazooka which happens to be one of my all time favorites. Being a veteran of the Ultimator, I find the Blast Bazzoka (which is currently widely availble at Toys R Us) to be a very good substitute. It comes with only two rockets and supplimental ammo packs are hard to find. However, these rockets go fast and pack a whollop, and despite its small form factor it is great for indoor CQB (close quarters battle) in the office.

At the time of this writing, the Lanard Blast Bazooka looks like this (colors may vary):

blastbazooka.jpg

So like the Blast Bazooka, Buzz Bee's Big Blast's ammo is front-loaded and the pump is on the rear. While there appears to be a shotgun style black-colored pump on the Big Blast, it may be a cosmetic grip only, judging from the photo.

But this similarity invites the question: is there a connection between Buzz Bee Toys Ltd. and Lanard Toys Ltd.? Is one a copy of the other, or is there more than meets the eye? Both happen to be headquartered in Tsim Sha Tsui district in Kowloon peninsula of Hong Kong. They're practically in the same neighborhood. One might be an OEM (Other Equipment Manufacturer) for another, but since both do manufacturing in China, both companies might use similar sources.

The important question is if the Big Blast performs as well as the Blast Bazooka. If so, the Big Blast is aesthetically superior, and I'm sure they have Hasbro's market share in their sites.