Nerf is marking the 40th anniversary of GI Joe: A Real American Hero with a dart blaster that pays tribute to the two sides of the conflict, CNET can exclusively reveal. One side of the “lmtd” (limited) collection toy features heroic blue GI Joe details, while the other is bathed in the villainous Cobra red.
“Are you standing beside Duke, Scarlett, and the rest of the GI Joe team to fight for freedom and justice?” Nerf said in a release. “Or are you one of Cobra Commander’s minions, plotting to take over the world?”
The fully motorized $80 blaster rapid-fires 10 darts in a row, and includes a 10-dart removable clip and 10 Nerf Elite foam darts. You can power up the motor and pull the trigger to send a cascade of darts at your target — that’ll require 4x 1.5v D alkaline batteries (you’ll have to supply your own).
The new toy was revealed Saturday during Hasbro PulseCon 2022. Other brands on show at the event include Star Wars, Marvel, Indiana Jones, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers, Power Rangers and Fortnite.
…and a Cobra look on the other.
NerfThe G.I. Joe blaster includes an exclusive version of the 300th issue of GI Joe: A Real American Hero comic and features special art by Dave Johnson, who’s known for his work on Deadpool, Batman and Invincible.
Everything comes in premium packaging designed for display — the package is open on both sides so you can show the GI Joe side of the blaster or flip it around to reveal your Cobra affiliation.
It’s available for preorder exclusively on Hasbro Pulse in the US, Canada and select European countries from Saturday, at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) for Hasbro Pulse Premium Early Access and from 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET) for everyone.
