Finally, the main line is getting updates – there’s a Micro 2.0 coming to shelves, and some blasters like the X8 Ranger and Caliber are finally hitting shelves near me. So you’ll have reviews soon! , we have updates on new Xshot releases for the year! The Insanity line expands with Horrorfire, the blasters an interesting mix of bone, metal, and saw blades. The Doomsday and Reaper X are both listed, but the main blaster (Dread Hammer, a retooled Crusher) has yet to appear online. Mechanically, nothing is new. But the blasters look amazing ..read more

Apparently, there’s a new push to ban Tiktok over potential national security issues (owned by Bytedance, in China, etc.). Regardless of whether you think it’s needed, it does put an interesting spin on company advertising as well as regular content creation. We’ve seen Xshot have extreme success on social media at low cost, and came out of committee with a unanimous vote , and now goes for votes in Congress. The President has indicated he would sign legislation, as well. So it will be interesting to see how both regular creators and corporations respond after investing time and money into usi ..read more

Let’s get back into the legal drama, shall we? I wrote an article going partway through the legal battle surrounding gel ball blasters. Life then happened, and I didn’t get around to writing Part 2. Turns out that’s a good thing, because a lot has happened in the meantime. In any case, it would appear that Hasbro has ultimate say in the market. After all, most of the companies with gel ball blasters still being put on shelves have a licensing agreement with Hasbro – not to mention that in many stores, Nerf Pro Gelfire is in the toy aisle, while others are stuck in sporting goods ..read more

The Nerf Elite Jr. line certainly isn’t meant to be a powerhouse – I’m not sure how to rate it in that regard in terms of range, as you’ll see below. But don’t let a low range score fool you; for the target age range, the Lionfury is a great choice for entering the world of dart blasting. Not to mention I appreciate the return to cool alternative blaster designs – who knew I wanted a spiritual successor to ..read more

Let’s sum up a few details ..read more

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Hasbro, meanwhile, has taken a different approach. Better Than Balloons aims to fill plastic water pods quickly (albeit with the need to separate them after), pop open on impact, and keep each “balloon” in one piece for easy cleanup. They’re sturdy enough to be handled roughly, but can be thrown, stomped, squeezed, etc. for whatever soaking action you want. Are they worth it? Perhaps, if you want to do the messy part ahead of time – and have time ..read more

Nevertheless, let’s take a peek at some of the products announced – some we already know are coming, and a few that are new ..read more

In any case, when it comes to arming the children, the Aqua Thunder does the job ..read more

Toy Fair in the US might be gone this year, but fairs elsewhere in the world are still on the calendar. Today was the first day of the Nuremburg Toy Fair, and it started out big for the blaster hobby. Dart Zone is redoing the first two entries of the Adventure Force line, with new looks, a focus on short darts, and many upgrades. And as of the end of January, there are links for the Nexus Pro X Aeon Pro X on Walmart’s website ..read more