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Posts Tagged ‘BOOMco’

NERF is releasing Halo-themed Blasters for 2020

Sunday, February 23rd, 2020

NERF is no stranger to video game licensing for their blasters, but considering that Mattel’s BOOMCo line of blasters already held the Halo license, it’s kind of surprising that NERF would follow suit with their own Halo blasters. All the same, there are 100% licensed Halo NERF blasters coming out later this year, and, honestly, they’re pretty cool. Based on three of the most iconic weapons from the Halo franchise, the initial line of Halo blasters will consist of the following:

MA40 Assault Rifle

Unarguably the coolest of the new blasters, the MA40 is based on the latest iteration of the UNSC’s mainline MA5 series assault rifle (inexplicably chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO in the lore). This particular blaster features a battery-powered flywheel action, where darts can be fired semi-automatically from the included 10-round ‘clip’. This blaster is powered by four “C” batteries, and for those looking to play the upcoming Halo: Infinite, you’ll also get a code to unlock the MA40’s color scheme as a weapon skin in the game.

SPNKR Rocket Launcher

Reportedly part of NERF’s Micro Shots line, the SPNKR is more nominally based on its namesake, as this is just a handheld blaster, while the in-game version is a rocket launcher. The fact that it’s not a full-sized NERF rocket launcher is a bit disappointing. However, like the SPNKR, the NERF version chambers two darts, and fires them one after the other.

Needler

Finally, there’s the Needler, designated the Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher by the UNSC. In-game, the Needler is a Covenant weapon that automatically fires strange crystalline projectiles with an inexplicable IFF function that hone in on enemies and explode after embedding in their flesh. As a NERF blaster, it’s part of the Micro Shots line, and fires a single dart at a time. At least this one is also a handheld weapon in the game it’s based on.

The Halo line of NERF blasters is slated for an October 2020 release, in line with the scheduled release of Halo: Infinite.

nerf.hasbro.com/en-us

BOOMco DXD58 HALO UNSC MA5 Blaster

Tuesday, October 8th, 2019

To my detriment, I haven’t been paying much attention to the Mattel BOOMco line of licensed Halo dart blasters, at least not since initially seeing them at San Diego Comic Con 2015. Which is a shame, too, because they’ve made some awesome additions to the line since then, such as this MA5 blaster. Based on the MA5 assault rifle from the Halo Series, this blaster feeds from a side loading 8-shot clip, and interestingly, it’s designed so that the user builds air pressure using the foregrip as a pump, and then the trigger can be held down to expend the entire clip in a full-auto fashion, which is pretty darn cool. It’s available in both blue and red, for team purposes.

BOOMco has also a Brute Spiker, which in the Halo games is an alien SMG of sorts that shoots molten hot spikes, and has dual blades that can be used to slash at enemies.

And even a blaster based on the M45D shotgun.

These and more BOOMco branded blasters can be found wherever Mattel products are sold.

SDCC 2015 – BOOMco Licensed Halo Blasters

Friday, July 10th, 2015

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I don’t have a lot of experience with the BOOMco line, but licensing the Halo property to make a line of dart launchers is a strong move on Mattel’s part.

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The line consists of several blasters modeled after iconic Halo weapons from both the Human and Covenant forces, designed to fire foam-tipped darts. A consistent claim throughout the packaging of the blasters is their capability to fire up to 70 feet.

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This particular set, the USNC Covenant Battle Pack, is actually available for sale at the convention. I did manage to pick up a set, but I’ll have to wait until I get back to the headquarters before I do a hands-on review.