Zecong Toys Photon Storm Review

The Photon storm is my first non Nerf review making it unique and unique is the best word to describe this semi-auto flywheel blaster.

Usability

The Photon Storm is an interesting beast hailing from the Far East China and only available through Chinese discount stores or sites like AliExpress.  It is a semi-auto flywheel blaster with an on/off switch similar to the Stockade and Barricade, but this similarity is probably where it ends.  The blaster instantly doesn't have the feel of a Nerf blaster using cheaper materials and resulting in a lightweight feel.  Outback Nerf refers to the trigger pivoting around an axle and this takes some getting used and also leads to frequent trigger jams.  Firing requires only a gentle pull of the trigger and aggressive or excitable trigger pulls lead to the trigger being stuck in the firing position, needing the shooter to wedge it out with their fingers.  This can become a bit tiresome, but if you get the pull right the blaster feels very responsive.
The trigger is the first piece of difference to the Nerf counterparts, it has a different feel.

The blaster arrives packaged with 20 darts (10 streamline, 10 suction) and a 12 dart clip.  The clip has quite straight boxy lines and retains its military style look.  As with all clip blasters loading is straight forward, but without having the access to extra mags fast reloads are impossible and when this bad boy is empty it requires a manual reloading of the darts.  The blaster has no Nerf style locks so mag removal can occur at anytime, the blaster will even turn on without a clip (which by the way seems about as loud as a 747 during landing).  The mag release button is conveniently placed and can be operated with ease, the blaster will also accept Nerf darts so this is a bonus.

The stock is a little flimsy and not removable but still sits comfortably when in firing position.  The blaster feels well balanced despite having the batteries in the rear.

The front rails can be a little uncomfortable to hold after extended use and many Nerfers, Outback Nerf included add a front grip to remedy this.

Usability Score 5/10 (the trigger issue is to big to overlook)

Styling

Now this is where the Photon Storm gets some serious kudos, this is as close to a dart firing M4 variant we have in the blaster world and this thing doesn't disappoint.  It features a top tactical rail with a slightly tacky but no less cool ACOG sight straight out of the box.  It features a front iron sight and flash hider as well as some very cool RIS (Rail interface system) on the front barrel that will accept accessories that would fit a picatinny rail (but not Nerf accessories).  As a fan of the M4 (I have a few Airsoft versions) and a person who enjoys military cosplay the styling suits me to the earth.

Styling Score 5/5

Performance Distance

The Photon Storm is an average performer which I was disappointed about as I would have loved it to have go and show!  The trigger issue is a big part of this, if it gets jammed you can guarantee the next dart out will basically just fall out of the barrel.  Despite this the Photon Storm still sits at 17th of 38 blasters eclipsing most of the N-Strike range (unmodded of course) and even some Elite blasters.  It has an average distance of 11.5m (37 ft) and a minimum of 7m (22 ft) and a maximum of 14m (45 ft).

Performance Distance Score 6/10
Performance Accuracy

Well this blaster is about as inconsistent as it gets.  The first dart fired down the range only just missed the bullseye on an A4 sheet of paper, then the next 3 missed everything!  Followed by a consistent in or around the board.  Overall it ended up being very impressive and scoring highest on the accuracy charts so far.

Performance Accuracy Score 2.75/10

I really like this blaster but purely from an aesthetic perspective the glaring issues with performance and usability make this hard to recommend for the seasoned Nerfer, but for display purposes it definitely has the looks.

Overall I score this blaster 18.75/35