FAQ for Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa, 2011, 1911, MEU & Detonics type variants

[tunabreath]

Thanks for the quick 'exactly what I needed' reply

Sooo, Freedom Art Accu'comp, eh? This will require further investigation...

[intinerious]

Originally Posted by ILLusion

In general, die cast products (especially the cheaply done casts found in many airsoft products) have very loose tolerances, poor surface finish, and a poorly finished product will also have a lot of molding flash. In general, the inconsistency is the most annoying part, and is why it makes installing one Guarder kit a completely different experience from installing another kit, even if it's the same model and coming from the same production batch!

Poor casts also have surface imperfections (pitting is common), mis-casted areas (due to poor injection), and die casting will also degrade over time, even if you leave it to sit there. The environment will actually cause it to corrode, particularly on uncoated areas.

VFC just happens to do it better - I assume because this is because they just focused all their effort on ONE model, versus other companies who try to pump out tons of different models and have to spread out the development costs of creating multiple die casting moulds (it is very expensive to machine a mould. Start up cost is high)

As for the requirement of Guarder Hi-Capa/1911/MEU slides requiring the blowback unit tab to be snapped off, it's stupid engineering because it renders the blowback unit completely unusable with any other brand of slide. All it would take, is for a minor change to their casting mould, and it saves end users the grief and incompatibility. Same goes for their 226 kits... it has an even stupider mod requirement to the BBU, that MOST users out there do not have the tools to perform. And all it would take, is two small channels to be created in the slide.

Bad engineering. :P It's about usability, not durability.

As for Nova kits, I haven't had the problems you're mentioning. Almost all the kits I've had were pretty much drop in fits, except for some slight difficulties fitting the BBU in straight. Some minor filing is required, but that's all I've had to do.

Regarding gunsmiths, what you're describing in regards to gunsmiths charging an inspection fee is not unreasonable. $100HKD works out to roughly $20CAD, and that's how much I charge for inspection fees as well. Unless you're my team mate or attending an event that I'm attending where I've committed my leisure time to the hobby, I will charge you that fee. Simple as that. If you're commanding my time to look at your gun for whatever reason, then there's a value to my time. Not for the act itself - but for my time, and as it is, I don't even have that much time to look at guns (I have an entire racks of guns waiting to be looked at, fixed, or custom built right now, as we speak...) I'm not going to take the time out of my day to give you a free opinion or suggestion for it unless I'm being compensated for it the business helps to support my livelihood in some way. Otherwise, I'd rather be spending the time making money to pay off a house mortgage, put food in my kid's mouths, pay for their education, and to buy my wife (and my mistress) designer handbags. LOL

I also absorb the inspection fee if you decide to go with my suggested mods, and obviously, you'll be paying for the upgrade parts - I sure as hell won't be paying for your parts!



As for WA... sorry, don't know. My experience with them is limited at best. If anything, you would have an easier time getting that answer for yourself, as you're on the ground in HK with massive access to parts. We don't have such luxury here... God knows Kwong Wah is my third home whenever I'm in HK (second is LKF. LOL)

Thanks for the reply :P

I thought the tabs, even when cut off, would still allow the BBU to fit the original marui frame or any other kits since you're just removing a non-load bearing part, and that given the rear screw that imitates the firing pin is what really locks the BBU in place with or without the tab won't make a difference.

Thanks also for the info on the NOVA parts :P

Hmm well 100 bucks in Hong Kong is a lot for someone that's been living in Hong Kong for some 10 years XD I don't know, I would've thought that inspection costs should be less given that the gunsmiths in the retail shops I doubt only get income off the labour cost when they should have a basic stipend from the retail shop themselves. But that is besides the point. I guess I'm just a bit biased towards the smiths charging 100 bucks for the inspection fee when I know most of the issues my airsoft friends have with AEGs or GBBs are really obvious fixes yet they'll still charge 100 bucks for the work done. I would've fixed some of the issues my friends encounter for free since they are just tightening the valves or adding a layer of oil to the o-rings on the GBB mags in order to fix leaks; or simply washing out the grime that accumulates between the piston/piston cup and nozzle to get the gun working again.

Then again I don't do this for a living so I guess my opinion may well change if I were in their shoes; it's just that for a lot of the issues my friends and I get in any of our airsoft equipment a simple google search will suffice; I don't see why a 5-10 min google search and some self-labour in disassembling the guns to figure out the issue can cost 100 bucks. I only go to gunsmiths nowadays if I can't find my answer with google or if I don't have the tools to modify the parts myself.

The part where I emphasised that you have to pay for the aftermarket parts they installed was for my intent to convey that sometimes the smiths just throw in upgrades for some reason that does not actually fix the problem or are not worth as much (i.e. adding expensive advised Systema parts to AEGs when certain China or Taiwan made items costing 1/2 or 1/4 the price of the Systema part would have been sufficient) and that adding up all the cost of the parts and the inspection fee the cost of 'upgrading' or 'fixing' an airsoft gun in HK seem way too expensive in my opinion. I know that my friend was willing to part HKD 1500 just to install bushings, a stronger spring and have a general look over the shimming and any other issues with the gun. When you think about it, shimming at most takes an hour (and I've only reshimmed my gearbox three times after reading up on all the technical issues with shimming a gearbox correctly and that took me 1/2 and hour or so) and it's not that hard, the spring costs only HKD60 (for the guarder springs within SP100-SP140 IIRC) and even the hardest bushings you can get (the Modify ones) cost HKD 172 at WGC (and that's probably one of the most expensive set of bushings). Adding the total together (assuming labour cost should be HKD 100) the smith is charging HKD1168 over what I expect would be the maximum he charges. Anyway back to the main point I'm not trying to say that paying for the aftermarket parts fully by yourself is atrocious but the whether the items are actually required plus the fact that I believe most of the smiths are not exactly truthful to the extend of which you need aftermarket parts is something I'm weary about.

Sorry for going a bit off topic there, but I just wanted to clear up my intentions of my previous post.

Anyway, as for the WA parts I had a reply on another forum that said the WA recoil spring, guide rod (I think the guide rod plug too in this regards) fit the marui frame just fine. However I am trying to get confirmation about the standard recoil spring plug and whether that fits fine too.

Another thing, I dunno about your experience, but in general most Hong Kong airsoft retailers don't like to tell you anything in the shops when you ask whether certain parts fit certain guns unless it's already written in the package of the item or if it's very obvious. The service in almost all the shops are extremely limited and in some places like I feel like the staff look at their potential customers with disdain unless they start whipping out cash. I really don't want to spend money for experimentation when there is a possibility that someone else outside Hong Kong have tried it already and know the results (since being a student money's always tight) and for I have a pet peeve about having spare parts that I know are pretty useless outside certain niche builds that I might do or fix sitting around and if the WA recoil spring plug really doesn't fit and I bought one to try on my SIS then the plug falls exactly into that category. :P

Anyway, thanks again for you help. I'll report back here if I find out the WA plug fits in the future.

[Wantabe_Warrior]

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for it, but will the thin (1911 type, not Hi-capa type) KJW CO2 mags safely work in a stock Cansoft KJW MEU?

EDIT: checked the KJW site and it said the US version is good to go for CO2. Is the Cansoft one the
same?

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by tunabreath

Thanks for the quick 'exactly what I needed' reply

Sooo, Freedom Art Accu'comp, eh? This will require further investigation...

This was the 4.3 build I'd previously had:

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by intinerious

I thought the tabs, even when cut off, would still allow the BBU to fit the original marui frame or any other kits since you're just removing a non-load bearing part, and that given the rear screw that imitates the firing pin is what really locks the BBU in place with or without the tab won't make a difference.

That tab is used to guide the nozzle. The Guarder slide replaces the busted tab with its own guide formed in the slide surface.

Originally Posted by intinerious

Then again I don't do this for a living so I guess my opinion may well change if I were in their shoes; it's just that for a lot of the issues my friends and I get in any of our airsoft equipment a simple google search will suffice; I don't see why a 5-10 min google search and some self-labour in disassembling the guns to figure out the issue can cost 100 bucks. I only go to gunsmiths nowadays if I can't find my answer with google or if I don't have the tools to modify the parts myself.

Why? Because for the exact reason that there are some people that are:

1) Not internet savvy, and don't know how to use Google
2) Don't care to spend the time researching
3) Don't care to get their hands dirty
4) Scared of causing more harm than good
5) Don't have the tools required to perform the job, and have no interest in investing the up front costs of aquiring said tools
6) JUST PLAIN LAZY

I'm sure everyone realizes there's ways to discovering how to do everything themself... but does it mean you should? Not necessarily. It depends on your own personal situation. I'm sure if I search hard enough, I can figure out how to take apart my entire car and put it back together, but am I going to do it? No. I'm going to pay someone else to do it for many of the above reasons. Most of all, the time I spend trying to figure it out, doing it, and potentially fixing any screw ups I make along the way, would probably be better spent actually doing work where I'd make better use of my time rather than learning something I don't care to have any vested future in. Pricing is also determined by supply and demand. I've priced my labor rates at probably the top 1% of all Canadian gunsmiths, yet I still have more business coming in than I can handle. Does this mean I should jack up my rates more? Possibly. But it goes to show that people are willing to pay for skilled labor because they don't care to do it, or are too scared to do it themself. In fact, I recently had a guy asking me for help to figure out how to put a pin in a hole. It wasn't rocket science. In fact, I think I recall learning that skill in per-kindergarten class... Put the cylinder in to the round hole... not the square hole...

Originally Posted by intinerious

The part where I emphasised that you have to pay for the aftermarket parts they installed was for my intent to convey that sometimes the smiths just throw in upgrades for some reason that does not actually fix the problem or are not worth as much (i.e. adding expensive advised Systema parts to AEGs when certain China or Taiwan made items costing 1/2 or 1/4 the price of the Systema part would have been sufficient) and that adding up all the cost of the parts and the inspection fee the cost of 'upgrading' or 'fixing' an airsoft gun in HK seem way too expensive in my opinion.

Systema has been the de facto upgrade standard across most of HK for the better part of the past 10 years. Their products are very consistent. Installing it, gunsmiths and players know what to expect from the part. The thing with Hong Kong people, is that if they trust a brand, it's hard to break their loyalty. Given that mentality, it's hard for new products to break in to the market - especially in Hong Kong. The gunsmiths aren't installing the parts to rip off the customer... they do it because it's worked for them in the past. I personally don't use cheap China made parts for a number of reasons... particularly due to reliability problems. They carry a higher chance of the part breaking or failing sooner, rather than later... and when MY work and reputation is on the line, and a player doesn't care about "why" his gun doesn't work anymore, they're just as likely to blame my work for it, when it could have nothing to do with my work at all - just a crappy economy product. You get what you pay for. This is a mantra preached and proven time and time again in many aspects of life.

As for the 'smiths throwing in parts that wouldn't fix the problem... well... that's another issue altogether. It could be the smith not knowing what they're doing, or just trying to offload parts. I personally make an effort to educate my customers on all parts that are going in, what they do, and will advise if a part they want does not help them to achieve any of their goals. But that's me. I can't speak for all gunsmiths. I'm just saying I can understand their mentality.

Originally Posted by intinerious

I know that my friend was willing to part HKD 1500 just to install bushings, a stronger spring and have a general look over the shimming and any other issues with the gun. When you think about it, shimming at most takes an hour (and I've only reshimmed my gearbox three times after reading up on all the technical issues with shimming a gearbox correctly and that took me 1/2 and hour or so) and it's not that hard, the spring costs only HKD60 (for the guarder springs within SP100-SP140 IIRC) and even the hardest bushings you can get (the Modify ones) cost HKD 172 at WGC (and that's probably one of the most expensive set of bushings). Adding the total together (assuming labour cost should be HKD 100) the smith is charging HKD1168 over what I expect would be the maximum he charges.

That sounds like a very extreme case, and even in Canada, that price (approximately $200CAD) would be considered absolutely ludicrous.

Originally Posted by intinerious

Another thing, I dunno about your experience, but in general most Hong Kong airsoft retailers don't like to tell you anything in the shops when you ask whether certain parts fit certain guns unless it's already written in the package of the item or if it's very obvious. The service in almost all the shops are extremely limited and in some places like I feel like the staff look at their potential customers with disdain unless they start whipping out cash.

When you ask very specific questions (like you said, for "niche" applications), chances are, the retailer simply doesn't know the exact answer to your question because they are most likely not specialized in the product to know the answer. Simple as that.

As for the retailers looking at you with disdain, I've had the same experience. If they don't know you, they're going to assume you're the typical Hong Kong shopper: A guy who is going to ask a billion-and-one questions, and at the end of it all, you'll leave the store and apply your new found knowledge to buy the part from the cheapest supplier (not the guy who just spent all his time answering your million questions.) And you're surprised that they act annoyed from the start? It ends up being a waste of time on the retailer's part, and leaves them feeling highly unappreciated. The end result, is disgruntled store owners and employees who simply don't want to waste their time on you, unless you are showing serious intent to buy (ie, cash in hand, ready to slap down on the table.) Me, personally, I find customers like this annoying as well, but you win some, you lose some. I'm glad to have customers who appreciate the time and effort I put in to educating them, even if it means a non-sale. I do, however, carry a mental note of certain people who continually abuse my giving nature, and I provide them with limited answers if I give them anything at all, now. Because quite frankly, I have better things to do with my time than to waste it on them - I'm obviously not going to get anything back in return from them.

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by Wantabe_Warrior

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for it, but will the thin (1911 type, not Hi-capa type) KJW CO2 mags safely work in a stock Cansoft KJW MEU?

EDIT: checked the KJW site and it said the US version is good to go for CO2. Is the Cansoft one the
same?

As said at the beginning of the thread, this is for Marui and direct clones. The guns you are asking about are not direct Marui clones, and I personally have zero experience with them. Perhaps someone around here knows the answer, but would otherwise be off topic from this thread. I'd actually suggest you ask the retailer you're buying the gun from. They should at least know that much about their product...

[Slono]

Originally Posted by ILLusion

The Hurricane Desert Warrior? Yes, I have. Exact same (inconsistency) problems as with the Kimber Covert kit, particularly in molding issues.



For the Kimber Desert Warrior? Unfortunately, Hurricane is the manufacturer of that specific model conversion kit for the Marui platform.

But if you mean in general, there are a few other manufacturers who are much better (but also much more expensive.)



Nova is actually one of the most consistent manufacturers of full conversion kits on the market. I would put PGC/Pro-win just slightly below them, only because their Warrior kit sucks huge ones, but besides that one screw up, the rest of their kits are consistent and relatively headache free.

Actually, the VFC kit (they only have one style) is the EASIEST to install... and get this, it's die-casted. I've installed a half dozen of them, and not only are they really cheap to buy, but they go together without a hitch. No mods required. Just follow the instructions and you're home free! The only caveat, is that they only come in the MEU early model style...

(VFC doesn't require the BBU tab to be cut off. It's Guarder that requires that, which I think is absolutely stupid engineering.)

What's wrong with the PGC Kimber Warrior kits?

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by Slono

What's wrong with the PGC Kimber Warrior kits?

You mean besides looking like ass and completely unrealistic?

LOL. If you haven't seen a real Warrior before, or even the Nova one, I suppose it'll look fine to you. But the rail section basically looks like an ugly beast.

Besides that, right out of the box, the kit suffers from severe mechanical problems. The chamber cover is too long, causing the slide to slam in to it prematurely. It affects the tilt cycle.

[Slono]

I used to own a Nova warrior kit, but I've never had the PGC one to compare it to. Here's a photo of somebody's PGC warrior kit. The teeth do look rather big, but I cannot tell if its just the angle of the shot.

[intinerious]

Hey Brian,

Thanks for the reply on your perspective :P Anyway I'll PM you instead in regards to the convo we had since it's off topic and I don't want to clutter up this thread; my apologies for going off topic in the first place.

[RacingManiac]

Used a few new parts on this build. The grip some have seen, its the Prime Infinity Micro Pocket CNC grip. Comes with magwell(not used), MSH, and mag release. Pretty much a bolt on fit to ProG4/IK/Airsoft Surgeon frame. Obviously expensive, but Brian knows I've been asking about these when I first saw it on SVI's site. Comes in other style also. Also new is Nova's "Bo-Mar" style rear sight for the Hi-Capa 5.1 style slide, made from CNC steel. Replaces the stock pot-metal version. Comes in 3 style I believe, one with Bo-Mar marking, one with STI marking, and one like this pic with fiber-optic sight(no marking). The fit to the stock BBU+ProG4/IK/AS slide is tight, needed some fiddling to get it to fit(just mainly some disassembly/assembly). Comes with no springs, so I have to take the springs out of the stock rear sight.

Nice to still see new stuff coming out for my favorite pistol platform...

[Wantabe_Warrior]

OK, thanks ILLusion. Sorry to waste your time.

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by Slono

I used to own a Nova warrior kit, but I've never had the PGC one to compare it to. Here's a photo of somebody's PGC warrior kit. The teeth do look rather big, but I cannot tell if its just the angle of the shot.

It's not just the depth of the rails, but you'll need to see what the "chunk" of the rail portion (right by the slide catch axle) looks like from a different angle. It sticks out obtusely and makes the gun feel ridiculous. Basically, if you look at any of the new Marui "Warrior" series, you'll have an idea of what I'm talking about. The PGC Warrior kit is like a mix between a Marui Warrior's beastly rail attachment thingamabob... and a proper rail. So it's not full-on nasty, but it's not proper, either. LOL. But at least it's integrated....

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by RacingManiac

...
Also new is Nova's "Bo-Mar" style rear sight for the Hi-Capa 5.1 style slide, made from CNC steel. Replaces the stock pot-metal version. Comes in 3 style I believe, one with Bo-Mar marking, one with STI marking, and one like this pic with fiber-optic sight(no marking). The fit to the stock BBU+ProG4/IK/AS slide is tight, needed some fiddling to get it to fit(just mainly some disassembly/assembly). Comes with no springs, so I have to take the springs out of the stock rear sight.

Nice to still see new stuff coming out for my favorite pistol platform...

There's 4 styles: Dawson Precision, SVI, Bomar, and STI. Looks good, though. Good to see a first hand usage report on it. I have one of each inbound.

[intinerious]

Hey all,

I just got an LCT Main Spring Housing from WGC (they have a discount right now) and from what I've read the LCT stuff is similar or the same as the NOVA products.

The LCT MSH uses a pin to lock the hammer spring assembly (the spring and the block that goes on top of it) in place but I can't seem to fit mine into the hole; the dimensions seem to be way too tight for me to fit the pin through. Any way to try to fix this issue other than trying to ram the pin into the MSH? I have to hold down my Guarder 150% hammer spring as well so its a PITA to do so.

Also, the grub screw that holds the lanyard loop can be taken away easily and the lanyard loop can maybe be pulled 1-2mm out of the MSH but I can't seem to take the whole lanyard loop out. Is there anything else locking the lanyard loop in place (therefore I've missed something when trying to pull the loop out)? If not, besides trying to pull it out harder with tools is there anything else I can try to remove the loop (I've tried running a burlap string through it and pull the string with the locking grub screw out but it didn't budge a bit other than the 1-2mm I've mentioned. I gave myself a stinging rope burn though...)?