The Walking Dead Abraham's M16 Zombie Blaster Clip-fed dart blaster
Basics:
- Includes: Blaster x 1, 12 Long Distance darts, 8 round magazine
- Blasts Darts up to 72'
- Carrying handle and extended stock
- MSRP: $32.00 - Ages 6+
Abraham! A character from "The Walking Dead" but not
quite the character you might be thinking of. There's the Survivor played by Michael Cudlitz on the hugely popular TV show, and then the character on the hugely popular longrunning "The Walking Dead" comic. This blaster references the latter. Here's a look at them both (images used from
The Walking Dead wiki:
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| As played by Michael Cudlitz |
The Buzz Bee blasters in general really stepped up in the last year. Revealed at New York Toy Fair last year, the new "The Walking Dead" was a real surprise to me in terms of licensed blasters to any degree. Up to this point, the only licensed weaponry was from Thinkgeek (non-projectile, non-foam) or a pretty poor performing Daryl crossbow that shot large foam darts.
BUT WAIT NO MORE.These "Walking Dead" blasters are not only in a $30 and less price range, but they also are marketed at hitting
72'. Given the rising price of blasters, this adds some much needed relief for comic fans, collectors, and blaster enthusiasts.
Let's talk colors.
Once again, the blasters draw inspiration from "The Walking Dead" comic book universe, in packaging and font, so if you're a fan of just the AMC show the aesthetics might seem different to you. Also, Daryl wasn't originally a character in the comic book, so no crossbow (yet...?)
The colors are a vibrant yellow/red/white, which is common to keeping cosplay enthusiasts and players from being identified as using anything dangerous. It's not exactly some of the first colors you think of with a black and white comic or the zombie apocalypse but I like them and think they work in the space of making easily identifiable toys. (Yes, Toys! Remember, these are toys.)
The blasters are also a bit on the larger side, some folks may say this has a lot of empty space in the shells. Personally, I like the dimensions of the Abraham blaster, as it feels the most comfortable of the bunch to me, even without the adjustable stock. The mag release button is in an intuitive location, and resistant enough that I won't accidentally hit the release at some point and dump my ammo. The priming slide/carry handle is a familiar motion for me from past blasters, so it's not a pain to use, and the handle actually helps keep my hand from sliding off for some reason, such as dirt, sweat, or rain. I haven't had a horrible jamming problem at all, whether that's to the design or the fact I use fresh darts regularly is anyone's guess. But finding a comfortable hand position on the blaster is definitely not an issue, the only real problem for me is carrying enough magazines to keep myself blasting :)
The carrying handle did come in handy to use while running, oddly enough. It's one of those neat touches to a blaster that while it doesn't affect performance, it adds to the feel and look of it to a huge degree. Otherwise, the blaster's length isn't super problematic in close quarters either, and aiming at targets wasn't obstructed (as you can see in the video). The Buzz Bee darts need some further testing, but I like where they're going so far.
In all, I feel it's a really solidly built toy. The cost is right, and the biggest boon for parents is the magazines and darts will work with Nerf branded toys. Through some alchemic reaction the Buzz Bee and Nerf mags and darts are cross-compatible from what I've seen so far, so having to reinvest in a new ammo type or mag type (while preferred) is not a necessity. Keep in mind that stock blasters are built for their own proprietary accessories, and while they work together it may not provide full range and may lead to jamming some of the time.
Whew! So is this on your to-buy list? Will you use it for a costume? I have more reviews on the way, if you have any questions make sure to comment below! The blaster is available now, at a suggested retail price of $32. Fight the dead, but fear the living!
SPOILER:
RIP Abraham, in both comic and tv show universes.
