After the success of the Ghost Ops Evader, Nerf has elected to release another clear, light-up blaster. The Ghost Ops Shadow ICS-6 is this time. Holding six darts in an internal magazine, the blaster is fun to use and performs acceptably as a blaster. However, if you arent interested in the aesthetic aspects of the blaster or are looking for better performance (or modification), there are better blasters out there.
Glow In The Dark Fun
Like the Evader, the Shadow has several green LEDs inside, activated via a secondary trigger. In this case, it takes up the space normally taken up by acceleration triggers in flywheel powered blasters. The blaster’s front features an additional LED that is activated by a secondary trigger. This is used to turn on barrel attachments. The blaster’s parts aren’t as well lit as the others. However, this is simply because space plunger tubes, the like, and other obstructions, will cause the light to be blocked. Clearing internal parts increases the cost.
The blaster works in the same way as other magazine-fed blasters, except for the LED gimmick which I love. To charge the spring-loaded plunger you need to pull the priming handle back. Then load the dart and fire it. The dart is fired by pulling the trigger. Its a simple blaster to operate, averaging (in my tests) 59 fps out of the barrel and two darts per second. Thats not quite up to par with other modern Nerf dart blasters, but its certainly good enough for the average buyer, or for small children.
The blasters internal magazine is loaded by pressing down darts between the lips at the top of the blaster, prior to priming the blaster. In that way, its technically an open bolt mechanism. The loading process is slightly slowed down by the tab at the front darts. In the end, being able to load a magazine on the fly is still handy.
Looking Strange On The Inside
Blaster operation may be simple, but the actual mechanism for loading darts is vastly different from other blasters. Anyone who buys the Shadow ICS-6 should be aware of this part. In addition, while the plunger tube is large enough for Elite distances (along the lines of a Strongarm, for example), the actual plunger is only pulled back ~4 cm, and stronger springs can actually flex the plunger enough to prevent it catching. In the end, there isnt much air being compressed for firing the dart.
It is not difficult to compress the air faster.
For the Shadow ICS-6’s open bolt design, a larger format than a pistol would be required. Think about the Centurion or Stampede, for example. The Shadow uses a smaller mechanism to move the barrel and plunger tube. The top dart is loaded by a hollow, tubular shuttle that has a retracting loading tab. This prevents the magazine spring from exerting any force on the loaded dart as it fires, so that it fires properly.
This open design, while compact, results in a short dart barrel with no way to efficiently enclose the dart to boost performance. That, combined with the plunger issues, means that what you see is what you get in terms of blaster performance. From the hobbyist standpoint, its frustrating. It might not be as frustrating for casual shoppers.
Final Thoughts
The Ghost Ops Shadow ICS-6 is an adequate performer among Nerfs new offerings. Although it doesn’t pack the same punch as other blasters, it offers fun alternatives to the standard light system play. For a normal buyer, this blaster will probably be a nice purchase. If youre looking for power, however,a Disruptorwould offer better performance (and equal capacity) for less money, and thats only looking at Nerf.
