Faction Sentinel Turret Gel Bead Blaster

So few companies are making interesting things like this anymore. This is a very reasonably priced gel blaster pistol that can also be deployed as a remote controlled sentry gun. The closest things to that are awful rc cars with turrets stapled to them that have a range of a couple feet. the execution is night and day.The blaster itself has a decent fire rate, decent magazine capacity, and decent enough range and accuracy that you don't feel completely outgunned when you're up against players with primaries. But being able to plant the gun down and fight remotely without exposing yourself gives you a tactical advantage far above what standard weapons offer. It's especially cool at night, as the blaster has a built-in UV light in it's hopper, allowing it to use glow rounds and help you see where your shots are landing. the remote also has a button that allows you to call your hits on the supported app, meaning you could theoretically play the game with any other weapon while your sentinel is deployed. The range on the remote is also quite good. It's very obviously higher than the 100ft the box promises, but there IS an input delay that becomes more apparent the further away you are, only really becoming an issue after the 100ft range mark. The only other issue is because the blaster and tripod are so low to the ground, you have to tilt the blaster upward on it's mount to get it to hit higher ranges, but this produces a parabolic arch thats very difficult to hit within. Finding an elevated position to deploy it is preferred. If it had a mounting point for a laser, or even just a simple built in one, that would really help with remote targeting, but with all the extra ammo you can still fall back on the old spray and pray.All we need now is a bluetooth bracelet or something that allows you to connect to the app without needing an on-brand blaster and it'll be crazy the sorts of games people can come up with. I look forward to the sorts of gadgets and weapons this brand comes up with later. Fingers crossed for a heavy support weapon similar to Nerf's Rival Prometheus.

literally does not work until it’s ‘unlocked’ with the app …. but the app doesn’t work and the website doesn’t load, the support number doesn’t dial. Yeah, DONT BUY

I purchased this and the Gel Blaster Handgun from the same manufacturer as gifts for a friends nephews, and they (mainly the uncle) have been amazed at the quality of it. He's claimed the turret as his own at this point, and walks around with it held down near his waist and fires it at his nephews whilst they're playing, and he has almost exclusively good things to say about it.On to the one main caveat it has, which he has a gripe with: Proprietary software. Until you download an app on Android or iOS these are just basically big and stylish plastic door stoppers which won't even function. While you do get access to various game modes from downloading the app, it's still a bit unnerving having to download random software just to get a kids plastic toy to work. It does come with targets and such which sync up with the software to keep score when playing a game mode, so that's a big plus even though the software shouldn't be needed.There are some pretty cool features that the turret comes with such as a surprisingly reactive remote which turns the turret when it's mounted onto the included kickstand it comes with. Unfortunately there are no rubberized grips on the feet of the stand, and so if you turn it too far too quickly it can go spinning or careening off of a flat surface.Battery life and power for the turret are fantastic, but the overall design when carrying it leaves a bit to be desired due to the weight distribution and the triggers being atop the handles which your hand sits around, making for a slightly awkward button press with your thumb whilst your palm is nestled around the pseudo-pilot stick which sits at the back. A carrying handle or stick which extends to the left of the gun as well would go a LONG way for holding this thing and firing it.

I tried one of the Faction blaster before I thought I'd give the turret Sentinel a try. You can use this as a blaster by removing the tripod (although I found that the Faction Havoc blaster has a better grip and more of a kick - although the hold on the Sentinel is interesting with that handle), but what makes this one stands out is the remote use!The remote control is easy to use (batteries needed). Once the Sentinel (no batteries needed, but requires charging) blaster is set up on the tripod, you will need to pair it with the remote control. Then, you cab turn the knob on the control and you can see the Sentinel move! The orange button the left side of the remote is the trigger.Let's say we had this set up in the yard, people were milling around and every now and then, a few surprise shots would fly - total surprise hahaha (you can also change the setting of single shot to multiple shot on the blaster itself).The only thing is you cannot adjust the angle (up and down) of the blaster from the remote. You will have to physically change the angle of the up and down angle of the blaster on the tripod.The Sentinel is much smaller than the Havoc (in length), which made it a lot easier to take it transport it to a friend's place to play - I can just put it in a bag!Same as the Havoc, it came with tons of gel beads (the regular blue one and some glow-in-the-dark green ones), a beacon with a stand you can use for target practice, charging cables and protective glasses.I have two pictures attached. One of all the items that I pulled out of the box. The other picture is of the Sentinel mostly assembled (the cartridge isn't on, because I was still waiting for the water gel beads to soak when I took that image).