Blast Bow

Blast Bow
Also known as
Siren Strike Hawkeye Bow and Arrow
Release information
Company	Lanard
Averageretail price	19.99 USD 29.99 AUD 14.99 GBP
Product features
Stockammunition type	Missile Darts
Product performance
Priming mechanism	Bow-action
Mode of fire	Single-fire

The Blast Bow is a Lanard blaster that was released under the Total X-Stream Air series.

It comes packaged with three Missile Darts.

Details

As its name suggests, it heavily resembles a bow. Fake bow strings are seen on the arms of the blaster, however they are purely for aesthetics as well as returning the priming mechanism and do not enhance the performance of the blaster. The firing mechanism of the blaster can be attached or detached from the bow arms, although it will still be attached to the bow strings. It is presumed to be air-powered as the handle returns into its original place at a rather weak pace based off of video demonstrations. This indicates a lack of a possible spring. It may also be held on its side to imitate a crossbow as none of the internals prevent this from occurring.

It does not feature a firing trigger. Instead, it is fired similarly to an actual bow, by pulling back on the handle and releasing. Three missile holders are located on the upper limb of the blaster. The missile holders are held into place by a detachable piece which can be placed on either the left or right side of the blaster.

It is advertised to fire up to forty feet.

The Blast Bow has been known to suffer from issues regarding its fragile state, and many reports of the blaster broken have been reported. While it is unknown why the Blast Bow is susceptible to breaking, a possible explanation could be overdrawl on the priming mechanism and general fragility of the plastic.

History

As with many Lanard blasters the official year of release is unknown. The blaster is speculated to have been released sometime between 2003 and 2005 as the Blast Bow was seen in images of the 2005 Lanard line. From what we now know it was likely to have only been released in one color scheme at the time based off of images as well as descriptions.

The Blast Bow was re-released in 2012 as a promotional blaster for the film The Avengers and renamed the Hawkeye Bow and Arrow. This variant was sold under the Disney brand in two color schemes and was available until at least 2014, perhaps due to ongoing promotion of the franchise. The included Missile Darts varied in colors to match the blaster they were packaged with.

In 2014 the blaster was incorporated into the Total Crush series in the form of the Siren Strike, a cosmetically modified variant of the Blast Bow. The color scheme was drastically altered to fit in with the series' direction towards a female audience. This variant also included a target with the blaster with marks of twenty-five points and higher being labeled on the target. The performance of the Siren Strike is likely to be the same as the Blast Bow as they both have the same internals and both advertise a range of up to forty feet.

Color schemes

The Blast Bow has been released in the following color schemes:

• Blue and silver
• Red and black
• Red and silver
• Pink and purple (Siren Strike)
• Purple and gray (Hawkeye Bow and Arrow)
• Red and black (Hawkeye Bow and Arrow)

Modification

The Blast Bow uses relatively simple internals and due to its status as a triggerless blaster is rarely modified. Unfortunately due to the method of priming, modification potential on the Blast Bow is incredibly limited. Barrel swapping, minimization and converting it to fire darts are possible methods although an increase in range is likely not to be by very much.

Reloading and firing

To reload the Blast Bow, place one Missile Dart over the blaster's barrel.

Pull and release the plunger rod located on the back of the blaster to fire.

Gallery

The full image gallery for Blast Bow may be viewed at Blast Bow/Gallery.