Review: Nerf Vortex Lumitron - Disc Lasers Galore!. :P

The Nerf Vortex Lumitron was released alongside the N-Strike Rayven in Australia Early 2012, as part of the new sub-line, Light It Up. I reckon the origins of the Lumitron was to give the Vortex line some justice (since the Vortex line was first released, glow discs were a real possibility) and now, we'll see if the Lumitron can stack up to it's N-Strike 'distant' cousin. :P

The first moment you set eyes on the Lumitron's box art, one certain word springs to mind: Praxis. Yes, the Lumitron is basically a re-painted Praxis with a new paint job, minus the stock, and a whole new Firefly Tech clip thrown in for good measure. If you already own a Praxis, you'll probably just shrug this off and look elsewhere. But, there are some things I like about the Lumitron. Let me explain the good points :P

You can see that area around the name is slightly indented :P

In the good 'ol box, you get your Lumi, 10 glow-in-the-dark discs, the Vortex Firefly Tech clip, and your Instructions. (Seriously, who reads them? :P)

The first about the Lumitron I noticed (apart from one word, Praxis) is that it feels fantastic in hand. The grip feels great, and there is a good weight to the blaster, thanks to the new clip.

For newcomers to the Vortex line, I'll point out the basics. In order to fire the damn thing :P, load up the magazine with discs, pop in the magazine into the slot until you hear a good loud click, pull back the pump handle back towards you, then push it back forward to load the disc into the firing position. Then, it's simple as pulling the trigger. Simple, really. :P

The new paint job reminds me of my brother's shoes, which also glow-in-the-dark too :P It kinda makes sense with these new Light Up blasters, because the standard Vortex paint-job wouldn't fit with the whole Light It Up theme, flouro, I think the word I am looking for :P. I like it, but Nerf has skipped a few places with the re-colouring, preferring with less colours, and more of the same. Therefore, I like the original Praxis colour scheme. don't mind me, I like seeing new colours, but Nerf was a little lazy with the Lumi.

Praxis (top) VS Lumitron (bottom)

But, I absolutely LOVE the detailing the Vortex line, they give off the vibe of these are real alien technology. The hexagonal markings features everywhere on the blaster, and is really great to look at close up.

The clip eject button is located at the back of the blaster, the two switches above the trigger. Its clearly obvious that Nerf has catered to everyone, depending on your preferred hand. It doesn't matter how you wield the Lumi, it still feels fine and natural. I'm going left-handed, just for something a little, 'different' :P 

In case of a jam, (of which from my testing, rarely happens, which is awesome :D) it is located on the right-side of the Lumi, above the Vortex logo. Simply pull it back and point the Lumi downwards to clear the jam. 

Okay, time for the differences. One thing different from the Praxis, is the change in clip disposal. With the Praxis, the clip automatically drops downs, without anything holding onto it. With the Lumitron however, you have to pull down on the clip to remove it. I like this, because it prevents the clip from being damaged if you accidentally pressed down on the switch. Also, I've heard that most people prefer Praxis non-stock attacked, so it gives off that real 'shotgun' vibe to it. :D

The internals are the same as the Praxis, for you modders out there :P

Bad points? It's essentially a Praxis, so distance and accuracy are very alike. The Vortex line is famed for it's ridiculous ranges, and the Lumi isn't any different. Ranges can be up to 20 - 30 metres, and accuracy is bang-on up to and including 10 metres. Just a little tip, discs travel slower than darts, but gain more distance. How you use this information, is up to you, my young Padawans :P

Now onto the Firefly Tech Clip. (4x AA batteries needed) I find this clip to be the most effective of the two Firefly Tech clips, thanks to the location of the LED lights, activated by the little orange switch located at the bottom of the clip. The main LED is located at the bottom of the clip, above the battery slot. Other two LED's are located inside the top disc holder slots. Pictures below. I really like the bottom LED. It's really effective at charging the discs, thanks to the disc slider/pusher-upperer (I don't know the proper name for it, does anyone know?) being transparent, allowing the light emitted the shine through. The top LED's are a welcome addition too, emitting more light for maximum glow effect. :D

Now, for the night-time pics :D As with the Rayven's effects, it's best seen in person.

The glow discs themselves work very well. When they zoom throughout the air, it gives off the impression that they are little lasers firing about the place :P A very cool effect, and awesome to show off to your mates and onlookers. :D

The Lumitron is compatible with all Vortex clips and most N-Strike accessories, with a Tactical Rail located on the top of the Lumi, and the rear is home to a stock attachment slot. Can't see getting my Stampede shield on this thing any time soon :P

So, the verdict. Is it worth your time and money? Coming from a collector's point of view, yes and no. If you already have a Praxis, then this probably isn't for you. But, if you are exactly like me or haven't got a Praxis, then go for it. It's worth it, for the aspect of the glow discs/lasers :P, and a fabulous new, interesting clip. :D And it has a few improvements over the Praxis.

The Lumitron is currently going around for $40-$45 AUD. Pick one up and give it a whirl in the dark, I think you'll like it.

S.O.F.T.'s Official Rating: 8 discs/10 discs :P

Thanks for reading! New review every Friday. I've been a bit slack with this one :P

Review: Nerf N-Strike Rayven CS-18 – Let’s Light Up The Night, Baby. :P

This is a historic moment for S.O.F.T., our first-ever review on a foam dart blaster. We’re swelling up with pride… Anyway, let’s get on with it. :)

The Nerf N-Strike Rayven CS-18 was a hotly anticipated blaster amongst many a fan, with it being released here in Australia Early 2012. A clip-fed flywheel blaster, a combination of a Barricade, Stampede and Firefly capabilities in the style of a bull-pup rifle. The Rayven is certainly an exciting piece of Nerf kit, and is arguably awesome, by first impressions looking at it. We’re excited to give you our thoughts about it, and they begin now :P

One of my new favourite blasters. :)

In the box, you get your basic blaster, the Firefly Tech Clip, eighteen glow darts, and instructions. I kinda opened the box without taking a picture, sorry :P

Something's about to go DOWN... In the dark! :P

The first aspect of the Rayven that I  noticed is the whole new colour scheme, a hint of light green. It’s certainly a nice change from the traditional yellow, and we welcome it with open arms. Here’s hoping Nerf decide to use it again.

Dun-Dun-Dun!!!

The second is that the Rayven looks like no other Nerf blaster thus far. The clip is fed from the rear, rather than the middle of the blaster. It certainly looks different, and that is what makes the Rayven looks so… awesome and unique. It takes visual cues from the Stampede as well, as seen on the top Tactical Rail, the rail on the right-hand side of the blaster, and the handle. This blaster might the most ‘original’ made by in a while, alongside the Jolt. 

The Rayven is electrically activated (powered by 4x AA batteries), by holding down the little bottom trigger to power up the flywheels, then it is a matter of pressing down on the main top trigger to fire a dart. How fast it fires, depends on your trigger finger. In other words, Semi Auto, not Full Auto. (The powering up method is exactly like the Nitron, I love it when the flywheels rev up, and start whirring dangerously. When that happens, you know something's about to go DOWN... :D)

4x AA for the blaster, 3x AA for the Firefly Clip

The clip eject button is located at the back of the blaster, near the slot where you insert the clip. I like that you have hold down the button, and then pull the clip downwards to remove it. This method prevents the Firefly clip from being damaged. The clip also has padding on the bottom, due the chances of it being knocked around a fair bit during use.

In case of a jam, the Rayven features a jam door (similar to the Nerf Recon) located on top of the clip insert. However, the Rayven cannot activate it’s flywheels until the Clip is properly inserted, and the jam door closed. I would imagine this is inserted as a safety precaution, as it is the same safety features as the Barricade.

The firing bay, lit up :P

The blaster itself has a nice weight to it, but I found it was a bit back-heavy with the clip inserted. I don’t mind this; I prefer blasters having weight rather than none. The Rayven can be dual-wielded, if you wish. :P Right-handers won’t have any problems, but if Left-handers wish to utilize a drum, you might face problems. (We pride ourselves on consumer advice. :D)

Wielding left-handed... It's my preferred choice.

From our rigorous testing trials, we can calculate with fresh batteries, the Rayven can fire up to 3.5 darts per second, and the max distance can be 15-20 metres. If you fire off multiple rounds at once, these tend to be shorter, due to time need to get the flywheels up to full speed again. It can be also quite accurate, but the darts can fly off in random directions sometimes, due the randomness of flywheel firing. :P

Onto the Rayven’s main selling point, the fancy all-new Firefly Tech clip. This clip can be seen as the downfall of the Firefly (of which I’ll probably never get my hands on to test) or, representing the hope that the Firefly hasn’t quite disappeared yet, and might see a re-release, of which I hope.

The clip itself is a great, new piece of gear. The clip contain two little LED lights, located at the top of the clip, or dart slot, (powered by 3x AA batteries) ‘charges’ the 18 glow darts full of light, actually flash when released, and create a ‘ring of light’ when the glow dart wizzes through the air. It’s quite an amazing effect, of which you need to see in person. It doesn’t capture as well on camera, as demonstrated in S.O.F.T.’s first video feature but I’ll make another video, this time with the proper equipment.

An awesome sight to behold. :D

I LOVE this logo. :D

Battle of The Clips: 18-dart VS Firefly Tech VS 6-dart

The glow darts themselves work excellent, they shoot well, and really glow brilliantly. I haven’t had many experiences with glowing thingies in my childhood, so I found them really thrilling.

Who will win? Plain Streamline VS Camo VS Glow :P

Just... Awesome. :D

The Rayven, being a Clip System blaster, is compatible with all clips and drums from the N-Strike line. Also, most accessories will fit onto the blaster. Stampede shield might be a bit difficult though :P

Rayven with 6-dart clip... Looks great. If ONLY it could hold more :P

Rayven with 18-dart clip

Rayven with 18-dart drum... Epic win. :D

Rayven with 35-dart drum... A bit impractical...

We here at S.O.F.T. LIKE/LOVE the Rayven. We love the styling, the fact that it’s a clip fed Barricade, and the Firefly Tech clip of which we highly approve. The only downside is the price, currently at $35 AUD. A bit expensive for young fans, if you want both Light It Up blasters, BUT as I always say, sacrifices must be made for awesomeness. We would recommend the Rayven to anyone looking for some night-time thrills, and a fabulous primary or side-arm. It’s a great addition to any collection.

S.O.F.T.’s Official Rating: 9.5 darts/10 darts

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to dual-wield my Barricade and Rayven like a bad-ass :P