The Halo Needler, an alien rifle that shoots homing plasma spikes that explodes, is one of the most iconic video game weapons. It clearly draws inspiration from The Fifth Elements' replay gun in its form and functionality, but it has gained its own fan base. Hasbro now has a foam-firing Nerf replica that could be the Needler.
The $100 Nerf Halo Needler follows The Mandalorian Amban Phase pulse blaster and The Aliens Pulse Rifle. It asks the question: What if Hasbro made a cosplay-grade Nerf bomber for its biggest fans, rather than something that must be sold like a toy. A 10-round, fully-automatic blaster is available with light-up spikes that automatically blink as you fire them. This mimics how each needle disappears in Halo games.
This is not a flywheel blaster. It doesn't throw darts between two wheels, and can make annoying spin-up noises. Simply resting your finger on a trigger will activate the Needlers lights. Pulling it activates the entire mechanism: a motor-driven series gears that pull a spring-loaded plunger to fire up the drum and move the crank.
This is instantly so much better than any previous Needler attempts, such as the awkward BoomCo version, which required an extra hand at the bottom to prime the long, non-canonical handle. Or this earlier cash-in from Nerf. You will get 6 AA batteries and a display stand for it. Display mode allows you to leave the blaster lit up.
It can be found here on Amazon, Entertainment Earth, GameStop, or Hasbro Pulse. However it is not expected to arrive until the end of 2022. Although it is still in development, Hasbro demonstrated an early working version of the product on its livestream at the 14-minute mark.
