Monkey Business Sports was awesome enough to send over some of their Foam Strike line, in this case Pocket Shots, their take on the slingshot.
Stats:
Pocket Shot -
MSRP: $6.00
Includes: Pocket Shot x 1, Ball ammo x 3
Range: Just under 30'
VIDEO:
Pocket Shot ammo (center) vs. Nerf ballistic balls
In order to load it, you wedge a ball between the uprights of the Pocket Shot, pull back the "hammer" and release, striking the ball forward.
As you can see, it took some adjusting to get the shot to go straight but it flew well once I had the mechanics dialed in. The table was set up around 30' away, and the ball dropped a little short so there's your range there.
The Pocket Shot strikes me as a blaster that truly can get played indoors or out. The ammo flies softly enough that I don't think it could knock over a vase or anything breakable. It is also small enough to pocket, even if you are carrying additional ammo which is a good characteristic for a sidearm. The only shortcoming is that unless you are carrying additional ammo, you're stuck with 3 shots before you have to retrieve.
The action of pulling back the bungee cord (as all Foam Strike shooters use; compared to the rubber tubing Zing Toys uses) is a very satisfying and tactile sensation, so while this won't set any range records it is still a bit of fun to play with. Definitely leave a group of them on a table at a party and see what happens:)
The shape makes these shooters very low profile and unassuming, as opposed to some typical gun shapes that might scare administrators or parents. Coupled with the softness of the ammo and the low velocity rate, if my nephew were still 5 years old, I'd feel safe letting him play with this under supervision (he's 10 now). The Pocket Shot is pretty quick to load and a convenient sidearm if you're in the market for one. At the very least, having a slew of them around and random shootouts with friends is a great way to even trigger interest in the hobby at large. Pretty good offering from Foam Strike with this mini shooter, and after seeing their own bow and arrow hit 200'+, I look forward to seeing more from Monkey Business Sports, for sure.
