Nerf Rival Artemis XVII-3000 Red

Product Information

It’s a spring-powered, pump-action blaster with capacity for 30 of the golf-ball-shaped Rival rounds. The grip is a good size and comfortable shape, regardless of how big your hands are, and it has an ambidextrous two-way-push safety catch within easy reach. Yes, you cannot swap it out in the way you can with a mag fed blaster, but I rarely found this an issue. They both had their good points, but only the Apollo (mainly because it is such good value for money) and the Khaos left me with an idea of how good the Rival range could be.

Nerf Rivals. The ultimate collection from Smyths Toys Nerf Rivals. The ultimate collection from Smyths Toys

Named after the Goddess of the Hunt, The Artemis has an impressive 30 round capacity, but it does not come with magazines. Sliding this part back also compresses the springs that keep the Rival rounds feeding into the action. I have no idea why NERF doesn’t make more grips like these on the N-Strike ranges, but I guess Hasbro doesn’t want the grown-ups to steal all their kids’ blasters!The speed and accuracy with which the Rival rounds pop out is going to be quite a revelation if this is your first step up from NERF’s dart-firing blasters. Over the years, the world of NERF blasters has evolved quite a bit, with better and more sophisticated blaster systems being released on a regular basis. From 10 feet away you can group your shots within inches rather than feet, and the rounds ping around the place so there’s the added possibility of getting hit by a ricochet.

Nerf Rival Artemis XVII-3000 Plastic Toy Blaster, For Kids

The weapon is made of durable plastic and can be easily modified with rails and other attachments that can be attached to the blaster. This is not too bad, but once in awhile, I found myself dry-fire and then have two rounds pop out a prime or two later. It has a single tactical rail and a two strap points; one on the rear of the blaster and one built into the blaster's handle. The Rival Artemis is an ideal introduction to this more advanced blaster series, and offers decent value for money.Rounds are indexed by a spring-assisted follower that pushes them into a chamber located on top of the blaster. Rival power and accuracy in a compact, lightweight body with 30 rounds of ammo and slam fire capability, the Artemis has very quickly become one of my top blasters. The Rival Artemis comes out of the box completely assembled, and because it’s spring-powered there isn’t even the need to add batteries. This blaster is also quite durable, with its solid construction and rear handle that is comfortable to hold. This means firefights across larger spaces are a whole lot more fun – no need to aim several feet above someone’s head and hope the shot will arc down in the right place like an arrow from a longbow.