STRATOBOW

NERF N-Strike Elite STRATOBOW 

 Continuing with my trend of buying older, discontinued blasters that were missing from  my collection, this time I've  got another Elite blaster.

I picked up a NERF Elite STRATOBOW for a third of what they originally cost in the store, back in 2016. So here's my review/overview...

As I mentioned,  the STRATOBOW came out  in the Fall of 2016. It could  be found at most major retailers,  and sold for  an average  price of $29.99 US dollars. I seem to remember passing on the  STRATOBOW,  at the time, for two reasons. 1. I'm not generally a huge bow fan. I'd much rather use a blaster with a trigger.  2. I bought the HYPERFIRE,  which was released about the same time, for about 50 bucks. Since I didn't yet have a STRATOBOW in my extensive N-Strike Elite collection. I was pleased to find a used specimen in excellent condition, for 9 dollars and some change. The STRATOBOW has a nice futuristic/sci- fi look to it. Mimicking a compound bow, it really utilizes a plunger, and is not a bow at all.

Left side of STRATOBOW lacks any paint  detailing or logo. 

While the STRATOBOW is a very good looking and tacti-Cool blaster, there are better choices for actual NERF battling...That being said,  let's look at some features.  To operate the STRATOBOW , load 15 darts into the clip, push the clip downwards, and pull and release the string to fire.

The STRATOBOW has a pretty impressive 15 dart capacity, and unlike some other NERF bows,  it does not use a smart AR system, instead, the clip aligns each dart with the plunger, as the clip ascends after each pull of the string... pretty clever!

Clip fires darts top to bottom  and move upward. 

Ranges averaged around 45 to 50 feet (14m to 15m), not bad although the STRATOBOW was advertised to hit ranges of up to 85 feet. It should also be noted that the string is notorious for snapping the user's arm  if you're  not careful how you hold it.

Buffdaddy at Blaster Hub demonstrates "arm-snap ".

I think  the grip  of the STRATOBOW is very  comfortable,  and once I practiced a little,  I was able to dial in consistent shots at around 25 to 30 feet,  and I was able to  fire groups at about 2 shots a second, for some pretty fun Hawkeye style action!

Hawkeye would like the STRATOBOW 

All in all,  I have to say that  I  like the STRATOBOW.  I  think that like all NERF brand blasters, it's way over priced.  It is a clever design, and very ascetically pleasing. If you're a blaster bow fan, or a fan of the N-Strike Elite series,  I would  recommend the STRATOBOW,  but I would also recommend considering a gently used model. New in box versions are still available,  but these days they're going for around 50 bucks.

That's about all I've got for you now, so I'll leave you with a new picture of the  Blue Armory  with the added STRATOBOW.

 Until next time...

.                                         NERF on NERFerS!!!