Lights Out - Nike Launch Black Collection
Black is the new black and Nike have given the nero treatment to all four of its boot silo's. If you want to know what awesome looks like then do yourself a favour and take a look at this latest set of releases from Nike, the 2013 Black collection.
It will come as no suprise that when this new collection from Nike, which includes the Hypervenom, Tiempo Legend IV, Mercurial Vapor IX and CTR360 Maestri III, landed in the office they garnered alot of attention. No fuss, no gimmicks, no garish colourways, just good old stylish black boots. 
There's no doubting the popularity of a black boot, you just have to look at the reaction that the Nike Premier received. And why not? after all black goes with pretty much everything. Always a fan favourite, the release of the new collection will do nothing but bolster Nike's pre season sales.
Speaking about Nikes newest releases Phil McCartney, VP of Footwear for Nike Football had this to say We know that our players love to stand out on and off the field. That doesn t always mean bright colors, sometimes reverting to a classic look is just as powerful a statement.
You won't be seeing these puppies on the telly though, no professional will be wearing them on pitch. But that doesn't mean they can't grace your feet in the new season. Whilst not complete black-outs Nike have produced four great looking black soccer cleats, each with there own flash of colour. 
The Black HyperVenom is the 3rd colourway for Nike's new baby since its release last month and is the perfect antidote to the previous Citrus and Lime paint jobs. The HyperVenom is already making a name for itself on pitch, most noticably with Neymar knocking in stunner after stunner at the Confederations Cup. 
The black works really well with the HyperVenom's waffle texture and sits nicely with the flash of crimson from Nike's famous swoosh. The overall design of the boots give them a stealth like look which perfectly encapulates the "New Breed of Attack" Mantra. 
Moving on to the Tiempo Legend IV's...aahh a black leather boot. Is there much better in the wonderful world of football boots? Despite whispers of a re-moulded Tiempo model soon to be in the offering, Nike continue to give more life to their long-serving Legend IV.
The new colourway teamed with the Tiempo's quilted stitching gives a bit of old-school flavour to what is a thoroughly modern boot. The laser orange swoosh and soleplate give it a modern twist though and makes sure it doesn' t look too similar to the new Nike Premier.
And so to the Mercurial Vapor IX. Over the years Nike's speed boot has seen many a paint job, most Nike Mercurial soccer cleats have been bright, brash and in your face with colours such as Volt and Fireberry being thrown in the mix. The odd tamer version has been added to appease the masses though and that's exactly what these will do.
It's got to be said that this is one of the coolest designs to be dropped on the Mercurial Vapor IX's. With the oversize "Nike" plastered on the inside of the boot and the large Nike tick wrapped around the toe, the design of the is always going to vear on the louder side. But the black, White and Red colourway give the boot a classier overall look that oozes style. 
Last but not in no way least is the CTR 360. This is the ninth colourway to hit the CTR360 Maestri III with the last black version being released around this time last year. The boot, the first to feature Nikes All Conditions Control (ACC) technology, is a firm favourite with midfield Maestro's such as Iniesta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The white tick gives the CTR360 Maestri III's a classic feel with the bright citrus front stud configuration giving a cheeky little nod to the summer. 
So if black boots are what float your boat you've now got five current Nike models to choose from when you include the premier. If your after a new pair of football boots for the coming season there are lot of strong contenders out there but its safe to say a pair from Nike's Stealth Pack will be at the top of a lot of people's list.
Will you be checking in to pre-season in any of these boots? All of the boots from Nike's new black collection are available to pre order from selected online stockists including Pro-Direct Soccer. Join the conversation online, on Twitter and on Facebook.
