really?..... New Super Soaker products

[scottthewaterwarrior]

If those grenades actually work, I might buy a few since they sound cool. It's not so much that I have a problem with the new water guns, they are much easier for younger kids to use and look really cool, the problem I have is that they are in the way of actual good guns being produced! If they had left Buzz Bee Toys alone and kept making all this stuff, I would laugh at it sure, but I wouldn't have that big a problem with it since there would still be good guns available on the market. Not that there is anything wrong with the current ones, the Colossus is the best air pressure gun I have ever used, but they aren't as good as the CPS guns they used to make.

Hasbro can keep producing these little kids blasters, I'm fine with that, but I want them to stop keeping others from gearing towards the older "kids" who want truly powerful water guns. The gimmicks are often fun, I have a Mount Teaki Soakie and it is very fun on a hot day.

[Andrew]

The Hydrocannon is half way there. They could have made quite a decent stock blaster if they tried (or cared). Most of these new blasters (although being quite obviously intended for younger kids) seem to be advertised as being used by older kids or even teens. It's like they expect to satisfy a huge (well for a toy at least) age demographic with every single 'blaster' they make. If they tiered the range and aimed each section at more specific age ranges, they would likely produce better blasters by our standards. The problem there is cost. They perceive that a single smaller range to satisfy as many customers as possible, is the cheaper/more cost effective alternative. It probably is in theory, but it isn't really because it doesn't satisfy the older kids/big kids who still remember the golden age of Super Soaker, or even those who have handled a FlashFlood.

[thelaminator]

i checked out those football things, and they're really cheaply made, even by hasbro's standards. buyer beware (although, we should all know that given hasbro's current trends)

[isoaker]

I picked up most of these items yesterday at a Toys R Us (except for the Soaker Bolt). Found an inflatable "Battle Shield" as well.

For what it's worth, these are not made by Hasbro, but rather by a company called Perpetual Play Inc. Not sure if Perpetual Play Inc. is a subsibiary or just licensed the name.

The Nerf Super Soaker Rocket Dart has no soaking capabilities. It really is just a stiffer foam dart for play outdoor in fields or at a pool. The Soaker Burst things I got came in two sets, one with an inflatable Battle Shield and the other with breakable foam targets. The idea with the targets is that they can be floated in a pool or in still water and be used for target practice, breaking them by throwing the Soaker Burst onto them. Haven't tried filling the Soaker Bursts, themselves, with water, yet. The material, itself, does not appear to absorb much water, but there are 30 holes drilled into it.

I should note that, also on the boxes, was a picture of Soaker Goggles.

[Andrew]

Bunkers and shield (especially inflatable [easy to pack away]) aren't exactly bad ideas, but from the images they don't look that good at all. Why all the holes? I understand why you might have one hole, to fire your blaster through, but 5 (on the shield) or more (on the 'bunker')? Besides, the 'bunker' is too small to be a bunker, it's just a larger shield.

They probably work well against the burst/bolt or the foam dart though, and probably of more use in the pool. Actually, if you only think of them as summer pool toys, these are all probably pretty good fun (except you wouldn't want to use most of the current NERF blasters in a pool [making the shield holes useless] ).

Haven't seen the goggles anywhere online. Look any good? If they're just normal NERF ones, they might not be too bad. They could just be NERF swim goggles though (would make sense with the pool theme).


EDIT:

No sign of them over here. Shame really, they might have been fun to use in the pool on holiday. Four bunkers mounted to the inflatable boat... with a shield roof... to make a water tank.

I guess I'll just have to live with turning my boat upside down... again.

I am such a child.