Elite Spectre!

Thanks to the tip from Outback Nerf, I got to start off my Thursday with a big ol' smile on my face!  I'll let this image do the rest of the talking.

Yup!  You're reading/seeing that right!  The Alpha Trooper we already know about, but having the Spectre, included with all it's original goodies (often times they've skimped on the accessories for Elite blasters) is getting Elite Treatment!  My friends at Outback Nerf said it reminded them of my blue Spectre I had built before, but I really just wanted a Blue Spectre.  I didn't expect Nerf to later actually come out with one!

We'll have to wait and see how tough it's going to be to find one of these.  It may be limited to this tournament, or it may get released domestically anyways.  This one kinda came outta left field, so I have no idea what to expect.

Possibilities for MEGA Darts

Solscud in Action!

Seems like ever since the Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6 came out, folks have been linking a lot of tactical platform ideas to accessories for their blasters.  Many of these ideas include an under-barrel-mounted "Grenade Launcher" of sorts.  From Rockets to larger foam darts to even the occasional shotgun, platforms mounted underneath the main barrel have been a cool concept that modders have been adding to their blasters.  Now, with the introduction of the MEGA dart with the N-Strike Elite lineup, I can't help but wonder if there'd be some kind of application for something similar?

Just go with me on this one...

Centurion Unveiled!

Big surprise, but Hasbro has officially unveiled the N-Strike Elite MEGA Centurion!  Popular Science has a "360 degree view" of the blaster, as well as some other pictures of firing demonstrations and such.

From PS: "Sniping our fellow editors is a much-beloved and long-standing tradition here at Popular ScienceHQ. Trouble is: our long hallways put us at an uncomfortably close range to our all too well-armed victims. That won’t be the case for much longer. We got a sneak peek at the longest-range Nerf gun in history, the 100-foot-firing N-Strike Elite Centurion.

The Centurion is the first in a new line of Nerf guns that use MEGA darts. The darts are about twice the size of typical Nerf darts, which engineers say helps them get the momentum they need to fly further. The also whistle, an oddly satisfying addition to long-range shootouts  To get the velocity necessary (nearly 55 mph) to catapult ammo one-third of a football field, the designers had to supersize the typical Nerf launch mechanism. With a dart-filled magazine in place, you pull back on a loading handle to allow the top dart to pop into the firing chamber. Pushing the same handle forward sets the firing mechanism in place, and pulling the trigger releases a spring-loaded piston that launches the dart.  As for the gun itself, we’ll be blunt: this thing is freaking huge. It spans 40.7 inches from nose to heel, and at least 2/3 of that length is barrel. As with any gun, the longer the barrel, the straighter – and hopefully the farther – shots will soar.

The Centurion will go on sale this fall for $49.99."

Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of "new" information here, although at this point... if you've been following Nerf blogs, you pretty much know all you need to except for how much it'll cost and when it's release date will fall.  Looks like we should expect this fella on one of Nerf's usual "09-09-09" dates or something like that. Seems to have been a popular trend for them to use. Expect this to start hitting shelves late summer for those retailers that generally jump the gun (Target, Wal-Mart, etc).

Prepping the Antiques

Next Thursday (June 6th) marks 7 years of planning laser tag games.  It started off as the OLCA and now is known as the MLTA.  Last night, a friend helped me get our old Laser Challenge gear ready for a "Throwback Thursday" game that'll mark this anniversary for our group.  I've been getting really nostalgic going through old gear, beat-up customized blasters, and all the memories tied to this gear.

My experience with Laser Challenge goes much further back than 2006 when we started the OLCA.  My first set was a Christmas present in 1996 (oh how I wonder how many of my readers weren't even BORN yet!) and it started things off for me with laser tag in general.  From simple neighborhood games to using the blasters as props in "movies" my friends and I would film, this gear has a LOT of personal history for me.

Throwback Thursdays for MLTA

When we started doing laser tag games with the Omaha Laser Challenge Association (now the Midwest Laser Tag Association), we were using older Laser Challenge-brand gear by ToyMax and Jakks Pacific.  While I'm glad we've made the switch to the Lazer Tag brand with the LTX and LTAR so that other folks can buy their own blasters easily at local stores, Laser Challenge was still fun in it's own right.  Instead of having the sensor dome mounted on the blaster like Lazer Tag, Laser Challenge had the blaster and sensor separate, using a "vest" with front and back sensors worn on the player's torso.  The two big advantages that Laser Challenge still seems to hold over Lazer Tag was the back-sensor and the simplicity of the system that made it easy to repair and modify for customized setups.  The OLCA created dozens of custom blasters and sensors for the Laser Challenge system and now, even though we've moved on with a newer system, we're breaking them back out again!  Time for Throwback Thursdays this summer with the MLTA!

Air Zone Quickfire 12 Internals

Thanks to a submission from Mica on the Tactical Tag Facebook Page, we've got internal pictures (apparently there weren't any around) of this blaster.  He was nice enough to take these to share with the modding community, so I figured I'l post 'em up here!

Hope these are helpful for those looking to dig in to a Quickfire 12!

TMB Stock Integration for LTX

Been fiddling around with this idea for awhile.  In my ongoing attempt to build stocks for our Lazer Tag pistols, I've managed to find an old stock from a Lazer Tag Team Ops Tag Master Blaster (or LTTO TMB).  Using a Phoenix LTX Lazer Tag blaster with a bad recoil pack, I'm utilizing parts from both to "build" a permanent stock onto this particular pistol.  The TMB's stock mounts into a modified recoil pack shell inside the LTX to make for a solid point for it to integrate with.

This integration is using similar techniques that a friend of mine used to mount a metal folding stock onto his LTX.  He too  utilized the existing internal structure from the rumble pack to fit his in there.  The only trouble I'm having is trying to figure out where to put the reload.  I don't think there will be room for the original reload mechanism in this.  I've been thinking of putting the reload where the shields button would be on this (forward of the trigger) and relocating the shields button to a toggle switch somewhere else on the blaster.

What's even nicer about this?  The green plastic on the LTTO TMB stock is the same type used on this Gold Phoenix LTX, so I'm hoping to make this blaster look like it came from the factory like this!  It would probably be better off painted up in camo or something, but I just really enjoy the idea of a "That looks like Hasbro made it" look to projects sometimes!