Marvel Avengers Mech Strike Iron Man Strikeshot Gauntlet By Hasbro Review

Reviewed by Caroline S

We are a household of Marvel enthusiasts and so I was delighted to be asked to review this exciting toy which is sure to appeal to young Iron Man fans.

Made by Hasbro, the gauntlet comes in bright and appealing packaging which shows off the product clearly. The contents are held in place with string rather than excessive amounts of plastic, so it is easy to release the gauntlet from the card backing. Great if you have an impatient child waiting to play!

One small plastic section covers the included NERF darts, but otherwise the packaging is cardboard and easily recyclable.

A small amount of assembly is required to attach the grip to the body of the toy, but this is easy and takes only a few seconds. Clear instructions are included. You just need to ensure that the grip is the right way round so that the white plastic tabs are in the right place to slot in with a click. No tools or batteries are required.

The gauntlet is made of sturdy plastic in bright Iron Man comic book colours: red, gold and light blue. It feels well-made and solid, and seems likely to stand up to the rough and tumble of superhero role play!

To play, all you need to do is insert one of the soft NERF darts into the slot on the top of the gauntlet. Pulling back the yellow handle primes the launcher and expands the front and side sections, which is very cool. Then to shoot the dart, just press the trigger button. The handgrip has buttons on both sides so it can be used by left-handed or right-handed players.

Pressing the button launches the projectile at quite a speed, and they fly a surprisingly long distance. The darts are made of foam and tipped with soft plastic but care should be taken and protective eyewear is recommended by the manufacturer (not included).

Only one dart can be loaded at a time, and you need to reload and pull back the yellow handle each time you want to shoot. The priming action is fairly easy, but the gauntlet is a little bit bulky and heavy and so it might be tricky for children at the younger end of the recommended age range (5+).

My children were really excited to start playing with the gauntlet, and immediately started setting up action figures and other targets in the garden to aim at. They found it very easy to get the hang of launching darts and reloading, and were very impressed with it. They were soon knocking down their targets as the darts flew fast and pretty accurately. In fact, the whole family enjoyed trying it out!

This would also be a fab addition to an existing NERF collection for garden battles with friends and family.

Only three darts are included, which experienced NERF users will know are likely to soon disappear, especially when used out in the garden. If you don’t already have some, I would recommend buying a refill pack of darts to minimise the amount of time spent searching for lost ones!

Overall, this is a good quality, good value toy which encourages active outdoor play and can be used in lots of different scenarios. The simple packaging and easy set-up would make it a great, hassle-free gift.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £20.99

This product can be purchased from Smyths Toys here.