Blasterparts 'Banana' Clip: Review

I love receiving parcels. Every time I hear the postman's abrupt, officious knock at the door I turn into a small boy at Christmas, dashing to the door to see which recent purchase I'd be playing with next. So imagine my surprise and confusion when I receive an international parcel that I was not expecting.

Looking at the label, I see the word 'Blasterparts' and that small boy feeling wells up inside me once more as I realise what the parcel might contain.

Ever since the release of the NERF Demolisher, people have been going 'bananas' (I'm glad that's out of the way) for curved magazines. I have to admit, they look awesome but they are only available with the Demolisher and they also suffer from a rather pathetic 10 dart capacity.

A few months later, these are spotted for sale in China. Not only are these clips cheap, but they also have a more generous 15 round capacity. They are fairly good quality but there is one massive drawback with them... They're in China. Not a bad thing in itself but expect to wait over a month for your goodies to arrive and carrying the risk of being slapped with import duty as soon as they hit British soil. In short, what appears to be a cheap option can soon become very pricey indeed.

Fortunately the German company Blasterparts are all over this issue. These 'wunderbare' people have gone to great lengths to produce some amazing products in the past and this time they have turned their hands to the 'banana clip'.

Form

The moment I saw their design I was in love. The differences between the Chinese clip and the Blasterparts one are subtle, but they make a big difference to the blaster's aesthetic.

The Chinese mag has more of a curve to it, giving it more of a classic feel whereas the Blasterparts one has a much more gentle curve. This gives it a more modern feel and looks much better on many of the blasters I have tried.

The matt black finish of the clip is also really nice. Rather than simply being painted, the Blasterparts clip is actually made of black plastic. As anyone who has spent hours painting their blasters will know, your mags are always the first thing to get ruined. Now you won't have to worry about that.

The plastic feels incredibly strong and rigid, with none of the creaking and groaning you get when you squeeze and twist a NERF clip. Altogether, they really feel like they could take some abuse. Not that I've ever had a clip break on me.

Another thing I really like about the Blasterparts clip is the little logo. It seems silly, but this little embellishment shows just how much thought these guys have put into this design. The logo is moulded into the plastic, but above the line where the clip disappears into the blaster's mag well. This means that the clip is proudly branded, but the logo does not detract from the look of the blaster. This may just be a happy accident, but I like to think of it as clever design.

Function

Now, I have spent well over a week continually emptying and reloading these clips, trying them out in all of the blasters I own. The resulting pile of darts in the living room has been the subject of countless dirty looks from my better half, but it's all been in the name of diligent evaluation.

Once seated in a blaster, I gave these mags a damn good shake and there was no undue wobbling or rattling. They sit nice and snug in the blaster with very little movement.

I believe I have tried these clips in every clip system blaster ever made. I was sent three clips and each have been through every blaster at least twice. The results were amazing. There were no jams that I could attribute to the clips. Two caused by 'iffy' Elite darts in my Longshot and one when the jam door in my Stampede gave up. That's it. I am calling that flawless performance from these clips. That's more than can be said for any of the NERF brand clear 18s that I own.

The only issue that I did come across was with my Elite Alpha Trooper. The clip was a bit tight in the mag well and it took a bit of wiggling to get it out, but that's just one blaster out of many and by this point, the build quality issues of the EAT are legendary.

Price

At €13.90 (or £10.90 in the Queens money), the Blasterparts clip is extremely good value. For about the same price as a NERF clip, you get a very sleek and well designed alternative that will set you apart from the crowd. Shipping is a little pricey at €9.90 (£7.60) but then, there isn't really a cheap rate to Europe. Save your pennies and buy a few at a time and the shipping won't seem so pricey. (Check out the item here.)

Conclusion

I personally love the Basterparts Banana Clip. It's brilliant quality, reasonably priced and represents a massive improvement over NERF's attempt at the format. If you're after a new set of mags that are a little bit different, then these are definitely worth a look.

I'm yet to use these for anything more than irritating my better half but I can see these being pretty useful in game. They are shorter than an 18 mag and only 4 or 5cm longer than a 12 clip so I think they will fit nicely into most tactical vests.

For me, these are the first magazines to be a strong challenger to the 18 clip. I have never gotten on with drums and 12 is too few darts for my loadout (180'd RS or 5kg Alpha Trooper). I just might be swayed to take the loss of 3 darts, especially on a blaster that I have painted that would otherwise look odd with a bright orange clip. This has to be the main pro for me. These are the first NERF compatible clips that you do not need to paint. A little bit of dry brushing and they will look awesome with any painted blaster that you own. No longer do you need to worry about the inevitable orange corners you get, no matter how you paint your standard clips.

So which Banana Clip should you buy?

Since they only come with the Demolisher, the NERF clips are pretty much a write off. No one is ever going to drop £40 on a blaster just for a bendy mag and I am yet to see one hit eBay.co.uk on it's own.

The Chinese clips are an option. Working out at around £8-£10 each including shipping, they are certainly cheap, but nowhere near the quality of the Blasterparts ones. The major downside of these though is the risk. If your cheap Chinese clips catch the man at customs on a bad day, you should expect to pay another 20% on the total price, plus a handling fee. Then to add insult to injury, the domestic courier will wade in and charge you yet another handling fee. I have to say, this has only happened to me a couple of times but rest assured, it can happen.

If you've been paying attention this far, I think you can already guess where I'd put my money. The Blasterparts clips are pretty amazing in terms of quality, design, presentation and price. A true example of what NERF fans are capable of producing.

I'd like to say a bit 'thank you' (or should I say 'dankeschön')  to Timo, Felix and the Blasterparts team for not only producing these clips, but also for sending them to me to review on this humble blog. It was totally unexpected and I was blown away. Thanks guys.

If you'd like to get your hands on your own Banana Clip, click here to go to the Blasterparts website.