Blasters What’s On The Horizon?
November 16
Its the end of the year, with holiday sales kicking into high gear and people wanting to know what to buy. Before we get to the Top 10 or similar lists, let me tell you about a few other things I have yet to see. Some items could be on shelves before Christmas and some might not arrive until the beginning of the year, or Toy Fair.
Nerf Ultra And Other Items
The fate of Nerf Ultra is a big question. The blaster could sell enough units to justify the continuation of the line, regardless of what the NIC thinks. Alternatively, theres enough resources invested in the line already that we may see a few more units before longevity decisions are made. Megas had to go through many growing pains when they first entered the market. The Centurion was known for cutting up darts but also sold plenty of units. Giant sniper rifles had a certain appeal, after all, and blasters like the Magnus came soon after, helping cement the lines shelf presence.
There will be many more Elite and Rival blasters, and if past history is any guide, some of them will also be available in the new year. Hopefully, however, well be seeing some fun things at Toy Fair, if US Patent Applications are any indication. (If the link does not work, it is for application0204041, which is a HIGH CAPACITY MAZINE FOR SPHERICAL PROJECTILES.
Also, Fortnite is still a thing, and apparently the SMG is releasing at the start of the new year, if the Hasbro Pulse entry counts as official news.
Buzz Bee Toys
Nerf is not the only company that has fun gems available on public file. At some point, well be seeing a blaster with a recoiling barrel (US Patent Application0113305). Although it’s not the most exciting invention, we do have plenty of blasters that can emit sound and lights. We have Recoil, Kickback or whatever Xshot calls their single-shot pistol. This makes the blaster, whatever it may be, fun for children.
Adventure Force Double Fire
There are fun updates to old blasters we can look forward too! Weve seen things like the Powermech finally appear stateside, and now were getting a Double Shot update, as well.
In October, the first images were registered as a design at the Hong Kong IP Office. It was then listed on Walmart’s website. The Adventure Force Double Fire has the same shells as the original, updated range claims (24.4m), and still features break action priming and dual-stage trigger.
The Double Trouble was released by Walmart in December last year. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did the same with Double Fire this year.
I’m curious to see what Buzz Bee has in store at Toy Fair. While things like the Rival Space are heating up, they’re a little off the radar. Will Buzz Bee move into one of the existing ammo ecosystems?Will they bring out more flywheel blasters?
Xshot Lots Of Balls
Zuru has made a name for themselves in recent years in budget blasting this year has been no exception. I’ve seen Xshot blasters everywhere. Although their Walmart offerings have been reduced slightly this year, there are still large areas of shelving at Target, Burlington, Ross, and other budget stores. The dart blaster line hasnt advanced a lot beyond recolors, although the newer versions of several blasters (Xcess, etc) are seeing wider release. The Chaos line, which offers cheap blasters and ammo, is pushing Rival hard. Of course, I want to see how they follow up a solid initial offering. but the tinkerer in me really wants to see how they make use of that extra button on the bottom of the Meteors magazine!
Footer from Toy World Magazine showing the new Zuru soakers.
Zurus has also been heavily involved in water warfare with items such as the Bunch of Balloons and this years Fast-Fill water bomber. This year, it is nominated for Outdoor Toy of the Years. Theyll be expanding that particular line of water blasters with the Epic Fast-Fill and Micro Fast-Fill, according to a small ad in Novembers Toy World Magazine.
Dart Zone DZP Adventure Force And Other
The Dart Zone Pro Model-I has shipped. Magazines and darts can be preordered. It’s also possible to order accessories. Theyre amazing darts, both in full and half length, but at current prices, its not going to beat Worker darts when it comes to people ordering short darts in bulk. Lets be honest, while I would use both full and half lengths (making the 120 + 120 pack a viable option), the high performance segment Dart Zone is sneaking into is very much one that favors half lengths. Half length adapters won’t fit in hobbyist blasters limit the appeal.
Foamcast Radio Episode 78 has more information on the topic and the Dart Zone Pro line as a whole.
The big mystery is what new blasters will look like. The Storm Squad is advertised as being at Dollar General this holiday season, but has yet to arrive. In addition, there are a bunch of trademarked names not publicly attached to any blasters yet. Dart Zone notably didnt have to show off anything new until well after Toy Fair, due to how well they were selling their blasters. So dont be surprised if, for a while, we have no news!
In other news, the Liberator (as of this writing) should be back in stock at Walmart.com by December, after selling out a few times already. They are generally doing something right when it comes to their ball blasters.
