Along with the release of the Accelerator comes the Titanium, a reshell of the Dart Zone Powerball. It maintains the same basic form and function, but with a few differences. And it still works well as a low-cost alternative to Nerf Rival spring-based blasters, especially now that expanded hoppers are a thing,
New v Old
The most important difference is the presence of an actual air valve (“AR”) and a pin that opens it up when a ball is loaded for firing. The Powerball simply elected to have a padded plunger and hoped for the best in terms of durability. While mine have yet to show visible damage, Prime Time Toys went with the “cushion of air” method to slow the plunger once the round is fired.
In case of jams, there is an orange tab on the left side of the shell that allows you to pull back the pump grip.
One Annoying Thing, and a Shameless Plug
Performance
On my chronograph, my Titanium averaged 90fps. Still decent performance, although I’m used to the Powerball (which shoots faster). As an experiment, I removed the air valve in one Titanium, and the result was in fact Powerball-level velocities. I’d still recommend leaving the valve, however. The newer plunger isn’t padded, and the little bit of extra velocity isn’t much of a gain compared to the internals slamming against each other constantly.
In addition, I had a Titanium out for use at the recent BG Undead indoor war, floating around and being used in various game types. It worked the entire time, and the new loading tab had zero issues. With the 25 round hopper from the Accelerator added, it can basically fulfill the role of an Artemis for much less – the inherent movement involved means the hopper stays agitated.
Final Thoughts
Prime Time Toys has a viable alternative to Rival in their lineup, and having the Titanium (as well as the Accelerator) as part of Walmart’s Adventure Force line could mean great success. Thankfully, the Titanium is a good blaster. It’s not without issues, but it’s a solid alternative to Rival springers, and holds up well in stock and lightly modified settings, as well as HvZ-style games. For $16.88, it’s well worth the money.