Nerf Dinosquad Raptorslash Review

Let’s face it: blaster companies can’t always reinvent the wheel. Instead, they put familiar things in fun new packages. That’s the essence of the Dinosquad line: the blasters aren’t new in function, but they’re in a fun new shape.

That applies to the new Raptorslash blaster. It’s just a Strongarm/Disruptor/Commander, but with a bit more attitude.

Clever Girl

The Raptorslash is a spring-powered, six-shot revolver with slamfire. You can prime, aim, and shoot, or simply spam your shots in the general direction of your target. Your choice! Either way, you can make roaring or growling noises to your heart’s content. The blaster features a raptor motif (big surprise), with teeth on either side of the cylinder and rubbery frills on top. A claw-like handguard and molded patterns on the grip complete the look. It’s quite comfortable to hold, though due to the shape. it’s not the easiest to holster. I use a giant tool belt during my wars, so that’s not a particularly major concern on my part, though.

The blaster looks good, and it at least is an aesthetic upgrade to the Elite 2.0 Commander. There’s a space on either side of the Cylinder you can use for reloading, and it’s easy to stick darts in, turn the cylinder, and load more.

Performance

The Raptorslash isn’t anything to sneeze at. With slamfire, a three-shot per second rate of fire is easy to achieve. 68fps was the average velocity in my testing. Spectacular? No. But well within bounds of what you’d expect from Elite-performance Nerf.

Internals

On the inside, the Raptorslash is quite familiar. It has the basic Elite-sized plunger tube and a slamfire mechanism within. An orange lever on the back of the plunger rod is normally the catch point. However, if you hold the trigger down, something else happens. at the back of the priming motion, a ramp tilts that lever up, breaking the connection with the priming handle and firing the plunger (and thus dart).

The cylinder rotates after the dart fires.

Final Thoughts

Are there better six-dart pistols out there? In performance, yes. Are there others as stylish? In my opinion, no. It’s a fun blaster for any age, and dinosaurs are still more than enough to justify buying a dart blaster!