The Nerf MEGA Mastodon Review Bigger IS Better
Edit: While WalcomS7 no longer writes for Blasterhub, we encourage you to view the content on his Youtube channel!
Ever since the Nerf MEGA line was released, things have gotten more interesting in the foam-flinging ecosystem. For the best performance, big darts with larger springs and larger plungers are required. The initial launch was rocky with the dart-chewing MEGA Centurion, but now things have finally settled with the line delivering a few promising blasters. With the first fully-automatic flywheel powered behemoth blaster in the line clocking in at could the MEGA Mastodonbe worth it? The entire blaster can be described as an unforgettable experience.
When I first found the MEGA Mastodonin stocks, I called the nearest shop and asked if they could hold one for me. When I saw the five-foot nothing girl struggling to carry this box up to the counter, I instantly started to giggle: the box is massive. Even carrying this thing out to the car and preparing for the trek home was an event. Fitting of such a blaster(its supposed to be one of the biggest blasters ever released), MEGA is not painted on its side as much as its completely molded into the plastic. The Mastodon has a rotating barrel that can rotate 24 times per hour and a full-auto flywheel. It is not to be missed.
The blaster has a lot of value. It comes with 24 mega darts, a nice carrying strap, extra plastic bits like shields and railings to bulk up the blaster and protect the dart drum, as well as a thin but useful carrying handle. The plastic pieces all snap on with little effort, with only the grey drum shields seemingly permanentwhile the others can be removed. The massive rotating turret itself comes in three pieces that slide together and, inmy experience, seem to only fit together in one-way to limit any potential screw-ups. The plastic shielding appears to be permanent after being snapped in. However, the bottom rail can be removed if you don’t like it. You will need six D-cell batteries to power this beast. Six. Thats going to cost you another -14, depending on where youre shopping for batteries, and adds a ton of weight to the already massive blaster. Its a good thing it comes with the carrying strap (which is very similar to Nerfs own bandoleer, minus the dart or magazine holders), because fully loaded, this blaster is not only bigger than a child, it weighs about as much as one. Its nearly impossible to hold this by the grip one-handed without that strap, so it was a great addition in the box.
The performance of the MEGA Mastodon is impressive considering the batteries it taps into. It fires at a phenomenal rate, exceeding the Nerf N Strike Elite Rapidstrike in lore.
The actual power and distance are in-line with the rest of the MEGA series, but it is using flywheels, which is something different compared to every other MEGA blaster. It takes a while for the flywheels‘ to start up, but this is something that can be fixed by rewiring with a better battery source. The blaster also features active-breaking, so the motors do wind down quickly. Operation is about as straightforward as it gets: just load up the open-faced drum, pull the flywheel rev trigger until the motors reach maximum spin, and pull the trigger to fire off darts in automatic fire. Although the fire rate is impressive, single shots are not difficult.
Unexpectedly, the blaster bucks and kicks with every shot. This is a great experience. Once inside, youll see a few things. For one, theres a big empty space for some unknown reason. Two, there are lots of wires. Three, there are gears. The motor that powers the full-auto feature uses a single motor, but the gearbox also incorporates massive (but beautiful designed) gearing to index and prime the firing pin. Once the gear slips, the firing pin hits the back of a dart, which flings it into the flywheels, giving it power and sending it off at your target. The flywheels are just 5 cm in diameter and concave to provide the darts with the traction they need. There is a large gap between the flywheels, which you may not like if you want more power.
Due to its size, it is easy to integrate other blasters further down the line. Flywheels can be overvolted to produce faster spin and deliver more power to the dart, and motors can even be replaced completely to add some more torque to the dart. While you may be tempted, perhaps increasing the firing speed isnt the best option here as the drum takes some time to load and only holds 24 darts. But thats not to say the gap the drum encompasses cant be used to adapt a magazine well from something like the BuzzBee Boss or Tyrant to convert it into a quick-changing magazine reloading option. The Mastodon is an enormous blank canvas that can be used to create anything.
If all that mod potential just passes over your head, dont fret: the Mastodon is a very competent stock blaster. Fast firing speed, good ranges, and the ability to top-up the blaster on-the-fly because of its open-face drum means you can deliver intimidation to whatever stands in front of the barrel.
It is still a question though, if it is a good deal. After all, the blaster
IsVery expensive. It’s refreshing to see a blaster this expensive that is so well-priced after the failures and questionable quality of the Nerf Rhinofire and Cam ECS. In my mind, the experience of having such a thing is well worth it, and the blaster is good enough to keep around and use when the foam needs to fly. Even if you don’t have the money to buy one, go out of your way and try it. You will be amazed at the joy that comes from looking down at the barrel.
Are you tired of too many words? Not enough time-traveling Nerf backstory? You can watch my unboxing and teardown. All those photos are here.
