I fondly remember laser quest from my childhood back in the 80s. Ten years old and proudly kitted out in a heavy illuminous green plastic tabard, I remember dashing about in a state of happy confusion in a dark, dystopian styled room behind Superbowl in town. The sound of digital gunfire peowing all around me; my opponents' dandruff sparkling under the ultra violet lights - the purple glow used to make my freckly skin look dark and blotchy like the moon. It was really exciting, although I wasn't a natural laser assassin.
Laser quest places appear to be making a bit of a comeback lately; in fact Lyall went to a laser birthday party recently in the city centre. Naturally I'm relishing the opportunity to get involved in the nostalgia of it all - it's amazing how little it's changed over the last thirty years.
We could barely contain our excitement (I'm not being sarcastic!) when Lyall and Rich were invited to the launch of a brand new lazer toy last weekend in London. What an opportunity. Lazer quest at home?? Yes please! Thinking back, there have been a few failed attempts at a toy like this in the past, but this new one, called Lazer M.A.D, promises a dramatically improved, wireless, authentic home laser experience!! EEEKK!
I'll talk about the toy in a moment. But first, to the launch event! Set in a dark underground bunker beneath a dusty industrial estate in London called Bunker 51, Richard and Lyall were joined by a team of 20ish kids from other influential family blogs and YouTubes.
In the concrete briefing room (decorated a bit like a WW1 trench) the kids were divided into two teams, orange and green. The kids and some of the brave parents were each decked out with a Lazer M.A.D blaster, a M.A.D target vest and camouflage face-paint. There was a military style briefing from the very enthusiastic PR team and off they went into the bunker!
Look how adorable and excited Lyall looked!!
Inside the bunker the teams played several themed rounds of LazerM.A.D – it was very immersive and everybody had an excellent time! The boys each had a GoPro camera attached to their chest which recorded the activity and also served as a fantastic spy tool for me (Daddy) to see what the boys were eating during the buffet lunch!
OK so the toy itself – we were lucky enough to receive a sample of the ‘Battle Ops’ basic Lazer M.A.D set which retails at around £45. In the video below you’ll see the boys unpacking it (very exciting) and explaining how it works.
Essentially it’s a modular electronic toy – the basic starter toy can be upgraded to improve its range and power. The basic blaster that we have been armed with ‘shoots’ a 15m light beam which is received by the target – a mountable round device that can be worn on the chest or mounted on a wall or, well anywhere. We mounted it on the picnic table for target practise.
It’s wireless – there’s no uncomfortable cable between the blasters and targets which allows players to arm one another (by lobbing the blaster to each other across the garden). It’s also durable, reinforced along the shaft (oi, naughty) which makes it Lyall and Rich-proof. Also and most exciting of all, it has various game battle modes.
During the event, we were lucky enough to meet a lovely chap from the company behind the Lazer M.A.D toy, Tom Mullen from Silverlit toys. During his life-long career Tom’s worked on some of the most influential, nostalgic toys we know and it was an absolute pleasure to speak with him about their latest and greatest development. We asked Tom what was the inspiration behind LazerM.A.D? He said:
“In the past, home laser tag toys were cumbersome. They had a wire that connected the blaster to the target which restricted the players’ movements. Some even had an uncomfortable headpiece target with an antenna!
We set out to bring the laser toy into the future, removing the wires, improving its strength and adding the capacity for upgrades and add-ons. We hope to encourage kids to get outside and run about!”
We love any excuse to get Lyall and Richard running about so we couldn’t agree more.
Here’s the info from the manufacturer – they put it much better than I can!
Lazer M.A.D. is the first home blaster that’s completely wireless for unrestricted play
It’s customisable - gamers can add accessories to their blaster during battle for increased accuracy and range (up to 50 metres)
Players can switch between one player training or multi player battle modes, with no limit on the number of players
The device works using state of the art technology in the form of IR emitters and receivers, set in the targets
Targets can be strapped to the opponents clothing or other moving objects and include an LED indicator to show when a player has been shot
Realistic re-load and a trigger button for the ultimate battle experience
If you’d like to join in the fun and have your own Lazer M.A.D battles at home, you’ll find it at Amazon by clicking here.
Peow Peow!!
Here at Daddy & Dad we supplement our adoption content by collaborating with family-friendly brands and businesses. We were lucky enough to receive the Lazer M.A.D. toy featured on this blog post for free in return for a mention on here. We'd like to say an enormous thank you to the wonderful people at Energy PR, Mookie Toys and Silverlit - Jamie & Tom, Lyall and Rich Xx