When I went to Akabane Frontier in May 2020 to buy Tokyo Marui's newly released Glock 17 GEN4, I was surprised to find a VFC Mk18 mod.1 electric airsoft gun sitting in the back.
I thought that since the license with Cybergun had expired, they would only have gas blowback models, but they did have some.
At the time, I only bought a Tokyo Marui Glock 17 GEN4 and went home, but after thinking about it more, I realized it was a premium item and immediately went back to Akabane Frontier to buy another one. By the way, it cost around 45,000 yen.
Now, let's review the out-of-the-box appearance and actual shooting performance (I bought it in a frenzy, but I've let it sit around for quite a while).
*This article aims to provide educational explanations from a mechanical engineering perspective regarding the safe hobby use of airsoft guns.
This does not promote acts of violence, the use of weapons, weapon modification, practical evaluation, or violation of laws and regulations.
Out-of-the-box appearance and actual shooting performance
This is the license sticker on the box.
This is proof that it's an authentic product. I don't have a strong preference for whether something is official or counterfeit; my stance is that as long as the product is good, that's fine (illegal copies are unacceptable, of course). That being said, when it's an officially licensed product, my expectations for quality increase.
Next, let's take a look at the exterior.
appearance
Let's start with a side view.
Reverse
It's incredibly cool. It came with left and right rail covers and a foregrip as accessories.
What I like most is this engraving. (I'm not an engraving enthusiast, though.)
Perhaps because it's a military model, there were no markings or anything on the other side.
Site Picture
The site picture is just the bare minimum.
The front sight is a folding type and painted tan.
The rear sight is also painted tan.
It's probably a Knights 300m site.
Even though this is a genuine VFC part, buying it separately later is quite expensive, so I feel like I got a good deal.
rail
Next up is the popular DD brand front rail, with each rail clearly numbered.
The sides are also clearly numbered.
This is the right-side R (right) No.
This is the L (left) - No.
It looks great. As expected from VFC, a company renowned for its excellent appearance. It's perfect.
I'll leave the detailed descriptions and appearance of the gun to others, as I believe there are many people who have already covered those topics.
Out-of-the-box shooting performance
Next, let's look at the out-of-the-box shooting performance, which is what we're most interested in.
The measurement conditions were as follows: ET-1 REDLINE 1300mAh 7.4V (storage mode 7.6V), using Tokyo Marui Bio BBs 0.2g. Hop-up was set to 0.
The initial velocity is approximately 87 m/s and the rate of fire is 15.2 rounds/second.
When firing in semi-automatic mode, the initial velocity was generally around 85-88 m/s.
The noise level is pretty average (though the bevel noise is a little noticeable).
It seems like it will work fine. Recent high-end Taiwanese electric airsoft guns seem to be of pretty good quality.
It's almost a shame to take it apart, but since it's a hobby, I'll start disassembling it right away (actually, I've had it sitting around for six months since I bought it).
If you're interested, please also check out my review of the chronograph.
Disassembly - Removing the gearbox -
First, we'll disassemble the casing to remove the gearbox.
Like many M4-type rifles, first press the front pin. The pin is secured in place, so it won't come out easily.
Next, you'll remove the upper receiver, but don't forget to close the ejection port cover. (I often forget and then get scared because the upper receiver won't come off.)
The upper receiver can be removed from the front. This allows you to remove the inner barrel. Now let's take a look at the barrel and chamber.
The muzzle direction (HOP MAX) and hop-up were not the trendy long-range type, but rather the standard Tokyo Marui type.
side
The chamber was a so-called drum type, and the hop-up mechanism had a protrusion similar to that of the genuine Tokyo Marui product.
The inner barrel has a tapered tip and, according to the catalog, appears to be a slightly tight design with an inner diameter of 6.05mm.
The entire chamber assembly was securely fixed to the upper frame with almost no play.
I haven't shot it outdoors, but if the hop-up and BB weight are balanced correctly, I think it will produce a fairly good trajectory.
Next is the main unit.
First, remove the stock, then remove the stock pipe.
The stock pipe is secured with a special nut and a Phillips screw inside the pipe, so you'll need a hook wrench and a long screwdriver to remove it. VFC products don't use any unnecessary threadlocker, which makes disassembly easier.
This is a multi-hook wrench specifically for M4s. Incidentally, this wrench is very convenient when working with M4-type bolts. It's a bit bulky, but easy to use.
• Multi-wrench (combo wrench) for M4, M16, and AR15 bolts
Having this when working on AR-15 series rifles, including the M4, greatly expands the range of customization options.
Once the stock pipe is removed, the next step is to remove the grip and disconnect the faston terminals to remove the motor.
Compared to Tokyo Marui's products, the grip is significantly thinner. However, it's not as thin as a gas blowback model.
The motor is a mysterious black VFC motor with no label. It was firing at around 15.2 rounds per second, so it doesn't seem to be a bad motor. The pinion gear also has fairly wide teeth and doesn't seem to be bad either.
Remove the grip and take out the motor.
This is a typical black motor from VFC. It seems to have capabilities similar to the Tokyo Marui EG1000 (though not quite reaching the EG1000's level). The rate of fire was around 15.2 rounds/second, which isn't too bad, and the pinion gear also appears to be a good one with fairly wide teeth.
Next, remove the bolt release lever.
It's only held in place by a pin, so make sure you tap it lightly with a punch, making sure you don't get the direction wrong. The direction is from the muzzle towards the stock.
Once the pin is removed, press down on the mechanism that locks the bolt release lever on the opposite side while removing the lever.
Next, remove the magazine catch. While pressing the magazine catch button all the way in, turn the lever that locks the magazine on the opposite side counterclockwise. The spring was strong and I couldn't press the magazine catch button, but I managed.
Press the magazine catch button all the way in, then rotate the magazine catch on the opposite side to remove it.
Next, remove the two pins from the receiver. Pay attention to the direction you remove them; I made a mistake. The thin pins are quite stiff, so remove them carefully. If you hit them too hard, the receiver will crack.
At this point, you can remove the gearbox.
Disassembling the gearbox
To disassemble the gearbox, first remove the bolt release catch locking mechanism. The important thing is to hold down the E-ring that holds the spring with your finger while removing it. As expected, I ended up sending the spring flying.
Gearbox with bolt catch removed
Next, remove the main spring.
I'm glad that recent VFC gearboxes use a QD (Quick Discharge) system.
All that's left is to remove the screws holding the gearbox in place, and you're done.
The gearbox is a standard Ver.2.
The photos show the room before any cleaning or maintenance has been done.
I'm impressed that only the bare minimum of grease has been applied. (Perhaps a little too little.)
The bearing was an 8mm radial ball bearing.
This gearbox is very impressive, with no burrs or other imperfections.
Also, it did not contain FETs or anything like that.
Recent VFC products seem to include FETs and MOSFETs, but my unit did not.
Unfortunately, there was no fuse either.
Checking the internal components of the gearbox.
Let's take a look at the main components inside the gearbox.
Cylinder
The cylinder is made of aluminum with acceleration holes.
From the looks of it, an inner barrel length of 250-300mm seems to be the appropriate size. It doesn't appear to be made of stainless steel or brass.
I don't really understand the performance difference between different materials for this part. My stance is that it's fine as long as the inner diameter is accurate.
Cylinder head
The cylinder head was a standard one with one O-ring. There's nothing particularly noteworthy about it.
Piston head
The piston head was made of aluminum and was a rear-exhaust type. The piston itself was made of ABS plastic, not polycarbonate like before.
The piston's rack gear has metal teeth on the last six teeth of the sector gear. The rack gear was securely glued in place.
The screws securing the piston and piston head were so tightly sealed with threadlocker that I gave up on removing them. The rear end of the piston has a nice chamfered finish.
Tips
The nozzle is a sealing type with one O-ring, and when I measured it, the length was 21.18mm, which seems a bit short. The taper at the tip is shallow.
Tappet plate
The tappet plate appears to be made of ABS resin. I'm glad it's not polycarbonate like before.
The accuracy seems good.
Next, regarding the gears, there are no burrs or anything like that overall, and the surface is clean, so they appear to be of high quality.
The accuracy seems promising.
Sector gear
First, let's look at the sector gear. It's pretty standard. The precision seems good. It's probably made of iron. It has a sector chip attached.
Spur gear
This is a spur gear. This is also normal.The shim was not spring-loaded but had a metal collar inside.
Bevel gear
Finally, there's the bevel gear. It has an odd number of anti-reverse latches, five in total.
ス プ リ ン グ
The main spring was a uniform-pitch spring. It appears that the springs were not cut or modified, and the parts were properly prepared to comply with the 1J regulation.
I'll omit details about the other parts, but there were no particularly unusual parts; they were standard ver.2 gearbox components. The wiring was 0.75 sq size.
Summary and future customization directions
Overall, many of the parts used are of custom-level quality, and the assembly is flawless, suggesting a very high level of quality.
The performance right out of the box is also quite good, with a muzzle velocity of approximately 87 m/s with 0.2g BBs and a rate of fire of 15 rounds per second.
It seems like recent VFC products are perfectly usable right out of the box.
Also, after researching, it seems that the gearbox in my Mk18 mod.1 is a generation older than the current one, so the latest one is probably much better.
Since it's an overseas product, I can't say for sure that all VFC products are of good quality, but this one seems to be a good find. VFC's M4 series probably all have the same structure, so this might be helpful for anyone planning to disassemble one.
Next time, we'll start customizing it. Since it's a convenient size, we'll improve its basic performance so it can be used anywhere.
Specifically, I'll increase the rate of fire, make it a high-cycle build, and slightly increase the muzzle velocity to reduce the range of variation. Also, since I prefer a longer hop-up, I'll change the hop-up as well.
next time,High-cycle customization editionWe will send it to you.
VFC MK18 mod.1 AEG Full Metal Tan Color (Officially Licensed Version, JP Version)
This is the main article. It's also available in black in addition to tan.
The VFC Mk18 mod.1 has a 10.3-inch barrel, but the RIS2's 14.5-inch barrel is also cool and highly recommended.
VFC VR16 RISⅡ Daniel Defense
The engraving is different, and the internal components have been slightly upgraded. The link is for the 14.5-inch tan color.
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