It’s been some time since the last Cube Warfare post. In the last few months, a lot has changed in the world of Nerf. Where the Vulcan was once the mightiest weapon on the block, it has since been replaced by a newer, more fearsome gun. It’s sleeker. It’s lighter. It’s electric. We showed a preview of it when it was first announced, but we finally got our hands on one, and we’re very, very impressed. Meet the Stampede
While the Vulcan was a belt-fed heavy machine gun, the Stampede is a magazine-fed assault rifle. No tripod, no giant handle for hefting it up, just a rifle stock, a long barrel, and an on switch. Like the Vulcan, it takes 6 D batteries, and that gives it a pretty ridiculous amount of heft. It’s still lighter than the Vulcan, but only just. Fortunately, the rifle form factor makes it easier to carry around.
For $42, you get much more than just the rifle itself. The Stampede comes loaded with accessories: a standard 6-shot clip, three 18-shot extended clips, a detachable foregrip that can become a mini-bipod with the press of a button, and a blast shield you can mount over the barrel to protect yourself from shots. Okay, even with all of that the price tag looks a bit steep. If you want the be-all, end-all Nerf weapon, though, it’s well justified.
Since the Stampede is clip-fed and not belt-fed, it’s much, much faster to reload than the Vulcan. You can pop out a magazine and pop in a fresh one in just a few seconds, compared to the inevitable fumbling with reloading the ammo box with a fresh belt and then aligning it just right into the Vulcan’s feeding mechanism. Considering the rifle comes with three freaking 18-shot mags out of the box, you’re already prepared to spray over twice as many darts as the Vulcan, in half the time. That’s not the best part, though. Since the Stampede is compatible with Nerf’s clip system, it can work with the Raider
Behold, the Nerf Thompson Gun! 35 shots, no waiting, no reloading. That’s 10 shots more than the Vulcan and a full ammo belt, ready to load in seconds. You’re now the most dangerous son of a bitch on the Nerf battlefield.
The Stampede performs great. It can fire about 3 rounds per second, either full-auto (hold the trigger down to spray) or semi-automatic (pull the trigger once for each dart). The rifle’s effective range is about 30 feet, impressive for any current-generation Nerf gun. You can deploy the bipod and defend a position or just rush forward and shower your enemies with foam darts. I hate to say it, but Vera (my Vulcan) is no longer my very favorite gun.
That’s not the only new Nerf weapon to get excited about, though. Hasbro also quietly put out a new pistol, the battery-powered Nerf Barricade
The biggest problem with the Barricade is the very thing that makes it work: the motorized flywheel. Instead of a bolt that slides back and forth, pushing each dart into the barrel and sending it flying with a blast of air like the Stampede, the Barricade uses a pair of spinning discs to launch its darts. A small lever nudges each dart out of its chamber and between the discs, which then pick it up and fling it forward. This dramatically cuts down the accuracy and reliability of the gun. Worse yet, since the flywheels are constantly spinning (so they can launch a dart whenever you pull the trigger, without taking the time to spin up to a fast enough speed), the pistol is loud. It’s like holding a foam-firing power drill.
The Barricade isn’t all-bad, though. It holds two more shots than the Maverick, and can better hold both rail and stock accessories. If you want, you can clip on the Recon or Longstrike stock, or put any scope or light on the barrel. Since it’s semiautomatic, you can successfully double up on your guns and go John Woo on your enemies. No cocking means your other hand is free to hold another Barricade! Sure, it’s loud and inaccurate, but it’s still fun.
