Supporting the sport

I spotted something on the Nerf Mods and Reviews blog this afternoon regarding a new company called Random Hat is looking for some backing to produce their first run of aftermarket parts and accessories for dart blasters. Their first project is a mag holder that attaches to Nerf tactical rails. Unfortunately, projects like this take A LOT of money to get off the ground, so more often than not, without some kind of external investment many companies don't even make it off the ground. There is, however, a kickstarter site has been set up by Random Hat to allow people to get involved to help get the project off the ground.

In my opinion, companies manufacturing aftermarket dart blaster parts are important for developing this little sport in to something bigger and more awesome. Without them, the only real driving force behind developing anything is Nerf themselves, and being realistic, their primary goal is to make more money. Third party companies run by Nerfers FOR Nerfers have a slightly different view, their best interests are the interests of Nerfers so more powerful blasters, cool aftermarket gear and making this stuff accessible to everyone is the primary goal.

Dart tagging is at the same stage as an industry I am already heavily involved in was about 5 or 6 years ago, and that is BMX. As soon as rider owned companies started building the industry got some pretty awesome things that riders wanted for a long time. stronger bearings, lighter bikes, variety of sensible geometries in frames and a freecoaster hub that could actually be used for freestyle were all results of the most recent BMX boom. So, it's up to the Nerfing community to now stand behind what they do and take control of the future of the sport.

Not gonna lie, looks a bit odd, but would be extremely useful!

But anyway, back to what I started with, Random Hat need $20,000 to kick start their project and have a variety of packages for backers ranging from a tactical rail mag holder for people who pledge $25 or more, to a reseller deal which gets you 30 tactical rail mag holders and priority for shipments for pledges of $1000 or more. For more information see this link.

Messing around with the Rayven

Wednesday I *finally* was able to get my hands on the recently released Nerf Rayven to put some shots through. I didn't have a whole lot of time to spare so I only took the one photo from my phone of one decked out senseless. I will do a battle test one day soon, but as for a review I'm not going too in depth, as others already have that base covered (links at the bottom). I will say, however, the Rayven is a little shorter than I expected. I feel that it could potentially be the ultimate blaster for the people who like to dive in to the thick as fast as possible. It's a definite out-of-the-box performer (once you add batteries, of course) and though it won't take out anyone from huge ranges I still think it will induce a bit of fear upon anyone.

Highly impractical, but extremely fun.

The above example feels great to hold, but small aperture barrel extensions really kill the power from this blaster so if you want to use a recon barrel it might be wise to gut it and re-barrel it with some larger diameter PVC. And to think, a few months ago I was upset that there were no bullpup Nerf blasters!

For reviews, check out the following links, in no particular order:
Urban Taggers preview
Nerf Mods and Reviews: Jerm's Review
Nerf Mods and Reviews: Drac's Review
Foam From Above review
(at the time of writing this blog I was pretty tired, so if I've missed any, let me know!)

N-Strike Elite?

Ok, I've finished moving and finally have some free time to update the blog again, sorry about the extended break, moving house is probably one of the least fun and most time consuming things I can think of. While I was gone however, it seems Urban Taggers has picked up the ball again on another new rumor concerning Nerf's N-Strike line. Take a look at these two pictures from Urban Taggers:

Interesting, right? A redone Nerf Raider named Rampage, and a redone Recon named Retaliator. Both box art features a new "N-Strike Elite" logo and claim to shoot up to 75 feet. That's a seriously bold claim that at first I didn't hold a whole lot of faith in, until I read this on Nerf's facebook page this morning:

"Nerf: Toy Fair 2012 kicks off in NYC this weekend. Keep your eyes on this page as we share news and photos, just because Nerf Nation rules. We will be telling you about one of the biggest Nerf innovations and most impressive developments to the......sorry, we've already said too much. Stay tuned for more, Nation - it's totally worth the wait."

So what do you make of THAT? Urban Taggers has always had rumors first, and almost every single one of them has become true, so I dare say, based on the evidence given, Nerf may finally be releasing something for the people who always want more power. Could this be the first step towards Nerf becoming even bigger, and the sport of dart tag growing to new heights? I think it might be. I think I might have to write a part 2 of this post...

For more information:
www.urbantaggers.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/NerfNation