Nerf Blaster

Nerf Blasters
	A Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25
Type	Toy dart gun
Inventor(s)	Nerf
Company	Hasbro
Country	United States
Availability	1992–present
Slogan	"its nerf or nothing !"
	Official website

A Nerf Blaster is a toy gun made by Hasbro that fires foam darts, discs, or, in some cases, foam balls. The term "Nerf gun" is often used to describe the toy;^[1] however, it is often used as a blanket term for any foam dart blaster, regardless of whether or not it has the Nerf brand name. Nerf blasters are manufactured in multiple forms, including pistols, rifles, and light machine guns. The first Nerf blasters emerged in the late 1980s with the release of the Nerf Blast-a-Ball^[2] and the Arrowstorm.

The Nerf blaster line currently consists of five sub-lines: N-Strike Elite, Dart Tag, Vortex, Zombie Strike and Rebelle. Cross-promotional models have also been released, themed around Marvel Comics, Star Wars, G.I. Joe and Transformers.

All Nerf blasters come packaged with a set of foam darts or mega darts matched to fit into their chambers. Refill darts can also be purchased separately. With the exception of the Clip System blasters, all Nerf dart blasters are compatible with the different types of foam darts available; the Clip System blasters will only take Streamline darts, which have smaller diameter tips. In 2013, Elite darts became the new standard darts, as they are compatible with both regular and Clip System blasters.

Numerous accessories for Nerf blasters are available separately or supplied with selected blasters. These consist of ammunition holders or attachments that enhance the functional or aesthetic elements of Nerf blasters, as well as some Super Soaker blasters.

The Nerf line is also sold in Japan by Takara Tomy, which sells other Hasbro products in the country. For marketing reasons, some blasters have been given different names in Japan. For example, the Stampede ECS is called "Blazing Burst ECS", while the Longstrike CS-6 is called "Sniper Shot CS-6"; nevertheless, these blasters still have their original names molded on them.

In 2011, the Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS was awarded "Boy Toy of the Year" at the 11th Annual Toy of the Year Awards, which is held at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.^[3] In 2014, the Nerf Zombie Strike Crossbow won the award for "Best Action Toy" at the 2014 U.K. Toy Fair.^[4]

Product lines

N-Strike

N-Strike is the main line of the Blasters toy series. This line consists of toy guns that fire rubber-tipped foam darts. While the blasters have been offered in several different colors, the N-Strike's main colors are yellow and orange, despite some models being offered mainly in blue. Blasters released before mid-2010 bear the original N-Strike badge, which has the motto: "Enlist, Engage, Enforce". The N-Strike name was formerly used for one set of three blasters (Titan AS-V.1, Hornet AS-6 and Scout IX-3), which has since been renamed the Unity Power System.

The Recon CS-6 is a "build-your-own" Nerf Clip-System Blaster that was released in 2008 under the N-Strike series. It has five interchangeable parts: a barrel extension, flip up sight, dual-mode light beam, stock and main blaster. It resembles the M4 Carbine Rifle.

In 2011, the Stampede ECS - a tripod-mounted, battery-powered gun which is loaded with ammo magazines^[5] - was awarded "Boy Toy of the Year" at the 11th Annual Toy of the Year Awards, which is held at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.^[6] Popular Mechanics praised it as "the best overall Nerf gun ever", being easy to use and less prone to jamming than earlier battery-powered Nerf models.^[5]

N-Strike Elite

On August 1, 2012, the N-Strike line was succeeded by the N-Strike Elite, which consists mainly of existing blasters with improved internal mechanisms for better firing distances. Firing distances are up to 75 feet (23 m) feet for the U.S. models, while international models (identifiable by their gray triggers) have a maximum firing distance of 15 metres (49 ft). The primary colors of N-Strike Elite are blue, white and orange.^[7]

Elite XD is a sub-series of N-Strike Elite, but with advertised ranges of 85 to 90 feet (26 to 27 m) for the US version and 22 metres (72 ft) for the international model. Although advertised as having a longer range than the Elite, the only difference in design is the blue-on-white coloring.^{[citation needed]} It started in the beginning of 2014 with the Demolisher 2-in-1 and Cam ECS-12. The N-Strike Elite Mega line was launched in 2013, with the Centurion as its flagship blaster. It is another sub-series of the N-Strike Elite series. This series comes with a custom type of mega dart.

Dart Tag

Dart Tag is a Nerf sub-line that differentiates itself from the main N-Strike line by being more competition-oriented. The line consists of blasters that fire Velcro-tipped foam darts. Players wear Dart Tag vests or jerseys lined with patches of Velcro, and scoring is determined by where the opponents are hit with the darts.^[8] Over the years, Dart Tag blasters have been sold in different colors and mostly in pairs - either red and blue or orange and green. From 2011 forward, the main color of the blasters is yellow, while the jerseys and eyewear are offered in different colors.

In 2009, Hasbro started the Nerf Dart Tag League, an official Nerf sport held annually in the United States. The most recent event in 2011 was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.^[9]

The current Dart Tag lineup was first introduced in mid-2011, featuring a more uniform yellow, black and blue color scheme in contrast to the multicolored blasters of the previous lineups. In 2012, Hasbro retooled the internals of the blasters to make them fire darts at longer distances. These improved blasters are distinguished by their blue triggers and highlights.

Nerf Vortex

Unlike the N-Strike and Dart Tag lines, which use foam darts, Vortex uses XLR (Xtra Long Range) discs^[10] - green, white or glow-in-the-dark plastic discs wrapped in foam. These discs are capable of traveling at greater distances than foam darts (up to 65 feet^[11]) and also ricocheting off of walls.^[12]^[13] As with other current Nerf and Super Soaker blasters, the Vortex blasters are designed with tactical rails to accommodate scopes and other accessories. The Praxis and Nitron have accessories that are also compatible with other Nerf blasters.^[14] To further differentiate from the yellow-colored N-Strike and Dart Tag blasters, the Vortex blasters are colored kelly green and vermilion except the Pyragon, Revonix360, and Diatron, which are colored white, gray and vermilion.

Zombie Strike

Zombie Strike is a sub-line introduced in mid-2013 for fans of Humans vs. Zombies games.^{[original research?]} The sub-line consists of N-Strike Elite and Vortex blasters that sport post-apocalyptic designs. An N-Force sword is also included in the sub-line.^[15]

Combat Creatures

The Combat Creatures lineup is a joint project between Nerf and Wow! Stuff. It features remote-controlled robots that can fire Elite darts. The first robot, the Terradrone, was released in Fall 2014. An early-release version is now on the market.

Rebelle

Rebelle is a sub-line introduced in fall 2013 aimed at the female demographic. As such, the Rebelle blasters incorporate feminine designs and pastel colors.^[16] Its slogan is Step Up and Stand Out. ^[17]

Rivals

Rivals is a 2015 released line of ball blasters aimed at 14- to 20-year-old males. The first line of blasters to be listed are the Zeus MXV-1200 and Apollo XV-700. Its ammunition can reach up to 70mph (113k/ph).

Ammunition and accessories

All Nerf blasters come packaged with a set of foam darts or mega darts matched to fit into their chambers. However, refill darts are also available in packs of 16, 32, 36, 160 or 216, or with ammo boxes/bags, clip or bandolier kits. With the exception of the Clip System blasters, all Nerf dart blasters are compatible with the different types of foam darts available; the Clip System blasters will only take Streamline darts, which have smaller diameter tips. In 2013, Elite darts became the new standard darts, as they are compatible with both regular and Clip System blasters.

Types of ammunition include:

Suction darts - Blue or black-tipped foam darts with suction cups that stick to glass windows or flat surfaces. Also available in forest camouflage when purchased with the Ammo Bag.
Whistler darts - Black-tipped darts with holes on their sides, which emit whistling sounds when fired. Also available in forest camouflage when purchased with the Ammo Bag.
Sonic micro darts - Reverse-colored Whistler darts in black with orange tips. Currently, the Reflex IX-1 is the only blaster packaged with these darts, as other regular blasters come packaged with Whistler darts. Also available with the Ammo Box.
Clip System (Streamline) darts - Orange-tipped darts with a smaller diameter, designed to fit in Clip System magazines. Also available in forest camouflage when purchased with the Ammo Bag.
Glow-in-the-dark darts - White suction darts that glow in the dark. They only glow, though, if shot by certain blasters like the Firefly REV-8.
Glow-in-the-dark Clip System darts - White Streamline darts that glow in the dark when exposed to a lighting system such as the Rayven CS-18's Firefly Tech magazine clip.
Elite darts - Blue foam darts introduced in the N-Strike Elite line. They resemble the Streamline darts, but are slightly thicker in diameter.
Glow-in-the-dark Elite darts - White Elite darts that glow in the dark when exposed to a lighting system such as the Elite Rayven CS-18's Firefly Tech magazine clip.
Rebelle darts - Similar in shape to the Elite darts, but in pastel colors (including white, green, pink, purple and black) resembling those of the weapons of the Rebelle sub-line.