Monday 16 December 2013

Slydev Parts Review: Mini Rail to Rail Connector, 6 Dart Holder Solid

Now for a non-Nerf review, here is a review of some new Slydev parts that were put up in the store not too long ago.
This review will be covering the Mini Rail to Rail (called Nerf to Nerf in store) Connectors, and the 6 Dart Holder (Solid). Note that I covered the 4cm Nerf rail a while back. Also note that these parts were made in a new orange compared to my older parts, as well as in Slydev's new 3D printers since the ones that made my old parts broke and are currently being fixed.


Mini Rail to Rail Connector


The Mini Nerf to Nerf Connector is as its name suggests: a mini version of the regular Nerf to Nerf Connector that I reviewed earlier. It's half the length of the full connector, however is the same height and width, allowing it to be used alongside the full connector. The mini connector still uses 2 screws for each locking piece, which gives even the mini connector good strength and stability.
The Mini Nerf to Nerf Connector fits into the grooves on most Nerf tac rails the same as most other Slydev parts, so it's sturdy and stable in multiples. The full sized Nerf to Nerf Connector is much more suitable for holding small loads such as a Scout due to its size. For larger loads though, multiple Nerf to Nerf Connectors are required so as to not bend and break.



A couple of combinations showing the way a regular and mini Nerf to Nerf Connector work together. These blasters are too heavy to be held securely with a single connector, however with these two the underslung blasters are very secure and stable.

So should you get Mini Rail to Rail (Nerf to Nerf) Connectors? That depends what you're looking to connect.
If you're like me and just want to stick together everything possible, then yes, you should get a few. As they are smaller than their full sized and more expensive brother, they fit in small rail segments where the full connector will not fit, allowing you to have maximum tacticool.
If there's only one groove that you can attach your blasters together with, then a full connector will be a better choice as it is larger and thus sturdier. A single Mini Rail to Rail Connector is not as strong as a full sized Connnector.
If there's multiple grooves that line up on both rails, then two or more Mini Rail to Rail Connectors will do the job better than a single full sized connector, and is cheaper than getting multiple full sized connectors. Multiple connectors are far stronger than a single connector, and a single connector can only hold so much before it starts bending/breaking, so if the blasters you're trying to stick together are heavy, use multiple mini connectors.

If you're going to get a Mini Rail to Rail Connector, consider getting at least two. A single mini connector is not very strong as it is small - a full sized connector is much stronger. However, two mini connectors are much stronger than a full sized connector.

Mini Rail to Rail Connectors are a lot of fun to play around with seeing as most Nerf blasters have tactical rails, so consider picking a couple of them up. They're available for 3.50AUD + $1 domestic postage (international shipping varies).

6 Dart Holder (Solid)
The 6 Dart Holder is a simple tac rail attachment similar to the Barrel Break's dart holder as well as Slydev's 8 dart holder (solid), designed to hold 6 darts rather than 8. This makes it a little smaller, but significantly cheaper.

The 6 dart holder is offset slightly from the rail on which it is attached. This allows for a much easier print as one side is completely flat, rather than there being protrusions on both sides.
The 6 dart holder is attached in the same way as all Slydev, using the grooves in tac rails.
Here the 6 dart holder with some Rebelle darts. They stay in fine, however the printing is not perfectly smooth, and thus for some of the holders I kinda feel like I'm scraping the darts when I insert them in.


On my modded Firestrike. You can see the offset of the 6 dart holder from the centre of the blaster, as well as the slight difference in oranges. Howeverm the 6 dart holder is a great length for the Firestrike and looks quite good.

Loaded up with darts, the 6 dart holder increases a Firestrike's capacity to a ridiculous 9 darts. It does get in the way of holstering the Firestrike though, so I don't recommend the 6 dart holder for holstered sidearms.

So should you get the 6 Dart Holder (Solid)? Probably.
Unless you use exclusively clip/mag system blasters, the additional 6 dart capacity offered by the 6 dart rail can help you greatly in reloading non-CS blasters, such as the Firestrike I have pictured above, or perhaps a RoughCut. The Barrel Break's dart holder does effectively the same thing, holding 8 darts instead of 6. Do note though that the BB's dart holder uses the traditional Nerf tac rail attachment piece which is designed to go on and off rails easily, while Slydev parts are designed to stay on rails very securely.
For 8AUD + $2 domestic postage (international shipping varies), the 6 Dart Holder is one of the more expensive items in the Slydev store, but it is a very useful and valuable piece. Do note that there is also an 8 dart holder (solid), however that is nearly twice the price of the 6 dart holder.
If you use non-CS blasters regularly and have tactical rails to spare, consider picking up a 6 dart holder and slapping it on the rail to help you with reloading.

Additional Notes
Put both of these great parts to use and you could get a tacticool Longshot like this:


The Mini Nerf to Nerf Connectors are used to attach a Barricade as a panic rapid fire weapon, which complements the slow firing Longshot well. The 6 dart holder is used simply to provide spare ammo for the Barricade.

One thing to note about this set of parts is that the printing quality is not as good as my older parts. These parts are rougher and not as clean looking as previous parts, likely because of the printer used. Slydev's old printers, which are the ones that made my old parts, have been rendered unusuable and are currently being fixed, so once those printers are back up and running expect the same good quality from before.

The orange used for these parts is a better match for Nerf orange, being brighter than the previous oranges. This orange is probably best described as maybe a 'candy orange' as it shares a similar light, nearly fluoro, tinge to orange coloured lollies. It's not a perfect match, but unless you're an extreme aesthetics nut, the new orange will probably be good enough. And to be honest, you can't really see much of a difference between the Nerf orange and Slydev's orange in my pictures anyway.

Now go ahead and place your purchases for these new and awesome Slydev parts. A link to the Slydev store is in the top left hand corner.

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