New Buzz Bee blasters revealed!

In addition to the new Nerf revelations, a slew of Buzz Bee blasters has hit the Interwebs recently.

The first is the Jaguar, a 6-dart shooter which is VERY similar to the Magstrike in the sense that it shoots with auto-advancing barrels.
MSRP for the Jaguar is $4.99, the same price as the Rogue, which has been reviewed on this blog.

Next up is the Cougar, a larger version of the Jaguar that fires 10 shots.  This is an automatic indexing blaster with a clip system.
MSRP for the Cougar is $9.99.

Third up is the Orion, an old-style rifle with an attachable silencer and scope. Why is there a picture of the Hawk in the inset?
MSRP for the Orion is $17.99.

Next is the Overlord, an automatic version of the Belt Blaster and essentially a Buzz Bee variant of the Vulcan EBF-25.
MSRP for the Overlord is $19.99.

Finally, the Ultimate series of blasters has not yet met its demise. There is now an Ultimate system version of the Clip Shot 10, now under the moniker of Ultimate Clip Blast. Totally digging the inverted banana clip.

I'm really happy that Buzz Bee has come up with other ideas besides flywheel-powered blasters. I also like that they have attempted new color schemes (in the case of the Orion and the Overlord). Can't wait for these to hit stores!

New Nerf guns revealed!

This may be old news, but there is a new N-Strike series called "N-Strike Elite." The new blasters are, from top to bottom, the Hailfire, the Rampage, the Retaliator, and the Stockade. You may notice that the majority of these blasters are "upgraded" versions of previous releases, except for the Hailfire. For example, the Stockade is an upgraded Barricade RV-10 that features a new stock. The Rampage is a new version of the Raider CS-35 with an all-new 25-dart drum.  The Retaliator looks like a futuristic Recon CS-6 to me, and the Hailfire is virtually a clip system Vulcan EBF-25 with four revolving 12-dart clips. Also note that the darts are new.

There will also be a new Vortex blaster called the Pyragon, which features a 40-disc drum, the highest capacity of any Vortex blaster. MSRP for this blaster is $39.99.

All of these will be released on August 1st, so expect reviews in a few weeks.

Air Zone review: Triple Shot

I've decided to stray from my usual Nerf and Buzz Bee reviews to review a blaster from another company: Air Zone.  Air Zone is a ToysRUs exclusive line of blasters, most of which are reproductions of blasters by Buzz Bee and Lanard, but occasionally they come out with their own blasters, such as the Punisher, seen below,

and the Power Strike 48.

A demo video of the Punisher can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO7eYOuTvy0&feature=player_embedded

Now, anyhoo, I'll be reviewing the Air Zone reproduction of Lanard's Triple Shot.
MSRP: $19.99

The blaster holds 12 Air Zone Slugs (that's what their darts are called). The stock/dart holder was a very nice touch, and I was impressed with that. With blasters of this rank in dart gun society, I am normally not impressed with coloration, but Air Zone has managed to impress me.

The cocking mechanism is the dark grey piece on the ventral side of the blaster. Although some may tend to differ, the mechanism was very easy to use in my opinion.

The revolving barrel reminds me of the HyperFire from NERF Dart Tag.

Although I am normally biased towards Nerf and Buzz Bee, if you want to take this venture, I suggest trying it.

Range: Decent, 20-35 feet. (6/10)
Accuracy: If you are an experienced Nerfer, you'll have no problem getting an accurate shot. (7/10)
Reliability: Good quality, but not the highest quality. (9/10)
Rate: Again, if you're an experienced Nerfer, you can shoot pretty quickly. (9/10)
Capacity: 12 darts max. (10/10)
General: Very appealing. I actually like this blaster compared to other guns of this type. (10/10)

OVERALL GRADE: B+


In conclusion, this sums up to be a good blaster. If there's a ToysRUs near you, I'd suggest besides looking for Nerf or Buzz Bee, to also look for this blaster!

I also want to bring up some exciting news about this blog.
In the near future, I will be doing something special to my reviews. In addition to my written reviews, I will be adding a supplemental demo video of the blaster that I'm reviewing.

~XTN

Expect some more reviews!

I just scored some new blasters, so expect reviews soon!
I got:

• Air Zone Triple Shot
• NERF Speedswarm
• NERF Lumitron
• NERF Rayven CS-18

Water gun recommendations- wait, WHAT?

It's summer again, so what better way to celebrate than to recommend some AWESOME water guns?

1. NERF Super Soaker Lightning Storm ($20)

Powered by 4 AA batteries, this monster packs a whopping 37 oz of water into its magazine and also includes a removable stock. Reminds me of the Alpha Trooper CS-18.

2. NERF Super Soaker Hydro Cannon ($20)
Bazooka much? Sometimes you're in the mood to get hit with projectiles, but sometimes there's nothing better than a drenching from this behemoth. It shoots up to 35 feet and includes a face shield so you can resist the elements (by elements, I mean water)

3. Buzz Bee Water Warriors line (prices vary)
The Buzz Bee Water Warriors were designed by ex-Super Soaker employees, so you can expect the same quality. They're also a bit garish.

Warlock

Steady Stream 2

Splat Blaster 2

Ultimate Bandit

Ultimate Outlaw

Ultimate Renegade

Ultimate Explorer

Ultimate Vanquisher

Goblin

Hydra

Gorgon

Viper

Python

Colossus

Avenger

4. Banzai Transmorpher
When you hear "Banzai" are you reminded of the commercials with screaming kids and water slides? Well, Banzai isn't just that. They also make water guns. The Transmorpher is essentially the Recon CS-6 of water guns.

Nerf VORTEX review- Vigilon

Nerf's VORTEX line strays from the original dart guns, and makes your favorite dart gun look like GARBAGE. Today, we'll be reviewing the Vigilon.

Retail price (USD): approx $14.99-$19.99
It can be found at most major retailers.

The Vigilon is the second smallest VORTEX gun, next to the Proton, which is smallest and is about the size of the Nite Finder EX-3.

Cocking mechanism: The cocking mech is slide action, and is located at the far back of the gun.

Loading: There is a small orange switch at the back of the gun. Push it down, and then a "secret" chamber will open. Load all five discs into it. This reminds me of PEZ dispensers. Sometimes you have to fight to get them in straight.

Overall, this gun is worth the money!

Range: AMAZING! 55-80 feet. (10/10)
Accuracy: Sometimes it's accurate, but sometimes not because the projectiles are aerodynamic, and if you were to be playing outside, the wind could change the disc's direction. I recommend playing indoors. (7/10)
Reliability: Sometimes you have to fight to get the discs in straight, the gun is only compatible with XLR discs, and the disc never jam. (9/10)
Rate: Since they are discs, like Frisbees, enemies can dodge or run quickly while the disc is in flight. Loading takes a while, too. (9/10)
Capacity: 5 discs. Average. (8/10)

FINAL GRADE: C-


This gun's only pro is its accuracy. Although it's a great dart (I mean, disc) gun, I would recommend something else higher.

BATTLE OF THE DART GUNS 2011: Nerf vs. Buzz Bee

There's multiple rivalries in the dart gun making industries. One of the tightest competitions is between Hasbro's NERF franchise, known for its N-Strike, Dart Tag, and Vortex lines, and Buzz Bee Toys' Air Warriors.  Most people on the Interwebs prefer NERF for its charisma, but we're still going to see if Buzz Bee proves to be a better manufacturer!

Teams get 1 point for pros, and lose 1 point for cons.

Round I: "Pop Darts": The most popular dart guns of each line.

From Team NERF: Maverick REV-6
From Team Buzz Bee: Rogue


Maverick's pros:

• Fires easily and quickly
• Tremendous accuracy
• Compatible with most NERF darts
• Easy to cock

Maverick's cons:

• Jams sometimes

OVERALL SCORE: 3

Rogue's pros:

• Fires easily
• Seldom jams
• Good range
• Good accuracy
• Looks like a ray gun. :)

Rogue's cons:

• Not visually appealing (clashing color scheme/drab)
• Barrel has to be hand-revolved
• Cocking mechanism isn't easy to use

OVERALL SCORE: 2

Nerf's in the lead with 3, and Buzz Bee falls behind with 2.

Round 2: "Auto Darts": Automatic dart guns.

From Team NERF: Barricade RV-10

From Team Buzz Bee: Automatic Tommy 20

Barricade's pros:

• Great overall design
• Lightweight for an auto
• Fires quickly with a little sting; can sting even more if modded
• Revolves easily
• Doesn't require too many batteries.

Barricade's cons:

• A little noisy.

OVERALL SCORE: 4

Tommy 20's pros:

• Has continuous blast if you hold the trigger.
• Great color scheme
• Flywheel mech operates pretty well.

Tommy 20's cons:

• Unwieldy
• Slightly inaccurate

OVERALL SCORE: 1

Buzz Bee really needs to catch up!

Round 3: "The Big Guns" The biggest and baddest dart guns/missile launchers.

From Team NERF: Titan AS-V1

From Team Buzz Bee: Maniac

Titan's pros:

• It's an uber gun! How can anyone DISLIKE it?
• Packs a punch
• Extremely great range; up to 80 feet if angled upwards
• Intimidating

Titan's cons:

• Only 1 shot
• No replacement missiles: you'll have to either contact Nerf or buy another Titan
• Requires a lot of pumping

OVERALL SCORE: 1

Maniac's pros:

• The name fits: it is a maniacal gun! It has a missile AND 20 darts.
• Intimidating
• Fires quite well
• The missiles LIGHT UP!
• The two triggers are easy to operate.
• Packs a BIG punch

Maniac's cons:

• Kind of a duplicate of the Ultimate Berserker
• Two triggers are hard to remember which is which.

OVERALL SCORE: 4

Now, it's time to tally up the points.

Team NERF: 3+4+1=8

Team Buzz Bee: 4+1+2=7

It's a close one, but the gold medal has to go to NERF, winning by only 1 point! Even though Buzz Bee lost this year's battle, we at Dart Tag Havoc strongly recommend buying other brands, such as Buzz Bee, Prime Time, and Air Strike. Always great to try something new!

Well, that concludes the battle! Stay tuned for more reviews!