Tokyo Marui Losing Popularity

[FlyingCats]

Originally Posted by Styrak

That's OK, because Tokyo Marui doesn't give shit about you (us) either

QFT AND sigged.

[Screen]

I think that another reason TM dropped in popularity is that they carried the most "vanilla" models. If you want something a bit unique on the field you almost have to look at other suppliers.

[yuhaoyang]

Just cause they carried common stuff didn't mean they didn't have uncommon stuff avalible...

[EternaL ¤Design]

I understand those staying away from TM guns all together. As some of my friends said, you'll pay a ridiculous price for a plastic gun that you will need to upgrade anyway for it to be competitive and to fix the few problems you might have with their mechbox. Although it might have the best mechbox in the airsoft world, a TM gun will still need some 50-100$ worth of upgrades.

So you'll pay around 600$ for a very good gun indeed, but you'll also soon realize that you will have to upgrade it to fully enjoy its greatness. The same can be said for what... 90% of airsoft guns.. True, but most won't cost you 600$. Just take a freaking Kraken for example. You can get a kraken for 120$, change EVERYTHING in it, and for about the price of a stock TM AK, you'll get something that is better and made of metal and wood if you're a little lucky.

Quality wise, TM are still the best, but like all high end AEGs, they suffer from the clones that are now every-freaking-where, at 1/3 or 1/2 of the price... Kids are buying airsoft guns like crazy and newcomers simply wanting to test the sport, are buying clones that they will upgrade later instead of buying CA, TM etc...

Its no real surprise for me to see TM and some other high end AEGs having problems selling their stuff. Especially in Canada. My first gun will be a VFC, a TM, a KWA or a CA. I'm not interested in buying a JG or any other cheap clone. But all the guns I'm looking for are 600+$ stock. They will need some upgrades or some parts that are simply not included with the gun. But I'm ready to take the plunge and be serious about this. And out of the 9 guys I know that are interested in the sport, I'm the only one ready to dish out so much money right off the bat. But that's airsoft for you, you have both choices really. Go cheap, or go deep.

[ujiro]

Originally Posted by EternaL ¤Design

I understand those staying away from TM guns all together. As some of my friends said, you'll pay a ridiculous price for a plastic gun that you will need to upgrade anyway for it to be competitive and to fix the few problems you might have with their mechbox. Although it might have the best mechbox in the airsoft world, a TM gun will still need some 50-100$ worth of upgrades.

I could not disagree with you more. TM boxes do not need a single upgrade or repair out of the box. They are a dream right away. They perform great and super reliable. Yes, you don't get 350-400 fps, but you don't even need that anyways.
You are paying for the fact that you don't need to upgrade if you don't want to, ever, and you don't have to worry, will it work or not? Will anything break after I use it for a while? They are good at bone stock forever.

[EternaL ¤Design]

Originally Posted by ujiro

I could not disagree with you more. TM boxes do not need a single upgrade or repair out of the box. They are a dream right away. They perform great and super reliable. Yes, you don't get 350-400 fps, but you don't even need that anyways.
You are paying for the fact that you don't need to upgrade if you don't want to, ever, and you don't have to worry, will it work or not? Will anything break after I use it for a while? They are good at bone stock forever.

I know 5 guys who are using TM airsofts, none kept their TM stock. I would keep a TM stock for indoor use no problem, but for outdoor, 280 fps is too low. If you want to use .25 grams bb's to go through bushes and stuff, you'll need something that can pack a bigger punch. I don't think that you need anymore than 350 fps for outdoor games if you have a good hop-up and tightbore and barrel.

But you might want a hotter gun if you want to use some heavier bb's. A 280 fps gun using .25 grams BB's will drop to 200 fps. Might be a little ridiculous don't you think? TM is high quality and their stock 280 fps AEGs are gonna outshoot most 330 fps average AEGs. But still, its only because its TM. If you depend more on your gun than on yourself (using cover etc...) you won't really do well VS guys who are using 370 fps CA of KWA AEGs.
If I want to buy a gun and never have to worry about mechbox upgrades, I'd be tempted to go for KWA over TM, but TM is still more reliable. No wonder, shooting at 280 fps won't stress your mechbox that much.

[demco11]

With the flood of the TM compatible guns such as Jing Gong and other TM copy brands, it does not surprise me that the popularity and sales of Tokyo Marui guns have dropped in North America.

[arcanuck]

Tokyo Marui is still my first choice for reliability and quality.

[AngelusNex]

Honestly, the whole hype about TMs having legendary reliability is fairly BS. ANY low-mid to high end gun with stock TM spring will last forever. My friend has a firepower P90 he got for indoor plinking. It is ALL plastic internals, gears, box AND cylinder, we CANNOT break it even with a firefox lipo fully charged and firing dry for up to a minute at a time (we stop cause the battery starts to warm up) it probably on survived due to the 230ish fps powered spring it has, does that make firepower P90's one of the best guns out there?

[Styrak]

Originally Posted by EternaL ¤Design

But you might want a hotter gun if you want to use some heavier bb's. A 280 fps gun using .25 grams BB's will drop to 200 fps. Might be a little ridiculous don't you think?

You've never had any real experience with that have you?
A stock TM gun firing 280fps will drop to about 250fps. But yes I agree that's too low for outdoor.

[T_A_N_K]

Originally Posted by Sepulcrum

Honestly, the whole hype about TMs having legendary reliability is fairly BS. ANY low-mid to high end gun with stock TM spring will last forever. My friend has a firepower P90 he got for indoor plinking. It is ALL plastic internals, gears, box AND cylinder, we CANNOT break it even with a firefox lipo fully charged and firing dry for up to a minute at a time (we stop cause the battery starts to warm up) it probably on survived due to the 230ish fps powered spring it has, does that make firepower P90's one of the best guns out there?

Exactly. TM's are great stock as they are designed for the Japanese FPS market and any designer will make it their product be able to handle even more stress than it was original intended to, IE 300-350 FPS. Just keep in mind, once you slap in a upgrade part, its not longer a TM. Its a TM with a M110 in it, or its a TM with a Systema blah blah. I still think TM's make great guns anyone with a TM M14 will tell you that. I still think today its their best out of the box gun. Its a workhorse, you couldn't break it even if you tried.

[sopmod]

Other thing we have to consider, is that there are acually "made in Japan", not China matufactured...of course, it makes price high.

their models are very basic, but internals are one of the best in the market. except low fps, there is nothing you have to replace with after market parts.

[LUTNIT]

G&P has been coming out with more and more upgrade parts for TM M14's, I wouldn't be surprised if they released an M14 based on TM's instead of G&G's flawed design that CA based theirs off of.

[SHÖCK]

Look at the biggest sellers on most American sites and it's all the cheap guns, CYMA, Big Elephant, etc. and then Chinese clones like JG, etc.

It's just the market.

[TCLP]

Clone guns have only started to be promenant in Canada since about 2005 when UTG mp5's were being sold. I had one as my first AEG and they weren't bad. It chrono'd at about 350. Then I got a TMP90 as a grad gift. Shot about 260 with .25s And it outranged the Mp5! Also most aftermarket parts are designed to fit with TM. The Guarder KAC RIS I got for my G&G had to have the barrel nut modded since the G&G buffer tube is larger than a TM buffer tube.