CSMacLaren's NERF Intelligence Files

USB Circus Cannon

2006-10-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

This one is downright hilarious. It's a USB Circus Cannon which is controlled by your computer. You simply plug the Cannon into your USB port, and you use the control the cannon. It comes with a bunch of sound effects to make this downright comical. It might be a bit loud for the office (especially if you sit next to sales people like I do who, for some blasted reason, always talk to clients with the speakerphone ON at their desks. What's up with that?)

The ammo are foam darts called "babes" (remember the women they fire out of cannons at the circus?) I guess "babes" are no longer politically correct so perhaps the manufacturer should say, "Fires foam persons of the female variety."

The good thing about this toy is that it is powered off of the USB port, so no batteries are required (now if ALL kids' toys could be USB powered....) It comes with a software CD.

http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00188

"Dark Ghost" Wallpaper

2006-05-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this wallpaper. It's called "Dark Ghost". Resolution: 1280x1024.

Who the heck is Akimbo? Fire foam -- John Woo Style

2006-05-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

You put one gun in a hero's hand, and he looks sufficiently armed, depending on what he's up against. But you put one gun in each of his hands, now he has two, and suddenly he's larger than life, a super badass, invincible, able to slow time and dodge bullets and spank Neo all at the same time.

The person I'd like to write this tribute to is actor Chow Yun-Fat who had worked eleven hard years in Hong Kong's daytime soap opera circuit until recruited by director John Woo for the film A Better Tomorrow which catapulted him from leading ladies' man to leading MAN and ultra badass with two guns, cooler than Chuck Norris himself.

So how does one nerf like this?

Buzz Bee's Twin Tek Four

This was available as a set for around $10 or less at K-Mart, so I immediately nabbed this. It comes with a target (don't care). Four yellow darts and four green darts come with the yellow and green blasters. What originally drew me to the Tek Four other than price was the fact that you cock it by pulling the rear handle.

And then I notice the rear handle's "T" shape and figured, "That looks like a hook. What if I can hook both together and pull the guns in opposite directions and cock them at the SAME time?" Bad move. First, the mechanism is based on a thin metal round bar, and the moment you try to lock the "T" handles one to the other, they rotate and no longer hold onto each other.

Yet in a firefight, I found the "T" shapes very accessible. For example, I could use the fingers of my right hand to cock the gun in my left without letting go of the gun in my right hand (bear in mind I'm a grown-up with medium-sized hands. Little kids: your mileage will vary, so eat your spinach, grow up to be big and strong, and when you're BIG and STRONG you won't need any steeenkin' nerf guns to pulverize your enemies and to hear their lamentation Conan-style.)

One drawback to the Tek Four is that they it has a short grip. While perhaps slightly shorter than the Nerf Crossfire, it's more ergonomic than the Crossfire. Smaller kids wouldn't have to worry; they can grip it fine. The trigger is reasonably comfortable, and while not wide enough for a grown-up's two-finger use, if gripping the entire handle is an issue, you could use your second/middle finger as your trigger finger. The depressed area above the trigger is actually long enough for an index finger. But I stopped playing with toy guns in this fashion a long time ago; since the middle finger is stronger than the index finger, little kids sometimes have to rely on it to pull tighter triggers, or until their hands build strength. I'm a grown-up so I don't have to do that any more, and besides, it makes holding the blaster awkward anyway.

Another drawback is that the cylinder does not automatically rotate to bring the next round into alignment. So now you not only have to cock the gun with the other hand, you have to use the other hand to rotate the barrel to prepare the next dart.

However, I was able to to do so with each opposite hand without letting go of my guns.

So while having to manually rotate the cylinder is a bummer, it's not toooooooo inconvenient. Realize now that you have to cock it and rotate the cylinder of each gun before you return fire. Reloading, however might be inconvenient because that is still a two handed action. Yet if your fingers are long enough, you might be able to reload without letting go of your blasters.

If your friend has a Maverick and you have a Tek Four in each hand, you have better firepower, but the trade-off is that it's slightly less convenient. The downside is you have to take cover more to prime your guns before you can return fire. The upside is you can be Chow Yun-Fat any time you want to.

Again, with my previous findings with the Tek Six and Tek 10, the range is a few feet better than the Maverick.

The plastic looks cheap, unfortunately. But none of the gloopy paint that I had seen on a 2004 Tek Six. The finish is consistent with the 2005 Tek Six and Tek 10 I've reviewed recently. Conversely, the Nerf Maverick and other blasters of Hasbro's Nerf N-Strike family have a satin texture to the plastic, which causes it to refract light differently than a glossy or waxy looking surface. Buzz Bee could probably learn a thing or two about finish from Hasbro.

So, what's comparable in the Nerf world?

Without modification, nothing.

You may argue the Nite Finder, the Scout, the Tech Target, the Firestrike, etc. But these are all single-round weapons without cylinders. You may even argue the Firefly and the Hornet, but the Firefly is kind of like a submachine gun (SMG) and the Hornet may be SMG-class but it has no cylinder; both are two bulky for single-handed operation.

The only handgun-style single-handed blasters with cylinder are the Airtech 1000 and the Maverick. The Airtech 1000 was made around 2004-2005 as a cheap $5.00 and is very hard to cock. I had bought two at K-Mart and they were utter pieces of garbage with poor range; the 1000 model only mimicked the look of its bigger cousins but not the functionality.

That leaves the Maverick.

The Maverick doesn't facilitate two-gun brandishing too conveniently. If you're gripping one in either hand and then you're trying to cock each gun by pulling their sliders back with the fingers of the opposite hand, it's very cumbersome. The Mavericks are somewhat heavier and the grips are full size, so you have to be careful not to let go of your gun.

However (yes, MacLaren here has been thinking about this) the very back of the slider is a hole in what would have been the hammer of a real gun -- right behind the orange-yellow rear site. It's gray and it's part of the plastic of the slider.

So if you can find some kind of roundbar plastic and if you can affix it to this hole, you can create a rear "T" handle to pull in order to cock the gun. Even better, with some ingenuity you could make the "T"s interlock and so you hook one to the other, pull them apart to cock both at the same time. Perhaps one is a hook and the other a circle. Use your imagination!

Blast from the Past: 1984's Ghostbusters Proton Gun

2006-05-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

(Photo above: Dr. Egon Spengler trying to capture a ghost with a particle accelerator gun. Picture courtesy of Sony Pictures.)

Dr. Egon Spengler: There's something very important I forgot to tell you.
Dr. Peter Venkman: What?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Don't cross the streams.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Why?
Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad?"
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr. Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

The films from the 1980s had a magic to them. The zeitgeist -- a German term for "the spirit of the times" -- was innocent, energetic and positive outlook on life. The 80's produced incredible shows like The A-Team, Battlestar Galactica, Charlie's Angels, Magnum P.I., The Incredible Hulk, Knight Rider, and MacGyver. You can watch a lot of those shows again through the miracle of DVD boxed sets of thos old TV shows. You might find them a lot "campier" and more goofy than you remembered, but how many of us when we were kids fell in live with Olivia Newton John's character, Kira, in the movie "Xanadu"? After watching that, we all went straight for the store to buy rollerskates...

... and then fell on our asses on the street trying to rollerskate!

Who didn't feel the movie magic and then tried to bring a little of it off the silver screen and into real life?

That's what the magic of Ghostbusers did to us -- it made us feel like we were in New York cheering on that team of four to beat the powers of Zuul. What invoked that spirit? Was it the movie's theme music where it sounded like everyone around you was shouting "GhostBUSTERS!" when it was played over the radio, or if it was the marketing and minshare Ghostbusters was gaining when you saw the Ghostbusters logo everywhere from schoolbooks to jackets? And who didn't want that amazing ghost-busting gun that emited particle streams?

So here is a tribute to the "nerf" version of that famous proton gun, made by Kenner in 1984. It's range was allegedly not that great, but it was one of the first foam-shooting guns on the market at the time.

How did the proton gun work in the movie? As described on Technovelgy.com:

"Particle-beam weapons are devices that accelerate subatomic particles or atoms to velocities near the speed of light, focused into a narrow stream. The energy of the weapon is the aggregate kinetic energy of the individual particles forming the beam. A lightning bolt, a flow of electrons, is similar to a particle beam. For those still keeping up with these weapons, there are two general types, classified by their use: charged particle-beam weapons (endoatmospheric use) and neutral particle-beam weapons (exoatmospheric use)."

Who you gonna call?

Back-pack nuclear accelerator not included.

Forget Foam Darts... Fire Adorable Teddybears Instead!

2006-05-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

The Japanese are notoriously talented for creative, inventive weird and nutty things. In the world of firing fun things (ranging from foam darts to t-shirts) this one is surprisingly surprising. The poor little pink bear is held captive within the blaster, and unless you pay that mean Japanese man a bazillion yen he won't release the pink poobear into the world to once again shower love and affection among the children of the kingdom of foam... just kidding! Click HERE for a full report. In Engrish ;-)

Buzz Bee versus Nerf, Tek 10.. a-aaand Action!

2006-05-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

"The power of the sun... in the palm of my hand."-- Dr. Octavius in Spider-Man 2.

To a kid, the Tek 10 (2005) will look fusion-powered, with a built in nuclear accelerator, if he or she has any concept of those words. To older kids the Tek 10 is less gloopy than its previous incarnation. Gone is the funky bee look (which made no sense other than to reinforce the Buzz "Bee" trademark. The Tek 10 is more aerodynamic looking as if it were shaped in a wind tunnel.

Sporting a 10-shot capacity, the Tek Ten is part of the "Air Zone" line of foam dart-firing blasters produced by Buzz Bee Toys Inc. It is quite possibly the most serious contender to the Nerf domination of superior single-handed blasters.

Advantages: lots of ammo. And the ammo goeth far. Farther than the Maverick, it bested the Maverick's range by about 3-5 feet. Again, as usual, I'm talking about effective distance indoors, angled at about 30-35 degrees, fired down the hallway in the house here. It's not an apples to apples comparison to the Maverick Rev-6 (6-shot capacity) and is about $1.99 more expensive. But you're talking about $1.99 for four extra rounds of capacity. That's 50 cents per extra shot. You do the math.

Disadvantages: still cannot fire Hasbro darts without forcing them in and crushing the foam. While the Tek 6 (2005) suffers from a short grip, the Tek 10's grip is longer -- an absolute requirement to handle plastic of this bulking size -- but it still fails to be long enough for my medium-sized grown-up hands. Also, ammo availability so far appears to be limited to you writing Buzz Bee and ordering it by mail. Futher, while it's trigger is wider than the Tek 6's, it's "T" shaped in cross-section, so its edges may cause some discomfort to the fingers even though the "T" effectively makes the trigger pressing surface wider.

Another word about the grip: while it feels less awkward than the Tek 6, it's trigger area is so wide that you can put two fingers on there if you're a kid. But the remaining two fingers will have a hard time weilding the front-heavy without support of their other hand. As an older kid (yes, adults are considered "older kids" here on NiF!) I found that I can only keep the fingertips of two fingers on the trigger -- any more than that my fingers would feel squashed. Yet with only an index finger on the trigger, the space on the grip outside of the trigger guard is barely enough for the rest of my hand.

A more appropriate comparison would be the original Hasbro Dart Tag (2005) 10-shot. Here, the Dart Tag has superior range, but again this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. The Dart Tag "Tagger" ammo is quite possibly more aerodynamic than the suction cup darts that Buzz Bee provides; the more aerodynamic the ammo is, the less it will be affected by air resistance and therefore travel farther. A lot farther. Sonic darts with the Dart Tag can achieve indoor distances of roughly 35-45 feet. The Dart Tag has the advantage of having a vertical foregrip. With the Tek 10 you'd have to palm the front of your gun as if had a horizontal foregrip.

To prime it, you pull the gray colored slider back, which cocks it and rotates the next round into firing position.

In terms of looks, it's not as handsome as the Nerf Maverick (N-Stike line). However, it's best apples-to-apples comparison is the Dart Tag, and as you may recall, the Dart Tag isn't part of the N-Strike line and thus does not benefit from its sci-fi look. In other words, the appearance of the Dart Tag is acceptable but nothing to write home about. I feel that aesthetically they're tied. The plastic on this one I've reviewed is primarily yellow with gray parts, and some areas of the yellow are painted dark blue. The paint doesn't feel like paint, which is what you want. The previous iteration was "gloopy" becuase it not only looked gloopy, it felt gloopy.

Where could it improve? I would recommend a vertical foregrip because the blaster is front-heavy. That would have put it head-to-head with the Dart Tag. I'd urge Buzz Bee to use a warmer (redder) shade of yellow, as this particular shade here looks cheap. I'd also lengthen the grip by 0.75 inches so big kids' hands can grasp it comfortably.

These are minor suggestions in comparison to the potential of this "sleeper". To overcome its inherent incompatability with Hasbro's Nerf darts, after-market modifications will have to be made, and there are various mods that you can search for online. It is said that the Buzz Bee toys are easier to modify than the Nerf toys. You decide what works for you.

Hasbro should be paying attention to this one. Why? Because for roughly $10 they have the equivalent firepower of the Dart Tag 10-shot, whereas the only way right now to purchase a Dart Tag is to buy the "Nerf Dart Tag 2-Player System" -- a boxed set of two, which costs about $39.99 (the price may have dropped to about $35). To be fair, Hasbro bundles this boxed set with two felt vests and two visors. The downside is that the visors are useless for large kids or adults, and the Dart Tag "Tagger" ammo is dangerous to the eyes without visors. I usually advise people to find a friend and to share the cost, then either rip off the velcro from the darts or use safer Sonic darts instead (which make a fun whistling sound and are the best of all of Nerf ammo in terms of aerodynamics).

The thing for Hasbro to consider is that someone who has roughly $10-12 who wants instant gratification, who has no brand loyalty to Nerf, and doesn't care if his/her ammo won't be compatable with that of Nerf-brand blasters will find their purchasing option a no-brainer.

In terms of price, the Tek 10 is difficult to beat. In terms of range and usability, the Dart Tag 10-shot capacity blaster is better only by a margin. If Hasbro is paying attention to this, I think the ultimate Buzz Bee killer would be a 12-shot capacity N-Strike version of the 10-dart Dart Tag -- but with the N-Strike style of looks, with a vertical foregrip. Will Hasbro make one soon, or will we have to wait till next year?

Power in your Pocket (or are you happy to see so many Nerf blasters?)

2006-05-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

"Drop your gun, Mr. Bond," said the bad guy. Bond did as he told. But just before his weapon hit the ground, without warning he spun around and, as if out of nowhere, a small Walther PPK was in his hand. He placed a careful shot between his assailant's eyes and before the bad guy knew what was going on, the last thing he saw was the floor before he blacked out.

The N-Strike Secret Strike AS-1 is the most powerful Nerf blaster in the world and it is approximately four-and-a-half feet long.

Just kidding.

Would you believe it if I told you that the Secret Strike AS-1 was part of the N-Strike family? Indeed it is! What does it mean to you? Well, other than the fact that it looks like the baby brother of the Maverick, Firefly and NiteFinder (though recent NiteFinders have a different color scheme) the answer is: absolutely nothing. The Secret Strike does not have an attachment rail that would allow it to integrate with any of the other N-Strike family of blasters. And why would you? It gets unwieldly when you "Borg-ify" your Nerf blaster, unless you particularly like the Sanford and Son approach (those of you old enough will remember the ol' 1972 show!)

The Secret-Strike literally fits in your pocket and its form factor is roughly that of a bulky cell phone. It comes with a key ring so if you ever fear losing your car keys, the bright orange and yellow will hopefully get your attention if you've left it lying around the house -- unless of course it was laundry day four months ago and your keys are under some pile of funky linen.

Interestingly enough you can "grip" the Secret Strike. The gray part fits into the web of your hand between your thumb and index finger.

You basically pump it 7 or more times and then press the "trigger" on the top. And what amazes me is this: it keeps up with the Maverick and the Nitefinder (and Scout, and Crossfire, and Firestrike -- the repainted Nitefinder). All of Hasbro's pistols achieve roughly 20-22 foot distance if angled up approx. 30-35 degrees, and i'm talking effective indoor distance. Not bad for a little shrimp.

There are no whistles and bangs here. It's basically of one-shot capacity.

While it's not as wieldly as the Nitefinder, it has comparable distance. Not a bad value for $3.00. The downside in a firefight is having to pump the little pump several times to prime it, but the upside is that it's a quick process. But if you needed a cheap backup weapon, keep it primed and in your pocket or at the end of an elastic cord attached to your belt. If you're ultra serious and ultra dweeby, I could envision you wearing a tactical vest with ten of these attached, so as needed them you'd use them if you were backed into a corner by a ton of n00bs and you won't go down without taking out a few of them in the process. Listen: if you were to ever do that and you e-mailed me a photo of yourself, I'd award you with an L33t G33k award and post the photo here on Nerf Intelligence Files!

The N-Strike Secret Strike AS-1 a powerful yet tiny Nerf blaster and it is approximately four-and-a-half inches long. In my opinion it has the highest power-to-size ratio of all that Hasbro has manufactured to date. (For those of you who'd argue and are too young to understand ratios, that means that for the teensy size it packs a lot of power, so if you scaled the size larger, think how immense the power that would be.)

All that power in my pocket. Whoo-ha.

Video: Nerf Dart Tag Sick Stunts

2006-05-02T02:45:00.000-07:00

There are some incredible stunts here in the fashion of Neo from "The Matrix". Don't you just love Nerf?

(Warning: The video's hosting provider, YouTube, may contain other material elsewhere on their site that may be unsuitable for minors. For safety purposes please only play the video here on NiF.)

CSMacLaren's Top 3 Single Action Blasters of 2005

2006-05-02T00:23:00.000-07:00

Time and again, people ask, "What's the best Nerf gun?" In one sense it's a flawed question. Best for what? Everyone's application is going to be different.

Some want the numbers. "I can get the XYZ gun to shoot 120 feet." As I pointed out in another article, that is ideal range, i.e. if you assume ideal conditions and angle the gun 45 degrees and fire (assuming no mechanical flaws affect the unit). Ideal range is what marketers go for. It is not, however, the effective range. A foam dart is going to take some time to cover that 120 foot distance. By the time the dart completes its arc in the air, your friend will have had enough time to take one step to the side to void your attack completely. Most likely you will be shooting at people within 6-25 feet from you and they'll be ducking behind objects. Given those circumstances you won't be angling the blaster a steep 45 degrees, but it's possible it would be a more shallow angle.

My personal baseline is how the blaster performs indoors (home or office). Indoors you are more likely to try to point the blaster at someone directly. You'll notice that a dart traveling from a blaster held parallel to the ground won't go as far as if it were angled upwards by 25-35 degrees.

Some want coolness. Okay the Big Bad Bow (BBB) is hella cool, as is the NiteFinder EX-3. But they lack in firepower. While the BBB is actually more of a shotgun-style blaster (due to the fact that the bow is only cosmetic and the bowstring is purely nonfunctional so some people chose not to install it) it can only fire one round at a time; you need time to reload each round by hand. The same goes for the NiteFinder. Some like the N-Strike Unity System's Titan but one person complained how he had to pump it for what felt like ten minutes before the blaster was primed.

Some want firepower, and admittedly blasters like the N-Strike Unity System's Hornet and RapidFire 20 give you that. But the Hornet has problems with air pressure not reaching darts, and darts sometimes either slide out of their chambers, or they don't sit all the way in but some spring mechanism pushes them out slightly enough to reduce their effective range to a few inches! The RapidFire 20 is the ultimate of automatic fire but that's outside of the scope of this Top 3.

Back to Basics: The Baseline

This is the criteria by which I measure foam-firing blasters.

1. Handling and practicality: Does the blaster feel right in the hands? Does it faciltiate use well? Are there sharp corners or edges that may cause operation to be uncomfortable? Is the blaster easy to use? Is the trigger hard to squeeze or does it dig into your index finger? Is it easy to cock?

2. Capacity: Are there a sufficient number of rounds for me to use the blaster in foam wars? And how easy is it to reload my darts?

3. Reliability: Are there any mechanical issues that can cause the blaster to misfire?

4. Availability of Ammo: Are refill packs readily available at the toy store, or am I going to have to go to Home Depot, buy caulking foam and start creating my own little darts?

5. Does it look hella cool? Can't look sissy or silly. It has to look manly-man. 'Nuff said!

So here's my roundup for the Top 3. Bear in mind this is for close-quarters combat (indoors or outdoors at close to medium rang) and single action (cock-and-fire) blasters.

3rd Place: Nerf N-Strike's Maverick Rev-6

The Maverick (2004) has a six round capacity. Handles wonderfully. Range is approx. 20 feet indoors. Range can improve to about 30 feet or more using the more aerodynamic Sonic darts (round tipped) that are available in refill packs at the toy store. This is an all-round well balanced weapon in all five aforementioned respects. Easy to reload -- you don't have to pop out the cylinder. The only disadvantage is that sonic darts can cause a gun to jam and misfire; if the rubber tip is sticking out of its chamber, it can cause the cylinder to not rotate the next round into alignment. The solution is simple: to stuff it back in more deeply. The Maverick is a handsome "manly-man" blaster and extremely good for Office Nerfing.

2nd Place: Nerf N-Strike's Firefly Rev-8

The Firefly (2005) is an 8-round submachine gun style blaster but is still single-action like its handgun counterpart, the Maverick. It's not automatic by any means. Fans of Stargate SG-1 will favor its looks due to its passing semblance to the P90 submachine gun popularized by the show. It unfortunately lacks a foregrip but it does make you want to go out and buy a WEP-8 military jacket and pretend you're taking out the Jaffa. Effective range indoors is about 40 feet, though with the more aerodynamic Sonic darts I've achieved a 50 feet range. It has holders for an extra eight darts. Extremely fun and cool and very gratifying.

And last, but not least....

1st Place: Nerf Dart Tag

The 10-round Dart Tag (2005) is the original "Dart Tag" is not part of Nerf's "N-Strike" line. It was originally its own gun but now there are blasters like the Crossfire and the Firestrike that are now part of the "Dart Tag" line; they too fire velcro-tipped "Tagger" darts. For safety reasons I recommend ripping off the velcro or just use sonic darts. Unlike the Firefly, the Dart Tag has a vertical foregrip so it makes it feel a little like an MP5 / MP5KA4, only bulkier (they did use MP5's earlier on in Stargate SG-1). It's bulky due to the cylinder's capacity (the larger the number of rounds, the larger the cylinder.) It lacks the aesthetics of the FireFly. I've acheived 35-40 foot ranges with Sonic darts. The only downsides are that I feel Tagger darts are unsafe, and that you have to spend $40 to acquire one, but the box comes with two, so share the cost with a friend; it's worth it!

Closing Thoughts

In terms of reliability, practicality, capacity, firepower and aesthetics the Maverick, the Firefly and the original Dart Tag are CSMacLaren's Top 3 of all time on single action blasters. I heartily recommend any of these to a Nerf fight. The Maverick is good as entry level nerf war ordnance and as a backup weapon. The FireFly and Dart Tag are superior. Though the Firefly's capacity is bested by the Dart Tag by two rounds, the FireFly's holders give it a combined capacity of 16 rounds.

What's in the future? I would like to express to Hasbro my keen interest to see an -Strike design that can handle 10 or 12 rounds, and that may very well become my new ultimate weapon.

Mayday: Maverick Range Marred by Tek Six

2006-05-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

Beauty vs. Beast: Fight for the Fists of Foam Firers

Six-shot capacity on the left, six-shot capacity on the right. Both are single-action (cock and fire). Both are sidearms, both are under US$10. How do they compare?

When the Nerf Maverick Rev-6 came out in 2004, it surprised the Nerfing community with its rugged looks. One hobbyist painted it metallic silver and black, accenting it’s sci-fi appearance and creating an instant hit among foam fans. Part revolver, part semi-auto.

For indoor use, I made it our office’s standard. Who would blame me? Other Nerf brands (certain Airtech models) had 4-round capacities. Six is a healthy number. Range is approx. 20 feet indoors (and I’d like to emphasize that I’m talking about a practical indoor use where you’d angle the gun up about 20-35 degrees. Some angle it 45 degrees and fire outdoors and may claim 30-40+ foot ranges. Yes, that may be an ideal range but what’s not ideal is that it takes time for a dart to reach 30-40+ and nobody’s going to stand still to get hit. The quickest path between two points is always a straight line, and that would be considered a foam gun's effective range.)

And did I say it looked cool? For home, office or indoor Nerfing, the Maverick just can’t be beat.

Buzz Bee’s Tek Six’s previous iteration was gloopy and ugly. It looked like the abdomen of a bee (get it? Buzz Bee?) While Buzz Bee Toy’s 2006 iteration of the Tek Six has not reached stores at the time of this writing (and in this writer’s locale) the 2005 has appeared in some toy stores. And while not as attractive as the Maverick, it looks better than it did last year. It’s improved significantly in finish; the black paint job requires scrutiny to distinguish it from its base plastic color (the gray and orange parts were cast in their own natural color).

What’s interesting is that the Tek Six is becoming a contender in range. Angling it with and holding it parallel to the Maverick, I fired both using their default suction-cup tipped darts…

… and the Tek Six beat the Maverick by 3 to 5 feet.

However, the Tek Six is still constructed to fire its own darts. It’s air restrictors (stems within the chamber for each round that goes into the hollow of each foam dart) are generally too wide for most Hasbro Nerf darts to fit on without a little coercing. Without modification, the Tek Six cannot reliably fire Nerf darts, and this should be a point of consideration if you’re entering into a foam war with everyone armed with Nerf-compatible darts. They can fire your darts at you, but their darts will be mostly useless. You can still force them into your Tek Six’s chambers but cramming a dart will impair the foam’s natural rigidity. You will also experience loss of range.

Despite the facelift, the grip remains uncomfortable. If you’re a small kid, the grip may be sufficient, but adults will find their pinking gripping air as the grip is too short.

The Tek Six feels more front-heavy than the Maverick. While the Maverick does have a pronounced front, its large grip and the wide end may be helping its handling. The Tek Six’s trigger is nearly half the width of a Maverick making it less comfortable in prolonged Nerf wars as it will feel like it is digging into your index finger.

In conclusion, if range is purely the deciding factor, the Tek Six wins. In terms of availability of ammo refill packs, I have not found any in stores, though I have heard that they can be ordered by mail directly from Buzz Bee. It is inconvenient to modify the Maverick and to remove its orange-colored air restrictor stems in each chamber due to the engineering complexity of the cylinder.

However the ergonomics, aesthetics, handling and availability of ammo (and convenience of firing friends’ ammo back at them) the Maverick has the advantage. In this comparison review, Beauty vs. Beast, the Maverick still has the lead. Hasbo beware, however. Buzz Bee may have been cheap and cheap-looking in the past but they are slowly gaining. Whether they are simply naturally evolving their product each year or intending on becoming the dominant player in the world of foam dart firearms remains to be seen. It will be an interesting foam firefight.

Desktop Wallpapers: iNerf_d0_U?

2006-05-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start off this very merry month of May with two new desktop wallpapers (1280x1024 resolution). It's hacker speech for "I Nerf. Do you?" made in the fashion of the silhouette ads for Apple's iPod. Please enjoy!

Nerf™ Dart Tag Crossfire Blaster & Target Shield

2006-04-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

The Crossfire is a simple pistol that fires velcro-tipped "Tagger" darts. It is marketed as part of the "Dart Tag" line. The original "Dart Tag" blasters were a $40 set of two blasters of 10-round capacity, one red-and-silver, the other blue-and-silver. Crossfires use gray instead of silver, and are available in red and blue variations.

It fires one shot at a time. You pull the slider back to cock it, and then you press the green trigger. Interesting enough, the holder beneath the barrel holds five -- read: 5 -- darts. In a firefight, this could come in handy, as darts in your pocket could get squashed.

The range is respectable; it fires a standard suction-cupped tip approximately 20 feet indoors, which places it within the same distance achieved by the Maverick Rev-6, the Scout (of the N-Strike Unity System) and the N-Strike NiteFinder EX-3.

(Photo right: the original Dart Tag set, 10-round capacity each.)

I found two problems with this blaster.

First, it is finnicky with certain darts. I happened to have a suction cup tipped orange dart handy. Inserting it into the barrel, it kept getting pushed out by a spring-loaded contraption at the base of the Crossfire's barrel. This sucks. I've noticed that the orange foam suction cup tipped darts can be about 0.5mm thinner than the black foam refill ammo darts, and certain Nerf brand blasters are so sensitive that it rejects the darts (pushing it out so that the air pressure doesn't push the dart forward for more than a few inches.)

I'm sure the Crossfire is good with the velcro-tipped "Tagger" darts that come with the blaster, but for safety reasons I'm not recommending use of Taggers and recommend instead that people invest in Sonic darts. Velcro, by nature, is comprised of tiny hooks that enable it to "tag" materials like cotton or felt. To their credit, Hasbro ships their Dart Tag products with protective visors (their sides don't even fold). The visors are rose tinted and optically okay with no noticable distortion, but they're tight on the head for adults; grown-ups should therefore take an extra step to find affordable eye protection -- and fortunately, there are cool-looking ballistics-grade industrial eye protection available on the cheap.

Second, the grip is short and in hands (I'm a grown-up) it was awkward holding this with four fingers instead of five (the Scout and the NiteFinder have this down good.)

Not a grown-up's pistol but maybe a small kid's....

It comes with a felt alyered shield roughly around 7 inches wide that can be propped up to be a target, or can be worn around the arm if a small kid wanted to play Captain America before you clocked him in the eye because he forgot to wear his visor, and now his parents are thinking of filing a lawsuit against you (is my concern for velcro tipped darts showing? If so I apologize!)

NiteFinder Take Two?

The package I bought at WalMart had a "BONUS" extension of the box -- basically buy the Crossfire and get the Firestrike Blaster free. Well, at least I think it's almost free; an N-Strike NiteFinder EX-3 runs around $7.00 and I paid something over $9.00 for this, so yeah it's free-ish.

What's interesting is that this is basically a N-Strike NiteFinder EX-3 repackaged but it's now part of the Dart Tag line. What's up with that? It's the same mould and same shape and all. (Hasbro had also repackaged the N-Strike Unity's "Scout" pistol as a "Tech Target" blaster.)

The Firestrike follows the Dart Tag (10 shot) blaster's color scheme (the one shown here is red and silver). It sports a rail so that it attaches to the Dart Tag blaster's top which makes you certifiably rediculous looking because it looks like a growth or something.

I found the Firestrike far more suitable for my hands, and the Firestrike is basically going to be as good as the Nitefinder because they're the same gun. The range again for a standard suction cup tipped dart is approximately 20 feet indoors.

Assuming you're wearing eye protection, this bonus pack isn't a bad choice for a dad and his child. The child will feel a "one-up" on the dad because the Crossfire can hold five darts and chamber a sixth, while the Firestrike holds two and chambers a third. The Firestrike is cocked by pulling back an orange ring.

NerfX's Welcome Page Makeover

2006-04-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Zach, the admin of NerfX in the successful intergration of NerfX's latest welcome page design. I designed the logo in Adobe Illustrator, and the graphical layout was mostly done in Adobe Photoshop with elements such as round-corner boxes created in Adobe Illustrator. The Nerf gun featured here is the Nerf™ Firefly Rev-8 -- one of my favorites and somewhat based on the P90 submachine gun.

NerfX is a nice friendly site that I frequent. They're a smaller site with great energy and enthusiasm. Visit them at www.nerfx.net

Nerf™'s N-Strike Unity System: Duuude or Dud?

2006-04-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

You're going through the toy store, past the Lego, past the Star Wars, past the Barbies, and suddenly you arrive at THE section. No, it's past the Super Soakers (as good as they may be). You have at last arrived at the altar... the altar of FOAM.

Suddenly there's this big huge honking Nerf™ system is looking at you in the face, in a crimson and gray motif. Powerful-looking sci-fi-styled ordnance. Could this be the ultimate blaster?

The Beavis and Butthead in you are going, "Huhhhh... uhuhuhuh... this is cool." Welcome to the N-Strike Unity system.

What is Unity? Hasbro's N-Strike line of Nerf blasters seeks to create sci-fi prop-looking blasters -- looking extremely cool without coming too closely to the appearance of actual firearms. They look more "real" and yet there is no mistaking them for the real thing. It evokes feelings of "Halo" and "Aliens" but without any direct resemblance.

The Unity System is actually three blasters that combine into one. And here they are:

First is the Titan (which may remind some of us 1990's Nerfers of the Ultimator) which fires one massive rocket.

Second is the Hornet, which attaches to the bottom of the Titan's grip.

Lastly is the scout, a single-shot pistol that attaches to the side of the Titan

First and foremost, the Unity System looks awesome when fully assembled. It inspires fear and exudes coolness at the same time. Even for an adult (which I claim to be, by the way) it looks like a manly-man sci-fi system. For a little kid, it might look overkill. Or overkid.

When combined, some of the buttons on the Titan fire darts out of the attached blasters (assuming it works and you didn't get a dud.)

The Titan

The Titan's shoulder stock is the pump. It required 20-25 pumps to prime. Once primed the rocket traveled a good 18-20 feet indoors (howbeit slowly). In short, this is not yesteryear's Ultimator where the rocket went blindingly fast and went 50 feet indoors (if you aim higher outdoors you might have been able to achieve greater distance.)

The Hornet

The Hornet requires considerable pumping; you can fire one dart at a time at full auto, or press a button and fire all six darts. Operating the Hornet is tricky. You have to cock the gun first by sliding the top gray part towards the front forward and then back, and then you have to pump it 8-15 times. I found that full auto sometimes only fired 4, and then perhaps after 5-8 second the last one or two might come out whenever it felt like it. The orange darts that ship with it sometimes don't seat all the way in and may bounce out -- possibly due to the orange air restrictor stems in each barrel. Sometimes the darts would slide out of the barrel if the blaster was tipped forward, but black Sonic darts (sold as refill ammo packs of 10) are 0.5mm wider and seem to fit more snugly.

The Scout

Last is the Scout, which is an effective one-shot blaster that can hold two extra rounds beneath where you'd normally mount a flashlight at the bottom of a real gun. This is not a magazine, mind you. You'd have to manually refeed each dart after firing.

Using the Unity System

So after playing with it a while, I encountered a few advantages and disadvantages. As an adult, I found the Titan's air pumping mechanism somewhat rediculous. Sure, the classic Ultimator had a little lever that needed 8-15 pumps but it was manageable. Pumping the Titan feels like pumping an accordion. Asking a little kid to pump a Titan is like asking him to jump on a pogostick -- it's just more effort than necessary. (Note of plea to Hasbro: Please bring back the Ultimator!) I cannot help but wonder if the rocket would have been compatable with the classic Ultimator.

Using the Hornet was a memorable experience. It was initially my secret weapon at the office. I'd ambush coworkers with my Maverick, and then when they came chasing me, I'd duck around a corner where I had stashed my Hornet, and when I came back around that corner, I'd launch all six darts and have them screaming. The first time around, that was fun. The second time around, it became more of a bother due to air management problems -- and if you forget to cock it before you pump it, it won't fire (further, darts would slide out of their barrels before I had a chance to fire them.) Fortunately, not too long after it was released, the RapidFire 20 was re-released, and so that solved my need for automatic fire. The Hornet now sits gathering dust as I use the Dart Tag and the Firefly much more.

Ironically, my favorite of all three was the Scout. The Scout was not only handsome but very effective. Whereas I had a problem with a NiteFinder EX-3 postol where a dart wouldn't stay all the way in but some spring action with the air restrictors kept pushing it out a little (so when you fire, they only go a few inches because air pressure has already disipated due to incorrect seating of the dart) I had no such problem with the Scout.

It has modification potential as air-restriction stems and vents can be removed to increase airflow. Modification might help the Hornet, but that's a lot of effort to improve something when you can purchase something off the shelf.

In conclusion, I feel that the Unity System is fun to have and own, but it has little quirks that demote it from its potential of being a hardcore Nerfing solution and ultimate foam weapon. It is more appearance than power, and some functionality and practicality is sacrificed for implication of effectiveness. It has the right kinds of buttons to make it function as a whole but what's "oooh!" and "aaah!" for younger kids may be gimmickry for older kids.

Considerable effort is required to pump, prime and prep the Hornet and the Titan, and during that time you are vulnerable to attack. In Nerf fights you rely on availability of ammo, easy of reloading, and ease of priming (pumping) or prepping a blaster for fire.

Yet it is so attractive you can easily forgive its shortcomings, and you do get a lot of gun for $39.99.

(If you're only interested in the Scout, at the time of this writing the Scout has been repackaged as a stadalone blaster: the N-Strike Tech Target. However it's in a less attractive blue, green and gray. There apparently is another Tech Target blaster by the same name but is cocked by a ring and which fires the larger classic-sized Nerf darts.)

Office Wallpaper: "Fire Your Boss"

2006-04-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this one and use it only if you have a good relationship with your boss (otherwise it would be a C.L.M. -- a Career-Limiting Move!)

Hasbro Nerf™ Refill Ammo Packs

2006-04-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Up until recently, ammo packs were sold with 10 rounds per bag. But here is a whopping 30 darts. Priced on Toys "R" Us at $9.99 these velcro-tipped Dart Tag darts basically amount to 33 cents each. This is a good value for darts but the dart design is not my favorite because unlike standard suction-cupped tipped darts, these "Taggers" have velcro tips which means they are not smooth and if you get clocked in the eye, there could be serious occular damage.

Taggers are the ammo that ships with the Dart Tag which is one of my all-time favorite Nerf guns. However, I would encourage you to throw the Taggers away and get Whistler ammo instead. If you won't listen to me then I would strongly encourage eye protection. I nearly got clocked in the eye by one of these darts and even though it hit the flesh just beside the eye, it stung like crazy.

You see, velcro has two components: a fuzzy part, and a plastic part that has the little hooks that hook into the fuzzy part. The problem is the darts all have the plastic part, and those tiny hooks really hurt.

Hasbro made these vests (that ship with the Dart Tag) out of the fuzzy material. It would have been less comfortable, I'd suppose, with the plastic material (possibly a little more expensive).

(Featured left: Nerf™ "Sonic Micro Darts" by Hasbro). Now these are my all-time favorites. They are far more aerodynamic than the suction-cupped standard darts that ship with most Nerf blasters. And -- get this -- they "whistle" as they travel through the air. This makes Nerfing a hella lotta fun because there is now an acoustic element.

When we started standardizing on Whistlers, the fun at the office increased tremendously (for you managers and executives out there who are worried about the word "fun", just allowing your employees and engineers to Nerf aroudn for 15 minutes should be seen as a time waster. In California labor law, they're supposed to take a 15 minute every for hours, so if you're running a sweat shop and forcing them to work Saturdays without allowing them to let off steam then shame on you!) It was amazing how a little sound could get people to duck and contort their bodies defensively even though the darts are mostly harmless.

I've also found that the aerodynamic qualities of Whistlers allow them to travel farther. I've used these in a Nerf Firefly and gained an extra 10-15 feet shooting it across the engineering department. Without any modifications the dart travelled 50 feet. And that's actually really good.

In conclusion, the Whistlers are the funnest, fastest and most feasible ammo for Nerfs currently on the market.

Mustang vs. Maverick: Buzz Bee Blaster Contender?

2006-04-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

Six darts, six shells. Could this be Buzz Bee's contender to the highly-lauded Nerf Maverick Rev-6? Here's a preview of the upcoming Mustang 6 Shooter by Buzz Bee Toys.

The Nerf™ Maverick (under US$10.00 street price) is a 6-shot blaster. It is cocked by pulling the top gray slider back. Squeezing the trigger rotates the cylinder to align the dart with the barrel, and then the dart is released. Phoom! POP! Argh you got me you rassen-frassen I'll get you...! This compact, affordable and extremely handsome blaster (it looks like a sci-fi military prop, especially if custom painted silver and black with some antiquing) make it a favorite in office nerfing environments and close quarters combat (CQB). For many of us at my office it was a very cost-effective means to enter (or re-enter -- for some of us older kids) the world of Nerf.

It is also a modder's choice. Do an online search and there are various step-by-step instructions on taking the elaborate cylinder apart in order to increase air flow to the darts to achieve greater ranges.

Seeing the Mustang, I initially could not help but wonder if this is Buzz Bee's contender to Hasbro's champion.

The Mustang is one of various Buzz Bee products that uses shells, such as the Double Shot shotgun. Darts are pre-loaded by hand into plastic shells and then inserted into a cylinder. The shell approach has been Buzz Bee's attempt at imitating real guns a little more closely, yet making them "kiddie" looking before parent groups express concern (which is a disappointment for us old kids who are old enough to have kids of our own which in turn means we don't care for the kiddie look! But in defense of the kiddie look, we've all heard of the days during laser tag when guns were black and the barrels were not marked with orange to indicate the gun is a toy, and a rather large size kid playing laser tag was seen by the police and was shot and killed. Since that event, toy manufacturers have been trying to make toy guns safer.)

Interestingly, the Mustang imitates a revolver somewhat. The blaster is cocked by the top lever, and fired, and the cylinder presumably rotates for you. What's even more noteworthy is that the shell is ejected through the side automatically.

While I think this level of mechanical design is praiseworthy, what immediately disqualifies the Mustang as a serious Nerf war contender is the use of shells. Shells add an unnecessary extra step. I've heard some say that the way around this is to keep a bunch of pre-loaded shells in your pocket. However, try to find extra shells at Toys 'R Us and you'll get my point (no pun intended... no, wait: pun definitely intended here!)

Also, the foam darts are entirely dependent on shells, so read: no shells, no firing. The shells are interesting in that air goes through a tiny hole and meets with a stem that reduces air flow and air pressure. Modders would attack this first, but given their construction I can only envision this being done with a Dremmel tool and a very fine bit to drill into the hole and to bore away that stem.

Modders might be able to come up with a solution for shells as they have for foam darts (using caulking foam and what-not available at many hardware stores). I've noticed that Elmer's School Glue Stick containers are the same diameter and can be resized to match the length. The bore diameter is much too wide, however, but the base of the shell has an unrestricted hole that would be perfect for a dart. You'd have to somehow pad the interior with something. Also, there are four lengthwise 1mm thick guides that keep the glue stick from leaning into the interior wall. If you can saw those out (good luck) it could take a Krazy Glue container for a barrel.

But this might not work if the chambers are a specific shape for the shell. You'd have to play around with the glue stick shells. (Incidentally, without modification, a dart in an empty Elmer's shell doesn't fire in a Double Shot.)

I also imagine that modders might try to make this fire without need of shells. One idea is to remove the bottom of the shells and to Krazy glue them into the chambers of the cylinder. Extra modification would need to take place as now there is a big hole to the dart, and so air pressure can go anywhere except the dart, possibly giving you the same challenge as before. Is this degree of modification worth it to bring the Mustang up to the convenience of a Maverick? You decide. If you succeed, you could make the Mustang compatable with Nerf (Hasbro) darts. However, I've found that the shells do take Nerf darts.

In Nerf wars, it is typical for people to pick up ammo from the floor (or ground), shove it into their blasters, and return fire. In CQB at the office I've often found that while I'm ducking for cover, I'm reloading. Action is fast around here, and returning fire at the right time is critical from getting "owned" by Walter the big slow nerd who's surprisingly fast once you put a Maverick in his hands.... So imagine using the Mustang: you have to pick up each shell the Mustang ejects when a round is fired. Then stuff it into your pocket. Then duck for cover, then reach into your pocket. No, those are your car keys. No that's still not the shell. No that's... a foam dart. Wait, that's it. Then pull the shell out, then find a foam dart again, stuff it in, then shove the shell into the receiver, and do this for as many times necessary before returning fire.

Very inefficient, if you ask me.

However, if you're not doing CQB but doing some kind of target practice and you're firing at something that stays still, then sure, this would be fun. Also, if everyone you're playing with has the same gun, again it's great, and this especially true with parents playing with their kids. They say that the gun is the great equalizer. Nerf guns aren't. What has great range may absolutely suck in a foam firefight with others.

Can it be modified aesthetically? The orange barrel and front site can potentially be ground off. Immediately beneath it is a yellow projection that hopefully has no metal within it (and whatever metal roundbar that is affixed to the cylinder doesn't go into this, making it saw-off-able).

In conclusion, this has potential if modified. Unmodified you are severely limited in an uneven playing field but okay if all things are equal. Round-for-round, a logical and closer equivalent to the Nerf Maverick is actually the Buzz Bee Tek 6 which, at the time of this writing, has not yet received a facelift and is therefore still clumpy and kludgy looking. Personally, I'm curious about the shell ejection mechanism, and I'd buy it for the sake of curiosity. I purchased a Double Shot for the same purpose, but I wouldn't change my "Top 3 for CQB" juet yet.

The Buzz of Rapid Warfare

2006-04-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone by Hasbro's Nerf Rapid Fire 20, Buzz Bee Toys has a new 20-round Tommy Gun. But rather than make your typical blaster, Buzz Bee got innovative, and their answer: the Tommy Mech 20 Blaster.

The term "Tommy Gun" comes from the Thompson sub-machine gun designed by General John T. Thompson in 1921. Though popularized in the 1920s and 30s by gangsters, it saw significant use during World War II (horizontal foregrip, stick magazine.

At the time of this writing, I have not yet seen the Tommy Mech 20 Blaster in stores. My guess is that it will be out around summer 2006.

As opposed to the Rapid Fire 20, the Mech Tommy 20 is motorized and requires three "AA" batteries. In fact, some of their other previous (and gloopy-looking) offerings such as the topside cardtridge-fed Mech 6 were also battery operated. (As a matter of observation, any of their products with the word "Mech" may indicate that it is mechanized and is aided by electricity.) Buzz Bee's website boasts, "This motorized foam dart blaster has a rapid fire action and automatic, rotating dart cylinder to deliver 20 blasts as fast as you can pull the trigger! No cocking, high accuracy and total victory!" No word on the range.

The Tommy Mech 20 features an extendible shoulder stock, and box art claims "Rapid Fire Action". The dart cylinder (a better term is "drum magazine") rotates, presumably automatically.

This is a big step for Buzz Bee. Whether or not it was done intentionally, it challenges Nerf's biggest and baddest in terms of raw firepower.

There is something lacking in the design that makes it a little too "kiddie" and I would have liked a more sophisticated look (why can't foam blasters look more like the N-Strike systems, which have a sci-fi "Manly-man" look to them?) However, the Rapid Fire 20 doesn't sport the best aesthetics here; I believe the Rapid Fire 20 is a re-released blaster designed originally a while back, hence sporting a dated look.

The Nerf Rapid Fire 20, by comparison (and why wouldn't we compare? Don't we all do comparison shopping?) has some challenges to it. It has two modes of firing: select and auto. Select fire, however, sometimes shoots more than one dart, and sometimes after priming the pump and firing full-auto, there are still a few darts that never leave their chambers due to insufficient pressure. However, it's fun seeing your friends spanked by this horrific automatic fire when they're being blasted the first time after trying to pick a fight with you with their pea-shooter.

The only downside I can spot is where your other hand would grip. The classic "gangster" configuration of the Tommy Gun provided a vertical foregrip in front of the cylinder. Here, you'd have to grip the orange "flash suppressor" instead.

Nothing indicates a select-fire vs. automatic mode. However, you don't have to hold the trigger down.

No word on the weight and balance, but I can almost envision someone having two -- one in either hand. And given that there is no need to pump the blaster, this makes such a notion all the more attractive.

Buzz Bee's Tek 10 Makeover

2006-04-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

Headquartered in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong (yup, I've been there) one would think that Buzz Bee Toys is situated too far from the American market to pay attention to the American market. But they may in fact be listening, innovating, and improving their designs.

The above photo shows the aesthetic differences of two Tek 10 blasters, one from 2004/2005 and the other is soon to be released (still haven't found them at Toys 'R Us or WalMart at the time of this writing).

Without modification, the 2005 version of the Tek 10 (10 shots) cannot fire Hasbro Nerf darts. A co-worker had purchased this thinking he would have total ownage over those of us armed with Nerf Maverick Rev-6 (6 shots), but we were able to fire his own Buzz Bee darts back at him while he couldn't fire ours back at us. The result: we spanked him.

Something needs to be said about modification, as there are elements within the Nerf Internet Community (NIC) that actively take stock foam dart blasters and modify them to increase range and power. The reason why Nerf darts do not fit in Buzz Bee blasters is because within each chamber is a little stem that goes into the hollow of the foam dart. Modders usually first target these stems for removal, resulting in increased air directly to the dart. It just so happens that Buzz Bee's stems are larger than Hasbro's, hence the diameter of the hollow of their darts are wider; Nerf darts won't fit. However, with these stems removed, Nerf darts might be able to be used.

As you can see, there is some design improvement. Bear in mind that website photos may be prototypes and not necessarily the actual production piece itself (for example, the Kill Bill "Bill" toy looked like a little David Carradine on the back, but the production piece itself bore only a passing semblance.

Both models are cocked by pulling the gray colored slider back.

The 2006 model may or may not be made of better looking plastics. But one of the reasons why the 2005 model looks go "goopy" is because it was cast with primariliy one color of plastic, and then painted over to appear like it were different colors. This is a typical manufacturing process. To be fair, Hasbro does this too with some of their Nerf blasters, though Nerf blasters are, in my opinion, more attractive and seem to be made out of more qualitative plastics.

The 2006 Tek 10 still doesn't quite look as nice as Hasbro's "N-Strike" line of sci-fi-prop looking blasters, but now it's looks are starting to look competitive with the Nerf Tart Tag, which is also a 10 shot.

Incidentally I recommend the Nerf Dart Tag wholeheartedly. Fit it with aerodynamic Whistler darts (available an ammo packs) and the range is quite incredible for indoor office combat, and feels a little like you're using an MP5.

A Home Run for Home-mades

2006-04-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

Known for his amazing home-made Nerf-firing guns, he goes by the handle "Boltsniper" and he is one of the rising stars within the (NIC) Nerf Internet Community. He is a second year grad student at Virginia Commonwealth University working on his Masters in Mechanical Engineering. Boltsniper received his Bachelors of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech.

His custom projects began as simplistic constructs of white PVC pipes, but he gradually achieved more complicated (and ergonomic) military-style appearances. With the launch of his website at www.boltsniper.com he has wowed Nerf fans of all ages with his latest creation: the SCAR-N (Specialized Carbine Assault Rifle - Nerf) -- not only beautiful but functional with a cartridge system and bolt action mechanics.

CSMacLaren: What got you into Nerfing? What do you like most about it?

Boltsniper: Like most, I had a few Nerf guns at age 12 or so and messed around with friends but nothing too serious. I had an original Bow & Arrow, and Arrowstorm, and an NB-1 at that age. After the fad wore off and my parents wouldn't buy me the new blasters I kind of got out of it. It wasn't until my senior year in college that I started getting back into it. A group of friends and I all used to play CounterStrike together and something spawned the idea of using Nerf guns and playing "live-action". We pooled our blasters and would basically just have free for alls in our apartments.

The whole home-made thing got started from a friendly bet. Someone suggested I build a rifle that would shoot Nerf darts over 100 feet. It peaked my interest, because I enjoy building stuff from scratch and I also like firearms. I started thinking, sketching, designing, fabricating, and reiterating and the BASR (Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle) is the result. Even after starting the rifle I had no idea the NIC existed. One day I just decided to search "home-made nerf" in Google and discovered the vast community of information. That was in February of 2003.

I enjoy the idea of Nerf from two different aspects. The first is that you can shoot each other without really worrying about hurting someone. There is no equipment needed, besides the blasters, and there is no money involved to play. It can be done indoors and can be very impromptu, which is good. The other aspect is the home-made side. In nerve you can design and build a gun from scratch that will outperform anything you can buy. This is not the case in most anything else and is especially true for other wargame types.

(Photo, right: Boltsniper's early project, the Scale Cocking Pistol (SCP))

CSM: You're currently working on your Masters in Mechanical Engineering. What are your career goals? Do you see yourself working for a toy company down the line, or creating your own toy line, or will Nerfing simply remain a hobby?

B: Upon graduation I plan to work in the aerospace industry. I have always had a passion for aircraft and I really want to work in that field. If anyone reading this needs a skilled aerospace/mechanical engineer give me a call… I personally don't see myself working for Hasbro or a toy company at any point in time. Not to say if they approached me I would slam the door in their face though, but I don't intend to pursue it myself. Nerfing and making home-mades will likely just remain a hobby.

CSM: I recently saw one of your former works on eBay. What was the closing price in the end, and do you get a lot of request for commissioned custom work? Is this something you intend to do on the side?

B: Yes, I sold a completed GNS (Grammation Nerf Sidearm) pistol on ebay in November of 2005. The winning bid was $69 if I remember correctly. Considering I spent about 12 hours building the pistol from start to finish, it was a pretty poor return on my labor. But I had kind of figured this from the beginning and making money wasn't really the incentive for doing it anyway. I had planned to sell two completed units on eBay but was only able to get one completely done. The half finished unit was sold to another NIC member who I believe is working to finish it at the moment

I do get a lot of requests either asking me to sell the guns I currently have or build more to sell. On average I probably get 2 inquiries per week. I have no intention of selling the prototypes as I have a lot of pride in them, and of course I use them all. Building more to sell is pretty much out of the question as well as they take so much time and work to make, that it would basically be a full time job. I don't quite think I could pull enough income from sales to live off of...

CSM: Everything you've done from the beginning up till now seems to look more and more sophisticated, not only aesthetically and ergonomically but also from a mechanical engineering perspective. Is this the trend with future special projects? Are you doing whatever comes to mind, or is there a progression towards an "ultimate" blaster that you hope to achieve bit by bit?

B: As far as ergonomics and aesthetics go, they have definitely made leaps and bonds. The BASR was reasonably comfortable but I didn't really pay much attention or time to it's aesthetics of looks. I just slapped a grip on it and a T for a stock. I maintain a form follows function ideal. I have not and never will add something to a gun that is completely useless and serves no purpose. Recently though I have paid more attention to the aesthetic appearance of the gun. This just involves sanding, filleting, smoothing, etc, but nothing major, just making the existing layout look as good as possible. The fit and finish of the SCAR is far superior to the FAR (Fast-Action Rifle) and when I put them next to each other, I can't believe how sloppy the FAR is.

The increase in complexity is mainly a result of my improved fabrication capabilities. I'm not really trying to out do the last gun and there is no ultimate blaster that I'm trying to get to. While the BASR had minimal moving parts, the bolt was a very complex piece to fabricate and I still look at it now, think back, and wonder how I managed to pull that off. The increase in complexity from the FAR to the SCAR was a result in issues a ran into with the FAR after fielding it for a year. The bolt system got more complex to remedy this. On the contrary the trigger system on the SCAR got simpler than the system in the FAR. I had issues with the FAR trigger as a result of it being too complicated. So people may argue, but I don't think the SCAR is overly complicated. I can't think of a components you could alter or remove that would preserve the function of the rifle. Sophistication is proportional to the intended function and features of the unit. The trick is to make it as simple as possible but still maintain the function.

CSM: The upcoming Magstrike and Longshot (scheduled for Fall 2006 release) by Hasbro seems to have addressed something that Nerf fans have longed for: cartridge-fed Nerf dart systems. While the Magstrike may not resemble anything you've done so far, the Longshot looks like a sci-fi bolt-action sniper rifle -- and it takes clips. Do you feel your "Boltsniper" work inspired Hasbro to go this direction, given the utter amazement that Nerf fans have expressed online?

B: The new blasters look quite impressive and I can't wait to see them in person this fall. I don't think my home-mades had much of an impact on the new waves of blasters. I do know that Hasbro monitors the forums and maintains liaisons with the NIC. I also know that they are aware of and have acknowledged the FAR last Spring. Hasbro is trying to stay as far away as possible from the military-simulation aspect of Nerf, so I don't think they were to excited about a black assault rifle that just happens to shoot Nerf darts. My home-mades, and the NIC reaction to them, may have reassured Hasbro that that were headed in the right direction, but if I had never built the FAR or others, I don't believe the blasters coming out of Hasbro would look any different.

NIF would like to thank Boltsniper for this exclusive interview.

Up and Coming? Buzz Bee's upcoming Big Blast

2006-04-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

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.

Remembering the Ultimator (and more About Me)

2006-04-18T14:40:00.001-07:00

Sometimes people ask if I spelled my name incorrectly as their first exposure and familiarity to the surname is the Team McLaren racing cars. The name of the Scottish clan MacLaren is known in Gaelic as "Clann mhic Labhrainn". The origins of the clan are shadowy and remain speculative. The MacLarens were a warlike clan and had their share of feuds with neighbouring families.

As I had mentioned in the "About me" section on the index page of this website, I was first exposed to Nerf blasters at the now defunct 3DO Company which was founded by Trip Hawkins some time after he left Electronic Arts, the company he founded. Up until 3DO, all the companies I had worked at required a suit and tie and that you operate within a thick atmosphere of corporate politics. Going from servicing Fortune 1000 companies to a total “t-shirt n’ jeans” environment was one of the biggest eye openers in my career.

During new employee orientation, Trip said to us, "There are three ways of running a company: a bureaucracy, a dictatorship or a culture.” It was his decision to run 3DO as a culture that fostered an environment in which people brought all their childhood toys and propped them up on their cubicles. Some of these toys were so “retro” that they’d make a killing selling them on eBay. But the employees had a trust and respect for one another’s property.

Then came the Nerf wars. I watched as grown men ran around with blue, black, yellow and orange colored rocket launchers that supposedly were discontinued due to the manufacturer receiving complaints from parent groups that these missiles would knock their kids clear into the next room (“Mommy, mommy, where did my little brother go?!”) which made us old kids make a mad dash to Toy’s R’ Us to pick up all existing stock.

The Ultimator was one of the classic Nerf guns of the 1990’s era. The most powerful, the most fearsome, the most awesome. So as you can see, it looks like it can take out a tank or a plane. The missiles were about 10-11 inches. You’d crank this little black lever on the top about 15 times, and then you aimed it at a co-worker. Crank-crank-crank… THOOM!!! And the other guy would go: ARRGHH!! You @#)(*!! You got me!! Crank-crank-crank… THOOM!!!

Those were the sounds at 3DO.

Buzz Bee Toys' Tek Ten (vs. Dart Tag)

2006-03-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

With all the buzz surrounding the range and capacity of the NERF(TM) Dart Tag set (10 shots) and the NERF FireFly, it is worthwhile to see what other competitive products are on the market. One brand that you may have seen at some toy stores (including certain supermarkets) is Buzz Bee Toys. Before Hasbro made a NERF gun that had an 8-shot and 10-shot capacity, Buzz Bee Toys in fact already had a 10-shot capacity gun: the Tek Ten.

The Tek Ten is a cock-and-fire (single action) gun that is front loading. Each time you cock the gun, it rotates the cylinder to align the next foam dart.
Here in the office I generally achieve a 20-25 foot distance with the Tek Ten, but in certain cases it will go approx. 30 feet. Your mileage will vary. It doesn't feel like much but when fired side-by-side with the NERF Maverick Rev-6, their darts both similarly achieved almost equal distance and traveled at the same velocity (in a firefight the Tek Ten's darts felt "slow" but obviously the dart speed is very similar to the Maverick.) Firing it side by side with a Dart Tag, the Dart Tag exceeded the Tek Ten's rage by 10 feet. And that's firing it straight.

The foam darts look like NERF darts from a distance but the are certain differences: The hole of hollow core the Buzz Bee darts is wider than that used by NERF guns. This dart in particular has a soft yellow foam body but just before you get to the purple suction cup head, there is a length of dense purple foam. The denser foam does not feel like it is of sufficient weight to drive the foam dart farther as per my firing tests. I can only surmise they did this to keep the dart from coming apart; some of my Nerf ammo's suction cup tips are coming off of their foam tubing; the glue remains with the rubber tips but breaks away from the foam. The Buzz Bee darts's rubber suction tips have a stem that is inserted securely into the denser purple foam, and that purple foam is in turn glued to the yellow foam (a 3-piece construction).

The Tek Ten, like others in its family, seems to be patterned after a "bee" with highly contrasting colors. The design motif focuses on a lot of curved contours and surfaces. In some way it looks like it is part pump-action shotgun, part bee abdomen -- for a lack of better words. It looks bulky and is slightly tip heavy though the "abdomen" can be supported by your second hand. It is cocked by the gray colored slider on top of the gun. The grooved surface of the slider makes it easy to grip, and the slider slides back without too much effort.

The Tek Ten's bulky and toyish looks is provided by three different colors of plastic: grau, orange and black, with contrasting yellow paint over the black. Overall I find the plastic to look cheap, and the paint job further reinforces a cheap toyish appearance. The advantage of the aesthetics is that it is highly unlikely this would ever be mistaken for a real firearm. The grip isn't all too ergonomic and I found it short for my medium-sized grown-up hands. Its ten-round capacity is very respectable.

An examination of the cylinder is interesting. A key difference between NERF and Buzz Bee is while NERF guns channel a blast of air into the hollow of a dart to propel it forward via the base of the dart, Buzz Bee instead has the darts fit over narrow tubes within the cylinder (like on the Nerf AirTech 1000 which has very limited range). Visually both look very similar but that's where the similarities end.

In terms of modification potential, I have not yet taken this apart at the time of this writing. Each of the tubes has a very long tip that allows you guide and slide the darts onto the tube; two small holes on either side through which air exits. Most modders of NERF guns remove this fixture to increase airflow, but the problem is on the Tek Ten this fixture *provides* airflow. Because cylinder's chambers are wider than the dart, sawing off this tip might make it difficult for the darts to find their way onto the tubes unless you further modify the gun to narrow the chamber walls. Is it worth it? You decide. Once again, because the darts.

The disadvantage of this design -- which is not Buzz Bee's fault -- is that the gun has a difficult time firing NERF ammo. In a firefight against NERF owners, if you lose all your 10 rounds, it's over. A NERF owner can fire your own Buzz Bee ammo back at you! I in fact inherited this from a coworker who saw the fallacy of his desire in trying to one-up us all here at the office, as we standardize on the NERF Maverick Rev-6 (6-shots). Even though he had a 10-round capacity, we ended up firing all his ammo back at him, and he was absolutely helpless even when he had all our ammo!

In order to adapt the Tek Ten to fire NERF ammo, it may require removal of these air tubes altogether. However, as I look down the cylinder into the chambers of each round, I see holes leading to the core of the cylinder. If you removed these tubes, air could potentially travel into these holes and thereby robbing you of air pressure. These would have to be sealed up somehow. If you did this in conjunction with narrowing the chamber walls, it is possible you can accommodate Hasbro's NERF darts.

It would not be fair to judge a foam dart gun because of its lack of compatability with that of a competitor. In all honesty, if your group or office standardizes on one brand, STICK with that brand because in a firefight it always helps picking up darts off the floor and firing it in your gun. If your group standardizes on Buzz Bee, then the Tek Ten (street price: $8-10??) is an affordable 10-round gun that will give you "ownage" over your opponents inasmuch as you have Buzz Bee ammunition (I have not yet seen Buzz Bee foam dart ammo packs at Toys R' Us and do not not know if they exist.)

If your group standardizes on NERF, then my recommendation is to stick with the NERF brand for now due to dart compatability issues.

If I had a choice between the two, I'd go for the Dart Tag. (Unfortunately you're forced to purchase that as a set. It is my hope that Hasbro will come out with a variant 10-shot, or they will make an N-Strike gun with a 10-round capacity). Hasbro puts more into their design, materials, aesthetics and execution. You definitely get what you pay for.

AESTHETICS: 4 HANDLING: 5 OFFICE RANGE: 7.5 ACCURACY: 6
OVERALL: 5.5