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This product has been discontinued. It can no longer be found in retail stores. |
| Switchfire | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Year Released: | |
| Available?: |
Cancelled |
| Stock Capacity: |
4 Ballistic Balls and 1 Missile(2 in storage) |
| Average Retail Price(s): |
$19.99 |
| Family: | |
| Additional Pages: | 
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The 1994 Switchfire is a blaster completely separate from the 1996 Edition. It is a Nerf Action blaster that holds four Ballistic Balls and Missiles. It is no longer available for purchase as it was cancelled. It cost $19.99. It got very poor reviews when it was available.
Details[]
The Switchfire is the first modular blaster concept to ever be made by Kenner/Hasbro. It featured a HAMP system which could either fire four ballistic balls in succession or two missiles one-at-a-time.
The Ballistic ball barrel was the main ammo barrel. It has a foam seal at the back to better fire ballistic balls. It being the main barrel is further exemplified by the missile attachment being designed to attach under it.
The Missile Mortar Launcher barrel was the secondary ammo barrel, and has a longer range and more accuracy, while having a slower rate of fire.
The main blaster core is very simple, consisting of two handles, a plunger, and a place to attach the attachments.
The Concept Blaster Theory[]
The basis of this theory is that the Switchfire was only partway through development when it was released onto store shelves. There are a number of reasons, which will be explored here:
- The attachments can fly off of some units with wear and tear.
- The attachments are designed to lock together with only friction, and the ball attachment’s side of this can easily break. These attachments rarely stay connected either.
- The ball attachment’s barrel is actually an exact copy of the Master Blaster’s barrel, and so is the follower.
- The connecting point between the ball attachment and the core is fragile, and due to the attachment’s size and length, a major weak point.(many Switchfires are broken this way)
- The two attachments attach to the core at different angles, about 45 degrees off.
-The missile attachment is held together by a single, slightly offset screw that protrudes from the attachment and actually protrudes into the inside of the barrel, which could pose a safety risk.
- Both attachments lock with only friction, and no other mechanism.
- The entire blaster core has an incredibly simplistic design scheme.
- The front of the core rotates freely. Inside the shell there is a slot for a tab but the tab is not present in the plunger.
History[]
The Switchfire had a short-lived history, only being on shelves for days before being taken off and ultimately being cancelled. Its main flaws and rushed design brought the entire concept to an untimely end, which was further exemplified and hidden by the 1995 Crossbow released the next year, which is ironically also a notoriously fragile blaster.
Interestingly, the Crossbow is widely believed to be the first blaster to use two types of ammo, despite the Switchfire being released a year prior.
Trivia[]
- Out of all the other blasters that fire multiple kinds of ammunition, this is the only one to fire missiles.
- The Missile barrel is called the “Missile Mortar Launcher” on the back of the Switchfire’s box.
- The Switchfire is one of two blasters to have been cancelled for a dangerous flaw, the other being the Zap Snaps.
- The Switchfire is the last blaster to cosmetically resemble the Blast-A-Ball, released in 1989.
- The Switchfire is likely the largest blunder in the history of the Nerf brand, next to the Zap Snaps and Aero series.
- It is the only traditional missile blaster to not have a problem with the missile barrel. The MIssilestorm and Double Crossbow had soft barrels and the NB-1's barrel could detach.
- Interestingly, the concept of primary and secondary ammunition would be later realized in the game Nerf Arena Blast.
- Interestingly, despite it being listed as above-average in missile performance on NerfCenter, it gets the lowest range out of all the missile blasters, at only 33 feet, and the 3rd lowest range of any ball blaster at only 27 feet.
- The front of the blaster core has tabs to keep it from rotating in the shell. Despite this, there are not corresponding tabs in the shell to keep it from rotating, so it rotates freely.
- Interestingly, this blaster uses O-rings for seals, despite every other blaster in its time period using a skirt seal.