What say we get started with the basics? To start, the Nerf Maverick was basically THE quintessential Nerf blaster for a long while. Many an office insurgent would proudly hold one of these inside their desk drawer, and every kid wanted one, or had one. It's very likely that most Nerfers started out with this exclusively (it only marked my descent into full-on obsession, not my introduction. My actual first was an Airtech 1000.). Eventually though, all good things must come to an end, and the classic Mav was superseded by the Spectre, and eventually the Elite Strongarm, which is a very suitable succesor to the throne, even if it isn't as popular as the original king.
Yeah,you can tell I like the Mav a lot, but how can you blame me? It served as the great vessel for me to grow interested in projectile toys. But I digress, let's get to the nitty-gritty about this.
Price: Typically 9.99 or less for the standard yellow. Much more for the Clear, Sonic, or any other variations due to discontinuation. (Although at the Toys R Us locations near me, I've seen an abundance of Sonic Mavs for their regular price.)
Material: Plastic, hurr durr
Range: On its best shot, when using standard suction Micros, my old yellow Mav got approx. 30 to 32 feet.
Ammo: Any micro dart, including Elite darts.
The first thing you'll notice is: Wow, that's a big friggin' pistol.
The Nerf Maverick comes off as equal parts cowboy, and equal parts Hellboy. The appearence is very slick, making sort of a weird sci-fi western gun, but that weirdness doesn't keep its looks down. Unfortunately, both Ron Perlman and Wyatt Earp (and maybe Spike Spiegel, of he actually used a revolver.) would probably be ashamed of some of the Maverick's flukes. One of the advertised features is quick firing rate, but don't think you can fire off all 6 rounds faster than you can say "Put 'em up, sugarcu- err, pardner!", because trying too fast will make you go from future-western badass to rodeo clown trying to fiddle with a jammed kids toy in only a matter of a shot or two. This is primarily due to its firing mechanism. When you pull the trigger, it rotates the barrel around, for your next shot. Unfortunately, pulling it rapidly will make you instinctively not pull as hard when you try to be quick, causing misfires and general embarrassment as you get pelted with darts from the guy who is dual wielding Stampedes while you're just trying to fire one round. Conveniently, both the Spectre and the Strongarm fix this issue, and the Strongarm even adds slamfire so you can actually seem like a hyper space cowboy without much gun trouble. I don't have much else to say about performance, so let's get to the final ratings.
The ratings:
Fun: 9 (Being the classic office war weapon of choice, and being very snazzy looking, it just feels fun to tote around while making John Wayne quotes.)
Cool Factor: 9 (As stated before, it's basically a space revolver that happens to be giant. That is all.)
Effectiveness: 7.5 (Over time, the internals tend to go out a little bit, making ranges rather inconsistent, and causing jams and misfires. The range isnt the most stellar to begin with (although the Whiteout Mav, which I unfortunately don't own, apparently has very nice ranges stock), and there is still a possibility of misfires even in a brand new Mav.)
Durability: 6 (2 of my old yellow ones broke fairly easily out of nowhere, and my still working one has issues with range and firing.)
Price: 5 (The price is good for a beginner blaster, but when you can get the Strongarm for nearly the same, it's just not terribly worth it anymore.)
Overall: 7.5 (The Maverick has served us Nerfers well for a good few years, but it feels that now is about the time to let her retire and let the Strongarm fill the place left behind for a beginner blaster.)
In conclusion, the Maverick's a fun, nostalgic blaster, but let's face it: the battlefield has changed. With Elite ranges and vastly superior rate of fire, anyone who only uses a Maverick in a war is bound to lose fairly quickly.
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