Dart Zone Covert Ops Fall 2016 Blaster Line Revealed

We’ve just finished participating in an exclusive reveal of the all-new line of fall, 2016 Dart Zone Covert Ops blasters before they’re made public, and there are lots of new details to share. We’ve seen the products, heard about the innovative features, and been treated to CGI-based demos of each model. This level of promotion is somewhat out-of-the-ordinary for Prime Time Toys, but it’s appropriate considering the effort they put into developing this all-new product line. And we’re happy to say: Dart Zone now has a blaster line-up that’s truly worth talking about!

From our point of view, the name “Dart Zone” wasn’t really on anyone’s radar until the launch of the shockingly powerful Covert Ops Scorpion back in 2014. With a stock dart velocity of nearly 100 feet-per-second, it set a new standard for power at a low price. We went on to recognize the Scorpion as one of our favorite products of the year, but one model alone does not make a full product line. Fortunately, Prime Time Toys decided to build on the success of the Scorpion with the fantastic-looking Powerbolt Belt Blaster. And while the Powerbolt never gained much of a following due to its lack of a trigger, tricky reloading, and inherent inaccuracy, it was nonetheless proof that Prime Time was finally starting to take its blaster line-up seriously. And that brings us to mid-2016, with exciting reveals of the radical looking Dart Zone Covert Ops Enforcer and the equally unique Dart Zone Covert Ops Magnum Superdrum. In any other year, these new models would have constituted the full extent of Prime Time’s efforts through the holidays… but not this time! Prime Time shocked us by announcing not one, not two, but FIVE additional, all-new Dart Zone Covert Ops models coming in fall, 2016, not to mention newly designed darts that are now compatible with most Nerf blasters! Here are the details of everything we learned during the webinar.

Dart Zone Covert Ops Enforcer Full Auto Belt Blaster

This one we already knew about, of course, but it was fun to finally see the Dart Zone Enforcer in action. The older Scorpion that impressed us with its dart velocity could only manage to fire just over one dart-per-second. But the Enforcer aims to improve upon the Scorpion with a 50% speed boost (up to 40 darts in 30 seconds). It’s not known at this point how the Enforcer stacks-up in terms of raw feet-per-second power (the calling card of the Scorpion), but we’re looking forward to trying out this monstrous-looking evolution from the Scorpion! Here are the key Enforcer specs:

Coming in August, 2016
Suggested retail price of $29.99
Fully automatic, with 50% more speed than the Scorpion (40 darts in under 30 seconds)
Fires up to 80 feet
Includes the blaster, 40 darts (now more cross-compatible), and removable ammo belt
DartZoneCovertOps.com will get an overhaul later this year with a new accessory store allowing fans to buy extra belts and darts with FREE shipping
Requires 6, “AA” batteries (not included)

Dart Zone Covert Ops Magnum Superdrum

As the second model already announced, the Magnum Superdrum wasn’t a total surprise, but seeing it in use via a slick, computer-rendered animation helped us gain a better understanding of its form and function. Aside from the humongous dart drum, the most unique feature of this compact blaster is the intriguing fore-arm rest that aims to off-set the weight of the drum (not that you’d ever be firing this one-handed since you still have to prime it with the other–it’s not battery operated, after all). For its part, the drum features auto-advance that can be used with either of the dual firing modes: trigger-fire (single shot), or slam-fire (rapid shot). The Magnum might not make the best “primary” (who on earth would carry around extra drums?), but as a scavenger-type weapon, it might be interesting (especially if you don’t already own the superficially similar Buzz Bee Mech 20). Whatever the case, this one looks like a lot of fun. Here are the additional details:

Coming in August, 2016
Suggested retail price of $19.99
Includes the blaster, forearm extension, a dart drum, and 40 darts
Fires up to 80 feet
Features auto drum advance and both trigger and slam-fire abilities

Dart Zone Covert Ops Powerbolt in Blue

This one was a bit of a surprise, but it’s nothing shocking. The previously released Powerbolt will now be available in a blue color scheme in addition to the existing Covert Ops green. In fact, most all of the models from Dart Zone with this dark blue and matte black color scheme will predominantly be available at Target for 2016 (and WILL include the new, Nerf-compatible darts).

Dart Zone Covert Ops Legendfire Powershot Blaster

Powered by an interchangeable, automatically revolving drum, the Covert Ops Legendfire comes with two ammo cartridges for fast reloads. This model is slamfire capable, but the trigger is ONLY for looks. According to Prime Time, delivering a trigger at the targeted $14.99 price point wasn’t possible. We messaged our contact at Prime Time during the presentation to tell them we’d gladly pay more to have an active trigger, and he indicated he’s always fighting for triggers, and they hear us–they are working to get us the designs we want. Of course, we had the same complaint about the Powerbolt lacking a trigger a year ago, and here we are again. We’re not sure how well that will sit with fans (it’s not making us very happy), but at least this one has a new aesthetic (versus a re-shell), and it has a cool-looking barrel break action.

Coming in August, 2016
Suggested retail price of $14.99
Includes blaster with long barrel, 2 cartridges, 1 cartridge holster, and 18 Super Darts
Fires up to 80 feet
Drums will be sold separately

Dart Zone Covert Ops Tri-Fire 3-Pack

The Covert Ops Tri-Fire blaster is going to be made available as a 3-pack at Target for a $9.99 MSRP (that’s just over $3 each, folks). While it may look a bit like a certain triple-dart Nerf product or even a specific BOOMco model featuring 3 barrels, the Tri-Fire has been designed to work differently than competing models, with features like a auto-advance rotating barrels and sling-friendly attachment points. The attachment points double as the priming mechanism–pull it down to prime, and pull the trigger to fire. This triple pack will be available at Target, and just like the bigger models, it is claimed to have an 80 foot range and is cross-compatible with darts from the leading brand (ahem, “Nerf”).

Coming in August, 2016
Suggested retail price of $9.99
Includes 3 blasters and 9 Super Darts
Fires up to 80 feet

Dart Zone Covert Ops Blitzfire 2-Pack

While many of the blasters on this list will be available at Target, the Covert Ops Blitzfire is the only “true” exclusive of the new Dart Zone line-up. The engineers and designers at Prime Time clearly had the Nerf Maverick in mind with the Blitzfire. It features 6 cylinders, auto-advance, tactical rails on the top of the blaster, and can be holstered easily (it looks to be about 80% the size of a Maverick). We were told the Blitzfire can be slamfired (we would hope so, given the name), but doing so will unfortunately diminish performance. The good news is that you get two of them for $14.99, which makes them a natural for parents with two kids looking for a quick, summertime diversion. For the rest of us, the 80 foot claimed range, compact size, and moderate price point will make these an attractive option.

Coming in August, 2016
Suggested retail price of $14.99
Includes 2 blasters, 2 pop-up sights, and 12 Super Darts
Fires up to 80 feet

Dart Zone Covert Ops Quad 4-Pack Power Pack

The Covert Ops Quad 4-Pack (yes, that’s actually what it’s called–redundancy is redundant) comes with two of the new, Renegade double-barrel pump-action blasters and two Phantom single-shot blasters. This Renegade/Phantom combo pack will be available at Target. Oh, and the Renegade includes ammo slides, and has a nifty barrel break reload. Unfortunately, even though two darts can be loaded, only one dart can be shot at a time. But if you’re looking to pay no more than $5 per blaster, and you have a small group that you need to arm, this is probably the best deal going.

Coming in August, 2016
Suggested retail price of $19.99
Includes 2 Renegade blasters with 2 dart saddles, 2 Phantom blasters, and 10 darts
Fires up to 80 feet

Dart Zone Adventure Force Havoc

And now for something a little different. The Dart Zone Adventure Force Havoc (no, it’s NOT a Covert Ops model) is a pump-action blaster that uses a “tactical grip” on one side that flips into place for easier priming in battle. Crucially, this model features a working trigger, and comes with an auto-advance, vertically-mounted clip that will hold 8 darts (which we assume will be cross-compatible with Nerf). The Havoc will be available at Walmart under their exclusive “Adventure Force” brand name (which will be built-out over time). At a $10 price point with a working trigger, front-load clip, and ergonomically-friendly priming handle, this is one we’re keeping an eye on as a particularly intriguing value.

Coming in August, 2016
Suggested retail price of $9.99
Includes the blaster, 16 darts, and 2 clips
Fires up to 80 feet

Dart Zone Havoc Powerclip, Super Darts, and More

Dart Zone is updating their online store to make clips, belts, and darts easier to purchase. Among the newly available options will clips and darts for the aforementioned Adventure Force Havoc ($19.99 for 4, 8-round Powerclips with 40 Super Darts), a Super Dart 100 pack refill ($24.99), a Powerbelt Ammo Belt ($15.99 with belt and 20 darts), a Scorpion Ammo Belt ($15.99 with belt and 20 darts), and various other refill-related accessories. We’re told these items will include FREE shipping.

And there you have it–the full, Dart Zone Covert Ops fall 2016 blaster line-up unveiled! The Walmart and Target-bound models will be available in August, 2016, the Dollar General Models will hit later in the fall, and everything destined for sale at Kmart is being made available online now. So, are these new models everything you had hoped to see, or did some of the designs disappoint? This new collection of Dart Zone models is certainly more interesting than years prior (no re-shells!), and there’s more innovation here than we’ve come to expect from the brand. So count us as being exciting to see more, high-value options in the toy aisle, and fully supportive of Prime Time’s efforts to broaden their exposure in the category with these more interesting, higher-quality models. Each of these new Dart Zone Covert Ops products is heading our way, so expect some additional thoughts and impressions soon. In the meantime, hit-up the comments section below and tell us what you think!