My Christmas Nerf Haul!

This Christmas I got six Nerf blasters. Yep, that's right, six. That now makes my collection expand to 13 blasters. I got:
1x Rapidfire AS-20
1x Magstrike AS-10
1x Secret Strike AS-1
1x Barricade RV-10
1x Longstrike CS-6
1x Clear Maverick REV-6

Now, I know that sounds a little unbelievable, but I have the pictures to back up my intel!

I understand that my face is pixelated, but I don't want my picture all over the Internet.

So, there it is. My Nerf Christmas haul. I guess you could say a had a very merry Nerfmas. Thanks, Mum!

Merry Christmas from The Nerf Blog

This post has no other purpose than to say a big merry Christmas to everyone here. Thanks for the all the support, positive feedback and constructive criticism you have offered throughout this year. It has been an amazing journey, getting this blog from a measly ten page views in the first month, to the monster eighty page views every day we're getting now. I also have to say how great it's been to listen to your thoughts about what I've been writing. You seriously don't know how much your feedback and support has meant to me and the blog. This extends even more to my seven followers, who have made the biggest contribution to this blog. But I don't just rate my success in page views and followers, but how many people I have helped or who have thoroughly enjoyed reading my articles.

I have many aspirations for next year, which include many for this blog and for my Nerf hobby. I will be purchasing some new blasters, and maybe even getting some for Christmas, and I also hope to be posting even more of the content that makes this blog what it is. So with out any further babbling on about how this all happened, I say a big thanks to everyone who is reading this right now!

One last thing. MERRY CHRISTMAS from The Nerf Blog!

Nerf Longshot CS-6- Review

The Nerf N-Strike Longshot CS-6 has recently been re-released in a limited run in Australia. So I decided to pick one up. And I haven't looked back since!

The Longshot is a direct plunger, sniper rifle style blaster. It it is renowned for being one of the best blasters for stock range, and also being the most modify-able. The Longshot utilizes Nerf N-Strike clip functionality, offering supreme adaptability and quick reloads. This blaster is one of the most revered Nerf blasters.

This blaster offers exceptional range and accuracy, even when shooting stock streamline darts. The range is moderately consistent, with most of the shot group landing in a 5-10' radius. The Longshot will shoot an average of 30-40 feet with some shots dipping out just before. With a few modifications, the Longshot is the ultimate sniper weapon.

The Longshot is a very good looking blaster, with bold and angular lines everywhere. It has a great colour scheme. From a distance that is. On closer inspection, the paintjob is quite blotchy, with all many colours going over the lines, and mixing to make a dirty black colour. This could be significantly proved, but as far as the rest of the looks go, it's pretty good.

Personally, I find this blaster to be an excellent performer, and that's why I'm going to incorporate it into my loadout, for a long-range blaster. I know this bit is is going to make me seem  like Cacox97 (from Youtube) but here are the ranks.
Ranks:
Range: 9.4
Accuracy: 8.9
Looks: 6.2
Feel: 8.5
Overall: 8.25

I got a Longshot!

Today I went to my local Kmart store and to my surprise, there were about 8 Nerf Longshots. So, you guessed it, I bought one. $60 AUD, which is a great deal. And I love this blaster so much. It shoots very well for a stock blaster, and I have already modded the front gun with AR removal, and an air seal upgrade. Pretty good if you ask me. This blaster is definitely my new primary. Bring it on!

I Modded My Recon!

So I finally took the plunge and opened up my Recon! I have been wanting to mod it for a while, but I haven't had the guts to rip open the shell and have a good look around in there. Once I took off the shell, I could see how it all worked. It took a while to get familiar with all the mechanisms, but I managed to do it and I am so glad I did!

It took me an hour to get it all working, but after removing the AR and the clip lock, plugging the breach hole and padding the plunger, I am rather impressed with my blaster's new found range and dart velocity. I have had so much fun modding my Recon, I recommend that everyone find a good guide and do the same mods I did. You won't be disappointed!

Nerf Longshot vs. Longstrike

The two Nerf sniper style blasters- the Longshot and the Longstrike are still battling it out, long after the Longshot has been discontinued.  Bothe of them are epic, but which one will win? To find out, we have devised a a multi-round competition. Let the games begin!

Round 1- Range:

Both of these blasters have good ranges, but one is the clear winner. Without being too technical, the Longshot uses the direct plunger system to deliver air to your dart and propel it out of the barrel. This is the most effective way to utilise the air that is created in the action of the plunger. The Longstrike on the other hand is of the reverse-plunger variety, which has a system where the plunger rod is actually a piece of the plunger casing and the plunger itself has a spring other the top of it. Put simply, the Longshot is much more efficient at delivering air to your dart, making it shot much better ranges in stock form.

Round 2- Feel:

These two blasters both have a similar design, but once again, one of these blasters has to be put in the lead. The Longshot may have the cool little bi-pod that folds down, but the Longstrike has a very comfortable shoulder stock that you can really use. I prefer the swept back handle design of the Longstrike, as it really adds to the sniper rifle feel. Despite it all being a matter of personal preference, I have to say the Longstrike is more comfortable.

Round 3- Looks:

The looks of each blaster are very distinct and you either love them or hate them. The Longshot is very bulky, while the Longstrike is slim and streamlined. If you are going for the sniper rifle feel and look, go for the Longstrike. If you want a big bulky blaster which looks great with the bi-pod down, then go for the Longshot.   I declare this round a tie.

Round 4- Modifications:

If you're a hardcore modifier, you will already know that the Longshot is far superior in mod-ability. As described above, the reverse plunger system is very limited in the mods that you can do to it. Basic AR removal would be one of the main mods. The direct plunger set-up, is much easier to mod, and you can do so much more to it. The best range I have heard of for a reverse plunger blaster is around 60 feet- and that's exceptional. With some good mods, even a lightly modded Longshot can hit that, and they commonly hit around 100 feet + .

Finally, the scores say that the Longshot is the better blaster of the two. It has better range and mod-ability and in my opinion, packs a better punch. To be fair to the Longstrike though, the Longshot is rarely found in stores, while the Longstrike is far more available. In years to come, the Longshot will be obsolete. But here and now, the Longshot is the superior blaster, without a doubt.  

Nerf Reflex IX-1 Modification

Since I got the Nerf Reflex IX-1, yesterday, I have been wanting to modify it. So Today I took the plunge into uncharted waters (at least for me, anyway) and discovered the great performance unlockable with only basic modding skills.

To start with, I removed all 10 screws from the blaster. They came out easily, and it took but a moment to rip open the shell. I was greeted with this sight:

The most simple of all Nerf reverse-plunger type set-ups. It then took me just a couple of minutes to drill out the air-restrictor and cover the breach hole with duct tape. If you remove the plunger,you can actually add a couple of layers of Teflon/ plumbers tape to improve the air seal.

The speed loader was almost as simple, with a couple of layers of duct tape and some hot glue bonding the 2 Crayola barrels together. And that's basically it. Mod done. This is not meant to serve as  a guide, but if your afraid of modding your Reflex, or are curious about how to mod it, I hope I helped!

Nerf Reflex IX-1- Review

The Nerf Reflex IX-1 blaster was never previously available in Australia. For most Australian fans it was a cool but mysterious blaster. Until now. Most Target stores in Australia now stock the reflex, for $7.00 AUD. A mighty good deal if you ask me! This blaster is going to be my new mini side-arm, but it will never replace my trusty Switch Shot EX-3. So let's dive into the review and find out what makes this blaster so awesome.

Pros:
For one, this blaster is tiny. It is an excellent example of innovation in Nerf's design, with all the main components fitting inside a shell smaller than your hand. It also has okay range for it's size, topping out at around 20-25 feet, though I would still only use it as my barrel-tap\close-quarters weapon in a Nerf war. It works rather well, too, as I haven't had a misfire yet.

Cons:
I must say that this blaster has very few cons, despite it's size and cheap price. The main con is comfort as the handle digs into my hand after a while. It starts off as not a real problem, but eventually turns into quite a painful experience.

Finally, for it's small size and good range, I would happily incorporate this into my Nerf war loadout.I give this excellent blaster a 8/10. Definitely worth buying!

Dream Nerf Loadout

I really like to participate in Nerf Wars. They are loads of fun, but without away to carry all those blasters, ammo and accessories, they can be rather difficult. I mainly use a very basic loadout, but I an currently contemplating whether or not I should buy a more advanced loadout system. If I had the choice, for my favourite- indoor wars I would choose to carry a voltage modded Stampede, a Barricade and a Reflex, plus ammo. For ammo and clip storage, I would use the tactical vest, with the Barricade in the holster and a Reflex in the mesh pouch.

So with this I pose a question. What is your ultimate loadout?