Adventure Force Chopper Review

The Adventure Force line is going through its late summer refresh, and the Dart Zone entries are aiming for fun. In addition to the bright new packaging, we have blasters in bright blue and orange hitting shelves (at least for the ages 8+ blasters, anyway). And so far, they seem to be worth grabbing.

The Adventure Force Chopper is recognizable revision of the Adventure Force Villainator (has it really been six years?). And while it holds ten less darts, it’s got a bit more pizazz for kids’ pretend play.

(Walmart link)

Return of the Chicago Typewriter

It’s hard NOT to compare the Chopper to the classic Thompson submachine gun! Between the large dart drum, the styled grips, and the ribs along the “barrel”, this blaster has the looks. Maybe these battles are happening because of a Prohibition of playtime or something? Use your imagination.

Included with the blaster is a simple top sight, mounting on a long Picatinny rail, a stock with a, NStrike attachment point, and a thirty round drum. The stock alone is a good change from the Villainator (which didn’t use a standard attachment method). The drum has two tabs that have to be pulled out before you can push it into place, and it can be pulled out by hand. No word yet on whether replacement drums will be available from Dart Zone.

Ten less darts is disappointing, but it also makes for less complicated usage for kids; no need to worry about filling *both* rings of darts so that you aren’t skipping shots.

The entire blaster is a bit longer than the Villainator, so kids with smaller wingspans might find it harder to use. For an adult my size, the blaster shoulders essentially perfectly, and it’s easy to aim. I almost wish there was a bit of foam or rubber on the stock, instead of that faux cheek rest!

Performance

The Chopper fired at an average of 79fps in my testing, using the included Adventure Force waffle darts. It was fairly consistent in that regard, only varying by 3fps either way. It should also be noted that, at least with my pile of darts on hand, I didn’t have any issues with loose darts falling out (some Villainators had drums that barely held darts in place).

The rate of fire, meanwhile, is a splendid four darts per second, thanks to the included slamfire mechanism. Just hold the trigger down and keep moving the priming handle back and forth!

Inside the Blaster

The Chopper doesn’t have anything radically new on the inside, but it also didn’t really need to change anything.

Final Opinion

The Adventure Force Chopper is a worthy addition to the line. At its $20 price point, I don’t see a reason not to grab one if you’re in need of a basic spring-powered blaster with slamfire. Especially one that looks this good!