The Nerf Rival Apollo XV-700 Was Made by the Gods!

Guess what! Nerf just got an M Rating! That’s right, folks. Their next blaster is for Mature Audiences Only…

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls.., Meet the new Nerf Rival Apollo XV-700 Precision Battling Blaster!

When the two new Nerf RIVAL Blasters were announced, I just about lost it… New line of mature Nerf blasters, new ammunition, new magazines, high powered, high velocity, precision battling blasters? What! Nerf had gone where few thought they would really go: across the “kiddie” pond to the 100 fps+ camp, approaching the likes of Airsoft and Paintball. They announced two blasters, the mighty Nerf Rival Zeus, powered by awesome flywheels, and this spring and plunger blaster, the Nerf Rival Apollo. I’ll be covering the God Apollo in this review…

The Nerf Rival Apollo’s Godly Origins

In case you didn’t know it, these new Nerf Rival blasters are both named after Greek Gods. In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of the King of Gods, Zeus. “Apollo was also seen as a god who could bring ill-health and deadly plague.”  What a cool name for a Nerf gun, huh? The powerful Nerf Rival Apollo, like its namesake, is able to bring ill-health and a deadly plague of high impact rounds to lay waste to your enemies.

Inner Workings of the Nerf Rival Apollo.

Don’t let its aggressive internals scare you off, the Nerf Rival Apollo blaster works much like its N-Strike cousins do. It’s a simple plunger based, spring powered blaster with a priming handle. To operate the blaster, you just pull the black priming handle at the top all the way back and then push it back to the original forward position. Then pull the trigger to fire. (Duh.)

From front to back, you have the large orange muzzle, then the barrel, the plunger rod, and then the gearbox in the back. The metal bar that leads away from the trigger operates the catch and release mechanism that is responsible for firing the high impact rounds. The white angled plastic piece around the barrel is what helps to open and close the “breech” in the barrel. Atop it all is the priming handle with its “teeth” at the back for activating the gears in the gearbox. I will release a mod guide soon to show you how to make this great blaster even better, stay tuned!

Nerf Rival Apollo — Molded by the Gods!

Just look at it. It’s pretty beautiful, isn’t it? The Nerf Rival Apollo has a very distinctive design. The striking red paint job, with the black handle, priming handle, tactical rails, the clear mags. The list goes on and on and on. The pistol grip handle might be one of the biggest, most comfortable handles that Nerf has ever made. The tactical rail is obviously inspired by actual real steel firearm weaver rails. Added style points for that one, huh? Behind that, the priming handle is large enough to get a steady grip on it at all times.

This is just a very well designed blaster, aggressive and stylish, with the power to back up its good looks. Speaking of power, let’s take a look at the performance of the Apollo…

Nerf Rival Apollo Performance!

Much like the Nerf MEGA RotoFury blaster, the Apollo has a ratchety sounding prime that just lets you know that it’s about to unleash a powerful blast. And when you do fire it, you know it wasn’t bluffing. The Apollo releases a mighty roar, enough to cause a loud, booming echo if you aren’t careful. The first time I fired the Nerf Rival Apollo, I wasn’t fully prepared for the blasters power. I shot it inside of my apartment and the high impact round proceeded to ricochet off of two different walls and come back in my direction, about a foot over my shoulder. It kept going and I still haven’t found out where it landed.

After that, I wisened up a bit and took the Apollo outdoors where the fear of ricochet reprisal was very low. I aimed down range and let loose. I shot about 2 full mags worth of Rival Rounds. The blaster shot very straight and the accuracy was very precise. Tight groupings and straight shots all around. The high impact Rival rounds were landing at around 70 to 75 feet away when fired flat. I didn’t even bother to fire angled shots after that. I was beyond impressed and actually giggling to myself at this point — just like a little school girl…

Final Thoughts on the Nerf Rival Apollo Blaster.:

What we have is a fresh, invigorating entry into the Nerf blaster territory. This is a blaster targeted at, for the first time, the 14+ yr old “mature” audience. This feels so different that it’s almost weird to see the Nerf branding on it. The Nerf Rival Apollo is powerful and accurate on a level that no N-Strike Elite blaster can match. The power of the Apollo is enough to bring grown men to their knees with a well placed shot. (Not really, but check out my YouTube for a rare example of this happening.)

As the first blaster in a new series of blasters, the Nerf Rival Apollo succeeds on every level. For cons? I’d have to say that the top priming handle is one. It’d be better suited on the side of the blaster, in my opinion. But, unless it was on both sides like a Longshot, this would alienate left-handed players. The top prime isn’t really bad to handle or operate, but it’s so wide that it gets in the way of aiming down sight.

There are also no attachment points for extended barrels or shoulder stocks and there are also no sling points to attach a sling or bandolier or anything like that. There is a tactical rail, but no official Rival attachments have been produced as of yet. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Overall, the Nerf Rival Apollo is such a winner that it’s in a league of its own. The high impact rounds are made of foam, like Nerf, but they’re sized something like paintballs. These Rival blasters may be the first in a series of blasters that edge closer and closer to bridging the gap between Nerf and Airsoft or Paintball. But that’s just my opinion, Nerf Nation, I could be wrong. What do you think? Let me know! Tell me down below in the comments section.

Be sure to swing by my YouTube page and check out my official video review of the Nerf Rival Apollo XV-700 blaster.:

Or just check out my gallery for more pics of the Nerf Rival Apollo.:

Last update on 2025-05-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API