NerfRival Curve Shot - Flex XXI-100 Blaster - Fire Rounds to Curve Left, Right, Downward or Fire Straight - 5 Rival Rounds

My ProChrono Digital chronograph measured the speed of the Rival Rounds fired by this stock Nerf Rival Curve Shot Flex XXI-100 blaster at an average of 88 feet per second (FPS) using Rival balls (it is not compatible with shooting darts), Nerf Rival Accu-Rounds: 91 FPS, X-Shot ammo: 89 FPS, and HeadShot ammo: 86 FPS, respectively). The standard average velocity of a Nerf Rival blaster is 100 FPS so the velocity of the Flex’s shots are somewhat less than the standard. However, it is marketed as a curve or arching shot sidearm and with this feature it seems to work as advertised. The secret of their improved accuracy claim seems to rely on the rotatable barrel indent on the inner side surface of the barrel, making the rival rounds that pass through the barrel hop up, down, to the right, or left…. Whichever way you wish it to curve toward when fired. There are four settings when turning the barrel in order to make the balls spin in those directions. It may be easier to operate than the Rival Knockout, but still takes some intuition in order to operate. Apparently you need to pull down on the T-bar handle, awkwardly, since it is not as simple as pulling back it due to the downward angle the priming handle is facing, which is at the bottom of the handle. Pulling on the priming handle activates the breech to open up and also makes the front barrel extend forward, revealing the breech to allow the insertion of a round, or two. Even three at a time, but it will be cumulatively weaker in force when firing multiple rounds; The blaster was designed for one at a time, but it is comical that it allows more than one if you so choose. The draw weight is considerably difficult as it is, but to pull downward poses a unique challenge that causes weaker nerf operators to turn the blaster sideways just to prime it, that is, if they are even capable of reaching the priming threshold. The Flex is aesthetically appealing in design but suffers in performance aspects due to the Jolt-esque design underpinnings. The dominant orange coloration seems to make a mockery of the standard white, black, and orange Rival trim colors. There are 8 curved indentions (4 on each side) on it’s elongated hand guard which allows the user to store Rival Rounds with a friction-fit that one would expect to fall out while moving around, but somehow they always stay put. It is easy to overlook the tiny locking switch “safety” mechanism located in front of the trigger. Thankfully there is a sling-mount located at the top of the pistol grip, which is a welcomed addition on a sidearm that cannot be holstered due to, say, having an elongated hand-guard that eliminates the prospect of holstering and drawing it traditionally. I find the pistol grip beefy, comfortable, and ergonomically pleasing. Unusually enough, there is no internal locking mechanism preventing the blaster from being fired before closing the breech. As a result, the round will not seat into the breech until the front barrel is pushed inward. What is particularly alarming is that the T-bar at the bottom may pinch the user of the trigger is accidentally activated when the user is not ready. I personally have experienced an uncomfortable “slip and nip” while doing my testing, and I do worry it may hurt others. Nerf typically goes out of their way to insure the blaster does not work until it is properly loaded, but in this case they did not feel like it was a concern (and maybe they were right as far as the projectile not being able to misfire, but just not preventing the T-bar from accidentally crushing down on an ill-placed finger). In conclusion, like the Knockout, I do feel that having to seat the round into the breech by pushing in the front barrel is still an extra step to have to perform in order to operate the blaster, but I suppose Nerf wanted a safer single shot blaster that exclusively shoots balls only. This glorified Rival Jolt is still more function over form, but it’s existence helps to fill in the missing void of the single-shot budget back-up blaster that people can plink around with at home or at work (or wherever permitted). Curving your shot around a corner or behind cover is a creative idea that simply needed to be entertained. Competitive “Nerfers” will probably not be using this Flex blaster much, but it does indeed accomplish what it was designed to do. I just cannot see Nerfers practicing with curving their shots enough to utilize this feature in an actual Nerf War, although I do admit that I could just as easily be wrong about that; we will see.

This thing packs a punch do not recommend for kids unattended, it’s very powerful.Do not recommend shooting at anyone for fun, IT HURTS!

I'm not sure why this was so heavily discounted. It was $7, but with a random coupon it became a little over $5, which is amazing for a Nerf pistol this powerful! Rival blasters are no joke, they're meant for older audiences and for very good reason. Any blaster in this specialized line can fire upwards of 90-120fps, which is frickin fast! These are STRONG, they fire with a loud spring noise and they can really hurt bare skin. I think they're super cool but it has to be repeated: do NOT give these to any kids below 12. Not just is it a very real possibility that they'll fire it at someone's eyes or another sensitive place and seriously injure them but also, the prime strength required to actually prime and fire the blaster is beyond what most kids possess. They straight up won't be able to utilize the gun without straining their arms. I've even seen teens and some adults struggle slightly to cock the mechanisms on Rival blasters, so that should illustrate how beefy the springs are within the spring powered Rival guns. But not to sound like a warning on a box, back to the product itself: it is a solid Nerf pistol that fires well, shoots far, and the curving gimmick, is well, a gimmick. Works alright, but how often will most people use it? Overall, anybody who enjoys nerf will like this blaster, so since its really cheap, you might as well buy it. (As long as you're not a child).

Nice

I bought this For My kid. It is too powerful For a 3 years boy. I Am a terrible father.....

Do I think you can bend this around a corner and hit someone like some exaggerated nerf commercial? No. Does it curve the way you tell it to? Indeed. When you tell it to curve right, it seems to start out a little left and then break right. Definitely does curve. Sort of a gimmick but fun. And it shoots with enough velocity to make you question the purchase as a parent. Good stuff!

Pretty cool gun. Curves good. My 9 year old son is happy.

Fun and accurate. Faster than the nerf darts and the curve is noticeable at longer distance. Might be hard to pull for 6-7 year old wimpy boys, but they can use their feel to pull it. Might need more balls as they seem to get easily lost.

Great for nerf battles didn't notice if curved but great for distance and range.

My son was so excited to receive this gift as it is one of the newest versions of Nerf. The book stated there were five rounds included and we tore the Box apart and check out the gun and there were no balls to be found. We are very disappointed.

La pistola es potente como lo son todas las rival, es de buen tamaño y la capacidad de almacenamiento es buena para ser un arma pequeña. El modo de disparo en curva es decente más no bueno, no sirve de mucho a menos de que sea a una distancia grande, de lo contraria la curva no alcanza a ser buena.

Perfect for my 10 year old. We already have lots of nerf guns and epic family battles. But this added an interesting twist and we ended up talking about the science of angles, geometry, cause and effect. Very cool.

Downside is you load 1 ball at a time, up side is it’s very powerful. Son likes it! Careful where they aim tho.