Not to be confused with the Nerf N-Strike Elite video game.
N-Strike Elite is a current series of Nerf blasters that was released in stores on August 1, 2012.[1].
Details
Performance
It is advertised by Nerf that N-Strike Elite blasters feature ranges up to seventy-five feet, and new Elite Darts compared to N-Strike's advertised thirty-five foot stock range. This is achieved due to direct plunger firing systems, rather than their predecessors' previous reverse plunger firing systems.
A confirmed flat range test[2] by Foam From Above shows that the Retaliator and Rampage have a firing range of about fifty to sixty feet, meaning that the advertised range is angled. The Hail-Fire has similar ranges of around forty-five to fifty feet.
Versions of the blasters released in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, China, Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines do not have the advertised seventy-five foot firing range. To keep with other countries' safety standards, these gray trigger N-Strike Elite blasters only have a firing range of fifteen meters (about fifty feet) [3][4].
All the direct plunger blasters are fitted with a weaker spring and the flywheel blasters are fitted with some sort of "limiter" which prevents the flywheels from spinning really fast. Voltage mods on the flywheel blasters will bring the range on par with the seventy-five feet versions.
Because the fifteen meter direct plunger blasters have near-identical internals to the seventy-five feet versions, any modifications done to fifteen meter blasters will likely have the same performance as an identically modded seventy-five feet Elite blaster.
History
It is a direct successor from the popular N-Strike series. It also seems that many of the current N-Strike Elite blasters are upgraded versions of regular N-Strike blasters.
The Retaliator, Rampage, and Stockade were released and given a soft release in some retail stores prior to August 1. The Hail-Fire was also released early prior to September 9.
On September 8, a Wired article[5] mentioned two blasters that will be released in fall of 2013: the Stryfe and the Rough Cut 2x4. These blasters, however, were released much sooner than originally expected. The Firestrike, the Strongarm, and the Stryfe were given a soft release in some stores of December 2013.
The Demolisher 2-In-1 and the Cam ECS-12 were released in fall of 2014; the Rhino-Fire was released later that same year, on November 1.
Color scheme
Most N-Strike Elite blasters feature a distinct color scheme: blue, gray, black white, and orange.
Some blasters have been re-released with an alternate orange and white color scheme in 2014.
Some blasters, such as the Rayven Stinger, have an alternate yellow, neon orange, gray, and black color scheme. Some people might confuse it with the original N-Strike blasters.
N-Strike Elite products
Blasters
Product sets
Accessories
| Name | Year | |
|---|---|---|
|
Pinpoint sight | 2012 |
|
Bandolier Kit | 2012 |
|
Eighteen dart clip | 2012 |
|
Tactical Vest Kit | 2012 |
|
Ammo Box | 2013 |
|
Blaster sleeve | 2013 |
|
Door Storage-Transport P.A.K. | 2013 |
|
Footlocker | 2013 |
|
Mobile Mission P.A.K. | 2013 |
|
Range P.A.K. | 2013 |
|
Target P.A.K. | 2013 |
|
Range P.A.K. & Hip Holster | 2014 |
|
Suction Dart | 2014 |
| File:The cats say nonono oh my.jpg | Vision Gear glasses | 2014 |
Sub-series
Elite Repaint
Main article: Elite Repaint
Redecos of several N-Strike blasters are available in N-Strike Elite colors and packaging that emulates the design of Elite packaging. In addition, the blasters all come with Elite Darts. However, even though these blasters are listed in the N-Strike Elite category on Hasbro's official Nerf website, the packaging itself is lacking the Elite moniker. Most importantly, though, the blasters' internals are unchanged, thus lacking true "Elite" ranges for the most part (excluding the Jolt, which had already featured "Elite" ranges in its original N-Strike incarnation).
Multishot Madness
Main article: Multishot Madness
The Multishot Madness sub-series is part of both the N-Strike Elite series and the Vortex series. The Rough Cut 2x4 was released under this series and featured the ability to fire two darts at once.
N-Strike Mega
Main article: N-Strike Mega
The N-Strike Mega series features blasters with a firing range of up to a hundred feet, compared to that of the N-Strike Elite's seventy-five foot firing ranges. Blasters under the N-Strike Mega series also fire their own unique ammunition type: Elite Mega Darts.
Sonic ICE
Main article: Sonic ICE
The Retaliator, the Rampage and the Hail-Fire are also available under the Toys"R"Us exclusive Sonic ICE sub-series, in clear blue plastic instead of the standard opaque blue plastic versions, later followed by the Jolt in a shared Sonic ICE/Sonic FIRE multi-pack.
Sonic FIRE
Main article: Sonic FIRE
The Barrel Break IX-2, Strongarm and Jolt are also available under the Toys"R"Us exclusive Sonic FIRE sub-series in clear red plastic instead of the standard opaque blue, including an exclusive color variant of the Elite Darts with red instead of blue bodies, the same color also used by the larger Mega Darts.
Bonus and value packs
For a list of N-Strike Elite bonus and value packs, see Blaster set#N-Strike Elite.
Trivia
Nerf N-Strike Elite Sizzle Video
The N-Strike Elite Sizzle video.
- The series name may have been derived from the previously released Nerf N-Strike Elite video game.
- The series is the first line of clip-fed blasters to feature a direct plunger system since the Longshot CS-6 and Stampede ECS.
- Although the pinpoint sight is not identified as an Elite product on its packaging (in fact, the packaging is only branded "Nerf", not even "N-Strike"), the instructions do sport the N-Strike Elite logo and refer to the product as "Elite Mission Kit Pinpoint Sight" in at least three instances. The pinpoint sight was exclusively available as a store promotion freebie for purchasing N-Strike or N-Strike Elite blasters in the upper price range in various international markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand and (possibly) Australia in 2012. Depending on the market, even the Retaliator might have come a teensy bit short of the required minimum amount.[6][7][8] It was eventually released in large quantities in South Korea in 2014, resulting in a sudden increase of availability, as well as a severe drop of aftermarket prices.
References
- ↑ Nerf Nation (2012-05-18). Drumroll please....... Facebook.com
- ↑ Foam From Above (2012-06-12). Foam From Above: Forever at Play: Nerf N-strike Elite Press kit! foamfromabove.blogspot.com.
- ↑ Nerf Nation (2012-04-16). We know that a few.... Facebook.com
- ↑ Reddit (2016-03-13).[1].Reddit.com
- ↑ Jason Fagone (2012-09-08). How Nerf Became the World's Best Purveyor of Big Guns for Kids | Wired Design | Wired.com. Wired.com.
- ↑ Psyk (2012-10-24). Nerf Mods and Reviews: Elite Pinpoint Sight out in Singapore - Toys R Us. NerfModsReviews.com.
- ↑ HJs Nerf (2012-11-26). HJs Hong Kong Nerf - Reviews, Mods, More!: Update: Nerf N-Strike Elite Pinpoint Sight available in HK Toys'R'Us as promo item. hjsnerf.blogspot.de
- ↑ Vigilante (2013-05-01). Unboxing the Elite Pinpoint Sight, Plus How YOU Can Get Your Own | Basic Nerf. BasicNerf.com.
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