The Prettiest Princess

I'd like to preface this post by apologizing for taking an unannounced leave of absence. A lot of things have come up lately and I haven't had much time for Nerf. I also don't believe in posting 'progress reports' and other such things that are mainly filler. Unfortunately, most of the Nerf I have been doing involves a lot of half-finished projects. That being said, I have gotten through some of them:

In Pursuit of Perfection (Recons Need Not Apply)

Most of you that follow this blog or watch my videos are mostly involved in lightly modified or stock class events. Most engagements probably happen within 30' and the extent of dart modifications is the guy who puts hot glue or airsoft BBs in the heads of his streamlines. Strictly speaking, there's nothing wrong with being this kind of nerfer, but there is a sort of big leagues of Nerf, and that is the NIC. Some of you will eventually cross over for whatever reason. But just as a college team would be outclassed by a major league team, Nerfers who come to NIC wars quickly find themselves outgunned and outclassed. At times, it can feel so one-sided that it will seem impossible to reach the other side, and that can drive new Nerfers away from the sport.

It's important to note at this time that no Nerfer is a top competitor at their first war. However, just because you won't be the best doesn't mean you have to be the worst, and you can still be competitive the whole day.

As such, I will be releasing a series of posts (and possibly videos) that will detail various topics pertaining to NIC wars. I will talk about effective primaries, but also why they're more effective. I'll detail construction techniques that will help you make better primaries, and techniques to ensure you can get the most out of the primaries you do have.

This series won't be for all of you. For many of you who play in stock class wars, most of the topics I discuss won't be applicable to your creations. Likewise, those of you who are already part of the NIC won't find a wealth of new, hidden information. But for those of you who are always striving for your better blaster, I hope these guides will help to make your first war a good one.

See you on the field.

Buzz Bee Jaguar Mod Guide

Right after I made the video about the Buzz Bee Jaguar, I decided to make the clip removable. It was easy to do, but having seen the internals I knew I had to do more. This is what I did:

Foam Shooter, the knock-off Nitefinder

As some of you may have heard, the Buzz Bee Panther is seeing a limited release to a select few stores. I tried checking one of the stores, my local Dollar General, but found no Buzz Bee anything. I did, however, find this knock-off Nitefinder, the Foam Shooter for $2:

Buzz Bee Jaguar

As I mentioned before, I recently went to my local Target in search of the new Buzz Bee blasters. I found all sorts of new blasters, but the only new thing from Buzz Bee that they had was the Jaguar:

What's This?

So I recently went to my local Target in search of the new Buzz Bee Blasters. I only found one, the Jaguar (which I will review soon), but I ended up finding a whole lot of other things. Pictures are from my cellphone, so they aren't the best quality.

Nerf Elite Retaliator Review

As some of you may have noticed, I've been gone for a couple of weeks. The reason is that I've been on vacation, which was sort of last minute. I apologize.

However, while out and about in Massachusetts, I visited a Toys R Us and found the two front runners of the Nerf Elite Line, the Retaliator and the Rampage. With space being somewhat limited, I only picked up the Retaliator:

NoMNE 2 War and Footage

Recently, Drac and I went to a NIC war called NoMNE in Middle Georgia. We spent 8 hours Nerfing and had fun all day:

Whats your favorite vintage blaster?

So I'm going to do a reader question this week. I was recently stoked to get my hands on a SM1000, which is super cool, and with the lilith reveal coming so soon I've been having a ton on fun with vintage blasters. What's your favorite vintage blaster and more importantly, why? Let me know in the comments below: //V''''V

Chewbacca's Bowcaster

There have been several promotional blasters over the years. Few of them have any use beyond being a replica. They generally suffer from having bad ranges and poor usability. However, one of the few promotional blasters which has some use in the NIC is the Chewbacca's Bowcaster:

Drac's Q&A questions submission post

Thanks for all the support guys. I really appreciate all of your loyal viewership and help in getting to be the most popular nerfer around. It means the world to me, so I'll continue to provide awesome videos and tutorials and giveaways for you. So below you can all ask me a question or two about whatever you like. Questions are limited to the topics of myself and my nerf and can't infringe upon my privacy, which I have worked long and hard to keep safe. Thanks for all your questions. I should make a video answering them in lets say 5 days to make sure I give everyone plenty of time to be heard.

Nerf Motorized Ballzooka MP-150

Nerf has produced several ball blasters over the years in several different designs. The one trait that they all seem to share, however, is that they generally cap out range-wise at 15'. The few ball blasters that can break the cap tend to be flywheel powered rather than spring powered, and the Nerf Motorized Ballzooka is one of the best:

Original Buzz Bee Double Shot

I finally went out and got a dedicated SD card for my new camera, so I can start taking both good pictures and good video. I also have a couple of days off, which hopefully means more content (and maybe mod guides). To start it off, here's a video that's been up for a little while without any posts; the original Buzz Bee Double Shot:

Proton + Homemade Clip Giveaway Thread

Not too much to say about this one that the video doesn't cover. If you want to enter twice for the giveaway, all you have to do is respond to this post either logged in with a blooger account of some variety or with some way to get into contact with you. Id also really like to know if anyone is interested in a QnA in a couple of videos. Thanks for all the support guys! //V''''V

Koosh Vortex Tornado

The original Vortex line was one of the most popular lines produced. However, among all the great blasters, there is one of particular interest to the NIC; the Koosh Vortex Tornado:

Larami Super Soaker CPS Super Charger 500

People generally remember the CPS line as the golden age of Super Soakers, ranging from medium sized to great behemoths of water-shooting power. However, amongst the big and bigger soakers of the line, there was one created more 'kid-sized':

Larami Super Soaker XP 105

The time from the release of the Super Soaker line in 1992 to the release of the CPS series in 1996 was a bit of a learning period for Larami. One of the last air-tank powered soakers before the CPS line took off was the Super Soaker XP 105:

Quick Sneak Peak

I mentioned that Drac and I recently went to an NIC war in Florida, and while we haven't gone through much of the footage at all, I did look and find this little gem:

Expect more like it soon.

Whats that?

Thats right, its a crazy metallic dinosaur fish thing that also shoots darts... You say its got neon green fins that pop up when fired as well as dual barrels and a crazy cool trigger styling? Oh yeah, its a nerf razor fin blasting from the past. Its pretty awesome too. Check out the video below to hear all about both the razor fin and the happenings in the world o drac recently.

Good News, Everyone

So SgNerf got his hands on an Elite Rampage and has discovered that it is a direct plunger system. The 75' range claims just went from being a skeptical maybe to a real possibility.

Announcements

This is a post all about announcements. First off, you may have noticed that neither Drac nor myself have posted much of anything recently. We've both been really busy with a large variety of things, but we've recently completed most of them. So expect to start seeing more regular posts in the next few days.

One of the things that we did was go to a NIC war in Florida. Both Drac and I got footage of a couple of the rounds, so after we sort through the footage, there will be something on that.

I've been busy performing maintenance on all of my primaries in preparation for the war, but now that it has passed, I will be doing some more mod guides. If you have a particular request for a mod guide, let me know.

Something that I intended to do but didn't follow up on was the Question of the Week. I intend to start it up again, with a few changes to make it both easier on me and more useful to you. 

There will be more things coming in the future, including another war in June as well as more information on the Elite series as we know more. I apologize for the lack of activity, but look forward to the upcoming posts.

Buzz Bee Tek 4 Review

I meant to do this a couple days ago, but then life got in the way and I got sidetracked. Anyway, here is a review of the Buzz Bee Tek 4:

Doomsayer

Although I still plan to make a mod guide for the RFDG eventually, I wanted to try one out first. This was the result:

Predator Pistol Splat Review

A couple of weeks ago I did a review on a Tech Group Wipeout Splat that I got from a thrift store and I mentioned that there were different power tiers as well as different models. Today, I have another model, the Predator.

Nerf Hailfire

So Nerf has released their teaser video for the Hailfire, and once again it confirms a lot of what we suspected:

CPS 1-3-5

A couple of days ago, I made a post about the gimmicky Super Soaker MDS. Today, I have another gimmicky soaker, this time from the beloved CPS line; the CPS 1-3-5.

Nerf Ballzooka

While the Nerf Crossbow is definitely the most notable Nerf Action Blaster, there were several other blasters released with it in 1994. One of those blasters was the Nerf Ballzooka, which was the equivalent of the Action Blaster's flagship model, priced at $29.99 to the Crossbow's $24.99.

Super Soaker MDS

Although this blog is primarily devoted to Nerf and other foam dart blasters, I plan to occasionally review blaster which use other kinds of ammo, including the Splat line, Laser Tag, and Super Soakers. With that in mind, here is the Super Soaker MDS:

The Hasbro Embarassment

As you may or may not already know, Urban Taggers has gone live again. With their relaunch, they also have released the story of their proceedings with the alleged Hasbro Lawyer team. Some of the tactics they've used are shady at best and illegal at worst. The whole thing is downright embarrassing.

I'm glad Urban Taggers seems to finally be getting clear of the whole mess, and I'm very grateful that they've shared their experiences in the event that one of the other sites is ever targeted.

If you want to know more, you can read the original post here.

Tech Group Pistol Splat Mod Guide

I have had several requests over the past several months for a mod guide on how I mod my Pistol Splats and after finding one in a thrift store a couple weeks ago, I've finally decided that it was time to do it.

Nerf Dart Tag Hyperfire Mod Guide

People have been asking for a Hyperfire mod guide forever and I've decided to stop putting it off. So here it is:

Double Standards?

Over a week ago, Nerf released two different versions of the Nerf Elite Retaliator video; one in Imperial and one in Metric, and the two range claims did not add up. Today, Nerf explained the reason on their Facebook page:

"We pride ourselves on offering high-performance blasters that adhere to our own strict safety standards, as well as standards set by each country where Nerf blasters are available. It is for this reason that, while most of our fans internationally will be seeing up to 75 foot distances using the N-Strike Elite blasters, members of Nerf Nation located in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, China and the Philippines will see a distance of up to 15 meters."

Follow the link to the Facebook to read more.

ERTL Rapid Fire Dart Gun

To the best of my knowledge, only one blaster has ever been banned at multiple NIC wars on the grounds that it was too effective and that blaster was the Doomsayer. At a time when hoppers were only an idea and homemades were just coming into popularity, the 12 shot pump action blaster that was the Doomsayer ruled the field. Even in today's field of homemades and hoppers, a well made Doomsayer is still a force to be reconed with. And at the base of it all is a company called ERTL who made the Rapid Fire Dart Gun.

Nerf N-Strike Elite Rampage

Earlier today Nerf released another video showcasing their new Elite blaster, the Rampage. We've already gotten a pretty good look at it from the Swedish site, but there are a few differences. First, there is no stock or shield attachment included. This may mean that anyone who wants a stock for their Rampage will have to buy another blaster for it.

The second thing that caught my eye is the fact that the new 25-dart drum appears to be centered. The main ergonomic problem with the original Raider drums were that they were lopsided, so if it is centered it's a major improvement.

Watch the video here:

Wipeout Pistol Splat

The original Tech Group Pistol Splat was a paintball pistol. As a paintball pistol, however, it was fairly useless. So somewhere along the line, somebody decided that it could be marketed better as a dart blaster. Thus, the Wipeout Pistol Splat version was born:

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Buzz Bee Mega Missile Review

Many people see the Ultimate Missile Blast as the successor to the Big Blast, but what they forget is that there was another Buzz Bee missile blaster in between the two. The Buzz Bee Mega Missile was first introduced in 2007 while the Big Blast was still on shelves.

Question of the Week #1

Hey guys, sorry that this is so late, but as I said, I've been busy. Anyway, this week's QotW comes from Kevin, who asked;

"Can you post your list of top 10 Nerf Blasters?"

I liked this question because it gave me an opportunity to make two separate lists; one for stock/lightly modded blasters and one for NIC-grade blasters, as well as explain the reasons why a blaster might be great for one and not the other. So without further adieu, here is my answer:

I liked this question because it gave me an opportunity to make two separate lists; one for stock/lightly modded blasters and one for NIC-grade blasters, as well as explain the reasons why a blaster might be great for one and not the other. All of the images below are from Google. So without further adieu, here is my answer:

Quick Announcements

Hey guys, I have two quick announcements:

First, the first Question of the week should have been posted yesterday. I'm sorry, but I just started a new job and I've been a little distracted. It will be up tomorrow and the next will be next Wednesday.

Second, if you haven't heard, Drac and I are going to a nerf war in Chattanooga on Saturday. I plan on getting film from at least one round, so check back on Sunday or Monday for that.

Nerf N-strike Elite pictures

Pictures of the new Elite series have been leaked on the german site Here: Included are the Retaliator, Rampage, Hailfire, and a previously unmentioned Elite Barricade. In addition, the site also has prices from which I can make rough estimates of the release price:

Nerf Retaliator ~ $25-30

Nerf Rampage ~$30-35

Nerf Hailfire ~$45-50

Nerf Elite Barricade ~$20-25

We finally have a up close and personal picture of the Hailfire, as well as some cool new information. The stock on the Elite Barricade is one of the most exciting things, but also notable is the shield and stock on the Rampage and the 8ish clip capacity of the Hailfire. Prices also seem to be much lower than I previously thought, which begs the question: Is Elite a replacement for the N-Strike line?

N-Strike Elite Retaliator

Nerf released a video on the new Elite Retaliator today. We didn't get much information, but we did get a much better look at the Retaliator, as well as confirming some rumors about it:

It's basically everything it's been rumored to be, which means the information we got on the other Elite blasters is probably also accurate. The stock looks cool, but it also looks a little bit short. The 12 dart clips are also interesting, but I'm not sure if they'll really be in demand. It also comes with a standard barrel extension and a Stampede Bipod 2.0.

Follow the link below to the original video:
Nerf Elite Retaliator Video

New Buzz Bee Blasters?

Target.com has a quartet of new Buzz Bee blasters listed; the Ranger/Orion, the Cougar, the Overlord, and the Jaguar. Each is a totally new design and most excitingly, the Orion claims 60ft ranges on the box. I suppose it was obvious that Buzz Bee would hop on the + range bandwagon, but I never really thought about it until now.

I've found a trademark registration for the Jaguar and it's logo which claims it should be responded to by 8/22/12. I would expect these blasters to hit major retailers in late August, early September.

Vortex Powerstrike

Every series usually has its very own unusual/gimmicky blaster. For the original Vortex Series, that blaster was the Powerstrike:

The Powerstrike was released in 1999 and is unusual in two ways. First, it utilizes a dual action firing system, which was unique to it. Second, it was made to fire two rings off of each launcher. The Powerstrike originally came with two Spinfire rings and two Micro Spinfire rings which would be loaded, one of each on to each launcher. The Powerstrike also could fire each launcher separately or in tandem, allowing it achieve a shotgun like effect.

Despite being very strangely shaped, the Powerstrike is a very comfortable and usable blaster. It's not the most well known of the Vortex series, but I'd say that it's one of coolest.

God of Thunder: Nerf Thor Hammer

I am generally not a fan of the Nerf Melee weapons. In a NIC setting, you will get shot by a competent player long before you ever get into swinging range. In our wars, we allow melee to be thrown, but most of the foam melee is not weighted to be thrown well. With the exception of carrying something for stylistic barrel taps, melee doesn't work well in the primary rounds. However, there is one melee weapon I've found a use for; the Nerf Thor Hammer:

The hammer isn't very large, which ends up being an advantage when you carry it as a secondary. Its head is completely made of foam, so it's weighted well enough on one end to be thrown reliably. With a strong toss, the Nerf Thor Hammer will easily go 70-80'. Plus, it provides something different to break up the rounds with. It's just a lot of fun.

If you want a cheap melee weapon to play with, the Nerf Thor Hammer is a good choice at $9.99. It's hardy construction allows it to last through the abuse of being thrown cross-field for several uses. And there's nothing like getting a kill with a foam hammer while screaming, "I am Thor, God of Thunder!"

Vortex Tornado X/2

When I was a kid, I wasn't allowed to have anything that even sort of resembled a gun, with two exceptions. The first was one of the old pullback Vortex Ring shooters, although I cannot remember which one. The second was a Vortex Tornado X/2. As a kid who loved toy blasters yet couldn't have them, I treasured my Vortex blasters, but over the years and over two movings, they were lost. So I was overjoyed when I found a Vortex X/2 in a grab bag at my local Goodwill for $4.

The Vortex Tornado X/2 was released in 1998, along with the original Vortex series. It was priced at $19.99, and was created as a replacement to the larger Vortex Tornado. Although it lacked a stock and got less range than it's predecessor, it had several ergonomic improvements which made it much easier to load and fire. As with all of the Vortex series, the Koosh ring ammunition gave it a superior range over most Nerf blasters and it had great accuracy in the absence of wind. 

The most exciting part about the purchase is that it came with 8 original Koosh Vortex rings. Koosh rings are no longer in production, so they are very difficult to find. To have gotten just the two that the Tornado X/2 came with would have been great, but to get 8 total was excellent.

Question of the Week

One of the goals of this site is to encourage community interaction. I believe the continually active chat has aided us greatly in the pursuit of that goal. However, I have plenty of things that I want to try in the future.

One of those things is a Question of the Week. This is how it will work:

Every Wednesday, I will post an answer to a question from a member of the community in as detailed a fashion as I can manage. This question can be about anything, so long as it's Nerf-related. To submit a question, send me an email at miredthoughts@gmail.com. Make sure that you put something about the Question of the Week in the title. I will choose the most interesting/ often asked question each week to answer. The first question will be answered and posted starting next Wednesday, 4/4/12. 

Introducing the Serenity CS-Infinity, high res shots

Hey guys, I just completed the serenity and OMW has completed another really nice kit, so I created a really nice blaster to put it inside and the results created a very cool zombie slaying machine. High res pics to follow.