Nerf Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu Blaster Review

We had another Star Wars movie this year, so naturally there had to be product tie-ins. Along with Nerf’s return to Elite darts comes a new blaster that’s modeled to somewhat look like the Mandalorian’s Amban phase-pulse blaster (unlike the one three years ago that actually WAS the blaster). The blaster holds six shots, comes with twelve darts, and has the attachments to add to the play value for kids. But is it worth having in the collection?

Wait, the Blaster IS the Mandalorian?

That’s what I wondered when I saw the artwork on the side. If you compare to pictures of Din Djarin in his full beskar armor, then you can make out his bandolier with ammo, along with plate segments. Interesting choice of artwork to use on the blaster itself, but we can go with that. Of course, the shape of the blaster is more distinctive, so the removable stock and barrel attachment are made to look like the blaster we associate with Din Djarin.

The blaster holds six darts in its cylinder, with storage for six more on the stock. The faux sight has a cutout that’s meant to evoke the gaps in the Mandalorian’s mask. That makes it less useful, but more on theme for the kids (and how effective are the toy scopes, anyway). An included bolt can screw into either side of the blaster for use in priming it.

Firing the blaster is simple; pulling the bolt compresses the main spring, and the bolt can return on its own. The cylinder rotates after firing. There’s a space on either side of the blaster to allow reloading (the cylinder can be spun freely).

Performance and Gameplay

This blaster doesn’t do anything all that special for a hobbyist like me, but it’s still lots of fun to use in a Nerf War. With the included darts, I averaged 65fps. The blaster doesn’t have slamfire, but can still do a respectable two darts per second.

Inside the Blaster

It’s what you’d expect. Do remember, however, that the plunger motion fires the dart, then allows the rotation mechanism to operate. Something I didn’t realize with the newer Nerf designs is that the “safety valve” at the end of the plunger tube does more than only allow air to exit when the dart is loaded. Once the dart is launched, the temporarily trapped cushion of air slows down the plunger, and the dart has time to leave before the cylinder starts to rotate. So don’t take that valve out.

Final Thoughts

The blaster itself isn’t outstanding or unique. It’s a fairly standard layout for recent Nerf blasters, but with a paint scheme and attachments to tie-in to the movie. So for $30, it’s a bit of a tough sell. Kid fans will enjoy it, of course. But whether it’s worth the price is up to you.