Rayven CS-18 (N-Strike)

The Rayven CS-18 is a clip system Nerf blaster that was released on March 3, 2012 under the Light It Up sub-series. It requires four "AA" batteries to be operated.

It comes packaged with a Firefly Tech clip, eighteen Glow-In-The-Dark Darts, and instructions.

Details
The Rayven is a semi-automatic clip system blaster. It has two tactical rails; one on top of the carry handle and another on the right side of the blaster. The hatch jam door is located on the top of the blaster. It is also compatible with barrel extensions, but is not packaged with one. There are two holes for a sling to be attached on the top and bottom of the integrated stock, and another on the front of the tactical rail. At the end of the carry handle, there is a small pin that can be lined up with the tactical rail to create an iron sight.

The Rayven is powered by a flywheel system which is activated by a acceleration trigger under the main trigger, much like the Nitron. This blaster is semi-automatic only, this means that the main trigger must be pulled once for each dart to be fired. The Rayven has much quieter motors than the Nitron and Barricade RV-10, even though all three use a flywheel system.

Due to the blasters bullpup design (with the clip being placed behind the handle), the Rayven is able to have a long barrel and still be compact. The bullpup design of the blaster and the position of the front grip are very comfortable.

Like all clip system blasters, the Rayven is compatible with any type of clip or drum. However, left-handed users may find it difficult to hold and operate the blaster with a thirty-five dart drum inserted. This may also hinder the mobility of right-handed users as the drum will slam into their body if held too close.

Safety mechanisms
The Rayven has many safety mechanisms in it. When opening the jam door or removing the clip, the Rayven has a quick rev-down function. It directs induced currents from the motors to short into the batteries. The blaster's flywheels cannot be revved without a clip inserted and the jam door closed, and the trigger cannot be pulled without revving the blaster's flywheels first.

History
Despite having an official release date, its soft release date was December 27, 2011; many consider this as its release date instead of Nerf's official release date. As a result, the Rayven became the first clip system flywheel blaster, preceding the Stryfe, which is often misattributed with that title.

It was succeeded by the N-Strike Elite Rayven CS-18 in 2013. The Elite version itself got two re-releases: the Rayven Stinger of the same year, and the RayvenFire in 2017.

Trivia

 * The name "Rayven" is an obvious play on words between the word "ray", and "raven", a species of bird.
 * The Rayven is the second blaster to have a bullpup design, the first being the Firefly REV-8. Because of this and the fact that both blasters have glow-in-the-dark technology, many consider the Rayven to be the successor to the Firefly.
 * A clip can be stored in the carrying handle. This is a design oversight and not an official feature.
 * Due to the design of the jam door, it is possible (although more difficult) to reload the blaster without removing the clip.
 * Due to the barrel extension area being very close to the green shell of the Rayven, it is possible for some barrels to get stuck on the blaster. However, any lubricant can help take the barrel off.