My NERF Rival Hera MXVII-1200 Blaster Review

By: Jeremy Alden

Despite what some may have you believe, Nerf blasters are not designed only for younger audiences. In fact, some of Nerf’s blaster lines are actually designed with older users in mind, providing a more fast-paced, intense blasting session that can better what their many dart-based weapons have to offer.

But where are you supposed to find products that offer such an experience? If you want something more exciting and challenging than traditional Nerf blasters, you will want to take a closer look at the Nerf Rival series.

In this review, we will be examining the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 to help you get in on the exciting, enhanced weaponry that Nerf has designed for older users everywhere.

NERF Rival Hera MXVII-1200 Blaster Review

Style and Design

If you’re accustomed to using Nerf blasters that fire darts, you know that Nerf offers a wide variety of blaster choices with different color schemes and designs that serve to diversify your Nerf experience as a whole.

With the Nerf Rival series line, however, you are going to be getting something a little bit different than what you usually would with other Nerf blasters (and it is important that we explain this so that you can understand the significance of the color scheme on the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200).

Nerf Rival blasters come in two different colors so that you can automatically separate players into rival teams. These two colors are blue and red.

However, the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 is a snow-white and sleek black weapon, offering those who choose this blaster the ability to remain neutral during battle and join any team they would like (or, if you are playing with another team, make the grey team their own section).

As it is with most blasters within this line, the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 is larger than the average blaster. However, it is one of the smaller options within the Rival series, offering a sleek, slim, mechanical body that will prove to be really attractive to more advanced players.

 If you want to be a neutral party during battle and pick a gun that stands out in the series, get the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200.

Ammo Capacity

Another change that you are going to notice when you pick up your first Nerf Rival series blaster is that the ammo is far different than your average dart. Instead of darts, Nerf Rival blasters use high-impact foam rounds that fly much faster than Nerf darts could.

Moving onto the ammo capacity, the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 offers less ammo than other blasters in this line.

However, you do get 12-rounds to fire before you have to reload (which come in the included magazine), which should be sufficient, even if you are using this blaster as a primary weapon.

You May Like: My Nerf Hyper High Impact Rounds Review

Firing Style and Range

It’s not odd to see manual weapons in this line. However, you are more likely to see motorized blasters that make the weapons easier to use.

Fortunately, the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 features motorized technology, offering a semi-automatic firing experience that helps you to rapid fire your high-impact rounds while maintaining control over your ammo.

Once these rounds have left the chamber, they fly at speeds of 100 feet-per-second (FPS). This will give you the speed and distance you need to be successful in both indoor and outdoor combat environments!

Additional Features

The Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 is a relatively simple blaster, but it does come with a couple of additional features that will help to enhance the blasting experience. The most notable of these additional features is the trigger lock.

Because of their size and their function, it wouldn’t be a surprise to accidentally push down on the button and unwillingly fire ammo into the ground. With the trigger lock, you can rest assured that your foam rounds are staying in the magazine until you are ready to fire.

Despite being a small, overlookable feature, there is a small loop at the bottom of the blaster that looks like it would be a spot where you could attach a strap for carrying the weapon.

However, this feature is far more useful than it looks. In the Nerf Rival series line, there are small flags/banners that one could attach to non-colored guns to help identify team membership.

This small loop allows you to attach one of the two colors to the bottom of your blaster so that you can choose whichever team you like when the time comes.

If you are not a fan of having to load batteries into your weapon all of the time, this blaster is compatible with the Nerf Rival rechargeable battery pack, which can make it easier to keep your blaster primed and ready to go (and spend less on batteries in the long-term).

Finally, if you want to add anything to your blaster to improve its functionality, it also comes with a tactical rail on the top (and what could be considered something of a shoulder stock at the back of the blaster).

What We Like

• Easy to Load: Magazines are always a great thing to have because they are easy to load, pop in, and take out when your blaster needs to be reloaded. Additionally, because of the lower ammo capacity on this weapon, you don’t have to spend a lot of time getting your magazine ready. Simply load the foam balls into the magazine, put the magazine into the blaster, and fire at will!
• Semi-Automatic Blasting: Control is important when you have a blaster with a lower ammo capacity. However, when you’re going up against other blasters in this line, having automatic capabilities is important as well. The Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 provides the user with the perfect medium, offering semi-automatic blasting that will help them go against serious opponents with the control that they need to conserve their ammo.
• Trigger Lock: Accidentally firing rounds can be frustrating and troublesome, especially when you only have 12 high-impact rounds to rely on. To keep you from firing more than you need to, the trigger lock on the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 will help you save yourself from unloading the rounds that you need.

• Team Flexibility: Unless you have a specific group of people you regularly play with, having a blaster that states your team outright without having the opportunity to choose can be problematic. With the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200, you are able to choose the team you want and have the banner you need to make sure that people know you’re on that team.
• Built-in Shoulder Stock: The shoulder stock on this weapon doesn’t look like the average shoulder stock. However, it serves its purpose and it gets the job done!
• Quick and Accurate: With the speed offered by this series of blasters, you are sure to have a weapon that is quick and accurate, allowing you to engage in serious Nerf battles that best what Nerf dart-blasters have to offer.

What We Don’t Like

This is one of the rare products that has virtually nothing wrong with it. We like everything about the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200.

NERF Rival Hera MXVII-1200 Blaster Review: Our Verdict

Are you an older user looking for a blaster that offers something more? Are you trying to get your hands on a product that bests other Nerf products?

If so, choosing the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 is a great way to get the blasting experience that you want. With a simple body, an easy-to-load and use design, and capabilities that will help you go up against other blasters in the Nerf Rival series, the Nerf Rival Hera MXVII-1200 makes for an excellent primary or secondary blaster for users everywhere.

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