What would you include in a Super Soaker "Collector's/Throwback" line?

[Cyrax9]

Okay, I've been thinking: Hasbro clearly missed the boat this year. It's the Super Soaker's 20th Anniversary, and they didn't even throw us a SS 50 reissue in standard colors or the "gold" variant from 1998. I'm admittedly scratching my head, namely because the SS 50 is pretty much on par with their current line up and would likely sell to kids and adults alike.

So, let's look ahead to 2009 for a moment since I doubt we'll get anything else from Hasbro this year. If you could convince Hasbro to design a collector's/throwback line for next year, what would you include? What Super Soakers have withstood the test of time and deserve to be reissued after 20 years (21 years as of 2009) of being part of an awesome aquatic armory?

Here are the rules:
- Pick 12 guns (basing this off of Hasbro's current offerings, excluding the backpack and non-gun related Super Soaker items) maximum, and rank them in order of priority.

- Keep the line balanced, between heavy, medium, and light soakers--no more than four of each. Soakers that could fall into multiple classes are allowed, but you can't have a line of all high-end base-defense CPS guns--be realistic.

- Updated color variations are allowed, (think of the Spiderman variation of the 3-MAX Infusion currently available) but you have to include the original gun as well.

- Rank guns in order of importance for each category; listing heavy weapons after light weapons isn't important, but listing the SS 100 before the XP 75 is.

- Feel free to name the collector's/throwback line.

Okay, with that out of the way, here's my list:

Aquatic Arsenal: Celebrating Over 20 Years of the Super Soaker
Heavy Weapons
01. Super Soaker CPS 3200
02. Super Soaker 300
03. Super Soaker Monster XL
04. Super Soaker XXP 275
Standard Issue
05. Super Soaker XP 75
06. Super Soaker 100
07. Super Soaker 50
08. Super Soaker XP 55
Light Armaments
09. Super Soaker 30
10. Super Soaker 10
11. Super Soaker XP 20
12. Super Soaker XP 15

Final thoughts:
Online distribution of such a line would make the most sense since it'd be aimed at collectors/hobbyists. Although this might be somewhat controversial, it would be nice to "borrow" an idea from the current line of Super Soakers and modify the CPS 3200 and SS 300 reissues to use a single "universal" hose to connect the gun to the backpack. Likewise, I'd keep the QFD on guns that initially came with a QFD, after all, "if it ain't broke..." they say. Finally, for those wondering why I chose the CPS 3200 over the CPS 3000, I prefer the yellow coloring of the 3200, and the 3200 is slightly more refined than the 3000 (slightly--it's not really that noticeable from what I understand) and I think that the Yellow CPS 3200 would go well with the yellow on the SS 300. If you're wondering why the Monster XL is third down on my list, my reasoning's simple: although it's a great gun that set a world record for size, bigger isn't always better. The Monster XL holds less water than the CPS 3200 and the SS 300; likewise the lack of a backpack makes it more difficult to carry around. I like the Monster XL, but I like the CPS 3200 and the SS 300 even more.

[StormGlorious]

Why the distinct lack of CPS guns. I'll wait until you reply before I post my ideas, just in case I've missed something.

Storm,

[Goldfish4209]

-Heavy Weapons
1. CPS 3200
2. CPS 2500
3. CPS 2000
4. SS 300
-Medium Weapons
1. CPS 1500 (or 1700; they're identical)
2. CPS 1200
3. XP 150
4. XXP 275
-Light Weapons
1. SS 50
2. SS 100
3. Flash Flood*
4. XP 270

*the Flash Flood is not very old, but for a small blaster, it's decent.

[cantab]

I'd make it a rather smaller line. Partly because the current line in the UK is a mere 5 guns.
I'm also thinking about what might sell well, not just what I'd like to see (because that's only 4 guns).

Also, new versions should in general be more robust that older ones. That can probably be accomplished by using different plastics (compare the feel of the casing of a modern gun to an older one and you'll see what I mean).

One thing I do NOT want is Max-D valves on guns that didn't originally have them.

=1 SS 50. Just gotta include it.
=1 CPS 2000. Again, it really has to be there. However, my concern is they might release it underpowered (even compared to the Mk II). In which case, I'd rather see the 2500.
=3 CPS 3000. Or 3200, but I prefer the former's styling. Basically, it's a powerful gun, and unless you're completely crazy on 20x, you will not run out of water. Also, the backpack should have a Max Infusion type hose end (perhaps as an adapter), so you can connect it to the new guns - as if they need that much water!
=3 CPS 1000. Many people I've spoken to consider it one of, if not the, all round best soakers. And it's not too large either.
=5 XXP 275. Mainly because there isn't a double-barreled blaster at the moment, so that would be a great selling point.
=5 Max-D 2000. It's the best ranged blaster for its size I've come across. I've a liking of small blasters if they pack good power.

I'm also gonna name one water warriors blaster that should be re-released - the Scorpion. Since I believe it is pretty much the best motorised gun sold.

And I'm going to suggest one new gun, which would be great if it was practical. The "Mega Stream" - a motorised gun with at least the range and output of the CPS 1000, and a mid to large backpack (maybe 4l one). Also compatible with the new CPS 3000's 8l backpack.

[mr. dude]

Not in order of preference.
1: SS 50; Revolutionized soakers forever
2: SS 100; See above. The first seperate PC gun.
3: SS 300; First soaker that could actually hit 50'. Also first 5X stream.
4: XP 75; Despite some design flaws (like the flying tank syndrome), the first XP gun has to be included.
5: XP 150; Considered by many the best all-round air pressure soaker ever.
6: XP Backfire; A soaker that shoots both front and back! OMG!!!!!111 It has to be included as one of the things that started the gimmicky bullpoop we have today.
7-10: CPS 1000, 1500, 2500, and 3000; Regarded by most as the best CPS's ever. "The Legendary '98 line".
11: Monster XL; Biggest single-piece soaker ever produced.
12: SS 10: I forgot about it while writing the SS list.

[Silence]

Storm, nostalgia > power in this case. In commemoration of the 20th anniversary, these guys could make a [i]ton[/b] of profit selling to Generation X. People want to see what they grew up with. Look at the recent Gizmodo articles - like with their recent Lego articles, nostalgia is in high demand, as evidenced in the comments.

I'm too young to say much about what I'd like to see. But:

• SS 50
• XP 70
• XP 270 (which has already been done)

I'd like to see a CPS-style water gun, and many people would want some XP-style pistols and small blasters. Producing several different but similar models seems unlikely. At any rate, there is a big opportunity here. Thank you, Cyrax.

[StormGlorious]

Heavy
CPS 2500
CPS 3000
CPS 2700
Medium
CPS 1700
CPS 2100
CPS 1000
CPS 1200
Light
XP 150
SS 100
XXP 275

Storm

[C-A_99]

CPS:
CPS 2000 - Gold EDIT: MK I
Monster XL - Woodland
CPS 1500 - Silver
CPS 3000 - Black
CPS 1000 - Urban or Desert

XP:
XP 75 - Gold
XP 150 - Desert or Woodland
XP 215 - Silver
XP 110 - Black or Woodland

SS/other:
SS 50 - Gold
SS 300 - Black
SS 100 - Desert or Woodland


Unfortunately, putting camo finishes on soakers has never really been done before by manufacturers (but they sure look awesome when painted) but there's been silver FF's around. In this list, I tried to pay tribute to firsts: first seperate air chamber, first XP, first CPS, etc. Unfortunately, I had to make some exceptions, such as MXL instead of MX since while the MX is the first Monster, the XL holds a world record and is the only SS ever made with a bipod.

And I'll admit it; I cheated and went on iSoaker for part of this list. (particuarly for some SS's and a lot of the XP's which I'm less familiar with)

[Cyrax9]

Originally Posted by StormGlorious

Why the distinct lack of CPS guns.

Storm, I purposely included only one CPS Gun (CPS 3200) for several reasons. SilentGuy hits on one of the main reasons, but other reasons include...

- The fact that I based this idea off of another line that Hasbro initially doubted: Star Wars Titanium Series ships. This might seem like an odd comparison, but consider this:The initial run of the SW Titaniums was limited to Wal*Mart and consisted of re-issues of the Galoob-manufactured "Micro Machines Metal" series alongside some "Revenge of the Sith" ships that they threw in to update the line. In fact, the only difference between a "Micro Machines Metal" and "Star Wars Titanium" series ship from the first line is that the Galoob ships have the year 1996 stamped on the bottom while the newer ships have the year 2004 stamped on them. This line did so well in fact, that Hasbro not only expanded on it, but re-reissued the old "Micro Machines Metal" ships with paint variations (e.g. Y-Wing changed from yellow to red paint) and in some cases re-re-reissued the older ships--the Millennium Falcon is a prime example of this. (1996=Micro Machines Metal, 2004=Wal*Mart-exclusive Titanium ship, and 2008=Titanium Reissue in regular line.) Hasbro is making a killing on adult collectors and on kids with this line because it appeals to both groups--there's no reason Super Soakers can't do the same thing.

- Most of the CPS guns I'd list would all be "Heavy Weapons," for example, the CPS 3000 is a slightly less-refined CPS 3200 with comparable specs. The CPS 4100, 2700, and 2500 (I'll get to the CPS 2000 in a moment) are all pretty big guns, and when I think of the CPS line, those are the guns that come to mind.

- I'm somewhat afraid of what Hasbro would do to the CPS 2000. Would they reissue the Mk. I, or the slightly less-powerful Mk. II? (If people were injured with the Mk. I, then it'd have to be the Mk. II.) What's more, as was noted elsewhere in this thread, what if they weakened the CPS 2000 even more than the Mk. II?

- I want the "Collector's/throwback" line to last more than one year. Thus, a "Summer 2010" line would need awesome guns as well, and would likely be CPS-intensive. I could easily see a "Series II" of the collector's line in 2010 that would contain the CPS 3000, the Mk. I CPS 2000 branded as-is, the Mk. II branded as the CPS 2000 "Lite," and the original Monster X.

In essence I'm not ignoring the CPS line, but I'm really just planning ahead with it. One reason I included the CPS 3200 was because I think it'd be a good lead-in to the second wave in the collector's line which would be much more CPS-intensive; I might even split the second wave into four categories and change "Heavy Weapons" to "Heavy Weapons" for backpack-model guns, and "Cannons" for non-backpack model guns, and put the CPS 3200, CPS 3000, XP 300 (rebranded SS 300,) and SS 300 all in the same line.

Originally Posted by SilentGuy

Storm, nostalgia > power in this case. In commemoration of the 20th anniversary, these guys could make a ton of profit selling to Generation X. People want to see what they grew up with. Look at the recent Gizmodo articles - like with their recent Lego articles, nostalgia is in high demand, as evidenced in the comments.

I'm too young to say much about what I'd like to see. But:

• SS 50
• XP 70
• XP 270 (which has already been done)

I'd like to see a CPS-style water gun, and many people would want some XP-style pistols and small blasters. Producing several different but similar models seems unlikely. At any rate, there is a big opportunity here. Thank you, Cyrax.

Thanks for the compliments SilentGuy; in truth, I'd be happy to see Hasbro reissue the CPS 3200, the SS 300 and the SS 50 and I'd be content, but I wanted to offer a full collectors/throwback line for this thread. A couple of questions for you though. First, when was the XP 270 reissued--I know the SS 50 got a gold reissue in 1998, but didn't know about the XP 270. The small-blaster/XP-pistol market is likely what would appeal to both children and adults. One or two backpacks would be nice too--especially if they were online-only items to avoid taking up shelf-space. The CPS 3200 sold quite well initially, as did the SS 300 and many other backpack models, in part because of the fact that they were perfect for drenching an opponent whose ego would be as bruised as he (or she) was soaked.

As for "updates" I'd want implemented on these guns:
- Revisit the idea of the QFD--it worked a lot better than messing with a leaky hose or accidentally drenching yourself rather than your opponent.

- Put a "cap" on the SS 50 so that you don't have to twist off the entire water chamber--ditto for similar models. One thing that drove me nuts with the SS 50 was trying to fill it; a cap on the water chamber would solve that problem as would a QFD nozzle. It'd also increase the longevity of the gun because you wouldn't be putting stress on the water chamber by constantly unscrewing it to fill it.

- Use of better materials and possibly more eco-friendly materials where possible. There have been advances in durability of plastics, as well as the ability to recycle them in recent years. It wouldn't hurt to replace the "stickers" with directly printed logos either.

- Some guns could use a minor tweak here or there to reduce their fragility--the SS 300 comes to mind as a contender for redesigning a little bit of the interior to make it more durable.

- Use a standardize connector for all backpack model hoses. This way a hose from a new CPS 3200 would work on a new SS 300, and any similar soakers. This would also save people from having to build a backpack (even if it is easy) or retro-fit a hose to work with an older gun. Standard hose fittings just seem practical to me.

[Drenchenator]

Heavy Blasters
1. CPS 2000
2. CPS 3000
3. CPS 2500
4. CPS 3200
Medium Blasters
1. CPS 1000
2. CPS 1500
3. CPS 1700
4. CPS 1200
Small Blasters
1. XP 150
2. SS 100
3. SS 50
4. XP 75

In fact, I'll be quite satisfied if they just re-released the 1998 CPS line. The 2000 CPS line wouldn't be bad either.

I am afraid, however, that if Hasbro were to re-release the guns, they would make many detrimental changes to them. If you changed all of the pull valves in the CPS guns to wimpy Max-D ball valves, I won't like it. The pull valve just offers a lot more flow that a Max-D one

Updates, as Cyrax9 puts it, would be a great idea. Many of the guns had noticeable problems that really could be fixed easily if they put their minds to it. All of the points you made, Cyrax9, were excellent ones and Hasbro, if they do re-release guns, should notice.

[Goldfish4209]

i think there should be a balance of power and, uh, "nostalgic-ness" In other words, guns like SS 50, XPs, etc. should be included, but if a line consisted entirely of these blasters (Even though they aren't bad), I wouldn't buy 'em.

Here's a recommendation for Hasbro:
Market to all ages/audiences. For example, each line could have a couple weak blasters (maybe piston) for the little kids, some medium ones, big backpack guns for capacity lovers, powerful CPSs for powerholics, etc. I still don't see why they are not doing this today--Hasbro, go ahead and produce Bottle Shot level water guns, but keep some good blasters on shelves.

[DX]

My List would be quite similar to Mr. Dude's:

SS 50
SS 100
SS 200
SS 300

XP 75
XP 150
XP 250

CPS 1000
CPS 1500
CPS 2500
CPS 3000

Though I would be satisfied with just the '98 line...like that would ever happen...

[Silence]

Cyrax, I think a reservoir cap on the SS 50 would ruin it. There are lots of water guns that are similar but have caps instead - it would change the design and make the remake more similar to other soakers instead. It's true the cap is more convenient and capped water guns don't seem to have problems with loose reservoirs shooting off, but the second problem was probably solved with new technology.

The SS 300 and a QFD water gun are both good ideas, too. QFD soakers aren't generally as popular as the others I listed, but a new, retro-style one might work too. As for the XP 270 remakes - they've been done countless times. A year or two ago you could get two-packs of them.

[C-A_99]

The safety worries with the mk I and mk II are all bull. The two are still roughly the same power and many other guns have been released that could severely injure someone's at point blank. Put a good nozzle on a hose and you're much more likely to injure one's eye at close range than with a 2000. The only reason hoses often don't get as much range is because of nozzles that provide crappy stream lamination.

I think most of us agree on threaded reservoirs though. They've had safety issues but even if resolved, they are still very annoying and impractical to unthread. The best method to fill a tank would be to use a large valve of some sort, such as a ball valve. This ensures no parts can be lost in the event of a stopper failure. It is also much faster and practical to open a valve than to unthread a cap.

The old QFD's sucked. They put very tight limits on hose functuality, limiting the hoses to filling only. Unless they create a better variation of my deluxe hose system (which would be easy since mine tends to soak people who aren't refilling SC's carefully) that can fill SC's, fill standard and quick-fill caps (which mine has trouble with), and of course, shoot out of a good conical nozzle (not some crappy standard garden hose nozzle), then I wouldn't go with it.

[cantab]

I agree that threaded bottle reservoirs are not ideal nowadays. (Technology available 20 years ago meant they WERE the best choice). However, nor is low output and range! I wouldn't use any version of the SS 50 in a water fight if I wanted to win. So the fact that the reservoir design is not great doesn't matter. What matters is that it's an SS 50, and making too significant changes would destroy that.