LTX EF5: Update #2

To contact us Click HERE
I finally started digging into the Super Soaker shell at a quick Mod Night a few friends and I threw together.  After examining the lens built by LazerBait and doing some test fitting of the shroud, I determined that the most accurate and effective way to mount the lens would be from deep inside the blaster utilizing the Super Soaker's mounting point for the tail end of the spinning barrel it used to have.  I cleared out the rest of the internal structure to make room for the lens and used the metal LED mount to attach to a piece of plastic I cut to fit between both posts.  It's a super solid connection and it should make adding a sight really easy to zero and adjust.





I also started work on mounting the sensor dome.  Unlike the LTX DMR, this sensor will be centered and I'm still trying to figure out the best way to mount it.  Currently I just have a big hole in the top of the blaster that is roughly the right diameter for the sensor dome, but I'm thinking of using some of the original housing to make a more secure fit for it.  If I use the two halves, it'll also be easier to separate the blaster from a construction standpoint, so I'm really leaning towards doing this.  The main problem this poses is that the parts to house the sensor dome are wider than the space I currently have.  I'll need to make some alterations to the shell around it to accommodate that, but it's still doable.

Below is a video that'll explain the mods a little easier.  Progress is really moving forward rather quickly, so I'm hoping to ride this momentum through to get a completion date in soon!

The first Update can be found here: LTX EF5 Update #1

Last of the LTXs?

To contact us Click HERE

Taking care of the fleet.  The MLTA operates 18 LTXs.

Whenever folks ask me where to buy Lazer Tag Phoenix blasters, I always point them to Amazon.com since they've been listed at $59.99, which is the cheapest price for a new set.  However, now it looks like their price has spiked which means one of two things to me.

1. This is likely the last batch of LTXs
2. The LTAR will be replacing them soon!

The Amazon.com price for a set of basic Nerf-brand LTXs is now sitting at $127.58, which is FAR from worth it!  If there's any LTXs left at Toys R Us (which is the only other place to find a new set), they're still sitting at a $79.99 pricetag, which isn't TOO bad.  They're also listed as "out of stock for shipping", which further strengthens my theory that these are the last of them.  Considering that the LTAR is about a month away from release with single blasters being sold for ~30 bucks and a set of two for ~60, it's probably better to wave goodbye to the LTX and embrace the next step in the Lazer Tag Brand's evolution!

Battle Kata Blaster Project

To contact us Click HERE

GI Joe Resolute: the route Hasbro SHOULD'VE taken

While I grew up with/was a fan of the old GI Joe cartoons growing up, I can't say that I'm as avid of a fan of the newer era of the Movies Hasbro has made for them thus far.  If you ask me, GI Joe Resolute was a MUCH cooler path that they should've expanded on instead of the live-action poorly-scripted big-name actor laden production they've got now.  Hasbro only recently took down the website for that series, so if you're into GI Joe but don't care too much for the new movies, give that mini-series a check.  In the meantime, I'll just have to settle with what we've got... but at least they gave me a neat looking blaster to play with.


However, with the new movie coming out this summer, Hasbro has all sorts of products aimed at the GI Joe "Retaliation" movie.  One of those is a recolored Dart Tag blaster while another is a toy plastic-missile firing pistol that can also transform into a set of brass knuckles/knife.  It's a neat weapon and I just like the design of it.  Regardless of whether the movie will be any good or not, I like the design enough to follow it/have future plans for it.

It's called the "Battle Kata Blaster" and it's slated for release within the next week or so, according to it's listing at Toys R Us.  Once I get my hands on one, I'll decide what the best route for it will be.  I'm thinking to either convert it to fire Nerf darts or to do one of my famous recasings and make it a fully functional Laser Tag pistol.

I'll likely not use it's "knife" form, as I'm really just interested in the design of the pistol.  It's got enough heft to hold whatever system I drop in there, as well as a series of switches that could prove to be fun/interesting to use.  Once I get my hands on one, I'll decide what it's fate will be on my workbench.
Either way, you can bet I won't keep it that ugly green/orange color combination.  Should be fun, whatever I settle on.  Keep it here for more updates because either way, this guy is gonna be fun to use.

Taggin it Up!

To contact us Click HERE

Veterans and Newbies combine as this team
swept their opponents in a recent game

Season 7 is off to a great start!  Since our first game at the beginning of the month to kick things off, we've had great turnout and enjoyable games.  At first, I was worried that with the switch to the LTXs for our normal games that we would have equipment loaning issues, but with our average turnout for games sticking to the low 20s, we've been doing alright in that area.

Games have gone very smoothly and folks seem to enjoy the switch so far.  I've been busier with things outside of my hobbies that have prevented me from breaking more ground on the hobby side of laser tag, but these games have kept things fun and have been a great way to break up my workload each week.

Fleeing from that deadly infrared light!

Fight Nights #1 and #2 are in the bag now, as well as an extra game that was held during one of our "off" weeks.  We've also seen a great mix of veteran players and new faces for these games that have helped keep things fresh.  This is especially helpful to a group of taggers that have been doing this for over half a decade at the same park.  The mix of Middle School, High School, and College age kids has been much better than I expected.  I think having some of the younger folks there helps keep the edge of "super serious strategical" players that have been doing this for awhile.  At least, that's how I've viewed it!

After his blaster caught up with all the hits he had taken
the dome remained red = he's dead

We almost lost Fight Night #2 to Mother Nature, when a hot and humid day looked to fire cells of thunderstorms across the area.  We still managed to get in 3 games before calling it off under looming storm clouds.  Left some of our veteran players some downtime to grab some earlier-than-expected dinner and just hang out/watch some Eddie Izzard stand up.  Good times!

Pulse Rifle progress is sitting where we last left our heroes: SO close... but still not operational enough to be fielded.  With a busy life outside my hobbies keeping me from the workbench, I haven't had much time to even look into fixing my glitchy LTX DMR for games.  When it comes down to it, there's still fun games to be had and at the end of the day, that's my favorite part of this.  The hobby side is good and all when there's no games to play, but if I didn't love the game itself, there'd be less meaning to the hobby for me.

Keeping Cool with Super Soakers

To contact us Click HERE
With summer upon us and record heat gripping many parts of the US this weekend, what better way to chill out and still keep your trigger finger happy than with a good ol Water Blaster war?  To help things out, Super Soaker has a few new products I've noticed at my local Toys R Us that I thought would be worth sharing.

The odd thing about this latest update?  No blasters.  However, they have introduced some things to "enhance" the game.  There's this inflatable battle shield you can use to shield yourself from another new product: the "Soaker Burst"... which is a foam water grenade... thing.

 The Soaker Bursts are foam balls with holes in them that soak up water and jet them out on contact with whatever you've managed to lob them at.  They come in Orange and white and are available in the 2 pack, with a Battle Shield, or with a Pool Splash Mat game.  There's also a larger version called the "Soaker Bolt" that looks a little more like a Vortex Football with a fin design on the tail end.  It is made of the same squishy foam material that the Soaker Bursts use.  It's neat seeing how Hasbro has managed to work actual Nerf foam into the Super Soaker lineup with these water bombs, as well as creating a fun pool game with it too.

We've got a pool at our home that is frequently the centerpiece for our backyard water wars during the summer so it'll be neat to have fun with some Nerf products for just general games instead of always having to shoot at folks.  Makes the game a little more appealing for the lady types wandering around the deck, which is always a good thing.

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend, America!  In the meantime, I'm gonna wash the dirt off my soakers from last year in preparation for our cookouts that'll likely spawn water wars.  The high today is 95º F, so we could definetly use a game that'll cool us off!

Urban Taggers: Blue is Better!

To contact us Click HERE
My buddy at Urban Taggers has confirmed it!  Blue Trigger = better range for the Dart Tag lineup.  I reported on this earlier, but this is really just a follow-up and confirmation of this fact.  Plus, I wanted to redirect you to UT's article on it, since they did a great job reviewing it (as usual).

Swarmfire 2.0 Article @ Urban Taggers

Feel free to check out my original article on this.

Got the Blues?

Soak 'em Up!

To contact us Click HERE

My loadout for Water Wars

So this Memorial Day weekend has been excellent weather for something that'll cool you down.  Nerf's Super Soaker lineup has been fun to mess around with in the backyard with friends around the pool.  I know there's lots of "hate" out there for the new Super Soaker stuff when compared to the high powered CPS blasters of the 90's, but if there's one thing that I've really taken a liking to: it's this water clip system.  The only downside is that there's only two (technically three) blasters in the Super Soaker Line that use clips.  To make matters worse, only one of them is really worth using in a water war... or at least that's what I've found in the backyard games I've had.

Full Auto doesn't make up for it's weak power if you ask me

The Tornado Strike, pictured above, is arguably one of the coolest looking blasters since Nerf took the Super Soaker lineup in 2010.  Hands down, it just performs better than the Thunderstorm/Lightningstorm clip-fed water blasters and, while it is a manual front-pump firing blaster, the spinning streams of water give this blaster a nice spread to work with too.  Interestingly enough, my favorite blasters that have come out of the new Super Soaker blasters under the Nerf brand have been triggerless.  With the exception of the Hydro Cannon, I tend to prefer the Tornado Strike, Shot Blast, and Scatter Blast over any other current soaker.  At first, of those three I preferred the Scatter Blast because of it's spread and capacity (it actually has the highest internal storage with the exception of the Hydro Cannon).  Then I was a fan of the Shot Blast because of it's general power and comfort.  This Tornado Strike is really growing on me though because of this clip system.  The Drum magazine on it with two spare clips make for a nice complete loadout.  It's been fun to use and combines that spread of the Scatter Blast that I liked with the rifle feel of the Shot Blast.

If you haven't given the new Super Soaker lineup a shot, they are a lot of fun to use.  If you forget about the legendary power of the 90's era Super Soakers and just ignore all the trolls online who hate on this new spin on these water blasters, you'll enjoy them even more.  I'll probably never get into Super Soakers as much as I have Nerf and Laser Tag, but it is fun to be shooting stuff around to keep cool during the summer just for some shameless fun.

Soak 'em Up!

To contact us Click HERE

My loadout for Water Wars

So this Memorial Day weekend has been excellent weather for something that'll cool you down.  Nerf's Super Soaker lineup has been fun to mess around with in the backyard with friends around the pool.  I know there's lots of "hate" out there for the new Super Soaker stuff when compared to the high powered CPS blasters of the 90's, but if there's one thing that I've really taken a liking to: it's this water clip system.  The only downside is that there's only two (technically three) blasters in the Super Soaker Line that use clips.  To make matters worse, only one of them is really worth using in a water war... or at least that's what I've found in the backyard games I've had.

Full Auto doesn't make up for it's weak power if you ask me

The Tornado Strike, pictured above, is arguably one of the coolest looking blasters since Nerf took the Super Soaker lineup in 2010.  Hands down, it just performs better than the Thunderstorm/Lightningstorm clip-fed water blasters and, while it is a manual front-pump firing blaster, the spinning streams of water give this blaster a nice spread to work with too.  Interestingly enough, my favorite blasters that have come out of the new Super Soaker blasters under the Nerf brand have been triggerless.  With the exception of the Hydro Cannon, I tend to prefer the Tornado Strike, Shot Blast, and Scatter Blast over any other current soaker.  At first, of those three I preferred the Scatter Blast because of it's spread and capacity (it actually has the highest internal storage with the exception of the Hydro Cannon).  Then I was a fan of the Shot Blast because of it's general power and comfort.  This Tornado Strike is really growing on me though because of this clip system.  The Drum magazine on it with two spare clips make for a nice complete loadout.  It's been fun to use and combines that spread of the Scatter Blast that I liked with the rifle feel of the Shot Blast.

If you haven't given the new Super Soaker lineup a shot, they are a lot of fun to use.  If you forget about the legendary power of the 90's era Super Soakers and just ignore all the trolls online who hate on this new spin on these water blasters, you'll enjoy them even more.  I'll probably never get into Super Soakers as much as I have Nerf and Laser Tag, but it is fun to be shooting stuff around to keep cool during the summer just for some shameless fun.

Back in Action

To contact us Click HERE
I'm officially back in the lower 48 from my trip to Hawaii.  While I'll miss waking to waters as clear as the skies and drifting to sleep to the sound of waves crashing against the remains of the 1926 Mauna Loa lava flow that our residence was built over, I'm ready to attack the workbench with my projects and get out there with the MLTA some more before this summer is over.

Speaking of that, the Midwest Laser Tag Association's summer season has been going great!  Our new schedule has been working well for veterans and new players alike and the switch to the LTX has been enjoyable for everyone.  While we are still working the bugs out of our own custom blasters for the LTX games, I'm confident we'll have stuff running well before the season's end.  The Pulse Rifle project is only one of several others built around the Arduino and I'm anxious to get the programming and wiring fixed so we can finally have a solid design to work with.


I'm also psyched for the N-Strike Elite release, even if the reported ranges aren't getting quite what they had claimed.  I'll be helping out with reviews and news over at Nerf Mods & Reviews for most of that, but I do have a few things in mind for Elite that I'll cover here as well.

First to Fire

To contact us Click HERE
If you've ever been in the NM&R Chatroom talking about the Speedswarm with me, you've probably been victim to my criticism of this blaster in general.  I'll be the first to admit, I've been hard on this blaster... maybe more than I should be.  We're all entitled to our opinions, but I decided to look a little deeper at my disgust for the Speedswarm and have found that it really affects more than this single blaster.  It comes down to one major factor that negates any of the positive aspects of blasters like the Speedswarm: LAG.  Not convinced?  Read on.


In pretty much any shooting game, be it with Nerf, Laser Tag, Paintball, or even videogames like First Person Shooters, lag is bad.  From the time that you react to pull the trigger, if the device doesn't react the second you do, you suddenly have a wall between your own reaction time and your intended target.  If your target is stationary, lag doesn't really have that much of a negative effect on your performance.  However, if you're trying to hit a moving target (of which you should already be leading to account for that) and it lags, it becomes increasingly difficult to hit your intended target.

In the Nerf Games I've had, be it indoor or outdoor (though almost all of mine are indoor), I've found that a player with a quick reaction time will always beat one with a slower draw, regardless of the blaster.  Our house rules are a 1 hit kill, so in a fight between a fully loaded Hail Fire and a Jolt, it doesn't matter how many darts the Elite blaster can dish out if the user with the Jolt manages to hit them first.

In blasters like the Speedswarm, Swarmfire, Vulcan, and Stampede, the pull of the trigger activates the motor.  Let's assume you're dealing with a stock blaster, no voltage mods or anything like that.  The trigger pull only starts the sequence of the motor priming and then firing.  This means that when you pull the trigger, which is generally caused by a reaction that you have to seeing your target, there's additional time to account for because of the lag between the trigger being pulled and the firing sequence completing to actually launch the dart.  This effect isn't as prevalent in Flywheel-based blasters as long as your trigger pull is quick and strong.

In the fast-paced games I have played with Nerf blasters, speed is always the key.  I have seen players be wildly successful with single-fire blasters even when they are outmatched in firepower by something like a Stampede or Vulcan.  It doesn't matter how much ammo you can dish out at once if your first shot doesn't beat your opponent's.  I have often wondered about doing a mod with a Stampede to have it chamber the first round when a clip is inserted to avoid this kind of lag, but manually-primed blasters still work better for reaction speed since the dart is released the second your trigger is pulled.  This is why the advantage of being "First to Fire" is so important to me.  The Speedswarm, of the blasters I have mentioned that suffer from this lag, is the slowest of them.  This lies at the heart of my distaste for this blaster.  Like I've said before, if you can manage to work with a blaster like that, more power to you.  However, in my experience, the edge of connecting your reaction time directly to the firing of that dart will always reign supreme.

Light Strike: Sticking around?

To contact us Click HERE
Last summer, Wowee Toys released a new laser tag system called "Light Strike".  Right from the get-go I wasn't that big of a fan of this system and even after it was released and I got my hands on it, this only strengthened my distaste for Light Strike.  I've written about it's major flaws that make it a no-go for me but in general, I've been surprised at how long it has stuck around on shelves.  It always seems in stock, which seems to indicate that it's not very in-demand.  But the thing that has puzzled me most about Wowee's failtacular system has been that there have been few attempts to liquidate the system itself.  Accessories for this system have been on sale periodically, but the main blasters themselves have remained at their initial release prices.

Maybe I'm just seeing this through rose colored glasses, but I just can't seem to understand after all my observations, impressions from other folks who have used this system, and just the general lack of activity I see with this stuff, but I just don't get why it's lingering.  With Strikers in the mid 20s and Assault Strikers in the mid 30s, it's still got a hefty pricetag for a Paper Jamz blaster.  Anyone care to weigh in on the success Light Strike has been having that I've been missing out on?

LTX EF5: Update #1

To contact us Click HERE
This is the start of my latest laser tag recasing project.  I hadn't planned on doing many more recasings since I expected our Arduino-run laser tag blasters to be out and about by now, but in the wake of delays and setbacks, I'm not about to sit back and take a vacation from modding.  While the Arduino is still in development, I'm tackling another project to keep me busy.  I started work today on this new laser tag blaster I call the LTX EF5!

It's name stems from the fact that this blaster is built from a Super Soaker Tornado Strike. Living in the heartland of America, I'm no stranger to Tornadoes so I thought it was fitting to build this blaster in the center of Tornado Alley. The "EF5" designation I've given this is the strongest categorization that can be given to a tornado using the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale). This system rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause. This LTX EF5 is being designed to deliver just that, as it'll be utilizing a long-range lens that has a history of mopping up players in laser tag matches. My friend Sundawg has one of these lenses, built by LazerBait, installed on his "Ultimate LTX". The large spinning barrel system of the Tornado Strike makes a perfect fit for this large lens housing, so the rest is up to me!
This project will be much more difficult than the LTX DMR in that the Tornado Strike lacks any sort of electrical layout so it'll be up to me to install all of these features.  I've done this before with Laser Challenge recasings, but that system was much more simplistic.  I'll have to install all of the electrical components, including building a trigger. It'll be much more labor-intensive, but I'm hoping my experience with recasings this far will carry me through the LTX EF5 project without too many headaches.
Unlike the LTX DMR project, I'll be doing all my video updates directly from this blog, so this is the only place you'll be able to see the videos of it's progress.  (I'm holding out on my 100th YouTube video for something a little more significant!)  So keep it here!

Event Styling: Vintage Garden Party

To contact us Click HERE
I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to blog again! It's only been a week, but that week has felt like a really long time! I was up to my ears in design work and couldn't spare a speck of dust into my schedule. Glad that's over and I have some breathing room again.


I've been wanting to share this wedding styling inspiration with you. I created a full style guide with food, cakes, host card display and table decor for a client of mine and loved the concept and the colors so much. Here are a few of the highlights, but you can see so many more ideas and inspiration directly related to this theme on my Pinterest Board here. I absolutely love the idea of using "field" flowers in the bouquets and centerpieces. It makes it so regional and old fashioned. Those sweet English country weddings had no choice but to style with what was available. I like getting back to that kind of simplicity. Queen Anne's Lace was growing in the fields at the time of my wedding and I wish I'd thought to tell my florist to include them in my bouquet.

The brilliance behind this inspiration is as follows:
1. Martha Stewart Wedding
2. Kristen Presta
3. Style Me Pretty
4. I can't find the original link to this! If you know who it is, please let me know. They deserve the credit for such a great idea!
5. Style Me Pretty
6. Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle

DIY Friday: Make your own ombre place cards

To contact us Click HERE

I love how I still use the term "DIY Friday" when I consistently forget to post something DIY on Friday. That's my mode of operation in a nutshell: consistently inconsistent. Otherwise known as flaky-artsy-type. Since I've turned 40 and answer to no-one, I embrace that persona now. I'm gonna be so kick-a$$ crazy when I'm 80. I can't wait to hear what my grandchildren say about me!

I found this delightful DIY from A Practical Wedding this week. I can vouch for how easy this is. I'll even add my own tip and that is that you don't even need to pencil in all the lines. If you have a rotary trimmer, you can just mark the left sides of the card (the one where you'll start the darker part of the watercolor) and then trim at regular intervals (like every 2 inches) all the way down. I hope that makes sense because I just don't feel like drawing out a diagram. :oD

Joy to everyone this weekend. I'm going to one of my favorite places in the Midwest U.S. this weekend, Chicago. This time my whole family is going with me and we are going to do all kids-oriented stuff. Sounds like a lot of fun and a lot of money but hey, you only get today.