Introduction
We are proud to bring you a complete review of the latest offering by Classic Army, the SLR-105. For those who don’t know, the Classic Army SLR-105 is a licensed copy of the real SLR-105 AK made by Arsenal of Bulgaria. Arsenal in turn produces copies of the ultramodern Russian AK-74 for Eastern European countries. Unlike the real AK-47, the real SLR-105 fires a 5.45mm round, rather than a 7.62mm round. The Arsenal SLR-105 also happens to be the only 5.45mm AK that is currently imported in the US. This rifle is the most modern assault rifle issued to the armies of former Soviet countries, replacing the AK-47 that has been around since the Vietnam era. Classic Army has done a fantastic job of replicating the newest version of the famed AK. We will take you through a detailed walkthrough of this great new replica.

Appearance
First of all, the SLR-105 has a clean flat matte black finish that makes it feel and look like the real rifle. From the grips to the stock, the ABS feels exactly like the real steel versions. True to form, Classic Army has built this gun using a metal receiver, although it is a lightweight aluminum as opposed to steel used in the real weapon. This does not mean it is weak by any means and will be easier to carry in the field without getting fatigued too quickly. The rear sight block, however, is still plastic, but the rest of the barrel assembly – the outer barrel, gas tube, and front and rear sights – is metal. The selector switch is very similar to the Tokyo Marui version with one slight difference, there is no small "button" over the screw that holds it on to the gun. The front and rear sights are fully adjustable and work like the Marui AK. The ribbed top receiver gives the gun a clean, modern appearance and fits tightly on the receiver. The detail put in all areas of the rifle are top notch.

Here is a close up look at the gas tube and foregrips.

Here you can see the detail in the fully adjustable rear sight and rear sight block.

The left side of the AEG displays the accurately reproduced markings.

Here you can see the selector switch detail.

The ABS stock even has the indented sides. This does not interfere with a large type battery, allowing installation of a 8.4V 3600 mah battery or 9.6V 1700 mah 4/5C battery.

The sight picture is very crisp looking and will make acquiring your target an easy task.

The SLR-105 comes with a 600 round hicap magazine.

Here is a close up shot of the pistol grip. Notice the checkerboard pattern on the grip. The ABS looks and feels like the real deal.

The top ribbed receiver.

Performance and Features
As with all currently produced Classic Army AEGs, the CA SLR-105 is not only built solidly, but offers great performance straight out of the box. The stock velocity is 310-320fps with a 0.20g BB (ToyTec) and draws 13-14 amps. The rate of fire with an 8.4v battery is roughly 700 rounds per minute and jumps to 900 rounds per minute with a 9.6v battery. The hicap magazine feeds flawlessly and the AEG can accept Marui hicaps and standards with no problems. A large type battery fits nice in the stock and appears to have room for a 9.6v large type but the wires for the battery seem to prevent the rear butt plate from closing completely. This was a little disappointing but it is just like the Marui AK.

One major difference is that rear butt plate is attached to the stock by two flathead screws and does not "snap" on like the Tokyo Marui model. While this does not facitlitate fast battery changes, it does 1) duplicate the real SLR exactly and 2) prevents that common problem with Marui AKs: lost buttstock plates. One nice feature the SLR-105 has is the rear sling swivel. Instead of having it attached to the receiver itself, it is on the stock as shown in the picture below.

This design is very handy for a right handed person, but for a lefty you would need to attach a 3 point type sling to the rear like usual. Nice feature and clean looking, but not 100% user friendly.

The SLR-105's hopup adjustment knob is placed and functions exactly like the Marui AK-47

Taking the SLR-105 apart is just like taking a Tokyo Marui AK-47 apart. After removing the top plate, the inner plastic bolt housing is exposed and is pleasantly familiar.

Four screws hold the front barrel assembly to the receiver. The top bolt cover is held on by the small side screw as pictured, as well as the hop up adjustment lever screw.

The upper front receiver of the SLR-105 has all the same features as the Marui as you can see in the 2 pictures above.

After removing the pistol grip, the CA Hyper short motor is exposed.

Standard version 3 gearbox but with black selector arm and top rib piece for the shell.

On the opposite side, it looks identical to a Marui AK gearbox.

Once the gearbox is opened, you see all the parts you come to expect from a Classic Army AEG. Like all their latest models, they all sport a polycarbonate piston, uni-directional piston head, a reinforced standard ratio flat gear set, and a brass spring guide just like the Area 1000 Ver3 spring guide. This is one strong gear box! The compression in the cylinder was excellent. We did add a little grease to the brass nozzle on the cylinder head to eliminate a small air leak. Other than that, it was a tight seal. We checked the shimming and it was a little loose, but not enough to be worried about. There was some minor play in the gears and the bushings were a little dry, but nothing a little oil didn’t fix when applied to the gearbox from the outside

We installed a Systema M120 spring into the gun after checking the most important areas and making sure the seal and shimming was done properly. After reassembling the gun, we test fired it with the same BB's as before (ToyTec 0.20g) and it was firing 375-385fps and drew 16-17 amps. A Guarder SP120 spring should have no problem pushing this gun to 400 fps with 0.2g bbs. The gun after upgrading sounded snappy and quite intimidating…just like an AK should! At the higher velocity, the rate of fire was around 600 rounds per minute with an 8.4v battery and jumped up to 800 rounds per minute with a 9.6v battery.

Overall
Like all of their AEG's, the Classic Army SLR-105 is top notch when it comes to details, performance and price. It is strongly built, and should withstanding hard usage with a minimum of upgrading. Out of the box it shoots a respectable fps and can be easily upgraded to shoot as hard as you need it to shoot. The gun will accept current Marui AK aftermarket accessories and the internals are fully compatible with everything on the market. As with all Classic Army AEGs, the performance and features you get from this gun is well worth the price when you compare it to a Marui AK.

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

External links

• www.classicarmy.com 

Introduction
The new Tokyo Marui M14 comes in two (2) variations, one of which is a imitation wood stock and the other is a synthetic olive drab stock. The OD M14 comes in an OD box and the imitation wood M14 comes in a brown box.

Appearance
The fit and finishes on rifles are attractive overall and properly reflect Tokyo Marui’s high production standards. However, the guns do have bit of a toyish feel and appearance to them, especially versus the other make Airsoft M14’s on the market (i.e. G&G and Airsoft Club). The OD stock has an extremely smooth texture overall with some checkering where the gun is normally held for a more "tactical" feel. It is also a little on the shiny “toy” side in appearance. The imitation wood finish is not as realistic as that of the Marui Thompson or AK, but it is very close and still very attractive and realistic. The stock in general also feels and looks a little bit narrower/smaller than that of the G&G M14. Also contributing to the small feel of the TM M14 is its lightness in weight versus the other make M14’s. On the other hand, the metal component finish is very well done. The receiver and barrel have a nice realistic looking flat matte finish. The magazines have a nice parkerized gray finish which look just like the real steel version. Some players might prefer the realism in size, feel, appearance, and heft of the G&G M14 over the TM M14. However, the lighter weight and slightly less than authentic appearance and feel of the TM M14 does not mean a lack of quality, effectiveness, or ruggedness by any means.

Here is the Olive Drab (OD) version.

And here is the Wood pattern version.

The safety switch works just like the real one but is not as stiff as the real version or the G&G model. It is extremely easy to "flick" on or off. This does not translate into problems since the switch "clicks" into place and does not just fall into place.

The barrel and flash hider are very detailed and look extremely realistic.

The markings on the rifle are very true to spec.

The sight picture is very crisp looking and will make acquiring your target an easy task.

The TM M14 standard magazines look hold 70 bb’s like most Marui standard magazines. Unfortunately, the G&G magazines are not compatible with the Marui model and vise versa.

Performance
The overall performance is impressive and is almost expected from Tokyo Marui. The gun sounds very smooth and fires a very unexpected 310-320fps with a 0.20g Excel BB right out of the box. Immediately, this rifle has the highest fps out of the box of any other TM AEG. The stock gun delivers a nice 700 rounds per minute with an 8.4v source and draws 11AMPS on full auto. Firing the rifle on full auto feels very nice. The trigger is very responsive and the report is very crisp. The gun does not deliver a loud snap like other TM guns, but it is not super quiet like an AUG or P90. The selector switch feels great and is very responsive. You know when you are in semi as well as full auto and the selector is a bit easier to manipulate than the G&G model. The one feature that the Marui model lacks from the G&G is the selector switch does not release the anti reverse latch by pulling the selector switch back.

The bolt does pull open all the way, unlike the G&G model, and makes a very satisfying metal on metal clink when let go. Unfortunately, it doesn't lock open with the bolt catch like the G&G model does. Oh well, I guess you can't have it all. Also, you will notice, there is no hopup adjustment in the breach like the in G&G M14 (continue reading for further details).

Unlike most TM guns, the hop adjustment is not located in the breach like you would expect when opening the bolt. The M14 has the hopup adjustment knob just in front of the mag well as seen in the picture above. It can be adjusted with the magazine in the gun, so no fumbling with the mag when attempting to adjust the hop. The knob makes a nice click with each minor adjustment so tuning the hop is very precise. I tested this and the gun fires straight for more than 100 feet stock with an Excel 0.20g BB (non Bio).

The small hole you see in the photo on the left is actually the motor height adjustment. As you can see in the middle picture, this is the motor and that round part is where the actual motor height adjustment screw is set into the motor housing. And finally, on the right you can see the angle the motor heightening screw must take to adjust the motor. The highlighted area shows a small gauge built in to see how far you have adjusted the screw. This is set in the middle on this particular gun.

The battery compartment is located in the stock as we all would expect. The one thing we didn’t expect would be the lack of space for a large 9.6v battery. The gun can only fit an 8.4v standard large battery or one of AEX's custom 9.6v 1700 custom large batteries that we use for AK-47's. The stock butt folds up like the G&G model and the door opens to the side rather than down like the G&G.

The gun field strips somewhat like the G&G model, but the actual trigger does not separate from the gearbox like the G&G model. This is not as realistic as the G&G, but it actually makes for a better design as the trigger functions are much better.

After the initial tear down, the upper receiver must slide forward as the lower slides to the rear as seen in the upper right photo. Once you have done this, the upper receiver can lift off the lower.

Here you can see the upper lifting off the lower receiver.

Once the upper is removed from the lower, you can unplug the wires like all TM AEG's with rear battery wiring. The one thing you need to be careful with is the small plug can get caught inside the stock and making the removal of the upper a real pain. The motor wires are also connected like the standard Marui motor connectors.

Here is a good side view of the short type motor.

This is the left side of the gear box. This is where the cutoff lever and the electrical trigger contacts are located. This is the most complex gear box I have seen. This makes the old Sig 551 and 550 a breeze!

On the flip side of the gear box, you can see the selector plate and electrical contacts for the safety switch. Unlike most AEG's, this safety will physically disengage the electrical current and block the trigger so there can be no accidental misfires. But never use that as an excuse to point this at a person while not playing in a skirmish.

Removing the barrel is much more difficult than the G&G rifle and more complex than most AEG's. I thought the TM MP5's were time consuming to change barrels, but this one takes the cake. As you can see in the three photos, you must exercise caution when attempting to remove the inner barrel. First, slide it forward, then angle it up and then it will continue to curve up and out. If you are not careful, the plastic is not the most rigid so it could break.

The hop unit has its own design and is not like any other AEG. The arrow pointing to the base shows how the hopup functions. The lever goes up and forces a lever downward on the top of the unit giving the AEG it's hopup. It is a very simple yet effective design. This allows the adjustment to be made from the base of the rifle and thus making the adjustment simple and precise.

The new gear box is truly simple once it is opened. Much like a Ver 6 it is very basic with an all new type of cylinder, cylinder head, nozzle, tappet plate and spring guide. The cylinder is a bit longer than the regular TM cylinders by a couple of millimeters but piston and piston head are the same as all TM AEG's. The sector gear is just like the Thompson and is smaller than the regular middle gear so Systema gears would not work directly with this new gear box since the regular size gears would hit the piston. The stock spring is slightly thicker so the stock velocity is a bit stronger out of the box. The tappet plate spring is identical to the Ver 6 setup and lays under the tappet plate just under the cylinder. The spring guide looks like a Ver 3 but with slightly longer and thinner posts. So when upgrading this model, you must use extreme caution not to break these parts as there are no replacements at this time.

The biggest flaw would be upgradeability due to lack of parts at this time since the parts Marui developed are all new and so unique. We did install a Systema M120S spring just to see what kind of velocity this baby would push. We did not re-shim or install metal bushings, just a simple spring drop in. The results were pretty much what we thought, just a bit below our expectations, but nothing to complain about. The gun fired 410-415fps with an Excel 0.20g BB (non-bio) and had a nice rate of fire with an 8.4v source. It had a 14-15 AMP draw on full auto and shot approximately 600 rounds per minute. With a 9.6v source the rate of fire jumped up to approximately 800 rounds per minute. We tested the range and we were happy to see the gun could reach over 160 feet in a nice straight path. I was able to hit a pole the size of a human torso (a thin human torso) at 180 feet with the hop adjusted using the iron sights. It was most impressive. There was a slight breeze so the BB did curve at the last few feet but it did not drop. The path was pretty straight given I was using a 0.20g BB and firing into a little bit of wind.

Overall
The Tokyo Marui M14, despite certain aspects that make it less than realistic than the G&G M14, has the look, the feel and the performance that make it an excellent AEG. The only other downside currently is the lack of internal upgrade parts at the moment and the degree of difficulty in taking the gun down. The TM M14 has a much more complex breakdown than most AEG's that we have seen in a while. Overall, the performance for a stock Marui gun is outstanding and the attention to detail is excellent.

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

External links

• www.tokyo-marui.co.jp 
• www.airsoftextreme.com 

Introduction
The Classic Army range of MP5's are known as good rifles. Let's see what this new "updated" B&T MP5 A2 SMG has to offer. This B&T variant claims to be an exact replica of the MP5's most special operation units use. It comes with full metal body with serial number, Navy version trigger group (SEF), flash light foregrip, navy style flash hider, full metal body, a dustcover/ejection port that hides the full metal hopup and ofcourse the origional B&T logo is engraved! Here you will find some more information about B&T (Brügger & Thomet); www.brugger-thomet.ch Looks like an impressive list of improvements to me. The rifle will cost you around the 335 Euro, let's see if they are worth it. We would first like to thank Classic Army and Action Sportgames for their generosity to provide this rifle for review.

Real steel rifle information
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a submachine gun, developed by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK) in the 1960s. A typical MP5 fires 9mm Luger ammunition from a curved detachable box-type magazine. The MP5's accuracy, reliability, and wide range of accessories and variants have made it the submachine gun of choice for military and law enforcement agencies worldwide.

The original MP5 was available in fixed or folding butt forms. Some variants did not have a 3-round burst capacity, or had only a 3-round burst mode. In 1971 (MP5A2) and 1973 (MP5A3), HK made several general improvements in the MP5.

The next major development was the MP5SD series (SD1-SD6), introduced in 1974. This model had an integrated suppressor and a specially-made barrel which reduced the muzzle velocity of its ammunition to just below the speed of sound. The result was that the MP5SD series is almost inaudible at distances of more than 15 meters. By its remarkable sound and almost invisible muzzle flash, it is chosen as a stealthy operating weapon in many police and military forces.

Under a special contract from the United States Navy, HK developed the MP5N or "MP5 Navy" variant for the Navy's elite special operations units (including the U.S. Navy SEALs). The MP5N features a fully-ambidextrous trigger group, a retractable stock, and a threaded barrel for mounting suppressors. In addition, HK replaced many of the metal parts on the MP5N with lighter and corrosion-resistant plastics.

With the increased use of body armor, the future of the MP5 is uncertain. Several new trends in gun design have begun to eclipse the submachine gun; small caliber PDW like HK's new MP7 and compact carbines such as the M4, AKS-74, the G36C variant of HK's G36, and the XM8 rifle based on the G36. For now the gun is highly popular with special forces and counter-terrorism units around the world.

Facts and features
Classic Army has redesigned its entire line of MP5 series AEG's. The new look includes both a facelift as well as functional improvements. The facelift includes indiviual series numbered Brugger and Thomet logos on every MP5! On the functional side Classic Army has made some significant changes as well, including:

• Navy grip
• Full metal body
• Metal front set
• Hi-cap magazine (200 Rd)
• New Design Hop Up System!
• Quick Disassembly Metal Body
• Flashlight fore grip with 6V light bulb
• Movable Cocking Lever and Functioning Bolt Cover
• Real Gun Logo with Unique Serial Number

The most significant of these changes is the hop-up system. The old-style exposed adjuster on the left side of the foregrip is gone. For those of you who own an MP5 and have to reset the hop-up because it constantly gets bumped, this is a big deal. The new hop-up system is similar to an M4-style AEG. Located behind a moveable bolt cover, the new design protects the hop-up from accidental bumping, as well as dirt and debris. We will see this later in the review, for now we list all the facts about the gun below...

Product Name: CA B&T MP5 A2
Model Number: MP001M
Weight: 2635.0g
Barrel Length: 229mm
Barrel Caliber: 6.08mm
Bullet Capacity: 200 BBs
Bullet: 6mm BB
Hop-Up: Horizontal adjustable
Initial Bullet Speed: 92 (306) m/s (fps)
Shooting Mode: Semi, Full Auto
Battery Type: Large Type

First Impression
The first impression of this rifle was wauw! This new generation MP5 looked really promissing but now in real life they look awesome. The finish, the looks and the feels are very good! It was finally here for review. The box design is good as always with Classic Army, all wrapped up in nice bubble wrap. The gun arrived in perfect condition. The body is full-metal in construction and the finish is superb and makes the hart of this MP5 rock solid. Even the ejection port looked excellent. I picked up the gun to find that the weight was nicely balanced and respectable. The plastic parts on the gun are also of high quality!

Externals
What really is nice is that a Flashlight fore grip with 6V light bulb is included into this package! The asembly really fits good and is wel finished. The power of this 6V lightbulb performs very well. It really contributes to the cool SWAT look! 2 CR123A batteries are needed for the flashlight and it gives a nice bright lightbundle. However I must say the RICO Alpha 9 provides a better stronger light but this is a special designed tactical light.

One of the biggest improvements on this MP5 is the newly designed Quick Disassembly Metal Body which enables you to acces your gearbox really easy. We will see this when we will further at the internal parts.

Trade marks are a big issue on this gun; Classic Army has purchased the license from B&T so they can use all their trademarks on the gun. Which is really a big plus for collectors.

Internals
-

Usage
The new hop-up assembly together with the Movable Cocking Lever and Bolt Cover is a great feature of this MP5. The newly designed hop-up is very user friendly and really easy to adjust. It's not working with the old hop-up wheel but with a little slide which indicates how much hop-up you have selected. You can see this clear on the picture...

It's this easy: Just pull the cocking lever and now the bolt cover automatically opens where you can see the hop-up adjustment slide. Now select the desired hop-up level and close the bolt cover again by putting back the cocking lever. That's all. This works far easier without any tools and small adjustment wheels. I also think it will prevent further problems in the future. Sometimes the hop-wheel does not hold it's possition and after a few shots it bumps and you need to readjust it. This slide hop-up model is much more solid and accurate and will hold the level of hop-up you have selected.

What was kinda disappointing is the fit of the magazine into the magwell, a standard hi-cap magazine is included. I does fit and will hang on, however it is far too loose. You won't loose the magazine in the field however the movement of the mag should not be there. To be clear the magazine itself opperates perfect and does not have any feeding problems yet. Take care of the magazine well and do not let mud or sand go into it. We opened the magazine to see the inside and a lot of plastic radars take care of the loading. This is very fragile so we advice to take really well care for your magazines to avoid any feeding problems. When these occur open the magazine carefully, remove the durt with a tooth brush and spray some silicone. All should be fine again. When still having problems replace the inner part (MP017-3) with a new one.

The MP5 opperates on a 8.4V battery and it opperates really good. The Rate Of Fire (ROF) is just fine! Unfortunately you can't use a 9.6V battery because it's to large. However i think there is some room left you might get a 9.6V battery in the stock with some minor modifications. Alternative options are the use high speed motors and gears to increase the ROF. Actually this is not worth spending the extra money on since the 8.4V battery together with the stock set-up just works fine!

The Movable Cocking Lever and Functioning Bolt Cover are really fun to work with and enables you to easily adjust and fine-tune the hop-up. The sigts and the NAVY/SEF trigger group are great in performance. There is no "grey-aria" when selection your fire mode, it all clicks pleasantly in place. This is a great improvement from older MP5 versions. You may have wondered what "SEF" stands for. The three letters of the fire selector mean:

S = Sicher or 'Safe'
E= Einzelfeuer or Semi-auto in English.
F= Feuerstoß or full automatic in English.

Here an informal translation to remind it more easily:

S= Safe
E= Economical
F= FUN!

Performance/Tests
FPS
The FPS test shows that this MP5 shoots at around the 306 FPS on average. With ups and downs of 300 FPS to 310 FPS. We tested this with a Guarder SPEEDER-2000 chrony which is an exelent opto-electric chrony which performs great inside and outside. And offcourse we use some 0,20 Gr Bb's of the brand KSC. Find below some pictures of the chrono testing...

This is just fine straight out of the box. With this power you can shoot over a quite impressive range!! I am used to my 2 tear old CA M15A4 Rifle which has a lot of range, but this MP5 performs nearly as good and maybe even better! I didn't expect an MP5 to shoot this well! Maybe also because of the new hop-up feature...

Grouping
Affcourse we also did some grooping tests. We did this with a standard NLAIRSOFT.COM target printed on A4 paper. We shot around 10 to 15 rounds at 10 meter. See below the impressive result!

As you can see the groupings are really good! The spreading are less than 4cm by 6cm and all are in the 8/9/10 region. However there are 2 shots totally out of range which we did not include in the grouping. Actually i think this MP5 shoots better than my 2 year old CA M15A4 Rifle. Accuracy is thus a big plus for this rifle something we didn't expect from an MP5!

Overall
Overall, I am very pleased with the Classic Army B&T MP5A2 SMG. Ideal for CQB environments! The fact that these are version 2 guns where most problems are corrected leads me to believe that these guns are of superb quality. Classic Army learly shows that they do liste to their customers feedbacks from the field. All the new features make this gun a very convincing replica. The gun is very solid, heavy, and shoots very accurate. Fit and finish is excellent overall, and the gun has a nice appearance to it. A very cool navy look! I would highly recommend that anyone looking for an MP5 consider this gun, as they are good value for money. I have tried to think of anything that could use improvement on this gun, and I really can't come up with anything substantial except some external accesoires.

Final Grading
Quality: *****
Reliability: *****
Accuracy: *****
Comfort: ****
Value: ****
Over-all: ****

External links

• www.classicarmy.com 
• www.actionsportgames.com 
• www.brugger-thomet.ch 

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