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Monday, September 23, 2013

CTDYNE: Double Whammy

Just when you thought the Stinger accessory that CTDYNE was more than enough, they build another little monster with a dual lens setup!  Appropriately named the "Double Whammy", this is an accessory attachment for a Phoenix LTX Laser Tag blaster.  No modifications to the blaster are needed to add this fella.

This is the accessory Hasbro should and could have produced for the LTX.  The reason why they could have done it is because the dual lens arrangement is actually from a Tag Master Blaster (or TMB) from the Lazer Tag Team Ops lineup, of which Hasbro owns the rights for.  It is called the Double Whammy (DW). This unit has yet to be put through its paces. The plan is to bring this to the Game at Fort Worden this month for a through field test.




The DW is designed to provide the same overall tactical advantages as the CTDYNE Stinger. Only the DW is lighter and more compact than the Stinger.  Like the Stinger the DW attaches to any LTX in seconds. No modifications to the tagger are required for installation. The DW is expected to yield enhanced range for sniper applications. The close quarter battle mode (CQB) should be helpful for close encounters.

The double lens assembly on the DW should look familiar to anyone who has utilized the excellent Hasbro TMB. Only in this application both barrels are used for IR LED emitters. No receiver barrel is needed on the LTX. For use on the DW this double barrel assembly has been modified to utilize the exclusive CTDYNE Multiple Focal length Optics (M-FLO) design concept, as seen on another CTDYNE blaster for Laser Challenge systems called the "Dragonfly".

One barrel utilizes the original TMB optic assembly including the lens, IR LED and focal length. The other barrel utilizes an optic assembly consisting of a TMB lens with a TSAL-6100 IR LED positioned at a shorter focal length. The idea here is to retain the excellent long range performance of the TMB with one barrel and at the same time provide enhanced medium range coverage with the second barrel. Both barrels on the DW fire simultaneously.

The Hasbro TMB has a reputation for excellent long range capability but one deficiency TMB users have complained of over the years is the inability of the tight pattern of the infrared light emitted from the TMB optics to be successfully utilized at medium to close range engagements. It can be difficult to land tags on a rapidly moving opponent at medium/close ranges with the TMB optics. This is where the M-FLO design concept comes in handy. Since both barrels fire simultaneously this double barrel assembly should provide excellent coverage in a variety of tactical situations.

The two IR LED's under the main barrel assemblies are the CQB mode emitters. These are selected by positioning the Sniper/CQB slide switch on the left side of the DW. Both of these IR LED's fire simultaneously. These LED's are both OED-EL-1L2 emitters. Not a lot of range with these LED's but a significant spread of IR light is available. This function should be devastating in the confined conditions encountered in the tunnels like at Fort Worden. Better bring your A game if you plan on going toe-to-toe with this fella in enclosed spaces!

See more photos of the Double Whammy at Tactical Tag's Facebook Page!

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