Wednesday 6 March 2019

Nerf Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite Review (Age 8+) Sent by Hasbro

It's Spring and the new Nerf are out! Hasbro have sent us their latest Nerf Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite blaster for review and we made the most of it by organising a Nerf War at Heaton Park with one of our favourite local families - Jane and the gang from Hodgepodgedays.

Because we've only got 2 Nerf Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite blasters and 7 people, we took other Nerf blasters for support - and fairness...

Nerf Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite from Hasbro in box

This is a mid-sized manually powered pump action blaster which has an integrated cartridge and is built for accuracy. Packaging is the now standard minimal with hardly any plastic at all - I love this Earth-friendly boxing and it's easy to get into. No batteries and 8 Nerf Elite darts are included, so you are ready to go immediately. Christmas morning-friendly.


Filling the cartridge is a little bit of a faff because it doesn't remove and you need to slide it up and down to fill all the spaces with darts, but you can load from the front, which is easy. The cartridge slides pretty smoothly, and still doesn't slip during play.

Nerf rukkus blaster showing dart reload cartridge

Firing the blaster can be a bit tricky, I have to admit to a little disappointment because usually Nerf are spot on, but the cartridge doesn't always line up precisely and you have to move it up and down notch by notch to get it to fire. Once you've fired it'll line up perfectly for the next shot, so it's mostly an issue after reloading.

3 young Boys having a Nerfwar with Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite

Accuracy is great, but aim is obstructed by the cartridge for the final 2 or 3 shots. That's a bit confusing and you find yourself firing from the hip or firing and moving the blaster aside to see where it went. Not fabulous, but despite that it's very precise.

Boy holding Nerf Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite on parkland

I managed to whistle one past Jane's husband's ear and hit her around 40 feet away, so I'm very pleased with that. Sniper is obviously my pose (photo courtesy of Jane, who mainly shot people with a camera).


The weight is also pretty light and it's an easy blaster to hold, but you need a bit of strength for the pump action, and always make sure the barrel has gone completely to the end before pushing back or it will not return to 'shoot' position. It's worth noting the usual 'dart jam release' hatch on top, although we haven't had a single jam yet - shows how well the cartridge works when it's lined up.


Despite the misnotched obstructive cartridge and needing to be thorough with the pump action of the barrel, it's a nice blaster. I played with it a lot and I was really pleased with the precision, especially over distance. Reload is pretty quick and the cartridge holds 8 darts, so you can get some great shots in before you duck for cover. A great price for a genuinely competitive blaster.


The Nerf Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite is made by Hasbro and available to buy now priced £19.99 rrp from all good toy shops, including Smyths.

To find out more about Nerf Blasters, play games and watch videos, check out the official Nerf UK website.


We've loads of Nerf reviews and you can find them all by typing Nerf in the search box or clicking here - Nerf Blaster Reviews...



We were sent our Nerf Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite by Hasbro for review

4 comments:

  1. You can't beat some Nerf gun fun. This one looks fab x

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    1. It's pretty cool. I like how accurate it is - no loss of power :)

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  2. It was a really fun morning. Your photos are excellent, lets do it again sometime (when it's warmer) xx

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    1. Thanks Jane! That means a lot coming from you :)
      I agree - lets do it again when it's warm and we can take a proper picnic with blankets! :D

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