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Saturday, July 12, 2014

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.

7 comments:

  1. Do we know yet if these 90 foot Elite blasters actually have better ranges compared to the original Elite blasters? I have a feeling that Hasbro could be pulling a fast one, since the range claims are dodgy anyway they could probably justify angling the shots more effectively and then claiming better ranges, even though there is no more power in the blaster.
    My Revonix 360 does seem to lob those disks further than my Vigilon (the Revonix has a greater range claim on the box than the original Vortex blasters did) though, so maybe there is something to it.

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  2. Bazookafield, How did you spray paint your RapidStrike? Do you need to sand it or anything? Also is the spread of spray paint can so much that you have to tape up the whole gun? I'm sorry to ask such a question but I can't resist my self from the sweet white striped RapidStrike

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    1. Who's Bazookafield?

      I didn't sand or anything when I spray painted the RapidStrike. I just used painters tape and covered up the rest of the blaster. Use Tape around the edges and then, to cover the bigger spaces, you can use plastic bags and such so you don't waste a whole roll of tape. It's pretty easy.

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    2. I'm sorry I just mistype that...and thanks for the tips!

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  3. I suspect it will be a simple flywheel re-gap as in the Demolisher. They have got the FPS on that up to a 68fps average compared to 63fps average on the Stryfe, which has a very short barrel compared to the DM, so gas around a 3fps advantage already.
    As our intrepid blogger points out, a modded old model RS is going to stomp on anything XD or not! I know a America loves the latest version of stuff, but I can't see this being as good for mods as the new fly set already has issues with dart wear and Koosh compatability, which hi po mods will not help with!

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  4. I have been wanting to make a Bladed RS, guess I should sit on it a little longer and wait for the white stripe RS. As long as it truly is a Flywheel re-regap and not some motor upgrades.

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  5. Just found a video review of the z-strike doublestrike. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS_CsJA3pPk

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