Author Topic: Exarach's MP5 Review Pack  (Read 997 times)

Offline Exarach

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Exarach's MP5 Review Pack
« on: March 20, 2011, 07:26:08 PM »


CA MP5 A4 Sportline
-   Looks: 3/5 – The CA Mp5A4 Sportline series looks about as good as any other midline AEG in its
 price range, It bares Classic Army’s (CA’s) full B&T trademarks, however, they are engraved into a plastic receiver, which really kills the ability to see them under anything other than close inspection in indoor light. However the lower SEF receiver really does look great and the paint is easy to see and wears well with use. The gun is overall a little shiny, with the glossy black finish often looking a little fake, but nothing too horrendous. The only part of the gun that really causes the rifle to receive a lower score on looks, is the huge permanently attached blaze orange flash hider. Seriously, you can’t take it off, it makes your AEG look like its barrel is on fire. Other than that, the gun itself looks pretty good.

-   Feel: 3/5 -  Again, it is the plastic that loses CA its stars here. The SEF Lower receiver feels
excellent in the hand. The thumb rest seats comfortably, the selector is very easy to get to, and it locks in with a very nice click at each of the settings. However, its all made of this glossy plastic that cause the gun to slip and lose the ability to keep a good grip during use. The trigger is fully metal, and feels great.

-   Durability: 2/5 – Here is the main downer for the CA Sportline Mp5a4, this gun had seen mild
use, less than 5 games, when the externals began to break. Parts literally began to crack and break off the gun. The body was so fragile. The kicker on all this occurred during a mag change. While pulling out the old magazine, I heard a snap, looked down, and too my horror found that the side of the magwell had cracked off, and there was a large crack running down the middle of the upper receiver. I was Pissed. From that point on it was regulated to my loner guns, and continued to serve for a few weeks, shedding parts as it went, and eventually, less than a year later, the sector gear stripped out, and I finally had to open up the gun.  

-   Performance: 4/5 – The gun’s performance is pretty satisfactory out of the box, it has excellent
Rof, and more than enough range to make a dent. I was getting 18-20rps on a fully charged 9.6v battery, and could easily hit targets out too around 140-150ft. FPS was right around 310-320. The hop was easy to adjust and very easy to get to.

-   Compatibility: 4/5 – This gun is compatible with a full range of upgrade parts, pretty much anything that would fit into a normal Ver.2. However, when doing repairs to the rifle I found that slight minor modifications were necessary to fit a metal body onto the gun. The gun was compatible with aftermarket sights and scope rails.

-User Rating: 3.2/5
   - Personal: The CA MP5A4 Sportline was a real hit and miss for me, I really really love the way this gun shoots, it sounds GREAT, and it fires extremely fast, however, my CA recently dropped to 285 fps for no apparent reason, probably the seals, and many of the CA sportline parts are of inferior quality. The gun is extremely light, and is very easy to carry around all day, however this is countered by the fact that the plastic will snap off at the slightest hit.
   - Value: I would say the CA Mp5A5 sportline is a fair to poor value for your money, it is fun to shoot, and will indeed be a good gun on the field, but it will constantly be in need of repair and minor modifications to combat the rapid loss of parts and chipping. However, since I have added the metal body kit, and reshimmed the internals, I have had no further external problems from this gun. For $150, you could do better, If you are dead set on a CA, save up for the proline.  

Jg/Cyma Mp5sd6

Galaxy Mp5k

   - Looks: 3/5 – The Galaxy Mp5k looks very sleek in the box, and it will certainly turn heads on the field. However, the plastic upper is quick to become greasy and shiny, I had the non-trademarked version, and while I didn’t mind the lack of trades too much, the version with trades does look a lot better. Lack of a metal upper was the biggest downside, as the plastic upper scratches easily, still easy acceptable for the guns relatively low price tag.

   - Feel: 3/5 – The Galaxy Mp5k has an excellent feel for such a good price, The lower receiver feels nice, and has a textured grip, making it easy to hang on to. The gun gives off vibes of being small and compact, which is a huge asset to usability, and gives the gun a really awesome feeling. However, the upper receiver is made of smooth plastic, which I assume was done to make it look more like the metal upper on the real mp5k. The smooth feeling is nice in the display case, but I found that it quickly became slippery and oily to the touch in the field. Not a huge problem.
*Note, for the PDW version, the stock has some serious wobble issues after progressive use, the stock itself feels ok, not the best, but nothing too bad, however, the area where the stock is held in sees a lot of wear, as you must remove it to put the battery in, this part will wear horribly, and cause the stock to become loose and wiggly. Still quite usable however.
   The Galaxy mp5k lower feels solid in your hands, however, there are several areas that tend to creak, and several pieces tend to rattle around where the metal parts meet the plastic frame.

   - Durability: 3/5 – This is both the biggest sell, and the biggest detriment I have for the Mp5k, My galaxy was bought second hand, and it had seen a fair bit of use, however it still had a lot of life left in it.
After using the Galaxy Mp5k for a decent period of time, I am both impressed and disappointed. My mp5k has probably seen upwards of 6k-10k rounds, and it has had its fair share of use, so here’s what I have observed: The mp5k body performed great right up until 5k-6k rounds, it was about this time that the two tabs on the plastic upper began to chip. For anyone not acquainted with Mp5k’s these tabs hold the back onto the gun, and help hold it together, it is also a necessity for the pins in these tabs to be removed in order to put the battery in every time you want to use the gun, right around 5k rounds I began to notice my tabs were chipping and cracking, which caused me no small amount of concern. They have yet to fail, but it is definitely coming soon. Considering the only NEW replacement body is the CA metal at $90, it isn’t a comforting situation. You can usually pick up a used mp5k plastic upper for around $25, but run the risk of the same issue repeating itself.
The upside to all of this is the gearbox itself. I just opened up my Galaxy Mp5k gearbox last night and was AMAZED to find that the parts still show almost no wear. The parts look brand new. This gun had seen much use as a loner, and considering the amount of times it had been shot in full auto for an excessive period of time, this was quite amazing to me. This really blew me away, unless I received a peach, this was incredible internal value for the price.

   - Performance: 3/5 – Performance for this rifle was ok. It had exceptional performance for its size, but about standard performance for an AEG. My rifle shot an average of 320-325 FPS, and I could hit a man sized target to about 120-125 feet away, which is all fairly good considering the gun only has a 110mm barrel! Two complaints here though. First is the stick battery, I personally don’t have a problem with the stick battery stock, however, it was extremely limiting when I was deciding weather or not to upgrade the gun. Most of the time, I found that the stick battery simply did not have enough juice to have to perform with any upgrades I wanted. However, since this is a review of all the guns in stock form, I will leave it there. The second issue I had with this gun is the hop. For whatever reason, the galaxy mp5k hopup unit will not hold its position. I have tried tightening the screw to its maximum and it still doesn’t help. I can zero in the hop, and 5-6 shots later, I will find the hop lever has started to move itself somewhere else, this coupled with the fact that the location of the hop in the handguard makes it extremely inconvenient to get to, makes me dock the performance of the gun.  

   - Compatibility: 5/5 – If it has one thing going for it, the Galaxy MP5k has extremely good compatibility with other parts. I have yet to find any upgrade part that this gun couldn’t use, that would have fit in the ver.3 gearbox. The fact that this gun takes long type motors ads to its compatibility. Great platform gun, minus that battery…

-User rating: 3.5/5
   - Personal: I really liked my Galaxy mp5k, it was a good price, and was a blast to use. The performance was easily on par with other mpeg rifles, and at no time did I feel underpowered. My only complaint is that the galaxy quickly became outrun by higher end AEGS, and I found I had to resort to hiding techniques to get anyone out. Served as a successful backup gun for many years, and I would say that is the role in which it shines.

   - Value: For the money you put into it, the Galaxy Mp5k delivers spectacularly. This gun can be found around the net for $80 New, and for that price it is hard to beat, considering it comes with a battery and wall charger, and has everything needed for play in the box. The Galaxy Mp5 has its few flaws, but they are easily overlooked in the tide of benefits. I would rate this gun as one of the best for dollar value mp5k’s you can buy, and the fact that you can easily pick up a used galaxy for 40-50$ encourages me to say that this is probably one of, if not the, best starter AEG’s on the market today.    

CA Mp5a4 Proline

CA MP5k

- Looks: 5/5 –  This is one of my most recent purchases, and I must say, What the Galaxy lacks, the CA takes home to roost. The CA Mp5k looks FANTASTIC. No competition whatsoever. Everything that needs to be metal is metal, everything that needs to be polymer is polymer, actual, hard, textured abs or similar polymer!!  The trades impressed me the most, the B&T trades SHINE, it looks amazing on the mp5k body. I am very pleased with this mp5k body. It’s the little things, like the sight markings, and the serial number that make this gun truly unique.

   - Feel: 4/5 Needless to say, this gun feels amazing, the texture on this rifle is fantastic, the metal is cool and smooth to the touch. This thing is just a joy to hold. It does have two issues however. One of my main quirks with the Galaxy Mp5k was the location of the hopup unit, and while CA has fixed the traveling hopup issue, the CA Mp5k Still has the hopup in the same place as the Galaxy. This actually isn’t too bad with the CA, since, once you have the hop dialed in, it will STAY put with the handguard on, but it still is one issue that bothers me with this hopup. The only other qualm I had with the CA, was oddly the feature that made the other Ca’s I reviewed so much more impressive, the SEF lower. On the mp5k, I am not sure if it is too short, or if it uses an extended SEF lower, but the semi and auto settings are unusually hard to select from the safe position. And while the selector clicks in nicely in the fire modes, for some reason mine does not like to be put in safe. The only bonus here is that the distance from the fire modes and the safety ensures you will never accidentally safe the gun while trying to shoot, which is actually a nice feature.

- Durability: -/- Having had this rifle for less than a week, I have no comments on durability yet, other than the fact that the gun looks like it could take a beating and keep on kicking, and that the gearbox sounds nicely shimmed, and cycles smoothly.

- Performance: 4/5 – Again, this little rifle is a great performer, Ca recognized the lack of battery space would limit its users to a smaller stick battery, and they compensated for it. My CA Mp5k has been clocked going at 19.5- 20rps on a fully charged 9.6v battery. The rifle however, is a throwback to the old CA days, and only chronos between 288-290FPS, which is still more than acceptable for CQB, and as a backup weapon. Even with its low FPS the CA Mp5k still gets amazing range and accuracy for a gun with a 110mm barrel. I was able to hit a man sized target 8/10 times at 150ft. And when engaging in full auto, the 20rps should be more than enough to get your target range out to the low 160’s

- Compatibility: -/- - Again, I have only had this rifle for a short period of time, and cannot speak to its parts compatibility at the moment. Hopefully I will never have to, as the CA Mp5k sounds solid enough to keep on running for a long, long time.

- User Rating: 4.3/5
   - Personal: I am so highly impressed with the CA Mp5k that it was shocking. Being a Galaxy owner for so many years, it was hard to justify CA’s price tag for there mp5k, at 2x the price of a Galaxy I was skeptical I would be able to see enough of a difference to justify the cost. I got lucky and managed to score a used CA for a good price, and now, holding it in my hands, I wouldn’t have any issue what so ever in dropping another $200 on a CA Mp5k. They are simply works of art.
   - Value: For me, the CA was a timely upgrade from my failing galaxy, and was well needed. I went after it mainly for the metal body, but had I held and used one before then, I would have had no qualms about dropping the cash into the CA over the galaxy. HOWEVER. The CA is going to be very hard to justify for the new player, and the fact that it doesn’t come with a battery is going to add an additional cost. This gun is definitely not for beginners, BUT, if you have the money, or are looking at a good upgrade from your galaxy, this is the way to go. Simply fantastic job by CA on this one.

ICS MP5Sd5
   - Looks: 5/5 – The looks on this gun are spectacular. The ICS sports a full metal body with grey’d trades everywhere they need to be. ICS is known for there outstanding quality metal bodies, and the Mp5SD is no exception. The SD front looks great, and everything on the gun just looks good, its all well finished, and made of good quality materials.

   - Feel: 4/5 – This is one of the most solid full metal Mp5’s I have ever had my hands on, no creaks, no movement, no problems, smooth cocking handle. The only major downside is that the selector switch is mushy, and on such a beautiful gun, it is quite noticeable and a little disappointing. Other than that however, the ICS Mp5SD feels wonderful. It has a nice texture, and smooth metal parts. Everything feels durable, and it looks like it could go on kicking for a long time. The trigger pull is nice and crisp.

- Durability: 4/5 – Its extremely well built, and has a solid metal upper. The gearbox is reinforced, and it can easily take 400 FPS setups. The externals have taken many a whack and are still ticking

- Performance: 4/5 – Good performance out of the box, ICS does a good job of shimming on there rifles, and the stock motor gives a good rof. I was able to accurately engage targets out to 140-150 feet.  The gun is now upgraded, and handles 27 RPS at 380 FPS, with an scs and the stock bucking, I can now engage up to right around 175-185 feet.

- Compatibility: 4/5 Not bearing the ICS Split gearbox, this mp5 is perfectly compatible with many other Ver.2 parts. No problems with any upgrades so far

- User Rating: 4.2/5
   - Personal: This is one of my favorite Mp5’s. I love the way it looks, it is SOLID, and has no issues with the externals that are so common in other brands of Mp5.
   - Value: I would recommend this gun to anyone! However, see if you can find one used, and save yourself some $$$. If not, its still a great value.

Echo 1 Mp5j Task Force
   - Looks: 4/5
   - Feel: 3/5
- Durability: 3/5
- Performance: 4/5
- Compatibility: 3/5
- User Rating: 3.4/5
   - Personal:
   - Value:

Mags:
ICS
CA
Star
Mag
Accessories:
Lighted Foregrip:
   CA:
   Well:

Artists design front sight:
Nothing Special, cool sight, adds a glowing dot instead of the original front sight. I personally don’t like the way it looks as I am a huge fan of the mp5 front sight. Expensive.

NC star top sight:
This sight looks very neat on the Mp5, and fits its contours well, but is pretty much useless in my opinion, unless you take the front sight off of your mp5. Then it actually works very well. Good buy for looks, good price.

Basic mp5 Upgrade:

Advanced Mp5 Upgrade:

Stay tuned! More to come!
If anyone has an MP5 they would like me to review, feel free to offer it up! Want a specific type reviewed; send some models my way lol.

Coming soon:
Well GBB Mp5k
External Parts
Upgrades
Mags
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 05:00:00 PM by Guest »
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