Nerf has a new trick up his sleeve: Hasbro’s latest foam-flinging sidearms can curve their shots so you can hit targets you can not even see. (Think Angelina Jolie or James McAvoy Wanted but with bouncy balls instead of bullets.)
This is 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 around corners, to shoot straight or to lob balls over the lid.
Do you feel skeptical? I will also look into this CG, especially if I am considering it MythBusters anything but proof that you can not bend a real bullet more than ten years ago. But you actually can curve toy projectiles like these foam balls. In fact, companies like Hasbro have been doing this for years to increase their accuracy and scope.
When Hasbro first launched its Rival range in 2015, it borrowed a feature popular in airsoft rifles called ‘hop-up’ – a knob that places a backspin on the ball as it runs leaves so that it can float in the air. This is known as the Magnus effect.
Normally a hop-up is designed to make a ball hop, well, on, but the Nerf community has long known that you can simply take a leap to get your shots fired instead. Here’s Out of Darts showing that in 2016 (go to 2:40 to be thoroughly convinced):
Here comes the rotating hop-up to official blasters that you can buy for between $ 15 and $ 30, including a single-shot pistol called Flex; a neat bolt-action blaster with a 12-round internal magazine called the Sideswipe; and, best of all, a 20-round-filled, pump-action blaster called the Helix, which has a real lip on its pump grip to prevent your hands from slipping, something that is quite rare in Nerf.
Just know that you are probably sacrificing a good range to get the curve. An early demo on YouTube suggests that it might be a pretty shallow curve to get started. You may need a strong wind to get results as Hasbro suggests in the picture on this post.
Here are the full details of each new blaster, directly from Hasbro. The first two will arrive in March, and the Helix will be an exclusive Blaster in the US from August.
NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT FLEX XXI-100
(HASBRO / Ages 14 years and older / approx. Retail price: $ 14.99 / Available: 1/3/2021)
Choose your curve to fire rounds left, right, straight or down and take the competition by surprise with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT FLEX XXI-100 blaster. Shoot around corners, barriers and obstacles with this blaster that unleashes rounds in a curved track, giving you the best strategic competitive advantage! Rotate the rotating snout to select whether you want the round to go straight, left, right or down. Your opponents may be out of your sight, but with this NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT blaster they can still be within reach, so aim and shoot your shot! Includes 5 official NERF RIVAL rounds and has an integrated round storage. Pull off the ignition handle to open the part, load 1 round and close the part. Then choose your curve and press the trigger fire. Include trigger includes. Glasses are recommended (not included). No batteries required. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide.
NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT SIDESWIPE XXI-1200
(HASBRO / Ages 14 years and older / approximately: retail price: $ 24.99 / available: 1/3/2021)
Choose your curve to fire rounds left, right, straight or down and take the competition by surprise with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT SWIDESWIPE XXI-1200 blaster. Shoot around corners, barriers and obstacles with this blaster that unleashes rounds in a curved course, giving you the ultimate strategic competitive advantage! Rotate the rotating snout to select whether you want the round to go straight, left, right or down. Your opponents may be out of your sight, but with this NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT blaster they can still be within reach, so aim and shoot your shot! Includes a 12-round internal magazine and 12 official NERF RIVAL rounds. The bolt is attached on both sides for right-handed and left-handed fighters. Load the magazine, move the fill bolt and push the trigger to fire 1 round. Include trigger includes. Glasses are recommended (not included). No batteries required. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide.
NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT HELIX XXI-2000
(HASBRO / Ages 14 years and older / approx. Retail price: $ 29.99 / available: 1/8/2021)
Choose your curve to round left, right, straight or round and shoot the competition with the NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT HELIX XXI-2000 blaster. Shoot around corners, barriers and obstacles with this blaster that unleashes rounds in a curved track, giving you the best strategic competitive advantage! Rotate the rotating snout to select whether you want the round to go straight, left, right or down. Your opponents may be out of your sight, but with this NERF RIVAL CURVE SHOT blaster they can still be within reach, so aim and shoot your shot! The high-capacity HELIX XXI-2000 blaster has an easy cargo container to reload quickly. Pump the handle to prime and push the trigger to release 1 lap at a speed of 90 feet per second. Includes 20 official NERF RIVAL impact rounds and trigger locks. Glasses are recommended (not included). Only available at Target.