Sunday, October 25, 2015

BOOMco. Halo UNSC M6 Magnum Review (6/10)

Actually more of a DMR than a pistol. At least the "real" one is.
Everybody remembers the Magnum, it's that one pistol that was known for being vastly overpowered for it's size and then had periods of being absolute garbage to slightly good, but none were as deadly as the original. As part of a licensing deal with Halo, Mattel is putting out all kinds of Halo themed BOOMco. gear, including the Magnum. But the question is, how good is it?

Size compared to a Stormtrooper Pistol and a Sidestrike.
The Magnum, along with the Plasma Pistol are the smallest guns in the Halo line and it's a bit expensive for it's size. The shape of it stays very true to Halo 5's Magnum, not to mention it's pretty comfortable and although we could do without the bright red paint job, it's a bit necessary so no Covenant mistake little kids for UNSC Marines.
Plunger rod sticks out the back when primed.
The pistol has a pretty ample sum of ammo storage, holding four darts extra. It is slide action and it's fairly smooth operating but I will note that you can't dry fire this thing at all. You need to have a dart loaded otherwise the trigger locks up.
Farshot internals for reference.
I couldn't get this thing open. Reason being is that the slide is held together by pins meaning that opening the thing without destroying the side would be immensely difficult. As far as I know though, the internals are similar if not the same as the Farshot which would help explain why this thing is such a royal pain in the ass to open, the same goes for the Plasma Pistol. Performance isn't stellar, but it's not bad. The pistol hits at around 30 to 35 feet flat and I honestly would have expected much better results from something of this size, although it is rather accurate at range. I'd love to mod it but with the way it's built, that out of the equation.


The Magnum is a bit of an odd case. It's got a very nice shell and it feels great; it also screams practicality but it lacks power for it to be competitive against similarly sized pistols. The fact that you can't even open the damn thing really puts the nail into the coffin for both the Magnum and the Plasma Pistol. It really is hard not to like this thing though. Like I said about the Needler despite it's impracticality and high price point it's still one of the coolest blasters out there, same can be said for the Magnum. This blaster is worthy of a 6 out of 10 because it's got a really cool and practical shell, but it's performance is underwhelming and it has little room for mods. Again, like the Needler, it's more of a novelty piece than a war worthy blaster but if you like Halo, this is a must get.

The Verdict
Class- Slide Action Pistol
Range- Average, 30 to 35 feet.
Size- Comparable to Sidestrike but with a bigger grip.
Reliability- No issues.
Ammo- 5 Smart Stick Darts
Modding- Similar to other side action pistols... actually none since you can't even open it.
Value- At $15, it's a bit pricey for it's size but for the Halo fan, worth every penny.

Is It Better Than?


Firestrike- No, this pistol is more powerful, cheaper, and far easier to mod than the Magnum. In terms of actual use, the Firestrike wins in every aspect, but it doesn't have the character that the Magnum has.






Stormtrooper Pistol- Depends, this is smaller, and more powerful but it lacks comfort. Not to mention there is zero dart storage. It's mostly a matter of which sci-fi blaster you want.







Sidestrike- No, same thing as the Firestrike. It's cheaper, more powerful, and easier to mod. Plus you get a fairly decent belt holster with this one. Result!

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