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The Ballista Missile (also known as the Mattel Missile, Ultimator Arrow, or Ultimator Missile) is an ammunition type. It was used only with Mattel's powerful Ultimator blaster in 1994, and has not been used in another blaster since then. It is believed that the Nerf N-Strike Titan AS-V.1's Mega Missile was inspired by this blaster, although it wasn't officially a Nerf product.
It bears a significant resemblance to the later Mega Missile, although it was released a decade earlier. This missile is now quite rare and very few of them are found in perfect condition. This is commonly substituted by creating homemade Ballista Missiles, because of it. The following year, in 1995, another blaster was released by Mattel, this time called the Maximizer. This blaster featured another type of Ballista, the Mini Ballista Missile, which was smaller and lighter than the original Ballista Missile.
Description[]
The Ballista Missile is the ammunition included with the Ultimator. It is a large, tube of foam with a cap that can be compressed, and wings surrounding the sides of the ammunition. It was commonly known for its power, and the missile could fly farther than any other ammunition until Stefans were introduced. The Ballista Missiles were in refill packs, and were only usable in the Ultimator. It came in black only, and was succeeded by the Mini Ballista Missile in 1995 before it could be released in any other colours. The Mega Missile adopted a very similar colour scheme when it was introduced, and is commonly believed to be based upon the Ballista Missile.
Appearance[]
A comparison of the size of the Ballista Missile compared to the Missile (left) and 11' arrow (middle)
The Ballista Missile is approximately 10 inches in length and most likely around 2.5 inches wide. It is black mostly, and made of foam. The tip of the missile has an orange ring, as well as a compressible foam tip to limit the pain from collisions with the missile.
There is a pattern on the wings of the missile, similar to the pattern on the arrows featured in the Crossbow. These wings on the side help provide accuracy, however they are flimsy and can easily break. Due to this many Ballista Missiles no longer have their wings because they have fallen off.
They were also sold in refill packs, which are hard to find nowadays.
Blaster Co-relation[]
The Ballista Missile was designed exclusively for the Ultimator, and because of this is not compatible with any other blaster. The Mini Ballista Missile, although being similar, is also not compatible with the Ultimator because of this. There is one spot for reloading on the Ultimator, and it come with two because of this.
Legacy[]
The Ballista Missile was discontinued alongside the Ultimator and was not included with another blaster. Despite this, it did have a few successors and left a large legacy. When it was replaced by the Maximizer, the Ballista Missile had received a successor too, in the form of the Mini Ballista Missile. This missile was smaller than the regular Ballista Missile, but offered similar performance.
In 2003, the Nerf Unity Power System was released to start the new N-Strike line. In the Unity Power System, one of the included blasters, the Titan AS-V.1, used a new ammunition, the Mega Missile, that is extremely similar. Despite it being a new ammunition, it was never used again in another blaster.
Also in 2004, a company created the XXL brand, which featured three blasters. One of which was the XXL Bazooka, commonly credited as the successor to the Ultimator. This blaster featured an XXL Ballista Missile as its prime ammunition, although it was an inferior blaster.
As of 2012, the focus has shifted to darts, and there has not been a missile introduced like the Ballista Missile since 2004.
Trivia[]
- The Ballista Missile was the thickest missile created until the release of the Mega Missile in 2004.
- For its time, it was the most powerful ammunition, and could fly farther than any other ammunition.
- It is not compatible with any other blasters, and is only compatible with the Ultimator.
- The Ultimator itself came with two Ballista Missiles.
- The wings commonly fall off of the missile, so they are commonly replaced.
See Also[]
- Ultimator
- Maximizer
- Mini Ballista Missile
- XXL Ballista Missile
- Mega Missile