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The annual New York Toy Fair is just around the corner, and with it come new Nerf blasters. Here, revealed exclusively to Popular Mechanics, is the newest blaster in Nerf's Rival line: a freakishly fun full-auto blaster with a giant hopper for nearly endless ammo. Meet the Nemesis MXVII-10K.
A member of the Rival line, the Nemesis is not something to be trifled with. Like its brethren blasters, it fire balls instead of darts, and fires them at speeds of up to 70 mph, or 102 feet per second.
The Nemesis is a flywheel blaster, which means has two battery-powered wheels inside which grab the balls and fling them out of the barrel. That mechanism isn't new. What is new is the capacity. Instead of magazines or internal ammo storage like the other blasters in the Rival line, the Nemesis has a gigantic, removable, gravity-feeding hopper that can hold up to 100 rounds. That's more than double the capacity of the previous heavy-support blaster—the Nerf Rival Khaos—which can only hold some 40 rounds in its monster magazines.
The Nemesis also has a full stock that's the perfect size for a full-grown six-foot adult like myself. But it's not just there for show. It holds either 6 D batteries, or one of Nerf's new Rival rechargable battery packs (sold separately), which make the whole beast of a blaster go. Fully-loaded and fully-charged, we found the Nemesis could fire for about 25 seconds non-stop, with the need for a periodic shake to get the balls flowing again. That's long than it sounds. See for yourself:
When it comes to bonkers ammo capacity, the Nemesis is by far the greatest official option, but there are other DIY mods to go even further. Take, for instance, this modded Rival Zeus blaster that can hold 108 rounds. Or the natural conclusion of that project: a backpack that holds 270. But the problem with those solutions, of course, is that you have to design them and build them yourself. Right now, the closest thing you can get to a bottomless drum of ammo is the Nemesis's 100-round hopper and let me tell you it is a true joy.
The Nemesis will be available this fall for $100. Just don't shoot your eye out.
