Another Point for the RapidStrike

While some Nerf fans might be getting tired of Flywheel blasters from Nerf, there's at least one that seems to have risen to the top of the list for those familiar buzzing blasters:  The N-Strike Elite RapidStrike CS-18.  When it came out in Summer of 2013, it was the must-have Fully Automatic Flywheel blaster for the lineup.  As of now, Nerf has yet to release another Full-Auto Flywheel option for dart blasters (although Disk Junkies still have the Nitron).  However, Nerf's "Elite" ranges of 75 feet are starting to be outdone by newer blasters, toting 85 and 90 feet of range.  Instead of supplying fans with a new full-auto blaster that also meets these ranges, it appears that the White-Striped RapidStrike that was spotted at Toy Fair 2014 will dish out darts up to 90 feet!

Basic Nerf has been running around with my paint-adjusted RapidStrike for several months now, so while it might appear he's got his hands on the amped-up version, it's just a normal RS with a white stripe courtesy of winning it from this blog.  I saw the news on the RapidStrike 2.0 posted on Southern Brisbane Nerf Club's Facebook Page.  It had a picture someone submitted from Baidu with the new "doo" and the new range claim.

That being said, there was a pretty sweet clearance deal on Orange-striped RapidStrikes on Amazon.com that might have some folks kicking themselves for not waiting for this White-striped high-power version to come out.  However, a quick Volt-Mod to the existing RS should make up for any buyers remorse those fans might have.  A little patience with some masking tape and a can of white spray paint can "update" your RapidStrike pretty easily, too!

Picture from Baidu (July 11th, 2014)

It also raises a bit of a question about the other recolored blasters we're starting to see.  "85" and "90" foot range claims are starting to become more common with the new blasters, so one might think that means that ALL of the recolored blasters will feature better ranges.  The best answer to that speculation is "Maybe".  This RapidStrike CS-18 is the first recolored blaster with a better range listed while others like the Orange Stryfe and White RoughCut 2x4 are simply recolors.  However, other new blasters coming out like the Demolisher and Cam ECS-12 are also boasting better ranges, so it may be a sign that the "bigger blasters" will be getting better ranges than the smaller pistols and handguns in the lineup to help differentiate things a little more.

Long story short, the RapidStrike looks like it just got better... but it's not too tough to get your existing blaster to look and perform like the new one.