OLD SKOOL... STILL COOL

AS STEWBACCA HAS HEADLINED THIS MONTH WITH THE VERY LATEST GAS MP5 WE THOUGHT IT ONLY CORRECT TO OFFER ANOTHER VERSION, BUT THIS TIME AEG! STICKING WITH THAT “OLD SKOOL MP5 VIBE” BILL GETS STUCK INTO ONE OF THE MOST RECENT POLYMER MODELS FROM SECUTOR, AND FINDS A LOT TO LIKE… AND A LOT TO REMINISCE ABOUT IT WOULD SEEM!

Iknow that I go on about the “airsoft journey” we all share quite regularly, but for me this has been a long old path, one that I’ve enjoyed pretty much every moment of, and in different ways airsoft has now been a major part of my life for going on 30 YEARS! Yup, I am that old, and I’ve seen so many changes in the industry, and probably more importantly the “tools” that we use to play airsoft with, during that time… and guess what, the MP5 has been a pretty regular partner for me over all those years!

I won’t dwell on those changes in “our world” in detail here as I’ll be putting something together for the November issue as that is my “official 30th”, but what I will comment on is our “platforms”, and how things have changed in relation to them!

Once upon a time, on an airsoft field not so very far away from where I sit typing today, I discovered airsoft, and the introduction of the AEG in the mid1990s saw the beginning of what I will call “regular airsoft”, the game that we all know and love now, but it wasn’t until the early 2000’s that I actually owned an MP5 AEG.

Although they were about at that time (ICS had their first around 2000 as I recall), most of us had moved on from the “FAMAS Days” to embrace the AR/M4 platform, and even back then I owned a few, mainly Classic Army who you have to understand were pretty huge in the day. I played with my “M4s” of different flavours quite happily, and loved them. However, in 2006 there was a major change in my life, and I went to live in the USA… where I stayed for the next four and a bit years!

Again, long story short, due to shipping issues I sold my ARs to some of the guys in my then-team and pocketed the proceeds with a view to setting up afresh when I arrived in Florida. Thanks to some excellent advice from my old mate (and somewhat airsoft mentor) John “Lionclaws” Lu I made contact with AEX and then Airsoft GI in California, and Andy Ho at AEX sorted me out with an superb “6mm care package” to get me started all over again.

Now having already made enquiries about airsoft in my new “AO”, and having arrived with a full set of DPM gear (which worked amazingly well in the mangroves and palmettos!) I decided to very much play the Englishman abroad… so NOT an AR! I scratched my head for a bit as it was not until a little later that an L85 AEG (STAR and then ICS for me if you must know) would make an appearance on the scene, as to what “primary” I would run with… as I’d played a couple of “pick-up games” with my new American mates and found the fields and sites to be fairly “up close and personal”, indeed full “jungle” in some places, I decided that an SMG would be the thing, and of course one sprang immediately to mind, with a very strong “Brit” connection!

Yes, it was the MP5, beloved of SF and especially the SAS, and very soon I had one of my own, a WELL version if I remember correctly as I wanted something cheap-ish to try out, to see if it “fitted me”. Lowpowered, plastic-creaky, and a little cranky, after I learned that upgraded hops were my friend that little AEG saw me through some righteous encounters for a good while and I came to love it, and I had the “maschinenpistole bug” good and proper. Soon the little WELL was passed on to a new player in our

“ONCE

Upon

A TIME, ON AN AIRSOFT FIELD NOT SO VERY FAR AWAY FROM WHERE I SIT TYPING TODAY, I DISCOVERED AIRSOFT, AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE AEG IN THE MID-1990S SAW THE BEGINNING OF WHAT I WILL CALL “REGULAR AIRSOFT”, THE GAME THAT WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE NOW, BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL THE EARLY 2000’S THAT I ACTUALLY OWNED AN MP5 AEG”

HAVE EVER BEEN, AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE SECUTOR THIS AIN’T IN ANY WAY AT ALL A “PLASTIC FANTASTIC” OF YEARS PAST! WHEN I FIRST LIFTED IT FROM THE BOX I HAD TO THINK FOR A MOMENT BECAUSE IT FELT SO GOOD… IS IT OR ISN’T IT?” up to engage fully and positively. Pulling back the charging handle and locking it open actually achieves nothing on the SECUTOR as the hop adjustment is a bit old-skool in that it’s a little slider-lever just behind the cocking-handle channel… I must admit not having seen one like this for a while, but when it comes to fine hop adjustment it appears to work just fine… as the “5”though is polymer and not metal I wouldn’t recommend you indulge in the “HK Slap”!

The front grip, which is also the battery compartment, is well made and sizeable, with a distinctive bulge where the rear of the taclite arrangement sits; this is held in buy a standard H&K cotter pin. The rear part of the taclite itself is fixed the front grip; a quick press will give a constant visible light, but really pushing it down gives you a strobe, and on both settings the light is white, bright, and clean, perfect for some low-light CQB action! The battery compartment itself is big enough for a decent battery, especially a good-sized LiPo, to fit in nicely, so one battery should see you going all day long.

So, externally it’s pretty standard “5”, and apart from the obvious SECUTOR trades it’s darn tidy! Add to that a classic-looking handguard where the taclite is integrated, that the muzzle is threaded 14mm CCW to allow for easy attachment of accessories such as tracer units, and that it comes with a neat little

AND THE IMPRESSION IS ONE OF A “MID-LIFE SWAT MP5” GIVEN THE INTEGRATED TACLITE… AND YES, THE TACLITE ITSELF DOES COME AS A PART OF THE DEAL, AS DOES A METAL CLAW-MOUNT RAIL UP-TOP TO FIT OPTICS IF YOU SO DESIRE” encounters. Resetting the hop and moving up to .28g,

MP5 looks great, is very well finished and put together 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 past-prime third-division striker!

Luckily with the SECUTOR MP5 its performance is every bit as good as its solid, blast-from-the-past looks. As stated earlier a 100 BB magazine is included in the package, and with this filled and 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.

Using .20g BBs the “5” gave a mean chronograph design for exactly what it is, and the SECUTOR certainly offers that. Whether you’re new to the game, or an older, greying airsoft hound like me, an MP5 should be in everyone’s armoury, and if you’re looking for good one that won’t break the bank, and that most certainly evokes “time and place”, then I’d suggest you take a good, long look at the VIRTUS IV “SWAT”.

My sincere thanks to the guys at www.iwholesales. biz for providing the test AEG; if you’d like to keep updated on the latest news about the SECUTOR line, and many other new developments, then do keep an eye on their website and socials!. AA

“USING .20G BBS THE “5” GAVE A MEAN CHRONOGRAPH READING OF 1.0 JOULE/329FPS WHICH WAS VERY CONSISTENT AND OBVIOUSLY PERFECTLY SITE FRIENDLY, ESPECIALLY FOR CQB ENCOUNTERS. RESETTING THE HOP AND MOVING UP TO .28G, MOVING THE FIRE SELECTOR TO SEMI-AUTO AND EASING THE TRIGGER SENDS BBS DOWNRANGE WELL”