The world of flywheel-powered foam dart blasters has recently welcomed a new kid. XTRA is a new Hong Kong-based brand, and the ATROX is its debut product—or so it appears to be the case. It may be new to the battlefield, but this compact blaster has made quite an entrance.
The ATROX uses brushless flywheel motors to fire standard foam darts at an adjustable velocity of between 90 and 145 FPS. At full chat, it spits out as many as 12 darts per second. Unfortunately, the included magazine holds only nine, which means full-auto fun lasts about three-quarters of a second. You may want more magazines.
Thankfully, full-auto is not the only option. A physical selector lets you switch between semi-auto, two-round burst, three-round burst, and full-auto. The controls are ambidextrous, too, so left-handed players will not have to perform any awkward finger gymnastics while under foam fire.
Where the ATROX gets interesting is its electronics. An OLED screen displays the battery level and firing settings, while the onboard firmware can be updated through USB-C. In theory, that gives XTRA room to refine the blaster or add compatible adjustments after it has left the factory.
Power comes from a removable 11.1 V, 525 mAh rechargeable battery rated for approximately 400 shots. Since it is swappable, a depleted battery does not have to mark the end of hostilities. All you need are more batteries in your tactical vest and pouches—in addition to additional magazines, which you most definitely need.
The ATROX is also designed for tinkering. Its modular platform supports interchangeable barrels, magazines, sights, muzzles, and other accessories. XTRA already sells a CNC aluminum precision barrel, an extended magazine, a red-dot sight, spare batteries, and even a Kydex holster for anyone planning to carry it like a foam-dart sidearm.
XTRA introduced the ATROX through Kickstarter, where 537 backers pledged HK$932,459 against an HK$80,000 goal. The campaign has ended, but the blaster is now available directly from XTRA in orange or gray for US$140. Each set includes the ATROX, a rechargeable battery, a nine-dart magazine, and a user manual.
Images: XTRA.
