This review took me longer to complete, mostly because I wanted to make sure that I was testing the blaster and trying out different movements (trying to move might have also played a role). After the Nexus Pro emerged early onto Walmart shelves, I woke up at 5am just to make a two hour drive to Cincinnati, where one store was already putting out a ton of new blasters ahead of the official release. Even with additional testing, I have been astonished at how great this blaster is for hobbyists, provided Dart Zone or Walmart are on the right track. This is the best money you can make right now if you are interested in blaster tag games with high fps, especially if you’re just starting out in the hobby.
This is going to take a while, but it’s worth it!
(Note: the box clearly states on the back the recommendation for both adult supervision and eye protection for the user and people nearby. The blaster’s safety precautions are also noted. This advice is important!
It Is Possible To Lower The Price, But Not The Quality
Dart Zone has increased their presence in the enthusiast group over the years. Regular blasters shoot hotter than Nerf counterparts in store shelves. Dart Zone also released Dart Zone Pro; Mk.1 had a limited run of 1000 items and did so well that Target was able to sell the Mk.1.1 online.
Now, Walmart is getting in on the action, but with a price point of and (at long last) the inclusion of standalone short dart packs on shelves. The darts fly as well as the Dart Zone Pro bamboo darts. I will have to review them in detail later. Spams Instagram post about darts compared to bamboo and Worker darts.
The foam heads are small and compressible and are well glued. They are also well priced at 100 for mass adoption. Granted, its possible to get Gen3 Worker darts for as low as per 100, but that also usually involves paying for shipping as well as varying shipping times. It is very easy to justify the purchase of the blaster by new users, especially if the darts are right next to it.
As for the blaster itself, its lost some of the nice touches from the Dart Zone Pro, like the rubberized grips, the metal priming arms, the take-down assembly, and other things. However, in the end those were all nice touches, and not necessary for a comfortable or operational blaster. Dart Zone was able, to this end, to bring the Pro blaster idea down and make it available on shelves.
Solid And Satisfying
The Nexus Pro comes in a flip-open box, clearly showing all the parts that come with it. You also get the blaster, an M4-style extending stock, decorative muzzle brake and 12-round full dart magazines. There are two adapters, two aiming attachments and 12 darts each.
Its confident marketing is also worth noting, as it claims ranges exceeding 125. This is in contrast to advertising Shoots upto X feet like most blasters.
On immediate inspection, there are some obvious things. Although the buffer tube stock is slightly smaller than that on the Dart Zone Pro it still contains five articulation points. The buffer tube stock also features an easy to remove spring rest. This can be done by simply turning the plastic cap and removing one screw. The included stock, while lacking the rubber coating, is still solid and comfortable. It can also hold two spare O-rings to the breech.
The Dart Zone Pro’s loose format breech has been replaced by a sealed one! If you plug the metal barrel, the plunger will stop in its tracks when you pull the trigger. This opens up a world of possibilities for modding enthusiasts, but Dart Zone can also use a lighter spring (less inefficiencies). To see the exact results, I swapped springs; you can read more about it at the end.
What Can I Put On It?
The Nexus Pro has two separate Picatinny rails at the top; the barrel section sits slightly lower than the rear section. In practice, this actually works out fine, especially with the included sights; after all, foam darts are going to drop much sooner than serious projectiles, and starting with the blaster already at a slight upward angle for aiming just helps to set up new users for distance shooting.
The grip is mounted in a similar fashion as the DZP, and you can swap those two grips interchangeably; you can also mount other grips on that short additional section of moving Picatinny rail.
Magazine Compatibility
The twin retention tabs in the included adapter.
The new short dart magazines have Katana-like dimensions.
In a rather audacious move, Dart Zone ditched their DZP mags in favor of more traditional designs. Traditional in the sense that you can use existing short dart magazines formats. You can use the included adapter to not only the new magazine, but also the similar-shaped Jet Katana magazines. Double-checked, the 12-round mag included works with Katana adapters.
Without modification, the Dart Zone Pro adapter won’t fit into the Nexus Pro.
The included adapter has two magazine retention tabs, one for each type.
DZP magazines don’t fit in the Nexus Pro, and the DZP adapter doesn’t fit inside the Nexus Pro. However, it is understandable. Talons and Katanas are the vast majority of short dart magazines in the market (the former being the most popular), so choosing compatibility when it comes to a hobby-grade blaster on store shelves makes sense. In all honesty, those of us who have a lot of DZP mags would likely be willing to shave off plastic to make the blaster compatible. Were just the outliers!
Nerf magazines can be used together in theory, but this is not the case in practice. Bulges on different magazines may cause confusion. Some magazines are shorter and will feed easily, while others will require a drum. Given the intense focus on short darts, however, this isnt a priority.
Using And Shooting The Blaster
Like the Dart Zone Pro, the Nexus Pro chambers full-length darts as well as half length darts. The core system of the Dart Zone Pro was carried over to the Nexus Pro. This includes the opening and closing of the breech, as well as the compression of the spring. This slop in the prime doesnt appeal to everyone.
However, an important improvement over the DZP was made; after priming and loading the blaster, the grip locks in place! The DZP had no priming lock so you had to keep the priming grip in front of firing. If for some reason you get a jam, there IS a jam button up top on the Nexus Pro, allowing you toopen the breech again.
Overall, the blaster is sturdy and pleasant to use, even without the creature comforts of the Dart Zone Pro. The vertical priming grip works well, but if that style isnt your cup of tea, you can always change it out. The plastic is thick around the entire blaster, and while there may be less of it overall, its done in a way that makes sense without compromising blaster function.
Performance
This is the part where the Nexus Pro really shines. The blaster has a weaker spring than the Dart Zone Pro, but also has a sealed breech one thats wide enough to easily chamber various dart types without leading to jam issues. As a result, I can reliably prime, load and fire one dart per minute compared to the slower rate of fire in my predecessors.
Thanks to that sealed breech, dart velocity also hasnt suffered. The standard length darts have a speed of 145fps while the short darts average 155fps. Other dart types will load fine. However, velocities can vary depending on the foam diameter and the width of your rubber head.
My testing shows that worker darts are 10-15fps slower than full-length Nerf Elite darts. Adventure Force waffle darts, and Nerf Acetrike darts
usually fire, but velocity varies wildly due to the friction of the wide dart heads with the barrel. Fair enough, but why would you want to fire these darts from a sealed breech?
Both the standard and short darts included in this package appear to be as accurate as bamboo darts.
Internals
After removing all the screws (and separating the halves of the priming and main grips), you just need to twist and pop off the rear spring rest, then unclip the twin tabs on the buffer tube. The blaster will come apart easily once you’ve done this.
You can see that unlike the Dartzone Pro and other Retaliator-like setups, there is no bolt sled to prime the blaster. Instead, a solid block of black plastic is placed above the barrel and the breech. This connects the bolt to the priming grip. A spring-loaded black par at the top of the blaster serves as the priming lock. When fully primed, the plunger moves that in place (and is nearly out of the plunger tube as well).
For reference, the plunger is approximately 35mm in width, which is about the same size as a classic Nerf Longshot but it doesnt travel nearly as far. The barrel is 15cm long, simply friction fit between two plastic pieces, one being the dart loading port, the other being and end piece within the orange tip of the blaster.
Modification Potential
DZP springs up at the top, Nexus Pro at the bottom.
It’s quite a lot! The plunger spring is the same size as the Dart Zone Pro’s, but it is weaker. These springs were swapped out for my own curiosity. I was able to see a noticeable increase in velocity of 10-15fps, but also a drop in accuracy. You could clearly see the darts drifting off from where they were supposed to be. The system is not optimized and doesn’t have enough barrel length to harness more power from stronger springs. What is the result? The dart is now out of the barrel, being pushed off-course with the last blast of air.
Modders who want to do more with the platform will need to replace the front plastic piece holding the barrel in place with a homemade design (most likely 3d printed) in order to accommodate a longer barrel. Given how fast the early models are flying off shelves, I have no doubt this will happen sooner rather than later. Once the longer barrel is in place, experienced modders can concern themselves with things like SCAR attachments for accuracy, etc.
(For readers unfamiliar with the concept, watch this video here)
It is worth noting that the prime was noticeably harder when using the DZP spring. However, the plastic priming barrel above the barrel did not seem to have any additional flex or indications that it could handle the force. This is a good indicator of the durability of the design.
