VFC SCAR-L DX
Review by Altered_SoulFIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Well, I might as well start from the inside out then. Getting an airsoft gun new, fresh in its wrapping, is always an exciting experience, whether you are a new guy or a vet. First thing to know about the DX is that it comes in a very well made case tailored specifically to the SCAR. It is emblazoned with the VFC logo on the top, and to be honest, there is something to be said about the quality of the case itself. It is very well made, and can actually protect and conceal what is inside without fear of getting banged around. Kudos to VFC for not cheaping out.
DX hardshell caseOpening the handy-dandy case, my eyes feasted on one of the more beautiful guns I have seen in a while. Remember, I didn't like the look of the SCAR so much earlier, but it grew on me steadily, and here I am gushing about how much I like the looks of a SCAR. VFC really did an excellent job recreating the look of the thing, the difference between the lower receiver and stock versus the CNC aluminum upper receiver actually is a color difference, which to me, the CA had an "off-color" two tone, where it just looked like the upper was attempted to match the lower, and failed miserably. Here, the VFC made a stark difference, the upper receiver is noticeably darker, and actually makes the AEG more cohesive with its black detail. Trades are minimal but beautiful, serial number, make designation, etc. These are not the complete trades on a real SCAR, but what is here are beautifully placed. There are also little details along the gun that prove VFC was paying attention closely to aesthetic detail, such as the stamp on the steel standard barrel. Kudos again to VFC on every part of their visual recreation.
Opening the case
Gorgeous in airsoft form
The side most lefties like me get acquainted with the most
Mmmm trades
Little details like the RS imitation stamp on a steel barrel really make this a beautiful piece, notice also the gas block tool right aboveThe DX edition also comes with a metal hi-cap magazine, a manual, a CQC barrel and washer for flash hider when in CQC form. Manual is actually useful, even if providing humor through Engrish (Use many different kinds of rifles can slave most problem), but actually helped in associating myself with the AEG.
Moving on the to the build quality, this thing easily compares to my TM G36. For any of you who don't know me or my tendencies, just know I hold all other guns to the TM G36 standard, you could lure me to an uncertain fate by tempting me with a TM G36. I have handled a lot of AEGs over the course of my airsoft career, and I can whole-heartedly say I feel I could throw this thing into a rock while falling down a ravine and it will bounce back at me and break my nose. Hell I accidentally dropped it the other day after playing with it and it broke my damn kitchen table. Then I literally almost broke my nose with it, since it was being tough to take down (read, I was being a retard). Regardless of whether its physically trying to destroy me or not, the build quality is excellent. The thing is of a decent weight, but not artificially, and I don't see myself wearing out any more than a regular AEG. More importantly to me than just pure weight is the balance of a rifle; the VFC SCAR is very well balanced, especially with a battery inserted into the stock. No wobble or flex that I could find. It is really hard to write more in depth for a review on construction when there isn't anything to complain about other than my SCAR's apparent masochism. I will leave it there.
FEATURES AND RIPPING IT ALL APART:
Ok the fun stuff, all the happy fun time features. I think it would be best to start with the boring and mundane and move on to the funner TM stuff. The stock is made out of nylon polymers which seems more durable and aesthetically pleasing than ABS, same as the lower receiver, and gives a nice flat look to the AEG without being shiny. Regardless, the stock extends six positions and folds, no matter what position it is at. There are a lot of options on length for pointability by far. Folding is done to the right, and unlike many folding stocks I have encountered, it does not interfere with selector switch movement. I folding is a little bit awkward, and must be worked in a bit, the button on the left side of the stock is pretty tough to actuate, while the retainer lock, which holds the stock to the receiver via the tab in the cheek rest, is the opposite, it is not going to unintentionally come unlocked during light use, but it is easy to lock/unlock, and I see coming undone by accident a couple times during crawling around or a fall. The release button to fold the stock initially definitely will break in, but the retainer is already “broken in†I could say. The cheek rest is a 3 position cheek rest which is actually pretty solid, and I see myself actually using it, and I usually don’t like cheek rests because they feel too cheap. The battery compartment, which can hold up to a 9.6v 1400 MAH battery, is quite crowded, but a battery will fit in there. Being OCD with electrical stuff, I liked the use of a FET, but was disappointed by ugliness of the organization of the wires. It can be fixed with some tinkering, but since the rest of the gun is as organized as you will see, couldn’t they arrange the wiring a bit better in the stock? In stark contrast, folding the stock does NOT expose any wires; VFC did a beautiful job by pulling the wire through the joints, which more than makes up for the ugly wire in the battery compartment. So, to my enjoyment, plug a battery in, work it into its compartment, and never be bothered by it again.
Left side of stock
The other side of the stock...
Six position extendable...
Oh noes its broken! Wait...
If you can tell, thats how much room you have to slide a small battery in the stock... meh
Look Ma, no wires!The lower receiver is made of the same material as the stock, and is just as sturdy. Ambidextrous selector switch is placed perfectly for my hand. All switch bits here are made of steel or CNC aluminum, and feel very nice to the touch. The grip for me was odd at first, since I am used to a smooth rifle grip instead of a grooved contour grip, but after a while it felt as comfortable as it should. The gun is a wonder for my lefty tendencies, and feels as natural as my G36 does to me. Upper receiver is equally as nice, and is laden with enough sling connection points to use a 100-point sling if so desired. Again, nice touch for the lefties though. Front and rear folding sights are very well crafted, made of aluminum and steel respectively. Very fine-tuned windage and elevation, and I felt like it would actually matter. Both sights are easily removable if so desired.
Of course there are also four rails to mount stuff on, length wise top on which is part of the upper receiver, two side rails (aluminum and sharp, be careful, seriously), and one lower rail as part of the barrel assembly. One of the things that sold me on the VFC SCAR is the locking bolt though. When cocking the charging handle (which is reversible to either side), the bolt locks for easy access to the hop-up. This is an excellent feature which is popping up in more and more AEGs, and I have to say it’s about damn time. The coolest part of it though for any airsoft nerd out there? The bolt release actually works, and provides a very satisfying clack indeed (the bolt and bolt assembly is entirely made of CNC aluminum).
Whoo! Locking bolt! With working bolt release! Nerds rejoice, and practical users cheer!The barrel assembly is the final part of the gun of course, and comes with some of the coolest features on a practical scale. The outer barrel is not in one piece; instead it is broken into two parts, external and internal, by way of 14mm CCW thread. Even here the VFC SCAR shows excellent design process. The external outer barrel is tapered as so not to get to tightly screwed on too easily while also giving it a nice finished look. Additionally, the flash hider is tapered with a crush washer and an o-ring is found on the thread of the barrel to prevent over-tightening the flash hider.
One of the coolest features to me is that the gas block contains a tool that is securely locked into place but easy to access. The tool contains a hop-up adjusting screw which is perfect in-game and in addition with the locking bolt, is quite possibly one of the most useful features in an AEG I have seen in a while. Underneath the hop-up screw is a star screw that removes each of the barrel assembly retaining screws. Each screw does NOT come out completely, and are spring set so as to stay put when removed from the barrel assembly. This makes for easy barrel changing between games, or even possibly midgame, fairly easy to accomplish.
The gas block hop/star screw toolNow that I had started taking it apart to see the use of the barrel exchange, I think I will move into the disassembly portion of the SCAR now. It is really quite fun. Removing the barrel assembly is tough at first; it needs a little finesse and understanding, but becomes second nature after doing it a few times. The unfortunate part here is that to remove the inner barrel from the assembly, a small hex wrench is necessary to release the hop unit. You do not need to remove the hex screws completely though to pull out the hop and barrel, so losing those small bits should be impossible. Replace all the hop parts on the CQC barrel, slide back into the assembly, tighten the hex screws enough to hold in the hop-up, throw the crush washer and flash hider back on, slide back into the receiver, screw back in, done. I now have the CQC form of the SCAR in less than ten minutes, providing you don’t lose the hop up pieces. An interesting note is that both barrels are 6.04mm tight bore barrels.
Star screw takes off the six screws holding the barrel assembly in
Barell assembly completely removedDisassembly of the VFC SCAR is quite realistic. In addition to the barrel assembly removal, the rest of the system falls apart completely tool-less. Poke out the lower receiver pin (which does not fall out like the real steel), and break the lower receiver/gearbox assembly out of the upper receiver. Here is where I was surprised: No wires. The VFC SCAR uses a hard contact system between the stock and the gearbox with two pins. Makes taking the whole thing apart a complete breeze, and is another reason I got this thing in the first place. After taking out the lower, the stock slides of with a little force (this is where I think I broke my damn nose, be careful), and then the bolt assembly can come right out behind it, and with it the bolt, and the charging handle can be slid out as well. Guess what? You are done. After learning all the bits, it can be easily done in two minutes or less. It is really that intuitive and easy, and of course exceedingly useful.
Remove the reciever like an M16, note both the retaining pin stays in place and that there are no wires 
Lower reciever completely removed, note the hard connectors that bring power from the stock to gearbox without the need for wires 
Stock has been slid off, exposing the bolt assembly guide
Everything broken down Unfortunately for all you more intelligent than I people out there, I did not break the gearbox, because I have no experience with such a thing and wouldn’t tempt fate here. Someone else will have to do that for you crazies. With the performance I am getting so far, I doubt I will need to ever crack the gearbox to be honest, unless something breaks.
PERFORMANCE:
Ah the most important part, the firing of said weapon. And to be honest, it is quite a treat to fire. The magazine that comes with it is a 300 round metal enclosure hi-cap. Not my cup of tea, but it is the only STANAG magazine I own currently. It is a very solid hi-cap though, with a nice port at the bottom for spraying silicone lubricant straight into the gear section. Regardless, I loaded up some .25s into it, plugged a battery in, and took aim at my target about 25 feet away. Trigger response was crisp and tight, just the way I like it. The thing fires like a champ, I had originally been using just the peanut-filled box it came in, but it was ripping through all the peanuts so I had to use some Styrofoam blocks instead. Power is not my interest though, as I know I will probably get somewhere around 320-350 with the .25s, staying well within the boundaries required by the leagues here, and of course the new ones for WNYAL coming out next year. It was accuracy that I was impressed most with. At 25 feet, which although not some great distance is a good judge of accuracy for most AEGs, I was able to place rounds consistently in a 2.4 inch target using the folding iron sights. The action felt very smooth and not strained or stressed, it performed as finely tuned as my expertly airsmithed G36. Needless to say, I was exceedingly impressed by its firing capability.
300 round Hi-cap magazine included with package, note the small port for spraying lube into the gears So as for now, I think I have found competition for my G36. VFC has done a great job replicating the looks and feel of the real steel SCAR (as far as my impressions of the RS are of course), and have added some innovative features that help the practical airsofter in most areas that we have wanted. This is a complete kit, and I do not see myself upgrading any parts of it as of yet. The iron sights are a little restraining for quick target acquisition, but are very accurate and can be replaced by a nice ACOG or EOtech. My only complaint that I have so far about this is the sloppy wire work in the stock, other than that I can easily recommend this AEG to anyone looking for a higher-end gun who of course has the cash to pick it up. For the price you are paying for it though, you are getting an exceptional short to mid length rifle. And soon, hopefully, the SCAR-specific EGLM will be coming out from VFC as well.
UPDATES:
FIELD PERFORMANCE:
Got to field test the SCAR for a few rounds of generic airsoft last weekend, and I am pretty impressed. With .25s in the hicap and midcap mags I have put through it, it is a fairly accurate gun up to the normal distances of a standard power AEG. Hop-up seems to be very tunable, and the ability to change on the fly with the locking bolt and hopup tool was worth more than I could have imagined than earlier. This thing is easily going to replace my G36 for quicker games where "Soul's" power and distance is not as necessary. The ROF is excellent on the VFC, wish I could pinpoint exactly how many rounds, but in the field it was firing at a faster cycle than both my G36 and my ICS MP5.
I did change the barrels between rounds, but I would not recommend it midgame, as the hop-up barrel locking piece is too easy to lose when not being careful. If I could pick up another hop unit to preassemble on the CQC barrel, then it could be possible, but still not as feasible as I thought. Either way I doubt I will need to change the barrels mid round, but it is something I did try out to see if it could be feasible.
One thing I am disappointed in is battery performance. My 1100 MAH 9.6v was drained by the time I had finished, which is something I haven't had to experience since I had my original G36c with a mini in the foregrip. This is a limitation which the SCAR has, as it can only fit up to a 9.6V 1500 MAH NiMH mini in the stock, and the wiring for the gearbox is meant specifically to go to the stock, and would be a ###### to rewire anywhere else. This whole deal makes dropping some money on a LiPo more intriguing, the local airsoft shop near here has tried out their LiPos with the same AEG to see its performance, and the typical ups and downs were advised. Might try that at the expense of my wallet and long term condition of the SCAR.
Other than that though, this thing was a blast (pun intended) to use in-game, and felt like I was holding something special. If you have the vanity for a beautifully constructed SCAR and the cash to go with it, I would heavily recommend this weapon.
MAGAZINE & ACCESSORY COMPATIBILITY:
I have put four different midcap mags through this thing, and each one fires beautifully. First was a pair of SRC (I think that's the brand, not a top name, but very high quality midcaps) 160 round mids, next were some KA 120 rounders, then G&P middies, and finally the plastic MAG midcaps. Like I said, all fed flawlessly, but I liked the new brand and the G&Ps the most so I bought some of those.
A minor note, when I was playing I noticed using an L-mount for my aimpoint was too low to reach even without goggles on, and was a strain with them on. I picked up a cantilever mount for it (finally had an excuse lol), and it feels perfect, and lines up with the flipup iron sights with some zeroing perfectly. Now I am tempted to buy an EOtech clone to see how those look.
The VFC SCAR-L DX in all of its glory, with a black mag for color comparisonThanks for reading and check back for updates! Please excuse any grammatical error that this first draft has, it is quite long, and though spellchecked in Word, I did not have time to completely revise it. Feel free to ask questions because I am more than sure I have missed some things of note.
Altered_Soul
