A return to form...?
Well not quite, but I'll get to that, first the review.
Aesthetics
It looks like a Super Soaker!!! Although one of the better aspects of the Nerf Super Soaker line is undoubtedly their sleek looks and minimalist colour schemes, to me they just don't look enough like water guns; not so here. The XP100 is clearly inspired by the iconic SS100 and retains its classic pressure chamber behind the reservoir and pump above the nozzle layout. It isn't a straight re-release however as it seems to be slightly chunkier and shorter than the original and utilises a flat sided reservoir and pressure chamber. I also approve of the colour scheme which I feel captures the 'modern re-imagining of a classic' feel quite well although this, like many aspects of aesthetics, is subjective.
Ergonomics
With the classic layout of tracked pump and pistol trigger the XP100 is comfortable and simple to use with Smooth pumping and easy trigger pulls. The balance of this gun, while slightly top heavy, is also nice with the central reservoir and rear pressure chamber. I have fairly large hands and can't use the majority of WW guns as well as many Super Soakers because of their cramped grip areas, no such problems with the XP100 which is definitely a massive bonus for me. One slight issue with the grip area however is the trigger guard which is very wide and quite uncomfortable, a trait that the XP100 shares with the Monster XL of all things.
Reading the box art it seems that Hasbro were very keen on keeping the removable reservoir for retro points so unfortunately no fast filling screw caps here although they've also gone a different route from the SS100 style screw on variety with a bayonet style attachment that uses the orange collar to fix it in place.
While not as good as a screw cap, I find this bayonet fitting far easier and faster to use than the traditional screw on fitting.
Performance
This is where things start to derail unfortunately. Having never operated an SS100 before I wasn't quite sure what to expect here but I was certainly underwhelmed. The box suggests ten pumps before firing which is what I started with and sure enough after ten pumps I was able to shoot a fairly wimpy stream that was comparable in characteristics to a PR pistol. While a mere 10 pumps to pressurise is definitely commendable, the resulting stream is rather disappointing. After deciding to ramp things up I discovered my biggest gripe with this gun, after twelve or so pumps the pinch valve will no longer be able to contain the pressure and will start releasing water through the nozzle. Once this starts, the dribble from the nozzle will continue until the pressure returns to a fairly low level. Unfortunately, because of this, there is no way to utilise the fairly large pressure chamber and pump volume which are both screaming for greater pressure and a larger nozzle. Another problem I ran into was being unable to pump and shoot at a 45 degree angle due to the position of the intake tube within the reservoir, further reducing the battle practicality of this gun.
Construction
While the performance may be sub par I am generally impressed with this guns construction. On the outside the plastic feels thick and flexible rather than thin and brittle like in many older water guns, I do however question the longevity of the grooves on the bayonet fitting of the reservoir. On the inside things aren't so pretty with long runs of fairly small diameter tubing and a simple pinch valve trigger being the culprits of the guns poor performance. While the long runs of tubing are an unfortunate product of the cool but inefficient position of the pressure chamber and nozzle, I'm a bit disappointed by the use of a pinch valve rather than a more modern pull or ball valve. While testing the gun dissembled I discovered a further problem with this valve in that when the soft tube that is 'pinched' is pressurised it tends to balloon which will no doubt stress the tubing over time. On a more positive note I'm a big fan of the large diameter pump that is far larger in diameter than that of modern soakers such as the Hydro Cannon as well as those in the cps line. (Hydro Canon and Monster X pumps shown for comparison.)
Conclusion
While there are definitely aspects of the XP100 that I really like, due to the poor performance characteristics I wouldn't be able to recommend this to anyone looking for anything more than a novelty gun. However, while the performance may not be great, the direction Hasbro seem to be taking the Super Soaker line is. While the label still retains the dreaded Nerf moniker, the XP100 certainly seems to be being aimed at 90s nostalgia seeking adults looking to give their own kids a taste of what a real Super Soaker is. We can only hope that this trend continues and we get to re-walk the path of technological advancement that led to the legendary 98's; until the XP300 comes out though I'd probably save your money.
