Earlier in the summer, Dart Zone opened up preorders for the Dart Zone Pro Mk-1; it was a new blaster designed around a proprietary dart type. They claimed 150fps performance, half and full length dart compatibility, and great range and accuracy. By any of those measures, the Mk-1 is a great success, and a fine entry blaster into the “superstock” realm of blasters. However, it does come with some limitations in compatibility and operation. It’s also, at least in its current form, limited in getting extra power – although a few people have made some progress,

In any case, now is as good a time for a review as any – the blasters may have sold out, but the compatible magazines are up for preorder, making it still relevant for now.

Pump Action Retaliator, Redone

The Dart Zone Pro Mk-1 fills a niche above that of standard blasters – one filled by modified Retaliators, Worker blaster kits, and the like. Unlike the other options, however, the Mk-1 comes essentially complete. All that’s needed is to screw in a few bolts, connect the front and back, and attach the priming grip with a screwdriver. From there, you can just load either half or full length darts and fire away. (There is a half-length mag adapter included)

The Mk-1 comes with two barrels. As shipped, the tighter metal barrel is installed in the front half of the blaster. Changing it out for the wider plastic barrel only requires taking out the four screws in the barrel cap and moving out the retaining screw a little bit. That screw can be reached through the gap under the barrel, where the priming grip tracks (DON’T REMOVE IT!). The picture shown just has everything taken apart to show all the pieces.

Meanwhile, the stock follows the typical M4 stock design, with a rubber covering at the end (spare o-rings are hidden underneath). It can support a decent amount of force before collapsing; however, results among owners have varied. I have yet to encounter issues in normal play, but aggressive priming should be avoided. It’s an unfortunate downside to an otherwise stellar blaster shell.

The priming grip is sturdy, albeit with a bit of wobble, due to how it attaches. The main grip is comfortable, with a rubberized coating, with an easy to pull trigger and a handy mag release. All things considered, the Mk-1 is nice.

The Darts

The Mk-1 shipped with full length and half length “bamboo” darts. These feature foam bodies slightly smaller in diameter, with ribs that extend out to the usual ~.50 cal diameter. The dart heads have give to them, are glued quite well, and have yet to decapitate from either firing or hitting hard surfaces. They also seem to have stellar characteristics in higher power applications, as seen here. It’s currently unknown when these darts can be purchased in bulk, but hopefully it’s soon.

On the topic of darts, it should be noted that wide-head darts aren’t perfectly compatible – they’ll catch on the metal barrel, but can be fired with decent speed out of the plastic barrel. HOWEVER, there is an issue with foam diameter – slightly wide darts don’t always like to feed into the dart gate prior to the barrel. If you are priming fast, there’s a solid chance that you’ll shove the dart most of the way in, but get the tail end caught between the barrel and bolt. Firing the blaster like this seals up and stops the system until you move the priming grip back slightly. Darts will then generally fire, but at slower speeds due to the introduced air leak. Prime slower if you notice this happening – I know of several fixes being worked on, including the use of Retaliator/Prophecy dart gates and bolt o-rings for a more consistent seal and less sensitive barrel entrance.

The blaster feeds the new darts wonderfully. But issues with darts overall are a knock against it, especially without bulk bamboo darts being available (for now). Personally, I’m sticking with the stock darts and Worker Gen3 short darts.

Performance

In game, however, with the included darts, the Mk-1 truly shines. Using the metal barrel, the full length darts averaged 151fps, and the short darts 164fps. They also were amazingly accurate, far more than expected. At my last indoor war, I found myself being able to aim and hit whatever I was pointing at (adjusting for movement, of course). It was to the point where I could aim for someone’s hand and hit it (an important distinction in a club where blaster hits don’t count).

Full length darts in my plastic barrel averaged 136fps, just above the threshold for most HvZ games (insert sadface).

Pic courtesy of Benjamin Bouchard, showing a better-aligned Nerf magazine.

Rate of fire was fairly slow, although that was partly me being cautious in using the blaster for the first time. Generally, you can do one shot every two seconds. I did have two jams, with both darts being easy to remove with the included jam tool. I was able to get back into the game quickly after those jams.

There is one thing to note, that a conversation in the Facebook post of this review reminded me of. I used mainly full length mags, including standard 18-rounders from Nerf. They generally seat in the blaster, but the nub at the back sits right against the shell, putting a slight angle on it. One mag with off tolerances didn’t sit right and fell out. As pictured, it’s possible to shave this nub down without breaking through the plastic, making it sit right. Another annoying thing to account for, since Nerf mags are the standard this is supposed to also accept.

Final Opinion

The Dart Zone Pro Mk-1 isn’t perfect. However, a lot of those imperfections are from the modding viewpoint, where we’d like to see blasters capable of more – and we look at inefficiencies and design choices in a different light than normal.

As is, the Dart Zone Mk-1 delivers on its promises of power, accuracy, and easy use. You can throw it in the trunk, show up to a game, and use the blaster, with little maintenance needed. In my case, with limited time for actually modifying blasters, it’s the perfect thing to use. There are just little things like the wide dart feeding issues that keep me from rating it even higher.

In any case, I look forward to seeing how Prime Time Toys supports the DZP line, in terms of darts, mags, and future blasters.

Game footage coming soon!

The post Dart Zone Pro Mk-1 Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

The Auto Tommy 20 is a venerable staple of early 2000s blasting; it served as many people’s first experience with a flywheel blaster. In spite of its flaws (inaccurate, limited range, goofy shape), it remained a beloved staple of childhood Nerf collections. Now, after making brief appearances at Toy Fairs and in Europe, its successor, the Powermech, is here. It doesn’t correct all the flaws of the original, but it does bring the blaster into the modern era – with room to upgrade.

 New Hotness?

The Powermech, as id turns out, doesn’t stray far from its roots. It’s still a 20 shot, automatic flywheel blaster. It still has the front half that folds upward, with contacts connecting the flywheels. It still has the odd stock with the hole in it. It does, however, run on four AAs; the old version ran on three. It also takes modern darts – the original only has enough space for classic Buzz Bee suction darts. That in itself is a huge improvement in viability.

It does, however, keep the classic two-stage setup. Partial trigger pull powers the flywheels, while a full pull turns on the pusher and cylinder mechanism.

The blaster, like the last one, is clearly more designed for spraying than praying. There’s a single aiming sight, sticking up in the front, mainly as a directional indicator. The front grip is quite undersized, although Buzz Bee tends to design more for small kids than adults (it does say 6+ in the upper corner of the package). Trying to use it as is, though, contorts the arm close enough to rub against the drum; it’s just poorly designed for anyone but kids, and needed to be angled. The main grip is also similarly child-sized, with a tight grip that pinches the base of the adult thumb if you grip it tightly.

There is a single rail on top, should you have any Buzz Bee attachments. While the shell has comfort issues, it is solidly built.

Performance

With fresh AA batteries, the Powermech fires three darts per second. With the included darts, it averaged 82fps, and slightly less (77fps) with Nerf and Adventure Force darts (which are heavier).

In addition, an old problem reared its ugly head. The Auto Tommy 20 had a tendency to spit darts out along a wide horizontal spread – be it issues with the motors or the ribbed flywheels, darts often didn’t fly straight out the barrel. The same happens here with the Powermech. Granted, better darts will fly straight once they’re launched. But they may not launch toward the target at which you’re aiming.

One more thing to note: the blaster shakes in hand as the cylinder rotates, simply due to the quickly indexing mass. It detracts a bit from accuracy, but adds to the fun of feeling “powerful”. I’m sure that’s more impressive for children.

Internals

The Powermech, like most Buzz Bee blasters, has the orange tip solvent welded in place. Mileage may vary in terms of removal for purposes of opening the blaster.

With slight shaving, the Tommy 20 cage actually fits!

The blaster itself uses the same types of internals as the old blaster, from the connecting contacts in the shell halves to the cheap contact switches mounted under the battery tray. The flywheel cage is a somewhat new design, using different motors (not the usual hobby 130s), but it shares the same mounting points and shell slots as the old Tommy 20 cage. Believe me, I checked.

Among other things, this does mean that a few 3d printed cages should fit (with shell trimming) to allow for blaster upgrades. This becomes even more useful thanks to the blaster using modern darts – the Auto Tommy 20 needed large chunks of the shell removed just to accommodate today’s darts.

Final Verdict

The Powermech is a much-needed update for the Auto Tommy 20 design, but it’s held back by many of the same design issues. That being said, it does fill the nostalgia role quite well, and should easily take more modern updates, thanks to modern-day 3d design and printing. It’s perfect for smaller kids, but not so much for older ones or adults. But if you’re a Buzz Bee fan, you’ll enjoy it – assuming you can find it in a store.

The post Buzz Bee Air Warriors Powermech Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

The original version?

There are a series of designs that have cycled through various brands. As best as I can tell, the original creator in China was Feng Jia Toys, but these blaster have appeared under that brand, World Tech Toys, and various other labels. Now, for this holiday season, the Maxx Action line has a bunch of blasters available at Kohl’s, including one I haven’t seen in the US before. It’s called the Defender, and it’s a decent blaster – it just seems to have a higher price than I can justify for an “off-brand”. On sale, though, it might be worth a look.

Powerbelt Redux

The blaster seriously reminds me of the Dart Zone Powerbolt – I’ll reference Peter’s old review, as well as mine from the old blog. It was a fun blaster, and later editions had the extra cutout in the shell to allow for complete dart compatibility. It didn’t have a trigger, making it purely a slamfire blaster, but for the $20 price, it was fun.

The Defender follows a similar premise – pump-action priming compresses the spring, and advances the belt chain. The difference here is the existence of a trigger, and a selector switch. The user can choose to operate it as a normal blaster, with the spring compressed until the trigger is pulled. You can also flip the switch and make it a pure slamfire blaster. The effect is similar (but not quite identical) to that of the Zombiestrike Scravenger. The firing in this mode occurs at the end of the priming pull. The overall rate of fire isn’t that much higher, but it’s a fun option.

However, at least in my blaster, the selector switch was physically hard to move by hand. Assuming that’s the standard, it’ll be extremely hard for young kids to use it.

The blaster shell itself feels like a different kind of plastic than most blasters, but it feels appropriately thick and contoured; it’s very solid in hand. The main grip is angled and open, designed very much for being held at the hip. There are two “tac rails” of sorts, but with nothing that appears to be compatible with anything Nerf or real steel.

The belt gets loaded via a door at the top. A disc of craft foam makes the seal between the plunger tube and the belt. Note the lack of an air restrictor or valve – the blaster will be dry-firing when not loaded. The belt movement occurs on the priming handle return, as well – in single fire, the belt will move prior to the dart firing, and vice versa in slamfire.

Blaster Performance

The Defender averaged 65fps in my testing, using the included waffle tip darts, with all the darts having decent accuracy. The rate of fire was three darts per second in slamfire, and slightly less in single fire mode. The average isn’t a complete picture, however.

Notably, there was a wide range of dart velocities – I saw readings from 58 to 74. This inconsistency appears to have to do with the belt segments themselves – some are tighter barrels than others, and have better or worse dart fits.

There weren’t any misfires during testing.

Internals

The orange plastic piece going back tilts the priming arm out of the way when slamfire is engaged.

The Defender has familiar internals for anyone who’s played with a Powerbolt. However, the addition of the selector switch makes for two major differences. One, there’s an actual catch piece for the plunger. Two, there’s an additional mechanism inside. If you look at the priming “sled”, there’s a spring-loaded tooth with a ramp at the back. When slamfire is engaged, the orange catch is moved out of the way. At the same time, another orange piece moves forward to interact with the ramp. In this way, the priming sled’s tooth is forced out of the way at the back of the prime, releasing the plunger.

Note before disassembly: four screws are hidden by pop-out panels. The green plastic on the grip and priming handle, as well as a sky blue plastic strip in front of the belt “slot”, all pop out to reveal screws. The orange cap is solvent welded in place.

Final Thoughts

I bought the Defender on sale for $24. For that, I got a fun blaster that, while not the most serious blaster, performed well enough. $30 base price may not be the most appealing, however – especially when other brands have made similar blasters that perform better for less money. If you do decide to make a spur of the moment purchase while shopping for gifts, however, the kid receiving this shouldn’t be disappointed.

The post Maxx Action Defender Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

The “Panther” name is a classic one among NIC modders – the original Buzz Bee blaster with that name was a tiny pistol with a huge air tank for its size. Later models may have shrunk the tank, but the original holds a special place.

Now, Buzz Bee has elected to use that name for another tiny pistol. This time, it’s a tiny springer that aims to displace the Jolt and other similar toys. And at least in price and performance, it exceeds that standard.

Small and Simple

There’s not too much to write about with the Panther. It’s a small blaster, with a tiny handle. In hand, my pinkie finger hangs under it; however, that’s par for the course with blasters this size. Even so, it’s just wide enough to effectively grip and aim, without pinching anything. The trigger pivots at the top. Priming occurs with a rear-primed T-pull. That part is a good choice, because the spring in this blaster is quite strong.

Overall, it’s a solid shell, with plenty of detail in the molding. Interestingly, the entire thing is solvent-welded together. The dart does stick out of the barrel, but not by a lot.

The Panther comes in both a two-pack and a four-pack, depending on retail location.

Performance

The Panther, out of the package, shoots well with the included long distance darts, averaging 63fps. With some Elites on hand, I still averaged 60fps. Rate of fire is, of course, low, as you’d expect from a front-loading blaster. However, it’s still easy to make one shot every two seconds.

Modding Potential and Internals

In this case, I’m going to defer to Mongoose Jake’s video covering the Panther – mainly because I don’t have the patience to try and take this Panther apart. However, if you have the time and patience, you can boost performance into the high 80s fps.

Final Verdict

The Buzz Bee Panther may now be a tiny pistol, but it still packs a punch. At $5 for two (and $10 for 4), that comes down to $2.50 per blaster, with Jolt-beating performance. Even with the cheaper Alpha Strike version on shelves for the same price in bulk, I’d take the slightly friendlier shell and better performance.

The post Buzz Bee Air Warriors Panther (2019) Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

Buzz Bee Toys has had a successful run of Nerf-compatible springers. Starting with the Ultra-Tek line, they made a major move towards compatibility, improving the blasters all along the way. This process has continued, from the Champion to the Reaper, and onwards to the Tactical Storm and other blasters.

Now, with the 2019 product line in full swing, we have things like the Revolution. It’s not as game-changing as the name would suggest, but it doesn’t need to be. If you need an inexpensive, powerful, and reliable mag-fed spring blaster, the Revolution is a great choice. Even if you have adult hands!

Better Blasting

Earlier this year, Buzz Bee had the Night Attack, which served the same functions as the Revolution. It also carried on the tradition of comically undersized handles. With the Revolution, this feature is vastly improved. No awkward angles to pinch the webbing between fingers; no cramped spaces for the hand. It’s still sized for younger kids, of course, but the dimensions are large enough to accommodate adult hands, as well.

The blaster is constructed in typical Buzz Bee fashion – the plastic is slightly thinner than for Nerf, but it’s well contoured, with plenty of textures. It feels plenty strong, with only minimal shell creaking. Overall, it’s better than previous $10 Buzz Bee blasters in terms of comfort.

Blaster usage is as you’d expect; pull the slide back to prime, return it, and press the trigger to fire. To reload, pull the priming handle back, then press the mag release button. Buzz Bee is still using their somewhat awkward button placement, but it’s admittedly something that, with use, you just get used to – and that actually gets easier to use with larger hands (you can grip the magazine and press the button with your thumb at the same time).

The blaster comes with an eight dart magazine and eight long-distance darts.

Performance

The Revolution puts up very good numbers for a stock blaster – I averaged 88fps with the included long distance darts, and 82fps with Nerf Elites. Rate of fire is slow, but plenty acceptable for a spring-powered blaster – I can consistently fire two darts per second. I didn’t have any feeding issues.

Internals

Of course, the typical power plant sits inside the shell. Buzz Bee has a unique affinity for moving plunger tubes, and the Revolution is no exception. Just be mindful of:

• Two screws sit under a snap-on plate on the blaster handle
• One plate snaps in place between the halves of the priming slide
• The orange tip is solvent-welded in place

Otherwise, it’s a simple blaster to rip apart and put back together. If you wish to replace or add springs, however, you’ll likely need to add a washer or wide spring rest of some kind , with a 5/8″ inner diameter to fit over the existing spring rest.

Ending Thoughts

The Revolution doesn’t radically change the game for Buzz Bee, but it does make things more comfortable to use. That in itself is a revolution for the brand. Otherwise, it’s the strong, reliable, mag-fed springer you’d expect, and the perfect base blaster for getting into mag-fed springers.

The post Buzz Bee Air Warriors Revolution Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

Buzz Bee has made a significant push this year on Walmart shelves, with several items under the Adventure Force line. One of them, the Max Morpher, is a unique, folding blaster that’s clearly meant for younger kids. I personally am not a fan of the blaster, but it remains an interesting piece of engineering. It also has great performance and replay value for young children. It’s probably not going to be the enthusiasts’ choice, but for parents? It’s a perfectly fine option.

Not Quite Origami

The Max Morpher doesn’t win any awards for looking pretty. Even so, it has a unique style to it, halfway between a mechanical and an alien motif. It’s also unmistakably a toy, with the giant swaths of red, blue, and orange color.

As advertised, it can be used in one of four ways, based on whether the stock and/or barrel are folded up or extended out. In base form, it’s a large revolver with lots of plastic layered over it. Fully extended, it’s a sort of “sniper”.

Priming the blaster with the handle on top. Notice the hinge point on the priming bar.

In any case, the folding, especially that of the barrel section, requires a unique priming solution. The priming bar has a hinge on it that, at rest, lines up exactly with the barrel’s hinge point. This allows the priming handle to be used both in the folded up and fully extended positions.

The priming handle itself is adequate, although it’s more comfortable to use as a pump grip than a top priming handle. The main grip, meanwhile, is on the smaller side, likely leaving adult hands with a pinkie hanging below it. Even so, it’s a much meatier grip than most Buzz Bee handles, making for a comfortable hold.

The stock is fairly long when extended, but is also hard and angular at the back. It’s clearly meant more for play than for serious use; I say this because the strength needed to prime the blaster isn’t much, so the user doesn’t need to press the blaster into their shoulder to use it. Even so, having a corner of the stock dig into my collarbone isn’t a pleasant feeling. It also loosely rotates on its pivot points and shifts from side to side with slight sideways pressure.

As is the current Buzz Bee trend, the shell has plenty of textured and curved shell parts and feels strong.

Blaster Usage

The blaster comes with ten long distance darts, and indeed has ten barrels to match. The blaster rotates on the prime, but has no priming lock, making it easy to cycle through the barrels while reloading. In addition, you can easily access two barrels on either side, due to curves molded into the shell. These are hard to use, however, when the stock is folded up.

Otherwise, you simple pump and shoot.

Performance

With the included darts, I averaged 82fps, which is quite impressive. In addition, the smooth prime allowed for a firing rate of 2.5 darts per second. I didn’t have a single misfire while testing.

Internals

The Max Morpher uses a similar setup to other Buzz Bee blasters, with a moving plunger tube. However, the plunger does have less travel to it. It also connects directly to the indexing mechanism that rotates the cylinder.

Two screws hold on the barrel cap, but the main challenge is prying open the press-fit plastic hinges on the stock. Once you’ve done this, however, access is relatively easy.

The orange piece at the front is the release for the fold-up barrel.

Conclusion

The Max Morpher is a unique offering from Buzz Bee, with a different focus on play compared to other blasters. It does have decent performance, but given the mass of plastic dedicated purely to the folding gimmick, I imagine it won’t be a favorite for “serious” Nerfers. Younger ones, however, should enjoy it, and the parents will enjoy the price.

The post Adventure Force Max Morpher Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

Buzz Bee Toys takes up a decently large chunk of shelf space at Walmart, thanks to the Adventure Force line. Among their entries this year is a double pack, featuring two blasters and multiple accessories, including magazines that clip together. It’s another item that’s clearly sized for younger kids – but it has the performance you’d expect from modern Buzz Bee blasters. It’s the Arsenal Blaster Pack, and it’s worth a look if you’re trying to arm multiple children.

Two for One

The Arsenal blaster pack comes with two blasters, three magazines, and darts. The first blaster is a pistol, not unlike the Air Warriors Revolution. My opinion there largely stands with this blaster, with one exception: I actually like the aggressive shapes on this blaster compared to the Revolution. It looks mean, but is balanced out by the blue and neon green color scheme. It also has a slightly larger main grip than the Revolution, and is amazingly comfortable.

The “sniper rifle”, meanwhile, comes with a scope accessory that’s largely cosmetic, but great for pretend play. Again, seeing as this kit is geared for small children, it has some issues in adult hands. The handle is simply awkward to use, and the short stock is pointless unless you decide to press the blaster against your shoulder and only use your trigger finger (not gripping the back at all). That being said, the bolt action is easy to grip, with an easy prime. A ball at the end would have been a more comfortable option, though.

Both blasters have a top-mounted rail that’s compatible with existing Buzz Bee attachments.

Clipped Together

Starting this fall, many of Buzz Bee’s magazine-fed blasters shipped with new magazines. They work the same as the old versions, with one significant difference: molded attachment points allow users to make their own “jungle mags”, instead of using tape or some other connection method. In theory, you could connect as many magazines as you wanted, regardless of practicality. In practice, two or three magazines is the most you’ll probably use, with the free magazine being loaded on the fly during play.

Blaster Performance

Both blasters averaged 75fps with the included darts – not quite as hard-hitting as some other Buzz Bee blasters, but well within expectations. Rate of fire, of course, differs greatly. The pistol can put out two darts per second, while the other blaster can do one dart per second if you’re really pushing it.

Of the two blasters, the pistol is more useful, but it may not be the first choice for the little foam blaster in your life.

Internals

As noted, the pistol is essentially the same as the Revolution. So for this review, I’ll just take apart the second blaster. It’s set up in similar fashion to previous bolt-action blasters like the Alpha Rogue, but with the added space for a dart magazine. The plunger tube is somewhat smaller in diameter than other magazine-fed Buzz Bee blasters. This may impact efforts to replace the spring, should you choose to go that route.

Final Opinion

The Arsenal Blaster Pack in a hard-hitting, inexpensive option for arming multiple kids, even if one blaster (the pistol) is clearly superior to the other in usefulness. In terms of play value, however, it’s a great choice for just $20.

The post Adventure Force Arsenal Blaster Pack Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

The Mutator is a blaster that held out on US entry for over a year; it was first seen at Toy Fair 2018, but started with sales in Europe. After promising sales numbers, though, it was able to make it to Target stores in the US this year. Now, it’s going to be marked down 50% for Black Friday, so what better time for a review?

The Mutator is a unique blaster, with its dual magazines and simply massive size. It’s a fun concept that, while not perfect, is plenty of fun for the right price.

Large and in Charge

The Mutator is huge, and it’s hard to overemphasize that. If you’re looking for a blaster that does close quarters, this isn’t the blaster you’re looking for. Even for an adult, it’s a hard blaster to properly shoulder and hold, with the front grip being all the way out front. Smaller kids may find themselves trying to grip one of the dual magazines instead.

Internal shot of the magazine wells.

On that note, the major reason for the extreme length is the fact that the Mutator has two magazine wells! After pulling the bolt back, the user can swap magazines by either extending or retracting the barrel. This moves the magazines up or down in relation to the breech. Thus, as advertised, you can have one clip full of long range darts, or choose a different clip filled with precision darts. You can then easily release and drop out empty magazines as needed for reloading. Do note, however, that the deep magazine wells rule out compatibility with large numbers of Nerf magazines, including drums.

The blaster also comes with a removable stock that swivels into place before locking. One long tactical rail sits on top for Buzz Bee accessories you may have collected, and a tiny flip-up sight pops out when the barrel is extended. The main grip is large and comfortable, much better than other Buzz Bee blasters.

The blaster itself feels great. It’s just…large.

Blaster Use and Performance

Operating the blaster does take slightly longer due to the bolt-action nature. However, dues to the dual magazines, it also has a lot farther to travel! Even so, only about half of that travel is actually dedicated to priming the blaster, so it’s easy to use even for kids. Expect one dart per second at most.

In terms of dart velocity, the Mutator did well, averaging 81fps overall (84 with the long distance darts, and 78 with the Precise Pro darts). Indeed, the long distance darts are lighter, and can make the full 100ft as advertised, but without much accuracy. The Precise Pro darts, meanwhile, are much more accurate but have slightly less range. Interesting that Buzz Bee has taken the “Eilte dart v. Accustrike” argument and actively turned it into a “choose your play style” situation. Even so, I’d just get accurate darts in bulk, and just swap out empty magazines as you go.

Internals

The Mutator isn’t completely surprising on the inside – it just has to double up on a few more things due to the extra magazine. The release button has to span two magazines, etc. The bolt goes halfway back before it starts priming the plunger rod – there’s no extended plunger tube here, or room for it, in spite of the large shell. I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone try and make it happen, though.

Do note that a few parts will want to pop out of place on reassembly.

Last Thoughts

The Mutator is a fun, if unusual, blaster. The dual magazine setup does make for better sustained rate of fire, and the fun of a bolt-action blaster adds to the experience. However, the large size does impact the blaster’s usability and handling. Even so, if you’re looking for that “giant sniper” experience with good power, the Mutator will work wonderfully. Especially if you’re buying it at half price.

The post Buzz Bee Air Warriors Mutator Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

Buzz Bee has made a habit of producing inexpensive clip-fed blasters. This includes longer formats like the Agitator (or its Walmart equivalent, the Adventure Force Frantic Fury – the same thing in a slightly different shell). The Agitator makes some nice improvements over the previous Thermal Hunter and Interceptor, making for a solid stock loaner at the very least.

Pump Action Blasting

The main draw of the Agitator, of course, is the primary-like setup, like you’d see in an Alpha Trooper or similar blaster. Prime with the pump grip, fire with your dominant hand. It does, of course, come with a few extras for enhancing kids’ play – the screw-in barrel can be removed and mounted like a scope. Admittedly, though, a large chunk of readers won’t actually care about that.

The Agitator also features an extendable stock. In its most compact setting, it’s useless and can get in the way of your hand; this is mainly just for storage. There are two settings beyond that, with comfort depending on the size of the user. The stock flexes a bit, but is otherwise quite sturdy and will take a significant amount of force without collapsing.

The grip is somewhat of an improvement on previous blasters – it’s long enough to fit most people’s fingers around without them hanging off. I do wish it was thicker, but it is sufficient, and doesn’t pinch your hand anywhere.

The plastic isn’t quite as nice as Nerf uses, with lots of creaking, but the many contours and moldings help to give the blaster more strength. I do like the cartoony “machine” motif it uses, a fun departure from the plain shells and “fiesta” looks of previous blasters. In terms of usability, I do wish the pump grip was larger, or had more contours for grip. The many bumps in the plastic are sufficient, but those with larger hands will be wishing for a better option.

As per usual, magazines are inserted far forward of the main grip, with a button sticking down for their release. The blaster comes with two of the new “jungle mags” that can clip together, making reloading even faster.

Performance

The Agitator makes for a sold platform out of the box, firing its long distance darts at around 84fps average (standard darts still hit 80fps). The pump action is smooth, and it’s easy to fire two darts per second. There is no slam-fire on the blaster.

I didn’t have any issues with jams while using the Agitator.

Internals

The Agitator maintains the same internals from the Thermal Hunter and Interceptor, including the plastic priming arm on one side of the shell. This does limit modification potential due to excessive force making that arm flex. There is a screw with a wide head that secures the arm in place, however. Whether this helps to alleviate any bending concerns remains to be seen.

Final Thoughts

The Buzz Bee Agitator is a solid evolution for their pump-action blasters. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but when it comes to performance on a budget, it fits the bill. After all, $20 is $20.

The post Buzz Bee Air Warriors Agitator Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

I usually review blasters and the like, not actual events. However, since Hasbro has partnered with Kilburn Live to make the Nerf Challenge event, it seemed like a good thing to write about after experiencing.

To be clear, I did have an invite to the earlier media party at the LA Nerf Challenge – I simply couldn’t make it due to my regular job. However, thanks to some really cheap overnight flights, I was able to spend a few hours experiencing the Nerf Challenge as a customer. Is it something worth flying to? Probably not; I’m just weird like that, and it’s a touring event anyway. Should you try it if it’s nearby? Possibly. It will be a fun time, but it all depends on what you’re looking for and willing to pay.

See the official website here.

Taking over LA Live

The Nerf Challenge takes up over 50,000 square feet on the LA Live Event Deck – most of it is in what is essentially a giant event tent. A few items like the Human Foosball were outside, but most of the exhibit is contained in the structure. Walking in, you’re faced with lines on the right for getting wristbands and such, and a few employees handing out protective eyewear. Nice touch.

After getting in, you’re faced with lots of fun and games; events like human bowling, the basketball shooting booth, and several blaster ranges await. They don’t take too long to do (individually), but there are quite a few of them.

Also, THE BOWLING IS RIGGED, I ONLY GOT FOUR PINS! (That’s a joke)

Even so, the real excitement is a short walk farther, with the various blaster arenas.

CTF, Team Deathmatch, Free For All, and…Ultra?

• CTF Footage
• Blast Man Standing Footage

The arenas are fun, as you’d expect, and they aim for essentially an even playing field for everyone involved. The Rival-based arena, Strange Cargo, issues everyone a Hypnos. Games go for five minutes, with respawns turned off for the last minute. Meanwhile, Blast Man Standing gives everyone a Triad and makes them grab their ammo from the arena (with a couple hidden Disruptors). In that game, there are 25 revives total, with all tags after #25 being permanent. Dodge Blast pits attackers and defenders against each other with Mega blasters, with the attackers pushing to hit various targets. Finally, the Capture the Flag game occurs in the Urban Playground – everyone gets a Disruptor, and tries to grab both flags from the other side of the arena.

The Rival Arena worked well, with everyone playing the entire time (and reloading off the floor as needed). Blast Man Standing also ran well, with easy instructions and lots of adults just having a fun time. Dodge Blast as a format worked, but had technical difficulties – the targets weren’t registering correctly, so scoring was disabled. Capture the Flag, however, needed some tweaking. Obviously kids are going to shoot at each other regardless, but the rules that day followed standard, in person capture the flag rules, including being immune to tags unless past a certain point. That works in a large space with people running around. With entire teams armed with blasters with range, not so much. Also, there were only two real corridors of movement between the two sides, limiting any sort of tactics to “hope they fire all their darts and have to run off to the refill station”.

But What About Nerf Ultra???

I didn’t take any pictures here, as (for the three hours I was there, anyway) it wasn’t operational! I know, jokes will ensue, but in terms of promotional events, I’m sure it’ll be effective. Each Nerf Challenge stop (other cities will be visited) will have its own Ultra Championship that attendees can enter. The best scoring players will get invited back at the end of the city run for a shot to win $5000.

Overall Thoughts

The event itself was a lot of fun – I was surrounded by everyone from families to youth groups to adult friends hanging out and just having a good time. It’s obviously a more casual affair than the games I usually attend, but still fun, with lots of little things to do between blaster battles – including stopping at the pop-up Nerf shop.

Is it worth attending? That’s a harder question to answer, because the prices are up there. Using rough ballpark numbers here, 3 hours of Active Play plus one blaster arena game comes out to $30, and you can buy more arena play on-site. VIP tickets, with 3 hours of play anywhere (plus VIP lines for faster access) are $80. That’s a high price to ask of anyone. I’m spoiled by having so many nearby Nerfers that do wars in the park on weekends, and I know of so many places with already-established Nerf battle businesses that charge far less for more play time against other people. However, a sizable but spread out Midwestern city is a far different environment than downtown Los Angeles in terms of play opportunity. I know I sound like I’m trying to put a positive spin on the situation, but I can genuinely see people that live in the area wanting to spend a few hours doing official blaster battles and activities with the kids or other fans. And I can only assume that future Nerf Challenge stops will also be in densely populated areas.

Is it fun? Yes. Is it worth the hole in the wallet? Your mileage may vary, especially if you have to travel many miles to get there.

One Final Note…

Apparently my leaving Los Angeles coincided perfectly with a Santa Con. This was definitely not part of the official Nerf event.

The post Nerf Challenge Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

It’s supposed to come out at the beginning of 2020. However, supply chains being like they are, sometimes things arrive early. To that end, we have the Fortnite SMG-E. It is, at the most basic level, a Stryfe. Even so, for $30 it’s also an inexpensive one, if you don’t mind ditching compatibility with accessories. Also, being goofy and useful gets point in my book.

Size Matters? Perhaps Not

The SMG-E is functionally the same as the AR-L (and its various reissues) – it’s a Stryfe in operation. In this case, though, we ditch the giant shell for something more compact. In this case, a more colorful recreation of the in-game Tactical SMG. It’s easy recognizable for Fortnite fans, but with all the Nerfy proportions and colors that a blaster toy requires. The blaster does come with a custom six-dart magazine and six darts, and needs 4 AAs to function.

The blaster has no regular attachment points – no rails, no barrel attachment lugs, etc. You can, however, use the various cosmetic parts as sling points. There is a jam door; imply lift up on the grey tab above the magazine to access the inside of the blaster if needed.

The blaster is light in hand, and comfortable to hold – the largest hands might have to rest a pinkie over the lower ridge in the grip. Otherwise, I can’t think of any real complaints about handling the blaster. Just pull the rev trigger to spin up the flywheels, and use the main trigger to fire darts at the target.

Performance

My SMG-E seemed to perform especially well compared to other semiauto Nerf blasters – averaging 77fps on fresh alkaline batteries. I’ll have to handle another to see if mine was an outlier. That being said, it’s great performance. As usual with semiauto electric blasters, you can manage three darts per second easily – but on alkaline batteries and with little time to recover, successive shots will lag.

Modification Potential

And here we are at that one fun corner of the hobby! The guts of the SMG are mounted on the opposite side of the blaster compared to most other similar Nerf items. The cage itself is shaped slightly differently, with wider wheels. It does however, share the same screw post spacing as the Nerf Stryfe. Just, you know, mounted on the opposite side of the blaster. Stryfe cages can be made to work, but depending on the design may need spacers of some kind to alight them correctly within the blaster.

Final Opinion

The Nerf Fortnite SMG-E is a fun blaster for starting out the new year. It’s a Stryfe, yes, but in a fun, comfortable new skin. It’s also at a surprisingly nice price. Unless you’re (for some reason) desperate to use various attachments with your blasters, the SMG-E makes for an excellent addition to the collection.

The post Nerf Fortnite SMG-E Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

The early 2020 blasters are arriving just in time for Christmas! I did happen to get one of these sent to me by Hasbro for free (which means I now have two, since I ordered one at Target). Naturally, having an extra one just means I can open it up and do things to it!

The Rival MXX-1200 Charger it Nerf’s newest semi-auto ball blaster, following the Zeus and Hera before it. Instead of using external magazines, however, it opts to feature an internal 12-round magazine. It’s a comfortable and handy blaster, and should be great for anyone playing in indoor settings or who prefers refilling from a pouch.

This Looks Kinda Familiar?

The Charger, as many have noted online, bears a striking resemblance to the real-life P90, at least in setup. The main handle and trigger sit forward, with a long stock/ammo magazine in the back (and a thumbhole in between). The front of the blaster is solid, with a raised tactical rail sitting above the flywheels. The lower front plastic serves as a basic hand hold for the off hand. The batteries (6 “C” alkalines, not included) sit in the stock, under the magazine. With the battery weight in the back, the blaster feels well balanced and easy to maneuver.

The only real paint decoration on the blaster is the “Rival” on the battery door.

Also of note: the blaster actually comes with enough rounds to fill it twice.

Rival ammo is loaded in the top of the blaster, with a sliding door that pulls back the magazine follower (this aspect is borrowed from the Artemis and Hades). There’s also a jam door located on the right side of the blaster, connected to its own safety switch. Interestingly, the entire system is biased to the the right side of the blaster, down to the barrel (which is clearly offset). This not only leaves room for the motors up front, but also for the rest of the moving parts (like the ball feed mechanism) on the left half of the blaster. It doesn’t affect performance in any way – it’s just an interesting way to set up the blaster. Of course, a manual trigger safety sits below the main trigger.

Overall, the shell is extremely comfortable and easy to use, especially in tight quarters. Admittedly, there’s not much style in making a boxy blaster; even the stock is just “there”, without much thought put into the shape. Even so, the proportions make everything work. The one major area of discomfort is the rev trigger – it’s relatively small, and the plastic surrounding it may make it uncomfortable for larger fingers to hold down.

Performance

Performance is what you’d expect from a batter-powered Rival blaster. Both blasters, with fresh batteries, averaged 98fps (compared to the 95fps claim on the box). There is a slight delay needed to fully spool up the motors after each shot for consistent velocity. Even so, it’s easy to shoot three balls per second if you’re more worried about rate of fire.

Interesting how they specifically claimed 95fps when most electric blasters up to this point have claimed 100.

Internals and Modification

This is a Rival blaster – inevitably, people will rewire them. Myself included!

Stock blaster internals.

After a rewire, with a 3S Lipo battery and the use of a MOSFET.

The internals are straightforward, like any other semi-auto Nerf blaster. The rev trigger sends power to the flywheels from the battery, and the jam door safety cuts power as needed. After a rewire, my second blaster averaged 126fps. It also became extremely loud from the extra vibrations in the shell. Keep that in mind!

Final Thoughts

The Rival Charger is essentially an update to the classic Zeus platform. This time, however, it’s a generally comfortable (if plain and boxy) blaster that feeds from an internal magazine you can top off during battle. It’s a no-nonsense blaster fit for indoor arenas and reloading with loose ammo. If that’s your style of play, you’ll especially enjoy the Charger. It’s also at a decent price of $35 to start (the Zeus started at $50, and the Hera at $60).

Admittedly, I’m hesitant to rate this any higher – I still personally see the Dart Zone Velocity (as well as the related and still available Accelerator) as the best semi-auto Rival type blaster. However, time and the next war will determine how that stands, and I’ll edit this review accordingly!

The post Nerf Rival Charger Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

Author note: after purchasing one, a free sample did get sent in the mail from Hasbro. Thanks!

We’ve had several “Rival shotgun” platforms come out this past year. The Adventure Force Liberator appeared online at Walmart, and then the Xshot Chaos Orbit became available in the fall. Now, Nerf puts out the Takedown at the end of the year. It’s a solid, Kronos-based blaster, As such, it’s a fun, reliable option for running light – as long as you have a good grip on it.

Smooth Operator

The Takedown, like the Rival Charger, is a fairly plain shell with smooth surfaces. It’s surprisingly comfortable to hold; the angled main grip is wide, but not too wide. The pump grip, meanwhile, is wide and can handle an entire adult hand. This, however, is the one real weak point of the design; being smooth, and only having a small ridge at the back, it’s easy for sweaty hands to slip on if you’re not careful.

The blaster has all the things you’d expect from a Rival blaster: a stiff spring, a nice trigger pull, and a nearby safety switch and repriming tab, in case of jams. There is an extended tactical rail on top of the blaster, in case you want to mount something like a red dot sight. However, that may interfere with normal operations like reloading, if improperly placed. Use the space at your own leisure, and be mindful.

Speaking of reloading, the blaster holds (and comes with) eight Rival balls. It loads in the same fashion as the Kronos, Jupiter, Heracles, and other blasters. It’s essentially a pump-action Overwatch Reaper blaster, just without the styling and expense. As with recent blaster releases, there is no loading door to move out of the way (an improvement from the Kronos). You simply have to prime the blaster to open access to the internal magazine.

Performance

The Rival Takedown performs rather well – my Takedowns averaged 96fps, better than the advertised 90fps. The rate of fire is, at best, two balls per second; the blaster has no “slam-fire” feature for faster firing.

Internals

The Takedown looks largely as expected on the inside. The plunger tube and magazine act as a single unit, moving back and forth within the shell a small distance to allow reloading. I would expect the blaster to be able to take similar spring upgrades to the Kronos, However, do be mindful that the blaster is already under some stress due to the spring being pre-compressed. You may need to prime the blaster first prior to reassembly.

Final Thoughts

The Takedown is a fun, easy-to-use platform for running light at a war. It’s simple to operate and reload, and at $20 is a nice deal as well. It doesn’t have quite the capacity of other blasters at its price point, but it does a fine job regardless. Presumably, blue ones will be available in the future – at the moment, only red is available.

The post Nerf Rival Takedown Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

As many of you may have noticed, I try to score blasters relative to their “class”. It’s the reason you could have a rapid-fire Rival blaster and a small, clip-fed pistol with the same score; they fill different roles, and thus should be scored independently of each other. However, there’s really nothing on the market to compare this next product to, so forgive me if I struggle with subjective judgement!

Little Tikes, in an interesting move, has made several “My First Mighty Blasters” products. They launch large soft ammo at low ranges, with the play idea that each shot is a different kind of power. The base model, the Boom Blaster, fires one “Power Pod” at a time with a simple, pull-back launch system. And considering the intended audience…it’s pretty good!

Made For Kids – Little Kids

This series of blasters is designed specifically for toddlers, with bright, cartoonish designs, oversized ammo, and no triggers or large amounts of stored energy. In many ways, it’s similar to Hasbro’s Koosh Galaxy line from 2012. Those, of course, used modern versions of the foam ballistic ball. (Coincidentally, you can fire those balls from these blasters for comparable distance, if you have some on hand)

The Boom Blaster (and its brethren) fire colorful, stitched fabric bags filled with stuffing – not quite hackysacks, as they’re soft throughout. These Power Pods, as they’re called, are simply stuffed into the barrel. Once there, the user can hold the blaster in one hand, and operate the pull handle with the other. At the end of travel, an internal catch will release, launching the Power Pod.

There is, in fact, a safety mechanism in the barrel. When ammo of appropriate size is loaded, a tab on the side of the barrel is depressed. That lines up a few parts internally, allowing the user to pull back the launch sled. Yes, sled. The blaster fires my simply impacting the ammo from the rear! No plunger tube or any other mechanism of that sort.

The Boom Blaster comes with three Power Pods: Red Fireball, Missile Launch, and a secret, third one (in my case, Lightning Storm). Use the imagination of the three year old inside you! Also note the punch-out monster target on the back of the package.

Overall the blaster feels solidly built; while the handles are undersized for an adult, that’s not the target audience. For the couple toddlers I had access to in the apartment complex, the blaster was perfectly sized.

Performance

The Boom Blaster, as a toddler toy, only claims 12′ ranges, and at an angle, it does in fact make it to 12′ consistently. I didn’t bother trying to chronograph the blaster, for obvious reasons. If you’re fast about it, you can fire off a Power Pod every two seconds. Of course, the average toddler probably won’t do it that fast.

The main issue for toddlers will be getting down aiming and angling for range at the same time. Once they pick that up, however, things improve greatly. I think it’s just a matter of how far along they are on hand-eye coordination. And possibly improving on it.

Internals

If you were wondering about the innards of the blaster, here they are. Mainly, they’re a curiosity for us tinkerers. It’s all powered by extension springs, sitting on either side of the “sled”. The pull handle is a separate piece from the sled, and has to connect via an internal catch – one that only engages if the safety in the barrel is pressed down.

Just an interesting thing to look at!

Final Opinion

Obviously, for grown-up blaster enthusiasts like myself, the Mighty Blasters are a bit underpowered. They’re also a fun challenge to try and use at an actual Nerf war. For the target audience, however, they’re quite nice. The Boom Blaster is a bright, well-built blaster that’s safe for little kids, and encourages some imagination as they fling their Power Pods about, being superheroes. It’s at least a fun step until they’re ready for harder-hitting toys when they get older.

The post Little Tikes Mighty Blasters Boom Blaster Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

It’s perhaps a bit late for that holiday shopping, but we may as well post a “Best of” list for products released this year (at least officially, see below). There are outstanding products in all categories, from darts to ball blasters and beyond. Read on and see what you might want to pick up in the post-holiday clearance rush!

Notes on Eligibility and Such

For the purposes of this list, we are limiting it to blasters released from December of 2018 through November of 2019. This helps cover early product releases that creep onto shelves year. It also gives time to accurately judge a blaster, in case it does actually release at the end of the year. As much as the Adventure Force Double Trouble could have stolen the show for 2018, for example, having extra time to see if problems develop is a good thing. For that blaster, the only problem was the sheer number of good blasters that Dart Zone put out in 2019 (don’t worry, it still gets a mention).

Speaking of Dart Zone, we’re also going to mention another elephant in the room – the need for this list to cover readily available blaster products, as opposed to limited edition runs. Yes, that means the Dart Zone Pro Mk-1 won’t be included on the list, even though it was an amazing blaster. With a limited marketing budget and a test run of 1000 units, Dart Zone pulled off a great, high performance product that, while not without flaws, was a big step in showing the viability of such well-made blasters. It’s also not something a parent is going to be able to easily buy off the internet now. However, with extra darts and magazines available from Dart Zone’s website, it’ll be interesting to see the future of the line, and we’ll be sure to throw up information if and when Mk-2 happens!

And now, to the list!

Best Rival Blasters

By far, the top ball blaster of the year is the Nerf Rival Perses. The hopper is small but manageable, the shell is comfy, and the rechargeable battery helps give it the power it needs to maintain both a high rate of fire and high velocities. It debuted at $100, but you should be able to find it for less on a regular basis. If somehow you haven’t grabbed a Rival blaster this year, it’s a good addition to the blaster collection.

Beyond that, there were several good releases. The Adventure Force Liberator and Xshot Chaos Orbit both made for inexpensive, pump-action blasters that, while flawed, provided a great blaster for the price and size. As well, if you’re looking for something small to play around with (or mod), there’s always the Nerf Rival Knockout. It’s a slightly different animal, but worth consideration. Finally, if you want to try being the “sniper” and have a cool target to boot, the Nerf Rival Edge Jupiter is worth a shot. It’s not as useful in a war, but for playtime and plinking, it’s a great toy.

There’s also always the Nerf Rival Heracles, if you want another Kronos, but different!

Best Dart Blasters – Large

Let’s face it – by far, most blasters use darts. As such, we’re going to have to divide the lot up somewhat subjectively in order to tackle them all. As such, we’ll start with the “large” releases – blasters generally meant for two-handed use or large capacity that can serve as a lone primary for the user. To that end…Dart Zone largely takes the cake.

The Adventure Force Savage Spin was an amazing addition to the 2019 lineup, with stellar power, capacity, and ease of use off the shelf. It was by far the best stock dart blaster you could buy, with potential for any war or HvZ game. A close second and third are the Dart Zone Destructor and the Adventure Force V-Twin, respectively. Sadly, things like the Nerf Titan just didn’t pan out – large, expensive, and hard to use doesn’t make for a good blaster, even if it does look like a minigun.

Give Nerf a little bit of credit, though – I personally loved the Fortnite AR-L. But that’s mainly my bias from being able to stick multiple flywheel cages in it. Still a fun blaster to use in stock form – and they have multiple colors now!

Also, the Nerf Mega Megalodon was everything a Mega Blaster should be – good capacity, plenty of power, and a fun, oversized mechanism!

Best Dart Blasters – Small

Here we get into the smaller “pistols”, and here we find a bit more diverse landscape of “the best”.

There were many standout pistol-sized blasters, some magazine-fed, some not. Items like the Buzz Bee Air Warriors Revolution gave excellent performance for a good price (and fixed Buzz Bee’s tiny grip problem). Others like the Nerf Zombie Strike Quadrot went with a simple, small concept and executed it well; the Alpha Strike Fang then did it cheaper (even with the comfort issues). It stretches the sategory, but the 20-shot Adventure Force Double Trouble made for a great little semi-auto blaster.

Other

Finally, there are things that aren’t dart or ball blasters, but are related – super soakers, bows, and the like. Out of all these, the clear standout is the Zing HyperStrike Bow. You can hit those massive ranges, and with practice hit targets (or opponents) consistently. Just wear eye protection and don’t aim for fragile objects, okay?

The post Blasterhub’s Best of 2019 appeared first on Blaster Hub.

Editor’s note: This other Brian guy keeps building and writing things. I should probably make him account at some point…Also, it comes at a time when I’m busy, and having a second Caliburn opinion never hurt. Especially for a different setup!

Hey everyone! It’s Brian’s ghost writer here (also Brian).  I had the pleasure of assembling a Rival U-Channel Caliburn when the hardware kits went on sale for cyber Monday.  I wanted a rival Caliburn because I have Caliburns that shoot harder than 200 fps, and a multitude of blasters for hvz/low fps games, but nothing that sat in the middle.  Also, owning a Jupiter, I wanted another excuse to bring Rival magazines.  I figured a Rival U-channel Caliburn would also be useful as my difficulties could help air out issues that lead to revisions so future U-channel Caliburns are more functional.

Build

I purchased a hardware kit with k25 spring and metal ramrod from Captain Slug, and had a friend print me the 3d printed parts. All parts were printed at 20% infill and they seem to be holding together.  Assembly was very intuitive just by looking at pictures and occasionally following along with the instructions.  I only had the Elite U-channel Caliburn instructions to work off of, but it was more than enough.  Sometimes I needed to put my weight onto a part to seat it into the right spot along the U-channel but ultimately everything went together with ease. The U-channels make it less wobbly in the middle unlike a traditional Caliburn that uses six threaded rods and is divided down the middle.  These channels do not flex, and the screws so far have not gotten loose.  Since there is only the barrel, bars, and U-channels, the pump grip does have maybe 15 degrees of rotation around the barrel but this isn’t hindering performance at all. It’s just slightly strange, and could probably be fixed with an upper rail.

Performance

Well, with a k25 spring and metal ramrod, it goes THOOMP right in my ear and I never grow tired of the sound.  It is advertised to hit 160 fps with metal bolt and k25. I don’t have a chronograph to test that, but I do know that with the hop up, denser rounds can travel up to 90 feet, and less dense shots and shots without hop-up travel about 60 feet and then promptly dive into the earth.  Accuracy does escape this blaster past 50 feet however.  Maybe I just need to get better with the hopup and use more consistent ammo?  Maybe a cool trick shoot would be firing parallel to the ground and seeing if you can hit a target ten feet in the air, and maybe two feet in either direction?

Final Thoughts

It’s a bit hefty with the U-Channels, but the rigidity is well worth it. Assembly will be as easy as your prints are precise.  I can’t wait to see what comes of the U-channel caliburn designs in the future.  I do recommend a U channel caliburn if you are on the fence about whether to do that or traditional caliburn, regardless of ammo type.  Maybe wait a bit for the designs to be more refined, but if you’re itching for one RIGHT NOW, you won’t be disappointed.

For $120 I was able to get the parts and the kit from the various sources, which I think is well worth it.

The post U-Channel Caliburn Build and Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

Hasbro likes to do specialty line releases with various retailers – Gamestop has first dibs on the Overwatch blasters, Walmart gets Battlecamo, etc. In Target’s case, one of those specialty lines is the Icon Series, a line of previously popular blasters that have been rereleased and (supposedly) updated for the modern blaster era. Leading the pack is the Stampede, Nerf’s big clip-fed automatic blaster from 2010. While it does seem to have better performance, it also comes with less, and costs more than the original. If you’re a collector (or feeling nostalgic), you’ll still love the blaster, especially on sale. If you purely want modern performance for a good price, however, you may end up looking elsewhere.

A Classic Reborn

I remember my first Stampede – it landed on Walmart shelves a few days earlier than the intended release date, and I brought it with me to an NIC game in Canada, The results were hilarious, as we all tried to hit people with clouds of streamline darts that had no accuracy whatsoever. Even so, for regular use, it was a major improvement, having a full-auto blaster fed by magazines. Even if it was a big, heavy blaster.

Today’s version is largely the same. There have been a few touch-ups – it now fires Elite darts (still inaccurate, but nowhere near as bad as streamlines). The Tactical Rails use the modern sloped locking teeth instead of the old, spring-based variety. It also uses the original ECS-50 logo in front, a nod to its original legacy; the Stampede was originally supposed to release with a 50-rd drum, and when that didn’t happen, later production runs omitted the 50 in the name.

As before, the 6 “D” batteries in the tray make for a heavy blaster, even with them sitting in the stock. But for a large, heavy, utilitarian blaster, it’s comfortable to use. The handle is large and comfortable, with plenty of room for hands of all sizes. The front is comfortable to grip. Turning the blaster on and off is as easy as flicking a lever with your thumb.

This Stampede still includes a shield attachment, but lacks the original bipod grip, as well as the additional mags of the original.

Using the Blaster

The blaster is easy enough to use, with a trigger pull resulting in the delayed firing of one dart – since the system is priming and firing all on its own, it does need some time. But once the trigger is released, the system will complete a cycle and stop, making it easy to do single shots or full auto. Simply hold down the trigger as long as you like to fire as many darts as you want.

For those familiar with airsoft, this is a similar sort of electronic geared system for firing projectiles, just scaled for Nerf darts.

Performance

The Stampede I bought had respectable performance compared to modern blasters, averaging 62fps with Nerf Elite darts. Not quite as fast as plenty of other, cheaper blasters, but respectable. It also consistently fired at three darts per second. With extended use, a reduced rate of fire will be the easiest way to tell if you need to change out the batteries.

There is a large jam door if you need it, but I never had any issues.

Internals

http://modworks.blogspot.com/2010/07/nerf-stampede-internals-guide.html

The Stampede is beloved among modders. Can other blasters do more? Certainly. But the fun complexity of the internals, plus the feel and sound of the blaster priming and firing, means there are plenty of dedicated fans.

I ended up not needing to photograph the internals, because they’re essentially the same. The switch on the side serves as a master on/off, and the trigger serves to start a cycle of gears and moving parts. Once the trigger is pressed and the system begins to move, a secondary switch is pressed internally. This switch keeps power supplied throughout the cycle to complete it, even if the trigger is released.

The plunger is smaller than that of a Longshot, but still large compared to many modern spring-powered blasters.

Final Opinions

The Icon Series Stampede is a fun piece of nostalgia, updated slightly to make it not completely inferior to other modern blasters. But it also comes at a cost – $70 MSRP is nothing to sneeze at, especially when the original retailed for $50 and came with more things. But if you find it on sale and have a place for it in the collection, it should make you happy. Just be aware that, if you’re chasing performance, better options exist.

The post Nerf Icon Series Stampede Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

The Rival Overwatch series has to juggle being both a prop (for game fans and cosplay) and a functional Nerf blaster. Sometimes, the balance works, with items like the D.Va Blaster being both close to the in-game model and decently good for battle. Other times, it just doesn’t work as well. The Soldier 76 blaster falls under the latter category. It’s a great looking prop, but performance is severely hampered, and the blaster is simply uncomfortable to use. It may be a great prop, but it’s not a great blaster. Such is the problem you sometimes encounter translating video game models to real life.

Overwatch, or Oversized?

The Soldier 76 blaster is insanely long and heavy. When loaded with 6 “D” batteries, it approaches ten pounds. That’s only the beginning of the story, though. In the effort to match the video game model,we’re left with a thin, uncomfortable grip with awkwardly placed triggers, and a stock that’s essentially useless.

There are nicer touches around the rest of the blaster, including lights that power up when you rev the motors. When firing, two plastic assemblies on the sides of the blaster move back and forth for a recoil effect.

In addition, the Gamestop package includes a visor. While it looks cool, it’s certainly not effective as eyewear for gameplay, due to the distorted shape of the visor.

Overall, it’s extremely close to the game model. But doing so left us with a blaster that is uncomfortable in most aspects, even if it looks cool.

Using the Blaster

The Soldier 76 blaster is, to best put it, a neutered Perses setup. The top slides open to reveal a 30-ball hopper, with a conveyor belt at the bottom. That’s all the room there is, due to the need for model accuracy and other practical reasons. The blaster will not operate unless the hopper door is closed.

Pressing the rev trigger powers the flywheel motors, and turns on the lights. Pressing the main trigger activates the ammo conveyor belt, and also cycles the “recoil” effects on the sides of the blaster.

Performance

The first shot of the blaster averages around 89fps, which is acceptable for a Rival blaster advertising 90fps ranges. However, full-auto usage results in severely bogged down motors; successive shots are severely underpowered. This is disappointing, given how well Nerf has done other hopper-fed Rival blasters.

In addition, the thin hopper plus the slow rate of fire makes for inconsistent feed rates. This blaster takes more shaking than the Perses to empty the hopper. It ends up averaging three balls per second.

Finally, note a disconnect between blaster effects and actual ball launching – due to the nature of the hopper system, you can not fire anything, but still see and feel the recoil happening. It makes it feel less effective, at least, when the blaster is active but nothing is coming out of the barrel.

Internals

If you open up the blaster, you’ll first need to poke thin metal pins or Allen keys into the recoiling plastic pieces – this unlatches them to allow full disassembly.

The blaster is essentially a Perses internally, but with lots of extras due to the lights and effects.

Final Thoughts

I get the need for game-accurate props, but the Soldier 76 blaster was perhaps one that needed more thinking. At $120, it ends up being a giant piece of plastic with questionable performance, at least not without completely rewiring and redoing the internals yourself. Had the blaster been able to maintain performance in full-auto, it might have been more appealing. Instead, its intended use results in weak shots, making it hard to hit anything.

If you’re a fan of it as a prop, you’ll have to wait for a good sale – outside of a ~$20 price error when it first released, the best you’ll usually see is $60. And at that price, you can sometimes find a Perses on sale, a clearly superior blaster.

The Soldier 76 blaster just isn’t good, and if you’re that worried about getting a game-accurate prop, you can find something that’s a lot lighter and less expensive.

The post Nerf Rival Overwatch Soldier 76 Blaster Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

Author’s note: This blaster was sent to me free of charge for review. Thanks, Prime Time Toys!

The revolver format is a staple of the hobby; the NStrike Maverick is possibly the most iconic blaster ever made. That trend continued with the Elite Strongarm (and to a lesser extent the Disruptor). Mega had it with the Cycloneshock. When it came to Rival, however, the revolver never appeared. Is a revolver the best use of the ammo? Debatable, considering the various magazines and hoppers you can use with Rival-type ammo. Is it still a fun kind of blaster, regardless of ammo type? You bet it is!

Now Dart Zone has started 2020 with that long-missing blaster, in the form of the Apex. And it’s as fun (and good) as you’d expect it to be, for a great price.

Smaller Than Expected

The Apex is smaller than you’d expect, even though it’s using wide ammo. It’s comparable in size to smaller pistols on the market, even if it’s wider in a few aspects. Part of this is due to the decision to have only five barrels – I imagine six would make it a bit unwieldy. At least this way, there’s a chance you could holster the blaster.

Also, five shots in a Rival pistol is almost a standard at this point, thanks to the Kronos and its brethren.

The Apex is sturdy, like you’d expect from a Rival blaster, with thick, textured plastic. It still features the secondary safety trigger, and the grip isn’t perfect, but it’s still really good. Unless you have really big hands, there should be room for all of your fingers. Meanwhile, the priming grip might actually be better than the Kronos; it’s solid, with curves that fit your hand for an easy prime. Since it’s a revolver (with no internal magazine to worry about loading), it’s also a retracting priming grip. No need to push it back. The plunger rod does extend out the back when primed; given the internal setup pictured below, it’s understandable. Still a bit unsightly when we’ve seen self-contained systems like the Cycloneshock, Kronos, and Sentry X2.

Out front, we have a rail of sorts that looks nice, but seems to just be for looks (feel free to prove me wrong). The cylinder is translucent, allowing the user to easily see if a barrel is loaded. The cylinder rotates on the prime; it’s also easy enough to rotate the cylinders by hand for loading them that way. Each barrel has its own ridges for putting spin on the ball.

The cylinder is loaded from the front, so users will need to be sure they push the rounds all the way back. Older users shouldn’t have an issue.

What’s This?

Interestingly enough, the blaster comes with side panels, like the ones you see on the Adventure Force blasters for showing team colors. Humorously, they simply say “TEAM” on them, and come in green. No red or blue panels are included. I don’t know the reasoning for this; perhaps Dollar General didn’t want the extra panels? There is space in the packaging for them to be included, but they aren’t there, and no mention of this is in the instructions. Perhaps Dart Zone could do us a solid and give out a proper 3d model to download and print…

Performance

The Apex PR sheet advertises 90fps averages for the blaster. After lots of firing, I ended up with an average of 93fps. That’s perfectly in line with what you’d expect in a Rival blaster. It’s also a welcome improvement over the Sentry X2, their last $10 Rival-type blaster (which was lacking in performance).

Rate of fire seems to max out at two balls per second, although you’ll empty your ammo fast at that rate.

The blaster is as accurate as you’d expect from a ball blaster; shot placement is easy at closer ranges, and acceptable at long range as the ball loses velocity and is more subject to wind and slight ammo variations.

Do note that while the barrels can fit multiple rounds, the Apex won’t “shotgun” rounds effectively in stock form. You simply end up with less range, and not much spread.

Internals

The Apex stuffs a wide plunger tube inside, as well as the various parts of the rotation mechanism. You’ll also notice an extra lever above the trigger; this presses the plunger tube forward against the cylinder prior to firing to make a seal.

I have yet to test the Apex with any other springs to see if it can handle additional power (or if anything matches the dimensions of the spring rest inside).

Final Opinion

The Apex is the Rival revolver we should have had a long time ago. It’s compact, easy to use, has the performance you want, and is just $10. When it finally shows up at Dollar General later this month, you can’t go wrong by grabbing one off the shelf.

The post Dart Zone Ballistix Ops Apex Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.

With the middle of January comes the arrival of the “spring” toys, including Super Soakers and the like. Admittedly, I have less use for water blasters than dart blasters. But they’re still related, and I find myself interested regardless. As such, I ordered the Typhoon Cannon as soon as it appeared online for purchase. Among the current selections, it’s a solid choice, especially if you’re looking for fast refills and endurance,

Bigger Reservoir Than Advertised

When the Press Release information was sent to me, the Typhoon Cannon was listed as holding over 65 fl oz. of water. At that point, I had already ordered the Red version of the blaster (online only) as opposed to waiting for the blue/green version to appear on Walmart shelves. When it arrived, however, I found out that 65 fl oz. was an understatement. It will hold that comfortably, of course, with little to no risk of accidentally losing any from tipping the blaster. Filled all the way up, however, it’s closer to 90 fl oz! Even with that capacity, the Typhoon Cannon is easy to handle, since it opts for moderate height and width in order to get all that volume.

The blaster is well balanced, with both the main grip and pump grip being easy to, well, grip. Interestingly, the trigger, while nonfunctional, actually moves. I’m guessing enough kids like having a moving trigger that it’s simply considered a necessity.

The blaster features a “Blitzfill” cap – after the success of the Xshot Fast-Fill, being able to quickly reload is now a necessity. In this case, it’s a wide port with a snap-on (but not air-tight) cap. Will you refill it in just one second like the other soaker? Probably not. But it still fills really fast from a tub or pool, and is wide enough to accommodate a hose or outdoor faucet.

Performance

The Typhoon Cannon pumps roughly 20mL per stroke (about 2/3 of a fluid ounce). That comes out to almost 100 shots at the stated capacity, and more if you feel like going overboard.

The stream of water being fired isn’t quite as laminated as hardcore water warriors will like. However, the main mass of water stays together pretty well out to 20′ before it starts breaking apart into a rainy mass. After that point, most of the water will fall between 20′-30′, depending on how hard you’re pumping. Due to the stream breaking up at that distance, angling doesn’t help much.

If you do stand 35′ away from a wall and fire, though, you will get some water on the base. So I guess the range claims are true? It’s still pushing it, of course, but at least something does “blast up to 35 feet”.

On The Inside

Because I’m not satisfied until I’ve torn something apart…here you go!

It’s nothing out of the ordinary, of course. The pump attaches to the very bottom of the reservoir, and a wide tube connects the pump to the nozzle out front.

What else can I say? It’s a large, molded reservoir, with a shell that covers the rest of the important bits and provides a grip. For this kind of blaster, that’s all you need.

Final Thoughts

Whether you grab the regular version or order the red, the Typhoon Cannon is a solid choice among the current crop of water blasters. Given the current trend of “Power Pump” type blasters, it has enough capacity for the price to stand out. Granted, you may not find it as useful if you come across the rare person with a good pressure-based soaker. But in most cases (and for kids in general), it will do just fine.

The post Adventure Force Water Strike Typhoon Cannon Review appeared first on Blaster Hub.