Nerf Warthog Review (2/10)

Oink oink.

I've had this blaster for a while now but I've never got around to reviewing it. Probably because there isn't much special about it other than that it looks like a wild boar but seeing as it's one of the few vintages I own that have not seen a spot on this blog, it's time for a review. While the Warthog may seem pretty cool and nifty, it's actually complete and utter garbage. Let's see why.

Size compared to a Hammershot.

The Warthog came out in the late 90's under the Max Force lineup and it's one of the smallest blasters in the series. It looks pretty cool, as most Max Force blasters do, this one taking the form of a warthog hence the name. It's actually much smaller than I originally expected and as a result the grip is immensely tiny and my fingers hang off it. There are dart holders in the grip but they are pretty loose and and spare ammo you put there may wind up on the floor in the heat of battle. Overall it's pretty lackluster in terms of comfort.

Double barrel dart post detail.

Interestingly enough, the Hog is actually double barreled but there are no real barrels. Instead you get the tried and terrible dart post system that runs rampant in a lot of old vintage blasters. The build quality on them is absolute pigshit too. One of the air holes on one of the posts was halfway filled with plastic and the other was sealed entirely. I had to use a tack to open them up otherwise the blaster would fire improperly and much worse than it already is. Oh, I didn't mention performance yet? Well, you're in for a real treat.

Oh you got to be shitting me.

The Warthog only gets a measly 30 feet tops and it's mindbogglingly inconsistent. Some shots will hit their mark while some will just flop out of the barrel at five feet. Pop it open and the internals will explode out at you because the excessively long spring is located on the side of the plunger tubes for some reason and it makes the blaster a complete mess to put back together. Oh and these dual plunger tubes aren't just any plunger tubes. They are the very first reverse plunger tubes Nerf has ever made meaning that this blaster is the unholy grandfather of the numerous pieces of garbage we were stuck with in the mid 2000's. I know it's an old blaster but there are more powerful options at the time that even fire Mega Darts more consistently than this piece of crap does. Nerf Wiki seems to have no idea what they're taking about.

Are you high?

The Warthog is by all means terrible. It feels terrible, shoots terrible, and is terrible to work on. 30 foot ranges, many times less than that is absolutely ridiculous. I just can't think of any possible application for this pistol. Maybe it would make a decent holdout blaster? Maybe a re-barrel would do it justice? I don't know and I don't really care, especially when there are other blasters from it's time and also the masses of modern blasters that outperform this thing in every conceivable way. As a result the Warthog is only good for a 2 out of 10. This little piggy cried "wee wee wee", all the way home.

The Verdict

Class- Double Barrel Pistol

Range- Terrible, tops out at 30 feet and often times hits less.

Size- Comparable to a Firestrike but a lot less ergonomic.

Reliability- No jamming issues but the way this thing is built is mental.

Ammo- 4 Micro Darts

Modding- Re-barreling at the most.
Value- The Warthog is discontinued.

Is It Better Than?

Doublestrike- No, the Doublestrike is vastly more powerful despite it's slightly weak Smart AR and overpriming issue. It is also able to fire in succession unlike the Warthog which fire two at once all the time. It's also much cheaper than trying to buy a second hand Warthog on eBay. It's basically a no brainer.

Splitfire- No, the Splitfire is one of the most revered pistols out there thanks to it's powerful dual air tanks and staged trigger mechanism. It may take longer to load than the Warthog but it's performance and mod potential overshadows any downsides the Splitfire has against the pig. If you can get one cheap, it's worth it.