Apologies, everyone. Sorry about the delay on well... everything! Let's get right to it. I purchased (not samples like usual) the Nerf Hammershot from the Zombie Strike line, and the Nerf Rebelle Sweet Revenge Mission Kit. Both revolver-styled blasters, but the big question I received was, do they get similar range?
Per usual, here's the video - I set up the cone at 30' out, and the main target at 50'.
For this review, I tested out both blasters, as they were functionally identical. Review continues after the break>>>
Stats:
Nerf Zombiestrike Hammershot
Price: Approx: $15.99
Available: NOW
Includes:5 ZombieStrike bright green darts
Special Feature: Fan fire
Target exclusive (U.S.: might be a different store in other countries.)
Nerf Rebelle Sweet Revenge Kit
Price: Approx. $19.99
Available: NOW
Includes: blaster x 1, 5 Rebelle darts (green), safety glasses, and clip-on holster
Special Feature: Fan fire
No exclusivity
AESTHETICS (how it looks):
Honestly, I think I preferred the Sweet Revenge. They both felt like great grips, but if I had to choose, the sleek and smoother feel of the Sweet Revenge made drawing and handling the blaster a bit nicer. The Zombiestrike faux bandage feels a bit more grabby, if that makes any sense. To be fair, it's designed with a young girl's hands in mind and not an adult male. Though the Hammershot might have designs for a larger boy.
The orange on the Zombiestrike worked for me, but that lower orange part under the barrel took away from the streamlined look you could see in the blaster itself, almost unnecessary. The Sweet Revenge went totally along with being sleek, smooth, streamlined, and it made drawing/holstering a breeze for me, after some practice.
Heck, the holster it comes with was surprisingly sturdy and held onto my waist and pockets very nicely. If you have a more "gymnast" play style though, you should be careful, as the holster isn't tight enough to hold the blaster when inverted. Sadly, the Hammershot doesn't fit the Sweet Revenge holster either. A Firestrike did, but I do not recommend that as it stretches the holster out considerably.
PERFORMANCE:
I've been a fan of the Sweet Revenge and the use of a proper "hammer" mechanism since I first saw the blaster at New York Toy Fair. In addition to the new mechanism, the fan fire is an interesting (though totally inaccurate) feature, and with the already inaccurate nature of Nerf darts, shooting darts in quick succession like that is more bluster than substance. Or great cover fire. One noticeable thing for me is the hammer is definitely easier to manipulate on the Sweet Revenge than the Hammershot, and you can hear it in the video. But, the Sweet Revenge and Hammershot got comparable ranges and if I didn't dual I would most likely just use the Sweet Revenge based on how much I prefer its handling.
My darts landed anywhere in the 40'-50' ranges, and 75' is likely if I angled my shots. I did battle test these at MAW 2 with Adult Fans of Nerf and they were a lot of fun to play with, win or lose. I'm curious to see though how well these fire other types of darts, and will have to revisit that at a future date. While this isn't a totally semiautomatic blaster like the Snapfire, I think it can certainly come close to one. And the trigger is much easier to pull than the Snapfire's, no matter which blaster you get. Was the performance and feel worth the money? Yes. Many times yes.
THE TRIMMINGS:
Besides the blaster and holster, Sweet Revenge also comes with eye protection. The glasses are pretty typical of what you can expect, simple frames that don't fold, but they do the job of protecting one's eyes. The pink shading of the lenses might be a little disorienting (I certainly felt that way, when I tried them on in the name of science), so maybe use clear or the orange glasses, which I had no problem with.
Overall, I'm very happy that I not only bought one, but both blasters. They're a lot of fun stock, and the new mechanism is hilariously fun to use. While the accuracy lacks, it just means you would need to get closer :)
Questions? Did I miss something? Let me know! I'm a little tired, so I'm sure I missed something.
Labels: blaster, demo, hammer shot, humans vs zombies, nerf, new york, rebelle, Review, sweet revenge, toy
