Target Practice: Testing blasters on The Grossery Gang!
Thanks to the folks at Moose Toys for the samples! They sent along some members of The Grossery Gang, a new collectible mini set of toys. For those who don’t know, if you’ve seen the Trash Pack or the The Ugglys, you’ve seen Moose. They specialize in collectible sets like this, most recently the phenomena known as Shopkins.
And they let me take the the Grossery Gang (some of the set of 150) down the sight of my barrel. I tried a variety of blasters, from the Precision RBS Hyperion, the Nerf Recon MK II, the Reflex Tk-6 Revolver from Zuru, the Dart Zone Covert Ops Enforcer…. and a special friend from the past. Naturally, given the Grossery Gang toys measure 1″ x 1″ (besides the containers), aiming at them was a challenge. Even moreso trying to hit them from 20′, perhaps the saying “bull’s eye a womprat come to mind here?
These eyes, mocking you when you miss. Don’t miss. Don’t bink.
Toy blasters tend to be inaccurate enough as it is, because of ammo quality and a litany of other reasons why torsos are easier to tag than small precision targets, but consider the Challenge Accepted!
I feel like the Precision RBS blasters might have had the edge and lived up to their name by taking out 3 targets, while foam darts tried to go every which way but toward where my sights were. But maybe YOU, dear reader, will have better success? Take a look at the video, and don’t forget to Like and Subscribe!
Dart Zone LegendFire: Triggerless blaster, but I like it!
Basic Stats: MSRP: $14.99 Includes– Legendfire x 1 Dart Chambers x 2 (9 shots each)
I want to update this post with some actual gameplay testimonial, that will have to wait! In the meantime, here are some quick first impressions.
I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like this blaster. Triggerless offerings in the past were often disappointing, uncomfortable, or made firing more complicated than it had to be, simply because there was no trigger. Other times, because the blaster required you to constantly shift it through motion your aim sights were constantly moving and you were always shifting… that’s one reason I always want a slamfire enabled blaster to have a stock, for just that slight bit of stability while you have to keep priming the blaster.
The LegendFire is basically in a constant state of slamfire. You pump the blaster and that primes it/fires it. Dart Zone admitted this was because the blaster would have been made out of the price point they set and in order to keep costs down they had to sacrifice a traditional trigger. While unfortunate, the blaster is a pump-action, which already gives it a different feel from other triggerless blasters. Like I said, the blaster is in a constant state of slamfire so you could easily throw your aim off a bit shifting the pump handle, but with a little practice you could steady it a bit more. The length of the blaster also helps in that regard. You might find yourself spraying ammo more than surgical pot shots, as it starts to almost feel like more of a shotgun, regardless of the barrel length. I was getting pretty decent range out of the blaster too, the 80′ claim (angled) isn’t too far from the truth. From the looks of the video, it hit even farther than that. Now, accuracy wise? That’s a whole different tune. The video shows the spread was pretty wide on the shots I took, and given the foam medium that’s nothing terribly new to see. But how much of that might have been solved with a stock to brace against or a trigger, maybe some day we’ll get a different version. It’s my continued belief that a stock is a necessity if your blaster has slam fire, unless it’s a pistol like the Strongarm.
Second cylinder included! Extra ammo reload for a unique magazine type! Thanks Dart Zone!
The thing that really got me about the LegendFire is that it reminds me of any number of Borderlands sniper rifles that use revolver style chambers – (I can’t seem to remember any at the moment…) and breaking the blaster in half to get to the revolver cylinder to swap it out is a neat feature. Even better because Dart Zone includes a SECOND CYLINDER to store on the integrated ammo holder and swap out, in incredibly satisfying (for me) fashion.
And…. it’s $14.99. For that price, given all the high-end blasters coming out this year, this can give you a much needed break on the wallet. For parents, here is a very interesting low-cost option for your kid’s upcoming holiday gifts. It’s an engaging design with the reload mechanism and just the look of it, has a slim profile (for easy storage!) is compatible with Nerf darts, and pretty good range for under $20. If you haven’t looked at Dart Zone blasters before, this is definitely something you should consider!
Product provided for review: opinions still remain my own.
Dart Zone Samples are in, and thanks to Mica T. on the Facebook page, the Magnum gets the first test shot video.
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Sample provided, thanks Prime Time Toys/Dart Zone!
I’ll be better suited to provide a full review next week, going to be field testing this (and more) blasters from Dart Zone with the MANO Wisconsin Nerf Group this coming weekend.
For now:
STATS:
MSRP: $19.99 Available: Now (Target Exclusive) Range claims: 80′ Includes: 40 darts, blaster, manual
Note: Drum is a one-time installation, does not come out again after assembly.
If I had to say anything right off the bat, the swivel arm rest is kinda weird, and the blaster did spin a few shots out, but for the price this is a tough blaster to beat on dart output and range.
Scorpion Gatling Blaster: Dart Zone/Prime Time Toys By: Vas The Stampede
Size Comparison: Scorpion vs. Nerf Barrel Break and Zing Legends Bow
My firing video:
Basic Info:
Price: $19.99 (Wal-Mart Exclusive) Range: Up to 70′ (angled) Includes: “Super Darts” x 20 20 Dart Ammo Belt x 1 Instructions Scorpion Gatling Blaster x 1
Prime Time Toys keeps the hits coming with one of their latest entries, the CovertOps Scorpion Gatling Blaster. A Wal-Mart Exclusive, this blaster is obviously inspired by some earlier similarly styled “gatling” blasters like the Punisherand Gatling Blaster. This fully automatic, 20 shot blaster proves itself a pretty good value for 20 bucks.
It requires 6 AA batteries, and that spins the barrel (purely cosmetic effect) and also powers the flywheels. There’s no accelerator trigger here, once you hit the “on” button the flywheels go and all you have to do is hold the trigger down. It’s pretty easy to shoot in bursts, or just empty the entire belt for maximum hilarity. The blaster is small, probably smaller than either of the earlier gatling blasters. This does make it a bit easier to carry and move quickly, although the chains do swing about, nothing new if you’ve ever run with a Nerf Vulcan. Unlike the Punisher, there is no ammo box, so there’s a loss in aesthetic as well. Oddly enough, while the line is called Covert Ops, once this blaster is on, there is nothing covert about it. If you didn’t like the noise level of a Barricade, you will definitely not like this blaster. As I suggest with any of those complaints, just wait until you’re about to shoot and flick the power switch then, don’t run around an entire game or scenario with your flywheels running (unless there’s a strategic reason for it, as I’ve done in the past).
The Covert Ops line is a green and orange mash of colors, crossing toy safety and a color scheme reminiscent of the movie, “Predator.” While this isn’t the total minigun that some folks may want, it does pretty well all the same. To me, the plastic and build feels pretty sturdy and that it might take a drop or 2. That is only descriptive of the blaster body, though. I can’t attest to the strength of the electronics and the motor if you dropped this blaster. Bottom line, it feels solid.
The amount of clearance to fit other brand darts through the Scorpion.
I repeat, the size proves deceptive as you might not expect the power you get out of this. I was able to hit almost 50′ flat and angled my shots hit about the advertised 70′ range. And this was with both the proprietary “super” darts and other leading brand darts. This blaster shot just about anything I put in the ammo belts. The accuracy did leave something to be desired, but with foam ammo that tends to just be the reality of the medium. And if you’re sending out about 20 shots at a time, maybe accuracy isn’t your main concern!
That being said, I can’t comment if chains from the earlier gatling blasters will work with the Scorpion, as I don’t have either. And if I had any real complaint about this blaster, it’s that additional chains aren’t available to use this as a proper defensive or offensive weapon. Extra chains and the fast reload (with some practice and preloaded chains) would make for a good time in a stock blaster game. As far as I know, separate chains are not sold anywhere so you have one 20 shot belt and that’s it with the Scorpion. Either check your fire or get ready to reload the same chain frequently. For $20 and only 6 AA batteries, I definitely think this blaster is worth the trip to a Wal-Mart (in the US) and adding to your inventory. It’s a great price for a 20 shot blaster that hits its range and fires pretty quickly.
Thanks so much to Prime Time Toys for the sample, and to you for reading! If there’s anything I missed feel free to use the contact form or make a comment below (comments are moderated, so they may not appear right away.
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