Nerf Scout IX-3 Review

I'm finally going to complete a review which I started long ago: a review on the Scout IX-3. Unlike before, though, I actually have a stock Scout to play with.

The Scout IX-3 is an internally contained firing mech single shot blaster. Basically what all that means is that when primed there's nothing sticking out of the Scout, unlike the Nitefinder, which has its priming rod sticking out. It was first released around 2005 (patent says 2004, Nerf blasters usually come out one year after their patent), and first came with the Unity Power System (a Titan ASV-1, Hornet AS-6 and Scout IX-3 all combined into one box) in a nice red and grey, then was released in a 'tech target' package in a blue paintjob which had an electronic target to log hits. Said package has long since been discontinued (thus blue Scouts are rare and probably valuable), while the UPS has been available for a long time, and thus red Scouts are not so valuable. The Scout has only been available on its own (albeit in a two-pack) for several months in the nice yellow paintjob you see above. Before this pack was released it has not been sold separately of another gadget or blaster.

In said two pack, you get 2 Scouts and 12 Whistlers. I got this pack and split it with a friend, meaning 1 Scout and 6 Whistlers each.

First things first, the Scout is one of the most realistic looking Nerf blasters you'll find, mimicing a handgun. Obviously it isn't a replica, because Nerf has added their own design flair into it, but compared to all other single shots it's pretty close. I personally really like the design because it's comfortable and easy to use, but more on that later.

One thing you'll notice is that the two yellows are slightly different. The slide is moulded from yellow plastic, while the lower section is painted yellow. Because the slide is so thin, it appears slightly lighter than it should. Nevertheless, the yellows are not quite consistent with other N-Strike blasters.

The Scout has 2 dart holders which are non-intrusive on the design. As seen above, they are stacked vertically below the barrel, and this makes reloading very easy. As opposed to the Nitefinder dart holders, which add unnecessary size to the bottom of the NF below the light. Because of the Scout's sleek and minimalist design, it is ideal for holstering. It's so small it fits in some large pockets too.

The use of the Scout is simple. You just load in a dart, pull the sliding mech back and release it (or manually push it forward, your choice), and pull the trigger. It's pretty much as simple as it gets. With the slide designed the way it is, the cocking process feels somewhat similar to cocking a handgun (though I've never actually handled a gun). This adds to the realism effect I described above.

As I said earlier the Scout could attach to the Titan ASV-1. in a sense it was designed for this purpose, and to make handling easier the Titan has a button which presses a secret button the Scout's slide. This button has the same effect as pulling the trigger, and fires the Scout. I've experimented with manually pushing the button, and it's the most reliable trigger mech I've ever seen. This is because the secret button is effectively a part of the plunger catch, meaning misfires are impossible, while with some blasters pulling the trigger may not always go as planned.

The tactical rail on the slide is pretty much purposely designed to allow the Scout to attach to the Titan. As a result, it is impractical to attach anything to the Scout (as with almost all other pistol).

As you can see with the above pic, the Scout is incredibly thin. This allows for great holstering ability, but this means the plunger can only be so big, limiting its potential power.

The Scout is reasonably easy to handle, although there are some niggles I must point out. Firstly, the handle is not that big. Sure, it's fine for me to handle, but for much larger persons (such as sportspersons) the handle might not be large enough to grip with their entire hand.
Secondly, the slide is not that easy to grip. Sure, under normal conditions it's easy to prime, but when your hand is even the slightest bit greasy, the slide becomes incredibly difficult to grip. Trust me, I've tried.

Now of course a review wouldn't be complete without performances.
The Scout gets a consistent 10-11m or so with Whistlers with incredible accuracy. This power is reasonable for the current generation of blasters, but it's completely outclassed by Vortex and Elite.
ROF is as fast as you can reload it, so about 1 dart per two seconds. This ROF is improved from generic single shots in that the dart holders are in an extremely convenient position.

At as low as 15AUD per two pack, the Scout is a great buy. Although not as powerful as a Nitefinder, the Scout is possibly the coolest single shot Nerf has made, and it's still powerful enough to hold its own. I personally recommend this if you (like me) believe Nitefinders are too mainstream, as it's a good alternative. If you want as much power as possible from a single shot, the Nitefinder's probably your best bet.

The Scout is outranged by just about every other single shot on the market, but it makes itself unique with its sleek, minimalist design. Consider picking it up, but don't expect too much power wise.

Pros:
Very small and holster-able, looks great, dart storage is contained within small shell and adds to shape and aesthetics, ideal candidate for underslung barrel attachment due to contained nature of plunger, accuracy is fantastic
Cons:
Plunger is tiny, so range isn't great and mod potential is limited

Power: 4/7
Accuracy: 5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Usability: 4/5
Rate of Fire: 1/5

Overall: 3.37/5

Personal Rating: 4/5 - extremely comfortable and awesome looking, but lacks power