Review: Nerf Dart Tag 'Quick 6': you betcha:)

The "Quick 6" Dart Tag blaster. It's a beast.

 The upcoming Dart Tag pistol, which was originally dubbed the "Quick 6" (UPDATE: We will keep this post as the 'Quick 6' for historical purposes, but it is confirmed the name is the SPEEDLOAD 6) is a 6 round capacity sidearm that utilises the same internal 'clip' system as it's big brother, the Quick 16. As a sidearm, it's the largest capacity pistol ever under the Dart Tag banner (try single shots like the Stormfire and Strikefire for instance) and while you're going to be hard pressed to find a pocket that could fit this blaster, you probably wouldn't wanna conceal this puppy because it looks FANTASTIC. 


Got your attention now? Read on.. (warning- picture intensive post- apologies for those with slower connections. We'll post the images on our Facebook page as well)

'Quick 6'- the other side

Straight up, the first thing we noticed about the 'Quick 6' is this is a SOLID blaster. It doesn't feel at all like any other pistol in the Nerf range; it's beefy and thick and has a fair weight to it. It's got a solid hand grip too; as with the Quick 16, we're suggesting it's built for "man hands" :) (it's not to say kids can't use it or that it's too big/heavy. We're just saying it's a bigger unit than other blasters in its class) 

The internal dart storage juts out like with the Quick 16

The 'Quick 6' features the same Bumblebee styling as the other new Dart Tag blasters we've reviewed; it's got those cyber/futuristic lines, with dark yellow coloured plating on a contrasting dark grey body,orange accents and lots of funky futuristic grooves and lines. As with the Quick 16, it features the side/top loading ammo slot that juts out to the left hand side, suggesting again the blaster has been made with right handed users in mind. There's an eyelet on the bottom of the grip to perhaps..  attach your keys?:P

View from the front of the Quick 6

The hand grip. it's quite thick and well built. 

Unlike most pistols in any Nerf line-up, it's got a jam door; in fact the blaster it resembles the most is actually a naked Recon CS-6. (similar in physical size too!) As with all jam doors, you need to prime the blaster before you can open it.

WIth the Jam door open

Loading the darts into the blaster uses a slot on the top left of the Quick 6. Darts are inserted in the slot (a panel that opens into on a springloaded platform, like inserting darts into a N-Strike Clip System clip) ;obviously its best suited for the accompanying dart tag velcro darts but also performs equally well with whistler darts and suckers. It bombs with Streamlines m'fraid; really, don't try it. I know you will.. in which case.. remember the jam door:)

Loading a Dart Tag dart

Dart Tag dart in clip

The slot is a great idea as it means you can quickly reload your blaster on the fly without having to mess around with changing clips/drums as with the N-Strike clip system blasters, or load a barrel as with the Maverick/Spectre/Furyfire models. It's actually pretty ideal for Dart Tag.

The loading slot

On the side of the internal "clip" is a small window that shows how many darts you have in the blaster.  It's probably NOT that necessary but I guess it's a nice touch. Least it shows when you're at full capacity:)

The lil' window showing you your dart capacity, ie.. 6:)

Cocking of the gun is just like the Recon CS-6. The cock is on the top back of the blaster and requires you to pull it back and then forth again manually (not spring loaded like the Maverick or Spectre)

With the primer cocked back

looks sorta like the tank of a motorcycle:)

Performance wise, the 'Quick 6' is pretty impressive. It has the same sort of "thud" that the Longshot and Nitefinder have when you fire, although I'd have to crack one open to be sure.. and I'm not prepared to do that just yet:)

In hand. About the size of a naked Recon. Even bigger perhaps.

Distances and power are fantastic out of the box; we were very surprised at the power of the Quick 6 and obviously it shoots as fast as you can cock your blaster. At times it DOES feel stiffer than the Quick 16 to prime, almost like it's jamming, but it actually doesn't; so far tests have suggested you'll have to take a bit more care in how you load your darts than with the Quick 16, but that could just be us with our limited testing. More on that in future posts.

View from the front

SO how do we find it so far? Pretty damn awesome to be honest. It looks fantastic, it performs well and it's like a a Cybertronian version of a Recon, with EVERYTHING improved on (other than the ability to put any attachments on it- no barrel extensions, stocks OR tactical rails m'fraid). It feels great in hand and the quality of the plastic definitely feels more sturdy and better made than the N-Strike and previous Dart Tag blasters.

Another view of the ammo slot

Our only real issue with it, and it's not even a real issue on the whole, is it is deceptively weighty. It doesn't feel kid sized or weighted, i wouldn't say it's bulky, but there's much more to it than any other hand held blaster to date. In Dart Tag, you don't really have multiple blasters on hand, so although it's a 6 shot side arm, you'd be more likely to arm yourself with a Quick 16 or Swarmfire and be done with it for the higher capacities. That being said, the reloading on the fly might mean you might prefer the more compact size of the Quick 6. 

Compared to a Sonic Series Nite Finder. See? It's a real unit.

You couldn't fit it in any holster or pocket easily, and the weight of it does feel like you should be using two hands (well you need to other hand to cock it anyway) while using it. Then again, the weight does appeal to many a Nerfer so it might be just the blaster you're looking for:)

In hand. Matches my wrist band:)

Should you get one when they come out? I'd definitely recommend it. When does it come out? We have NO idea when and where it will come out, but we're going to take a punt that it'll be very early next year some time. How much will it be? Gawd knows, but if you like no nonsense Nerf with great performance, I'd say this 'Quick 6' should be on your wish list for the new year.

Update: along with the Quick 16, they've been spotted on eBay. Looking at the listings, I can see they're not going to be cheap, but then that's eBay for you; all I can say is how fortunate we are to have Eric on our side - he's the man:) (and I can confirm, no I didn't buy ours from eBay)

Dart Tag etchings and Nerf logo

Yup. That's a 6:) Or a 'G'. Fly either way:P

Dart Tag logos under the primer

More close ups

Top of the Quick 6. Note there's no tactical rails