This is a brain dump...and maybe some useful notes for someone looking into these rifles. It is not meant as a review per se...but I guess it sort of turned out like that.
First off, these are not "Cansoft" or "hybrids"...
these are full metal "good old fashioned" AEGs. Cansoft sucks..."sportline"-ized rifles suck. The good 'ol rifles have been missing for far too long.
I've seen the outsides and insides of a fair share of guns...from $80 clone-crap to Cansoft to $400 waste of money GBBRs to "good old" stuff to multi thousand dollar setups. From TM to CA to G&G to ICS to Star to AGM to WE to PTW to Ino to KA to custom to whatever else I've forgotten. So I think I've got a decent basis for commenting on these rifles.
I am not going to take a bazillion gun-pron photos (look at marketing stuff for that). I'm am not going to "detail" every aspect of the rifle...I'll let someone else with more time do that.
If you've handled a couple of guns...if you're familiar with what's important and what's not really with things...then these comments will make sense. If you're living in a Walmart clearsoft coccoon then reading this is a waste of time for you...and we (I) don't really care if you exist or not anyways
I had the chance to fiddle with several of each model the other night. A couple of other local gun-techs were there as well and the following are the summary of their comments (heavily weighted to my own I suppose).
The rifles were disassembled and the mechboxes opened, checked out and the rifle reassembled and test fired.
First off...the VFC M4 Sopmod is a breeze to work on. The SR16 and SCARS...not so beginner friendly.
Secondly...after spending a couple of hours tearing into a number of rifles, one thing is very obvious.
VFC has taken a lot of time/effort to look at and address the finishing touches of things. These are the little things that don't show up on a spec sheet of FPS or ROF.
Fit, finish and externals...are FREAKING AWESOME.
I was very, very impressed with all three rifles.
Both the SR16 and the Sopmod have the locking fake bolt that you can trip forward by pressing the bolt release lever...a la King Arms body. Retained body pins (similar to KA bodies). Some of the nicer rifles I've picked up and looked at are King Arms....they're just "pretty" and so well done externally....and I'd put these right there with those.
The SR16 is gorgeous. Deep trades, ambi mag release (solid), ambi selector lever, ambi bolt release. Beefed up trigger guard, numbered rail positions, flip up sights, QR sling attachment point...body ridges where they're supposed to be. I opened the
hard plastic case that it comes in....held it...and I was speechless for a bit (rarity for me). It is that nice.
The M4 Sopmod has laser printed trades (I think...can't recall now?). Very nice fit and finish, solid RIS, butstock is firm and locks into each position positively. More of a "run of the mill" M4...but I'd peg this model as being right up there with the nicer ones.
The SCARs (L/H) are gorgeous. If you want a SCAR...this is one to get. Solid. Even with the gabizillion parts to the stock...it's a sturdy setup. Nice spring loaded contact pins to connect the mechbox to the stock battery. Battery compartment is tight...nice place to consider a LiPo. I'm not a SCAR guy...and I almost bought one last night.
If I had a bunch of money in my pocket that evening...I would have bought the SR16 and a TAN SCAR L right there and then. If I could have only bought one...I would have bought the SR16 (it's freaking trick). As it turned out I had a total of $5 in my wallet...so I doged that bullet.
Mechbox:
WOW...I was impressed again. Not necessarily because of the individual components, but in the overall "package" that you get for a mechbox and motor. Often when you get an awesome external package...the internals are poorly done to keep costs down. My impression was that VFC matched a very decent mechbox to a very nice setup.
Obviously, between the SR16 and M4 Sopmod you're going to see the same mechbox/motor. But some fine touches separate them. The SR16 has the through gearing setup so both selectors actually work. That's nice...but let me tell you...it's not the easiest setup to put back together until you get the hang of it. Once you've got the knack of it...no problems.
Innovation (well, at least to me)...is nice, and VFC has done something really neat with these mechboxes. The spur gear (big flat one) is spring loaded...so it is shimmed on the "bottom" and spring loaded with a collar around the axel on the "top". No fiddling with shimming that side...neat...and it works. The other gears look very nice...we didn't run them enough to wear test them, but they "sound" nice. The cylinder is chromed and "M4" ported.
Blahbidyblah-ramble on about other parts.
To note...VFC has used a high speed (2nd tooth removed) clear polycarbonate piston, tappet and hopup unit. Personally...I'm not crazy about this material unless it's a big blocky chunk of it...but it certainly held up for the testing that we did. The tappet will flex...evidenced by when you crack open a mechbox and the tappet is wanged way up out of position by a sector chip (standard installed). The hopup is snug and feeds...time will tell I suppose.
Ball bearing spring guide - odd...the M4 Sopmod has a retaining screw screwed into the back of the spring guide when the mechbox is closed up....but the SR16 doesn't. More notes on assembling the stock in the next section.
The mechbox is a hefty sucker. Reminds me of a CA mechbox. The solid black metal bushings must be 8mm minimum. What struck me with these mechboxes in general was the consistently very nice assembly between one mechbox to the next. There's min TWO quality control marks (assembler's initials) on each mechbox. There's a cut out slot on the left side of the mechbox where you can get something into there and release the anti-reversal latch...nice touch. If it's any indication as to the accuracy of the mechbox shell casting...the parts stay in place while you are closing it up...no jack in the box frustrations.
ThunderCatus would like this touch...the mechbox screws are regular philips screws.
The motor is a no-lable red unit. The magnets are very strong (i.e. suck all the screws/pins/bits laying around and you've got to use two hands to pull them off).
Assembly/Disassembly:
Mechboxes drop in nicely to the bodies, screw holes line up, screws are solid (not self-disintegrating types like others), parts fit together with minimal clearance. Gun to gun...assembly is very consistent. What else could you ask for?
Bodies are straight...mechboxes sit straight in the bodies. Nice...no wrestling with it. Pins are snug, but fit without a hammer (maybe a little nudge with a plastic hammer now and then
).
The way the stock pipe on the SR16 and M4 Sopmod attach is worth note. There is a nut in the end of the inside of the body stub....and the stock pipe screw engages this nut and doesn't screw through into the mechbox spring guide. Sort of like a Star M4...but nicer finishing.
It's not hard to get the mechbox out of the SCAR...but it's a pain in the ass to get it back in with the selector levers lined up on both sides. It will drive you nuts....right up until you figure out the trick to it
. Come on...if a 5yr old Asian kid working on an assembly line can do it...so can you. But it stumped all 4 of us for a while until we got it....LOL
Shooting:
It shoots nice. ROF on a mini 9.6v 600mAh was very quick. Feeding was excellent. The guns sound "nice"
That's all for now...comments on L85's, MP5's, SIG's, AK's and probably others to come.