OK, as you folks know I mostly do real guns. I had the goofy idea to put the shoulder stocks on real VP70z pistols and selling them as registered short-barrelled rifles.
Now I'm working on new extended bbls with threads for suppressors too, but that's another story in itself.
So, the biggest problem was finding more TK units. The one I got at the gunshow was a demo, it was obscenely expensive, but it was unique and I had said goofy idea as detailed above.
Enter UHG, this unit at 120 bucks from blazing toys, as opposed to 220-300, IF you can get them to return your emails from Evike, tokyohobby etc...with no guarantee of delivery, seemed like a good deal.
So, I got it today, pics are below. My opinions are betwixt this paragraph and the pics.
What I like about the TK over the UHG.
The color, even though the slides on both are plastic (someone in Japan sells a metal bbl and slide for 140 bucks), the UHG one is black, whereas the TK one is a sickly gray green like the original gun. (tho, truth be known there are some really dark colored ones out there too)
The stock texture is more "pebbly" than the UHG, which is more like the real gun.
The safety is more akin to the original metal part on the HK VP70Z/M. The UHG one is a cheesy knock off, as you'll see below.
What I like about the UHG over the TK.
Packaging..NICE! The TK was seemingly tossed in a 1970s vintage cardboard box. The UHG is obviously meant for commercial sale to American customers, who buy the "sizzle" over the steak. No probs, it looks good.
Stock hinge set. The UHG has some metal reinforcments where the flexi bits are for the buttstock hinge. The TK ones are flimsy translucent flexible plastic only. Only time will tell which is more durable.
The original VP70M stock is probably leather or some goofyiness. Dang Germans anyhow.
The selector numbers, darker, redder and more correct. The TK looked like the "3" was inverted and then transferred to the stock, the UHG is a much nicer looking stock.
The UHG frame actually looks a bit better than the TK frame, despite the crappy safety.
GAS! The UHG runs on Green Gas, the TK runs on 134 gas, much tougher to find, especially for a n00b doofus like myself. I had to make a half dozen phone calls before I found the stuff.
APPARENTLY, the dealer made no such distinctions as to gasses, because the TK gun broke whilst I was doing this impromptu photo shoot and the teeny piece is shown on the pistol. The TK manual says not to run GG in the thing and I think this is what led to it's damage.
So, what I'll probably do is keep both, put the UHG slide (not broken) on the TK frame with the correct spring.
Both the 134 magazine/gas valve assy and the GG magazine/gas valve assy look and feel identical. The gas valve plungers seem to have the same spings and parts
The stocks swap back and forth interchangeably.
One other odd little thing. The UHG stock has a slot in it, the manual shows a cartoon operator with a field expedient lanyard run through that slot to act as a retention device, precluding droppage of the entire stock on the ground when removing it from the belt (sideclip). This slot is not apparent on the factory HK stock or the TK stock.