Nerf Ultra
New darts, new design, new range specifications – the new Nerf Ultra series promises a lot! We took a look at what is promised and what has been kept so far.
The new Nerf Ultra series is the new prestige object from Nerf. A new innovative dart and unprecedented ranges with pinpoint accuracy are supposed to define Nerf’s Ultra Series.
Ultra One
The first Blaster is accordingly opulent. The Ultra One is white with golden details. Technically the Blaster is nothing new and not very innovative though. Fixed 25-dart drum, semi-automatic with flywheels. This has been available in the past from Nerf and other manufacturers with Elite Dart caliber and even fully automatic with Nerf Mega Darts.
Unfortunately, the range specification is exaggerated. „Up to 120 Feet“, that means up to 36,5m. The Blaster didn’t achieve this performance with anybody who tested it so far. Under perfect conditions (fresh batteries, empty sports hall without draught, angled shooting) the well known Youtubers only managed a maximum of 100 feet, about 30.5m. Also, there is no „pinpoint accuracy“ at this distance. A barn door is probably the smallest thing you can hope to hit. All in all a rather disappointing performance for Nerf’s new flagship Blaster.
Ultra Two
The Ultra Two is a very stylish rearloading flywheel revolver that is especially noticeable because it is powered by 6 AA batteries. So you have 9V basic power right out of the box. In the previous reviews on YouTube this blaster does not reach the promised 36.5 meters range. But there are already first conversion kits to convert the Blaster to Elite caliber. The comparatively low price of $24.99 in the USA with the possibility to use it for normal darts makes the whole thing much more interesting. Furthermore the drum, which can be loaded from the back, is of course also really stylish. So far the most popular Ultra Blaster.
Ultra Four
The third leaked blaster of the Ultra series is the Ultra Four. A single-shot blaster reminiscent of Firestrike and Co. but the Blaster is very complicated for a frontloading single shot blaster. The advantage is that the tension rod, which you pull out of the back of the Blaster, is automatically pulled back to the front. The disadvantage results from the necessary gears and other weak points, which complicate any big modifications. A special feature is that due to the nature of the Ultra Darts, the Blaster does not work with a classic barrel, but with a wide barrel with a constriction near the muzzle. Something that has been done by modders for a long time has thus found its way into a new Blaster’s design for the first time.
Source: Honest Review: Nerf Ultra 4
Ultra Five
The Ultra Five is technically comparable to the Mega Magnus. A toploader with integrated magazine for 4 darts. No other special features. The shape is certainly suitable for the one or other Cosplay Prop in the SciFi area but that’s probably it. Just like any other blaster of the Ultra series the Blaster has only one nice side with golden logo and stripes while the second side looks quite plain.
Source: Honest Review: The Nerf ULTRA 5 (An Ultra Magnus)
Ultra Darts
Let’s move on to the darts. The new Ultra Darts are bigger than Elite Darts, but smaller than Mega Darts. Unlike the previous darts, the Ultra Darts are not hollow, but solid. Also it is not the typical Nerf foam, which gave Nerf its name (Non expandable recreational foam) but a much firmer one. On the photos it looks almost like styrofoam, which had a very negative influence on the first reactions. However, the first tests show that it is some kind of foam which is harder than the material known from darts, but not as solid and brittle as Styrofoam. Also the shape is new, because the dart has a kind of fins at the end. Whether these fins stabilize the dart or are just an optical gimmick is a matter of lively discussion among hobby physicists in the Dartblaster community. However, the most widespread opinion is that the darts are specifically designed to be as difficult as possible to copy in order to compete with compatible darts. However, the darts seem to be too light and susceptible to wind. Despite high muzzle velocities comparable to rival blasters, the darts fly neither as precisely nor as far.
The general feedback so far is rather restrained or negative, which is probably mainly due to the proud price of 50ct per dart and the small number of compatible blasters. Only time will tell how the new caliber fits into the Nerf range.
More Ultra Blasters
With this in mind, we can eagerly wait to see what else the Ultra series will offer. Currently, besides Ultra One, Two and Four and Five other names and prices are known for the US market. The Ultra Three ($29.99) and the Ultra Outlaw ($24.99) were found in the checkout system of a large retail chain. Further details are not yet known, although many hope that the name „Outlaw“ stands for a revolver with a hammer like the Hammershot.
What to expect?
For now, the Ultra series seems to be a niche for blasters that perform slightly better than Elite Blaster but are no substitute for a modded blaster. The advertising for the Ultra One suggested that the Blaster would be properly painted from both sides again, unlike the current models of the other Nerf series. But reality showed that the Nerf logo is only on one side and the golden Ultra lettering is only golden on one side as well. In my eyes Hasbro is giving away a lot of potential here. It also doesn’t match the pompous appearance around the Ultra One release.
Because the release in the US was really impressive. There was a very elaborate launch party in New York with competitions and a gilded blaster. Followed by a shooting match for a pretty decent prize money, which was published episode by episode on YouTube. The whole hype shows that Hasbro puts great effort into Nerf as a brand, which is of course something positive for the dart fans in general!
If you want to get an idea of what is going on, you will have to be patient or import the blaster from the US. A release in Germany was announced for spring.
To ease the waiting time I recommend the category New on Blasterparts!
