Review: Nerf N-Strike Rapidfire AS-20

Nerf Rapidfire AS-20. Been around for a while. 

The Nerf Rapidfire AS-20 is the largest capacity air pressure blaster in the N-Strike range, although historically it had existed for several years prior to the N-Strike banner (albeit with a different colour scheme). As the name suggests, the Rapidfire AS-20 boasts 20 foam dart rounds in a fully automatic flurry of air pressure powered madness which is still pretty awesome, even against the likes of newer blasters like the Vulcan and Stampede.

Design-wise, the Rapidfire is an unusual looking blaster with significant design cues that would be at home with the old Super Soaker water blasters of the 90's. It's very much a "ready to go" blaster out of the box with minimal packaging; it's simply the blaster and 20 sucker dart ammo with no manuals:) Although it sports the new N-Strike inspired paint job and is considered a part of the N-Strike range, it still uses the original mould and therefore does not have a tactical rail for attachments.

Rapidfire AS-20 in new N-Strike colours. I prefer the old red and greys however.

The Rapidfire is quite large and feels a little odd in the hand- it's not difficult to hold, but doesn't feel that natural and has an odd weight to it that makes it clumsy for single handed firing (which you can do given the fact it is fully automatic) but doesn't feel that great with two handed firing either. It's not particularly ergonomic, but that doesn't seem to bother most fans of the blaster. Given it was originally an older pre N-Strike blaster, it doesn't actually resemble any firearm, nor does it boast the tightest build quality either. The Rapidfire squeaks in all joints, and during pumping you can see the back of the tubes twisting and almost 'struggling' to hold it all together.

Your hand remains hidden, protected and..uncomfortable.

The Rapidfire is fully automatic, but can be also considered semi automatic with a quick light squeeze of the trigger. Officially, it has two modes that can in theory change the way the blaster works on firing by turning the large orange dial on the side of the blaster. These two modes are "rapid fire" which is the fully automatic mode where a firm squeeze of the trigger should disperse all 20 rounds, and a "single fire" mode that.. seems to ALSO disperse all 20 rounds with a firm squeeze of the trigger:) I've tried this with several units and it's always the same; the only thing I could possible suggest is perhaps in "single shot" mode it is easier to fire a single round with a light squeeze of the trigger than it would be in "rapid fire" mode. Or maybe not..maybe forget the dial:)

The dial. Doesn't seem to do a whole lot.

The main barrel hosts an impressive 20 individual chambers for each foam dart; as always given the way it loads you can use any type of Nerf foam dart but I normally stick with the sucker darts it comes with. On firing the barrel does rotate; accuracy is a mixed bag as I am never really sure which chamber my next round is going to come out of, but I probably wouldn't use this blaster for accuracy anyway.

Before there were Stampedes.. 20 Rounds of automatic foam. 

To fire, it's a matter of just pumping the blaster up using the pump neck at the front of the blaster under the barrel. This is a blaster that does need to be pumped up a lot and with full length strokes; it suggests around 30 which you really do need if you want to maximise the amount of darts you'll fire off. It doesn't really help if you pump as you go either; you still get pretty pathetic ranges and only low amount of rounds fired if you don't ensure the blaster's air bladder is full. I find for maximum performance I press the trigger several times to ensure the air bladder is completely empty, and then proceed to pump it up to capacity before I commence my foam onslaught.

Clear tube to see the spring. Of course!

Be also mindful that this blaster is quite stiff in pumping; not great for lil' kids and also it's very easy to assume you've pumped the blaster to capacity after 8-9 strokes. Just keep GOING.If you've pumped it up correctly, it should just be a matter of point and shoot and like most Nerf air pressure blasters, you'll get some very fast (rapid is right!) automatic fire from the Rapidfire. 20 rounds should pretty much be emptied under 4 seconds, although as always the more rounds capacity you have in your blaster, the more of a pain in the butt it is to reload:)

Sized up against a Maverick

With practice you should also be able to fire off single rounds effectively without letting out too much air, which will ensure your blaster stays primed and ready for longer. As with most air pressure blasters, if you've done it right you'll get some pretty decent power and ranges- not sure about accuracy given the type of blaster it is but I managed to get most of my rounds ON my target board so at least in the same rough vicinity worked for me:)

It's a real fav this one.

I kid you not that I've owned and exchanged FIVE of these puppies over the past 6 months and I've never really been happy with them until my current Rapidfire AS-20. The build quality isn't the greatest and it feels quite flimsy compared to the ruggedness of the Magstrike; the resistance in the air bladder when pumping the blaster up lends itself to under pumping the blaster(due to fear of bursting the bladder) and thus resulting in sub standard performance. The fire mode dial seems to do not a whole lot either.

BUT... once everything is working, it's not bad at all to use, and while it's getting on a bit and for me, a little dated, I don't at all mind the Rapidfire AS-20. Having 20 rounds at your disposal is pretty decent, even by today's standards, and although totally impractical, sending off 20 rounds downstairs towards my couch is pretty fun. A literal foam storm:) If I was to recommend an air pressure blaster, I'd PROBABLY suggest you purchase the Magstrike instead; sure it boasts less rounds but it's a more reliable, easier to use blaster, even though costwise they're actually much the muchness.

I haven't seen them anywhere else but Target in Australia; they go for between 30-40 bucks AUS.

Usability: 6/10
Out of the box performance: 8/10 (when it works)
Cool factor: 5/10
Price point: 6/10