14 minute read
ARMOURY: TM H&K MP5 NGRS
SHOCK AND AWE-SOME!
SHOCK AND AWE-SOME!
BILL AND MARCUS TAKE A LOOK AT THE LATEST “NEXT GENERATION RECOIL SHOCK” REPLICA OF ONE OF THEIR FAVOURITE AIRSOFT REPLICAS, THE HECKLER & KOCH MP5 FROM TOKYO MARUI THAT’S HITTING STORES RIGHT NOW!
It is often stated that the most iconic and easily recognised firearm in the world today is the venerable AK47 and, much as this might be true, in my mind it is very closely followed by the diminutive “Maschinenpistole 5” first designed by Heckler & Koch GmBH in 1964.
Pretty much every airsofter I know either owns or has owned an MP5 replica during their airsofting “career” and said ownership is somewhat a rite of passage. I have owned early plastic versions, sold them, moved up to full metal versions and there is still one lurking at the back of the gun room. It rarely comes out to play these days but the electric MP5 has been with us for an awfully long time now and has, for many of us, been involved in some epic skirmishes - both at home and abroad!
So, what makes this little SMG such a “must have” for any airsofter? The simple reason is that it has been used by military and police forces worldwide, has appeared in the hands of most screen “action heroes” and, of course, was the firearm carried by the SAS on that fateful day on May 5th 1980 when they stormed the Iranian Embassy. It’s been used by the SAS, by the USN SEAL Teams, GSG-9 and virtually every special operations unit in the western world and even today we see the MP5 in the hands of our firearms trained police officers. Whatever your style of airsoft loadout, the MP5 fits it.
NEARLY 60 YEARS ON!
During the early to mid-1960s it became apparent to security forces worldwide that the rise in terrorist atrocities was a trend that they had to counter and for this reason many police and military units started the hunt for a lightweight, accurate, pistol calibre sub-machinegun (SMG). The Germans had a bit of a history with SMGs and “machine pistols” and two companies, Carl Walther Waffenfabrik in Ulman-Donau and Heckler and Koch (H&K) GmBH in Obendorf-am-Necker were at the forefront of the development process.
Initially, the Walther MPL and MPK (basically a long and short version of the same firearm) seemed to have the edge as the design was already finalised in 1963. In 1964 though, the first designs of the MP5 from H&K started filtering through - and the rest, as they say, is history.
H&K looked at the successful G3 rifle designs and then adapted things so make use of the 9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge. The MP5 was created within this group of firearms and was initially known as the HK54. First created in 1964, the H&K MP5 was developed as a pistol-calibre, blowback operated, roller-locked member of the H&K weapons system and in 1966 it was officially adopted by the German Federal Police, border guard and army special forces.
The model replicated in airsoft form by VFC under the Umarex brand is the basic 9x19mm NATO (Luger, Parabellum) MP5A3, the workhorse in the extensive family of MP5 submachine guns. Like all H&K firearms the MP5 is a modular design that allows the assembly groups, to include butt stock, trigger group and forearm to be exchanged on a common receiver by the user in the field to reconfigure it for varying mission requirements, mostly without resorting to tools.
The real MP5A3 has an 8.85 inch barrel, is 21.00 inches in length with the retractable stock closed and weighs only 2.55kg unloaded. It can be fired in some of the variants in semi-automatic, 2 or 3-round burst or fully automatic mode, depending on the trigger group mounted and at a cyclic rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute. The “Navy” variants of the MP5A3 can be fitted with optional suppressors which reduce the sound signature by more than 38 dB and allows it to be fired immediately upon emergence from the water.
In repeated and exhaustive testing, the MP5 has proven capable of firing more than 30,000 rounds without a single stoppage or parts failure and it is not uncommon to find MP5s still serving with in excess of 500,000 rounds through the original barrel and receiver!
Still being regarded of as one of the most reliable and effective submachine guns in the world after nearly fifty years, has seen the MP5 become the choice of the world’s most famous elite anti-terrorist, special operations and special law enforcement organisations. While more modern submachine guns have been designed since the introduction of the MP5 it is still the user’s choice when lives are at stake. Now that’s some BIG shoes to replicate - so how does the new Toyo Marui take stand up to scrutiny? I’ll hand off to Marcus to provide the lowdown…
GOOD TO GO
As Bill stated earlier, the MP5 is probably one of the most popular airsoft replicas out there and pretty much every manufacturer offers at least one variant - some have been fabulous whilst others have most definitely been pretty sour lemons! Developed by Tokyo Marui as part of their ongoing “Next Generation Recoil Shock or NGRS” program, I am going to come straight out and say that their take on the classic MP5 is probably the best I’ve ever seen!
To start with the box, it’s a normal TM-style box with H&K MP5 on the front of it, and inside there is the AEG, and a small box that says “9mm Parabellum” that has the usual small bag of 0.20g BBs, a muzzle cap and a sight adjustment tool. There are two cut-outs for magazines but there is only one included with the AEG, and there is a box with a suppressor adapter and two plastic shims for it. Inside the lid are the instructions for it, and these would be great if they were in English because for the operating system it would be really useful to know how to use it… fully good old TM!
The look and feel is great with typical TM attention to detail, and we’ll start at the collapsible stock which is well-made and strong; the butt pad is well made and looks just like the real thing, this being the MP5A5 variant, but as it has just two positions on the stock it’s a bit limited if you’re used to an AR-style, but there again this was intended for CQB and super-swift deployment! At the back of the receiver cap there is the stock release catch which you simply rotate to the right to change the position of the stock, again well-made and it looks and feels pretty strong. Then we get to the grip and safety catch; again this is the later type with no finger grooves and is more of a basic grip assembly four positions for Safe/Semi/3 Round
which has the selector: Burst/Full Auto (more about the 3 round burst later). The selector catch is well made and moves positively.
Forward of the grip is the magazine well and this is part of the receiver. This is the only part I can find fault with (it’s probably just me being a bit picky), as this is metal but of moulded construction and I was hoping that TM would have used a steel stamping, just like the real thing. Other than that, it’s not bad and they have put into the moulding all the welds and pins that it should have in it.
The magazine catch is of the usual MP5/G3 type (i.e. it’s a dual system) and there is a push button on the right hand side like the AR platform type magazine catches; it also has at the bottom of the lower immediately behind the magazine itself a leverstyle catch that must be pushed forward to release the magazine. The magazine must be inserted and pushed up to engage fully, again just like the real thing. Above this on the right hand side is the ejection port; this opens to allow access to the hop unit and is of a different colour which looks great. To access this you have to pull back and up the charging handle and lock it open, again just like the real thing and, unlike most other MP5s on the market, you can do the “HK Slap” without breaking the charging handle as it seems to be very strong.
The front grip (which is also the battery compartment) is well made and held in buy a standard H&K cotter pin. This compartment is big enough for a 7.4v 1450mah LiPo to fit in nicely and this is the
first TM that is set up to take LiPo batteries as standard! The muzzle is nicely crafted and is the standard tri-lock type that H&K pioneered and works with the suppressor adapter in the box. All you need to do is push the adapter on, pull back on it and twist and it locks on, just like it should. To remove it, you simply pull back on the adapter and twist the opposite way and off it comes! The thread
on the adapter is a standard M14
CCW, so any standard tracer or suppressor should fit.
The magazine is sturdy and holds 72 BBs in it and (the same as all the other TM recoils) has an empty-mag-cut-out built into it, so when you’re out of ammo you have to pull back and lock the charging handle, swap out mags and then slap down the charging handle to start shooting again. It’s a very nice system.
Now it’s time for me to rant a little…
The new “M-SYSTEM” has a microcomputer (MCU = microcontroller unit) which monitors and controls the Mosfet, FC (Fire Control), battery and the motor. It not only monitors information from seven sensors and various voltages to switch shooting mode and control the rotation of the motor, but also has safety features which detect damage or abnormality to stop operation. It’s a great system - as long as you don’t do anything stupid like change the battery connections and inadvertently reverse the polarity which, at time of writing, is exactly what has happened to one gun I’ve already been sent to repair! It’s blown the Mosfet and that’s it, the gun won’t work at all! I hear you ask “Why can’t you just replace the Mosfet?” but there lies a problem… TM will not send replacement technology out of Japan, instead asking that you send the whole gun back to them to be repaired… Good luck with that one in the present climate! This might seem that I’m having a go at TM but I’m really not! If you were to go to, say, a major car manufacturer and said to them I want to see your newest suspension system, they would probably tell you where to go - and quite rightly so! TM is just protecting their innovative technology and their business which allows them to create more unique models. All I’m saying is if you do want to change things like the battery connection (to say, Deans), make sure that you check the battery polarity before you connect the battery because if you blow it, then you’re screwed! I would say in the future someone like GATE or Jefftron will probably make an uprated Mosfet for it, but just not at the moment.
After all is said and done the TM MP5 is a great looking and performing EG. It is weighty and handles well and any standard sight mounts and accessories will fit although the open sights look and work great . The three round burst is a useful addition to have on a SMG and saves on BBs, especially as the only mags available at the moment are the 72 count ones; undoubtedly there will be a Hi-cap mag at some point but it’s not out yet.
I love the feel of this AEG! The recoil is just like the other TM NGRS but because it is a lot shorter, the recoil on full auto makes it more difficult to keep the gun on target - just like it should be! The three round burst is nice and snappy and gives you a better option than full auto, especially as the mag capacity is restricted.
On the whole I believe the TM MP5 is great and, as far as I’m concerned, I would not do anything to it other than may be changing the battery terminals to Deans but, as I’ve said, be careful if you do this! Other than that, its great, just what we have come to expect from the one of the best airsoft companies in
the business!
Now I’ll hand back to Bill for the range test…
DOWNRANGE!
As always, when you have a superb-looking replica, you can’t help but mentally wince in case the performance doesn’t live up to the good looks. In the past I’ve seen some truly stunning-looking replicas that ultimately spat BBs with all the venom of a lazy worm - and the accuracy of a ballista!
However, with this MP5 the performance is every bit as good as its rakish good looks!
A 72 BB magazine is included in the package and with the hop set it’s simply a case of pop in the battery, engage safety, insert the magazine and you are ready to rock n’ roll - and this is where the fun REALLY starts! I would always advise anyone with an MP5 electric replica NEVER to engage in the “H&K slap” used to release the working parts in the real thing, due to the fragility of the cocking handle and, to be on the safe side, I’d say the same thing here - although the TM does feel pretty darn sturdy.
Using .20g BBs the MP5 gave a mean chronograph reading of 0.83 Joule/299fps, which was very (Marui) consistent and obviously perfectly site friendly, especially for CQB encounters. Setting the fire selector to semi-auto and easing the trigger sends BBs downrange well, and for something with a relatively short inner barrel the MP5 is quite astonishingly (Marui again!) accurate, hitting sandbag targets easily at 30m. Switching things to three round is great as an effective, controlled option but hit full-auto and… Oh my goodness me! This thing is a little BB-spitting monster! Believe me, the first time you use this mode you WILL be shocked by both the rate of fire and the “recoil thump” you get in the shoulder.
Overall, I’d agree with Marcus, that the TM MP5 NGRS is one heck of a replica and I can really see it coming into its own in a MilSim or even training situation. It’s not the cheapest replica out there, as you can expect to pay iro £500 for one (with spare mags being relatively expensive too) but you are getting an absolutely huge amount for your money.
The MP5 looks great, is superbly finished and put together and functions flawlessly. It’s honestly as close to the real thing as you’ll find in an electric replica and this, I believe, will make it attractive not only to airsoft players but also to historical re-enactors, as a good De-Ac is going to cost a whole lot more. Whichever camp you sit in, as a replica the TM MP5A5 NGRS is nigh on as perfect as you’ll get without going down the gas route! AA
