Details
The Centurion has two tactical rails: one at the stock end of the blaster and one under the muzzle, where the folding bipod is advertised to be attached. It features an integrated shoulder stock similar to that of the Stampede ECS. It has five sling points: two at the rear end of the blaster, and three on the barrel. Its priming indicator is located halfway down its tactical rail.
The priming bolt slot in the side of the blaster is almost half the length of the blaster itself, indicating that this blaster has long priming travel. It features a two-foot plunger tube.
It is advertised to shoot one hundred feet. There is a disclaimer on some of the promotional artwork for the Centurion stating: “Not all Mega Centurion blasters in all markets fire up to 100 feet.” This issue may be similar to how N-Strike Elite blaster firing mechanisms were weakened for release in other countries due to foreign safety laws. Or it may be an unwitting admission of inconsistency.
History
The Centurion was initially revealed by online blogger My Last Dart in March, 2013.[2]
The Centurion was originally known during prototype stages as the Javelin and the Ranger One, according to The Ultimate Nerf Blaster Book. In this stage, it was going to be released under the N-Strike Elite line and featured the typical blue, white and orange N-Strike Elite color scheme. Interestingly, the blaster would have had the ability to hold another clip nearby the stock of the blaster.[3]
The Centurion is considered a successor to previous, shorter-ranged but similar sniper-style blasters like the 2010 Longstrike CS-6 and the 2006 Longshot CS-6. Not long after its debut, there were reports detailing complaints about the Centurion, mainly concerning the priming mechanism.
Strangely, the Centurion was never sold in certain locations such as Portugal. Despite this, Portugal did receive the Magnus, with the Magnus being the first N-Strike Mega product sold there.[4]
The Centurion was spiritually succeeded by the Thunderhawk in 2018.
Color schemes
The Centurion has been released with the following color schemes:
- N-Strike Mega (red, white, black, silver, and orange)
- Sonic ICE (clear blue, white, black, silver, and orange)
Modification
The front barrel attachment of the Centurion is designed to be a permanent fixture; ergo, the blaster is not meant to be loaded without it. However, the magazine lock can be temporarily bypassed by depressing a spring mechanism ahead of the magazine well, then loading the clip. Additionally, that mechanism can be cut out by drill or dremel for a more permanent solution.
As a further result of the forced barrel lock, transporting the Centurion can be cumbersome. However, with some patient disassembly, two sprung clamps in the barrel attachment and two more in the main blaster can be removed. This allows quite easy removal and replacement of the front piece. Enough friction remains that the attachment should not fall off during typical play. The surgical procedure is best done right after purchasing new and before snapping the front piece into place, although a butter knife can help post-factum.
Value packs
There is a value pack for the Centurion that consists of the blaster itself, two Mega clips, a bi-pod, twelve Mega Darts, and instructions.
Reloading and firing
To reload the Centurion, make sure the bolt is in the forward position and press clip release button to remove any empty clips. Load up to six Mega Darts into the provided clip and insert it into the clip slot.
To prime the Centurion, pull the bolt to the rear of the blaster and push it forward back to the starting position. This loads one dart into the chamber. Green ready markers will face the user. Care should be taken to cycle the bolt fully and smoothly in both directions, otherwise the expensive darts could be irreparably damaged from jamming.
Pull the trigger to fire a dart.
Trivia
- This is the longest Nerf blaster, surpassing the Longstrike CS-6 by 1.2 inches (3 centimeters).
- Some believe the Centurion is so named because it can supposedly fire darts up to one hundred feet. The original centurions were officers of the ancient Roman army, who commanded one hundred soldiers at a time.
- The Centurion’s supposed potential range of one hundred feet is in spite of its reverse plunger, a type associated with poor firing distances. While the plunger is quite large, this might be the cause of inconsistent ranges.
- It has the highest advertised distance for a Nerf blaster yet, alongside the 2014 N-Strike Mega Mega ThunderBow.
- The Centurion is also compatible with Buzz Bee XL Distance Darts and XL Distance Dart-compatible clips.
- The Mega Centurion also has a reported tendency to bend and destroy Mega Darts and some models may lock up and prevent priming. However, all of this is largely due to the inability of most smaller children to properly cycle the bolt all the way back and forth.
- Because this was released when N-Strike Mega was a sub-series of N-Strike Elite, this makes it the only N-Strike Elite and N-Strike Mega blaster to have a reverse plunger.
- The Centurion’s mechanism is different when compared to other clip system blasters. In an idle, un-primed position, the Centurion’s bolt stays in the rear, allowing the clip to be removed easily. When the priming handle is pulled to the rear and returned to the front, the bolt comes forward and chambers a dart. When the firing trigger is pulled, a dart is fired, and the bolt violently snaps back to the rear position, creating a recoil-like effect. This may confuse users who have used a clip system blaster in the past, as they would try to remove the clip by pulling the bolt to the rear first.
