Introduction
The GuayGuay (G&G) RK104 is an airsoft replica of the AK-104, a shortened 7.62X39mm assault rifle produced for the Russian military. The Kalashnikov-designed AK-100 series is an evolutionary improvement on the AK-74 series that currently equips former Warsaw Pact militaries. G&G has taken a similar approach with their RK104, adding little details to this gun that raises the realism bar for all Airsoft gun makers.



Appearance
Like all of G&G’s guns, the RK104 is an attractive, well put together gun. Unlike G&G’s GR16 series, where the magnesium receivers make the GR16s feel deceptively light, the RK104 has a solid, weighty feel to it…as an AK should feel. The finishes applied to each part of the gun are well done and appear true to the real gun counterpart. What should be metal on the real gun is metal on the RK104. What should be plastic on the real gun is plastic on the RK104. The receiver exhibits very realistic looking riveting like the real gun receiver. The seams of the gas tube, rear sight block, and front sight post are authentic.



One quick note: the magazine supplied with the gun is patterned after a 5.45X39mm magazine. It looks great with the gun given its sleek, black styling. Purists will realize quickly that the AK-104 is the designation for the 7.62X39mm version. The proper name for the 5.45X39mm version is the AK-105. We were faced with a conundrum! Do we change magazines? Do we cross out the “104” on the box and scrawl in “105”? But hey, this is Airsoft, so we got over it.



The nicest detail on the gun is the bolt and charging handle. The G&G RK104 uses a bolt spring and fake bolt/gas piston that is wickedly similar to a real AK. Pulling and releasing this setup gives the bolt a heavy, chunky sound that will make real AK aficionados weep with joy. However, most airsofters who like to customize their guns will realize immediately that it will be impossible to modify the RK104 into a collapsible or no-stock variant. This gun is meant to remain a full stock weapon.



Not only does the bolt look real and have the realistic style spring guide. It pulls ALL the way back (just like the real one) and has a sturdier hop-up adjustment lever than the TM.



The selector switch is identical to the Marui with the cap covering the screw that removes the entire external selector lever. The lever feels much like the Marui: not too mushy and it clicks positively into place. The one we tested needed a little tightening, after which it felt more solid when clicking into place. Note that the selector lever will dig the “AK groove” into receiver…just like all the other AK variants.



One particular detail that should please realism nuts -- and disappoint the average airsofter -- is that the buttstock tangs are similar to the real gun. This means that you cannot use aftermarket stocks designed for use with the TM AK47. However, G&G made the buttstock longer than the traditional Airsoft/real AK stock in order to accommodate a 9.6V large sub-C battery. For most of us familiar with the traditional AK, this feels a little weird when shouldering the gun. But most airsofters will cherish the idea that we finally have an out-of-the-box AK that will store our beloved super-large 9.6V batteries without resorting to aftermarket parts or funky battery configurations.



Here’s a closeup of the sling loop on the stock. Unlike most TM guns, this sling loop is actually strong enough to take a sling!



Like the Classic Army SLR105 and most aftermarket stock sets, the stock butt plate is screwed on. Undo the two screws and the plate comes off to fit a large sub-C type battery. Don’t lose the screws!



Here is a close-up of the magazine well for the RK104. The shiny U-shaped piece in front of the hop-up unit is the rubber pad meant to prevent the magazine from wobbling in the magazine well. However, the result is that the magazine fit is very tight...almost too tight.



The RK104 has fully adjustable front and rear sights like the other AK AEG's on the market. Before the RK104, the only way to get this level of external and cosmetic detail was to purchase a Guarder AK conversion kit for zillions of dollars. G&G has gone out of their way to make their RK104 as detailed as possible without spending zillions of dollars. However, the result is up to the buyer to decide if it is worth the extra money compared to a TM or CA AK AEG.

Performance
Given the market’s overall disappointment with G&G’s previous new gun releases, the RK104’s performance out of the box was a pleasant surprise. The gun fired smoothly with a nice, crisp report and no whining sounds whatsoever. The stock velocity ranged from 345 fps to 365 fps with a 0.20g BB. The gun fired roughly 600 rounds per minute with an 8.4v battery and was drawing 13amps. When using a 9.6v battery, the rate of fire jumped up to 700-800 rounds per minute and drew the same amount of amps. The gun sounded very clean and very intimidating when fired on full auto…similar to a TM AK Beita Spetsnaz when you fire that gun with its conical flash hider. The gun fired flawlessly with the included 600 round hicap magazine and worked perfectly with the Tokyo Marui hicap as well.

We’re concerned about the magazine fit: it was snug enough to require a hard push to seat properly in the magazine well. It took more than a little rocking and pressure to lock the magazine into the gun. This is due to the fact that there is a rubber pad inside the magazine well intended to prevent the magazine from wobbling like the TM AK. It sounds like a good idea, but the G&G hicap magazine that comes with the gun has a flimsy plastic lip. It seems like a matter of time before the user experiences feeding problems as the magazine is pushed away from the hop-up unit by the pressure of the rubber pad. We tried TM AK magazines, CA AK magazines, and Star 30 round AK mags in the gun, and they all fed equally well. We suggest getting some TM or CA metal lipped magazines to use with the RK104 for the long term.

Upgrading
The RK104 comes with what appears to be an M100 equivalent spring given its out-of-the-box velocity. We upgraded the RK104 with Area 1000 metal bushings and a Guarder SP120 spring. The gears in the gun were a bit loose, and required minor shim adjustments to get it to our satisfaction. Once the parts were installed, we noticed weak cylinder compression that was quickly remedied with a little silicone grease. After that, the compression was perfect.

We reassembled the gun and put it through the paces. The gun fired a tad bit over 400 fps with 0.20g BBs and only drew about 16 amps. The rate of fire was maintained at 700-800 rpm at 9.6V, and the report was much louder and more crisp. In both stock and upgraded form, the RK104 was a fun gun to shoot.

Again, we were very surprised at how easy the gun was to upgrade. The factory shim and lube work was somewhat disappointing, but compared to previous G&G guns, the RK104 actually behaved as expected after the upgrade. No surprises! No additional parts required! What a relief!

Disassembly
Now we will take you through a step by step disassembly of the RK104 and highlight the differences between this and the TM AK47.



The disassembly sequence is more like a real AK than a TM AK. First, remove the buttstock. Then, remove the upper receiver cover as you would a TM AK. This exposes the "real style" bolt, operating spring and spring guide. Remove the recoil spring and spring guide, and then pull the bolt rearwards in order to remove.



There are four main screws holding the rear sight block to the receiver, and unlike the TM AK, these screws are on the inside of the receiver to either side of the hop up unit. After removing these, the rear sight block and barrel detaches from the receiver, allowing you access to the gearbox. The hop-up unit is then removed the same way the same as all other AK AEGs.



Remove the pistol grip comes by removing the screw underneath. Then the upper and lower handguards come off just like the real gun. There is a small lever right under the gas tube and that will release the lower handguard.



Then the lever under the rear sight lifts up to unlock the upper handguard.



Once the lever is lifted, the upper hand guard pulls up and off.



Here you can see the Ver3 gearbox is identical to that of Tokyo Marui and Classic Army. G&G painted their version all black and has a black cylinder. The wires are braced against the mechbox along the top rib of the shell which makes installing it a breeze.



After opening the gearbox, we found the internals to look very clean…almost too clean. Break out the lube! A little lube on the gears and inside the cylinder made us much happier.



The G&G “R25K” high torque motor produces a decent rate of fire.

Conclusions
The G&G RK104 is probably their best AEG to date. We adore the attention paid to external cosmetic details. The gearbox is a faithful copy of the Marui version 3 gearbox. The gun looks good, and it shoots as well as a TM AK. We test fired more than 600 shots with it and it never had one problem. Nevertheless, our long term concerns center around the magazine fit and feeding.

Otherwise, we are impressed by what G&G has done with their newest creation. For those who are knowledgeable about or are simply fans of the real AK, this is definitely the one to buy.

Final Grading
Quality:
Reliability:
Comfort:
Externals:
Performance:
Value:
Over-all:

External links
www.guayguay.com
www.airsoftextreme.com

Introducion
Guarder have produced a very nice replica of the ELCAN SpecterOS3.4 scope. Maybe even a better replica than the Samurai scope! This 4x zoom scope has some of the best optics we have seen so far, with great clarity and a smart and easy reticule. With a solid rubber housing it looks to be up to the ruff and tumble of even the most active skirmisher. If you pop this on a M4 you have got a cool looking gun, which you can claim is an SAS rifle for they are known to use the Canadian setup of Diemaco carbine with ELCAN! Either way this is definitely one to add to your wish list...


The Scope
The optical clarity of this scope is outstanding. The scope body is very robust, to the point of being somewhat heavy (you can clearly feel the difference playing with or with-out the scope)/. The outside of the scope is kind of rubber coated. There are no windage and elevation adjustments which minimizes the risk of problem (where water could penetrate the assembly for example). There are no focusing or parallax adjustments. My overall impression is that the scope body is VERY sturdy and robust. Actually what I am missing is some protective caps at the front and the back! However a nice detail is there, and that is the "fixed" front sight and "fixed" rear sight...

History
The ELCAN C79 scope was adopted by Canada in 1989 and is currently in-service on the Diemaco C7A1 rifle. It is now also been used in other countries like The Netherlands. ELCAN (a division of Raytheon, Inc). has also designed and marketed telescopic sights upon a similar platform in 6X and 10X called the Hi-Mag and night vision sights called the Blackcat.

Use ability
The 4x zoom is quite perfect for airsoft. In woodland conditions but even in CQB conditions the scope is useful. Not really in buildings but especialy from building to building to scope provides you extra accuracy. Especially those irritating people behind windows :) Also for recon purpose the scope can be used to spot the tango's far before you normally do... A zoom more than 4x would be irritating for airsoft since we operate at max 50 meter. 3x or 4x zoom is perfect.

The mount
The mount clamps onto any standard 20mm rail. It is tightened via two thumbscrews on the left-hand side of the mount. The mount also contains the windage and elevation adjustments. Windage adjustments are effected using a coin. The windage adjustments are located on the front left side of the mount. Unfortunately, even though there is a clock-wise arrow cast into the mount above the windage screw, there are no markings that indicate what direction (left-right) your group will move when you adjust the windage screw. The mount is just fine and easy. But all windage and elevation adjustments are external, there is a possible way that dirt, mud, snow, etc., could jam the elevation adjustments.



Looks
This scope looks soooo cool! It really is the nicest scope out their in my opinion. The scope is used by several special forces is Canada and The Netherlands (KCT). Above all you don't need any extra's on your rifle to have this cool looking rifle. Just rail on this scope and maybe some camo covers for your rifle and that's it. And impressive, cool looking scope and you are totally in style. Some scopes seems to be larger than your rifle and kinda over done, this one has a nice small style...

Adjustable
The scope is perfectly adjustable for any rifle if there is 20mm top rail availeble. If your gun is shooting straight you can perfectly align your gun with the scope. You don't need any tools or what so ever. On the image below you can clearly see the adjustment wheel, the wheel works with small clicks. With the windage adjustment tool you can align the scope even better, you will find it at the front left side.



The reticule
As shown below this scope uses a quite simplistic recticule to aim with. There are two horizontal hash marks, there are also two longitudinal hash marks on each side of the picket. I think this reticule is really simple and easy to use. This does not look like a sniping reticule as there is not an easy way to easily compensate for windage etc. This simple reticule is perfect for airsoft even more because airsoft rifle's are not that accurate and we mostly operate at max 50 meter. To be clear this is not a red dot scope as other ELCAN replica's do have. Even in bad whether conditions the scope is still usable. Now we are talking about the whether, in very good whether conditions were sun is shining right the scope is very well usable. The scope has a little "sun cap" that prevents the sun shining into the lens. However it's small, it is useful.



Trade Marks
No special things here. The original scope has only one trade mark at the top of the scope stating "ELCAN". Guarder has replaced this by "ELKEN" obviously because of copyright reasons.

Price
The ELCAN original scope retails in at about $850,00 USD. This replica sells at around $180,00 USD which makes it more affordable for airsofters. However it is still quite a large amount for an airsofter. But for what you get, a scope nearly as good as the original ELCAN scope, I think it's really worth it. Especially when you are going for the special forces look or the Diemaco look it's really a must.

Real Elcan vs Guarder Elcan
I had the pleasure to also see this Elcan scope in real for a few seconds. I was playing in Belgium where a Dutch soldier had his ELCAN with him! I showed him my replica and he was impressed for sure! Sizes, material and color are all the same. The only quite large difference is the zoom, the orriginal has a 3.4x zoom and this replica has a 4x zoom. There is a little difference in the front of the scope, but from a distance you couldn't see the difference. Really cool to have such a good replica!

Complete guns with Elcan




External Links
www.elcan.com
www.spector.elcan.com
www.intrudershop.com
www.airsoftsupplier.co.uk

First Impression
This is Guarder's first attempt at a chronograph and they have done an admirable job. We are using this chrono quite a long time at NLAIRSOFT.COM for reviews and actually it never disappointed us. The chrono arrived in a well made white box which has been specifically designed to stop parts moving about and getting damaged in transit. I was at first concerned about the powersupply since this chrono works with a 12V powersupply, however some little transformers solve this issue.

Performance
Common well known problems with chrono's are: inconsistency, dependence on specific light sources, velocity limits and easy to damage parts. The Speeder 2000 suffers from none of these problems. There is a tube running through the unit through which you fire the bb. This tube has a small funnel fitted to it so that you have some protection against the screen being shot out by someone missing the hole. This chrono is rock solid and can hardly be damaged during your FPS tests

Consistency is very good compared to other chrono's in the field. The Speeder 2000 can be used with indoor and outdoor lighting with no problems. Above all there are no velocity limits on the chrono and the highest result I've had sofar was 630 FPS off of the KJW M700 on green gas. The Speeder features 3 different scales to measure velocity: Meters per second, Feet per second, Joules. You can easily switch between these modes. This will suit all people and is really convenient for those joule limits nowadays.

Unfortunately there is not a rate of fire function on this chrono, that would be perfect and very complete when this was combined for this price. Maybe a second model or an update on this model could make it possible.

The chrono can be charged and then used under its own battery power. The internal battery will last for four hours of use. T his featurecombined with the ability to be used in practically any light conditions (including night time) make this an extremely portable and versatile chronograph.

Conclusion
Overall this is a great little package and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a precision chrono for power testing. Certainly good value for money and hopefully a rate of fire function will be added in the future.

History/Background
The AK-74 assault rifle is the modernized version of the AK-47 developed in 1974, chambered in a smaller cartridge (5.45 x 39 mm vs. 7.62 x 39 mm). The weapon went into mass-production in 1976. The newest variant, the AK-74M, is the main service rifle for the Russian Federation armed forces and has been since the early 1990's. When it first appeared, the AK-74 was assumed to be a limited-production version to equip special forces. In reality, the Soviet Union was to mass-produce this rifle to replace their inventory of AKM weapons en masse.

Like its parent AK-47 and AKM weapons, the AK-74 is a magazine-fed, selective-fire, intermediate caliber assault rifle with a rigid piston gas system and rotating bolt locking mechanism. The stamped sheet metal receiver is borrowed from the earlier AKM. The AK-74 has other differences from the AKM, notably the distinctive muzzle brake. This muzzle brake drastically cuts the already mild recoil and muzzle climb of the AK-74 but has the negative effect of increasing noise and muzzle blast. Current production versions also employ a mounting rail on the left side of the receiver for fixing a telescopic or night vision sight. Besides the Soviet Union and its successor states, the AK-74 was widely adopted by many Soviet client states and other nations, in particular users of the AK-47 and the AKM, although not nearly as extensively as those rifles. Like the AK-47 and the AKM, the AK-74 was copied both illicitly and under license by many of its operators. Yugoslavia license built the weapon as the M80, and it was featured prominently among many of the armed forces operating in the country during the 1990s. It remains the service weapon for many of the former Yugoslav republics. Semi-automatic variants of the AK-74 have gained in popularity with gun owners in the United States due to laws there restricting ownership of machineguns. Civilian rifles (and pistols) based on the Kalashnikov include a hodgepodge of features from various countries even in caliber 5.56 x 45 mm. Captured AK-74s and several variants thereof have also been used by the Taliban, Al-Quaeda, and Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, and by Osama Bin Laden and his subordinates in videos and interviews.

Company Background
I Chih Shivan Enterprise ( ICS ) was founded in 1983, in the early stage mainly concentrated in airgun and gas-pistol development and production. Until recent years, AEG undoubtly will be the market main stream, the related products in the current market mainly imported from Japan, therefore, the pricing is extremely high but also after sales services and spare part also poses a difficulty to airsoft lovers. In 1998, ICS decided to devote totally into the research and development of AEG, with best quality and pricing to airsoft lover as their main objective. However, their first MP5 Series failed horribly, but soon they corrected the problems, and ICS soared. Recently they innovated the M4 series by designing a split gearbox and spring decompression button.

Specifications

Gear Box - Ver.3
Motor – ICS Turbo 3000
Magazine – 550 (2 included)
Length – 960mm
Barrel Length – N/A
Weight – 3,000 grams
Battery – 8.4v Large Battery
Muzzle Velocity – 300 fps



Initial Impressions
Upon opening the box I was stunned. Unlike normal AEGs, this particular AEG was packed as if meant for a king. The beautifully crafted gun lies in a sea of maroon cloth, accompanied by two 550 round high capacity magazines (a really nice treat compared to other AEGs). After the visual treat you receive upon opening this box, your first reaction is to pick it up. The gun is incredibly solid and packs a hefty weight out of the box. You will also notice the gun is a bit long, in my opinion this is great for picking off long distance targets.





Lets move on, the magazines are built well, there is a “door” that opens up which allows you to pour BBs inside. Each magazine (2 are included) have a maximum capacity of 550 BBs. They fit in like any standard “AK-type” rifle. The front notch fits into the mag well, and the back simply clicks in. I have also tried CA, G&G, VFC, and TM mags, they all fit fairly well, and have no major feeding problems that I have encountered.

Next, the battery is loaded into the stock, by simply pushing down on the butt plate, the plate will then detach, and will allow you to slip the battery into the hollow stock, after connecting the wire. Simply take the butt plate and reverse the process to attach it back on. Unlike regular AK-47, the advantage of this gun is that the butt plate is textured, which allows it to grip easily to your body, without slipping during times of combat.





Adjusting the sights are simple. To adjust the rear, push on the the 2 "buttons" on the rear sight, and while holding them down, slide it up or down. To adjust the front sight, a device is included to adjust the height.

The flashider is also quite simple to remove. Depress the "pin/button" which locks the flashider, then while holding it down with your fingertip, unscrew the flashider. The flashider is 14mm CCW thread, which is pretty much standard, and can take most silencers, for that sleek look or longer barrel you might be looking for.



Now, down to my favorite part of this gun, the cocking handle. It is probably the first instinct you get when you lift this beauty out of the box. The movement is extremley smooth, and just like the real gun it can be pulled all the way back. Upon releasing the handle, you will feel the momentum of the solid chunk of metal moving forward and smacking the inside of the gun. The sound is very satisfying. The top cover can be removed and so can the spring. The gearbox is colored black, and the motor is the extremley high torque ICS Turbo-3000.



Build Quality
As soon as you take the gun out of the box, you can feel the weight of this rock solid gun. Unlike Tokyo Marui guns you can feel absolutely no flexing in this weapons, thanks to the full metal construction. Even during combat you will not have to worry if you might accidentally snap or crack a part on this weapon. The quality of the ICS AK-74M, in my opinion, is one of their most well constructed airsoft replicas so far.







What's So Special?
One of the best features of this gun is that it includes a pre-mounted side mount plate. The side mount plate/rail, enables the user to attach a scope mount or picatinny rail over the top of the gun. The furniture on this weapon is also very nice, it is flat black, and appears to be made out of high density plastic. The front grip has a grip, and the stock has a sling loop (doesn't look very sturdy though).



Concluding Notes
Even though I did not purchase this gun, and it is a sample at the time of my writing, it is a joy to have the gun in my hands. Overall, the gun is extremely satisfying to hold and shoot. The weapon also adds a bit more flavor to the airsoft matches, since most people have Armalite-type weapons.

Pros: Cheap, 2 magazines included, nice box, heavy, solid build and quality.
Cons: A little too long for some people and CQB, a little heavy for some people.

Final Grading
Quality:
Reliability:
Comfort:
Externals:
Performance:
Value:
Over-all:

External links
www.icsbb.com