Diary of a Network Geek

VulcanEBF25-06-Setup

Originally uploaded by Network Geek

The Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 is ten kinds of awesome!

Okay, so my N-Strike Vulcans arrived today. They rock! Well, okay, I only unboxed one, but this one rocks so hard you can feel it a county away. Truly.
So, when I first got it and tore into the package there was a wire, or three, on everything that I quickly got tired of untwisting. When I got the kitchen shears and started just cutting them off, things went much better. It took a little bit of playing to get all the parts to snap into place, especially the ammunition box that holds the belt. The other thing that was a little tricky was the battery compartment. When I first got the batteries in, and tried to fire, I got nothing. So, afraid that I’d gotten a defective one, I tested the batteries in a lantern. Once I had tested all six of the D-cells that this monster needs to be fully automatic, I got the battery tray set and locked down, then, joy of joys, very quickly shot an entire belt of ammo across my living room. Then, I did it again, just to make sure the mechanism was working correctly. Only after all that did I clip on the tripod and start taking pictures.

You’ll notice in the picture that there’s also a spare belt and a carry strap. Also, the package of eight batteries is in the picture. Or, rather, the last two of the eight, because, you know, the other six are in Vulcan. The tripod has two push-button releases that let it snap on and off. One weird thing about it, though, is that it makes a funny grinding noise when you move it and the legs fold up when you pick it up.
A commenter mentioned that his “sukz” and didn’t shoot well. Sadly, he must have gotten a defective one because mine shoots fine. Actually, mine shoots well. Never jammed, belt fed all the way through, and the darts all flew more than his all-too-short three feet. They also flew straight and true and fired off at a decent rate. Oh, and it’s noisy, too. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but it does have a definite, meaty, mechanical, macho sound when it hurls little Nerf darts of joy at your opponent.

Seriously, this is totally cool and worth every penny I spent on it. Every. Last. Penny. I mean, c’mon, it’s a fully-automatic, belt-fed Nerf MACHINE GUN! If you loved Nerf guns as a kid, you owe it to yourself to get a Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25. Totally worth it!

VulcanIsGO

Originally uploaded by Network Geek

I ordered two Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25’s yesterday.

Why, you ask? Because I can.
Seriously, I’ve been watching this since I heard the announcement about it on Gizmodo.com. These were supposed to have been in stock, but sold out. So far, I haven’t heard about anyone actually buying them, though. Naturally, when I saw that the Hasbro website was claiming they were in stock, I had to order one. And, just in case, I thought I should go ahead and order two.

Oh, one thing to know, too, is that for the same price as the regular EBF-25, at the Hasbro website, you can get the Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 value pack, which includes a carry strap and a spare belt for your FULLY AUTOMATIC BELT-FED NERF MACHINE GUN!

Sorry. I guess my inner child is looking forward to getting this.
Who knew?

Gah!

Now, for my regular readers, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I am, in fact, a giant kid. Honestly, I attribute that single fact to why I am an instant “favorite uncle” to, well, every child under the age of eighteen. Grown-ups just do not do the things I do. It’s apparently not allowed.
In any case, my latest obsession is Nerf guns. Specifically, making them, well, cooler. (You can see the first one I did on Flickr.) There’s just something about them that appeals to the big, rough-and-tumble kid in me.

So, you can imagine how excited I was when I saw that Hasbro is making a Nerf machine gun. Yes, a fully automatic machine gun, complete with belt-fed magazine and tripod. And, no, this is not a hoax. I have confirmed it at the Hasbro media press release page. As soon as I see an updated release date for the Nerf Vulcan EBF-25, you can bet that I’ll post an update. (Shoot, even the name is cool. Well done, Hasbro!)