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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 3:24 pm
by Adrian
Found Buzz Bee's Splat Blaster at Kmart today. Thought it was some kind of Nerf gun clone at first. Picture a blunderbuss with a lever-action lever on it, and a pump. Now make it neon yellow and green. Behold the Splat Blaster. Holds 22 oz of water and comes with a dimestore squirtgun of the Buzz Bee variety. According to the instructions, you fill, work the lever once, and it fires a burst of water.
Interesting concept. Might have to get it if it ever shows up at Target (I've got a gift card for Target and they don't sell ammunition so I might as well). I'd like to think I had a hand in the shotgun concept, what with my constant pushing for specialization, but probably not.
Adrian
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 3:30 pm
by Hannibal
Cool. You didn't get it? Also did they have any other 2006 guns there?
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:42 pm
by wetmonkey442
Sounds interesting. I can't wait to find out Buzz Bee's newest line up this summer. It could be better than ever, if the last two years were any indication.
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:54 pm
by LIGHT ANNIHILATOR
Awesome find Adrian, but I have my sights set on the scrorpion, not the spat blaster. 
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:55 pm
by Hannibal
LIGHT ANNIHILATOR wrote:Awesome find Adrian, but I have my sights set on the scrorpion, not the spat blaster.
Yeah, that's why I wondered if there were any other 2006 WW guns there.
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:00 pm
by m15399
Sounds suspiciously like this.
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:13 pm
by isoaker
Good find! And yeah, it seems similar to the foam-firing cousin. I wonder how well it works and how much water it pushed out per pump.
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:22 pm
by m15399
Maybe it's spring powered with a plunger in the handle. That's how the nerf one works.
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:22 pm
by Adrian
Bunch of 2006 guns there. Recolors of the the 2005 line, no Super Soakers (very strange!) and a new brand called (I think) Water Warriors or Water Weapons. They look like pipes with handles, but they're pressurized res. at the least, and supposedly shoot 35 feet. There are three models, just cut down, in red, blue, and green colorways. I think they have black camo on them, not sure.
Adrian
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:13 pm
by LIGHT ANNIHILATOR
^ They're probably a cheap 3rd-party knock off of something.
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 12:34 am
by m15399
Water Warriors is the name of the Buzz Bee super soaker brand. I saw some things kind of like that at TRU, but I don't think they were BBT.
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:51 pm
by ZOCCOZ
LIGHT ANNIHILATOR wrote:^ They're probably a cheap 3rd-party knock off of something.
I don't think they are knockoffs unless their name actualy is steeling the BBT name. Design whise, they seem original and even very functional.(But it still has to be seen.) If its "Water Weapons" as their name, we might see a new small-name brand out there with promise. Even Super Soaker started small and most people believed that WW was a knockoff in 2003, so we might witness the next big future thing to make Buzz Bee some competition. Its very likely now that this year SS is no longer the best brand, but it might be the suprise of the year if it will be pushed even to third place.
Edited By ZOCCOZ on 1140310370
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 9:33 pm
by Hannibal
ZOCCOZ wrote:LIGHT ANNIHILATOR wrote:^ They're probably a cheap 3rd-party knock off of something.
I don't think they are knockoffs unless their name actualy is steeling the BBT name. Design whise, they seem original and even very functional.(But it still has to be seen.) If its "Water Weapons" as their name, we might see a new small-name brand out there with promise. Even Super Soaker started small and most people believed that WW was a knockoff in 2003, so we might witness the next big future thing to make Buzz Bee some competition. Its very likely now that this year SS is no longer the best brand, but it might be the suprise of the year if it will be pushed even to third place.
Yeah, I am of the opinion that WW is the best brand this year. 
And the more competitionm the better for the consumers! I would be in dreamland if there were six companies as good as WW that strived to improve their products. More competion means better products!
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 10:16 pm
by SSCBen
Actually, competition does not necessarily mean better products. That thought is true for many things, but I do not believe it will hold true in water guns. People buy the Super Soaker brand name because it is very well established and has earned it's reputation from it's commitment to quality in the 90s (and their massive ad campaign). It will be very hard for Water Warriors to break that reputation, despite their products being better and despite their listening to the consumer. Super Soaker means water gun to people.
Most people don't want better water guns anyway. We've already established that fact. Competition would likely only mean more companies trying to make cheaper water guns that sell to the largest market. Of course, I don't feel that Buzz Bee Toys would lower their product's quality, but I do feel that Buzz Bee Toys is trying to go for a market far larger than ourselves.
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 10:27 pm
by Hannibal
Doom wrote:Actually, competition does not necessarily mean better products. That thought is true for many things, but I do not believe it will hold true in water guns. People buy the Super Soaker brand name because it is very well established and has earned it's reputation from it's commitment to quality in the 90s (and their massive ad campaign). It will be very hard for Water Warriors to break that reputation, despite their products being better and despite their listening to the consumer. Super Soaker means water gun to people.
Most people don't want better water guns anyway. We've already established that fact. Competition would likely only mean more companies trying to make cheaper water guns that sell to the largest market. Of course, I don't feel that Buzz Bee Toys would lower their product's quality, but I do feel that Buzz Bee Toys is trying to go for a market far larger than ourselves.
BB is doing really well in quality of products. Thet just need to get them out there to more stores, and to advertise a LOT more. BB has the potential to do REAL well, especially as they are making better products than Super Soaker this year. Super Soaker would not being doing well at all were it not that they use their name so effectively. Super Soaker does means water gun to people, you are right about that.
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 11:55 pm
by Adrian
I think both views are right. Competition would lead to companies cranking out cheap guns by the ton, but just like in every other free-market area, there'd be companies catering to the upper eschelon, however that's spelled. There'd be quality strata just like in real guns - Bryco/Jennings at the bottom, Colt & Beretta in the middle, and Les Baer & Hilton Yam at the top. Something like that. The consumer would get varying levels of quality and price to choose from. And unlike in today's market, competition among, say, 6 companies would force them to diversify their target group, and fight to hold that target group. The free market isn't perfect, but it's dang close.
Adrian