Nerf War on Labor Day Weekend!

Live near Omaha, NE?  Consider this your formal invitation to a big Labor day Weekend NERF WAR!!  We're meeting up at Southridge Meadows Park with all our friends so I thought I'd let Tactical Tag readers know, too!

All the Event Details can be found on the Omaha Nerf League Facebook Group page or on this Event Page.  While there will be gear on-hand to borrow, we encourage players to bring their own gear and darts (as we likely won't have enough to equip everyone!).  Our group has traditionally only done small matches with friends, so this is the first time we've opened it up to the general public.  We're excited to see everyone!

RANT: The Nerf Reshell Game

Tale as old as time.  A manufacturer builds something and then utilizes it's core components to make something else.  From Computers to Cars to Buildings and Blasters, it just makes sense.  So when Nerf releases a "new" blaster, take it with a grain of salt.  Sure the outside is exciting and it probably has a tactical rail but I'd be hard pressed to see ground-breaking new designs tucked neatly inside it's shell.  It's something that hit me when I visited Target this week (it's currently August of 2015 for those of you reading this in the age of flying cars).

On the one hand... WOW!  Look at all these new blasters!  There's the new RotoFury for the Mega line.  The ZombieStrike lineup has the Dooooooooominator (thank's Bobo!).  Oh and look there!  A whole new lineup called "Doomlands 2169" with some Cyber Western stuff!  And who could ignore the gobs of Modulus products all over the shelf space.  Accessory packs galore!!  It's all new new n- wait a sec...

Isn't that Doominator just using the same tech we saw in the FlipFury?  Huh... and it looks like the Vagabond is using the Guardian Crossbow internals.  And yeah, I guess that Lawbringer looks great, but it's really just a HammerShot with twice the ammo capacity.  Well, I mean the Modulus is a Stryfe... again.

Suddenly the "newness" wears off and, as I look at the shelves, I try to figure out which one looks the coolest (I nabbed a Vagabond).  It's still good, since the blasters all work well (although I haven't seen great reviews on the Doominator) but I was expecting that excitement of ALL these new products right in front of me to last a little longer.  Unless you absolutely NEED a new design on the exterior to add to your massive Nerf Blaster collection, you probably already own a similar blaster at home.

That's exactly what happened when I got home with the Vagabond.  I'll have a review up later, but in the 24 hours I have owned this new blaster in a new lineup... it already feels kinda old.  I already have a great 6-Shooter Pistol that can do Slamfire.  It's called the Strongarm and it's a great blaster!  Mine has been lightly modified to have a bit more punch for range but I've used it a bunch since I got it.  So whatever modifications I do to my Vagabond... it just feels like more of the same for performance gains.  Would I pick a modified Vagabond over a modified Strongarm?  Tough to say.  Would I pick two HammerShots over one Lawbringer?  Probably.  Would I pick a Stryfe over a Modulus?  More than likely.

I suppose what I'm hoping for in the future is something that WORKS differently.  Make a stand-out difference in a blaster, like the SledgeFire!  Lots of fun to fire, uses cartridges, has a nifty prime.  Sure it may not be the most ideal blaster to use all the time, but what made it fun was how different it's operation is from any other Nerf blaster.  The Rival line is very different for Nerf, and there's some cool innovation going on there, but I'm more focused on dart blasters since it's what I already have a plethora of (and what I tend to prefer).

The Reshell Game has been done a bunch and I suppose this latest "Loot Drop" of Nerf Products for Summer of 2015 seems like more of the same.  Perhaps that's because the new designs are in the new Rival lineup.  Perhaps there's just demand for the existing blaster tech.  Perhaps I'm just bummed that the high of owning this new Vagabond wore off so easily when I realized my Strongarm is doing just fine without an extra 6 inches of plastic.  Either way, Nerf knows exactly what I'll do: keep getting these blasters.  They still look great.  They still work great (a few exceptions, but nobody is perfect).  And they still fuel my random battles with my 7-year-old neighbor.

Special August Bulletin!

Attention Tactical Tag readers!  This is a special bulletin concerning activity for the month of August.  Due to unexpectedly high levels of cuteness (and derpy-ness), Tactical Tag will be a little pre-occupied with a new puppy.

This is Daphne!  She's a 9-week-old Corgi Puppy who, besides being an attention sucker to begin with, does require a lot of attention.  From house training to feeding to playtime, Daphne is keeping my wife and I very busy.  Until we can get a routine figured out and she is more independent (she needs to be supervised a lot!), my free time is kinda sucked up.

For an example, she is very keen on devouring Nerf darts... which I discovered when I was testing range on modifications I've made to the Strike & Defend kit I reviewed earlier.  Instead of seeing how much of an improvement to range I had, Daphne made it a point to run a "Seek and Destroy" mission.

I'll have more content up later, including Doomlands 2169 stuff and the wrap-up of our 10th Summer Season of Laser Tag games, but I thought I'd let you all know that Bazookafied is a little tied up with puppy parenting!

Nerf Modulus "Strike and Defend" Kit

This is the Nerf Modulus "Strike and Defend" kit.  It comes with a flip-up shield that can attach to an N-Strike Tactical Rail and a Pistol (includes two darts) that can attach to a N-Strike Stock Adapter and act as a sturdy stock.  It's an interesting accessory in that this is Nerf's first stock that can be used as a blaster.

My initial impressions were quite good to begin with.  As a blaster, this pistol packs more of a punch than I was expecting.  There are a few comfort issues being used solely as a pistol but it is actually a very nice sturdy stock on my blasters.  It can even still shoot a dart while it is attached as a stock (which I wasn't expecting it to do).  The "Defend" side of this kit is rather lame.  The Shield seems more like an afterthought while the clear star of this kit is the "Strike" side of things.

For details on size and features of this kit, go see the photos on Tactical Tag's Facebook Page.  This includes comparisons with other N-Strike stock sizes and pictures with it on other blasters.

Click the link below for the full video review of this kit!

REVIEW: Nerf Rhino Fire

In spring of 2014, the name "Rhino Fire" was spotted as a new Nerf blaster, but no pictures accompanied this information (unless you count my April Fools joke).  Later that summer it was revealed to be a double-barreled drum-fed tripod-mounted behemoth, mimicking the look of an Anti-Aircraft Gun.  When it was released in the fall, it came with a hefty pricetag and not-so-encouraging reviews on the 'net.  Frequent jamming and quality issues plagued this D-Cell Battery powered monster and, as a result of the price and the issues, I easily crossed this one off my list and skipped it.

Fast forward to the Summer of 2015.  A stagnant Nerf enthusiast is waiting impatiently for the new Doomlands blasters to start showing up when, lo and behold, a friend of his finds a Rhino Fire for stupid-cheap and buys it for him.  Great!  The issues from the initial release must have been rectified since last fall, right?  WRONG!

Check out the video review after the jump!

Too Hot? Switch it up!

I'm not sure about the rest of the US (or the rest of the world for that matter) but weather forecasts are expecting a string of 90-100 degree temperatures with humid muggy conditions for the entire week in the Midwest.  We are smack-dab in the middle of my Omaha-based Laser Tag group's summer season... but instead of melting this Friday evening for our weekly game... we'll be staying cool.  For the first time ever, we'll be trading our electronics for some H²O!  Sure it's not what we usually do, but I'd rather have people come out and have fun than have 5 people show that will collapse of heat-exhaustion a half-hour into the game.


This week we're gonna cool off with some Super Soakers in an epic Water War in the same park we would normally be playing Nerf or Laser Tag.  While I don't have an arsenal of Water Guns to loan out like I usually do, I do have a back yard that conveniently shares a border with the park we play in, so getting refills on water for our blasters will be easy.  It should be a fun change of pace.  I'm not sure how we'll actually run the games... or if it'll just be mindless soakage, but I know it'll be fun and I know people will have a good time!

This year I've been getting a little bent-out-of-shape on my hobbies.  I quickly realized that, instead of getting worked up about numbers and turnout and the like... that it should be about having fun regardless of whether it's 5 people or 35 people.  This Water War is just an easy way to switch things up and help us focus on what's really important: having a good time.  When plans don't go your way, switch things up and just focus on enjoying the time with whoever shows up.  There's no point in getting down on statistics or technicalities if people are having fun.

Ten Years in the Making!

On July 3rd, most people were impatiently waiting for their Independence Day celebrations.  Cookouts, Fireworks, and get-togethers were planned for this big American weekend.  While the rest of the country was waiting, we were busy getting a leg up on celebrating the only way we know how: Laser Tag!

We kicked off the 10th Annual "Independence Eve Blast" with our usual pot-luck cookout.  I think this is the first time we've ever had dogs and babies at the game, though... so we all had a lot of fun!

We also enjoyed record turn-out for the event.  We had 32 in the picture but picked up another 5 through the rest of the event, so I was pretty stoked about the support we got.  I've been complaining recently of low turnout numbers but this event made me realize that these events are more about the games, it's about getting together with everyone.  Whether there's 5 or 35 players, it's still a good time.  In the same way that Nerf and Laser Tag enthusiasts tend to get too caught up or serious about their hobbies, I tend to get too worked up on the details of these games and forge to enjoy it.

One thing that made it easier to to enjoy was the return of some well-missed veterans.  Many good friends who have been with us from the start made it out to this event to celebrate with us.  Some of them don't even live in town anymore, so it was a real treat to reconnect with them and play alongside (and against) them in this awesome scenario that is simply known as the "Independence Eve Blast".  Many of them were THERE for the first one we held back in 2006, so it was great to have them here again!

For those who don't know, this event is my FAVORITE one in the entire schedule.  Not only is there great food and lots of fun games to be had, but the event carries with it a unique atmosphere not easily recreated.  As the evening of Laser Tag goes on into the night, local fireworks explode overhead giving a sort of battlefield environment as players battle through flashes of light, the booms of shells igniting overhead, and the thick smell of smoke and gunpowder.  Its awesome to play under these conditions to make for an unforgettable evening.

2015 marks our 10th year doing this.  Here's a video I made from last years event in case you missed it!



Hope all my US readers had a Happy 4th of July!  And I guess all the readers in other countries will want to host games on nights when there are fireworks in the forecast.  It's a grand ol' time!