is four years old at this point. It helped start the trend of pro-level blasters on store shelves/websites, as opposed to hobby-related sources. In retrospect, several things have surpassed it, but for the time, at least, the score of 10/10 was well deserved. Four years later, Dart Zone and Walmart have revamped the line! The Nexus Pro X has more power, more accuracy, more accessories, and all for the same price. And based on my extensive testing, it earns that 10/10 score, hands down ..read more

If you’ve been watching social media from either , you’ve seen posts referring to new gear and different shades…and infection outbreaks. Some people even found the Kickstarter early based on the clues and got in on the Super Early specials. today is launch day for the SCRD Kickstarter! This line of brightly colored tactical gear is aimed at bringing back the sillier side of the hobby, seeing as so much tactical gear in existence (be it from airsoft, paintball, or more recent foam-flinging setups) is in dark colors. We’re adults with toys, after all, so why not look like it and embrace the fun ..read more

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