Nerf has a new trick up his sleeve: Hasbro’s latest foam guns can curve your shots, possibly allowing you to hit targets that you can’t even see. (Think of Angelina Jolie or James McAvoy in Wanted but with bouncing balls instead of bullets.)
That’s because each of Nerf’s three new Rival Curve blasters has an adjustable barrel that you can rotate to change the angle of your shot: left or right to shoot in the corners, up to shoot straight or down to throw the balls on the roof.
Do you feel skeptical? I would also be looking at this CG, especially considering Mythbusters it practically proved that you can’t bend a bullet in real life for over a decade. But you actually I can curved toy projectiles like these foam balls. In fact, companies like Hasbro have been doing this for years to increase their accuracy and reach.
When Hasbro first introduced its Rival line in 2015, it borrowed a feature popularized in airsoft guns called “hop-up” – a knot that puts a backspin on the ball when it comes out of the barrel, making it float in the air. . It is known as the Magnus effect.
Usually, a jump is designed to do a ball jump, well, above, but the Nerf community has known for a long time that you can just spin a jump to bend your shots. Here’s Out of Darts demonstrating this in 2016 (skip to 2:40 to be totally convinced):
Here, that spinning hop-up is hitting the official blasters that you can buy for $ 15 to $ 30, including a single shot pistol called Flex; an ingenious bolt disintegrator with an internal 12-cartridge magazine called Sideswipe; and, best of all, a 20-cartridge funnel-fed and pumped blaster called Helix, which has a genuine edge on its grip to prevent your hands from slipping, something that is very rare in Nerf.
Know that you are probably sacrificing a good range to get that curve. An initial demonstration on YouTube suggests it can be a very shallow turn to start. You may need a strong wind to get results like Hasbro is imagining in the image at the top of this post.
Here are the complete details of each new blaster, straight from Hasbro. The first two will arrive in March, with Helix set to be an exclusive Target blaster in the United States starting in August.
NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT FLEX XXI-100
(HASBRO / Ages 14 and above / Approximate retail price: $ 14.99 / Available: 3/1/2021)
Select your curve to fire shots left, right, straight or down and take your competition by surprise with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT FLEX XXI-100 blaster. Shoot corners, barriers and obstacles with this blaster that releases shots on a curved path, giving you the ultimate strategic competitive advantage! Rotate the rotating barrel 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 aim and curve your shot! Includes 5 official NERF RIVAL cartridges and has integrated cartridge storage. Pull down on the priming handle to open the yoke, load 1 cartridge and close the yoke. Then select your curve and press the trigger. Includes trigger lock. Recommended glasses (not included). No batteries are needed. Available at most major toy retailers across the country.
NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT SIDESWIPE XXI-1200
(HASBRO / Ages 14 and above / Approximate retail price: $ 24.99 / Available: 3/1/2021)
Select your curve to fire shots left, right, straight or down and take the competition by surprise with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT SWIDESWIPE XXI-1200 blaster. Shoot corners, barriers and obstacles with this blaster that releases shots on a curved path, giving you the ultimate strategic competitive advantage! Rotate the rotating barrel 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 aim and curve your shot! Includes an internal 12-cartridge side-load magazine and 12 official NERF RIVAL cartridges. The bolt is attached on both sides for right- and left-handed combatants. Load the magazine, move the priming screw and press the trigger to fire 1 cartridge. Includes trigger lock. Recommended glasses (not included). No batteries are needed. Available at most major toy retailers across the country.
NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT HELIX XXI-2000
(HASBRO / Ages 14 and above / Approximate retail price: $ 29.99 / Available: 8/1/2021)
Select your curve to fire shots left, right, straight or down and take your competition by surprise with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT HELIX XXI-2000 blaster. Shoot corners, barriers and obstacles with this blaster that releases shots on a curved path, giving you the ultimate strategic competitive advantage! Rotate the rotating barrel 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 aim and curve your shot! The high-capacity HELIX XXI-2000 blaster has an easy loading hopper for quick refill. Squeeze the lever to prime and press the trigger to release 1 shot at a speed of 30 meters per second. Includes 20 official high-impact rounds of NERF RIVAL and trigger lock. Recommended glasses (not included). Available exclusively from Target.