Impulse Ungineering Ontos Blaster Review

Author’s note: Out of Darts was kind enough to send out a free hardware kit…which meant I had to get off my but and actually get the printer going again to make the blaster. Thanks, guys!

Sometimes I get the chance to try out a new 3D printed blaster. Generally speaking, a hardware kit arrives in the mail, and I get off my butt long enough to tweak the printer downstairs as needed and print all the pieces needed. In the case of the Ontos, I found a new favorite springer for various wars in the future. It’s comfortable, easy to create, and versatile enough to set up at 150fps, 300fps, and everywhere in between. Let’s dive in and see what we’re dealing with!

Printing Is Easy!

I have a Bambu P1S combo at home, allowing me to select different colors easily…or to even have multiple colors in a single print. In my case, I underestimated how much red filament I had left! The nearby silver filled in for a print…and that pretty much determined the color palette I was using for the rest of the blaster. It worked out!

All of the prints are designed to print easily, with little support being needed. Once you’ve done that, there are instructions to follow for blaster construction, either through the Printables page or via Out of Darts’ handy video:

The blaster uses a number of screws and nuts, all mounted at angles to hold the sections of the blaster together. With a little time and elbow grease, you’ll have a new blaster in no time.

Blaster Features!

The Ontos has a traditional pump-action springer layout, with lots of nice quality-of-life features. The blaster doesn’t need any priming bars or extra-special pieces for assembly. Aside from the screws and nuts, you have a plunger tube, barrel, o-rings, spring(s), a few bearings, and (depending on your preference for the catch and magazine levers) some elastic cord. The spring can be replaced with a turn of the spring rest, hidden under the adjustable stock.

Additionally, a spring detent is optional for keeping the priming grip forward when not in use.

Files for a grip aren’t included, but there is a picatinny rail for mounting the grip of your choice (I reused files from Excalibur). The main grip is large and comfortable, and the trigger action is smooth…provided you lubed everything properly. I didn’t do that the first time and was confused about why the trigger pull was so hard. Yep, instructions only work if you follow them!

The prime is incredibly smooth, thanks to those bearings.

Performance and Other Options

The Ontos is quite versatile by nature, being capable of spring swaps on the fly, and it can hit anywhere from 150 to 300 fps depending on the spring used, barrel length, dart fit, etc. However, there are even more tuning possibilities, thanks to Out of Darts (Perry, specifically) having remixed different plunger options! These simply move the catch surface back, resulting in less plunger volume being used. They do require taking the blaster apart at the plunger tube if you want to swap them. However, having three options means adjusting things to your liking. I’m currently running the stiff spring with the shortest plunger option, netting me ~200fps.

Rate of fire will depend on spring load and priming distance. Expect 1-2 darts per second.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the large number of customization remixes. Not all of them are for the current version (V2), but there are choices to be made!

Final Thoughts

The Ontos is a cool new take on the traditional Nerf primary. It’s easy to print, assemble, and use in battle. You can customize it to your velocity preference, and there are fun ways to accessorize the design. If you want a 3d printed springer, this is one of the best options for assembly out there.