Nerf's newest blasters shoot foam cars, not darts
Have you ever looked at your Nerf guns and wished they could shoot something other than foam darts? If you have, this is your lucky year.
Designed to cater to a younger crowd — 5 years old and up as opposed to Nerf's traditional 8 and up — the new Nerf Nitro series basically mixes the company's signature blasters with Hot Wheels.
Instead of foam darts, the blasters shoot foam cars, which can be launched right into obstacles and into the air off plastic ramps.
Available this summer, the Nitro series is an entire family of "stunt car blasters" running the gamut from the entry-level single-shot "Throttleshot Blitz" ($9.99) to the top-of-the-line, battery-powered and motorized "Motofury Rapid" ($49.99).
At first glance, the blasters don't look too different from your typical Nerf shooter. They're orange and blue, and look aggressive enough to take down an alien colony.
But look a little closer and you'll notice that the Throttleshot Blitz (see below) looks like it's an upside down pistol and the rest of the blasters have a design that slants.
As Nerf rep loaded up the foam cars (there will be over 48 different designs and colorways) into the the Nitro blasters, she told me the designs are intentional.
Nitro blasters only "launch" the foam cars when they're placed on a flat surface, like a table or the floor. Each blaster has a little button mechanism on the bottom that needs to be pressed before the trigger unlocks. According to the rep, Nerf didn't want kids shooting cars all over the place, or at each other (the cars do have plastic wheels, after all).
Instead, the Nitro blasters are more of a new spin on the classic Hot Wheels stunt tracks, minus you know, the tracks. There is a workaround if you really want to fire the foam cars without placing the blasters against a flat surface, you can just press the button on the bottom. But you do so at the expense of air time; launching the cars off a flat surface will give you greater range and air (with a ramp).
If, by now, you're thinking, "This is stupid," then the Nitro blasters are not for you. Nerf will continue to sell blasters that fire darts and you can have your fill.
Still, while the Nitro foam cars may not be darts or even discs, there's a certain satisfaction to cocking the blasters, pulling the trigger and launching them into a stack of cans or up a ramp. It's a playful type of carnal, destructive fun and it's super addictive.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
