Were going to have a LONG post, covering lots of info, In fact it may be multiple posts, as there are press releases, pictures, a couple videos to upload eventually, etc. There are tons of new things you can explore. Buzz Bee Toys, Zuru, oddities from China, a few hidden gems, and lots more. Keep on reading!
Buzz Bee Toys
There is a lot of info to unpack here, and lots more that I may not see until their blaster event on Monday. To that end, well show pictures of printed paper! I am sorry that you didn’t try to scan the plane with a scanner.
Page 1
Not many new blasters to see, but you can tell there are new darts and paint schemes. Buzz Bee Toys market research revealed a three-way split between consumers who want accuracy, distance and suction. Instead of attempting a perfect dart, theyve split the difference and released three kinds of ammo, with blasters color coded to indicate the line. The green comes with suction darts and the blue comes with long-distance darts. Red comes with PrecisePro darts which have a narrower tip but offer more accuracy. All packaging range claims have also been updated, in addition to the new darts. It remains to be determined if this is a change in darts, testing methods, or internal blaster changes.
The display packaging is relatively plain, although I like that. Buzz Bee seems to be letting products speak for themselves with the open boxes and improved range claims.
Page 2
Herewe begin to see the new blasters, not all of which were in working condition or on display when I reached the booth.
The Blizzard is the love child of the Sidewinder and the Boomco Colossal Blitz, resulting in a manual-pump blaster firing 40 rounds from alternating drums. Although I doubt it would be used, the mere fact that it exists suggests that the Sidewinder is very popular.
Rail Blaster is an eight shot, rear-loading blaster. The Rail Blaster uses an internal tubular magazine that is similar to a real firearm. If you like to find ammo on the ground for your blaster this one is for the you. The tactical rail will be added to the top.
The PrecisePro blasters themselves are just apparent reshells of the Night Tek and Air Max Baron.
Fact for the former, and speculation for the latter, I might add.
Finally, the Tactical Storm is a magazine-fed, somewhat modular blaster. This would make it an ideal choice for modders looking to convert pump action guns.
Page Three
The final page features the Walking Dead blaster range, which proved to be a significant sales boost for Buzz Bee in this year’s fiscal year. The newest blaster is a magazine-fed crossbow. It appears to still use Tactical Storm or Champion internals for operation. Plunger is still there. Breech is also there. Theres just a string attached to the plunger rod.
Others toys, such as the Infrared Scope blaster, spotted at Nuremburg Toy Fair were not displayed. That and other prototypes are expected to be seen on Monday.
In addition, no new water blasters were on display. Only last years models were on the wall. Trademark searches have shown us that new models are in development. It seems we will have to be patient.
KNEX K-Force
K-Force is still available on shelves, even though it has been discontinued. In fact, sales have been good enough to allow the designers to experiment on the next two models. Both still use the five shot revolver mechanism. The Barracuda moves the blaster portion far enough forward to allow pump-action blasting. The Sabertooth, meanwhile, is a triggerless design that actually gets primed with a lever, then fires when the level returns forward. The latter blaster felt less solid than other designs in my hands when I primed it.
Meanwhile, the pump could have been placed around the plunger assembly. Even so, its a step in the right direction.
There are many more photos to upload and I don’t have a lot of internet access to do so. Also, I need to get some sleep. I will have more soon!
