Review: Nerf N-Strike Spectre REV-5

Nerf Spectre REV-5. Sam Fisher eat your heart out.

The Nerf N-Strike Spectre REV-5 is a new release blaster for 2010- exclusive to Walmart in the US for an October release, but it has been released in Asia with reports from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia already. It has been the one elusive blaster I couldn't get (I even got my hands on a Barricade RV-10!).. until now. With Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid being big fav's of mine (other than Army of Two!) this blaster was hopefully going to satisfy my "sneak attack" tilt:)

It's been speculated that the Spectre REV-5 is an update on the tried and true Maverick REV-6 but with one less shot but personally I'd have to disagree. In regards to aesthetics and styling, The Maverick is a thicker, more aggressive in-your-face looking blaster compared to the much flatter, sleeker lines of the Spectre. Even the name of the blasters themselves suggests different design themes- 'Maverick' suggests a much more blatant and open reckless 6-shooter wild west tilt, compared to 'Spectre'- silent, hidden, a ghost. The decision to make the Spectre's barrel a 5 round one is to keep the blaster small and less intrusive.

The Spectre REV-5 definitely gets it's visual cues from stealth based, covert ops movies and video games. Think more Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell.

Spectre REV-5's box. That kid..

Spectre REV-5 opening.. yup. cardboard.

Out of the box, (and it's a relatively compact box with the same grumpy looking kid on the front) it comes with the blaster, the "silencer" attachment, the foldable stock and 5 whistler darts.

Spectre REV-5- unpacked and ready

The Spectre's 5 round barrel is quite small and with squarer lines to make it sit flatter when you place the blaster down. It has a button on the left hand side of the blaster to push the barrel out; unlike the Maverick the barrel extends all the way (it does "spin" for about a quarter turn but not all the way around for you dumb ass Deer Hunter-esque wannabes) . Loading the barrel is simple and can be done with all varieties of Nerf dart.

Spectre REV-5 up close and personal

In the hand, the Spectre feels very nice to hold, however the grip IS very short and while I have small hands, it might be an issue for anyone who can hold a basketball with one hand:) It's long enough to use both hands for stability, but to be honest there's not a whole lot of blaster to hold on to without touching/disrupting the barrel.

Spectre REV-5- how I personally like it

Spectre REV-5 with the full kit. Loooong.

Spectre REV-5- full kit- but folded:)

To prime the Spectre, it uses a springloaded cock at the top of the blaster-it's closer to the front of the blaster rather than the back like the Maverick. The Spectre does come with tactical rails for attachments, but rather than putting them on top of the primer, they are closer to above the barrel.

Performance-wise it's impressive- I've said it before, but with all of the new N-Strike blasters that they seem to be better made or with better springs or SOMETHING- because their accuracy, power and range are just much better than the older blasters.

Recon with Spectre attachments. And then some.

The Spectre supports all N-Strike accessories for barrel extension, stocks and for use with the tactical rails. It's own accessories are the "silencer" barrel, and the foldable stock.

The silencer. For show. But what a show it is.

For my part, I find the silencer barrel makes sense for the type of blaster it wants to get its cues from (and yes, the silencer IS only for show, it doesn't silence anything, but come on, we're dealing with foam here) but it doesn't really fit on anything else. I tried it on my Recon and it looks pretty dorky. As to the Deploy and Longstrike. Spectre it is. And it looks good on it too. (Note I find mine sticks a lil- it's not easy to slide on, you need to wiggle it a bit. Not sure if it's just mine or a design fault)

Foldable stock. This isn't an ACTUAL position:)

The stock however.. it just looks out of place. Adding it to the Spectre just makes it look long and funny looking and it also encourages two handed grip- which isn't easy given as said earlier, there's nothing really to grip on to. You could fold it up, which in itself IS very cool but then it does defeats the purpose of having a stock in the first place.

Barricade RV-10 with the Spectre's stock. Very good.

Barricade with the Spectre stock-folded

That all being said though, given it is so light weight and minimal form, I was surprised at how solid it is and how well it locks into place. It's not just a hinge that folds back and forth- the techs at Nerf have ensured that the stock locks into place wherever you may want it be it open and close, and you do have to unhinge it again to move it.  It actually fits very nicely with (and makes more sense) the Barricade RV-10 where such control is needed; being a semi automatic blaster, but then can be folded away when you just wanna go nuts.

Spectre REV-5 in hand

In hand..and..er..shoulder.

Of the three new blasters that were released this year (not including the Stampede) the Spectre was the one I was anticipating the most. I have to admit though, compared to the delight I received with the Alpha Trooper CS-18 and the Barrel Break IX-2- the Spectre REV-5 WAS a little anti climatic. The silencer attachment is very cool though I found the stock attachment a lil odd (but it's now married up to my Barricade RV-10 for much better performance).   It still is a great blaster and looks great, but the Spectre REV-5 just doesn't..impact enough.. but maybe that's what makes it so cool.. stealthy, minimalist, no nonsense:) I'd still recommend it; I'll probably like it more when I one day pick up a pair of night vision goggles or something:P

No word on Australian availability- best to wait till it becomes more available before hitting the online market, as my seller did somewhat make some VERY good money on me (they forgot to leave the price tag on the original box!)

Usability: 7/10
Out of the box performance: 8/10
Cool factor: 7/10
Price point: 4/10 (bought this from the grey market, so it was heavily inflated)