The Nerf 2012 New Gun Thread (N-Strike Elite, New Dart Tag, Vortex): take 2

[AT92]

Well, that was a curveball for sure!



I expected an eventual NSE pistol, but I was expecting a DP maverick (fail, because you just can't fix that rotation system without scrapping the damn thing entirely and thus any mav rework is guaranteed to suck) or spectre (win, but the 5-shot idea just tends to turn people off). Instead, Nerf seems to have gone for a 6-shot streamlined derivative of the spectre (that is my best guess as to its origins).

I don't think it looks DT-ish at all, nor any less firearm-ish than the maverick which of course is comically disproportionate and looks like a nerf revolver and little else, because you just can't hide the geometry of a full-length dart and a plunger system in something that looks like a real steel revolver and actually functions. Nor does it look any more sci-fi, bulbous or plasticky than the spectre did, with the exception of what looks to be a more ergonomic wraparound slide, the bulge from the 6-shot cylinder, and the deleted stock mount and modular barrel nut which were gimmicks. It doesn't look all that unique but it does look functional.

So... why not rework the spectre?

My guess is that the 5-shot capacity lost it a lot of sales, and the marketing guys had a bad taste in their mouths from this gun even though it would have sold a lot better had it been available in any other way than in a $20 bundle with a bunch of accessories, and (in the US) through exactly one distributor. Also, I am thinking the spectre was a limited production gun and there was/is something blocking the road to Elitification - tooling life, or perhaps even the contracts with walmart (spectre)/target (alpha) that are still in force, prohibiting chopping up the tooling as with the Raider/Rampage deal.

I am just glad they moved the damn tac rail up finally.

[Gumbysmash]

Anyone else notice the clip point on the back of the slide? Looks like the Maverick users tying off their blaster to cock one handed was noticed by the Hasbro DT.

[Ozymandias]

...because you just can't hide the geometry of a full-length dart and a plunger system in something that looks like a real steel revolver and actually functions.

Naturally, a Texan figured out how.

Anyone else notice the clip point on the back of the slide? Looks like the Maverick users tying off their blaster to cock one handed was noticed by the Hasbro DT.

Probably.

[torukmakto4]

Naturally, a Texan figured out how.

I meant "functions" as in "has a real cylinder that contains darts, revolves and repeats fire". I saw that awesome build a while back, but the PT "cylinder" demonstrates exactly what I meant: full length nerf revolvers with 5 or more shots are inherently chunky things that will never look like anything but an exaggerated caricature of a real steel revolver, or perhaps like some kind of Hollywood prop for a shotgun or grenade pistol - definitely not "Elite faux gun" if you ask me.

Probably.

The mav had a fake hammer with a sling hole in it and I do not think that hole was there for aesthetics. I wouldn't call that loop a new development.

[RandomShadow09]

Whoa, that auction ended up out of my price range before I even bid on it.  I was going to try to snag it to get you guys video and photos, but while I'll overpay for Nerf to get it to you guys early, that's just extortion there.  As of writing the auction is up to $70+shipping, and for reference getting the Snapfire 8 from Asia a month or two ago was only ~$45 shipped.

Guess we'll find out who has the deep pockets by which blog it ends up on, or maybe it'll be Nerf's lawyers hunting down the leak.  I did notice that the seller is in RI, which is where Hasbro is.  I sent them a message asking how they got it, but I'm not expecting a reply.

[AT92]

Whoa, that auction ended up out of my price range before I even bid on it.  I was going to try to snag it to get you guys video and photos, but while I'll overpay for Nerf to get it to you guys early, that's just extortion there.  As of writing the auction is up to $70+shipping, and for reference getting the Snapfire 8 from Asia a month or two ago was only ~$45 shipped.

Guess we'll find out who has the deep pockets by which blog it ends up on, or maybe it'll be Nerf's lawyers hunting down the leak.  I did notice that the seller is in RI, which is where Hasbro is.  I sent them a message asking how they got it, but I'm not expecting a reply.

I also sent them a message, maybe we will get lucky.

[MoHAlixPr]

Not going to lie, I'm going to miss the Maverick a bit.  I know it's not the most reliable or such, but to me it's one of the classic staples of the N-strike family.

[Ghost Reporting]

Whoa, that auction ended up out of my price range before I even bid on it.  I was going to try to snag it to get you guys video and photos, but while I'll overpay for Nerf to get it to you guys early, that's just extortion there.  As of writing the auction is up to $70+shipping, and for reference getting the Snapfire 8 from Asia a month or two ago was only ~$45 shipped.

Guess we'll find out who has the deep pockets by which blog it ends up on, or maybe it'll be Nerf's lawyers hunting down the leak.  I did notice that the seller is in RI, which is where Hasbro is.  I sent them a message asking how they got it, but I'm not expecting a reply.

Bidding $70 for what will likely be a $12 pistol is crazy.  I can understand paying extra to get a Hailfire or Pyragon, which are blasters that actually have a massive volume of firepower, but a pistol?  Even if this does shoot 50 ft flat and 75 ft angled, a 6-shooter is unlikely to make much of a difference in HvZ or even a garden variety Nerf war.

The only rational reason I can think of is someone wanting to get a first review and lots of hits for their blog or YouTube channel.  I think it's more likely that irrational desire to be the first of the early adopters pushed the price that high. 

[SgNerf]

Not sure if anyone else noticed this yet, but the eBay seller has posted an update in the Nerf Elite Strongarm item description...



 

[Bobololo]

I do not like how they gave it the name of a vintage blaster
This makes things confusing

[RandomShadow09]

Not sure if anyone else noticed this yet, but the eBay seller has posted an update in the Nerf Elite Strongarm item description...



 

Yeah, that was my fault.  I was pestering the seller about where it came from, and that was the gist of the response she sent me.  My best guess is that the spouse of a Hasbro employee didn't know what it was, they have tons of Nerf lying around, and accidentally put it out at the yard sale.  If that's the case, it wouldn't surprise me if a person bidding up the item is the original owner desperately trying to recover it.

[AT92]

Yeah, that was my fault.  I was pestering the seller about where it came from, and that was the gist of the response she sent me.  My best guess is that the spouse of a Hasbro employee didn't know what it was, they have tons of Nerf lying around, and accidentally put it out at the yard sale.  If that's the case, it wouldn't surprise me if a person bidding up the item is the original owner desperately trying to recover it.

That would violate Ebay's shill bidding policy and she could get into some real trouble for it by ebay. I highly doubt it is her bidding up. Everything has crazy fans, Nerf is no exception, and the fact that someone will get this before anyone else will drive any crazy fan up the wall to have. Who knows, we may not see this blaster on shelves until 2013 like the fire strike or strike fire or whatever the hell the elite nitefinder is called.

[SgNerf]

Yeah, seeing a previously unannounced new blaster model in full production retail packaging is very rare, usually when this happens they are already in mass production and en route to retailers (sometimes already stocked in certain countries, just no one has noticed and reported about it yet). This might turn out to be one of the blasters that Nerf considers a "minor" model and just release quietly alongside the more high profile announced Elite blasters.

Kinda like the Jolt... it was never announced and it just popped up on store shelves out of nowhere.

[AT92]

Yeah, seeing a previously unannounced new blaster model in full production retail packaging is very rare, usually when this happens they are already in mass production and en route to retailers (sometimes already stocked in certain countries, just no one has noticed and reported about it yet). This might turn out to be one of the blasters that Nerf considers a "minor" model and just release quietly alongside the more high profile announced Elite blasters.

Kinda like the Jolt... it was never announced and it just popped up on store shelves out of nowhere.

Very true, I just hope whoever gets it, is a famous youtube nerfer and does a full review and firing test.

[Bobololo]

$70 for a pistol... I know it's all new and wonderful and junk... but my fuck! People are insane.