Bunker Talk - The MEGA Centurion WITH Link and Alex

(Link) G'day mates! Time for something a little NEW here at the Squadron. (It was Alex's idea, actually.) Every month, Alex and I will come together and have an online meeting/clash of the minds over Facebook, and discuss (until it melts) ONE Nerf-related topic until ALL of them are done and dusted. (Kinda similar to Hamish and Andy's Business Brunch, if you need more clarification.) Our dialogue/conversation is contained below, for you all to read. If you'd like to leave your own opinions about a topic, then go on right ahead. :D

This month, it's all about the upcoming MEGA blaster, the Centurion. My dialogue will be written normally, Alex's in Italics. Enjoy! :D

Alrighty! if between now and next week, take some notes on each blaster / series of what you think (like, dislike, effect on Nerf community) and I'll do the same, although I may add some extra Nerf War and modding elements to it - then we'll try and have like a Facebook messaging conference together, record the conversation, and edit it into a inter-review xD (This is how it was born, nice job Alex) :D

Ok, first off; what do you think about the Nerf Centurion? Lets start with what you LIKE about it.

Well, thank you for that MARVELOUS question Alex.

I have a certain respect for Nerf, and the quality of their products. But when they decide to make something this HUGE, my excitement goes through the roof. When I first saw the leaked pictures and a demo from Tony Stark, I hadn't experienced that same feeling since I bought my faithful Longshot. I just have a certain respect for tall/long things, being tall myself. I know the size isn't practical, but it does help with the 'WTF is Dat' factor. Also, it's set to be the next generation of the Longshot, so I am PRETTY keen. How about you?

(off the record: lol dat intro :P)

Well, leading on the fact that it is essentially the successor to the Longshot in terms of being big, sniper-rifle-esque and, hopefully, powerful.

I'm a fan of the red with white stripe colour, and I think it's a smart move in terms of not being Elite colours, nor the old N-Strike yellow. A lot of people were keen on the Red Strike limited edition Longshot, and I think the Centurion in Red suits very well.

So now, what do you DISLIKE about the Centurion from what you've seen thus far?

At this stage, I'm pretty much liking what I am seeing. Except, when you introduce a new Ammo type, there's that SLOW, agonizing wait for refill packs, and addition clips to be released. Six shots ISN'T much, until Nerf released refill packs. But this issue hopefully should resolve itself with time, as more MEGA blasters and interchangeable parts are announced.

Well, I recall somewhere that there will be refill packs and clips released, but whether or not they come out at the same time as the Centurion, we'll have to wait and see (although it did happen with the Hail-Fire and the extra 4x 6-dart clips and darts if I'm not mistaken? Or at least they weren't too far behind)

As I recall, it took a fair while for the Vortex refills to arrive here in Tasmania, or in my neck of the woods, anyway. Also, I'm still waiting on my orange disc refills, Nerf... I do make a valid point though, right?

Oh yeah, definitely - although the Hail Fire is a more recent example.

Anyways, back to where I was going with it.

Two things I dislike about the Centurion itself (aside from the extra darts and clips issue) is that it doesn't come with an aesthetically pleasing scope (although the only scope Nerf ever made which was of any use or accuracy was the pin point sight xD) but more to tie it in with the sniper-esque feel.

Secondly (from what Tom found on some Italian Nerf forum) the Centurion dislodges its clip by pushing the priming bar FORWARDS from the middle position. Pulling it BACKWARDS from the middle position primes the blaster. I can foresee this may lead to some jamming / accidental clip release issues, however I need to verify this.

Overall, the aesthetics certainly sing out to me especially the grip and shoulder stock area that is very reminiscent of the Stampede / Rayven grips and the Longshot-style shoulder stock.

Certainly, the aesthetics scream 'GET ME, I MEAN BUSINESS' (like Shining Foam said, it looks like something that was plucked out of Mass Effect, which'll look awesome with my N7 hoodie), but since it is confirmed when you DO attach the barrel extension, it WON'T come off, similar to the Longstrike's stock. Slightly disappointing, and it will get in the way when it boils down to CQC, when agility and maneuverability is the key.

I've always seen Nerf (well, in my life anyway) as more of a casual collector's hobby, and not so much SERIOUS FACE WAR toys. With the Centurion, I feel it is going to be more of a casual blaster, due to it's size and darts used.

We'll be adding more to this post as it gets closer to the release date for the Centurion, due October 2013 here in Aus. If you have any thoughts about the Centurion that we didn't cover and would like to share, post a comment below! :D