CommLink II

The CommLink II is a Nerf blaster that were released in 1997 under the Cyber Stryke Gear series.

It comes packaged with two blasters and six Mega Darts.

Details
The CommLink II is a single-fire blaster with a unique feature: an integrated walkie-talkie. It also has an integrated two-dart holder, as well as an integrated belt clip that allows it to be attached to a belt or pants when not in use. This type of blaster could only be purchased from stores in sets of two, the first to do so since the Blast-a-Ball.

The idea behind the walkie-talkie component of the blasters, is that two players on the same team during a Nerf war would be able to communicate with one another. However, the amount of static emitted from the walkie-talkies while idle makes them a liability while sneaking around. They also have a rather limited range; although they can be used up to one hundred feet away from each other, because of static players have to stand relatively close to each other to communicate clearly, making the radio function useless. Trees and other obstacles in the way may also create a disturbance in the radio messages.

History
This is the only blaster type in the Cyber Stryke Gear series to not have an officially-known month of release; the known website to document the release of blasters from the 1990s did not document the month of release of the CommLink II.

While larger Nerf blasters from today commonly exceed a price tag of 29.99 USD, the CommLink II was one of the most expensive blasters of its time. This was met with criticism from many at the time. The high price is also speculated to be the reason why many older Nerf sites do not feature reviews of the CommLink II.

Color schemes
The CommLink II has been released in the following color schemes:


 * "Command" (blue, silver, and orange)
 * "Recon" (silver, blue, and orange)

Modification
Apart from the walkie-talkie-related mechanisms, the internals of each CommLink ll blaster is a simple direct plunger system. Because of this, standard blaster modifications such as spring replacements, seal improvements, and barrel replacements can be done. If the user does not want to use the walkie-talkie aspect of each blaster, the components can be removed. More ambitious modifications, such as plunger draw extensions, can also be applied.

Like several other blasters at the time such as the Electric Eel, the CommLink II features triangular-headed screws. It is rare to find screwdrivers compatible with triangular-headed screws. Because of this, getting into the blaster can be very frustrating. There is also a hidden screw located under the sticker just below the cocking mechanism and another on the battery compartment of the blaster. The orange piece at the top of the front of the blaster is also glued into place and may cause difficulty when opening the blaster.

Trivia

 * Both blasters have unique names: the "Recon" and the "Command".
 * The CommLink II is named so because it comes with two blasters; there was no CommLink I before it.