Air Tech 2000

The Air Tech 2000 (also known as the AT2K) is a Nerf blaster that was released in 2002 under the Air Tech series.

It comes packaged with four Micro Darts.

Details
The Air Tech 2000 is an air-powered blaster that holds up to four darts in its turret. Unlike other modern blasters, the turret must be manually rotated after firing. The Air Tech 2000 was the smallest and cheapest air-powered blaster in the Air Tech series.

Like other Air Tech blasters, the Air Tech 2000 features a "Liquitron" power gauge, which displays how much air power the blaster has stored in it by the use of a liquid. The more air in the blaster, the more liquid in the power gauge. This gauge is located at the top of the blaster. While it has no performance-improving value, the Liquitron power gauge was a recurring gimmick in the Air Tech line that was seen on all blasters in one form or another. The blaster fires from the bottom barrel.

Reliability
While reliability of the Air Tech 2000 is generally good, there have been some instances of malfunctions in the blaster. It is generally considered to be dangerous to pump the blaster more than four times, as it can burst the air tank.

Another reported issue documented on NerfHaven is that the check valve may break, making the owner of the blaster purchase a new check valve or a new blaster instead. If the Air Tech 2000 is heavily modded, the Liquitron gauge should be removed because it could explode if the blaster is pumped too many times.

History
The Air Tech 2000 was filed for patenting on August 30, 2002, likely just before the release of the blaster. It is generally conceived to be a sequel to the SuperMAXX 1500. When the SuperMAXX line was discontinued at the end of 2001, the Air Tech line was born the following year, featuring several blasters in the line-up which are remarkably similar to previous SuperMAXX blasters.

The blaster was released alongside the rest of the Air Tech line in the summer of 2002, and was initially released in a single pack. This blaster is generally believed to be a SuperMAXX 1500 in a SuperMAXX 750's sized shell, which is very evident due to the similar turret and internals.

The Air Tech 2000 was very popular among the modding community for its simplicity, and singled Air Tech 2000's became among the most popular and powerful blasters in Nerf wars. The blaster was released in 2003 under the 2003 series, and again in 2004 under the Action Blasters series, this time as a two-pack. This two-pack was only released as a Target exclusive. By then, several colors of Air Tech 2000 had been released, some of which being very rare nowadays.

Today, the Air Tech 2000 has now been discontinued and has not been seen on shelves since at least 2008. Although still somewhat common, it now costs usually between 20-45 USD on online trades, though some colors have been known to fetch higher prices.

Color schemes
The Air Tech 2000 has been released with the following color schemes:


 * Blue and orange
 * Blue and red
 * Blue, yellow, and pink
 * Green, purple, and blue
 * Red, black, and orange

Modification
It is a popular choice for modification in the Nerf community. During the early 2000s, the Air Tech 2000 was one of the most popular blasters for modification. Common modifications to the Air Tech 2000 are replacement and plugging of the barrel for a near-perfect air seal. Modders often also plug the power gauge to essentially remove its use and increase the air seal. Many modders also often replace the barrels with longer ones, for more accuracy and power. Some others may also choose to single their Air Tech 2000 blasters in order to have the most direct flow of air.

Other forms of modifications may also include couplering the blaster. More advanced modders may also experiment with more in-depth projects including clipping the blaster. Lastly, integrations were quite popular with the Air Tech 2000, either by placing the internals into another blaster or placing another blaster's internals into an Air Tech 2000.

Blaster sets
Two versions of the Air Tech 2000 Twin Pack were released under the Action Blasters series. One came packaged with a blue and red Air Tech 2000, while the other came with a blue and green one.

Reloading and firing
To reload the Air Tech 2000, either place any form of Micro Dart in the bottom open barrel or rotate the turret to an already loaded barrel. Pump the blaster to a desired amount of air; two to three pumps will give the blaster the desired amount of power, however four pumps will give the blaster maximum power. This is not recommended, however, as overpumping the blaster can cause the air tank to burst within the blaster.

Pull the trigger back to fire a dart.