ZS Chainsaw Pictures & Video Review

I'll be the first to admit it.  The last time I purchased a foam sword from Nerf was... never ago.  I never really had an interest in it mostly because the group I do Nerf games with doesn't use 'em either.  However, most enthusiasts like me have been wanting to have a bayonet or foam-built weapon of some kind to attach to an N-Strike Tactical Rail.  Many have built their own, but Nerf hasn't really released anything like that... until they surprised us with this!

This is the Nerf ZombieStrike "Zed Squad" Chainsaw.  Before you get all excited, realize that this is made by Nerf, so it's just a big flimsy piece of foam you can add on to your blaster.  But, as these pictures show, it really looks quite good on blasters.  If you're into dressing up your blaster, this is a must-have accessory.  If you're into practicality over being a photo king, you can probably skip this one.

Check out more photos of the ZS Chainsaw on Tactical Tag's Facebook Page.  You can also see the video review after the jump!

Chainsaws for N-Strike Rails! FUN!

Perpetual Play has been awfully sneaky about recent ZombieStrike releases for Nerf.  We've seen a few of them reported by our friends across the pond.  Here's another one that was just spotted state-side for the "Zed Squad" simply called the "Chainsaw".  This isn't just another foam toy to smack Zombies with.  Take a closer look and you'll notice there's an N-Strike Tactical Rail attachment for under-slung chainsaw action.  There's a handle grip on the back just underneath the tac-rail attachment.

These were found on a local store shelf in the Midwest.  Pictures were taken by a fan on Tactical Tag's Facebook Page. 

I haven't seen one in person, so I'm curious as to how sturdy it really is and how it'll hold up... but it's neat to finally have an N-Strike Rail attachment out of all these swords and foam weapons!

EDIT (again):  Added even more photos below for those curious about this!  Including shots on blaster with a Retaliator, SideStrike, Magnus, and SlingFire!

Public Armories

The weekend is upon us!  It's the PERFECT time to get out there and have a game or two with your mates!  Most organized games tend to utilize a "Public Armory", full of shared blasters for your un-equipped friends to use.  What's that you say?  You don't let people borrow your blasters for games?  WELL then... you're not only a blaster-hoarder, but you're also thwarting possibility!

The backbone of almost any Nerf or Laser Tag group is usually some sort of shared loadout of equipment for other players to loan out.  Many times, blasters that are in the "Public Armory" are previously modified blasters by the owner so their players can have a bit of an advantage over using purely stock equipment.  On the one hand... yes, it can be a little frustrating getting owned by your own creation at the hands of an amateur, but loaning out modified blasters is the ticket to getting your not-so-in-the-loop friends HOOKED on the hobby-side of Nerf and Laser Tag: MODIFICATIONS!!!

Having a good group of people to enjoy these games with is the key to keeping interest in planning future events.  You can be a Plan-a-saurus Rex all day long, but if you don't have many people interested in playing... you'll find yourself working overtime to fill the ranks every time.  However, if you have people hooked (which usually comes with being remotely interested in the Hobby-side of things), you'll have people lined up to attend your next event.

Sharing modified blasters can also help your players not feel so out-classed the second they show up.  It's never fun showing up to an event, being handed an old tired Maverick REV-6 and be expected to go toe-to-toe with a Volt-modded RapidStrike with a 35-Dart drum.  Or being handed a stock LTAR surrounded by LazerBait-Lens-Toting Snipers from 1000 feet away.  Give your players something decent, like a Retaliator with the ARs out or an LTX with a Red Dot Sight.  They'll feel the advantage of having a modified blaster from the start and it might even get them interested in pursuing their own equipment... which means that NEXT time, you probably won't even have to loan them a blaster!

When my Laser Tag group switched over from hard-to-find Laser Challenge gear to readily-available Lazer Tag Brand stuff (LTTO, LTX, LTAR), we instantly saw a jump in people who owned their own gear.  Our Public Armory is usually about 18-22 Blasters (it needs to be with 25-30 players showing up to each event!) but more recently, we're not having to use as many of those blasters because so many people now own their own gear.

Now then, there's the whole issue of "I can't afford to supply everyone with a blaster!" and there's simple ways to remedy this.  The easiest way to grow a Public Armory from scratch is either to take donations (cash or blasters) or to go to a thrift store and start from there.  You don't have to loan EVERYONE the most expensive blaster on the shelf (and that's probably a Cam ECS anyways...).  Plus, if people are too cheap to show up with a blaster, they can at least donate a buck or two to your cause.  If you're organizing Nerf events, have people donate darts to the pot.  If you're organizing Laser Tag events, have people bring a pack of AA batteries to help power the blasters.  It's not as expensive as asking everyone to have their own gear, but it's still enough to help you maintain the armory for everyone.

I already know that many of you have your own Public Armories that you loan out.  Feel free to share any other helpful tips or show off a picture of your grandiose collection in the comments section below!

So These Banana Clips...

Ever since the Demolisher 2-in-1 photos surfaced with their 10-Dart Banana-style magazines, it seems like a lot of Nerf fans have been raving over this kind of design.  Prototypes of larger 15-Dart Banana-style magazines have also surfaced.  As noted on SBNC, "the curved section is actually used. Unlike the ten dart banana clip (that was just a ten dart clip with a curve on the end) the curved section will fill with darts and the pusher will follow the tracks around the bend."

My main gripe with the Demolisher's 10-Dart Banana mag was that it only held 10 rounds whereas a 12-Dart straight clip (like from a Retaliator) took up less space with 2 more rounds in it.  The straight clips are also easier to store in pouches for those bringing multiple mags to the fight, like my buddy at Basic Nerf, so I couldn't really see a benefit to this kind of mag in the first place.  I can only guess that the 15-Dart Banana mag will be about the size of an 18-Dart straight magazine and... even if it's not... it's still got a shape that's more difficult to work with.

As a result of these two new magazines for Clip-System blasters, I've got to start wondering why the need to make things look "Tacti-cool" has started to negatively effect their usefulness?  Nerf has done a great job including Tactical Accessory Rails, nifty sights, and awesome-looking designs that accomplish the goal of making these new blasters quite pleasing to look at... but none of them have ever really sacrificed usability.  These banana mags, in my opinion, are crossing into the "tacticoolness over usefulness" realm.

There's still a place for these magazines when you're not looking for a tactical advantage in a game.  It's really just for show, like a lot of the other accessories and bits that you can put on Nerf blasters.  Dress up your favorite blaster with a Banana Clip and BAM!  You look pretty awesome!  Try and load up your rig with 6 of these in pouches... and you're not only going to run into problems with storage, but you'll find that if you had showed up to the fight with 12 or 18 dart magazines, you'd be able to dish out more shots, too.

At the end of the day, from Tactical Tag's look at things, these are about as useful as those coveted Nerf Pinpoint Sights.  They look cool, they have some functionality to them, but when it comes down to it, you're better off with something else.  I'll take my straight mags unless I'm going for pure style and looks... and who goes into foam-dart combat like that?

DoubleStrike Found!

Time for some easy listening!  Why?  Well, that's what the background music to this footage of the ZombieStrike DoubleStrike happens to use.  Submitted by a reader of this blog, this video goes through this pocket warriors' packaging, unboxing (fast forwarded), firing demo (at 2:37), and has details at the end a la rolling credits style.  Some notable bits from this, ranges that were tested seem to be reaching 60 Feet angled.  They also note that it's doing about 15 feet better than a Jolt, so I'm assuming those are also angled results.

More info is on the way about this little pistol!

Another Point for the RapidStrike

While some Nerf fans might be getting tired of Flywheel blasters from Nerf, there's at least one that seems to have risen to the top of the list for those familiar buzzing blasters:  The N-Strike Elite RapidStrike CS-18.  When it came out in Summer of 2013, it was the must-have Fully Automatic Flywheel blaster for the lineup.  As of now, Nerf has yet to release another Full-Auto Flywheel option for dart blasters (although Disk Junkies still have the Nitron).  However, Nerf's "Elite" ranges of 75 feet are starting to be outdone by newer blasters, toting 85 and 90 feet of range.  Instead of supplying fans with a new full-auto blaster that also meets these ranges, it appears that the White-Striped RapidStrike that was spotted at Toy Fair 2014 will dish out darts up to 90 feet!

Basic Nerf has been running around with my paint-adjusted RapidStrike for several months now, so while it might appear he's got his hands on the amped-up version, it's just a normal RS with a white stripe courtesy of winning it from this blog.  I saw the news on the RapidStrike 2.0 posted on Southern Brisbane Nerf Club's Facebook Page.  It had a picture someone submitted from Baidu with the new "doo" and the new range claim.

That being said, there was a pretty sweet clearance deal on Orange-striped RapidStrikes on Amazon.com that might have some folks kicking themselves for not waiting for this White-striped high-power version to come out.  However, a quick Volt-Mod to the existing RS should make up for any buyers remorse those fans might have.  A little patience with some masking tape and a can of white spray paint can "update" your RapidStrike pretty easily, too!

Picture from Baidu (July 11th, 2014)

It also raises a bit of a question about the other recolored blasters we're starting to see.  "85" and "90" foot range claims are starting to become more common with the new blasters, so one might think that means that ALL of the recolored blasters will feature better ranges.  The best answer to that speculation is "Maybe".  This RapidStrike CS-18 is the first recolored blaster with a better range listed while others like the Orange Stryfe and White RoughCut 2x4 are simply recolors.  However, other new blasters coming out like the Demolisher and Cam ECS-12 are also boasting better ranges, so it may be a sign that the "bigger blasters" will be getting better ranges than the smaller pistols and handguns in the lineup to help differentiate things a little more.

Long story short, the RapidStrike looks like it just got better... but it's not too tough to get your existing blaster to look and perform like the new one.

ZS Longshot Release Date

Looks like our old friend will be making it's way back to Target's shelves in August.  The ZombieStrike "ZED Squad" Longshot CS-12 Blaster has an online release date of 08-03-14.  Preordering for this blaster, which retails at $34.99, is available now.

On a related note, someone by the name of "deacle" has already posted a Review of this product.

Currently, 3 people don't find this review helpful.  I can't imagine why!  Of course, the question on every Nerfer's mind is the performance.  Questions loom as it's performance and internal design are speculated up the wazoo.  We still don't have a clear answer, at least as of this post, of what the internals look like for the new ZS Longshot.  The Target Website lists this blaster's "Maximum Firing Diameter" at 55.0', which could either be a PTG range (which suggests it might have Elite internals) or they could be angled shots, which might suggest it's got original N-Strike internals.

Count me among those hoping for retooled "Elite-ified" internals that'll make this worth the 35 bucks.It would be wonderful to have this iconic N-Strike blaster with a set of new guts that might warrant even better ranges, stock OR modified!

Stay tuned!  We're now less than a month out from it's release!

Rhino-Fire: This time it's real!

No more foolin, the real Rhino-Fire has finally come to the party!  Blogs, websites, and other social media are blowing up with photos taken from the Amazon.es listing for the latest N-Strike Elite blaster with all sorts of speculation to follow.  Two mag wells, two barrels, a Vulcan-esque Tripod-stanced setup, and Tactical Rails as far as the eye can see.

From the photos, you'll notice that the two barrels seem to expand and retract and have a blurry "these are clearly moving" effect to the graphics around them a la Pulsator.  There's obviously electronic power at work here, but details on how it works and what sort of firing system it uses are still unclear at this point.

It's sort of like a big Anti-Aircraft gun in the way that it looks and fires.  While the photo shows two darts parallel to eachother being fired, I'm willing to bet that the firing sequence shoots darts in an alternating sequence.  This is also in-line with the expanding and retracting barrels on the front.

There are all sorts of details we can speculate from the photos shown.  For instance, when you use this blaster on the ground with the tripod, you get to wear an orange hoodie sweatshirt.  However, when you stand up and take it off the tripod, your hoodie turns dark gray and your undershirt turns orange instead.  Pretty nifty feature.

This is likely their big "Christmas" blaster that'll knock out the shelves, but a link on Amazon could hint at an earlier release.  At the end of the day, we'll eagerly be waiting for more details as we wade into deep waters of speculative nonsense.  Until then, this blaster looks like a LOT of fun!

Usability Matters

A few minutes ago, I watched a great review by Bobololo that not only throws a post of mine under the bus (and I'm actually REALLY glad he did), but also points out a huge factor that can so often be overlooked.  In this case, it was something that I overlooked.  Usability matters.  Here's why.

Take a look at this breakdown for cost with the Cam ECS-12.  If you want the Cliff Notes version, essentially I come up with some numbers suggesting that, for about the same price, you can build up a rifle like the Cam ECS-12... or you can just buy what Nerf made.  Now, take a look at this not-so-hands-on review Bobo made of the Nerf Cam ECS-12.  It's pretty obvious the big bit that I left out of my number crunching: the performance of the camera components themselves.  Thanks to Bobo pointing out the elephant in the room, it's obvious what the real flaw of this blaster is: you can't take usable footage of a Nerf game with the equipment the Cam ECS-12 will feature.  When push comes to shove, the quality and framerate of the camera isn't something you'd want to use to review your battles or share on social networking sites.

For the cost of TWO Rapidstrikes, both of which perform better as blasters and come with more ammo, you can pick up one rifle-style Stryfe with a camera that will defeat it's purpose: capturing footage from Nerf games.  My main mistake was letting the cost aspect of that study surprise me and actually think that this might be a decent buy.  If you take a step back (or if you let Bobo convince you, instead), the cost doesn't really matter when it's defeating the main purpose of why you'd invest in a blaster like this in the first place.

I'm actually really happy Bobo pointed this out, and I'm glad to say that I was wrong because it was a wake-up call to something I don't want to lose sight of when it comes to this stuff:  Usability Matters.  You can spend spend spend all you want, but if it doesn't do what you need it to do, it's just sucking the fun out of your funds.

Demolisher Project! Nerf / Laser Tag 2-in-1

This is the first Project Update for my Demolisher Project!  It'll still be a 2-in-1 blaster, but instead of firing Darts and Missiles, it'll TRULY be a 2-in-1 blaster that will be able to be used for the two hobbies I cover here at Tactical Tag: Nerf and Laser Tag.  It sort of represents everything this blog is devoted to... so I suppose it's a Flagship blaster of sorts!  Anyways, below is a video on this blaster's beginnings as well as giving you an idea of how it will work!

Check it out after the Jump!

9th Annual Independence Eve BLAST!

To my friends living in the United States, I'd like to wish you all a Happy Independence Day!  To everyone else, just know that we're doing our part to punch another sizeable hole in the ozone layer by means of high explosives being launched into the atmosphere for our amusement.

On another note, last night's Independence Eve BLAST was a huge success for the 9th year in a row!  30 players showed up for a wonderful cookout and great games.  There were fireworks going off the last few games of the night that made for the atmosphere that can't be reproduced at any other event of the year that I LOVE.

Couldn't have done it without help from my veterans, though.  Every event they step up and pitch in whenever needed.  From helping first time players get acquainted with their gear to getting matches set up to everything in-between, these guys have my back.  If I were leading a group of 30 on my own with no assistance, I'd be pulling my hair out and would be flustered and frustrated the whole time.  Thanks to their help and leadership, we were all able to enjoy this awesome event together.

Click after the jump to see highlights from this awesome event!

Demolisher 2-in-1 Internals

"And on the Second Day, Bazookafied said... Let's look inside."  But seriously, I made the NERF N-Strike Elite Demolisher 2-in-1 review yesterday.  Now it's time to see how this thing ticks because... let's face it... we ALL want to make this blaster better.  The best way to learn how is to take a look under the hood.  It doesn't take a Nerf Genius to figure out how to mod the Flywheels on this thing.  The Rocket Launcher is really what had me thinkin could use some firepower upgrades.  Below is a quick video showing the internal layout of the Demolisher so YOU can have a plan of attack on how to improve it based on the space and existing hardware available.

N-Strike Elite Demolisher Review

As of this post, I've had the Demolisher for 24 hours now.  I've shot it a billion times, equipped it with different magazine sizes, tried different batteries with it, messed around with the Rocket Launcher, and learned quite about about this blaster in that short time.  Of this latest batch of blasters that have come out (Thunderbow, SlingFire, Cam ECS-12, etc) it's probably the one I was looking forward to most, so I didn't want my excitement over the Demolisher to overshadow any issues it might have... and I'm glad I did.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy this blaster a lot!  However, in the time I've been able to spend with it, I've come to realize that it's not a whole lot more than an intimidating-looking orange rifle with Minion Missiles that sort of fire.  Check out the video after the jump!

N-Strike Elite Demolisher "Pic Spam"

A Video Review is in the works, but I thought I'd share the photos I've nabbed of the N-Strike Elite Demolisher 2-in-1.  There are close-up shots of the details, comparisons to other Nerf products and accessories, and different loadouts I experimented with.  The entire album can be found on Tactical Tag's Facebook Page.  There are also 4 more photos added to the N-Strike Elite Stryfe album that compare these two brothers from a layout standpoint.

This post is Pic-heavy, so click below to see details on the Demolisher.

Suction Darts didn't work?

I was at a local retailer and thought "Hey, while I'm here, I should pick up some Suction Darts for fun."  I went in with the idea that these would work flawlessly, just like those that used to come with the Maverick and other earlier Nerf Blasters.  I went to the Nerf Aisle, grabbed a 12-pack, and took 'em home to shoot at some windows and watch 'em stick.  I used an unmodified RoughCut 2x4 to try them out first.  Then I used my HammerShot, Stryfe, Alpha Trooper, and SideStrike.  However, I really wasn't able to get anything to stick.  Maybe one or two out of every 10 shots would work.

Then I tried out the Jolt.  Now I can't get them to NOT stick... so what does this tell me?  These Suction Darts can be FIRED from every blaster... but unless it's a weaker shot, they won't stick like they should.  Disgruntled, I made a video about this.



Shortly after, RandomShadow09 explained this to me in a comment on the video.

Get 15ft or more away from the window and try again.  With Elite blasters you have to be far enough away from your target that the dart sheds a ton of velocity before it hits or you get the result you had.  It's dumb, but that's the only way they work.  I tried this out on a smooth wooden door, painted wall, and glass.  Once you're far enough away they will stick similar to the old ones.

He's right on the money, after I tested at longer ranges... but I was shooting much further than 15 feet to get the "stick" I was looking for.  It's still not as consistent as I would like.  At least, in my experience, longer shots have a better chance of sticking.  It's still not what I signed up for with these darts, but I suppose it'll have to do.

My opinion?  If you want Suction Darts that work like the old ones used to, you're better off sticking (literally) with those.  The new ones work, but under certain circumstances that sort of takes the "fun" out of it.

Nerf Blogs on the Up and Down

As I eagerly await the arrival of my Nerf Demolisher, I've been reading up on other reviews from those fortunate enough to pick theirs up a day or two earlier than I.  Bay Area Nerf already has the Thunderbow and Slingfire.  New to my radar of Nerf sites is "Blaster Labs", so I gave that a read.  Shortly after reading their in-depth review I was thinking "Wow!  Why haven't I read up on this site sooner?" so I started browsing through.  As I thumbed through the reviews and news bits through this visually appealing professional-quality site, I stumbled across one titled "Major Nerf Blogs Shut Down" that was published just after NM&R closed up shop.  It's been half-a-year since that, so I started to explore the current state of Nerf blogs and see if things have changed yet again in the ever-changing landscape of fan-led reviews and news sources.

Admittedly, I'm pretty out-of-the-loop on some stuff.  Only recently have I caught on with the /r/Nerf page on Reddit and just a few minutes ago, I got my first real look at Blaster Labs (which seems like a big deal to me).  I'm sure there's other giants or up-and-coming bits I'm missing, but I'm only one person who has a Nerf/Laser Tag hobby for those moments when free time can be found.  Finding that article on their site made me think "how have things changed since then?" so I got myself back into the mindset I was in when NM&R said goodbye.  What blogs were the big ones to keep an eye on then?

I think a lot of folks expected "My Last Dart" to fill the shoes that many big Nerf blogs had left vacant.  A quick look at the archive of his posts since starting out in December of 2012 shows a pretty obvious drop-off in activity that started in September of 2013 which flat-out skipped  October and November.  January of this year showed promise for a strong return, but then posts dwindled again after that.  Health issues and school have likely been the cause of much of the absence.

Another biggie was Basic Nerf, but they've had a bit more consistency to their activity.  From news updates to covering notables in the NIC to video footage of their own games, I really feel like Basic Nerf has been a strong staple for content.  I'm happy to report that things seem to be continuing at a healthy pace for them both on the blog and out in the field.  Typing up a review is one thing, but getting out there and having fun with your friends is always something I've stressed... and they do a GREAT job of doing that!

At the time NM&R closed up, I also pretty much considered SG Nerf to be a thing of the past.  Their most recent post then is STILL their most recent post now, so the anniversary of their October 17th post is now on the horizon.  Still a great resource, but I think they've quietly taken the back door out.  At least things in Singapore are still hoppin, as folks like Xplorer and a mighty band of Rangers continue to blast it up with awe-inspiring modded and custom blasters.

While not really a "blog", Bobololo has recently become a big favorite of mine.  He's been on the scene for awhile, but for some odd reason, I really didn't start watching stuff until recently.  Probably my bad for being super lame, but I do enjoy his videos and the podcast: NerfHerder.  I've also had the chance to talk with him from time to time and he's just as cool on-screen as he is one-on-one.  His enthusiasm and love for Nerf is obvious whether it's on his Facebook, YouTube, or Podcast, and it's INFECTIOUS.  Catch the Fever!!

Click Click BAMF probably has the most consistent and longest-running history out there.  They've been around since 2011 and always seem to have the inside-access to Nerf events.  Sometimes they're a bit behind the latest news, but they're always on top of things with reviews and catching invites to those Nerf parties.  They've also done a GREAT job connecting with members of the NIC.  War attendance is always notable with the folks at Click Click BAMF.

Southern Brisbane Nerf Club, or SBNC, gave us quite a scare a little while ago when they were among casualties of closing up show.  Happily, they made a return to Nerf and have yet to show future signs of abandonment.  Rob may not ever admit it, but I consider them the successor to the long-beloved Urban Taggers as far as the Australian blogging side goes.  He's done a great job covering news as well as local Aussie events that are always interesting to see.  I may be a biased fan of SBNC, as there was a pretty awesome shout-out to me for my wedding a month ago.  My wife and I still watch that and laugh!

There's more out there, but I thought I'd also make this an opportunity for readers to chime in with their favorites that are up-and-running.  It's always good to find out what awesomeness I've been missing!