Nerf Ultra Scream Machine Review

If you’ll recall, Hasbro released the Ultra Two at the turn of 2020, making for a fun (and better) introduction of of the Ultra line than the first blaster. Later in the year, they released the Dorado, an Ultra Two with a stock and ammo storage – just not in the United States. However, this year it arrived, just in a new color scheme. The Ultra Scream Machine, a Walmart Exclusive, is at the very least as much fun as the Ultra Two. It also feels more comfortable, thanks to the extended platform. But is it worth the $35 asking price? Maybe. Depends on how much you use Ultra.

A Good Looking Reimagining

It’s fairly easy to write off the Scream Machine as just a copy of the last blaster. Operationally, it’s the same. Given the extended platform, however, it does make sense as an iteration of the previous design. That, and the great color scheme (seriously, the electric blue motif is far more attractive than the excessive gold color scheme), makes for a cool blaster.

The previous Ultra handles have been on the small side. While the trend continues, this one doesn’t feel quite as bad. From what I can tell, that’s mainly from the fact that this is a two-handed blaster. With one hand supporting the front grip of the blaster, the dominant hand doesn’t need to tightly grasp the main handle. Meanwhile, the stock, while a bit short on me, is long enough to be useful.

The top of the blaster features a long carry handle/tactical rail with dart storage. The dart foam is a fairly loose fit, but it works. Just don’t be shaking the blaster everywhere.

If there’s one annoyance, it’s the battery tray. It still takes 6 AA batteries, but installation and removal is an exercise in frustration. I’d hate to be the kid left alone to attempt to make the blaster work.

12 Sonic Screamer darts are included. YAY FOR THE FUN DARTS!

Performance

The Scream Machine averaged 103fps in my testing, which is better than the original Ultra Two. It also maintains the high rate of fire at three darts per second (not spamming the darts, though, will keep up the velocities). Accuracy is…okay, as they’re Ultra darts. You get the drill by now: better than Elite, but more expensive. At least on the packaging, it no longer says improved accuracy, so that marketing annoyance can’t be held against it. So either they’re dropping that line of thinking, or releasing improved Ultra in the future. Who knows at this point?

Internals

As before, the Ultra Two and its derivatives are semi-auto blasters, wired up as such. Ultra Two dart conversion kits already exist for firing alternate (read: normal) ammo types. The space above the barrel is plenty for putting a rechargeable battery inside, once the stock battery tray is removed/trimmed.

Last Thoughts

The Ultra Scream Machine is by far the best looking Ultra blaster to date, thanks to ditching the gold motif. It also performs better than the Ultra Two. Even so, $35 for a six shot blaster is a bit much, especially now that we’re starting to see magazine-fed blasters in the line.

If you like Ultra (or, for the hobby community, modding Ultra), then the Scream Machine isn’t a horrible buy. Casual use is also still fun, thanks to the darts. The price, also due to the darts, however, puts a bit of a damper on matters. Just know what to expect!