Introduction
Today we are going to review the Classic Army KM12, kindly provided by iWholeSales.co.uk. I must say I am really exciting to review this specimen because the company is known for there full metal rifles and this is not a full metal rifle :)

About Classic Army
Classic Army is a company that wanted to make good affordable, high quality AEG replica’s with metal bodies. They've been out of the game for a while but they are back with new good looking polymer rifles.

First impression
The first impression was good, the replica felt sturdy it looks a lot like the “ICS CXP UK1 TRANSFORM M4”. The first thing that I noticed was the motor grip it felt a bit small (for my hands).

After a little bit of more examining I was totally in love with the rifle. I was really impressed about the weight of the rifle it is very light and yet very strong, normally I play with my full-metal HK416 which is very heavy for having it around my neck for a day but this is a game changer for me.

The markings are nice printed on the rifle, the only engraved markings are the selector markings and the markings “Made in Hong Kong”

What I noticed is that the HiCap magazine only works on the Classic Army.

Manufacturer specifications
- High strength polymer receiver
- 12" KeyMod hand guard
- Full length 20mm top rail
- Retractable 6-position adjustable crane stock
- Detachable flip-up front and rear sights
- Railed upper receiver perfect for optics
- Polymer ergonomic motor grip
- Easy spring-change system gearbox with 9mm bearing bushings
- Deans-small Tamiya plug adapter included
- 6.03mm tight-bore inner barrel
- Hi-Capacity magazine included
- In-line MOSFET unit
- Battery and wall charger included (no adapter for EU)
- Length: 770mm-880mm, Adjustable
- Inner Barrel: ~330mm
- Magazine Capacity: 300rd Hi-Capacity. Compatible with Matrix, G&G, Tokyo Marui and other similar M4 / M16 Series.
- Muzzle Velocity: 350~360 FPS (Measured with 0.20g BBs)
- Gearbox: Ver 2 Full Metal, Fully Upgradeable
- Motor: Long Type
- Fire Modes: Semi/Full-Auto, Safety
- Package Includes: Gun, Magazine, 9.6v butterfly battery, wall charger, Manual, barrel stick
- Battery: 9.6v butterfly type recommended (Battery included. Wired to stock tube)
- Hopup: Yes, Adjustable

Straight out of the box

Almost every rifle that you buy you will get a rod to clean your inner barrel, it's a shame that they didn't put any cotton cloths in the box. Included is a little bag of .20 bb's... There is also a manual for how to use and charge your battery and how to use your rifle. In the manual I saw 3 papers for target shooting, they've also put an 2016 catalog with there new models.

An U.S. charger for charging the NiMH battery.

1600 9.6v NiMH battery


High capacity magazine (300 rounds)



Externals


The polymer body feels great, it feels light and solid, i’ve noticed that the hand guard is a little bit loose you can twist the a little bit from the upper receiver.

The rifle looks great it doesn’t look like its made of polymer but it had the looks of an full metal AEG. The rifles are available in Black and Dark Earth finish.


Internals


I saw that the most parts where plastic, like the nozzle and the piston (they are mostly by default made of plastic). The hop up is a nice wheel you can turn if u pull the lever to open the dust cover. The mosfet is located in the tube and is easy to remove or replace.


They use a basic motor, it's a shame that I can't find any specs about it. The inner barrel is a 330mm 6.03 tight-bore, for a basic rifle it is a fine inner barrel


Performance
FPS
After admiring the rifle I did a FPS test with the 9.6v battery, I had a great feeling about this rifle but that was al a dream. I tried first 10bb’s to see what the results were, 230FPS was the first result.

I filled up an mid-cap (120bbs) and fired all bb’s through the chrono, the FPS increased from 230 to 250FPS. I thought if the FPS was increasing why not load more magazines and shoot them all, immediately I saw the FPS rising to 328FPS and that was the limit.

Grouping
Finally had the rifle shooting the max fps (straight out of the box) I decided to do a groupings test. The groupings were wide on a distance of 30m (98 feet) it wasn’t very consistent and it had a little bit of deflection to the left (maybe that the barrel was dirty or the bucking wasn’t properly placed).

Field test



First I’ve tried the rifle on a shooting range and wasn’t very impressed, groupings weren’t consistent even after adjusting the hop up, the gearbox doesn’t sounds very good like it needs a bit grease.

After the shooting range I thought to test it at a skirm, first an FPS test with a LiPo 7.4v (maybe it was better to use a 11.1v LiPo, it was cold so I decided to change to a LiPo), 315FPS.

It was nice to carry a lightweight rifle (always used to carry a JG HK416 Full Metal), in field I was noticing some complications with feeding of the bb’s and the gearbox stops working sometimes and trust me you don’t want that when you are in a battle.

When the weather cleared I switched batteries, LiPo 7.4v to 9.6v NiMH and that was a smart move because after that I hadn’t much problems, sometimes I needed to switch from semi to full auto to schoot again.

The grip is a little bit weird, my middle finger was sour after a whole day playing with de rifle. The hand grip has a nub that pushes my finger against the trigger guard, it was very unpleasant at the end of the day. What I also noticed is that the trigger was a little bit heavy to pull.

At the end of the day I had problems with the selector switch, when on semi it fired full auto and on full auto also full auto. I need to look at that. But that’s not a big issue.

Pricing
USA pricing is around 180 USD. Europe pricing will be around 180-200,- euro. This is really cheap for an AEG like this. Definately a pro!

Pro’s
- Nice polymer body
- Build in Mosfet
- Rate of fire was not bad
- Keymod hand guard
- Range of the rifle was not bad, I think the max distance was 60m (197 feet)
- Flip iron sights
- Cheap priced!

Con’s
- FPS test / grouping test
- Motor grip was hurting my hand after a day of airsoft
- NiMH battery included (I prefer LiPo batteries)
- Heavy trigger
- Magazine felt cheap
- No European adapter for the charger

Conclusion
- I think that this is a good rifle to begin with, the price isn’t to shabby around 180/190 euros.
- I would buy it except if I hadn’t had the knowledge what to do than I would choose another rifle.
- If you want to use LiPo’s I think it would be best to use 11.1v LiPo’s
- Range of the rifle is good

I think you must work on it straight out of the box to get the most out of it, if you change the inner barrel, hopup/bucking and a stronger spring you have a really good rifle.

Grading by Phano_B

Quality: ***
Reliability: ***
Comfort: ****
Value: ****
Overall: ***

Thanks for http://www.iwholesales.co.uk/ for this opportunity!

Introduction
We are privileged to be the first European airsoft news website to write a review about the KRYTAC Trident CRB and SPR. We have seen the KRYTAC models during IWA 2015, however before IWA 2015 (early February) we already received the review samples and started playing around with them. I prefer the longer version (SPR) where our crew member Bas preferred the shorter version (CRB). We heard many stories from the USA where KRYTAC launched first back in 2014. We are exited to review this model and are glad they finally have made it to Europe. We have been playing around with them for nearly 4 months now and made a nice review (including a photoshoot) with our thoughts and experiences. Enjoy and feel free to comments or send us your feedback/experience!

About KRYTAC
KRYTAC, established in Southern California in 2013, is a cutting-edge product development team of the Switzerland-based firearms manufacturer, KRISS Group. Community – Innovation – Excellence – The foundations for which the KRYTAC brand is built upon. KRYTAC’s focus is to cultivate that community with innovative products that lay the foundation of safety, to build shooting skills, and to evolve with the shooter. The KRISS Group’s worldwide perspective stimulates innovation in KRYTAC designs to achieve new levels of efficiency, power, ergonomics, and aesthetics in every product. Every process of development is aimed at offering the best possible ownership experience, from beginning to end, KRYTAC strives for excellence.The KRYTAC team is comprised of highly experienced professionals who have come together for one common goal, to elevate your expectation of performance, value, and service.

Let's see if KRYTAC can deliver what they say to include in this package...

First Impression/Unboxing
Its a nice looking box from KRYTAC; discrete so no one can see what's inside. Opening the box makes me smile because of how neatly packaged it is on top there is a polystyreen foam to cover it all up, (tension is rising) after removing the top there she is, a cute little butterfly of an airsoft gun. Firmly packed is another big layer of polstyreen foam packaging. Taking a look at it and the first thing I notice is the flat black finish on the gun. The package contains a KRYTAC Trident CRB,a highcap mag, front and rear sight's, a hex key to wind the high cap mag, a manual in proper English and a cleaning/unjamming rod. It all comes in very nice as you would expect.

Features
As officially stated by KRYTAC:
The CRB is a versatile carbine length rifle that can be used effectively in close quarters battle and wide open outdoor engagements. The CRB utilizes a 10.5” barrel and 10” free floating, DEFIANCE TR110, keymod hand guard. The DEFIANCE hand guard features three prongs at the front that can be used to brace the gun against barricades, eliminating the need for an aftermarket barricade stop rail accessory. The aluminum receivers feature a stamped KRYTAC logo and a dull matte black finish. Additional features include an ambidextrous fire selector and a locking bolt that provides easy access to the KRYTAC rotary hop-up system.
The KRYTAC rotary hop-up has 15 adjustment settings and a numbered adjustment wheel for a quick reference point to determine how much hop is needed. The KRYTAC adjustable battery stock features two different battery configurations, nunchuck style batteries can fit in the tubes or a small lithium polymer brick battery can fit at the rear of the stock in front of the buttpad. A third battery option for the CRB is a stick battery in the buffer tube. The stock also features two QD sling swivel divots as well as a loop for strap type sling attachments. The CRB features the latest in shooting sports technology and it has the internals to back them up.

Internally, the CRB features a reinforced 8mm ball bearing gearbox with integrated MOSFET to regulate electronic signals and to protect the trigger contacts. The corners of the gearbox that surround the cylinder feature a smooth radius, as opposed to a 90° angle, to prevent fracture. Also, the gearbox shell features a small window on the left side where lubrication can be applied directly to the gears or piston, this window is also convenient for inspecting the angle of engagement with the gearbox fully assembled.Additional gearbox features include a modular spring guide system that will allow the spring to be changed without completely disassembling the gearbox. The KRYTAC piston is made of a durable, lightweight polymer and features 4 metal teeth, with the 2nd to last tooth absent. The Cylinder head is padded with an enlarged rubber bumper to optimize the angle of engagement and to absorb energy form the impact of the piston assembly. The material for the gears have been especially formulated to be very strong, Rockwell test figures on the KRYTAC gears are much higher than industry norms. Turning all of the drive train components is the KRYTAC high torque motor, capable of 30,000 revolutions per minute unloaded.

Features like the numbered hop-up, the MOSFET, the gearbox with rounded corners, quick detach spring release make this AEG a high-end market model. Well thought features, build by and for high-end airsofters.

Specs
First we list the official specs from the Krytac.com website of the Trident CRB:

PERFORMANCE    TRIDENT CRB
Velocity with 0.20g BB     111 MPS / 365+ FPS
Energy Output     1.2 Joules
ROF w/ 11.1V LIPO     20+ RPS

FEATURES    TRIDENT CRB
Threaded Barrel     Yes - 14x1 CCW
Outer Barrel Length     26.67 cm / 10.5"
Inner Barrel Length     280 mm
Inner Barrel Diameter     6.05 mm
Handguard / Rail Length     25.4 cm / 10"
Receiver Material     Aluminum Alloy
Stock Adjustability     6 Positions
Stock Type     KRYTAC Battery Stock

ATTRIBUTES    TRIDENT CRB
Caliber     6mm
Projectile     BB
Overall Length     675 mm (26.5") - 787 mm (31")
Overall Height     223 mm (8.75")
Weight     2.5 kg / 5.5 lbs

Second we list the offical specs of the SPR, we only list the main differences:

PERFORMANCE    TRIDENT SPR
Velocity with 0.20g BB     122 MPS / 480 FPS
Energy Output     1.48 Joules

FEATURES    TRIDENT SPR
Outer Barrel Length     36.83 cm / 14.5"
Inner Barrel Length     383 mm
Handguard / Rail Length     33.02 cm / 13"

ATTRIBUTES    TRIDENT SPR
Overall Length     840 mm (33") - 920 mm (36.25")
Weight     2.7 kg / 5.9 lbs

Externals
I take out the KRYTAC and shoulder it; it feels nice and real sturdy.  No wobbly gun but that is where I’m mistaking. The front rail section is really tight on there. The upper and lower receiver is also a nice and tight fit so it takes me to the stock and there is a slight wobble, not that it is loose but there is a wobble in it unfortunately.

The grip is a small grip and I like it a lot, I have reasonable big hands but it feels great. The Defiance TR110 key mod rails is slim and it feels like it is slim, with other guns with key mod rails the handguard is a bit bulkier then with this one. I can put my hands around it and it fit perfect like it was made for me. Much more elegant when compared to a more bulky ICS PAR MK3. The rails shows "For Airsoft use only" and alligns properly with the upper body.

Putting a battery in the stock is easy it will take less than 30 seconds and a variety of batteries can go in, I have an 11.1 lipo hanging around for almost a year now, I decide to put it in this gun because it has a build in mosfet so I know my trigger contacts won’t burn. The space inside the stock is impressive.It comes with a plastic flashhider and a rather standard mag. The body itself has a nice finish and good looking markings, including a unique serial number. A full metal (aluminum alloy) body with the exceptions of the stock and the pistol grip.

With the defiance keymod rail system it’s a modern looking gun, you can put your favorite piece of accessories on it. The flat black finish is very nice. No color differences on the body and rail section. With the numbered buffer tube it’s easy to remember in what you’re favorite positions of the stock is. The externals are a big plus on this AEG, no big issues; rather impressed actually.

Internals
As far as the internals go on this AEG it is everything you want to do when you upgrade you’re standard gun. Reinforced gearbox, build in mosfet, sorbo padded piston head, angle of engagement is already done, first two teeth of the piston is removed, 8mm ball bearing, hole for lubing up the gears. So consider it done, and no need to take the gearbox open before your hit the playground. Just enjoy and open it when needed.

Taking it to the field
I went out to a local field for a skirm with friends and this was the right opportunity to test and review the gun.  After the briefing we went out and play, I was fiddling with the hopup and when I got It right a nice range was coming out of this gun about 50 meters easily with 0.25 gram bbs and straight as an arrow it went down the field.

A friend’s gun was not hitting the target and he was not happy with it so I lend him the KRYTAC CRB to give it a try and give me feedback of it. Now he was hitting his targets with ease. Gave me back the gun he is certainly checking KRYTAC when he is in need for another gun. Now halve a day is gone and so is my battery, I lend a battery (stick type 7.4 lipo) it fit in the stock so I thank him and kept on playing that day.
After a little while a players gun just stop working completely, I didn’t hesitate for a bit and gave him the KRYTAC, he pulled the trigger and then there was a big smile on his face “damn that’s is a snapy trigger pull“ he said a gave it another go, I told him to put it in full auto and then shoot it again 16+ RPS I told him with a 7.4 lipo. He smiled and gave me back the gun. At the end of the day I was pleasantly surprised that it is that well made. This gun really has proven itself in the field, we really liked all the positive feedback from other local players.

Performance
FPS
Chrono test CRB: a solid 364 fps was measured with 0.2 gram bbs I took about 10 shot to see how the fps would fluctuate in fps measurements. It was almost a perfect score, 8 out of 10 bbs where 364 fps, 1 was 365 fps and 1 was 366 fps.

Shooting/Grouping
Within 15cm2 at a range of 20 meters. You can easily hit a target at 40-50 meters.Thumbs up!

Rate of Fire
Ok now a rate of fire test with a 11.1 lipo put it on full auto and gave it a go prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt the gun goes and a very solid 22.2 rps, again they said because they couldn’t believe it  prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt it goes again and another 22.2 rps . bye bye cute little butterfly and welcome brutal killer. We were shocked that a stock gun rps would be this high wow.

Gallery

Pricing and where to buy?
The release has been around the 9th of May in Europe. By now many retailers already cary stock for the SPR, CRB, PDW and SDP. The SPR costs about 475,- euro, the CRB around 450,- euro. Our partner Airsoft Shop Europe already has plenty of them in store! You might think it's pricy, however do consider this to be a fully tuned and high-end gun ready for combat. 

Pro's
- Good looking flat black finish.
- Shoots very consistently/Consistent FPS.
- Very accurate!
- Good hop-up unit.
- HUGE Range (esspecially for SPR).
- Ambi fire-selector.
- All screws are metric.
- Great licensed keymod rails.
- Windup tool for highcap mag.
- Snappy trigger response.
- Build in MOSFET.
- Impressive Rate of fire for a stock gun.

Con's
- A large stock but it has a wobble... This should be fixed in a second version!
- Quite standard front and rear sight (we prefer flip-up sights for such an high-end gun).
- Quite standard magazine for such a high-end gun.
- Quick change spring is not quick (takes about 30 minutes to exchange). Even a SPECNA arms spring can be switched more easily.
- Standard piccatiny rails to attach on the keymod rails are not included!

Overall
We highly recommend taking a look at KRYTAC’s lineup before you buy a new or your first airsoft gun. We are very pleased with them and they made their way to our default team loud-out. We would like to thank KRYTAC for this review oppurtunity!

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

External links

• Krytac.com
• AirsoftShopEurope

About LCT
LCT Airsoft is a manufacturer that was founded in 2007 and is located in Taiwan. They are a company that is know for there various ultra high quality AK series AEG models, all steel made. They are striving to create replica’s that are realistic and stable in performance. So we have high expectations from them, let's test this AK sample. And see if we can compare it with anything else in the market today. Do they surpass Tokyo Marui? Can they ramp up againt E&L? We will soon find out!

Basic specifications
The externals on the LCT AK74 are great. The wooden handguard is made of black spruce wood. The rest of the gun is steel, no pot metal like other airsoft replicas but steel! That is besides the polycarbonate pistol grip. Overall a very solid replica!

At first sight
Besides the externals feeling very solid and feeling like they can take a beating the also look superb. The ak74 has a very clean and uniformed finish on the steel body, the grip has a Bakelite look to it. When taking it out the box the first thing you notice is the sturdy feel. No rattle, very sturdy selector switch, a satisfying sound when puling the charging handel. On the left side of the body is the pre-installed side mount for scopes and rails. The one thing that looks a little of is the magazine, this does not look like a proper Bakelite magazine.

Whats in the box?
In the box is the replica nicely sandwiched in cardboard, a typical unjamming/cleaning rod and a 130 round midcap magazine as well as a manual.

Lower / Upper
Under top cover is place to fit a stick type battery, the battery connector is a mini Tamiya. That’s the only part we changed before bringing it to the field as all our battery’s a wired to deans. in the past the space under the top cover might have seemed small, but now a days running lipo battery’s the space is plenty. You can easily run a 1200/1300 mah lipo.

Hopup
The Ak74 VN is fitted with a sliding type ak hop-up witch is situated behind the bolt. It is easily accessible by pulling the bolt back. The hop-up is easily en precisely adjusted. For a gun out of the box it performs well. The range and accuracy for a stock aeg is good. We did not feel the need to change anything before taking it out to the field.

Gearbox
The LCT gearbox received a nice upgrade from previous versions. The gears are of course made of a heat treated steel, with LCT stamped into the sector gear. The gears are not anything special, just your average 18:1 gear set. The gearbox shell is high quality aluminium. The bearings are 9mm ball bearings. The piston is a pleasant surprise, it is steel teeth in a polycarbonate piston. The only disappointment in the piston that I have is there is no reinforcement behind the pickup tooth and the angel of engagement can be approved.
My gripe with the new gearbox is sticking with the thin gauge wiring. I would prefer LCT use 16 AWG Teflon wiring. But for the aeg shooting 314 fps the currenct wiring is more then sufficient. By the way, the Mini Deans connectors pictured are not included with the gun. As usual with airsoft gun manufacturers, the gun comes with mini Tamiya connectors instead. The cylinder is very nice and holds a consistent air seal with the double o-ring cylinder head, ported aluminum piston head, and o-ring air nozzle.
The spring seems to be a M90 by my guesstimation, shooting around 300-307 with .20g BBs. 

The spring guide is also a step up from previous models wich where made of plastic with a metal washer on it, This one is a metal ball bearing springuide.
The inner barrel is a normal 455mm br barrel with a 6.02mm diameter. Used in correlation with the plastic hop up unit, it contributes to a good air seal and FPS.

FPS test straight out of the box
The FPS straight out of the box is a nice 314 +- 4 fps with a .2 gram bb. Perfect for most European countries. It is easily used for woodland and CQB with this speed. As mentioned earlier the gearbox can handle a tougher spring to bring the fps up if needed.

Field test
The AK already withstood rough use being run in a 40 hour milsim event and some regular skirms. Overall, I am very impressed with the external build of this gun.

Price
After a little research I saw a price point of 320,- to 350,- EURO here in Europe. 

Pro’s
- Superbly build 
- Steel construction/real wood
- Accurate out of the box
- Good range 
- Straight to the field

Con’s
- Mini Tamiya. We prefer deans or even mini-deans.
- Plasticy midcap.
- Angel of engagement of the piston not optimal.
- Thin wiring not the best quality wiring.

Conclusion


Grading
Quality: ****

Reliability: ****

Comfort: ****


Value: ****

Price: ****


Overall: ****

Thanks LCT Airsoft for this review sample! http://www.lctairsoft.com/

Introduction
We had the privilege to review the ICS TransforM4. This is their next model, the ICS PAR MK3. Comes with mostly the same features, however with two big differences. Positive differences! Read all about this improved new model, which is worldwide available by now!


First of all I would like to thank ICS for providing this review sample. After some troubles with the TransforM4, we were pleased to receive this new review sample. Thanks for your support and effort for this review!

Facts and features
Let’s start with the facts of this rifle. What is this AEG able to? These are the stock specifications listed in the ICS online catalogue and the additional manual supplied with the gun. Later on in the review we will test this AEG to the max to check these specs.

Product Name: ICS PAR MK3
Model Number: ICS-292 PAR MK3 R MTR Proline (MK1400616)
Weight: 3350.0gr
Length/Retractable: 930/835mm
Barrel lenght: 375mm
Barrel diameter: 6.04mm
Mag capacity: 300 BBs TMAG
Bullet: 6mm BB
Spring: M120
Battery Type: Lipo 7.4V/11.1V (depending on specific local market requirements)
Material: Full metal

History
ICS have announced that they have created a new collaboration with PRO ARMS Armory, from the Czech Republic. They have acquired the official authority to manufacture a full-metal, 1:1 scale airsoft replica of the PAR MK3. This MK3 model is based on the original PAR MK1, launched on the market in 2008. A great development since mostly ICS guns come with ICS trademarks.The new series includes both black and dark earth versions, in a variety of styles. There are some issues with the battery stock in former TransforM4 models. This seems to be addressed and solved in this promissing new rifle! See an impression of the real steel PRO ARMS MK3 below.



First Impression
My first thoughts when I saw this rifle; I was truely impressed when I took the gun out of the box and immediatly checked all the mistakes of the previous model TransforM4. It feels way more realistic with proper trade marks on it. I was also astonished by the metal body, it is a great feeling and it makes the gun rock solid! The trademarks of PRO ARMS Armory look very nice. They are both laser printed and that gives a nice professional look. Overall the first few seconds were exiting.

We did notice a slight wobble between the receivers. We checked this with other models and it seems just this review sample has a slight wobble. So nothing to worry about!

Externals
The metal body feels sturdy, just like a metal body should be. The metal body adds a lot of weight to it and makes it cold to the touch, giving the user an added sense of realism. The body is also robust confirm the 1:1 scale of the real steel PRO ARMS fire arm. A nice authentic look. Finish on the body is properly, check the photo below where the metal body shines :)

The hop-up is similar to the TransforM4 model. ICS designed the gun to have multiple options to meet every need. The rifles are available in either a black or tan finish. They also have four different variaties of barrel/rail lengths as their reel steal counter parts. We name them full length, mid length, carbine, and CQB from longest to shortest respectively. The full length rifle is ideal for field use, the mid-length is a great all around platform, the carbine is great for tight areas, and the CQB features a barrel that is flush with the rail system giving a very unique look and the ability to mount a recessed mock suppressor. All of the guns feature ICS's legendary split gearbox design giving you a completely modular platform.

[Hop-Up unit with dust cover open]


Something unique to this rifle is that it comes rear wired out of the box. ICS engineered a new buffer tube designed to conceal the wire and allow a buffer tube style Li-Po battery to fit in the back. The battery is stocked at the back of the rifle in the new designed MTR stock. The stock is made really nice and looks perfect. The material used feels good and sturdy. The stock can fit most Li-Po batteries. From 7.4V tot 11.1V. The stock pad is nicely finished with a rubber pad. All hasstle on the TransforM4 is solved! :)


[Stock with battery]


The grips also looks and feel properly. It has a nice finish and solid grip. A pleasant hold for a guy like me with big hands. The sights look cool and are easy to use. I like the quick flip-up feature. A minor thing is that the sights are all plastic, some might prefer and expect metal sights with this high end gun.


[Grip & sights]


Magazine's are also very important. What about a gun without BB's and a lot of feeding problems? Useless! Therefore we also take a quick look at the magazine included in this package.The mags are not standard, they are special socalled T-Magazines (TMAG) like we are used to with the ICS TransforM4. The 300-rounds mags provide huge firepower. The mags have a nicee grip and a nice additional feature is the windows on both sides. This way you can easily check the remaining amount of BB's in the mag.

The magazine fits needly into the metal body. Fits good and feeding went well. We did not yet try the PAR MK3 with other standard mags. We will do this in the near future. Costs for an ICS T-Magazine are around 25,- EURO which is quite ok.


Internals
We did not yet do an internal investigation because the gun didn't need to have one. So far no internal problems, when we need to fix something, we will add our impressions to this review. The split gearbox comes in standard with ICS and is a big plus when things do go wrong. Learned that one with our ICS TransforM4.

Usage
This PAR MK3 is really a pleasure to use during the games. I now tried it for a couple of weeks and it just works fine! No jams, no feeding problems, no broken parts, no hop-up problems etc. So the mechanical side of the gun is just fine. I am also very satisfied about the performance of the gun. I did not experience any outrange by other rifle's :) Also the accuracy and the reliability is something where you can count on with this gun.

The external feel and handling is also good, it is quite heavy (a sling is recommended), but that's the way it is. You really feel you've got a rifle between your hands! Besides many people argue that a rifle is way to long during the games. This is offcourse always a matter of taste and habituation but personally I don't think this gun is TOO long for outdoor usage, maybe also because I am about 1.95m.




Performance
FPS
Off course we did also a FPS test. We need to mention that we received a quite customized rifle for the Dutch Market. Optimized to get really close to our 360 FPS limit. Therefore we operate the gun on a 7.4V Li-Po and tested the rifle with 0.20gr GreenBB BBs. Results are consistant (that's the most important part) and around 350 FPS.

Grouping
Grouping is a very important issue and here are our test results in the field. Due to the lenght of the rigle the grouping is very accurate. We were already impressed with the ICS TransforM4, the ICS PAR MK3 equals this performance. Logic since technically it's nearly the same AEG. A big plus on the long distance grouping!

Pro's

- Convenient to switch battery! ICS quickly learned from the TransforM4 ;)
- Great metal body with fully licensed trademarks. Unique from ICS, and certainyl a big improvement on their guns. Also the receivers and the harndguard are 1:! scaled from the real firearm. We are looking forward to more fully licensed products from ICS.
- Standard T Magazine, inter changeable with ICS TransforM4.
- Comes packed with features standard! Like the enlarged trigger guard, ambidextrous charging handle, nice MTR stock, double sie ring sling mount, split gearbox, TMAG, spring release function, standard upgraded internal, nice pistol grip etc. etc.
- In game update (18/05/2015): Great range!

Con's

- Stock tube position 1 and 2 not operational (due to battery rubber block on the tube)
- The EBB System is very minimal compared to for example the Bolt BRSS system or an GBB rifle.
- On our model there was a slight wobble between the upper and lower receiver. We checked this with other PAR MK3 models at Unit 13 Airsoft Shop, and all was fine. Seems to be a minor mistake just on our review sample.
- The stock tube with the battery and the fuse are a tight fit!
- The multi purpose plastic wrapping inside the box isn't what we expected from such an high end gun.
- We stil did find some ICS Airsoft trade marks on the rifle (for example on the stock).
- In game update (18/05/2015): Might be a bit heavy after a day of intense game play...

Overall
The PAR MK3 is indeed an improvement, compared to the TransforM4. It comes with offcial trademarks by PRO ARMS Armory. It does have a proper way to change batteries and is packed with great features standard. The pricetag of around 400 EURO is quite heavy, but we totally agree with that pricetag and really think it's worth it. It is simply done right the first time :)

Having seen many many M4 models the past year, the PAR MK3 will definitely stay in my personal collection. It overruled the ICS TransforM4, but also my CAA M4 and the good old CA M15A4 rifle. I wonder how it stands against our Bolt M4 BRSS and the KRYTAC Trident M4 SPR, I will write a comparison review in the near future!

You can't go wrong with this one! You just need a few more extra accesoires like a scope, sling and maybe a nice tactical light. Than you are good to go. ICS re-established their leadership in the industry and quickly fixed the issues with the TransforM4. Glad they are back!

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


External links

• http://icsbb.com/
• http://www.icsbb.com/web_e/html/06_news/show.aspx?num=375