Lanard Toys. Whats Going On In The Background?
Lanard Toys produces blasters. Although they aren’t as well-known as the brands they compete with for blasters, they still make some great products. Sometimes a blaster can be modded for NIC greatness (Triple Shot, Big Salvo, etc). It can be used for cosplay (Hunstman50). Other timesits just something silly (Disney Zurg Blaster). There are also a few clunkers. But Lanard blasters arent always seen in stores here in the United States, so sometimes you just have to wait for a website update to appear. This is one of those times.
New Blasters And Brands
There is also a new Blackfire brand, but it seems to be just recolored blasters. A quick Google search reveals a few disc blasters that are being sold overseas under this label. Granted, some things like the Tri-9 are good ball blasters, and have enough plunger volume to do silly things with. But at the moment, it isnt quite as new as youd expect. Why is the Cycle Shot still around?
Meanwhile, the Huntsman brand is seeing some actual updates. While some blasters can only be seen in renders, others are already on shelves. Due to its poorly designed rotation mechanism, the Big Boomer was a failure. There are other improvements. The updated Huntsman 50 has a forward-charging handle on the left. The insides of the Huntsman 50 are basically the same, so firing is faster.
An old blaster returns, with the old Clip Shot being relabeled as the Twin Shot, if the render is to be believed. If youre unfamiliar, the trigger powers the flywheels, and pumping the handle advances the two clips and associated pushers.
A design that is similar to the Big Boomer has a chain. The side of the belt says Belt Blizter, but I haven’t been able to find any further information.
The Main Line
Ballist-X seems to be the main blaster brand now, rather than the original Total X-Stream Air. Granted, Ive only ever seen the ball blasters (and one or two dart blasters) in the line on store shelves, but the vast majority of Lanard blasters have a version in the line. If this Catalog is to be believed, classics like the Triple Shot still existit just might be hard to get a hold of them unless a store decides to order a significant quantity.
