Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander RD-6 review

Writing this Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander RD-6 review was officially a walk down memory lane. Maybe you’ve forgotten the very specific actions associated with firing foam bullets at speed.   

But how are you meant to work out the very best Nerf gun if you haven’t repeatedly lost projectiles or marvelled at the unique thocking sound of a Nerf bullet hitting a wall at point blank range? 

Given that we’re going to be in gardens more often this year, Nerf guns make a great alternative to the best water guns for less toasty days or even just days you don’t fancy having to dry the kids and pets on an industrial scale. 

There’s no shortage of Nerf blasters out there, all with names that sound like they have been fired violently out of a machine and should be shouted loudly in caps. With the Retaliator, Motofury, or even the Accustrike Falconfire, amidst dozens of others, the choice for your garden arsenal is vast. 

The Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander RD-6 though is firmly at the budget end of the scale. With no motorised barrel, laser sights, or auto reload, it might seem basic, but what’s on offer here is an exceptionally solid blaster for the price. Let’s break it down.

Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander RD-6 review: Price & release date

The Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander RD-6 is one of Nerf’s cheapest offerings, and is available to buy now. At £12.99/$12.99/AU$19.00, the RD-6 comes with 12 of Nerf’s traditional foam bullets and a six-dart rotating drum. 

Given that something like the shoulder worn Nerf N-Strike Mega Mastadon sits at around £80/$90/AU$140, this price is absolutely at the budget end. This is a lot of plastic for the price, though, and the generous offering of bullets is appreciated, simply because of how far you’re able to fire them.

Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander RD-6 review: Features & performance

If you can imagine a traditional Nerf blaster from the ‘90s, the Commander RD-6 ticks all of the traditional air-powered boxes. The RD-6 paint job is a blue and black affair with traditional neon orange highlights that make it clear that this is firmly waving the ‘I’m a toy’ flag. 

In a nice touch too, the RD-6 is fully upgradeable with what Nerf calls ‘Tactical Rail’ slots. There are three on the RD-6, meaning you can add official accessories such as scopes, grips, and sights, if pocket money allows. There are even options to add a barrel extension and shoulder rest, so there is plenty of room to spec it out.

With no need for batteries, the drum of six foam bullets can be fired in quick succession, upon priming the drum with a noisy pull of the slide and squeezing the trigger. This action lets one bullet fly, but if you want to send them all in a flurry, holding down the trigger and pulling the slide releases a satisfyingly forceful barrage of foam. It’s a ludicrous amount of fun and just a matter of finding your ammo and reloading them into the drum to do it all over again. 

You’ll never be firing in stealth mode given the crunch of the slider but one would hope that everyone would be armed in this situation. The slider is additionally a handy feature as you’ll never accidentally squeeze the trigger to release a bullet early. Even with a full drum, the RD-6 always has to be primed before firing. 

It’s also worth noting that Nerf suggests wearing safety glasses while playing and there’s a good reason for that. These bullets are very much capable of the full 27m promised on the box, meaning that anything closer will get a surprisingly effective foam hit. There’s none of the sting of a full force point blank Super Soaker but these are definitely best kept away from eyes.

Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander RD-6 review: Verdict

The RD-6 is the perfect sweet spot of price and design, letting you fire foam bullets potentially far too far for their own good. The small magazine might put some off but this is a satisfying budget offering with plenty of bang for your buck. The two firing modes and upgradeability means that this is a surprisingly diverse little blaster for the price.