Nerf Unveils Its Most Insane Automatic Blaster Yet

At some point, the only way Nerf is going to be able to outdo itself is by rolling out an Abrams tank that shoots giant foam darts. Every year, the company seems to unveil a new blaster that’s more beastly than the one they released the year before. Last February, it was the Doomlands Judge, which had a 30-dart barrel drum and fired three shots at once. This week at Toy Fair, it’s the Prometheus MXVIII-20K, a monster cannon that unleashes a ridiculous eight shots per second.

Part of Nerf’s Rival line for older kids (14-years-plus) that debuted last year, Prometheus shoots dimpled foam rubber balls instead of darts. So it’s both more accurate and a little more in line with paintball or Airsoft than traditional Nerf guns ⏤ you’re going to want to wear goggles and definitely not at aim a glass sitting on the edge of the table. The blaster itself is a beast. Held waist high with two hands (using a shoulder strap), the chainsaw-style grip and two-finger trigger are on top of the gun. It holds 200 high-impact balls ⏤ unlike its predecessor, the 100-round Nemesis MXVII-10K ⏤ and is fully motorized with an “advanced acceleration system” that allows it to blanket a room with a steady stream of 70 mph rounds. Fortunately, it has a safety to ensure nobody accidentally shoots the dog’s eye out and uses a built-in rechargeable NiMh battery. It’s going to run $200 and will hit store shelves this fall.

Assuming you don’t need all that firepower for the big intra-office lunch battle, Nerf’s also releasing a 60-round pump-action blaster with an easy-to-load integrated side clip and equally intimidating name, the Hades XVIII-6000. It will have the same estimated release date, this Fall, but a price tag around $70.