Nerf keeps throwing us firsts.  We like it, keeps the game fresh, keeps people talking.  There has been lots of talk about the first blaster released from Nerf’s new Light it Up series; the Rayven.  I’ve heard the comments, this design isn’t very popular right now.  Let me assure you, this unique blaster is worth every penny.

The Rayven’s design is a major cause for concern throughout the community, the bullpup idea not sitting well in the stomachs of many a fan.  The bullpup puts the clip and firing action behind the trigger saving on space and weight.  I like the feel of the Rayven, it fits nice against my shoulder and the angled foregrip out in front makes the blaster very stable while aiming.  This design doesn’t differ much from that of the original glow in the dark blaster; the Firefly, which can’t technically be called bullpup as the firing action was on top of the trigger, not behind.  That being said, the Rayven is a lightweight, compact fly wheel powered blaster of awesomeness.  It really is.  Aside from the green paint job which I don’t really care for this thing has all the right things going for it.  It uses only 4 AA batteries, making it as efficient to power as the Barricade and stole my favorite feature from the Nitron; a second trigger on the grip to activate the fly wheels only when needed, not only saving battery life but keeping stealth a factor in play.

My least favorite thing about the good old Firefly was the giant flash that went off when you fired, it was annoying and totally gave away your position which is not ideal when dealing with a night fire situation.  Thanks to the Rayven’s new clip which charges darts individually as they move up the 18 round straight clip using 4 UV lights mounted at the top of the dart slide(where you load the darts into the clip) there is minimal risk of alerting your enemy to your presence.  The clip itself uses 3 AA batteries making the Rayven a total battery load of 7 AA’s which isn’t that bad.  The blaster is comfortable in both right and left hands and is not too difficult to dual wield if you so desire(it kinda makes you feel like a badass). (more…)

2011 has come and gone.  In its wake we have a lot to reflect on, it’s been a BIG year in the world of Nerf.  Not to leave anything out, we’re not going to do a “best of” for the year.  Instead, we’re going to break down all the Nerfy goodness of 2011(in no particular order) and throw it all on the chopping block for one last year end review.  There’s a lot of material to cover so sit down, strap in and prepare for takeoff!

Super Soaker

[View with PicLens]

Summer fun got a big shot of awesome in 2011 with some major overhauls to the Super Soaker line.  Not only did the entire lineup get a frosty new paint job, but some new blasters changed the face of modern Super Soaker play.  There were a few impressive additions to aqua warfare coolness, most basic of which being the Point Break and Scatter Blast.  (more…)

Anticipation is building as the release date for the Vortex series grows ever closer.  Ever since Nerf held their exclusive media event in New York but a short couple weeks ago, we have been buzzing over our experience with this innovative disc blaster series.  Now that we’ve seen what these blasters can do, it’s time to spread the word to one and all with a preview review of the remaining 3 blasters of the Vortex series.  Check out our full review of the Vortex Vigilon by following this link.

The Vortex series oozes SciFi goodness from every inch of their highly detailed forms.  With their out of this world designs, toxic neon color scheme and a dramatic naming convention adding to the alien allure, the Vortex series stakes its claim as an entity far removed from the very familiar N-Strike series.  Add the introduction of new mini frizbee inspired ammo in the XLR Disc, and it is clear that Nerf can do pretty much anything with some plastic and a bit of foam. (more…)

The Vortex series is set to launch on 9/10/11, and we at AFoN have a special invitation to attend the pre-release media event in New York.  In preparation for the event, our friends at Nerf have gifted us a little sneak peak with the Vigilon, the first blaster in the series.

The Vortex series is unique in many ways; not only do they use a completely new ammo in the Vortex disc, they utilize an innovative new firing mechanism.  I was expecting the discs to feel like a cut down ballistic ball, man was I wrong.  The discs are composed of foam wrapped around a squishy rubber or plastic center making for a sturdy, bouncy thing that really looks like a mini frisbee.  (more…)

Summer is officially here!  It’s time for some fun in the sun and for me that means one thing; the POOL!  I am a huge fan of bringing my water blasters along when we go outside to our pool, I mean, what’s more fun than splashing about in water above your head while blasting my family with a Super Soaker.  I wouldn’t recommend doing this at close range, trust me, getting temporarily blinded by a point blank ShotBlast shot to the eye is just as painful and hilarious as you might believe.

Today I offer to you the Super Soaker TornadoStrike, another of the new Super Soaker line to utilize the water clip system.  The blaster has a rotating 6 nozzle cylinder fired by pumping the slider on the bottom of the blaster’s body, there is no trigger.  The TornadoStrike also comes with a detachable butt stock which is a redesign of the N-Strike Raider’s butt stock but if it isn’t broke and all that. (more…)

From what I’ve seen so far 2011 may be the year of Nerf.  The gem of the lot to date in my opinion is the newly designed Dart Tag series blasters.  This series is a marvel of reinvention, the built in clip design has gifted the lightning fast game of dart tag with the fastest reload time offered on modern blasters not in the Clip System.  My only problem with the series as a whole has to do with jams.  I have had some bad luck with what can only be described as double loading, where a second dart tries to load on top of the dart that is already in the chamber when the blaster is cocked.  This has only happened as a result of children or inexperienced Nerfers playing with my blasters but has had the ultimate end of ripping the dart apart.  That being said it’s time to get to the review, I bring to you the Dart Tag Quick 16.

I have one quick thing to say about the Quick 16.  Slam fire is awesome!  The N-Strike Raider CS-35 is possibly my favorite blaster and it has been quite saddening to have nothing quite as cool in the Dart Tag arsenal.  My prayers have been answered by this 16 round beast of a blaster.  The paint apps follow those seen on the Speed Load 6 which is expected and looks just as good.  Also as I had thought the redesigned trigger that I commented about in my last review is carrying along to the rest of the blasters in the series which makes me happy. (more…)

If you’re anything like the staff here at AFoN you’ve been waiting very impatiently for the release of the newly redesigned Nerf Dart Tag blasters.  We are very happy to inform you that they’re finally here!  I bring to you the Nerf Dart Tag Speed Load 6.

It has been a while since we’ve seen anything new on the Dart Tag side of the Nerf coin, and it’s nice to see something fresh for 2011.  The Speed Load 6 is an interesting blaster, and is the first I’ve seen to offer the built in clip.  I have to say, the quick load build in clip is an amazing feature that offers dart tag players self contained dart storage and possibly the fastest reload time among similar blasters including clip system blasters from the N-Strike series.  An amazing feature that was discovered while testing this blaster, and something Nerf has not revealed about the blaster is that it has a Slam Fire feature (more…)

It’s time to round out the week, and our trilogy of warm weather reviews.  I know it’s sad, but don’t worry, warm weather will be here soon, but if you just can’t wait to scratch your Super Soaker itch you can fill this blaster up with warm water and go melt some snow!  I bring to you, the Nerf Super Soaker THUNDERSTORM.

The THUNDERSTORM is the most unique water blaster I’ve had the pleasure of owning.  It is the first such blaster to offer quick reloading via the new water clip.  Yes, that’s right, I said it has a clip.  No longer will we have to spend the majority of our time huddled around a spigot fighting over who gets to refill first.  The clip holds about 11 ounces(300lm) of liquid and fits very snugly in the blaster forming an excellent seal.  A full clip adds a bit of weight to the blaster, which is rather light without the water, but the extra weight doesn’t hinder use of the THUNDERSTORM(even for a 4 year old).  Another nifty feature of the clip is the addition of a build in belt clip, giving you the ability to hold multiple clips on your person during a battle, a feature not currently offered on any of the clip system dart blasters. (more…)

Spring, an almost mythical time when the snow melts and people(in the north) are actually happy to get out of the house for a while.  I hear this happy season is almost upon us, and with that hopes and dreams of summer when the sun’s so hot we can’t wait to douse ourselves in any water we can find.  Yup, summer means Super Soakers, and here’s another review from Nerf’s new line, the Scatter Blast.

The second offering I’ve been able to sample from Nerf’s ever growing chest-o-Super Soakers is the Scatter Blast.  This small water blaster resembles a sawed off shotgun in design, and sports more of the trademark orange plastic than the Point Break and honestly this doesn’t bother me save for the pump action which I wish was designed similarly to the pump on other Super Soakers like the Point Break.  This is the second of Nerf’s Super Soakers that I’ve had the opportunity to try out that doesn’t use a trigger to fire the water, which I found odd at first.  “What’s that you say, just pump it and it fires?  You’re crazy.” I’d say, then I’d think back to when I was a child using my old school water blasters and all the time I spent running away from my friends getting drenched pumping away after using up the charge in my blaster when I could have just been pump firing the whole time.  Then I thought how ingenious it was not having a trigger, which can possibly get in the way during high intensity water battles. (more…)

Spring is almost upon us, and it’s time to remind ourselves of the fun we’ll have once the sun’s warm rays rids us of the snow and we can finally start playing outside.  We’ll kick off the spring warm up by reviewing the Nerf Super Soaker Point Break.

I haven’t followed the complete history of the Super Soaker, I haven’t owened one since Larami held the license and back in the day they were something to look up to.  Let’s just say I have a new found interest in the line now that it belongs to Nerf.  The Point Break is the first offering I have been able to sample since Nerf changed the color scheme of the Super Soaker line from a Dart Tag-esque red and grey/blue and grey team battle inspired design to the new white and blue-grey design.  The new colors give the blaster an almost arctic feel and looks very sharp all around.  The handle is well shaped, and is large enough to for comfortably in an adult hand.  I’m not the biggest fan of the trigger’s shape, but I feel this is a minor complaint considering this is a product made for kids. (more…)