If the ATROX feels a little “basic” for the pro foam-dart blaster enthusiast in you, then you may want to check out this other offering born from a collaboration between AIT TOY and 40MAX. The AIT TOY x 40MAX Lailaps Brushless Flywheel Blaster, as it is called, is the next-generation—or 2.0, if you will—upgrade of the AIT TOY x 40MAX Lightning Series.
At a glance, it looks like the famed HC Diana, sharing a similar silhouette and even the cool transparent design. But the Lailaps is more than a pretty shell. This thing lets you mess with practically every aspect of how it fires. I am not even kidding. It’s possibly the most advanced small-arm foam dart blaster we have seen thus far.
Its T238 Flywheel Control Unit presents 13 settings for you to fiddle with. Muzzle velocity is adjustable across ten levels from 80 to 150 FPS. Semi mode can fire one or two darts, while automatic fire can be set to two-, three-, or five-round bursts, or full-auto. You can also tune the firing rate, flywheel idle speed, spin-up behavior, hot- and cold-start delays, braking, pusher operation, auto power-off, and OLED brightness. This is like the DSLR-equivalent in the foam dart blaster world, where the rest are mere “point-and-shoot”.
Once configured, it is properly quick. The first-shot delay can drop to 50 milliseconds from a warm start and just 10 milliseconds when hot. Full-auto reaches 15 darts per second, which means the included 10-dart magazine is emptied in around two-thirds of a second. Basically, more magazines are not an accessory. They are a must in foam dart battles.
The OLED display shows the remaining ammunition, battery level, magazine status, reload reminders, temperature warnings, and whichever setting you are currently obsessing over. Its upgraded dart sensor works with darts of different colors, addressing a limitation of the earlier Lightning, while a CNC-machined POM inner barrel improves dart consistency and accuracy.
Power comes from a quick-release 11.1 V LiPo battery rated for more than 600 shots. Unlike the usual battery pack with its little cable that has to be disconnected and attached to a charger, this one slides out and drops into a USB-C-powered dock. Buy additional batteries, and one can charge while another continues feeding your foam-dart habit.
The Lailaps can also receive firmware updates using a dedicated US$9.50 contact-based updater. Connect it to USB power, place it against the update contacts, and the process takes less than 30 seconds. Blasters bought directly from 40MAX already ship with the latest firmware, so the updater is mainly for future releases or bringing older units up to date.
It weighs 410 g (14.5 oz), measures 196 × 170 × 46 mm (7.7 × 6.7 × 1.8 inches), accepts RMR-pattern red-dot sights, and remains compatible with Lightning Series magazines and accessories.
The AIT TOY x 40MAX Lailaps Brushless Flywheel Blaster comes in orange, gray, rose, and blue for US$229. An optional factory-installed metal trigger adds US$4. The set includes the blaster, quick-release battery, 10-dart magazine, USB-C charging dock, and 10 short darts. You can also find it being sold in the U.S. by Out Of Darts for US$224.99.
Images: 40MAX.