Nerf Blasters

A Nerf Blaster is a toy gun made by Hasbro that fires foam darts, discs, or foam balls. The term "Nerf gun" or the more common term “nerf blaster” are often used to describe the toy. Nerf blasters are manufactured in multiple forms; the first Nerf blasters emerged in the late 1980s with the release of the “Nerf Blast-a-Ball””l and ''Arrowstorm''. Today, Hasbro has produced over twenty unique lines of ''Nerf''-brand blasters, which each line centered around a particular theme or type of ammunition. Moreover, Hasbro has also produced ''Nerf'' blasters based around specific franchises, including Marvel Comics, '' Star Wars'', ''G.I. Joe'', ''Fortnite'', ''Transformers'', ''Overwatch'', ''Halo Infinite'', and ''Roblox''. Nerf blasters are available in several international marketplaces, although some blasters have their names changed or are not sold in certain countries due to laws surrounding toy safety franchises.

Most ''Nerf'' brands are packaged with a set of the ammunition it fires, and ammunition refills are also sold separately in greater quantities or bought online. Some blasters can also be customized with special-made attachments, which are either included with the blaster or sold separately. Many non-''Nerf'' brand blasters are also cross-compatible with ''Nerf'' brand darts and magazines, in order to take advantage of the name-brand’s existing ecosystem.

Nerf blasters have been acclaimed for their popularity, particularly among boys and young adults. Additionally, a community has grown around Nerf blasters, as competitive and casual “Nerf wars” are commonly held among enthusiasts in various forms, similar to Airsoft and paintball. A significant modding community has also formed among enthusiasts, who aim to improve the performance and accuracy of existing blasters through upgraded parts and different dart or ammo types.

Modern product lines

This list consists solely of ''Nerf'' brand blasters released since 2003.

N-Strike

First introduced in 2003, N-Strike blasters established many trends seen in modern dart blasters. These darts have a body made of a colored foam, with a rubberized plastic tip to improve range and accuracy. Additionally, some N-Strike blasters such as the ''Recon CS-6'' were also characterized by the ability to customize them with attachments, a common sight among today’s blasters. Some magazine-fed N-Strike blasters required a different type of ammunition than non-magazine fed ones, however the ammo type was updated and homogenized between all blaster types with the successor line ''N-Strike Elite.''

In 2010, the Stampede ECS - a bi-pod-mounted, battery-powered blaster which is loaded with dart magazines - 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. ''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.

N-Strike Elite

On August 1, 2012, the ''N-Strike'' series was succeeded by ''N-Strike Elite'', which improved on the internal mechanisms for better firing distances and a faster rate of fire. Firing distances for ''N-Strike Elite'' Blasters are advertised as up to for U.S. models, while international models (identifiable by their grey triggers) have a maximum firing distance of . The average Nerf blaster fires darts at around .

N-Strike Mega

''N-Strike Mega'', formally ''N-Strike Mega Series'', is a line of blasters which fire red-colored ammunition larger than most darts in both size and diameter. Nerf advertises ''Mega'' blasters as firing at "mega" ranges of up to . In addition, they are also designed to whistle through the air when fired. ''Mega'' was originally marketed as a sub-series of N-Strike and N-Strike Elite, but became its own series in 2016.

N-Strike Elite (again)

Some Nerf ''N-Strike Elite'' and ''N-Strike Mega'' blasters were originally advertised with improved ''XD'' ranges of for US models and for international models. However, Hasbro later adjusted their marketing campaign for these blasters to no longer claim performance improvements after consumers found them to be negligible. Many ''XD'' blasters were simply their ''N-Strike Elite'' and ''N-Strike Mega'' counterparts re-shelled in different color plastic.

Gear Up

''Gear Up'' was a limited edition line of certain ''N-Strike'' blasters painted orange and black instead of their usual blue color. They were produced as a promotion for Hasbro’s then-upcoming ''Nerf Vortex'' blaster line, and blasters included a sample of the new ''Vortex'' ammo. Due to their brief production period, ''Gear Up'' blasters have been highly collectible, and the range includes re-skins of the ''Raider CS-35'', ''Maverick REV-6'', ''Barricade RV-10'', and ''Recon CS-6''.

N-Strike Modulus

''N-Strike Modulus'' (formally ''Nerf Modulus Series'') is a sub-line of the ''N-Strike Elite'' series with an emphasis on user-customization through attachments and accessories. Many ''Modulus'' blasters came packaged with a variety of new and unique attachments; for instance, the Nerf ''Tri-Strike'' came included with attachments for launching ''Mega'' darts and foam missiles in addition to the standard ''N-Strike Elite'' darts. These blasters are typically white and grey, with additional accent colors such as green and blue.

AccuStrike Series

The ''AccuStrike Series'' is a category of ''Nerf'' blaster released in spring 2017. Some ''AccuStrike'' blasters are unique to the line, while others are re-skins of blasters from other lines. They include and are intended to fire an updated dart of the same name which are designed to improve accuracy. However, ''AccuStrike'' darts and blasters are cross-compatible with those of the ''N-Strike Elite'' line.

Zombie Strike

The ''Zombie Strike'' series was introduced in 2013 and contains blasters similar in performance to that of the ''N-Strike Elite'' line; some of which are simple re-skins. ''Zombie Strike'' blasters are themed as weapons made from a toolshed, and are often green and orange in color. The ''Zombie Strike'' line also has several variants, such as:

* ''Z.E.D Squad'', simple recolors of existing blasters
* ''Power Shock'', a sub-series which features blasters with built-in lights and sounds, themed around the human survivors discovering a way to power their blasters
* ''Survival System'', which focuses on optional attachments, similar to the ''Modulus'' line

Rebelle

''Nerf Rebelle'' is a line introduced in fall 2013 aimed at the female demographic. As such, ''Rebelle'' blasters incorporate feminine designs and pastel colors. This line was discontinued as of 2020.

Vortex

The Nerf ''Vortex'' line, launched in 2011, uses “XLR” (“Xtra Long Range”) foam discs as opposed to darts. They came in three different colors, green, white or glow-in-the-dark. These discs are capable of traveling at greater distances than darts fired from original N-Strike blasters (up to ) and can also ricochet off walls.

Hasbro relaunched the line as ''Vortex VTX'' in fall 2018.

Nitro

''Nerf Nitro'' is a brand of blasters that fire foam cars instead of darts. Each ''Nitro'' set includes accessories such as obstacles to hit and ramps to launch the cars in the air.

Alpha Strike

Introduced in August 2019, ''Nerf Alpha Strike'' is a blaster line priced much lower with and built more cheaply compared to other ''Nerf'' lines. Designed as a budget series, it was introduced to compete with blasters from competing brands, which often sell for lower prices than their ''Nerf'' brand counterparts.

Ultra

Released in September 2019, Nerf Ultra (branded as ULTRA) blasters fire an updated, proprietary dart design that is marketed as firing upwards of , the farthest advertised distance of any ''Nerf'' brand blaster to date. ''Ultra'' darts are constructed from a lightweight foam that is notably different than traditional darts in that they are made with closed-cell foam rather than open-cell. This construction allows for fins to be molded into the rear of the darts. ''Ultra'' darts are between ''N-Strike Elite'' and ''Mega'' darts in diameter, but shorter than both in length. ''Ultra'' darts and blasters are not cross-compatible with ammo from other ''Nerf'' lines, a decision made in response to the growing number of third-party darts available for ''N-Strike Elite'' blasters at a much lower cost than ''Nerf''-brand darts.

Many ''Ultra'' blasters are black and white in color, with “ULTRA” emblazoned on the side in gold text. The first blaster in the ''Ultra'' line was the Nerf Ultra ''One'', and has since seen blasters with various different loading and feeding mechanisms, similar to other ''Nerf'' lines.

RIVAL

Released in 2015, Nerf ''RIVAL'' blasters are targeted towards teenagers and young adults. They fire high-impact spherical foam balls (often called “Rival rounds”) instead of darts. Many ''RIVAL'' blasters are painted or include accessories meant to distinguish between blue and red teams for competitive play; most ''RIVAL'' blasters are available in both colors. The first ''RIVAL'' blasters introduced were the ''Apollo XV-700'' and the ''Zeus MXV-1200''. The ''RIVAL'' line is not available in Australia due to toy regulations. As of 2021, the latest blaster in the ''RIVAL'' line is the ''Helix XXI-2000'', designed curve shots in multiple directions.

Sub-series of ''RIVAL'' include:
* ''RIVAL Camo'': Blasters re-skinned with a camouflage color scheme; introduced in 2018
* ''RIVAL Edge'': Blasters are green in color (instead of the usual blue, white, or red), released in 2019. The ''Edge'' series places emphasis on accuracy and precision. All blasters exclusive to this sub-series are modeled after sniper rifles and feature long barrels.
* ''RIVAL Phantom Corps'': Released in 2017, ''Phantom Corps'' blasters are white in color.

See also

*Nerf war
*''Nerf Arena Blast'' – First-person shooter game for the PC using Nerf Blasters.
*'' Nerf N-Strike'' and '' Nerf N-Strike Elite'' – First person shoot em up games for the Wii using Nerf Blasters.
*Lazer Tag – Laser tag guns currently sold under the Nerf brand.

References

External links

Official Nerf site

{{Hasbro

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