A Quick Bunker Update. :)

(Link) Hey dudes, just thought I might pop up a quick update on what's going on at HQ.

1. Everybody's friend, Jack, has moved down to Hobart. Now, this means he won't be doing any video presentations with me for a while, BUT, if we're lucky, Alex and Jack will get together and do a special presentation. So keep an eye out for news on that.

2. Meanwhile, up at the North Bunker, I'm working on the Strongarm review, expect that up by next week sometime. :) And of course, it'll be shorter :P

Till then, save your cash for the Toy Sales! Link, signing out. :D

The Elite MEGA Centurion. Say hello to my new best friend. Plus, some S.O.F.T. maths.

The newest, biggest bad boy on the block. And I LOVE it. :D

360 view of the Centurion, thanks to Jason @ Basic Nerf.

It's big, it's bad, it's red, and it's 100% REAL. :P After a few months of speculation from a few leaked photos on the Chinese version of eBay, Baidu, and a few firing videos from Tony Stark himself, Nerf made the announcement on their Facebook page today that the Centurion is REAL. WooHoo! :D Now, onto the details they've been leaking out through their comments, thanks to our fellow blogs My Last Dart and Basic Nerf for picking these tidbits up, and from the Pop Science article as well. :D

Before we launch into the facts, I believe I haven't voiced my opinion on the Centurion yet. Well, I gotta say this. 'It's the TRUE successor to the Longshot/Longstrike. Nuff said.' That should be enough. :D

- $49.99 MSRP, Fall Release Date (via Pop Science article)

So, that's about roughly $50 - $60 bucks for us Aussies (remember how much the Longshot cost when it first came out?) and to re-confirm, our release date for the Centurion is October 2013, thanks to our contacts at Hasbro Australia and to the Canberra DT crew. So, it's NOT going to be the major 9/9 release, which leaves the door wide open for the Rapidstrike, or a TOTALLY new blaster. Oooo, exciting. :D

- “Nathaniel and Chuck, the Centurion blasts up to 100ft in the US and Canada and up to 23m in most other countries. You’ll definitely be blasting farther than ever before.”

So, this means for us Aussies, the Centurion will achieve SLIGHTLY better ranges than our  'de-tuned' Elite blasters. This is properly due to the Mega Dart.

- “Daniel, extra MEGA darts will be available for purchase separately!”

Great move, I think we might need them. :P This begs the question however, will there be any add-ons/mission kits for the MEGA series? It could use a scope. And not a useless one please! :D And some additional clips would be welcome too.

The Centurion is the first in a new line of Nerf guns that use MEGA darts. The darts are about twice the size of typical Nerf darts, which engineers say helps them get the momentum they need to fly further. The also whistle, an oddly satisfying addition to long-range shootouts.

To get the velocity necessary (nearly 55 mph) to catapult ammo one-third of a football field, the designers had to super-size the typical Nerf launch mechanism. With a dart-filled magazine in place, you pull back on a loading handle to allow the top dart to pop into the firing chamber. Pushing the same handle forward sets the firing mechanism in place, and pulling the trigger releases a spring-loaded piston that launches the dart.

I know what you might be thinking. 'ANOTHER AMMO TYPE?' But do remember, it was US that requested/moaned to Nerf :P to make our blasters way more powerful and less sluggish. And if they want to experiment with new methods, I'm all for it. Doesn't the old saying go, 'The Bigger, The Better?'

As for the gun itself, we’ll be blunt: this thing is freaking huge. It spans 40.7 inches from nose to heel, and at least 2/3 of that length is barrel. As with any gun, the longer the barrel, the straighter – and hopefully the farther – shots will soar.

I'm six foot, five inches in height, so if that's anything to go by, that's about as long as one of my legs. Loving that idea! Or it just reminds me I'm tall. :P

And our friend Ash from MLD has teased of potential 'brothers and sisters' in the MEGA line, so there's a chance MORE blasters will be announced soon. Now, time for some S.O.F.T. maths. :D

PLUS

Pic thanks to UT :D

PLUS

EQUALS:

FREAKING AWESOMENESS. :P

(ahem, calming down... :P) Now, what's YOUR opinion on the Centurion Squaddies? Will you be picking one, or two up? Sound off below. 

Till next time Squaddies, keep on Nerfing!

NEW BLASTER? :D :D :D

(Link) Ooooo, official news, eh? Nerf's Facebook page HAS been falling a bit slack lately, so what do they need? A teaser pic to get us all excited again, of course :P Details below:

"We've got big blaster news coming soon and we need this much space to reveal it! Who's pumped?"
Now, this picture can represent TWO unofficial Nerf products:

1. The MEGA series and the Centurion. (Most likely, in my opinion)
2. The ZombieStrike series and the Hammershot.

But it has been spotted by our great friend Ash from MLD (My Last Dart) that there's one NEW blaster we don't know about. One called, the 'Javelin'. Now, this name HAS popped up before (from what I've seen) so, we're just gonna have to wait and see.

Oh, and I've updated the Upcoming Releases page. THANK YOU to whoever decided to send the Elite Tact. Vest and Bandolier Down Under, one VERY happy fan here. :D

News for 2013 and What's Your Favorite Blaster?

(Link) Well, here we are AT LAST. S.O.F.T.'s RETURNED!!! WOO-HOO!!! :P (ahem, calming down now.)

Welcome fans, old and new, to 2013. :D It's set to be a HUGE year for S.O.F.T., as we are celebrating our first birthday in April! :D Yay!!! Alex and I are planning something MASSIVE for that, but, you'll have to wait for more news on that, as we are still figuring out the details. 

As for our reviews? They shall be returning on a regular basis, and maybe some NEW sections as well? Ooooo. Stay tuned Squaddies! :D

Okay, time for the first REAL question for the year. It's simply to get our fan's opinions, and something to think about. 

1. What's your FAVOURITE Nerf blaster? (Recent or All-Time?)

That's something for you to think about. :D In the next post, I shall be revealing my favourites! Have a think, and voice your opinion. :D

S.O.F.T. is back, baby!

News Update: Pyragon Review and a News Segment? :D

(Link) Hey Squaddies, thought I'd update you on our current goings-on at the S.O.F.T. HQ. 

First up: Alex and I both have gotten our hands on the newly released Vortex Pyragon. And I've gotta say, it is a BEAST of a blaster. Now, since I am in love with it so much, I thought I'd try a Video Review. Yes, soon enough, you'll see S.O.F.T.'s chief in the flesh. :P And, it was suggested on our FB page, that I try to set a new Slam-Fire record, emptying all 40 rounds as quick as possible.. With that, I am happy to oblige. That review, is coming soon sometime next week.

Also, I was thinking, why not do a fortnightly or monthly (?) news segment? (Similar to what our friends at AFON, Mr K and Mr S do.) Since there is so much Elite news coming out, I'd thought we'd wrap all of the news into one hit, easy to find. If Alex likes this idea, we'll find a way for both of us to present the news in the same video, since we reside at the north and south ends of this island :P The wonders of technology will allow this, I hope :D

So if you like this idea of a news segment, let us know!

Announcement: The Australian DT/HvZ Championships (A dream of mine...)

(Link) The headline that you see above you is the stuff of dreams... A full-blown tournament, potentially being held in Victoria, featuring three key Nerfing Facebook communities... Canberra VS Riverina VS S.O.F.T. (In other words, ACT vs NSW vs TAS) and maybe, potentially more. :)

This is the stuff legends are made of... I've always wanted to attend an event like this... But living down here in S.O.F.T. territory, I never get the chance to. All this could change though.

If you're an avid Australian Nerfer and want an event such as this to become a reality, let us know!! Thumbs up to the the Aussie Nerf DT Championships! :)

Link's Customization Corner

(Link) Hello all, hope you enjoyed the result of all of Alex's hard work, the Elite reviews. Now, as I was playing around with my Recon earlier on, I thought: 'I could turn this into a segment.' So, it is with great pleasure I announce the arrival of Link's Customization Corner! Every so often, I'll post a photo up of a blaster combo I think works well. Maybe even a Primary/Secondary combo? You never know, so stay tuned for the results of our experiments. :D

Where are we? :P

If you guys have been wondering 'where the hell are we?' I've been hard at work at my new Uni course, and planning a few new video features. Hopefully, it'll be a nice Tassie day to make some videos tomorrow. Thanks for staying tuned, fans! :D

Enter the Second-in-Command...

[Alex] Well, as a new Admin to this blog, I suppose it is high time I showed my face and introduced myself here, rather than just on the Facebook page :x *leaves comfort zone, takes one small step for a new world of blogging…*

So to begin with, my name is Alex and I currently co-admin the Hobart Nerf Squadron social group on Facebook. In this role I mostly organise local Wars and bulk order purchases, and share my developing modding projects and advice.  I am looking forward to helping expand both S.O.F.T’s growth, as well as sharing my own experiences and advice with Nerf :D 

I guess a little bit about my Nerf history and how I got into this awesome hobby wouldn’t go astray either :P What got me hooked into Nerf was rather sudden to me. Previously I had never really played with *projectile-based* toy guns like Nerf, but that was about to change when I went to my 2010 Family Christmas Day lunch party. After the usual ‘meet and greet’ with the rellies, I discovered my boredom meter was on the fritz. So I decided to go outside to the backyard where the kids were playing with their new toys (Santa was forced to use them as a diversion to escape this kid-trap).

I was not expecting to see what lay ahead, nor knew it would have such an impact on me. Before me I beheld a gloriously yellow toy machine gun. As I walked nearer to this beast of plastic, I merely assumed that this was one of those ‘makes loud noises and flashing lights’ types of toy guns… but it was HUGE… and what was that big ammo chain for? Just for aesthetics and an extra ‘wow’ factor, perhaps?

Well... let’s just say that I soon learned that looking down the barrel of a fully-loaded, fresh-battery filled Nerf Vulcan with a young kid on the trigger wasn’t the smartest idea I had that day. And before I knew it all the other youngsters had popped out with other brightly coloured guns, promptly firing off rubber-tipped foam cylinders of mayhem left, right, centre and anywhere else that could occupy the flight path of a Nerf dart!

I was drawn to this… chaos. Inside my tiny walnut-sized brain, a devilishly squee-worthy scheme began to hatch; get payback on that kid who shot me with that Vulcan. Recruiting my brother into the fray, he wielded (what I now know to be) a Maverick, and I a Nitefinder. After dodging many bullets and avoiding collisions with hungry adults crowded around the BBQ, we stuck the Vulcan-eer at his right flank from behind the garden shed.

My brother drew his fire but soon succumbed to the full-auto might of the Vulcan Menace. As I strafed out from the shed and took aim at the youngster’s forehead, he pointed the monster blaster at me.

We both pulled triggers...

I shot first...

Before his Vulcan motors could whir into life, a whistler dart screamed from my Nitefinder’s muzzle and roared towards my target. However, due to my lack of battle-knowledge regarding Nerf dart physics at the time, the dart made a dive away from the enemy’s face, and before any of us knew what had happened, the Vulcan grinded to a halt, and stood silent.

Upon closer inspection, my dart had instead landed right down the gullet of the Vulcan’s barrel, blocking the next shot and jammed the ammo chain from moving.

Epic. Win. Fluke. Shot!

For a month afterwards I couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun it was. After some ‘research’ I stumbled upon many blogs like Urban Taggers, forums like OzNerf, and YouTube channels like LordDraconical and Coop772. It took me by surprise just how widespread this Nerf craze really was; the communities built around it, Humans versus Zombies events, and even the nature of modding (which particularly appealed to me greatly). I caught up with some of my friends and mentioned Nerf to them. Before we knew it we had run out to the nearest toy shop and came home with two blasters each! :D I obtained a Longshot and a Stampede, and although the Stampy is certainly impressive being Full Auto, it was (and still is) the Longshot that has won my inner child’s heart. Since that point on, I’ve been an avid Nerf Herder since January 2011 and, thanks to the Hobart Nerf Squadron, a fellow Foam Fighter since March 2011.

­Well... I do believe this is becoming quite a lengthy wall of text, so I might wrap it up here for now. But to reward your eyeball's hard work of getting this far, expect to see more from me in the near future, including (but not limited to) the following:

-          Adding my own thoughts and suggestions to existing reviews by Link

-          Helping write new reviews (two in particular are planned after this coming fortnight! >:P)

-          General house-hold cleaning of typos and answering any of your questions / comments

-          Additional media, such as videos and extra photos for blasters, including the aforementioned 360 degree views of blasters.

-          Down the track I’ll organise my own separate ‘modding’ corner where I’ll display some of my weird and wonderful designs and contraptions. We shall also discuss some creative suggestions and experiments for modding.

-          Taking Nerf outside of the house, I will also endeavour to make some mini-videos on how certain blasters / mods can perform in Nerf War conditions, maybe throw in some handy little tips and tactics I’ve learned :P

It is an honour to be on board with Mr.1835 Link here at S.O.F.T. and I hope you enjoy not only what I now bring to the table, but the bright future of S.O.F.T that lies ahead! :D

Vortex Ammo Belt? Sweet... :D

Finally, a picture of the Ammo Belt I've been looking forward to! And my, does it look cool. Full description below, thanks to Mr K of Adult Fans of Nerf.

"Load up big-time for any VORTEX mission with the Ammo Belt Kit! When you strap on this Ammo Belt with its 10-disc magazine, you can stay heavily armed even while you’re on the move. Load the magazine with 10 of the 15 included VORTEX discs and attach it to your Ammo Belt, and you’ll still have room for a second magazine (sold separately)! With all the ammo and firepower you can fit in your Ammo Belt and your blaster in your hand (sold separately), you’ll be ready for any battle situation!"

• Ammo Belt Kit lets you carry along lots of extra firepower!
• Belt features clips for 2 magazines!
• Includes 1 magazine and 15 discs!
• Magazine holds 10 discs!
• Load your magazine, then store up to 25 extra discs in the ammo pouch.


I COULD see myself wearing this... :D

Announcement: I'm Back & Next Review?

Hopefully, the next reviews on the Dart Tag Swarmfire and the Barrel Break will be up in the next few days. This post is to let you know I've returned safe and sound from Melbourne, and I'll be sharing my 'results' soon. :)

Be sure to check our Facebook page for regular updates. :) Link here.

Shining Foam: Nerf N-Strike Elite Blasters and Vortex Pyragon Demos

Thanks to Michael and the team from Shining Foam, we now have a preview at all of the Elite blasters, and the upcoming Vortex Pyragon. Most importantly, we find out how the Hail-Fire's ammo rack works, by a simple pull of the 'Advance Handle' to rotate the rack. Quite simple, yet effective.

These videos were taken from Hasbro's official site, and Shining Foam has the original links, before they got taken down. Needless to say, I'm quite excited :D

Shining Foam's original posts here: 

http://shiningfoam.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/nerf-releases-the-n-strike-elite-hail-fire-demo-video/

http://shiningfoam.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/the-new-nerf-vortex-pyragon-demo-video/

Basic Nerf: Unboxing the N-Strike Elite Package from Nerf

Our companion blog, Jason and Basic Nerf, have recieved a press kit, containing the new Elite Blasters, Retaliator and Rampage, for him to preview and let off a round or two... :P

Have a look, and check out his other videos below at the following links: 

Retailator and Rampage Un-boxings: http://basicnerf.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/basic-nerf-n-strike-elite-retaliator-rampage-unboxings-video/

Rampage Range Tests: http://basicnerf.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/n-strike-elite-rampage-range-test-12-glow-in-the-dark-darts-12-elite-darts-video/

Elite Darts Range Test: http://basicnerf.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/stock-alpha-trooper-12-6v-rayven-n-strike-elite-dart-range-test-video/

News: S.O.F.T.'s 3rd and 4th Affiliates

We here at S.O.F.T. are proud of our achievements thus far, we've come a fair way since the beginning. With the signing of the contracts :P of our 3rd and 4th brother Nerf sites, the future looks bright. :D Let's introduce them now! :D

HvZAuburn:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HvZAuburn

A YouTube channel (or YouNERF channel :P) Michael and the team from HvZAuburn make some really high-quality videos of Human VS Zombies matches, a game usually played with Nerf blasters. He also makes video reviews and unboxings, and is a friend of Jason and Basic Nerf. Highly recommended for a quick look. :)

Modern Nerf:

http://modernnerf.blogspot.com.au/

Ethan's site has been up for a year now, but his blog has been feeling a little lonely. Great thing he came to us, then :D He admits that his site does repeat infomation from other blogs, BUT, he DOES offer his own thoughtful opinions about new news and upcoming blasters, and he posts VERY deductive analysation and logical/educated guesses. I like that :D Anyway, his site is lacking on the graphical side, but has promised, he is working on it. Have a look, and support Ethan and the team. :)

News: S.O.F.T.'s 2nd Affiliate Announcement

Wow, this blog is gaining more speed than I expected! :P Heh heh. I'm proud to announce the signing of the contract (Not really :P) of our second brother blog, Chiew Peng Luk and the team from Nerf Blaster And Accessories (cplnerf.blogspot.com) Welcome to the Squadron, mates!

Nerf Blaster And Accessories hails from Australia (epic win!) and his blog is home to some of the best Nerfing tips I have read. I found his blog one day while I was bored in class, and his posts make for an excellent read. :) We'll be helping out each other from now, so welcome aboard once again. His site is also home to an excellent Nerf 'Shopping List', of where you find where to buy the blaster you most want. Excellent service to the Aussie community, mate :D

Have a visit to his site! http://www.cplnerf.blogspot.com/

Remember, if you have a blog and want to join the Squadron, click on the 'S.O.F.T. Affiliates' tab on top of the page, and read the details. :D

News: S.O.F.T.'s 1st Affiliate Announcement

 

 

Fellow members, I have a grand announcement! We here at S.O.F.T. are glad to announce that we have officially joined forces with Jason and the team from Basic Nerf, as Nerfing compardres, (i.e, affiliates :P) and we'll be helping each other out. We hope you enjoy your time here at the Squadron, Jason. :)

Well, better start advertising, eh? :P
http://basicnerf.wordpress.com/ Visit his site!