ChrisReid
Super Soaker Collector / Administrator
Super Soaker Flash Flood Review
January 8, 2005
If you’re like me, then this time of the year involves daily trips to all the various local stores that carry toys. Each day for the last few weeks I’ve seen plenty of empty Christmas shelves and lots of Nerf guns. But today I saw the first 2005 model Super Soakers!
This year’s line is called Soaker Tag Elite. Their boxes are mostly a distinct yellow and red, compared to the yellow and purple of 2004. This year marks the return of the Constant Pressure System technology, which is featured on all medium and large blasters. It’s worth noting that virtually all of the 2004 Soaker Tag soakers and numerous MaxD guns from previous years have been rereleased. All have been recolored and reissued in 2005 packaging with the new self-sticking Soaker Tags. This year also marks the return of a formidable backpack soaker, which I’ll review at a later time.
The CPS Flash Flood was my first purchase this year. It’s black and green, with an underslung reservoir similar to the design of the MaxD Secret Strike. Despite its large size, the soaker is well balanced for one hand and easy to fill. The pump handle is relatively small, but gets the job done. The main handle and trigger guard is a good size with a soft firm grip. Because of the CPS tech built into the Soaker Tag Elite guns, each blaster’s stream is much stronger and thicker than the recent MaxD or Soaker Tag models that have been produced over the last several years. Guns at the $19.99 price point in previous years have been pegged to the XP110/XP310/MaxD6000 medium to heavy rifle category, but because of the integrated CPS technology, the Flash Flood seems to clearly outperform those blasters. I’d compare it most closely to the SC600, though the stream has more of a kick and the blaster’s special feature is amazing.
The main reservoir is 40 ounces and feeds a large pressure balloon for a blaster this size. The most exciting feature is a special flash flood trigger located on the top of the gun. In a pinch, it can immediately unload the entire pressure tank in one huge blast of water. In many ways this soaker is similar to the Secret Strike mentioned above, but it is much more powerful. The main CPS stream has a noticeable kick behind it, and the emergency burst is much more powerful than any of the riot blast tricks possible with the original XP line. A couple years ago I was involved in a discussion about dream Super Soakers I wish would be made. This is exactly one of the Soakers I described. The main stream is powerful, and pulling the Flash Flood Trigger is like throwing a bucket of water on someone. All of this in such a portable package is excellent. I’ll definitely be using the Soaker Tag Elite Flash Flood this year.
I’ve included a picture of some of the other Soaker Tag Elite blasters pictured on the back of the box.
Previous Reviews:
Triple Aggressor: http://www.crius.net/zone/showthread.php?t=8431
Helix: http://www.crius.net/zone/showthread.php?t=9078
HydroBlade: http://www.crius.net/zone/showthread.php?t=9411
You can find pictures of my Super Soaker collection at https://www.wcnews.com/chrisreid/supersoakers.html
January 8, 2005
If you’re like me, then this time of the year involves daily trips to all the various local stores that carry toys. Each day for the last few weeks I’ve seen plenty of empty Christmas shelves and lots of Nerf guns. But today I saw the first 2005 model Super Soakers!
This year’s line is called Soaker Tag Elite. Their boxes are mostly a distinct yellow and red, compared to the yellow and purple of 2004. This year marks the return of the Constant Pressure System technology, which is featured on all medium and large blasters. It’s worth noting that virtually all of the 2004 Soaker Tag soakers and numerous MaxD guns from previous years have been rereleased. All have been recolored and reissued in 2005 packaging with the new self-sticking Soaker Tags. This year also marks the return of a formidable backpack soaker, which I’ll review at a later time.
The CPS Flash Flood was my first purchase this year. It’s black and green, with an underslung reservoir similar to the design of the MaxD Secret Strike. Despite its large size, the soaker is well balanced for one hand and easy to fill. The pump handle is relatively small, but gets the job done. The main handle and trigger guard is a good size with a soft firm grip. Because of the CPS tech built into the Soaker Tag Elite guns, each blaster’s stream is much stronger and thicker than the recent MaxD or Soaker Tag models that have been produced over the last several years. Guns at the $19.99 price point in previous years have been pegged to the XP110/XP310/MaxD6000 medium to heavy rifle category, but because of the integrated CPS technology, the Flash Flood seems to clearly outperform those blasters. I’d compare it most closely to the SC600, though the stream has more of a kick and the blaster’s special feature is amazing.
The main reservoir is 40 ounces and feeds a large pressure balloon for a blaster this size. The most exciting feature is a special flash flood trigger located on the top of the gun. In a pinch, it can immediately unload the entire pressure tank in one huge blast of water. In many ways this soaker is similar to the Secret Strike mentioned above, but it is much more powerful. The main CPS stream has a noticeable kick behind it, and the emergency burst is much more powerful than any of the riot blast tricks possible with the original XP line. A couple years ago I was involved in a discussion about dream Super Soakers I wish would be made. This is exactly one of the Soakers I described. The main stream is powerful, and pulling the Flash Flood Trigger is like throwing a bucket of water on someone. All of this in such a portable package is excellent. I’ll definitely be using the Soaker Tag Elite Flash Flood this year.
I’ve included a picture of some of the other Soaker Tag Elite blasters pictured on the back of the box.
Previous Reviews:
Triple Aggressor: http://www.crius.net/zone/showthread.php?t=8431
Helix: http://www.crius.net/zone/showthread.php?t=9078
HydroBlade: http://www.crius.net/zone/showthread.php?t=9411
You can find pictures of my Super Soaker collection at https://www.wcnews.com/chrisreid/supersoakers.html
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Heavy pistol sized, great range (like you described, 12 vertical feet is huge for a pistol)...sounds pretty wicked to me.
Perhaps those early models' flimsiness is the reason for my concern with the Flash Flood: