Adventure Force Lancer Review
November 6, 2024I wasn’t really expecting to see a “mini” minigun on shelves, but here we are. The Adventure Force Lancer isn’t as powerful as other things on shelves, or as practical. But I’m not sure practical is always the point. It’s not the easier blaster to aim, but it’s hard to imagine the target audience using it as intended and successfully aiming anyway.
Perhaps it’s okay for a blaster to just be fun?
Nerf N Series Sprinter Review
November 2, 2024The first mag-fed N Series blaster, the Pinpoint, isn’t the sharpest tool. What a relief, then, that the second one is an insanely fun powerhouse!
The Nerf N Series Sprinter is my favorite blaster of the line so far, passing even the N Series Infinite. It shoot darts fast and hard, it’s comfortable, and it’s quiet in doing so. As far as the age 8+ range is concerned, this might be the most fun thing I’ve seen since the Double Punch.
Let’s get this review going!
Nerf N Series Pinpoint Review
October 30, 2024Somehow, I never got around to reviewing it, but the Eaglepoint was one of the hottest toys of the Elite 2.0 line overall, not just for the holidays when it was some deep discounts. This was a point the marketing team brought up at the visit to Hasbro HQ earlier this year, so of course the N Series was going to have an inexpensive, bolt-action blaster in the line.
The Pinpoint fits that role, but it’s not a perfect fit. The blaster itself feels nice in hand, but between the crunchy prime and some jamming issues, it could have been better.
Zuru Xshot Caliber Review
October 28, 2024Zuru doesn’t always make “new” blasters – many times, they simply repackage the same blaster in a different shell. Such is the case with the Xshot Caliber, a longer variant of the Reflex that has seen several versions over the years. That’s not a bad thing, in this case. Having a hand cannon with extra dart storage is a fun change of pace, especially for the price.
Siren Maulr Review
October 23, 2024The springer primary of Siren’s new line is an interesting set of choices. It’s, understandably, made specifically for Siren’s darts at the expense of others, but that leads to inconsistencies with most darts (as well as most club dart collections). The three power settings are cool, but the lowest setting is arguably not that useful. The priming motion is physically hard to do, making slam-fire less than ideal. These issues, plus ergonomics, keep the Maulr from truly shining, even when it can send darts faster than 250fps.
Dart Zone Releases Nitroshot Mk2 Blasters!
October 16, 2024
After a short tease on social media, Dart Zone has released a limited edition of the Dart Zone Pro Mk2, in green and purple color motifs, along with their new Nitroshot short darts.
$45 (a discount from the original price) gets a blaster, two speedloaders, safety glasses, 12 Nitroshot darts, replacements O-rings for the various seals, and a downgrade spring for lower fps gameplay. Not including the original holster or the barrel extender is slightly disappointing, I’ll admit. But the blaster and the associated goods are more than worth the offering price.
No word on how many blasters Dart Zone actually has in stock for this “limited edition” run. But if you have use for a pistol, the Mk2 is a fun blaster, especially if you have cargo pants to stuff speedloaders or even blasters into.
Siren Gnarl Review
October 13, 2024Earlier this year, NSI International announced a new line of pro-level blasters, under the Siren name. They launched a website with preorders, and also sent samples out to influencers throughout the hobby. After somewhat of a delay in actually fulfilling preorders/delaying the Siren Blink, they began bombarding social media with advertisements featuring those influencers, fulfilling said preorders, and selling the blasters through Target and other storefronts. This presented a unique situation, with ads and social media influencers showing off the blasters…and hobbyists who bought said blasters posting about the many issues they encountered.
There’s plenty to criticize in NSI’s approach to market here – enough to warrant its own post. But for the moment, we’re doing the actual blaster reviews!
The Gnarl is a small, magazine-fed pistol with advertised 150′ ranges. It can objectively meet those claims…but choices in blaster design make it an uncomfortable exercise in doing so.
