Nerf Halo Needler Dart-Firing Blaster

If there were two cornerstones of my life growing up, it was Nerf blasters and Halo. One of my longtime childhood fantasies was a Nerf Needler. Of all the crazy sci-fi weapons we wished we could have as a foam firing toys, the infamous bringer of 'pink mist' was my pick. Ultimately it never happened during that time (BOOM Co's Needler was fun, but definitely didn't nail the looks), and eventually I grew out of the hobby scene in general. Yet, when I found out Hasbro was going to make a game-accurate, functioning replica of the Needler, I was chomping at the bit to get it. I think they knocked it out of the park. The blaster itself looks fantastic. It's almost identical in appearance to the Needler from Halo: Reach through Infinite. Almost all of the fine details are visible. The blaster itself is weighty and feels very sturdy. What's nice is that all the protruding elements of the gun, like the fins on the bottom and the needles themselves are made of a flexible material so they won't break if you bump into them or drop the blaster. The lighting effects are also great looking. The LEDs are bright and the blaster has a neat feature of sequentially turning off the needles as you fire off darts, mimicking the game's behavior. You 'reload' the needles by flipping open and shut the cylinder door on the left side of the blaster. It also shoots surprisingly well, better than I'd expect for a blaster that seemingly values looks over performance. It's a fully automatic electric plunger with a 10-dart cylinder, similar to the old Dart Tag Speedswarm. This was a pleasant surprise considering most new Nerf blasters have totally ditched this type of firing mechanism for flywheels. I'm not going to bother range testing it, but it fires hard and darts fly out to ranges that I'd expect of most new 'Elite' type blasters. It isn't the most consistent or accurate though, but that's to be expected of a blaster firing Elite darts out of barrels this short. Heavier darts and I'd say you can stay on target pretty well with this thing. I do have some minor gripes though. Even though the colors are dead on, I wish they gave the gun a more metallic sheen like it has in game. It's also an ergonomic nightmare. The grip is horrid and it's a pain to reload thanks to the giant muzzle that covers most of the cylinder. That said, it's worth noting that this blaster basically eschews all practically in favor of being as accurate to the game model as realistically possible. It's not something you're going to want to play a round of HvZ with (or whatever people play these days). It's also a bit expensive, but I guess if you really want this thing then the price shouldn't be too big of an issue. Overall I'm really happy with this Needler. It's definitely a childhood dream come true and I'm glad it's as good as it is.

Great fun

I wasn't expecting it to be so big but, it is. Darts fly fast and hit hard. The needles at the top all light up when the Needler is fully loaded and turn off a row at a time as the darts gets fired. Nice display plinth included and 3 power settings – off, on for play, on for display. To be honest, I feel this is more a display piece than a play toy.

Para ser un "juguete" como muchos lo nombran, puedo decir que supero mis expectativas. Realmente puedo decir que es un articulo de colección para dejarlo en la estantería junto a todos los demás coleccionables que ya tengo y se luce muy bien por ese tono morado característico del aguijoneador. Por otro lado la iluminación es muy linda, me encanta que los aguijones se iluminen, se ven muy bien por la noche. Lo único que no me gustó, es que para hacer funcionar la iluminación, es que debes colocarle 6 pilas, siento que son demasiadas para hacer que se ilumine, pero lo entiendo ya que es una pistola de juguete y su principal función es la de disparar dardos. Hubiese estado genial que en el modo "exhibición" pudieras conectarle alguna fuente de alimentación externa y dejarla encendida por medio de enchufarlo a la corriente y no depender de las pilas, así te quitas el pendiente de estarle cambiando las baterías, pero por lo demás muy bien.

Le Needler est tout simplement magnifique ! Il est parfait pour être affiché pleine dans ma collection ! Et fonctionne en tout point ! Ça me rappelle de bons souvenirs aussi, merci Halo d'exister !