Nerf N-Strike vs Elite Round 1: Retaliator (Aus version) vs Recon CS-6

This post starts off a series of ongoing posts in which I compare the original N-Strike blasters to their updated Elite versions. Expect the Elite version to win, but more importantly note the differences between them.

For the first ever Elite vs N-Strike post, we'll be comparing the 'basic' blasters of the Retaliator (Aus version) and Recon.

Nerf Elite Retaliator Review (15m Aussie version)

I am proud to present the review for the Retaliator, but unfortunately I can only present the downtuned Australian version, approximately 50% weaker than the US version.

The Elite line was revealed to have claimed "75ft ranges" (approx 23m), which naturally people were skeptical of, because N-Strike's claimed ranges were a meager 35ft (approx 10.7m). The first two blasters, the Retaliator and Rampage, were shown to look similar, if not almost completely identical, to current N-Strike blasters, the Recon and Raider respectively. It became completely obvious that the Elite blasters initially revealed could not simply be Recons and Raiders with bigger springs, because not only would they reach not as spectacular ranges, but they would also not be kid friendly. Thus it was speculated that Nerf had managed to fit direct plungers into the Elite blasters, and when SG Nerf got his hands on a Rampage, he showed the new, awesome direct plunger being used instead of the reverse plungers of N-Strike blasters.

Initial range tests showed that the blasters got around 50-60ft flat, and could achieve the 75ft ranges angled. Additionally, it was shown that Elite darts are a great help for many stock blasters, increasing range and accuracy compared to Streamlines. Nevertheless, Nerf started revealing new blasters with awesome performance, and Elite suddenly became a massive hit.

I personally went for the Retaliator over the others currently available (the Rampage, Hail-Fire and Stockade) for several reasons:

1. I dislike the Raider design, and as the Rampage uses the Raider shell I'm unlikely to get it.
2. The Hail-Fire looks weird because of its proportions, and I just don't see a use for it except for spraying 144 darts.
3. The Stockade is a redone Barricade and I'm not a fan of Barricades, although the Stockade stock is awesome.
4. The Recon was the blasters that got me in to Nerf, and I've always liked the design. Because the Retaliator is a re-done Recon it follows naturally that I'd love it.

Now, on to the bulk of the review.

Last War Vids from 22/11/12

The last three war vids I recorded from the 22nd of November. All these three are a simple elimination, in a 3v1 format, where the 1 always wields the Stampede.

Two more Nerf War Videos - 22/11/12

I had a Nerf war with my friends about two weeks ago, but never got around to uploading any of the vids. Well, here's two of them, with the other ~5 to come within a few weeks.

My Modified Recon CS-6

I'm a little late in posting this because I totally forgot, but I uploaded a video of my Recon CS-6, and why it is so special.

The upshot of it is that I'm getting 17-19m consistently with Streamlines, and around 15m with Elites.
I measured the ranges using Google Earth and it measured ~20m for Elites and 25m with Streamlines. Which doesn't really sound reasonable, but I measured the right places, so...
EDIT: Ranges probably weren't flat, so don't pay them much attention.

Why I Want the Stryfe - A Little Rant on Tacticool Accessories

The recently released Elite Stryfe is a prime candidate for the art of tacticool. Originally one of the best contenders for tacticool was the Recon, because it was clip (mag) fed, could accept barrels and stocks, and had a tac rail ideal for sights. However, anything on its tac rail caused potential issues when priming the Recon, resulting in sights generally not being used. The Stryfe solves this problem by being semi auto (and thus not requiring priming), as well as one-ups the Recon with an extra under-barrel tac rail. Nevertheless, it is inevitable that people will end up using the Stryfe as a clip (mag) fed pistol as a sidearm rather than the multitide of blasters it could be.

Nerf Dart Tag Swarmfire (blue trigger) Review

Today I'll be reviewing a blaster which has been out for a while, the Nerf Dart Tag Swarmfire. This beast of a blaster is generally seen as the flagship of the Dart Tag line (2011 reboot), and it's definitely worthy of that title.

The Swarmfire comes with itself, its detachable stock, and 20 redesigned blue-tip white velcro orange body DT Whistler hybrids.

The Swarmfire was originally released with three other DT blasters (Quick 16, Speedload 6, Sharp Shot) to revitalise the DT line which had been stuck with Furyfires and Hyperfires for the past years. The new DT line introduced new concepts into DT - all new curved and sleek designs (previous DT was primarily angular) full auto (Swarmfire), all new in built mag mechs (Quick 16, Speedload 6), and no tac rails on any blasters, leading some people to cry 'fake' before official proof.

The Swarmfire is the 'big daddy' of the DT line, providing some battery operated full auto goodness. It requires 6 'C' sized batteries to operate, which provide a hefty weight. To counteract the ammo wastage of full auto-ness, the Swarmfire has a capacity of 20 darts, the highest of any DT blaster so far.

BasicNerf & Friend get Elite Stryfe

I'm a little late on this bandwagon, but BasicNerf and one of his friends got their lucky hands on the Nerf Elite Stryfe, the blaster I want most from the ones officially from 2013. Anyways, they posted several useful videos on them, so I thought I'd share them here.
They were purchased from Toys 'R' Us for $25 USD each, so expect US retail price to be around $20. (TRU marks up their prices)

For the owners of these vids, go to:
BasicNerf (blog)
BasicNerf's friend (blog)

On a random note, you may be wondering why the blog has been a little quiet recently. Well, education calls. Not long ago I had my school exams, so I haven't had time to write up much. Don't worry, though, within the next fortnight a few more posts should be up.