Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-39814790-20191009010535/@comment-44011273-20200208230736

Alright Elliottw, you inspired me to do some reflection on the origins of the Hammerstorm: https://www.reddit.com/r/Nerf/comments/f0v055/alpha_strike_hammerstorm_origin_discussion/

It cannot be denied that the new Alpha Strike Hammerstorm is nothing like the previous 6 blasters in that line. The aesthetics, construction, and build quality are contrary to the cost-cutting standard of the line. With its clamshell shell, screws, metal catch/trigger spring, and rubber o-ring, the blaster is built with the familiar Hasbro quality we get out of main-line releases.

That of course begs the question of what this blaster is doing in the Alpha Strike line, a product series that up till now was about releasing blasters that are as cheap to produce as possible, to sell for as cheap as possible under the Nerf brand. Is it an anomaly? The first blaster in a series shift to standard quality? Or an unreleased blaster from a canceled line, being repurposed or retooled for a budget line?

I, like most of you, immediately though Doomlands when seeing that first Tesco catalog image. The blaster bares a striking resemblance to the Negotiator form that line (hammer action, 8 dart, revolver), perhaps it was another blaster from that line that never got released before the line was canceled last year? Or maybe it was a competing design for the Negotiator itself, one of the many different styles of one blaster and this design just lost out.

However, after reading a post made of the Nerf Wiki Leaks Discussion page, I have changed my mind. I do not think that the Hammerstorm was once a Doomlands blaster, much rather it was once something much more interesting. Elliottw on the Nerf Wiki made this analysis based off the latest images of the Hammerstorm coming out of the UK:

“I'm not sure I completely agree with u/Gildan_Bladeborn on Reddit. The Hammerstorm is probably an unreleased blaster. We can agree that it's definitely not an AlphaStrike, but maybe it's not a Doomlands either. Doomlands already has a similarly sized hammer-action pistol in the form of the Persuader. Considering the small number of blasters in the series, it doesn't seem logical to double up on hammer-action pistols. The distinctive shell detailing on the other Doomlands is missing from the Hammerstorm. The faux rivets, external tubing, and random mechanical details are missing on the Hammerstorm. By contrast, the Hammerstorm has many large flat areas with little or no detail. The design elements are clearly different. None of the other Doomlands have that style of squared-off hand guard. Plus, none of the Doomlands have a barrel attachment point. And that distinctive circular grillwork under the cylinder is totally unique. Frankly, it really doesn't look like anything else from Hasbro. So again, I totally agree the Hammerstorm was never originally an AlphaStrike blaster. I just can't figure out where it came from. In my opinion, not from Doomlands. Maybe it was a leftover from an unreleased series. Or maybe just a concept blaster that was already in development. Dunno. Regardless, I kinda like it”

Now the key thing Elliottw points out here that I found extremely important is the focus on the style and design of the blaster. He’s right, the Hammerstorm lacks any of the diesel-punk stylings that Doomlands is known for. The angular shell lines are not like anything in the Doomlands line, and the shell is relatively simple in its shell design. The design elements don’t match with Doomlands. And if you want to argue that it could have once been a doomlands shell, but got cleaned up to fit into the Alpha Strike line, I just have to say that that seems line a lot of work for Hasbro to go through just to fit this blaster in. If they wanted to stick it in the budget line, they would likely just slap it in there without any shell clean up (gotta save money, right?) While the grip shares some similarities with other blasters of that line, it can also be argued it looks like newer elite grips too, if not more so.

This brings me back to my argument, and my conclusion: the Alpha Strike Hammerstorm was not originally a Doomlands design, it was an Elite design.

Now remember, when I say elite, I am talking about the “neo-elite” design style that we have seen over the last couple years in blasters like the Delta Trooper, Infinus, Trilogy, and Scout MKII.

Think about it: comparing the handle design, with its two separated black and grey pieces and over all pattern (a lot less like the more ribbed Doomlands grips). The shell is the clearest give away: the plain, flat faces with angular lines and the small little design elements. Things such as those small triangles with small dots, name plate area, and squared off shell feel. The shroud parts around the cylinder resemble the Titan’s shell around the spinning barrel, the small shell details resemble the Ruckus, and the sling points like the Disruptor. There is no clear plastic plate or evidence that there was once one as part of the shell design, a major aspect of most all Doomlands blasters. The Hammerstorm has 2 tac rails and a n-strike barrel lug: while Doomlands did have tac rails, none of the blasters had barrel or stock attachment points (lack of modularity was a common complaint about the line).

The news of the Fang and Cobra being re-released with a snap on grip piece reinforces this idea. Those grip plate, while definitely improving the grip comfort, share very similar design/stylistic elements with neo-elite grip designs. My guess is that on top of improving the waffle grip comfort, they are trying to retroactively give stylistic consistency across the Alpha Strike line, perhaps to accommodate the new Hammerstorm, or maybe even future blasters in the line (we will know for sure once we finally see the Flyte and Uppercut).

This is interesting at the very least. Why did Hasbro have to retool an elite blaster design for Alpha Strike? We haven’t had a hammer action elite blaster yet so chances are it would have been well received. Is there something happening with the elite line that they didn’t release this? What’s happening with elite?

I will try to put together a good set of images comparing design elements of the Hammerstorm between those of the neo-Elite and Doomlands lines in the next several days. I thoroughly believe that this is a very real possibility. I am hopeful for the future of the Alpha Strike line (and that’s not just because I am Team Yellow). If this means we will be occasionally getting standard quality Nerf blasters among the budget design blasters, then that’s something worth enduring. This year is going to be very interesting for the Nerf brand.

TL;DR: I believe the new Alpha Strike Hammerstorm was originally an Elite design, not Doomlands.