Nerf Fortnite IR Review

The Hasbro/Fortnite partnership continues, with a blaster we didn’t know about until the middle of this year. The IR takes the in-game weapon and turns it into a semi-auto blaster. And while the blaster is ten dollars cheaper than the AR before it, I’d argue it’s a bit better.

Making it Modular

One of the biggest improvements over the AR is the inclusion of attachment points for both barrels and stocks. The barrels, of course, are mostly for play and cosmetics (and adding the occasional attachment). However, the stock attachment point means being able to use any NStrike stock. The included stock (and cheekrest) is nice, but the ability to use a stock that fits you is a great bonus.

In addition, you’ll find that the main handle is also more comfortable for more hands, with lots of finger space and smooth curves.

The front grip area is a bit confusing, however. Due to how much it slopes forward, putting your hand around it is awkward. Holding at the rear (in front of the magazine well) is a bit better; even so, you have an angle in the shell hitting your palm. I expect this to be corrected soon by other tinkerers; since the battery tray is under the front grip, it’ll be easy to just redesign the battery door to include a tactical rail or a better grip.

The blaster takes 4 AA batteries, and operates like other semi-auto Nerf blasters. The jam door is on the left side. There is just one tactical rail on top; it sits at an upward angle, limiting its usefulness.

The blaster includes a 6 dart magazine, which is easy to load and remove.

Performance

The IR performed quite well in testing, averaging 73fps in my testing. It’s also reasonable to get three darts per second, although faster firing will result in diminished dart velocities.

Internals

The guts of the blaster are largely what you’d expect from a blaster of this kind. In particular, the mounting points for the flywheel cage are the same as for the Halo MA40. To that end, you can 3d print these cages I designed if you feel like modifying the blaster!

I had no issue getting the blaster open.

Final Opinion

The Fortnite blasters tend to be lots of fun, and the IR is no exception. It works well, and it comes at a reasonable price for a base blaster, barrel attachment, and stock. It should make a great addition to any collection, and it has lots of potential if you want to do more!