Tokyo Marui – M4A1 Carbine (New Version)

{simplegrade:5}
Manufacturer: Tokyo Marui (Japan)
Type: AEG


Tokyo Marui – M4A1 Carbine (New Version) All trades raped thanks to Colt

I already own 2 other TM M4 variants; the M4-R.I.S. and the M4 S-System. I was so impressed with the imporvements made on the M4 S-System over the previous generation of TM M16/M4's, that it sealed the decision for me. I could have very easily bought a CA, G&G or G&P instead, but I like having the freedom to decide which parts, if any I decide to change.


Tokyo Marui – M4A1 Carbine (New Version)

The M4 S-System and M4A1 Carbine (New Version) both have the same, "next generation", TM M4 improvements:

  • All-in-one Outer Barrel
  • Metal reinforced body tabs
  • Plus: The newer LE style stock

This looks to be a replacement to the original TM M4. Performance is what you would expect from a stock AEG and I hope it lives up to my M4 S-System in reliabilty.


Top to Bottom: TM M4-R.I.S., TM M4 S-System, TM M4A1 Carbine (New Version)

Still debating on the HK416 or Stoner LMG build for this gun.

EDIT 09/2007

Well I went the Vltor CASV Route.


TM M4A1 Carbine (New Version)
with Vltor Body, CASV, SOPMOD Stock and other goodies.


TM M4A1 Carbine (New Version)
with Vltor Body, CASV, SOPMOD Stock and other goodies.

EDIT 03/2008

I built up a 2nd TM M4 around the new Magpul PTS Metal Body and related parts.

Items in thes build include:

  • Magpul PTS – Metal Body (FDE)
  • Magpul PTS – MIAD Grip, 1st gen (FDE)
  • Magpul PTS – CTR Stock (FDE)
  • Magpul – Ladder Rail Covers (FDE)
  • Tango Down – Battle Grip (FDE)
  • King Arms – 13.5" MRF-RX R.A.S.
  • King Arms – Troy BUIS
  • Proud – KX3 (Tan)
  • Tokyo Marui – M4 Carbine New Version Internals
  • G&P – Ambi Magazine Release

More info here.

Tokyo Marui – Samurai Edge Standard Mod

{simplegrade:5}
Manufacturer: Tokyo Marui (Japan)
Type: GBB

Playing a little "catch-up" on some older models I always wanted to get. I was always a fan of the Biohazard/Resident Evil series, but not a fan of the Beretta 92f. (I happened to be at Camp Pendelton the year they swtiched over from the 1911 to the 92f. It was a sad year to say the least)


Tokyo Marui – Samurai Edge Standard Mod

This is a typical high quality/reliabilty TM GBB. Takes green gas no problem, operates well and S.T.A.R.S. markings are well reproduced.  This is basically a TM 92f with S.T.A.R.S. markings. 


Tokyo Marui – Samurai Edge Standard Mod

I added the G&G, M92 underrail mount for a psuedo Barry Burton model feel. The G&G mount is really well built and give an almost machined rail feel. But it makes for wearing gloves difficult with much less room in the trigger guard area.


Tokyo Marui – Samurai Edge Standard Mod

Tactical Wearbles

A collection of my "tactical" t-shirts and releated wearbles and where you can buy to get your own.

Crye Precision – "Major League Infidel" T-Shirt
user posted image
Available at: http://www.cryeprecision.com {simplegrade:5}

Noveske – "Stops Jihad on Contact" T-Shirt
user posted image
Available at: http://www.noveskerifleworks.com {simplegrade:5}

Noveske – "Stops Jihad on Contact" Cap
user posted image
Available at: http://www.noveskerifleworks.com {simplegrade:5}

Airsoft Extreme – Regular and Tactical Caps
user posted image
Available at: http://www.airsoftextreme.com {simplegrade:5}

Blackhawk and 5.11 Caps
user posted image
Available at: http://www.blackhawk.com and http://www.511tactical.com {simplegrade:5}

Blackwater Tactical Caps
user posted image
Available at: http://proshop.blackwaterusa.com/ {simplegrade:5}

HSGI Tactical Caps
user posted image
Available at: http://www.highspeedgearinc.com/ {simplegrade:5}

user posted image
No Brim "Yammi" and Short Brimmed Caps
Available at:
http://www.highspeedgearinc.com/ {simplegrade:5}

Bawidamann – Seal Girl T-shirt w/ ODA535 crest on front
user posted image
Available at: http://www.bawidamann.com/ {simplegrade:5}

Bawidamann – Death from Above Work Shirt
user posted image
Available at: http://www.bawidamann.com/ {simplegrade:5}

Intel – AEX L.A. – 08.26.06

Since this is my first report, but I've had many previous visits to the shop, I'll highlight some past items I've tested, but not purchased.?

Western Arms Mini Uzi:

Holy crap! This gun was a blast to shoot (No pun intended).? 1 customer got so excited watching us shoot it, he ran home to get his KWC C02 Mini Uzi to compare.? Typical great WA quality with full IMI trademarks. Decpetively heavy for a non metal reciever gun, but par the course on most WA's.? Also like most later model WA pistols, this took green gas no problem.? I also had the silencer on, which is not foam filled, but can be. So I loaded up the magazine with green gas and held it in my hands for a few minutes to get the gas warmed up, loaded 38 bb's and inserted the mag.? Pulled the cocking handle and the bolt staye back in open position, as it does IRL.? Started with a few 3-4 round bursts.? Blowback was AWESOME and loud. Then reloaded the mag with bb's and topped of the Green Gas and waited for the mag to warm up. This time I wanted to fire in sustained full auto.? Pulled the trigger and "BRAP" … "psssshhhhhh". The rate of fire is so high on this UZI, that it really gets nailed by the gas cooldown effect.? I emptied a full magazine of Green Gas, but it left about 5 bb's in the magazine. I might have not let it warm up as much as I should.? Kept on doing this for 10-12 more magazines, but the results were close to the same.? Sustained full auto – magazine cool down – gas weakening in colder temps.? So in comparison to the KWC C02 Mini Uzi, the WA wins hands down in quality and detail of build and much harder recoil and louder blowback.

? ? ?

Classic Army AUG A1:
I was waiting for someone to make an AUG Military version since TM stopped producing guns with built in optics (The may have restarted again, but will be able to confirm this in Sep-Oct 2006). So when the CA AUG was released, I raced down to AEX to check it out.

I was pleased upon first appearences of this AEG. The plasctic body/stock was well detailed and seemed solid and the Steyr trades were nice. Upon picking up the CA AUG I first played arounf with the folding vertical grip. There was a quality problem on the vertical foregrip where it wouldn't lock into 45 degree position. The optics looked clear with decent eye relief, but like with the origianl TM P90, the optics may be hindered by using goggles or full face mask.

Firing was typical CA 300+fps range. But when fired, the bb's fired to the right. When hop was applied the bb's fired right and upwards. Even when adjsuting the scope, it wouldn't adjust far enough right to compensate. I pulled a 2nd CA AUG form stock to see if it was just the floor model, but it behaved in the same fashion.

? ? ?
Classic Army SAR Offizier M41 FS:
I was very curious to see the CA M41FS when it was released. AEX used to sell a modified model of a TM MC-51 with a railed foregrip and full stock for over $1000.00 and I built my own version here for about $700.00. So when I saw the CA M41FS, which already comes with metal body, railed foregrip and full stock, for around $340.00, outside or being a littel miffed at myself, I defineatly wanted to see how it stacked up.

Build wise the CA M41FS is solid AEG externally. It should take the multitude of TM G3 upgrades and parts. Firing felt solid with the higher CA FPS. I may grab one of these to create a G3SBS, which I haven't seen in the market lately. If you're looking for a railed foregrip G3 shorty style, then definetly take a look at this model .

? ? ?

“Wut am Bestest” Gun/Manufactuer/Type?

It always seems that the question most commonly asked is "Wut am Bestest Gun/Manufacturer/Type?" (What is the best "Fill in the Blank").

The annoying parts of these questions to experienced airsofters is 3 fold;

  1. Currently there is a ton of information regarding airsoft on the web. Many of these types of questions already have answers and can simply be searched.
  2. Related to point 1, most of the experienced airsoft crowd has had to find out the majority of this info by spending their own hard-earned money and learning these things first hand.
  3. Many people have opinions they think are correct, but most are based on people only handling a few guns first hand. The rest of the info is based on "what they heard". This leads to alot of confusion, misleading and downright false info.

So with that said, is there really a "best"? Think of it this way, Airsoft guns do 2 things. First, they are replicas of real firearms and second, they shoot plastic BB’s. Basically these are toys, sports equipment or a hobby. Depending on YOUR economic situation there are many levels of Airsoft guns you can get. So realistically, BEST, is a relative term based on what you can afford.

Instead of focusing on what/who is BEST right now, Let’s spend some time getting to know a little airsoft history.

Brief Airsoft History

Airsoft as we know it started in the 70’s with what we now call "Classic Airsoft". These were firearm replicas that used external air sources to fire plastic bb’s made by manufactureres like: MGC, JAC, Asahi, Sunproject, etc. Similar to how paint ball markers are designed today, they used bulky external air supplys. The hobby in Japan grew slowly, but stayed mostly underground and was "Garage" based. In the late 80’s early 90’s, Tokyo Marui introduced the Automatic Electric Gun (AEG’s), which were the first fully self contained, electric powered airsoft guns.

Tokyo Marui’s popularity grew through the 90’s and was creating international interest be the end of the 90’s. In 2000-2001 we started seeing Hong Kong based retailers selling airsoft direct internationally and in the U.S. a few retailers opened. The floodgates for airsoft were about to open.

Tokyo Marui was the only game in town for AEG’s at that time and in Japan there was a big aftermarket industry already thriving. Like all popular Japanese hobbies, there is always a industry that sells after market add-ons and upgrades. Due to the incredible popularity this burgeoning sport was enjoying all over Asia, Chinese companies soon got into that game, manufacturing aftermarket add-on and upgrades for Tokyo Marui AEG’s.

Let’s also make mention of the Gas Blow Back (GBB) handgun market, which was lead by Western Arms, KSC and Tokyo Marui. These also had a good aftermarket following.

There is a Japanese export law that prohibits direct exporting of firearms and parts (including replicas) to the U.S. In order for a Japanese company to export firearm replicas to the U.S. they need many Japanese government approvals. To compound that most if not all of Tokyo Marui’s replicas violate some sort of US copyright laws in trademarks, design or both (i.e. Colt, HK USA, Glock, etc).

National Report on the Implementation of Programme of Action (PoA) to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects

During this period, there were a few Chinese based companies like ICS (I Chih Shivan) and Classic Army (Yick Fung) that began directly copying the Tokyo Marui AEG product. They were already creating add-on’s and upgrades, and their marketing idea was to add value to their AEG offerings by including the reinforced metal bodies and upgraded internal parts that their customers were calling for. The main problem at that time was quality control of these early Chinese products.

But as the Chinese manufacturers built more and more products, their quality control began to improve as well. This brings us up to date with the current airsoft industry, but keep in mind, until 2005 or so almost all Airsoft AEG’s were direct copies of Tokyo Marui designs and add-on parts were made to be compatible with Tokyo Marui.

Quality Control – Japanese Style

One thing to mention. When we are talking about the Airsoft industry and other cultures, The Japanese consumer view of product quality is unique. Unlike in the U.S. where we shop based on the knowledge that if the product is bad, we have ‘X’ amount of time to return the product for exchange/refund, in Japan shopping is much different. Retail stores do not have dedicated return areas. The expectation of the Japanese consumer is that these products are good and tested when purchased and there are typically no returns. This raises the bar of quality for Japanese products sold within Japan and is one of the reasons Japan limits some manufacturing to remain within Japan. That is what creates most peoples views of Japanese produced Airsoft having a higher standard of quality.

Airsoft Today

So does this mean Tokyo Marui or any other Japanese Airsoft manufacturer is best? Perhaps quality wise, but with the plethora of upgrade add-on and repair parts available, "BEST" is still a subjective term. What can be said is Tokyo Marui is the most copied and the original AEG. It can also be said that Japanese Airsoft products are still of the highest quality and the true ‘benchmarks’ of the industry.

Recently there has been a huge number of Cheap Chinese Clones (C?) in the AEG world. These AEG’s are available in the $100-$150 range for U.S. consumers. Initially these were dreaded and thought of badly, the thinking being it would devalue the sport. The thing to keep in mind is the old statement, "You get what you pay for" So while these are about half the price of a Tokyo Marui AEG, the trade off is quality and durability. But these C?’s were all mostly made as copies of Tokyo Marui AEG’s so repair/replacement parts are available. So they are 1 step above a "Throw Away" type of toy. Chinese clones are the ‘Gateway Drug’ of Airsoft. For the casual person or beginner they are fine, but for the people who get into airsoft more, they discover that there are other, better alternatives.

These C? have brought 1 thing to airsoft in general. A larger audience. I have seen these being sold in general sporting good stores and gift shops, and at the neighborhood Wally’s World Mega Mart.

Is there a best?

As stated earlier it is all relative to what you want to invest and what you want to get out of the sport. Even if you nail down certain situations like sniping, there are currently too many choices to make definitive statements about "Wut Am Best". It really boils down to:

    • Your personal preference.
    • What your budget is.
    • If you are willing to do your own upgrades/repairs.
    • Does the produt have easily available uprgrade/repair parts.
    • If there are any limits (i.e. FPS, gun type, etc) where you plan to play.

Mythbusting

    • Higher FPS = Better Gun – FALSE
      In most cases, especially with bargain AEG’s, higher FPS only means a higher tension spring was installed in the AEG. If the related internal parts, gear sets, cylinders, etc aren’t upgraded to handle the higher tension spring, this higher FPS results in a shorter life of your AEG. You’ll also want to double check FPS limits where you plan to play.
    • Metal Slides on GBB Pistols = Better Gun – FALSE
      Like the above FPS issue, alot of bargain GBB Pistols come with metal slides, but everything else is not upgraded. This results in a slower rate of fire. While they are more durable then plastic slides it becomes a personal preference if the slower ROF is acceptable.
    • Metal Bodied AEGs = Better Gun – FALSE
      While a metal bodies on AEG’s add realism, weight and durability, choosing an AEG based on if it has a metal body, is just 1 part of a total decision that needs to be made. There are plenty of questionable quality AEG’s for sale with metal bodies.

Purchasing Advice

Try and find a local Airsoft Retailer that will let you ‘Test Drive’ the guns before you invest. A good airsoft retailer will actually work with you to save you money, with the expectation that a ‘happy customer’ is a ‘repeat customer’. Or find a local airsoft group that has members that will help you make a decision first hand. Sadly, much of the advice you get from websites is from people who have had limited experience with only a small number of guns. (I’ve seen more bad advice than good on the forums).

This document wil always be in a state of flux.
Special thanks to our pals Guinness and Ferret Killer for proofing and editing of this document.

Thigh Rigs

 

  • Phantom Versatile Holster OD
    BlackHawk Enhanced Military Web Belt OD
    KWA USP .45

 

  • BlackHawk S.T.R.I.K.E. Gen-4 MOLLE System M4 Holster CB
    Spectre Single Stack Magazine Pouch CB
    HSGI MOLLE Leg Panel CB
    Eagle Industries Duty Belt CB
    HSGI Suspenders CB

    Gemtech Retention Lanyard CB
    Western Arms MARSOC

Tanaka – JASDF Sig Sauer P220

{simplegrade:3}
Manufacturer: Tanaka (Japan)
Type: GBB
Date Acquired: 07/2006


Tanaka J.A.S.D.F. SIG SAUER P220

I bought this Tanaka J.A.S.D.F.(Japanese Air Self Defense Force) SIG SAUER P220 to compliment my TM Type 89, and get closer to completng my J.S.D.F. loadout.


J.S.D.F. Family Shot. TM Type 89, P220, J.G.S.D.F. Modern BDU's, J.G.S.D.F./Iraq Ranger 1st Airborne Brigade T-Shirt.

I've been a huge fan and enthusiastic owner of the Tanaka M700 line and was hoping the TanakaP220 GBB would not dissapoint. The model is light in weight when compared to WA, TM and KSC stock GBB's. It's GBB performance is good, but because the gun itself is so light weight, not as impressive as WA, TM or KSC's on Green Gas.


J.S.D.F. P220
right side markings.

This is a SA/DA handgun with working decocker. It uses a single stack style of magazine that carries only 12 rounds. The blowback action is crisp, but the magazine gas capacity is low. The markings are great and makes a great addition if you are going for a J.S.D.F. loadout.


J.S.D.F. P220
left side markings.

If you already own WA, TM, KSC or KWA handguns, the Tanaka P220 will dissapoint in weight and performance. In fact if I knew it was this light I probably would have bought a TM P226 and waited for someone to come up with a Minebea P9 kit (The J.S.D.F. has adopted the P226 as its official sidearm, under license by Minebea as the P9).

It's a great gun for the collector, but for upgrades and skirmishing you'll do best looking at other manufacturers.