The Nerf 2012 New Gun Thread (N-Strike Elite, New Dart Tag, Vortex): take 2

[SpookyLucaZ]

70$?? Did Forsaken Angel or Lorddraconical sign the thing? 
No thanks. I'll stick with my newly acquired jaguar. Review coming soon!

[AT92]

70$?? Did Forsaken Angel or Lorddraconical sign the thing? 
No thanks. I'll stick with my newly acquired jaguar. Review coming soon!

agreed, I just picked up the rampage, can't wait to review it!

[RandomShadow09]

That would violate Ebay's shill bidding policy and she could get into some real trouble for it by ebay. I highly doubt it is her bidding up. Everything has crazy fans, Nerf is no exception, and the fact that someone will get this before anyone else will drive any crazy fan up the wall to have. Who knows, we may not see this blaster on shelves until 2013 like the fire strike or strike fire or whatever the hell the elite nitefinder is called.

Sorry, wasn't clear, I meant the person bidding it up was my theoretical Hasbro employee, who accidentally sold it at the yard sale, who is now desperately trying to get the blaster back to not be in serious trouble at work.  It might be worth hundreds to a crazy Nerf fan, but it's probably worth thousands to save the guy's job.


In other news, Hail-Fire item page is up on Target.com, and at my local Target it has a shelf space already marked at $39.99 (none in stock) DCPI is 087-11-0268.  They also had the Pyragon in stock (it's not available online, but it was in the store), all Elite ammo packs including the 18-dart mags (@ $9.99), and I picked up one of the Hail-Fire Upgrade Kits for $15, but nothing enlightening on the box about other Elite blasters we haven't heard of.

[SpookyLucaZ]

I thought hailfires were already in stores? My target was loaded with the newest BB blasters(besides the Overlord) and had the pyragorn and hailfire... 

[Ghost Reporting]

Now that Elite blasters have been in the hands of reviewers for a few weeks, I have to say that I'm not that impressed with the stock performance.

Looking at SpectreX's extensive collection of range test videos,

Alpha Trooper (Streamlines) / N-Strike Elite Rampage (Streamlines) / N-Strike Elite Rampage (Elite Darts)

http://youtu.be/fdA2vvav_yA
http://youtu.be/lsZz9IFCDBk

Results (single-fire):
Low: 26ft / 27ft / 30ft
Mid: 34ft / 40ft / 40ft
High: 38ft / 46ft / 49ft

Results (Slamfire):
Low: 30ft  /  28ft / 28ft
Mid: 40ft /  39ft / 39ft
High: 52ft / 45-46ft / 49-50ft

Where single-fire is concerned, the boost in performance is marginal, typically in the 5-6 foot range.  In slam-fire mode, the Alpha Trooper's performance is essentially identical to that of the Rampage.

The modded Rampage does better, but so would a modded Alpha Trooper.  It seems to me like the Rampage doesn't offer a whole lot of advantages over the Alpha.  It's basically a Raider that doesn't suck.

On the other hand, many in the NIC seem to think that Direct Plunger systems have more performance headroom.  However I few pages back someone mentioned that they felt the internal components of the Elite blasters were thin and not as durable as expected.  How the platform will handle stronger springs and other mods is still unknown.

[torukmakto4]

Now that Elite blasters have been in the hands of reviewers for a few weeks, I have to say that I'm not that impressed with the stock performance.

Looking at SpectreX's extensive collection of range test videos,

*disappointing numbers that make a good point*

Just remember that range is not everything. The NSE guns do get a significant velocity boost. Streamlines are wonky as hell and I would never trust flat ranges in such a close comparison to tell any kind of story. I can tell you from shooting my stock retaliator that it shot about like a mild powerstock CS-RP, in my eyes NOT shabby... for a stock gun. My thunderbolt gun is not stock, but it does approach my Rayven's MV, and the stocker is only a little behind.

The Alpha AR did flow well and the gun does shoot a little higher than most other previous stockers but I have fired them, and they didn't strike me as satisfying.

What I really wish I had right now was a chrony...

On the other hand, many in the NIC seem to think that Direct Plunger systems have more performance headroom.  However I few pages back someone mentioned that they felt the internal components of the Elite blasters were thin and not as durable as expected.  How the platform will handle stronger springs and other mods is still unknown.

Well, the difference in efficiency with the DP guns is night and day, and without the dead volume holding back that NF's worth of displacement, they do have farther to go.

(...Bazookafied swapped a doubleshot spring in one, got.. 80 flat... which must be 120fps or greater. That, out of a doubleshot spring, is insane for a stock bolt. It takes a spring so monster it feels like a solid chunk of steel in your hand to get that out of my swarmpede. The CS-DP respond disproportionately to mild spring swaps, from what I can tell - probably the extreme low plunger mass behind that.)

The comment on thin parts was me and I am suspecting I was misguided, despite my real misgivings about the production quality management on these. Perhaps this is the nerf version of the Glock/unsupported chamber/"plastic gun go boom" thing, i.e. proven false in the real world by the actual reliability of the product. There are 2 spring swap guns that I know of and neither has blown up yet. The DP systems really cut down the impact energy to almost nil, excepting dryfires - the days of CS guns emitting that deafening report when fired with a spring swap are gone. Since the loads will still be low even with swaps, I think they will be safe enough.

[Ghost Reporting]

Just remember that range is not everything. The NSE guns do get a significant velocity boost.

What I really wish I had right now was a chrony...

The guy who ran the Nerf Mods & Reviews site used do do chrony tests all the time.  What happened to him?

[Vigilante]

The guy who ran the Nerf Mods & Reviews site used do do chrony tests all the time.  What happened to him?

It seems like hes not into Nerf anymore. He had a good sized ebay sale a couple of months ago and hardly posts on his blog anymore.

[Omega_Trooper]

The retaliator WILL be sold in Target stores, right? The website still says not sold in stores (I know it could change tomorrow still for the release date...) But my Target doesn't even have a space available for the silly blasters... It will be in stores tomorrow right?

[AT92]

The retaliator WILL be sold in Target stores, right? The website still says not sold in stores (I know it could change tomorrow still for the release date...) But my Target doesn't even have a space available for the silly blasters... It will be in stores tomorrow right?

Yes, my local target has all the Elite stuff with the exception of the hailfire, bandolier and tac vest.

[Omega_Trooper]

Funny... mine has none of it yet... Yours has it out already?

[Dragon1291]

Everything save the Hailfire should be out in stores officially by tomorrow.

[Omega_Trooper]

Great. Including the hailfire upgrade kit? And to someone who works at a Target, are there any good nerf coupons out?

[Bobololo]

I just got my Pyragon today and I love it. I had no interest in the vortex line when it first came out, but after dueling with the Pyragon, I had to get it. The slamfire is the smoothest out there and watching a wall of 40 discs fly through the sky is an amazing sight. I <3 this thing

[Ghost Reporting]

I just got my Pyragon today and I love it. I had no interest in the vortex line when it first came out, but after dueling with the Pyragon, I had to get it. The slamfire is the smoothest out there and watching a wall of 40 discs fly through the sky is an amazing sight. I <3 this thing

Nerf's speed test video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/Zahjy6TmhtU.  40 discs in 8.1 seconds, which is just under 300 RPM.  For a manually primed blaster, that is a vicious rate of fire.