Hasbro sent me some samples of their new line of Super Soaker blasters, and I have to say they offer some really cool innovations over last year’s models.
The first innovation is built into the Thunderstorm, the very modestly priced ($14.99 SRP) headliner: battery power! That’s right, no manual pumping. Just pull the trigger and water sprays out, thanks to an internal pump. It also has features another innovation: a swappable “clip” of water! While not gigantic — they hold 10 ounces — the clips allow for much more rapid reload than the old dip-into-the-swimming-pool method. Spare tanks ($3.99 SRP) can be clipped onto your belt for full Rambo action.
The Tornado Strike ($19.99 SRP) has a very similar form factor to the Thunderstorm, but you have to pump it manually and it doesn’t have a trigger. However, it does feature a very cool barrel, a rotating “gatling” nozzle that sprays out multiple, spiraling streams that will really soak your opponent. It also uses clips.
The Hydro Cannon ($24.99) is closer to the classic Super Soaker model, with an integral, 33-ounce water tank that gets pressurized by the user’s pumping action, and the water sprays out when the trigger is pulled. What sets the Hydro Cannon apart is that it’s huge! The gun is about 3 feet long and comes with a clip-on shield.
The next two blasters I didn’t care for as much, simply because they don’t offer as many new features. The Scatter Blast ($9.99 SRP) resembles a pump shotgun (hence the name). This one doesn’t have a trigger, so you simply pump when you want to shoot water. The Scatter Blast’s spray shoots forth in five separate streams, making it a good soaker.
The last blaster I checked out is the pistol-sized Point Break ($6.99) packing a built-in 6-ounce reservoir that you pump up, then pull the trigger to release. The main advantage I found was that unlike other pump-style Super Soakers, the pumping action doesn’t require a lot of strength, making it great for smaller kids who’d find the bulk of the Hydro Cannon, or the strength requirements of the other pumping blasters, too much for their little arms.
The last thing I wanted to mention about these five blasters is that, like last years’ models, their “tactical rails” are compatible with Nerf accessories — sights, stocks, and so on. The Tornado Strike even comes with a Nerf-standard stock that you can use with many different Nerf and Super Soaker models.
