Talk:Dart Tag

New Boxes for the 2011 Blasters
When I got my return from hasbro today for my Sharp Shot, I noticed that it was lacking the ALL NEW! logo in the triangle cutout in the upper right hand corner. Also, the new sharp shot shoots further than my old, nickle modded sharp shot I picked up during the spring/summer season. Lomdr 20:25, September 29, 2011 (UTC)

All of the boxes I see at my local stores for the Sharp Shot and for the Swarmfire still have that logo on them.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 17:52, July 19, 2012 (UTC)

Possibly getting discontinued?
My local Target has had nearly everything Dart Tag related (other than the Swarmfire for some reason) on clearance lately, and even all of the Walmart stores near me are starting to run out of Dart Tag related items (darts, jerseys, etc.) although they haven't put the guns on clearance yet. Having worked for both stores in the past, I know (especially with Target) that when something goes on clearance, it is generally gone for good. Adding this to the fact that the Dart Tag league didn't run a tournament this year makes me think that the Dart Tag series is going to be discontinued in the very near future.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 17:48, July 19, 2012 (UTC)

I guess we shall see. As it looks right now in most of the stores near me, they have been clearing much of the Dart Tag stuff out (maybe they are just getting rid of certain models?), along with the N-Strike models that are getting replaced (Recon and Raider). I can't find a single pack of Dart Tag darts in stock at Target or any of the three Walmart stores I've visited in the last few days. I have only seen a couple of Dart Tag jerseys left as well. Tactical vests and bandoliers being out of stock I can understand because they are getting replaced by the elite models shortly. Target had the Sharp Shot, Quick 16, and Speedload 6 on clearance last week, along with most of the dart packs (they still have some of the flip clip packs and the ammo bag packs left, I may pick up a few soon before they are gone). Tonight one of the Walmart stores had all of the Super Soakers on clearance too, between 30 and 50% off, which left me scratching my head a bit, since they aren't due for replacements as far as I'm aware.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 02:22, July 20, 2012 (UTC)

If it were just a matter of clearing shelf space, then they would only be getting rid of the N-Strike products that are being replaced by new Elite models (Recon, Raider, Tactical Vest, Bandolier, Dart Packs, etc.), which they are also doing. From looking around Google, it seems that this clearance on Dart Tag products has been going on for a few months at several different retail chains. As I said earlier, once a product goes on clearance at Target, it is NOT coming back, and there is a 90%+ chance that it is getting discontinued by the manufacturer. Even if Foam From Above got confirmation from someone that Dart Tag was staying, perhaps it is only staying in other countries outside the US (like the Longshot), but not here. I looked through their site last night and couldn't find a post about that though (I could have missed it of course). And it wouldn't be the first time that a company (and Hasbro in particular) has discontinued a product even after saying that it wasn't getting discontinued. As for the Snapfire, maybe it will get released, maybe it won't. Again, it wouldn't be the first time that a product was shown that never got released.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 13:06, July 20, 2012 (UTC)

Well, there's information from sources like that, and then there is the fact that Target (who deals even more directly with Hasbro/Nerf) has been putting most of the Dart Tag stuff on clearance. Having worked there before, I can tell you with absolute certainty that when something goes on clearance there, it is being discontinued by the manufacturer. Maybe they are just discontinuing some of the other blasters (the ones I've seen on clearance were the Quick 16, the Sharp Shot, and the Speedload 6), but keeping the Swarmfire and Speedswarm, and making room for the introduction of the Snapfire 8. That would at least make some sense, as those three blasters are more similar in appearance than the ones that have been going on clearance. Still doesn't explain the absence of dart packs (and jerseys for that matter) for them at almost every store I've been to lately (two Target stores and at least three Walmart stores), although I managed to find some at Toys R Us today.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 00:41, July 21, 2012 (UTC)

I'm still thinking that the Dart Tag series is going away. Supplies of Dart Tag blasters and darts are basically dried up at every store I go to. I just picked up the last 36-pack of Dart Tag darts at one of my local Walmart stores yesterday on clearance for $2, and there were NO other Dart Tag products on sale there. My nearest Target only has the Swarmfire now, and no Dart Tag darts. The Swarmfire was on sale for $14 at Walmart in the days around Black Friday, and I haven't seen any there since those sold out (finally got one for my son for Christmas though!). Speedwarms went on clearance there several months ago. The ONLY new Dart Tag blaster that was even released this year was the Snapfire 8, and it wasn't even released in the US. Nerf seems to be entirely focused on the Elite and Vortex lines now.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 00:54, December 11, 2012 (UTC)

foam from above said that its not going away, just that there are no new products for now. they are focused on NSE at the moment. 35.11.163.207 01:07, December 11, 2012 (UTC)

What they said still doesn't explain the fact that Dart Tag stuff is getting increasingly scarce. When what some blog says conflicts what is blatantly obvious by simply LOOKING in stores, I'll trust what I (and many others) have seen for myself.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 02:13, December 11, 2012 (UTC)

Companies put out incorrect or misleading information all the time (Stampede ECS-50 for example). Sometimes it's just an issue of one department not actually knowing what another department is doing or planning. If Dart Tag products were still being produced in any significant numbers, then why have they been going on clearance everywhere and not getting restocked in stores? As a person who has worked in retail stores (Target, Walmart, and Kmart) for years, that simply doesn't make any sense to me. Stores simply don't do that if a product is still being produced.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 12:42, December 11, 2012 (UTC)

I just posted this message on Nerf's Facebook page, let's see if I get any response: "I'm curious about the fate of Dart Tag. Dart Tag products have been going on clearance in pretty much every major retail chain in the US for months now, and there have been no new Dart Tag products introduced (other than the Snapfire 8 which wasn't released in the US) in over a year now. Having worked in retail stores before, that is usually a clear sign that a product is no longer being produced. Is that the case with Dart Tag or are you planning on some new products in the near future?"

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 12:47, December 11, 2012 (UTC)

By the way, is this the statement about Dart Tag from FFA that you are talking about? http://foamfromabove.blogspot.com/2012/06/nerf-n-strike-elite-info-lowdown.html

So, you are going to base your belief that Dart Tag is staying on one statement on a blog from 5 months ago, despite all evidence to the contrary? Do you realize how silly that sounds to the rest of us? I could very well be that Hasbro told them that so that people didn't completely stop buying Dart Tag products back during the Summer, leaving them with a huge backstock of products that nobody wants. That kind of thing is very common with companies. If you think all companies are completely honest in statements their PR people make, you really are naive.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 13:04, December 11, 2012 (UTC)

Unless I'm mistaken, the blue trigger versions were released very early this year, and still didn't really get widespread distribution. I've personally never seen one in a store, and even the Swarmfire I just bought is an orange trigger one. If they are just stalling, they sure are stalling for a LONG time. That's a really poor idea if they want people to remain interested in it. Not releasing any new products (and I don't really consider the blue-trigger versions "new", just a slight improvement - most consumers probably don't know the difference)  in over a year is a sure way of turning consumers off.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 21:07, December 11, 2012 (UTC)

Well, it is now quite apparent what is happening with Dart Tag (in the US at least). It is going to be a Toys 'R Us exclusive line apparently. Today, I saw the final Dart Tag item at Target go on clearance (the Swarmfire), and they have been gone from Walmart for quite some time now. The only Dart Tag item on the Targe web site now is the Quick 16, and it is on clearance as well, only available online, and there are none on Walmart's site. Toys 'R Us however still has the full line on their site (at full price, no less), and the new Stinger sets have been spotted already in the US at some Toys 'R Us stores. The sad thing is that this is really going to hurt Dart Tag's chances of increasing in popularity here, since there are less than 600 TRU stores (not including Babies 'R Us, which doesn't sell older kids toys like Nerf) in the US, versus 3658 Walmart stores and 1683 Target stores (I have rarely seen any Dart Tag products at any other retail chains in the US besides these three). Since Hasbro has said that Dart Tag matches in the US are going to be controlled by TRU, and there will be no new items released unless sales increase (which is going to be hard when they have so dramatically cut back the number of stores selling Dart Tag), I don't see a whole lot of hope for Dart Tag here in the US. How are sales supposed to INCREASE when you make the product less available to customers? It seems that either Hasbro's marketing department is clueless or they have intentionally set Dart Tag up for failure here in the US.

By the way, there's also the fact that TRU prices the same items at 30-50% higher than either Target or Walmart. That hurts Dart Tag's chances of seeing any sales increases as well.

Bluedragon1971 (talk) 18:31, January 28, 2013 (UTC)


 * It's been evident of Dart Tag's eventual decline for some time now. I noticed that out of the four 2011 blasters, none had Tac-rails or were compatible with any accessories. The lack of accessories to me was a sign of distancing it from the N-Strike line and the Vortex line. With the death of the Quick 16 and the birth of the Speedswarm, it was signifying a new motive of priming. The Swarmfire was the only one which was battery-operated, however, now with the Speedswarm and the overseas-only Snapfire 8 having the same/also new priming mechanisms, they were really attempting something different. The current lineup is down to just the Speedload 6 and Sharp Shot having the usual priming mechanisms, although both feature reverse plunger systems, which are also being discontinued. With the new treatment of the Dart Tag line (from new air restrictors, new ammo, alternative firing methods, new shell pieces, harder-to-get-at-internals, and a lack of compatibility with accessories), in some ways, I believe the Dart Tag line is now being used as a prototype line for new blasters.


 * With the dawn of the Toys R Us takeover, I can foresee that the Sharp Shot and Speedload 6 wont be around much longer. Toys R Us is typically more expensive and (per above) harder to find than Walmart, Target and so on, and with this new "testing phase", I predict that we wont be seeing much of Dart Tag anymore. The whole distancing thing is starting to show, and with Hasbro shoving the lineup over to Toys R Us, it seems to me they are trying to promote Dart Tag less, and N-Strike Elite/(in some ways) Vortex) more. I'm not sure what Hasbro has planned for either the Dart Tag or N-Strike lineups, however it appears to me that both are slowly being phased out. GA  GE  18:47, January 28, 2013 (UTC)


 * I find it funny that when I started this thread nearly 6 months ago, everyone was so SURE that Dart Tag was going to have a huge future and that all kinds of new blasters were going to be coming out soon. Now look. It seems that what I predicted (just by looking at stocks at retail stores) is fairly accurate. Obviously, I couldn't have predicted that they were going to shift Dart Tag to an exclusive line for TRU. I only have a couple of those stores nearby, the closest of which is just a TRU Express 18 miles away, so I'm not in those anywhere near as often as Target and Walmart (both of which are 5 miles from me, and I'm in them several times a week). I'm also starting to think that many of the older N-Strike blasters are still going to be sold at TRU, as they are still available on the site at full price (not counting their current "buy one get one 50% off sale"). They'll probably just keep those around until their current stockpile is gone, but never put them on clearance until the last minute.
 * The 2011 lineup of Dart Tag blasters didn't have tactical rails because they were meant for competition, not general play, and I'm sure they didn't want accessories falling off in the middle of an arena (as tactical rail accessories tend to do).
 * Bluedragon1971 (talk) 19:01, January 28, 2013 (UTC)

Create Dart Tag article for sport/game?
Should we split/create an article for Dart Tag as a sport? We can move the rules from the NDTL article over here as well, as well as expand on rules and maybe have a list for products officially allowed on the field. Jet [ Talk • Contributions ] 05:17, January 23, 2013 (UTC)

go for it, just be careful on how you split the article.

next time, please wait for more details on future products ; a blank article with minor details isn't worth it. 35.11.163.207 05:28, January 23, 2013 (UTC)


 * It was confirmed, was it not? We have a stub template for a reason. Jet  [ Talk • Contributions ] 05:39, January 23, 2013 (UTC)
 * not saying it wasn't confirmed, just saying to hold off for more info. would rather have full article than stub, its more prone to being messed with. 35.11.163.207 08:03, January 23, 2013 (UTC)