*Note: This video was recorded prior to the war in Ukraine. It is not our intention to use this platform as a commentary on the war, and we regret the poor timing of our choice of shirt.*
We usually upload it a day in advance in order to edit the video description, chapter timecode, captions, etc. I just wrote the comment before scheduling the video to be published.
MEH! there's no need to apologize for Other People being Too Sensitive. That shirt existed well before political events; and this hobby is about having fun and should be separate from outside issues. If someone has a problem with it, that's their Personal Problem.
The magazine compatibility thing is only an issue with OLDER rival mags. They added those extra ledges a few years ago specifically to stop the magazine from locking into the dart zone powerball, similar to how they added a piece to the rival rechargeable battery so it couldn't fit in the dart zone accelerator. It didn't matter before on other rival blasters, as they used the main mag catch ledge instead of that area. On the finisher and the pathfinder though, they have gotten rid of that main catch notch on the mags, which is why the newer mags from those are not compatible with older blasters unless you cut a notch in the plastic.
The redesign debuted with the Hypnos if you're curious about the actual timing. A lot of people had issues with the Hypnos due to the redesigned magazine. I can confirm the molds are really close, but I'm not sure how different they are with the Pathfinder's mag.
I just wish they made more of the orange mags. I do enjoy the rubbery bottom incase it slams or slips out of grip. I look all over Amazon and can't find them.
I kinda got out of the Nerf modding game a few years ago when I moved. I kept all/most of my stuff but never really had a chance to use any of it. One of your videos popped up somewhere and I figured I browse you, Drac, Walcom, and the others, for a bit just to see where the community has gone. Man, this is so heartwarming and fascinating to see where everyone has taken the hobby, but everyone still kept the same childish fun and wonder that we all had. There are so many cool homemade/3D printed things now, and even Hasbro is turning out cool stuff like the Motoblitz. Everything is so compact and efficient, and you even have full mod kits on your website now!? It all just makes me smile. Keep up the good work!
The tape and glue are removed entirely from the packaging during the shredding process prior to the cardboard being turned into kraft pulp. I'm not aware of any process that ends up recycling it though. The notches on the magazines started appearing on the official Rival magazines 2 or 3 years ago and were added to defeat third party support for the magazines. There were a few springers by Zuru or maybe X-Shot that had paintball-esque hoppers that were removable, and the receptacle for them would accept a Nerf Rival mag. I had to make an update to the mag release in the Rivalburn to adapt to the change in the magazine mold.
I used a couple of the "newer" Vortex footballs with pool noodles. Basically, cut the fins off, shoved it into a cut down pool noodle, and made a whistling RPG for a Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Blaster.
All I can think of when looking at the Vision is the X-Shot Meteor.... Same look, almost same magazine-system. Good review, very informative as always!
@@adriansue8955 It's a little more difficult to load the Meteor on the fly; you run the risk of letting all the rounds fall out of the magazine if you're not careful.
I know its personal preference but for the Pathfinder its known in the military world as a short stock rifle (which is why the stock is so small) and they are very effective in CQB enviroments. My dad is SWAT and he says these are actually great egonomics compared to irl guns and he gives it 2 thumbs up.
Pathfinder Compatibility The reason for the extra step tabs on later generation magazines, is because Hasbro was unhappy with Dart Zone Powerball, Titanium, etc using their mags. The change was intended to prevent their blasters for catching the magazines. Interestingly, the Finisher, is compatible with both New and Old generation magazines so it seems that the Pathfinder being locked into the New style is a big whoopsie oversight.
It's easier than you think to deal with the One-Way-Snap plunger heads, like those found in this new Rival Fate, as well as older blasters like the Hotshock and Firestrike. All you have to do is cut off the top area/ledge that locks in front of the clips with a knife or something, then the plunger head comes cleanly off. Swap springs or whatever, and you put it back on by putting a washer head screw into the plunger rod. It acts like the original ridge and engages the clips to keep the plunger head in, but can be unscrewed for easy spring swapping. What size screw you need depends on the blaster, as does if you need to drill a hole for the screw or not. I have done this many times, it's super easy and effective. Very interested in these blasters, especially the fate. The Nitefinder has been my favorite blaster for a while now, and the fate is just one of those with even more mod potential!
Available elsewhere too. Walmart for example. Future Purchase Advice: Getting the Pathfinder, be sure to buy some spare Rival mags to go with it. The one that comes with it is often an issue. The little tab on top doesn't stay in place and will suddenly release spewing blue bawls out and making you reload again. It's also finicky with loading it because of that loose tab. Using a new official rival mag (haven't tested any off-brands) seemed to fix my entire issue with that. There are some claims that older well used mags have issues staying in place in the magwell. I didn't have this issue though. With the Fate, you may occasionally get an issue where the breach opens or partially opens, but doesn't uncover when you prime it. Pull back a little more on the priming handle like when a Kronos locks the slide back and you pull it a little more to unlock it.
Thanks for the great info on spring upgrades! May have to try that. I wish the Vision had a more robust priming bar (and just looked and felt better overall).
Hasbro keeps doing it to us! The blaster I'm looking forward to most is disappointing, and the blaster that isn't that exciting to me turns out to be the best one. The same goes for Hyper Mach-100 and Rush-40, respectively.
Pathfinder Pump Grip. Design Approach Interesting. I see that your design, makes the grip have Female sockets that attach to the posts on the internal 'priming sled'. While the original had Male pegs, that protrude into the shell and latch onto that sled. One of the major setbacks to designing my own pump grip was the fact that a Male peg on the 3d printed part would be a tiny yet support-requiring area; not a good combo for precision or strength. So making the pump grip Female instead is clever. How well does it hold up though? it does mean the contact area to the priming sled is reduced vs original, and connected farther out. are you seeing any stress marks appear on the priming sled screw posts due to the additional offset?
So I had a jamming issue (not sure if it was similar to yours or if it was completely different) with my Rival Vision just after a couple of days buying it and I found out that there was barely lube (might have dried out) in the o rings for the plungers. This led to the o ring catching the rounds after one was already loaded in leading the priming mechanism to "bite" the rival round jamming it up. After lubing it up it doesn't jam as much now and the prime is significantly smoother than when I got it. I should have lubed it initially as when I first primed it out of the box it was crunchy for some odd reason. It might also be the reason for inconsistent chrono results from different reviews I watched.
I create all kinds of games with dart blasters and i was sooo happy to see these new designs at the MEIJER here in MI - my 8 yr old nephew could finally easily cock n load the PATHFINDER and could participate more fluidly with the rifle - def a great product and we've been having fun - the rounds do actually fly a tad more straight and fps feels slightly lower but still thats not a bad thing in that it means younger players can more easily paRticipate- need to be able to buy extra clips though!!
Oh, forgot to mention in my previous comments and don't know if anyone else has mentioned it. The football you have there is a "NERF Vortex Ultra Grip" Where what I use for RPGs are the Vortex Aero Howler and the Pocket Vortex Aero Howler.
Luke, even if you can’t fully replicate the issue, I’m sure that anyone who has ever battled with Rival blasters knows about “squishy” used ammo, which in my experience was detrimental in the performance of conveyor-fed flywheel blasters like the Perses and Prometheus as they usually perished the ammo and left a fine foam dust that was always a giant pain to clean out. Hopefully this newer ammo doesn’t suffer from the same issue but time will tell. I loved the DartZone/Adventure Force ammo and they were the most durable. Assuming “Accu-Rival” ammo is developed similarly, it’s gonna be great.
Please do a mod video on the Pathfinder! I just bought it as my first blaster in years and bought from your website for the first time. I really want to make sure I do it right so I don't wreck anything. Thanks!!
@outofdarts are there softer springs available to make some of these easier to prime? For smaller kids that have trouble with them. We host so nerf battle nights and some smaller kids have trouble priming some of the rivals.
Do not get small children under 7 or 8 rival. Just stick to elite and mega and hyper too. Rival is mainly for performance nerfers and they just wanna have fun
They should work the same in the OOD Jupiter as in any other rival blaster. Whether the blaster is more accurate or performs differently, we'll need to do more testing to find out.
The Vision is literally what seems to be a better version of the X-Shot Chaos Meteor ... Nerf cppying its "rivals" (pun intended)? That's uncanny to say the least.
@@outofdarts yeah I think it's actually better to let the people choose the names for things like that. It's what sticks. Even with a well loved company like DZ. Everyone still calls them AF Pros. Not ember darts.
Don't know why corporations care about recycling. Half the stuff we are supposed to "recycle" don't make money so after it leaves your home it still ends up in the land fill...
*Note: This video was recorded prior to the war in Ukraine. It is not our intention to use this platform as a commentary on the war, and we regret the poor timing of our choice of shirt.*
Wait,how is this comment posted 22 hours ago when the video is published minutes ago?
We usually upload it a day in advance in order to edit the video description, chapter timecode, captions, etc. I just wrote the comment before scheduling the video to be published.
@@outofdarts I see now,I was just relatively confused at first.
It's a solid message though. War, unless it's with blasters is pointless and wrong.
MEH!
there's no need to apologize for Other People being Too Sensitive.
That shirt existed well before political events; and this hobby is about having fun and should be separate from outside issues.
If someone has a problem with it, that's their Personal Problem.
The magazine compatibility thing is only an issue with OLDER rival mags. They added those extra ledges a few years ago specifically to stop the magazine from locking into the dart zone powerball, similar to how they added a piece to the rival rechargeable battery so it couldn't fit in the dart zone accelerator. It didn't matter before on other rival blasters, as they used the main mag catch ledge instead of that area. On the finisher and the pathfinder though, they have gotten rid of that main catch notch on the mags, which is why the newer mags from those are not compatible with older blasters unless you cut a notch in the plastic.
As someone who has 20+ older rival mags, it's still annoying. At least there's an easy fix!
The redesign debuted with the Hypnos if you're curious about the actual timing. A lot of people had issues with the Hypnos due to the redesigned magazine. I can confirm the molds are really close, but I'm not sure how different they are with the Pathfinder's mag.
I just wish they made more of the orange mags. I do enjoy the rubbery bottom incase it slams or slips out of grip. I look all over Amazon and can't find them.
I had a vision that you'd upload today, maybe it was fate
I bet you used a pathfinder to figure out what led you to think that.
I kinda got out of the Nerf modding game a few years ago when I moved. I kept all/most of my stuff but never really had a chance to use any of it. One of your videos popped up somewhere and I figured I browse you, Drac, Walcom, and the others, for a bit just to see where the community has gone. Man, this is so heartwarming and fascinating to see where everyone has taken the hobby, but everyone still kept the same childish fun and wonder that we all had. There are so many cool homemade/3D printed things now, and even Hasbro is turning out cool stuff like the Motoblitz. Everything is so compact and efficient, and you even have full mod kits on your website now!? It all just makes me smile. Keep up the good work!
Dude… I live for your mod guides!!! Please mod these
I saw a really awesome mod on UA-cam someone modded the Pathfinder to take Talons.
Yes!
The tape and glue are removed entirely from the packaging during the shredding process prior to the cardboard being turned into kraft pulp. I'm not aware of any process that ends up recycling it though. The notches on the magazines started appearing on the official Rival magazines 2 or 3 years ago and were added to defeat third party support for the magazines. There were a few springers by Zuru or maybe X-Shot that had paintball-esque hoppers that were removable, and the receptacle for them would accept a Nerf Rival mag. I had to make an update to the mag release in the Rivalburn to adapt to the change in the magazine mold.
I used a couple of the "newer" Vortex footballs with pool noodles. Basically, cut the fins off, shoved it into a cut down pool noodle, and made a whistling RPG for a Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Blaster.
All I can think of when looking at the Vision is the X-Shot Meteor....
Same look, almost same magazine-system.
Good review, very informative as always!
It's like a cross between the Sideswipe and Meteor.
Meteor was ambidextrous though
load from the bottom instead of just one side
equal opportunity for lefties and righties
Better.
@@adriansue8955 It's a little more difficult to load the Meteor on the fly; you run the risk of letting all the rounds fall out of the magazine if you're not careful.
@@MikeGuerrero fair trade, if you're left handed.
You move so much the blastters, btw, Great video👍🏼
I know its personal preference but for the Pathfinder its known in the military world as a short stock rifle (which is why the stock is so small) and they are very effective in CQB enviroments. My dad is SWAT and he says these are actually great egonomics compared to irl guns and he gives it 2 thumbs up.
Pathfinder Compatibility
The reason for the extra step tabs on later generation magazines, is because Hasbro was unhappy with Dart Zone Powerball, Titanium, etc using their mags. The change was intended to prevent their blasters for catching the magazines.
Interestingly, the Finisher, is compatible with both New and Old generation magazines
so it seems that the Pathfinder being locked into the New style is a big whoopsie oversight.
I'm so happy that I found the Pathfinder at my local Target- I love it!
It's easier than you think to deal with the One-Way-Snap plunger heads, like those found in this new Rival Fate, as well as older blasters like the Hotshock and Firestrike. All you have to do is cut off the top area/ledge that locks in front of the clips with a knife or something, then the plunger head comes cleanly off. Swap springs or whatever, and you put it back on by putting a washer head screw into the plunger rod. It acts like the original ridge and engages the clips to keep the plunger head in, but can be unscrewed for easy spring swapping. What size screw you need depends on the blaster, as does if you need to drill a hole for the screw or not.
I have done this many times, it's super easy and effective.
Very interested in these blasters, especially the fate. The Nitefinder has been my favorite blaster for a while now, and the fate is just one of those with even more mod potential!
Thanks for the tip! We'd need to test it ourselves before recommending it in a tutorial, but it certainly would make modding the Fate easier.
All three are available at Target on the shelf now.
Good to know! I'll add that to the description.
Available elsewhere too. Walmart for example.
Future Purchase Advice: Getting the Pathfinder, be sure to buy some spare Rival mags to go with it. The one that comes with it is often an issue. The little tab on top doesn't stay in place and will suddenly release spewing blue bawls out and making you reload again. It's also finicky with loading it because of that loose tab. Using a new official rival mag (haven't tested any off-brands) seemed to fix my entire issue with that. There are some claims that older well used mags have issues staying in place in the magwell. I didn't have this issue though.
With the Fate, you may occasionally get an issue where the breach opens or partially opens, but doesn't uncover when you prime it. Pull back a little more on the priming handle like when a Kronos locks the slide back and you pull it a little more to unlock it.
Hasbro could certainly claim the Range Shot had an adjustable sight
Thanks for the great info on spring upgrades! May have to try that. I wish the Vision had a more robust priming bar (and just looked and felt better overall).
Hasbro keeps doing it to us! The blaster I'm looking forward to most is disappointing, and the blaster that isn't that exciting to me turns out to be the best one. The same goes for Hyper Mach-100 and Rush-40, respectively.
Pathfinder Pump Grip. Design Approach
Interesting. I see that your design, makes the grip have Female sockets that attach to the posts on the internal 'priming sled'. While the original had Male pegs, that protrude into the shell and latch onto that sled.
One of the major setbacks to designing my own pump grip was the fact that a Male peg on the 3d printed part would be a tiny yet support-requiring area; not a good combo for precision or strength.
So making the pump grip Female instead is clever.
How well does it hold up though? it does mean the contact area to the priming sled is reduced vs original, and connected farther out. are you seeing any stress marks appear on the priming sled screw posts due to the additional offset?
Pathfinder Stock Extension
I vote for an add-on extender, not a cut+replace.
because having to cut the shell on a brand new blaster kinda sucks.
A fun little trio indeed, would love to see that mod guide on one or more of these beauties.
Since my Pathfinder is a bit of an under performer I may add an upgrade spring to my next order - I usually don't mind my Rival stock :)
So I had a jamming issue (not sure if it was similar to yours or if it was completely different) with my Rival Vision just after a couple of days buying it and I found out that there was barely lube (might have dried out) in the o rings for the plungers. This led to the o ring catching the rounds after one was already loaded in leading the priming mechanism to "bite" the rival round jamming it up. After lubing it up it doesn't jam as much now and the prime is significantly smoother than when I got it. I should have lubed it initially as when I first primed it out of the box it was crunchy for some odd reason. It might also be the reason for inconsistent chrono results from different reviews I watched.
That is a really consistent coefficient of standard deviation after the spring change on the vision.
I used to have a finned nerf football as a kid and I loved it.
I create all kinds of games with dart blasters and i was sooo happy to see these new designs at the MEIJER here in MI - my 8 yr old nephew could finally easily cock n load the PATHFINDER and could participate more fluidly with the rifle - def a great product and we've been having fun - the rounds do actually fly a tad more straight and fps feels slightly lower but still thats not a bad thing in that it means younger players can more easily paRticipate- need to be able to buy extra clips though!!
The Fate's hop-up is fine with the stock spring. It's putting a K26 in that has messed up your one Luke.
Oh, forgot to mention in my previous comments and don't know if anyone else has mentioned it. The football you have there is a "NERF Vortex Ultra Grip" Where what I use for RPGs are the Vortex Aero Howler and the Pocket Vortex Aero Howler.
Mod guides please! And thank you!
Have you all tried putting a k26 in the pathfinder yet? If so, what where your coil counts and results and such?
Mods guides? Yes, please. 🤗
Luke, even if you can’t fully replicate the issue, I’m sure that anyone who has ever battled with Rival blasters knows about “squishy” used ammo, which in my experience was detrimental in the performance of conveyor-fed flywheel blasters like the Perses and Prometheus as they usually perished the ammo and left a fine foam dust that was always a giant pain to clean out.
Hopefully this newer ammo doesn’t suffer from the same issue but time will tell. I loved the DartZone/Adventure Force ammo and they were the most durable. Assuming “Accu-Rival” ammo is developed similarly, it’s gonna be great.
are these new accu-darts compatible with the jupiter??
Yes
Any chance you'll stock a few of these for us international blaster fans? Especially the Pathfinder.
Please do a mod video on the Pathfinder! I just bought it as my first blaster in years and bought from your website for the first time. I really want to make sure I do it right so I don't wreck anything. Thanks!!
Interested in modding the fate. A mod guide would be greatly appreciated 🙏
Thanks Luke!
Yes Rival keep going!
@outofdarts are there softer springs available to make some of these easier to prime? For smaller kids that have trouble with them.
We host so nerf battle nights and some smaller kids have trouble priming some of the rivals.
Just cut the spring down with pliers.
@@BreezyE. I thought shorter would make it firmer not softer 🤷
@@Daviddear30 maybe if it was a stronger metal like a k14 but weaker metals should adjust to the original position.
Do not get small children under 7 or 8 rival. Just stick to elite and mega and hyper too. Rival is mainly for performance nerfers and they just wanna have fun
Love the new line.
The path finder works withe finisher mags.
awesome vid would love a mod guide for the pathfinder
Lord draconial has a mod guide
So they are out in stores now
you should make a mod for the vision that gives it a wire stock at the bottom of the the handle like those phantom pumps in paintball
Does the jupiter support the accustrike balls
They should work the same in the OOD Jupiter as in any other rival blaster. Whether the blaster is more accurate or performs differently, we'll need to do more testing to find out.
The loading tab sometimes doesn't catch, mak shore it catches
The Recon had adjustable sights. Not that they were good or anything lol, but they were adjustable.
The vision might be similar to a Kronos but you can't holster it unfortunately.
Maybe, maybe not if you're good at crafting
I bought my Pathfinder at Target
I want a mod guide
You! live in the Bay Area? 🤔
buy stuff from his shop and look at the return address
all signs point to Yes
I love this series! Sad that I can't get it because in New Zealand, all of our Nerf Blasters are exports from Australia :(.
I brought mine in Australia. They sell them in oz
please make a rival ball drum mag
They were called vortexes. We just bought one too. Haha
More modd videos please
Nerf Vortex football!
The Vision is literally what seems to be a better version of the X-Shot Chaos Meteor ... Nerf cppying its "rivals" (pun intended)? That's uncanny to say the least.
Nerf put out an APB
I think that's one of the reasons the hobby settled on "Accu-Rival," lol.
@@outofdarts yeah I think it's actually better to let the people choose the names for things like that. It's what sticks. Even with a well loved company like DZ. Everyone still calls them AF Pros. Not ember darts.
Don't know why corporations care about recycling. Half the stuff we are supposed to "recycle" don't make money so after it leaves your home it still ends up in the land fill...
I love more rival, but not more of these failures.
These blasters are fine wdym?
Rush gud
Wait, people actually recycle? 🤣
2nd