TRANSCRIPTION: (apologies in advance, I used free Notta software for this)
Welcome to a foam from above. We are looking at the Nerf Hyper evolve 100. I believe it’s around 60 or $70. But let’s go over some of the basics. Your jam door there. And here, safety. Docking bay doors. Going to call it a docking bay because it looks like a spaceship when it does that. When I initially saw this announced, I thought it was electric. It was basically a reshell of the Mach 100. That is not the case.
The blaster itself comes with only 70 rounds. This is kind of what I got in here. It also comes with eye protection. And that’s about it. Still feels comfortable. And then there is no slam fire. It’s a new Ammo type. A couple of new models. This is the latest one. The loading switch for the bay doors. It’s accessible by both left and right hands. The safety is on the left and the right side. Rail system there. Rail system there. You can mount the additional ammo containers on it along with I believe the rival accessory should work on this too. This looks like the same thing. I’d say it’s not as heavy as the Hyper Mach 100. And I do prefer a pump action forward mech.
The new door, I love it. And if you want to get the new stuff. Your Nerf Hyper Evolve 100 is out. This really depends on the type of ammo that you like. However, I do have this caveat. Make sure to use the blaster indoors. Your ammo retrieval rate for this is going to be you do run the risk of it being pretty low just because how small these are compared to rival rounds, but yeah, still solidly built blaster, solid ammo. Nice looks.
Love the presentation of it. Thanks again to Hasbro for sending out a free sample. I appreciate it. Appreciate you for tuning in. If you like what you see, make sure to hit like and subscribe. Blast that Like & Subscribe button for me!
(HASBRO/Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99/Available: 3/1/2021)
Select your curve to fire rounds left, right, straight, or down and take the competition by surprise with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT FLEX XXI-100 blaster. Fire around corners, barriers, and obstacles with this blaster that unleashes rounds in a curved trajectory, giving you the ultimate strategic competitive advantage! Turn the rotating muzzle to choose whether you want the round to go straight, left, right, or down. Your opponents may be out of your line of sight, but with this NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT blaster, they can still be within range, so take aim and curve your shot! Includes 5 Official NERF RIVAL rounds and has integrated onboard round storage. Pull down the priming handle to open the breech, load 1 round, and close the breech. Then select your curve, and press the trigger fire. Includes trigger lock. Eyewear recommended (not included). No batteries required. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide.
NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT SIDESWIPE XXI-1200
(HASBRO/Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $24.99/Available: 3/1/2021)
Select your curve to fire rounds left, right, straight, or down and take the competition by surprise with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT SWIDESWIPE XXI-1200 blaster. Fire around corners, barriers, and obstacles with this blaster that unleashes rounds in a curved trajectory, giving you the ultimate strategic competitive advantage! Turn the rotating muzzle to choose whether you want the round to go straight, left, right, or down. Your opponents may be out of your line of sight, but with this NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT blaster, they can still be within range, so take aim and curve your shot! Includes a 12-round side-loading internal magazine and 12 Official NERF RIVAL rounds. The bolt attaches to either side for right-handed and left-handed battlers. Load the magazine, move the priming bolt, and press the trigger to fire 1 round. Includes trigger lock. Eyewear recommended (not included). No batteries required. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide.
NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT HELIX XXI-2000
(HASBRO/Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: 8/1/2021)
Select your curve to fire rounds left, right, straight, or down and take the competition by surprise with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT HELIX XXI-2000 blaster. Fire around corners, barriers, and obstacles with this blaster that unleashes rounds in a curved trajectory, giving you the ultimate strategic competitive advantage! Turn the rotating muzzle to choose whether you want the round to go straight, left, right, or down. Your opponents may be out of your line of sight, but with this NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT blaster, they can still be within range, so take aim and curve your shot! The high-capacity HELIX XXI-2000 blaster features an easy-load hopper for quick reloading. Pump the handle to prime and press the trigger to unleash 1 round at a velocity of 90 feet per second. Includes 20 Official NERF RIVAL high-impact rounds and trigger lock. Eyewear recommended (not included). Available exclusively at Target.
Keep an eye on this entry! Bookmark it! Or better yet, follow me at tiktok.com/@foamfromabove for video as soon as the samples arrive!
Range: Claim is 120’, observed 50’-60’ BUT, angling of course would increase.
Features: Semiauto firing
Mechanism: Flywheels
Available: Now
Ages: 8+
SUMMARY:
When I first heard about the Nerf Ultra One I wasn’t sure what to think. 120’ (Rival style ranges? Higher “power” than Elite? What?) but being around blasters for so long I know not to buy 100% into the marketing. And when I saw the Ultra One press copy read that the blasters were for “8+”, that told me how to dial in my expectations. Honestly, Rival is designed for 14+. What would you expect?
The Nerf Ultra One to me doesn’t seem that revolutionary. I reliably hit my target (which you can hear in the video), the Ultra darts don’t seem to have the same wacky flight patterns as Nerf streamline darts, and it achieves better range than Nerf Accustrike.
But it’s a semiauto blaster with a drum you load. Nothing we haven’t seen from Nerf or other brands, and for a first blaster it’s underwhelming. I remember not a lot of people too impressed with the Apollo in the beginning, so the naysayers with Ultra isn’t surprising. Maybe future designs will be more innovative to that end, but that remains to be seen.
Controlling Dart Usage
The “dart DRM” as it’s been called is discussed in the video. I don’t really like that Nerf went with this kind of mechanic to enforce using Nerf darts only, but outside the fandom I don’t think it matters to consumers. I’ve seen a number of non-hobbyist posts about the Ultra One (not just the sponsored ads) that like the blaster. And more casual consumers don’t have a hoard of ammo that won’t work or the myriad of other complaints about the DRM. Hobbyists, arena/mobile party owners, game groups with a communal supply will be affected. I will hazard a guess that most consumers will be outside those populations, buy the Ultra One and an extra pack of ammo, and call it a day.
I had this very conversation in the toy aisle. A mom and her child were trying to find a Nerf blaster to buy. They looked at the Ultra One and remarked at how it was a new blaster. I informed them that the Ultra One would only work with the darts it comes with, so the mom told her child that they would get it on his birthday, with extra ammo. No remarks about how unfair it was, Hasbro market share, stock quotes, nothing. Just a promise to get it as a gift and a pack of ammo.
Different Darts Happens
In addition, PUT THOSE TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS DOWN. Yes, You too. And you. STOP.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME HASBRO HAS INTRODUCED NEW AMMO.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME HASBRO HAS MADE AMMO THAT FITS ONLY IN CERTAIN BLASTERS.
Back in the 90s, you had micro darts, old school megas, Arrows of Unusual Size, and all sorts of other stuff. Let’s look at some history.
Even before Nerf Ultra, Nerf released streamlines, the original mega darts, rip rockets, whatever the darts were that came with the SM 3000, arrows, Dart Tag Darts (of various incarnations), whistler darts, suction darts, Vortex discs, Mega darts, Elite Streamlines, Accustrikes, Mega Accustrikes, Rival rounds, the list goes on. Every few years they release something new to fire. In the case of Vortex, Mega, and Rival those only fit their specified brands unless otherwise noted. Not just any dart into an n-strike magazine and make it work, and you definitely couldn’t cross other brand ammo in other blasters unless they were front-loading. If Nerf were taking existing ammo off the market, that would be another story. As it stands, the Ultra ammo segment is an addition, not a whole paradigm shift leading to the elimination of everything we already have.
Nerf Rival is also not sold everywhere in the world. I don’t work for Hasbro, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Nerf Ultra satisfies demand for a “higher range” blaster in areas where Rival cannot go, such as Australia. Now the range is questionable, but as long as Nerf can make it to other areas with a new segment, that may not matter to most consumers. They’ll just be happy to see the latest Nerf blasters in their stores.
The Ultra One, Where to Next?
Again, I’m glad that Hasbro sent me a sample and saved me the trouble of buying one. The blaster features aren’t revolutionary and the dart type is interesting for something new, but past the first pack of ammo I am not sold on this line yet. Yeah, you can snap the ammo in half and some of it even got gouged by my Dart Rover but it’s not super brittle and in your pocket it’ll keep shape better than current Nerf darts. My favorite segment from Nerf is still Rival, but that’s a different market from Ultra, ultimately.
I recognize that the blaster is made for 8+ and is intended for younger users, like everything else in this hobby. My biggest complaint is the drum and the trigger working with the new dart recognition mechanism. It’s pretty uncomfortable to slam my finger against the trigger when a dart isn’t correct or loaded properly, which happens a noticeable amount of times. When in the thick of a blaster battle or trying to shoot targets, that jolt against your finger from a missing/jammed dart really sucks.
In the end, I can’t give the Ultra One a high recommendation like the Nerf Perses. It looks cool, but needing C batteries, the annoyance of the Nerf-only dart mechanism, and the overall cost are problematic. There are a lot of other great, more reliable blasters out there worth your money, Nerf or not Nerf brand. I would suggest waiting for the Nerf Ultra One to drop in price as a sale (probably Black Friday) before dropping your money on it. And you may not want an Ultra One for any number of reasons, THAT IS TOTALLY OK.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Totally appreciate your coming by and getting through my rambling. Make sure to check me out on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for continued updates, reviews, and other content! Thanks again to Click Click BAMF as well for putting in some work on the video.
Dart Zone Samples are in, and thanks to Mica T. on the Facebook page, the Magnum gets the first test shot video.
Please share/like/subscribe! I’d appreciate it 🙂
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.
Foam From Above 