Home Reviews Angs Anpeq2 ANGS replica AN/PEQ-2A

ANGS replica AN/PEQ-2A

by Arnie

ANGS
replica AN/PEQ-2A
by Specwarguy
Will

ANGS


Background:
In one way or another, there have been multiple
discussions online about how to outfit a Marui M4A1 and RIS
with proper battery storage/power to drive the upgraded internals
we all yearn to skirmish with. With methods such as using an
aftermarket RIS, a fixed stock, redi-mag, M203 assembly and
even an M203 shell to outfit large capacity 9.6V’s and higher,
the Insight Technologies AN/PEQ 2 replica by ANGS will surely
be a great accessory to have in order fill this demand. My review
is based on having the real unit which is currently on loan
to a friend. It is also a review based on opinions by me with
care taken for giving as much accuracy as possible.

First
impressions:
The unit comes packaged in a typical
Japanese clear cellophane box cushioned softly with a piece
of closed cell foam. Enclosed is also a sheet of instructions
on how to open the unit and how to place the battery into it.

Other
than packaging details, the finish on the unit is ‘very nice’
as opposed to the finish on a real PEQ-2A. The real unit is
a bit more plastic with signs of variations in the skin. However,
with this replica, it carries a smooth, flat finish end to end.
The ANGS replica feel a bit sturdy and seems it may be able
to take a beating. There are 1/8” to 3/16” inch thick walls
made of possibly ABS plastic.

Further
speculation:
On the real PEQ 2, there are two
laser tubes in the unit. The laser tube on the right of the
unit functions as the aiming laser and the one on the left of
the unit functions as an illuminator, giving a flat shade of
‘color’ to an NVG device with no halo effect with the supplied
filter (comparison and possible review of AN/PEQ-2 by Insight
Technology in a later submission). The flood is also adjustable
via a dial atop the aiming reticle (The ICS replica appears
to lack the adjustable dial for the flood light) which also
gives it that extra protrusion when compared to the right laser
unit. Each laser on the unit has both windage and elevation
adjustment dials and function on the replica unit from ANGS.
Another great feature in this replica is that the laser aiming
pointer is molded with a clear plastic lens. This brings things
one step closer for hobbyists who may wish to convert this into
a functional aiming device. The flood laser on the other side
has a clear lens also but is blocked however when viewing from
the inside of the unit. A simple drill will remove the blockage.

To
activate the AN/PEQ-2A pointer requires pressing the large center
button made of rubber or an external pressure switch. In the
replica, the center button does not function and is casted into
the unit out of plastic. ANGS did choose to use rubber (or similar
material) to cast the straps that prevent the loss to the battery
caps at the end of the unit as well as the filters for both
lasers in the front. This adds serious realism to the unit.

On
the real unit, an external pressure switch may be outfitted
by removing a plug from the unit’s rear. On the replica, the
plug is also removable but serves a different purpose. Here,
the wire of the battery ‘may be’ used to attach from the Marui
M4’s front end to the battery inside the PEQ-2A. The reason
I say ‘may be used’ is because there is a second hole on the
bottom of the unit for a more discreet way to connect your platform
to the internal replica PEQ-2A battery. But as discreet as it
may get, there is also no shame to show the external cables
if a proper rigging job is done to make it look like the wire
of a pressure switch. In other words, you may use the wires
of the battery to simulate the wire of a pressure switch. The
wire of the pressure switch is about the size of one of the
wires from the battery. Putting two together may be a bit bulky
if one is ‘pickey’ about realism.

To
open the unit, you have to turn the on/off/selector switch of
the unit anticlockwise. The switch functions as a screw to hold
the unit’s end in place. The unit’s end is secured via a metal
bracket screwed into the end unit. ANGS used some pretty thick
metal for this piece and a metal screw. The only item not casted
properly is the switch blocker which supposed to prevent accidental
turn-on of the PEQ-2A unit. The real one is higher (thicker)
and is blue.

I
currently have not rigged a battery system for this unit but
it seems it has nice storage capabilities. Further review of
the battery storage pending in a later submission by my friend
Wawa.
One other thing worth noting is the metal bracket/mount. This
is a great feature to have and adds to ANG’s reputation of making
quality products. I do not know if the whole mount is metal
or not but when I took the half of the mount that is able to
be removed from the unit, I realized by dropping it on a hard
surface, it made a ‘clink’ noise. The mount base is screwed
(3x’s) and glued onto the unit. The whole mount seems to be
made of aluminum.

Issues
at hand:
One feature I think is off is the front
mounting screw which seems to be correct but does not match
the mount on the bottom. Until I receive the unit back from
a friend, I can not confirm this (ahem). What I realized was
that the mount of the replica is placed a bit far to the rear
than the real unit. When mounting the unit onto the RIS, be
sure not to mount it flush with the first teeth of the rail.
Comparing pictures of the real one mounted on my M4 versus the
ANGS one reveals that the mount placement is off.

One
other issue is when the ANGS replica is mounted onto my Mosquito
Mold RIS with a KAC panel, the unit slants forward. This is
due to the bulging from the bottom of the unit which allows
the unit to hit the rail cover. The real AN/PEQ-2A does not
have this protrusion on the bottom of it and I believe ANGS
added this for purpose of keeping the unit sturdy. The bottom
hole for the battery wire is situated on this bulge as well.

Conclusion:
I have both the AN/PEQ-2A and the AN/PAQ-4C from
Insight Technologies. All these devices share similar attributes
and I hope you will enjoy the review I write for these units
as I get the replicas from my sources overseas. The results
of the Taiwanese replica is nice and the price is great but
does not compare with the first batch of ANGS replicas. Slap
a class 2/3 laser warning sticker to the side of the unit and
it will be tough to tell the difference between real and not.

Additional
comments:
For those who haven’t worked a real
AN/PEQ-2A with gen 3 NVG is missing out on quite an adventure.
I used this on my M4 with EOTech 551 (NVG model), VLI and PVS7B
NVG and there’s no need for the EOtech. Having a laser unit
that the enemy can’t see without NVG is pretty enlightening.
It also literally changes the tactics of CQB and land warfare.
But using it for combat poses a serious risk to eye injuries
(although IR laser is much, much safer than visible lasers)
and prone to damage from BB’s. Big ouch. Asides from that, the
ANGS PEQ-2A replica is a bit pricey but is worth it when you
take into account the void it fills and the solutions it corrects.
It is also great to finally have a replica AN/PEQ-2A that functions
both as a nice piece of airsoft accessory to have as well as
additional battery storage.

Other
battery storage alternative issues worth noting:

A good friend Wawa, has milled out the Mosquito Mold RIS (realistic
version) to outfit a 9.6V 1400 mAh battery. After modifying
the outer-barrel assembly, it ‘is’ possible to use a ‘butterfly
9.6V’ used by many for the stock Marui M4A1 foregrip into the
modified RIS system with the use of slimmer 1400mAh cells. Great
system but not a luxury we all have. This allows the use of
a real PEQ in skirmish or allows hobbyists the chance to outfit
the replica PEQ-2’s into real ones and still have battery storage
keeping their M4A1’s ‘specwar realistic’.

Regards,
Specwarguy Will
– costume designer/replica gear maker for film and
theater; www.specwargear.com
affiliate.

External
Links:
ANGS

Site
links:
ICS
AN/PEQ-2 review

ICS
AN/PEQ-2 review2

Comparison
shots:
Joseph
Chen
kindly sent in some comparison shots of the ANS
model versus the real deal Insight PEQ2). The one on the
left side is Insight’s PEQ2. Note that the elevation dial
is different shape (thanks Joseph!)




Comment
on this review in the forums


Last
modified:Wednesday, December 11, 2002 10:02 PM Copyright 2001 ArniesAirsoft




Cookies are used improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More