History of Tokyo Marui Co. Ltd (株式会社東京マルイ)
Tokyo Marui (TM) is a Japanese company that in 1992 was the first to create the AEG (Airsoft Electric Gun). Over the past near 30 years the company has gone from strength to strength and
their brand is one of the best known in airsoft circles, not only for a high price but also for their quality and reliability.
For more info - visit Tokyo Marui website.
For more background info - visit Tokyo Marui Wikipedia.
History of Camo (Combat And Milsim Ops)
CAMO was established in 2014 and was originally called CAMOraids. The company aimed to fill the gap in high quality airsoft gear in the UK. A strong customer support network and fantastic sales team have seen the company grow and in 2017 the name changed to Combat And Milsim Ops (CAMO) focussing on Milsim equipment. The company strives to build that bond and bridge 'by players, for players' through innovative equipment, tactical gear and reliability.
For more info - visit Camo website.
Why TM and Camo?
The main battle rifle used by Bravo throughout the seasons is the H&K 416. There is a wealth of information already available on the Wikipedia page detailing the 416 background, design, employment and variants, so I won't reinvent the wheel. Further to Wikipedia, you can visit the Heckler & Koch website where it provides all of the technical information relating to their rifles.
The 416 rifles used at the core of Bravo are the HK416D and the HK416F variants enabling short CQB based rifles (without suppressors fitted) and the longer barrelled marksman/esque rifle. VFC (Umarex) and Tokyo Marui are the two biggest names when it comes to manufacturing of the HK416, and whilst the TM was at a higher price, it offered something that the electric VFC version couldn't. Recoil. Yes Umarex do produce a gas HK416D variant, but with UK inclement weather changing all of the time, I've always found gas to be unreliable (although it's inherently easier to maintain a gas rifle than an electric rifle).
Camo came from a recommendation by a number of friends as a company that was reliable, genuine, fairly priced and put the customer first. Emails were bounded between them and I about the 416D and the upgrades, and their knowledge and engagement was what persuaded me to buy in confidence from them.
Product details
Herein lies the product description from the website;
Gun Length : 711 / 787 mm (stock extended)
Gun Height : 275 mm
Gun Weight with magazine : 3365g
Power source : recommended 7.4 20C LiPo battery
Ammo source : 6mm BBs
Fire mode : semi and full-auto
Magazine. capacity : 82 rounds
Required TM New Gen. Mags
Realistic Shoot & Recoil system - EBB (Electric Blow Back)
Metal Body
Auto Stop when magazine is empty
Functional bolt catch
Packaging Exterior
The rifle as standard is encased in a box 93 x 33 x 12 with the Delta logo emblazoned on the top, with a subtle Tokyo Marui logo. 3 of the 4 sides, again feature the Delta and TM logos. The 4th side has the rifle serial number and TM award sticker on it to help further prove that this is indeed a TM rifle.
Packaging Interior
Inside the box there are 4 main sections;
Rifle
Operators manual & documents
Magazine and rail adapters
Accessories box
Rifle
The rifle in this section is firmly held in place, firstly by the velcro loops that attach around the rifles' stock and rail, pinning it down to the bottom section of the box. When the box is closed, the rifle is further held in place by sections of large polystyrene glued to the box lid, that fit around the rifle, again adding security, showing to the buyer that the rifle hasn't been rattling around the box and allows safe transport of the rifle.
Operators manual
The lift up section can be removed and underneath are 4 documents. The first is the 'Operator's Manual' detailing in both Japanese and English the standard of use, hop adjustment, safety etc. The second document is the 'Supplementary explanation' which provides a 2 page schematic of the 416 with parts numbered and listed (in Japanese). The 3rd and 4th documents are within a plastic wallet and are all in Japanese relating to personal safety and use of the rifle around others. The wallet also contains a set of standard paper shooting targets to test the rifle on.
Magazine and rail adapters
This section contains 3x rail adapters, 2 @ 65 mm in length, and 1 @ 120 mm in length for fitting to the SMR (Super Modular Rail). The magazine is also labelled as a STANAG 4179 magazine.
Accessories box
This removable box contains;
Battery Connector
Bag of non-descript BBs labelled 'for testing'
Protective cap (for the flash hider)
Hex wrench (allen key)
Front sight adjustment tool
7x rail screws (for the rail adapters)
Rifle Internals
The rifle as standard (and with all TMs) is out of the box a milsim/skirm ready rifle. This rifle has been upgraded using Camos 'Stages' and a full list of the internal modifications are listed below;
Camo Stage 2 - Additional Upgrade Parts
Piston Head
30/35K Motor
EdGI Barrel
Lonex Helical Gear Set
Prometheus Normal Torque Hard Gear Set For NGRS
Hard Kick Recoil Spring
Tappet Plate
Cylinder
R-Hop
Deans mod
Mosfet Installation & Programming service*
GATE Titan NGRS Basic*
GATE Titan NGRS Advanced*
* Of note is that the Mosfet etc was not installed through personal choice. These options are also available as part of the upgrade 'Camo Stage 2' at an extra cost.
Rifle Externals
Rail
The rifle comes with the SMR (Super Modular Rail), a near direct replica of the Geissele SMR HK which is fitted and used throughout SEAL Team. By keeping the top rail moulded with 'teeth' and removing any rails on the other three sides, this allows the rifle to be more lightweight and ergonomic for operators wanting a firm grip on the rail. As the name implies, it's modular and you can attach 1 or all of the adapters in the box, or purchase additional rails or other ancillaries such as a foregrip, torch mount etc. This real estate and freedom enables the user to either use a rail system or a keymod system. The SMR has two fixed sling points (QD (Quick Detach) style) on each side enabling both left and right handed users to fit a sling without tying the weapon down. The top rail has 40 teeth, enabling enough real estate to fit a variety of accessories. The SMR is further stamped on the left hand side with 'HANDGUARD, MODULAR HK, 10.5" BBL (EXTENDED) PN:05-190 REV. B'.
Body
The body of the rifle is made up of two parts called 'receivers', the 'upper receiver' and the 'lower receiver'. Both upper and lower on both sides are marked with near real steel markings, bearing the HK logo, safety, single, auto firing methods and TM markings. A nice touch is on the left hand side that the upper and lower both have the identical machined part numbers '88-081699'. When weapons are taken apart and potentially mixed up, these two numbers correspond to each other, which is important if the weapon was damaged or had upgraded parts. The full metal body additionally provides a good weight and adds stability to this platform with zero wobble or creak. The alignment of the rail and upper receiver can be seen in the 8th picture below where the rail features a nub which slots into a notch on the upper receiver which prevent s the rail from loosening and turning. The charging handle fitted is the standard HK416 Charge Handle.
Stock
The stock attached to the rifle is a standard 6 point adjustable polymer crane stock. The stock is larger than a standard Magpul CTR (Compact/Type Restricted) stock, and is designed to house the TM standard SOPMOD nickel battery. The stock does allow a belt style sling to be fitted acting as a rear attachment point.
Ancillaries
The standard anodized black metal flash hider is held in place using a miniature hex screw that fixes it firmly onto the outer barrel thread as seen in the second picture. The flash hider is a TM HK416 design and is fitted CCW (Counter Clock Wise).
Flip up sights are also included as standard and these are the official TM HK416 Front Flip up sight and TM HK416 Rear Flip up sight. The front sight can be adjusted using the adjustment tool provided in the accessories section.
The 416 uses proprietary TM magazines designed for use in the recoil system that provide added realism of the weapon stopping when the magazine is empty. The STANAG magazine (far left) comes with the 416 and houses 82bbs as a mid cap. The bottom of the magazine is stamped with 'COLT AR-15 CAL 5.56 MM MADE IN JAPAN MARUI CO. LTD'
Firing range
The rifle was taken to the range to provide an accurate review of the firing capabilities of the HK416 and what the associated upgrades enables the rifle to achieve. The weather on the range;
Precipitation: 10%
Humidity: 62%
Wind: 9mph
Visibility: Clear
Time: 15:00
Nuprol RZR bbs were used solely for all weights testing.
An XCortech X3200 MK3 chrono was used.
Semi Auto
The below table includes results for semi auto only using both FPS / Joules. It can be seen that the FPS flux differs across 10 shots minimally for all weights. From the results the 416 performed best with the least FPS flux using .32s.
Burst
The below table includes results for burst only (3-5 rounds) using both FPS / Joules. As with single shots, FPS flux is minimal between weights.
Range
The average 6mph wind seen on the range, blew from targets towards the shooter, therefore the 416 was not shot in a stable weather environment. Any results returned from the range in these conditions would not be a true reflection of the 416s capabilities as a base measurement. This test will be retaken soon and blog updated.
Thoughts and opinion
Tokyo Marui have a fantastic reputation built over many years of high quality products and with great customer service direct to you and me. The main drawback of TM if purchasing new is the high price tag, something that will inevitably put potential buyers off. That said there are plenty of sites where second hand TMs can be purchased with accessories and extra magazines that are a great deal. The packaging looks good, the quality of the rifle and attention to detail is fantastic providing you with a heavyweight (3.3 kg) rifle that is rugged and feels real, unlike a lot either full polymer rifles or metal / polymer mixed rifles. Whilst the TM416 is not a 1:1 scale replica of the HK416, it is certainly a reliable weapon. A standard TM out of the box is milsim/skirm ready and its' reliability coupled with fantastic recoil have seen their numbers increase on fields across the UK. This is my new primary and provides a base on which to build a SEAL Team accurate H&K 416.
Camo prior to purchase, through the build process and post purchase have been genuinely amazing. It's to their credit and knowledge that I purchased via them with confidence and I have no doubt that their communications and answers helped seal the deal along with a lot of online research and speaking to others who use the 416. As seen on the firing range, the upgraded 416 is an awesome rifle that performs very well, is well within the consistency range and once the range test is completed, likely to be punching out further than others on the field.
Whilst TM has a high price tag and is not for everyone, I can genuinely recommend the HK416D to you. TM produce a range of weapons and having used a number of them I've never had any faults with them. I further own a Tokyo Marui M4A1 Sopmod (review inbound) and I can again confirm that this is now my go to 2nd primary weapon.
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Final Note
I am not paid for my blogs by the manufacturers or companies that I purchase my items from. I am not offered freebies to promote a product. These blogs are purely written from my own experience in truth to help advise and inform others who may wish to purchase the items or understand more about them. If I am sent a freebie to review this will be stated at the beginning to make you aware.
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