Haven’t had too much to report on recently. But this evenings visit was full of some nice surprises.
Magpul – Goodies
I usually never post what I score when I got to AEX, But since these are for a future project, I haven’t yet decided on, thought it be good to show them. The new Magpul PTS metal bodies are insanely nice. Trades are stamped into the body itself and trigger guard is integrated into the body. The CTR and MIAD in Flat Dark Earth color are not too far off the metal body which was a nice surprise.
Will post more as project progresses.
Classic Army – SCAR-H This is the slightly larger CA SCAR that uses an SR-25 (7.62×51) size magazine. While this make no really difference in airsoft, except cosmetically, it’s a beefier feeling CA SCAR. But notice the trademarks. They’re not "Classic Army" trades any more.
Tokyo Marui – AK74MN
It was a little funny. Every time the TM AK74MN was placed back on the display rack, it would blend in with all the M4’s and M16’s and make it hard to find. It’s another solid Tokyo Marui build. This is a "Blowback AEG" (i.e. a fake bolt will cycle each shot). The fake bolt cycle was a bit short, but it worked flawlessly. Battery compartment is in the fore grip and will accommodate a mini type battery.The butt stock will fold over the the left as well, but not with a scope attached. FPS results averaged 300fps with .20 bbs.
VFC – AIMS Honestly, I’m not sure why people like this AK except for the odd looks. The "coat hanger" stock and "donkey dick" fore grip just didn’t feel comfortable. But this is a "Blowback AEG" (i.e. a fake bolt will cycle each shot. You kinda see a trend here?). The one downside to the VFC model specifically is the fake bolt would not reset to the closed position each shot. Sometime it would stay half or partially open after a shot. FPS results were OK averaging 340 with .20 bbs.
King Arms – Troy Series I haven’t been a big fan of King Arms products as of late. But their Troy series is quite impressive. I still question the workmanship of the internals, but these AEGs fired between 320-340 fps with .20 bb’s. externally, expect for a misspelling on the trademarks, the externals are solid. The fake bolt catch is a nice feature as well. But these are bargains compared to piecing your own Troy/Vltor/Tango Down airsoft parts together.
Classic Army – New Sportlines
2 new Classic Army Sportlines came into AEX. An MP5 A2 SEF and an M15A4. They are what you expect weight wise form a plastic bodied AEG. The MP4 was lighter then a TM MP5, but both seemed to be solid builds. Both only come in the value packs, which include: Sling, Shooting Glasses, Battery, Charger and BB’s. Still a great deal for a starter AEG @ $160.00.
CREE – Q5 LED Tactical Light Replacement Bulb Assembly
I kept coming across these LED Bulb assemblies on Ebay. I already own an Inova T2 LED and Surefire G2 LED and have been more then happy with their performance.
CREE – Q5 LED Tactical Light Replacement Bulb Assembly
These assemblies go for about $20.00 shipped from Hong Kong and claim a 270 lumen output, it was an affordable experiment waiting to be paypal’d.
Received the LED assembly about 5 days after payment. The assembly comes with 2 contact springs. The large outer one may need to be removed to fit into some lights. But it’s a drop in fit. This assembly fit and functioned in all my Surefire G2’s and 6p’s as well as my G&P Surefire clones.
So is it really 270 Lumens??? I fitted the Q5 into 1 of my Surefire G2’s and plopped new CR123a’s on all lights (Gah…exspensive). Lights were about 15 feet from wall.
CREE – Q5 vs. Surefire G2 LED
CREE – Q5 vs. Surefire P6 Incandescent
CREE – Q5 vs. Inova T2 LED
Definitely an affordable option for those who already own incandescent tactical lights. Lumen output is very impressive. Will report later on battery life and durability.
EDIT 04/2008
I ended up buying 3 full lights, that use this same bulb assembly for my shop. All metal fabrication, but not a Surefire compatible body. Although you can still swap the bulb assemblies around.
{simplegrade:5} Manufacturer: Tokyo Marui (Japan) Type: Gas Blow Back Date Acquired: 02/2008
Tokyo Marui – Glock 17
As with all the other Tokyo Marui GBB’s I own, the Glock 17 is to the same high standards as we’ve come to expect from TM. It’s have mostly authentic trademarks, except for a TM/ASGK "Made In Japan" on the body. Unfortunately I bought this Glock locally in the U.S. so trades were defaced. So I added the Guarder Enhanced Full Kit for TM G17.
Tokyo Marui -Glock 17
The Guarder Enhanced Full Kit for TM G17 is a pretty straight forward install, but needs some filing for the slide to cycle smoothly. The kit has full trademarks and includes:
Fiber Reinforced Polymer Frame
Aluminum Slide
Steel Outer Barrel
Recoil Spring Guide
150% Hammer Spring
Steel Magazine Catch
Steel Trigger Lever
Serial Number Plate
Tokyo Marui – Glock 17 – Close up of Trades
With the kit installed, the TM Glock feels very close to its’ real steel counterpart. While usually installing a metal slide causes a decrease in ROF, the Guarder kit has a nice balance of weight and has only effect slide cycle speed a little.
Tokyo Marui -Glock 17 – Close up of Trades
Chrono results (FPS) Green Gas .20 BB's Min: 283.30 Max: 291.23 Avg: 284.94
The King Arms X-47 is a CNC machined aluminum rail system. It has full X-47 markings and shipped with TDI replica rail covers. It is lighter in weight then my First Factory X47 Rail but is very comparable in buidl quality.There were some slgiht fitting issues, but they easily worked itself out.
These are the Oakley – Flak Jacket Boots in Bark (Brown). These are in the Oakley’s Tactical Field Gear line which is different from Oakley’s S.I. (Standard Issue) Military Line.
Oakley – Flak Jacket Boots in Bark
I decided on getting the Flak Jackets since I was also looking at the Merrel Sawtooth Boots, for general hiking applications. The Flak Jackets are a nice consumer hybrid of the Oakley S.I. line. Oakley’s propganda as follows:
Most boots are fine for weekend warriors. When we designed FLAK JACKET?, we utilized innovations developed specifically for the armed forces. Tactical-to-practical includes breathable waterproofing and resilient shock absorption in a lightweight athletic design. FLAK JACKET? is aggressive technology in civilian trim that travels well in casual territory.
Premium full-grain leathers and Nubuck? for maximum comfort, support and breathability
Waterproof/breathable eVENT? liner for superior weather resistance and climate control
High NBS rubber outsole with multi-directional tread geometry for optimal traction on all surfaces, plus resilient shock absorption of EVA midsole
I first came across these at Shotshow 2007 and noticed they were finally on sale towards the end of 2007. I decided to get a couple of diferent sizes and see how well they worked out. I bought the 3 width and 5 width sizes, since they work with most of my gear. These clips come in 3,5,7 and 9 width sizes, in colors; Black, Coyote Tan, Olive Drab and Foliage Green.
Speed Clips are made of a modern carbon-fiber polymer material that is strong, flexible and durable. These are the most versatile new pieces of MOLLE hardware available.?Developed by BlackHawk’s R&D staff, these clips quickly mount or disconnect pouches and other gear quickly and efficiently – no more tedious weaving of bulky straps or hesitation at rearranging your kit for better ergonomics.?These clips make that task easy. Tested in combat, they have proven to be both reliable and secure.
Speed clips DO NOT RUST!
Contain an accessory lanyard hole
Free floating for use with other accessories, unlike attached MOLLE straps
Just like the name, they are FAST!
Color matched to your gear
Come in 3″, 5″, 7″ and 9″ lengths to accomodate any size pouches
Can be used with all of our new 38-series pouches
Can be used with any existing MOLLE pouches (simply cut the strap off or tuck it behind the Speed Clip)
Can be used in other innovative ways to enhance your personal setup
Patent pending
How the Speed Clip works:
Place the pouch so its webbing aligns with spaces between the webbing on the platform
Insert the Speed Clip under the webbing of the platform, alternately weaving it between the platform and the pouch
Secure the end of the Speed Clip by hooking its tab onto the last section of webbing
Existing MOLLE Strap??
If you have a pouch that has a MOLLE strap, you can either cut the strap off or tuck it behind the Speed Clip.
{simplegrade:4} Manufacturer: Tokyo Marui (Japan) Type: AEG (Automatic Electric Gun) Date Acquired: 07/2008
Tokyo Marui – MP5K-PDW Sword Devil Mod
I have already built this mod for a friend of mine on a regular TM MP5K. And while I was thinking of building a Swordfish modded MP5, I remembered how much I liked the MP5K form factor. This Sword Devil is based on the Tokyo Marui MP5K-PDW, which adds a side folding stock to the MP5K. Parts included so far are:
Tokyo Marui – MP5K-PDW
Nitro.Vo – MP5K Top Rail
First Factory – Swordfish Frontend for MP5s
Tokyo Marui – MP5K-PDW Sword Devil Mod
I’ve never been a big fan of airsoft MP5’s, which is why you’ll only see a few in my collection. But I’ve always liked the First Factory swordfish mod from a design standpoint.
Tokyo Marui – MP5K-PDW Sword Devil Mod
There are a few modification you need to apply to an MP5K to be able to use the First Factory – Swordfish Frontend. Mods as follows:
The left aluminum plate on the Swordfish frontend, needs to be trimmed to accommodate the cocking handle.
The MP5K Hand guards front finger guard needs to be cutoff.
The MP5K Hand guards Top right lip needs to be cut down.
Manufacturer: RAP4 Type: Rail Mounted Camera System
RAP4- Land Warrior Camera System
The rap4.com guys were kind enough to send over 1 of their Land Warrior System Wireless Camera systems (LWSC).
The Unit itself is a self contained video camera system. Camera, AA Batteries and SD Card are contained in 1 water proof unit. It also has a Mini USB and AV Out ports and comes with related cables. It can take up to a 2Gig SD Card and can record 640×480 30frames per second video for about 1 hour of recording. The Camera also has a built in microphone.
The RAP4 LWSC can mount to any 20mm rail system. Rap4 also includes a universal barrel mount kit, for other applications. The unit can be physically rotated in the mount to record at the proper angle, or you can rotate the video later in your favorite video editing program.
The cameras controls are simple to use. But for initial setup I did need to reference the manual, but that holds true for me for most multi-function devices with limited buttons. When hooked up via Mini USB to your computer, the camera acts as an external storage device, giving you direct access to your avi files.
The video format this records in is avi (for lack of a more detailed explanation), so it should be readable/editable by numerous systems/software.
I had the good fortune that I was in Las Vegas this year and had passes to Shotshow 2008. Unfortunately I only had 4 hours to run through the show. It is estimated that the show covers over 25 miles if you walked each and every aisle. My main focus was on seeing the new Classic Army releases at the Spartan Imports booth. The buzzkill to all that was, U.S. Customs delayed releasing all the new CA items and they never made it to the Shotshow this year ;( But fortunately there was lots to see.
A quick preface. For those of you who do not know. Shotshow is the largest firearms trade show in the U.S. To attend you must be affiliated in the firearms industry. For more info on Shot, please go to their website. http://www.shotshow.com
I’ll be splitting up the news to Airsoft and Real Steel since in some cases there is crossover and it could get confusing. Please keep in mind, I only say a portion of the show, so if things are not reported on in this report, it doesn’t mean they didn’t exist at the show. Just means I didn’t have time to see.
Spartan Imports / Classic Army – Let’s get the bad news out of the way. As mentioned above all anticipated new Classic Army items were held up by U.S. Customs and did not make it to the Shotshow in Las Vegas. But, hopefully will have products in hand sometime next week for pictures and brief reviews.
Magpul – Magpul made an impressive showing this year. I was able to speak 1 on 1 with Sam Lam, the head of Magpul airsoft, and was able to get a few interesting bits of news.
New Airsoft MIAD Grips The new airsoft MIAD grips will have changeable backstraps. Great news for SCAR owners (But still have to give props to Security Officer Allen for for being the first). Grip feels solid and will also include a newly designed floor plate that matches the PMAG floor plate in design.
PMAGs – Airsoft PMAGs (Magpul Polymer Magazines) are almost ready for production. These will be midcaps only.
Magpul MOE AEG Magpul’s real line will be pushing the MOE (Magpul Original Equipment) line in 2008. Magpul is planning on extending this to a fully built Magpul AEG. These will be totally different then the recently released PTS Experiment Kits/AEG’s. The new Magpul AEG’s will have the following:
Magpul Designed/Manufactured Lower (Notice the 1 piece design) See FDE Body Above AEG.
Systema Version 2 Mechbox and internals(Not split gearbox)
Magpul MOE Grip, Carbine Stock and possibly Handguards.
Magpul PDR AEG There are plans to create an AEG based on the Magpul PDR. Sam is currently looking into mechboxes for the project.
Magpul Masada/ACR AEG – Magpul is planning on releasing a Masada/ACR AEG towards the end of the year at this point. Internals will probably me based on the success/failure of the MOE AEG and the components used, that’s mentioned above.
Random Magpul Airsoft Stuff Look Whorify! A Magpul UBR stock on an M249 AEG! Someone may have an M249 to Armalite carbine stock adapter soon.
Real Steel News
Magpul – More Magpul goodies on the Real Steel Front! Lotsa eye candy in their booth!
FMG9 – Rich, Magpuls founder seen in the video here with FMG9. This is a Glock 17 Slide and magazine in a Magpul designed in a custom Magpul folding body.
PDR The Magpul PDR is a 5.56 SBR which was announced about a year ago has been refined a bit. Now it sports a Short 20 round PMAG. Still no official word on if/when it will go into production.
UBR Stock Almost ready for full production run. A real interesting related item was a UBR Stock mounted on an airsoft M249 (See above airsoft pic)
PMAGs – PMAGs will soon come in 20 rounders and Desert Digital Imaged. PMAGs will also be getting their own integrated Ranger Plates.
MOE (Magpul Original equipment) – MBUS BUIS (Set’s should MSRP for $130ish), XTM Rail Covers, MOE GRIP is a 1 piece MIAD style grip, ACS Stock, Carbine Stock and Replacement CAR handguards are all new for 2008.
Masada/ACR If you didn’t already know. Magpul partnered up with Bushmaster (Longtime civilian M16 manufacturer) to produces their Masada assault rifle, and it is now called the Bushmaster ACR. The ACR is a multi caliber weapons system utilizing a gas piston and tool less quick change design and the gives ability for the shooter to change calibers.
German Sports Guns
GSG-5 – The GSG-5 is releasing this year as an HK MP5 replica that shoot .22 caliber. While this is interesting due to the rising cost of ammo, the over all build was unimpressive. I’m not sure if it was the Germans just being German, or being the 3rd outta a 4th day show. But the GSG-5 was not as impressive in person as I was hoping. I’ve held airsoft Mp5’s that felt more realistic/robust then the GSG-5. And it really didn’t help the sales guys in their booth seemed to care less of who was inquiring about their product. Honestly it didn’t feel like it should cost $499.00.
MRP Piston Upper – For user Gun Nut. Unfortunately I was asked to not take pics (By Shotshow staff, but for unrelated to LMT reasons), but the entire LMT booth was all about the MRP piston upper. Scans of flier are here and here. Of course the rifles felt awesome in hand, but I didn’t get a chance to shoot so I can only go by others reviews in quality and durability.
FNH
FNP-45 Finally got to handle the FNP45. FN is saying a March release now, but who knows. After holding 1 it is now definitely on the list of future acquisitions. In person they feel solid. Feels on par with an XD and M&P, but w/o firing it’ll be hard to say how it really stacks up. Will definitely wait to hear how it’s accepted by the public when released.
KRISS-TDI
KRISS Super V CRB/SO .45 ACP Civilian Carbine – Welp I can confirm, in person it is equally awesome as it is hideous. It’s about a 10lbs loaded. Unfortunately I didn’t get to fire it and at the “Special” pricing I was emailed of $2395 + $45 shipping to FFL, kinda keeping it out of my league.
Just ran across this video. Thought everything sounded familiar 😉
That is me and Emory from Spartan Imports, talking with Sam Lam who runs the Magpul Professional Training Systems (airsoft) division, on new upcoming products.
Shotshow 2008Videos
Some well shot videos of Shot 2008, by our pal the Milspec Monkey.
Mechanix Wear – M-Pact Gloves another affordable and durable tactical glove option. These are an updated version of the Original Mechanix Wear Gloves, in Coyote Tan color.
Strategically layered synthetic Clarino palm padded with EVA foam.
Oil and water repellent.
Flexible, bonded TPR finger ribs and knuckles.
Low profile cuff.
Another affordable option to the many tactical gloves out in the market, but a durable, high dexterity glove.
