Taking a look at the new Nerf Zombie Strike Scravenger! (And a bit of a trick shot in there) Please make sure to like and subscribe for more videos! Going to a Nerf war this weekend, so there'll be plenty to post. (Sample provided, but opinions remain my own)
BASIC STATISTICS: Cost: $49.99 Includes: Blaster, 2 magazines, barrel attachment, tactical rail light, sight/magazine holder attachment, stock attachment, and double jolt blaster that fits into stock. My blaster also came with 26 elite streamline darts. Available: Now Ammo: Darts (Elite Streamlines and similar ammo) Range: About 30-40' flat, maybe 50' angled. Nothing earth shattering here. Special features: The slamfire switch! Set it, and the lever fires the blaster, you don't have a 2-step motion of priming with the lever and then using the trigger. Triggerless firing as an option, not the rule. The blaster storage on the stock is pretty awesome too, and should make a nice addition as an option to any other stock/blaster out there.
The Nerf Zombie Strike Scravenger is a $50 upgrade from the Slingfire in a couple of ways. The slamfire switch is one additional feature, while tactical rails and additional accessories to add onto your blaster is an overall addition to the Zombie Strike line. Make room for the Chop Stock and the Twin Slice accessory packs, due out later this year.
Firing Observations:
Right out of the box, there's no noticeable uptick in range from this or any Zombie Strike blaster I've seen before. It fired pretty reliably though, so no complaints there. The darts it comes with are Nerf elite streamlines, and those are notorious for flying any which way they want.
Design Notes:
The blaster really does need a stock on there, otherwise it feels super unbalanced and is a bit awkward to hold in the hand. I would like a larger lever, and maybe a thicker arm for the lever too. As with the Slingfire, the arm is rather thin and feels a little wobbly. The design on the Buzz Bee Sentinel is currently remarked as being superior by a few other players I've asked. If Nerf continues to make lever blasters like this (and I hope they do), I hope that's one change they make.
As I said in the video, the grips on the lever are nice, but they made flipping the blaster a bit more difficult. I would say the grips weren't necessary, and a smooth handle for the lever would be preferred. Otherwise, the trigger and lever all work accordingly, and despite those nitpicks the functioned, though I feel it could be improved.
It's interesting too that Nerf left the slamfire switch on the right side of the blaster only, making a little bit less of a fluid motion for a lefty user. I don't know the internals to see how feasible that would be, but users take note that this may not be the most lefty-friendly blaster. The Jolt maintained it's simple pulldown design, so that has no such issues.
The stock attachment point is also placed in such a way that Modulus accessories will lock on upside down. It's interesting that this worked out that way, and for whatever reason just be aware of bit of info.
Otherwise, the junk aesthetic and everything that's come to be the trademark of the Zombie Strike line remains intact. This line introduces a Modulus-style accessory/roleplay element to the Zombie Strike world that wasn't there previous, being able to take a blaster and customize it (through play, not modifications like the Nerf community) to an extensive level physically. With the Twin Slice and Chop Stock (DISCUSSED HERE)coming later this year, there will definitely be some accessories to try out on the new tactical rails.
BOTTOM LINE:
Is it worth the $50? Of all the new releases, this is probably middle of the road compared to the other blasters out there. If you really want the Slingfire but wish it had slamfire, then this is your blaster. If you wanted to add on more lights or accessories to your Slingfire but can't, this is for you. The fact is Nerf is definitely going for the wallet with their pricing this year, and depending on your interest in this hobby I can say a few things:
Nerfers - wait. Save it unless you really want a slamfire blaster. There's the Hades out there too. Parents - Again, this isn't a cheap blaster. It's aged for 8+ unlike the Rival lines, it has an extra blaster (for added value), the extra magazines, and overall works as a good starter kit/gift for a Nerf blaster and if you haven't bought any before this covers a lot of extras you might have bought along with it anyway if you're giving this as a gift.
All that being said, it's a solid blaster with a function that adds a new dimension to an older blaster. It would be a different kind of dual-wielding, and the slam fire does make firing a little faster, at least for me. Even if you have a Slingfire, this could be worth checking out just so you have additional Stock Options for a backup blaster and so you have that slamfire in a pinch. Hope this helps!