Review: Nerf N-Strike Longstrike CS-6

Nerf's Longstrike CS-6 was touted as the new big boy on the market, rumoured to replace the much loved Longshot CS-6. The blaster uses a more streamlined design and resembles a sniper rifle, complete with an extendable barrel attachment(that makes it the "longest Nerf blaster" ever) and a tactical rail scope. Does size lead to greater performance?

Longstrike and it's "bits"

The Longstrike comes in a Raider style blue, orange and grey colour scheme with matching barrel, clip and a permanent stock attachment- Once you connect it to your blaster it is practically impossible to remove unless you opt to open the blaster up. I'm not sure why they did this other than the Longstrike was perhaps not designed to have a removable stock and was merely a seperate piece for packaging purposes. I've actually been half tempted to acquire another Longstrike and NOT attach the stock! (it does house two additional clips though which is nice)

Did I mention it's really long?:)

Adding the barrel extension is for aesthetic purposes only as with the Recon- although the blaster might LOOK like a sniper rifle, adding the attachment actually reduces the Longstrike's overall performance.. but for the purposes of role play and appearances, it does look pretty tough..

The Longstrike uses streamline darts in the included 6 round clip but can support the 35 round or 18 round drums from the Raider and Alpha Trooper blasters. Loading is simple- pull the pin back, load the clip and push the pin back and you're ready to discharge some foam into the world (ie loungeroom)

Longstrike CS-6 with Alpha Trooper drum + Super Soaker Shot Blast scope

On top of the blaster and barrel extension are the N-Strike tactical rails to customise your Longstrike to your heart's content:)

Longstrike CS-6 with Recon barrel and pinpoint sight. It is a sight. Not pretty

Performance has been the Longstrike's biggest downfall. It's internals are identical to the Recon (another blaster heavily criticised by fans) which means it uses a reverse plunger mechanism; this translates to "harder-to-modify-and-less-power" than the Longshot. That being said, in an indoors close contact setting (ie my first floor to my lounge room couch) you can not tell the difference- it still packs a mighty punch and offers decent accuracy and power, although sniper rifles are normally not the weapon of choice for close contact engagement:) But.. the Longstrike isn't REALLY a sniper rifle anyway- you'd no doubt get better ranges and accuracy using a Nitefinder:)But that wouldn't be nearly as fun or look as cool would it?!

Personally, for someone who doesn't engage in outdoor Nerf wars, I like the Longstrike a lot more than the Longshot. It's a tighter built blaster and fits nicer in my hands; it looks nicer both with barrel attachment on and off and I prefer the blue and orange to the any of the Longshot's colour schemes. I however would be a very small minority in the Nerf world to admit this, as the Longshot has almost achieved cult status and is considered THE blaster of choice. I just find the Longstrike a more polished blaster, and in an apartment environment is very effective to sink a foam round into whoever's sitting on the couch:)

A mess of a Recon with Longstrike barrel, Raider stock and a Longshot Scope. eeech

Availability of these is very scarce- There was a scatter of them found during the K-Mart big toy sales, but since then you'll only find them online e-tailers or ebay. Pricing is also ridiculous, ranging from $39.95 up to $89.95 AUS and will depend a lot on how much you're willing to pay vs IF you can find one in the first place.

Usability: 7/10
Out of the box performance: 7/10
Cool factor: 8/10
Price point: 7/10 (only because you have to either import it or buy from a grey import seller)