About S.O.F.T.

An Introduction to S.O.F.T. - By Mr.1835Link (edited by Zandor)

S.O.F.T. (Squadron of Foam Tasmania) is a blog dedicated to the humble foam dart blaster. We know we are just of one number of many, and we're all now semi-veterans in the world of blogging business (Thank God, those first few months were stressful). But one day we hope to bring something different to the world of foam dart blaster blogging. We aren't concerned with the distances or the specs, we just LOVE the coolness factor of these toy blasters… and of course, daily life sneaky ambushes on the brother :P

The excitement leading up to the moment you finally get your mitts on that blaster you've been waiting oh-so whatever length of time for, the joy of ripping the box open and gazing upon that new toy of yours, tearing apart the packaging to shreds, loading her up and firing your pretty for the first time... We love that feeling here, and we've experienced it many times. Let's say... We've experienced it so many times, the office is filling up to the brim with these blasters. The following passage describes that feeling perfectly.

"It may seem silly to take this stuff seriously as feats of engineering, but in their own way, these toys are as well designed as a Dyson vacuum. When you pick up a blaster, when you feel the heft, when you put the stock to your shoulder and wrap your fingers around the handle, when you chamber a dart and pull the trigger and the dart comes flying out with that immensely satisfying thunk, it doesn't feel like what you’re holding is just some cheap hunk of plastic. And every detail of that experience has been meticulously designed, engineered, and tested."

In order to put them to good use, since my neighborhood of Penguin (and Alex's town of Hobart) is pretty damn quiet, S.O.F.T,. the humble blog which you see before you, was founded to give out advice. Not the boring sort of advice, the USEFUL sort. We pride ourselves on consumer advice (just like Top Gear) and set out to review every blaster we can get our dirty mitts on, for indoor testing situations. (We have a fear of the outside world, you see) We provide LOADS of pretty pictures for your eyes (eye-candy), the occasional video feature, and heaps of our own 'honest' thoughts to back them up.

All the blasters you see in these reviews are from our own personal collections; none were free. We bought them myself with blood, sweat, and tears. Every one of our thoughts based around the blasters are from our own opinions, to serve as a useful guideline to whether you would like one of them for yourself.

S.O.F.T. is a community as well, too. If you're up for a chat, why not drop us a line? (Not literally.) We've set up a companion Facebook Page, YouTube channel and you can also follow us on Twitter, so that you can leave us comments, questions, and even your own opinions on the way we do things on the blog. We can't be a success and a help without you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Our dream goal is to recruit the best and brightest Nerfers and Nerfettes from all around Australia to contribute and help (kinda like forming a REAL army, that would be SO AWESOME), so if you're interested in joining us as a writer, send us a message

The S.O.F.T. logo depicts the location of our two main offices/bases, on the tiny island state of Tasmania, Australia. The letters of S.O.F.T. were inspired by an old high school project, having them made up of Nerf darts, if you look closely. S, Streamlines, O, a Vortex disc, F. Whistlers, and T, Suction darts. It's quite clever, if I do say so myself.

We hope you enjoy the fruit of our efforts, as we are proud to bring it to you. 

Keep On Nerfing!

Presenting your evil overlords... (insert maniacal laugh here)
From L to R: Alex (Zandor) short guy, Link (Mr.1835Link) tall guy. 

About Mr.1835 Link

Founder of S.O.F.T., Head Writer and Nerf Collector (TAS)

I go by the name Lincoln, or Link in real life, and I am currently finding my way in the world, one day at a time. Managing S.O.F.T. is my slice of Nerf away from reality, and it's like my own little world

I'm currently working at a secret government agency (can't reveal it due to privacy), and one day I'd like to attain a position in video-game journalism or graphic design. That would be excellent! And of course, make a den of blasters in my own house.

Outside of work and gaming, I'm a passionate fan of NERF (of course, or this blog wouldn't exist) video games, computer tinkerer and Photoshop fan (That's where all of the fancy banners come from), photography and reading. You can read the story of the origins of my Nerf collecting here.

About Zandor

Co-Writer, Head of Modding and Equipment Chief (TAS)

(Alex) Greetings, fellow Nerf Herders! My blogger name is Zandor, but I usually answer to Alex (close enough). 

Currently I work in retail selling cameras, coming from a background of doing a University degree with Photography as my major. Other hobbies and interests include playing video games (seriously, who doesn't?), taking photos, drawing, Photoshop-ing, and (slowly) writing my own medieval-fantasy fiction story.

But enough about my side distractions; whilst my job is a means to an end, Nerf is my slice of obsession heaven >:D see my introduction post about how I got into Nerf and where it has taken me thus far! Link here.

About Thomas 

Co-presenter with Zandor (TAS)

(Coming Soon)

About Crispy 

South Australian Correspondent, Co-Writer and Head of Intel (SA)

Hey Everyone, name's Michael, but since Year 3, I've gone by the name of Crispy.
I'm the S.A. (South Australian) member of SOFT, and have a bad habit of ordering or buying blasters as soon as they release, usually leaving me broke. :P

I work as a Carpenter, in my third year of an Apprenticeship. I love the work, but it doesn't usually leave much free time for Nerf-related activities. I'm an avid PC gamer, so my budget also gets hammered by that hobby.

I am an OMW (Orange Mod Works, for the newbies) fan-boy, so expect plenty of praise to those good mates in Texas. I'm big on performance mods, but sadly don't have the time or skill for aesthetic mods. Besides, I feel a stock looking blaster that scares people is better than a scary looking blaster.

Well that's enough about me, lets get back to Nerf!

About Jack

Co-presenter with Mr.1835Link and Head of Entertainment (TAS)

(Link) Since Jack is pretty slack and bad at writing, I'll write a little bio on him. :P

We first met way back in primary school, after our teacher introduced us by a mutual love of computer games. And ever since then, he has been a constant thorn in my back. Just kidding.

We've shared our high school years and many adventures together, so we're pretty close, and I consider him to be my brother-in-arms. Let's face it, you need one in order to call yourself a bloke. He pops his head in the bunker (or when I invite him, or when he ain't busy) for random videos, to add a little bit of 'zazz', as he'd label it.

Jack came on board the S.O.F.T. crew as a way of learning more about Nerf, and a way to spread his name. He fancies himself as an actor, and loves playing the piano and tap dancing. :D 

All I can say, it's a pleasure to have him on board. Just don't ask him to fight a war for you :P