Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Review: Nerf N-Strike Jolt EX-1 – A S.O.F.T. ‘Tiny’ Write-Up

Beware, fellow squaddies, for a tiny BOMBSHELL has landed in the S.O.F.T. HQ. Of course, I’m talking about the new Nerf N-Strike Jolt EX-1, recently arriving here in Tasmania a few weeks ago. Thanks to Alex Cooke of the Hobart Nerf Squadron, we have access to not one, but TWO Jolts. This should be fun :D And, it’s time for a ‘tiny’ review. :P (PIC SPAM DETECTED :P)



The Jolt is, as it describes on the box art, a surprisingly awesome package. :P Don’t be fooled, even though it measures the same in length as a Secret Strike AS-1, the Jolt packs heaps of power, thanks to a Direct Plunger system, similar to the mighty Longshot CS-6. What is it then? An excellent last-resort blaster, perfect for the execution-style take-outs, or casually mucking around with. :P

In your basic pack, you get the Jolt, and two Whistler darts. Not much else to say, it shares the basic package size along with the Secret Strike.









The first thing that I like about the Jolt, is that Nerf tried to make it as compact as possible, but tried to cater to all hand sizes and shapes. It feels great in hand, except if you grasp onto it too tightly, the handle ridges dig into your skin a bit. Other than that, it feels reasonably great. And it looks great too, going for an orange colour scheme and digital camo markings similar to that of the Stampede and Rayven.



Notice the back area? It's VERY fat, I wasn't expecting that.
Trigger feels nice, and comfortable.

Up close and personal. :D
How the Jolt is fired is VERY simple (even for my father to figure out :P) load up your single dart into the Jolt’s barrel, pull DOWN on the grey priming handle, and simple press the trigger. If I had one complaint, it’s a bit hard to pull down on the handle to prime the Jolt, it might prove a little difficult for our younger readers :P. I can tell this is due to a very strong spring, of which I have no complaints with.

Un-primed position
Primed position
Ranges? Well, there’s no problem there. Pretty crazy ranges for such a small blaster. :P It can get to the other end of my living room, and that’s good enough for me :D (Outside range test coming soon.) J And, it can be quite accurate too.




Since I have two Jolts, I tried a little dual-wielding, and I must say thanks to my big hands (spare fingers make light work), it works very well. You might want to keep some spare Whistler Darts on you, such as on a Bandolier. :P

Bow down to your leader! :P Just kidding...
Size Comparison to the Secret Strike AS-1
Size Comparison to the Maverick... TINY.


The Jolt EX-1 can be seen as the new Single Shot blaster on the block, but thanks to its Direct Plunger, it might even replace the Maverick as favourite for casual shoot-outs at the office. It is a great starting blaster for any newcomers, and a worthy addition to any arsenal. The Jolt is newly flying around Big W Australia-wide for four bucks. Get on it!

S.O.F.T.’s Official Rating: 8 darts/10 darts

Thoughts: N-Strike Elite 'Universal' Dart?

I was looking at the leaked Elite images from UT (you KNOW which one I am talking about :P, about the Firestrike), and I had a thought. Looking at the Firestrike's (Elite Nite-Finder) barrel area and it looks as if it fires the new Elite Streamline darts, same as the Retaliator, Rampage, etc. Could it be that the Streamline Elite dart will be the universal dart for the Elite series? :) I don't mind this idea, I kinda like it. :) It'll save me heaps by buying less darts to keep my collection ship-shape and battle-ready. :) Thoughts?

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

News: S.O.F.T.'s 3rd and 4th Affiliates

We here at S.O.F.T. are proud of our achievements thus far, we've come a fair way since the beginning. With the signing of the contracts :P of our 3rd and 4th brother Nerf sites, the future looks bright. :D Let's introduce them now! :D


HvZAuburn:

A YouTube channel (or YouNERF channel :P) Michael and the team from HvZAuburn make some really high-quality videos of Human VS Zombies matches, a game usually played with Nerf blasters. He also makes video reviews and unboxings, and is a friend of Jason and Basic Nerf. Highly recommended for a quick look. :)


Modern Nerf:

Ethan's site has been up for a year now, but his blog has been feeling a little lonely. Great thing he came to us, then :D He admits that his site does repeat infomation from other blogs, BUT, he DOES offer his own thoughtful opinions about new news and upcoming blasters, and he posts VERY deductive analysation and logical/educated guesses. I like that :D Anyway, his site is lacking on the graphical side, but has promised, he is working on it. Have a look, and support Ethan and the team. :)

Friday, June 1, 2012

News: S.O.F.T.'s 2nd Affiliate Announcement

Wow, this blog is gaining more speed than I expected! :P Heh heh. I'm proud to announce the signing of the contract (Not really :P) of our second brother blog, Chiew Peng Luk and the team from Nerf Blaster And Accessories (cplnerf.blogspot.com) Welcome to the Squadron, mates!


Nerf Blaster And Accessories hails from Australia (epic win!) and his blog is home to some of the best Nerfing tips I have read. I found his blog one day while I was bored in class, and his posts make for an excellent read. :) We'll be helping out each other from now, so welcome aboard once again. His site is also home to an excellent Nerf 'Shopping List', of where you find where to buy the blaster you most want. Excellent service to the Aussie community, mate :D

Have a visit to his site! http://www.cplnerf.blogspot.com/

Remember, if you have a blog and want to join the Squadron, click on the 'S.O.F.T. Affiliates' tab on top of the page, and read the details. :D

News: Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire Official Photo & Thoughts


Coming straight from Nerf's Official Facebook page, here we have the first official shot of the Hail-Fire.  And now, I must admit, that is one AWESOME looking piece of kit. It is unlike anything I've seen thus far coming out of Nerf's lab :P Let me run off my thoughts about the Hail-Fire, as I am feeling as of now:

1. The Hail-Fire looks BIG, and badass. I must admit, wielding this monster will take some getting used to. I would really like to see if it is possible to dual-wield. :P
2. Personally, I LOVE seeing the names of blasters being represented on their hosts, and this one doesn't dissappoint. Maybe it is just I am a huge fan of cosmetics and asthetics, I don't know. :P More detail, makes more eye candy :P
3. Due to my experiences with flywheel blasters (For newcomers, two vertical flywheels spin around very fast, when the trigger is pulled, the dart gets pushed inbetween the flywheels, and is gripped, and launched through the mouth of the barrel.) I am personally looking forward to this system. I love the feeling of awesomeness when you rev up those wheels, and the noise sounds out that YOU ARE COMING. With this beast, it'll be a LOT more intimidating that a Rayven :P

Now, all of us want to see how the rotating ammo rack works, Nerf! :P You've impressed me thus far. :)