As we’ve said more than once, we like off-the-beaten-path blasters and once again, Bai Hui has delivered another fun entry. As with the BIG101, the blaster is a science-fiction blaster with a mix of alternate colored panels and shell detail that looks at home right along with modern X-Shot and Dart Zone’s Adventure Force entries. It features a 30-round drum and reasonably peppy flywheel action.
Unlike our previous orders via Ali Express, this came from Amazon and with a bit more bling in the packaging. While now being bright blue and featuring photo art and branding, it was still “frustration-free” style content. Inside we find 100 of the Bai Hui style dome tip darts, the blaster, a single drum, a pair of snap-in drum shields, a cute little practice target, a set of dubiously safe goggles, an N-Strike compatible scope, and 6 AA batteries. Each of the BaiHui blasters appears to be packaged multiple ways, so it is entirely likely you could end up with different contents beyond the blaster and its bits. For purposes of this review, we’re going to disregard the goggles and targets.
In terms of form, the blaster feels like a recent X-Shot Turbofire mated with the front end of a Spectrum. The thumbhole stock and grip are a comfortable size for my hands. The stock is a little short but not so much it is useless for an adult and would work just fine for the younger set. In terms of balance, the batteries being placed in the rear of the stock offsets the flywheels. The drum locks in place by sliding the foregrip into a locked position and is released by a button on its left side. The construction is solid, with little creak or wobble beyond the left-right twisting that is easily done with this style of drum blaster. The blue and oranges used here are a near match for what Dart Zone uses in their Ballistix Ops blasters. The scope doesn’t offer any visual enhancement but it is a nice-looking piece that would be great for a cosplay blaster.
The rev trigger is small, but unlike most I’ve run across with this problem, is shaped and placed in a way that I didn’t feel poked or pinched by the design. The trigger pull is smooth and returns with a solid snap. The flywheels are powered by 6 AAs, giving it a noticeable bit of oomph over a stock Nerf flywheel blaster. Using both the provided darts and Dart Zone Waffles, I had a very consistent 80 to 85 FPS off of the barrel. Not quite a Spectrum, but nothing to sneeze at.
The internals are straightforward. The cage is like the one in the BIG101, complete with dampening foam and serrated crushed wheels. The mechanical side of the blaster is also pretty self-explanatory – not much we haven’t seen elsewhere though the designers seem to have a preference for extension springs. If you’re looking to run an upgrade there is plenty of room in the shell and the battery stock should handle a decent-sized
Summary
The BIG505 is a nicely performant blaster with a comfortable feel. The styling is solid and consistent with the rest of their line so if you’re into it, the Dart Zone Adventure Force (non-pro) designs, or reset Zuru dart blasters, you’ll probably like it. Given its FPS rate landing above stock Nerf but below Dartzone, it makes for a good indoor war blaster. The price as of this writing is a bit much given that it is essentially an import for the US. At a lower price, this is recommendable, but at the current rate, you may be better served with a Dart Zone Tomahawk.