The Stryfe and Rapid Red are very similar blasters. Both are compact semi-auto flywheelers with a similar layout, and for the most part the Rapid Red is seen by many to be just a Rebelle-d Stryfe. Is there actually that much difference?



Aesthetics: The Stryfe has the same sharp modern design found in most Elite blasters, with a pretty good colour scheme of blue/orange/white/grey and design. The biggest problem I have with it is the assymetry of the shells, being that the left side is flat while the right side is raised.

The Rapid Red has a much smoother, sleeker design found on most Rebelle blasters, with the same sort of feminine colour scheme of purples/light blue/pinks. It's more symmetric than the Stryfe, with the exception of the bulges for the flywheel motors.

I personally prefer the Rapid Red as I really dislike the assymetry of the Stryfe and quite like the sleekness of the Rapid Red, but both are pretty good in their own ways.

Accessories: The Stryfe comes with itself, a 6 dart clip (mag) and 6 Elites.

The Rapid Red comes with itself, a 12 dart clip (mag), 12 varied Rebelle darts and a Rebelle Message Decoder.

Naturally the Rapid Red wins this round.

Range/Power: Both grey trigger blasters have almost identical internals and so achieve similar ranges, somewhere in the 8-10m range depending on battery quality. There's nothing really between them, so naturally this round is a draw.

Accuracy: Again as the blasters are so similar, accuracy is much the same. There's some variation at range, but for the most part the lack of power keeps the darts roughly on the right track. Another draw here.

Usability: Both blasters have their share of issues, though in my opinion one is far worse than the other.

I personally find the Stryfe a little awkward to hold underbarrel as that section is quite thin and the left side is totally flat. Otherwise for the most part the Stryfe is good, good handle, good triggers, good clip (mag) release. The biggest issue, naturally, is the dart sensor lock. As mentioned a number of time previously, the dart sensor is intended to lock the trigger/pusher if there is no dart loaded, however due to poor design has a tendency to lock up the trigger for no reason, especially during rapid fire, severely limiting the ROF possible.

The Rapid Red on the other hand has a bit of an odd handle. The handle is rather small, making it a little uncomfortable for persons with larger hands. Even I find the handle small and I'm not a large person by any means. Additionally I find the angle of the handle a little odd, it's more sloped than the usual pistol grips on most Nerf blasters, and so carries a little more like a rifle despite the lack of stock. I don't find it uncomfortable, just something to note where most Elite handles are very similar. All the switches and triggers are good, the trigger pull in particular I like. However again the trigger is not suited to large hands as the trigger area is rather small. One of the larger guys at the MHvZ event commented that he couldn't use it as his finger wouldn't fit properly to pull the trigger all the way back. The fore end is one part I really like of the Rapid Red, it's smooth and sufficiently large, making it reasonably comfortable, in contrast with the Stryfe's small and sharp fore end.

If you're not ok with removing the Stryfe's dart sensor, this round is an easy win for the Rapid Red, as that dart sensor is an absolute dealbreaker. It makes the Stryfe almost impossible to effectively use.

If you're ok with removing it, I'd call this round a draw. Both blasters have small ergonomic issues, but for the most part operate smoothly and have no major issues (outside of the Stryfe's dart sensor).

Rate of Fire: The two blasters have very similar trigger pulls, with 5dps+ very much possible, so the deciding factor is the Stryfe's dart sensor, which if in place limits the Stryfe to 2-3dps at best. If you're cool with removing it, then this round is a draw. If not, the Rapid Red is an easy winner.

Capacity: The Stryfe includes a 6 clip (mag) out of box, while the Rapid Red includes a 12 clip (mag).

Naturally the Rapid Red wins this one.

Value for Money: Both blasters have questionable availability, neither can be easily found in stores so we'll go off just the prices. The Stryfe was a Kmart exclusive and retailed for 25AUD, going down to 20AUD in sales. The Rapid Red was a BigW exclusive and retailed for 39AUD, going down to 30AUD in the one sale it was available. While the Rapid Red does include a nice unique 12 clip (mag), I just can't justify the massive price difference, 6 extra dart capacity is just not worth that much, especially if you already have a bunch of clips (mags).

I'm giving this round to the Stryfe.



If you're ok with removing the dart sensor, the Stryfe wins 1 round, the Rapid Red wins 2, with 4 draws. If not, the Stryfe wins 1 round while the Rapid Red now wins 4, with 2 draws. Therefore I declare the Rapid Red to be the superior blaster. In all honesty if you already have a bunch of clips (mags) then the accessories and capacity rounds are basically draws, so the only real differences are price and ergonomics. The Stryfe is the superior blaster to get on a budget as it's generally sold for cheaper, while the Rapid Red is still worth considering for its ergonomics, or if it's on clearance as it is just a slightly different Stryfe. I personally prefer the Rapid Red as I particularly like its fore end, but that's all just personal preference really.