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Initial Impressions of the TM SOPMOD M4 AEG


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Sounds good to me.

 

Ive got alot of confidence in this platform and im pretty sure that within no time we are going to start seeing a ton of parts. Here's hoping the likes of PGC, Prime, king arms and G&P will jump on board and start making barrels, rails, front ends etc for this thing.

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Guy I know here in Utah Got his Sopmod yesterday opened it up charged his battery and nothing. took it in to the shop and the battery wasn't holding the charge, he went back to the shop snaged his GAT and is contacting Redwolf now for a RMA.

 

TM = the bees knees .. not

 

sounds like a lemon. again.

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But seeing as the battery pack was made by TM it would still count as "lemonicity" on the part of TM.

 

Out of interest. Is the new SOPMOD still made in Japan or have TM started outsourcing their production?

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Out of interest. Is the new SOPMOD still made in Japan or have TM started outsourcing their production?

 

I know for a fact that it will never happen.

They (Marui) are a very traditional company in terms of cultural, and (Japanese)business backround, and are so entrenched in their beliefs that it would never cross their minds.

-of course it makes sense to outsource and all, but not within their line of thinking.

to them, it's not about dominating the world. rather, making a product worthy of putting their Name on it.

 

ok.. I'm off the soapbox, that's a whole different thread.. ;)

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Have any of you guys ever worked/designed products that went to mass production? There are always defects, period. The number of defects is fought greatly by extensive reliability suite of testing, along with QC measures. TM does that far better than other companies out there.

 

For a component like the battery pack, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if that was contracted out to a supplier. Example: Do you think notebook computer companies actually make their own battery packs? No. They buy them fully assembled and completed including the computer company's own labels on them from that battery supplier.

 

Besides, we don't even know if the guy charged the pack correctly. Maybe he set his charger to NiCd instead of NiMH and toasted the pack. Maybe he did get a bad pack.

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I purchased a TM sopmod for LEO training, I do not play airsoft so I can't comment on that aspect of it but so far I have been pleased with the gun. I have fired 3000 .20 bio bbs with no problems so far and have dry fired about the same amount doing various dry fire drills. The trigger could be alittle better as well as the selector switch but they are good enough to get some meaningfull feedback. The bolt stop and recoil function made the package for me as a training tool. The felt recoil could be harder but is still very noticeable and does somewhat give you the impression of a recoiling weapon, which you would not get just dry firing a real one. Also with no magazine inserted the rifle keeps firing unlike dry firing a RS version which has to be cocked for each shot. One problem I did have with TM was that they did not put the proper M4 front sling swivel on a AEG that costs $550. The front barrel assembly is also alitte loose but I am looking into fixing this. I plan to start using the rifle for force on force entry training and the sub 300fps power level was another plus for me since some of the shots tend to be very close.

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I purchased a TM sopmod for LEO training, I do not play airsoft so I can't comment on that aspect of it but so far I have been pleased with the gun. I have fired 3000 .20 bio bbs with no problems so far and have dry fired about the same amount doing various dry fire drills. The trigger could be alittle better as well as the selector switch but they are good enough to get some meaningfull feedback. The bolt stop and recoil function made the package for me as a training tool. The felt recoil could be harder but is still very noticeable and does somewhat give you the impression of a recoiling weapon, which you would not get just dry firing a real one. Also with no magazine inserted the rifle keeps firing unlike dry firing a RS version which has to be cocked for each shot. One problem I did have with TM was that they did not put the proper M4 front sling swivel on a AEG that costs $550. The front barrel assembly is also alitte loose but I am looking into fixing this. I plan to start using the rifle for force on force entry training and the sub 300fps power level was another plus for me since some of the shots tend to be very close.

 

The rail on all of the sopmods that i have handled was rather solid for an out of the box airsoft gun.

 

The barrels have also all been ROCK solid.

 

I would look into replacing the TM delta ring with a real deal unit to increase tension on the rail. That should solve any minor play you might be experiencing.

 

Im really glad you believe this will be a good training aid for force on force training. Ive been extolling the virtues of this bad boy since i first heard of its existence and my beliefs are further reinforced having now handled one.

 

This is indeed a step forward for AEG technology.

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I find that this AEG is wobbly and having to buy any type of ANYTHING for it when you drop over 400+ USD is a joke. The Gun should performe like a champ Stock, no wobbly anything, no dud battery out of the box, no broken tappet plates, NO Excuses!

I guess in the USA Trades dont mean much to us because we can buy RS where as in other countries the trades on TM gats are what you thrive for because you cannot buy a RS. Really if it means so much to have trades then I guess you know what your spending your cash on.

So to each there own and those who got one and enjoy it ....great .. those who got a lemon... I guess life is laughing at you.

 

why must we pay for their research and development?

 

"Buyer Beware"

 

 

rad

Edited by Radrockin
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I dunno where in the hell you are coming from. Any other $400 gun out there has a pack of worms too. I've seen/heard of more than a few $400+ G&P and VFC guns having problems. Pistons bottom out within 2k rounds, spur gears loose teeth and bear axles break, etc, etc. From what I can tell, you are just someone who is anti-tm......

 

And if you aren't gonna pay for R&D, there WON'T BE INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS LIKE THIS! Chinese companies/CA/G&P, etc cannot clone a design that doesn't exist. Posts like this annoy me. After all, it was but only a battery pack, which judging by the cells from pictures of them opened up, aren't even made by tm. You friend is having it returned, right? *suitcase* happens, we've all got lemons, but that doesn't mean you write of the product on the whole because one or two [people get a lemon....

 

Having shot and handed this gun, I wish it was out back when I first got my TM SR-16. So solid, great trades, the metal and finish is nice, better than I though it'd be. Even the plastic is nicer than my older TM stuff. The kick is WAAY more than I was expecting. If I hadn't just bought an M14, I'd want one of these beauties.

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Do you have some sort of agenda against this platform?

 

Seriously, so far only ONE gun in this thread has failed, mine. The other failures that have been reported have ALL occurred on upgraded guns.

 

The issue with the battery is impossible to diagnose because we do not know what the end user did to the battery prior to attempting to use it.

 

All 15 batteries ive had my hands on worked fine.

 

Also, im sorry but HOW is this AEG wobbly to the point where you are not satisfied with it. Seriously man, how many of these have you actually handled? Do you even own one? Have you ever skirmished with it?

 

The Handguards on my PTW's wobbled. That was a 1500 dollar weapon but i didnt complain. Hell, lots of sub par companies like bushmaster, oly arms, dpms, etc have wobbly components on their guns and again, those are all more expensive than TM's replica. Given the fact that the AEG is far more complex than a real weapon at least in design, i would say that for 500 dollars and the amount of components that are thrown into these guns im surprised that they came together as well as they did. Could they be better? Yes, absolutely but for the price point and the engine i do believe we are getting a pretty darned good gun out of the box.

 

Also, anything man made can and will break. I hardly see that as life laughing at me. I mean really now, this is a toy and ive got WAY more important things to be concerned about.

 

I adopted first generation technology knowing full well that there were not going to be any replacement parts available for some time. I have yet to complain about this and i am merely waiting patiently for parts to be released. All in good time. Until then, i am still very happy with the potential of the platform and will have mine up and running soon.

 

Care to elaborate on your rants? You seem hell bent on proving that this gun is the antichrist. Are you mad because you own a PTW or something? :D

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Handled yes. shot it? no.. because it was a Tokyo Marui lemon... "cells" or whatever it is all propritery and that means MARUI made, outsourced, or whatever it is still MARUI and it stilled failed out of the box. as for the return and the whole life happens comment?? I would say that being told to "deal with it" is not what you would want to hear. 1 in a million or not.

 

I may not have your experience with 15 Marui batteries etc.. or I may not think TM= The "Best" like others. I just say it how I see it. no need to fluff. The front assembley is not sturdy. and if you call putting the battery onto its propritery charger and plugging it in then trying to fire the "weapon" or TOY as its put well.. if you want a 500.00 paperweight in oreder to fix it when if parts are made or cloned for it then thats cool. Airsoft is about what you the end user wants. and just because I am giving my 2 cents, doesnt mean I am hell bent on driving MARUI into the ground ... what ever. I am just saying Buyer Beware on the TM SOPMOD.

 

I am a consumer and I can say how I see it just like everyone else.

 

 

rad

 

Edit: Hey Magz do you have a pic of your broken tappet plate from your TM Sopmod we can see?

Edited by Radrockin
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i agree with both you guys in everything said, radrocking appears to be on a one man crusade to bring down the mighty TM hehe

 

he annoys me becuase people come to arnies for the information and take it elsewhere people will read his BEWARE THIS GUN KILLS KITTENS statement and take it elsewhere, ive already seen it on a few forums dont get the sopmod they break. They dont!

 

The gun i handled had no barrel wobble!, the batterys worked fine. recoil was great, accuracy was amazing. THATS why mine is arriving early april ! What the hells a trade! thats how much i care about the trades! its nice that it has the real deal stuff on there but theres so many other good points about this gun, yes i think its a bit overpriced but that due more to the current finacial climate and importing. And im still willing to pay it becuase i want the gun.

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Been working out with my sopmod all morning I dry fired it about 400 to 500 times and fired about 100 bbs with no problem. I decided to look into the wobbly barrel assembly, one or two mm of movement left to right. Once I got the gun apart I noticed that it was just the barrel nut was loose, tightened this up made sure the RIS was snugged down and now the front end is rock solid. It is fair to note that it was loose out of the box but it was a simple fix. The castle on the stock which is not staked has worked loose a couple of times but this is no big deal, it happens on RS guns that aren’t staked too. I have two batteries and have had no issues they hold a charge great and I get several practice sessions before one needs recharged. Overall I am very satisfied with the platform and would recommend it to others.

 

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Couple things.

 

Unfortunately i do not have a picture as my girlfriend cleaned up the work table, saw a broken tappet and trashed it.

 

I applaud her efforts to help me organize myself but curse her for getting rid of the evidence! lol.

 

Rad, i really dont understand how you can put out a buyer beware notice when you have ONE instance of an issue.

 

Are there widespread buyer beware notices for JG, Echo 1, Dboys, and A&K etc condemning the entire line of guns because of THOUSANDS of lemons? No, absolutely not. Are there people out there saying lemons exist and the end user should be aware of potential problems that may crop up? Absolutely. That is the right way to handle things. That is the way i am going about this. So far ive had one gun break out of 10 which happened to be mine. I came on here, announced the breakage and warned users of the possibility of a repeat. I did not immediately throw a hissy fit, condemn TM and threaten to recreate a WWII scenario involving nuclear weapons to make them pay for their transgressions against humanity.

 

Condemning the entire platform because a battery failed to work is a little ridiculous dont you think? Especially given the fact that there are so many variables involved. Did the guy charge it on a nimh compatible charger? Did he cook it at 10 amps? Did he discharge the battery? Was it damaged during shipping and the list goes on and on and on.

 

I think you are over reacting a little bit.

 

Now, having said all of that. Do i want my new found toy to work since i just plunked down a hefty sum of money on it? Absolutely, i do. There is no good excuse for it breaking this early. I am however a realist and understand that anything made by man can and will break. The thing that sucks here is that as a buyer and a part of the community something that is lacking in the industry is a general commitment to after sales support. My gun broke, Hong Kong will not help me. That therein is the real problem. Again, we come back to the issue of adopting first generation technology. Airsoft guns are garbage whether you buy a VFC or a JG. They will all break. It juts so happens that generally, when you spend more money the mean time between failures is higher/longer. In this particular case, this was not true but in every other case of Sopmods, it HAS been true so far.

 

IF i had bought this gun six months from now and it broke, it would be a simple matter of finding replacement parts and just fixing it myself or having someone fix it if i was not capable. This is the way i have been doing things for over eleven years. I have not had a retailer to *badgeress* to, to complain to and to whine to until they gave in and offered me a solution whether it be a refund, an exchange or a store credit. The old breed of airsofters have always been a self reliant bunch of chaps. The new breed however...wow...If paint chips after they run their echo 1 over with a back hoe they throw a fit.

 

Anyway, rant aside. TM quality is still there. It is not the end all be all of AEG's but i will reiterate and say that this system, the system that they devised is truly marvelous and a whole hell of a lot of fun.

 

If someone like VFC were to take this system, license it and put it into their beautiful externals we would have a dream AEG as far as im concerned. If you've ready any of my other posts im crossing my fingers and hoping companies like King Arms and G&P will sign on to produce Sopmod compatible parts so that people like you that dont like particulars, ie the purported "wobbly" rail will be able to replace it with something else. Same goes for the metal bodies.

 

Last but not least. What is your issue with the trademarks? I didnt see you mentioning specifics other than whining about..something generally speaking related to trademarks.

 

EDIT:

 

Mike, this is in regards to your above post my friend. The castle nuts have worked themselves a little loose on some of the sopmods that ive come across. A quick dollop of BLUE locktite and an armorers wrench fixed that right up. Now, i do NOT, EVER locktite castle nuts on my real firearms but the metal used on the sopmod is not really conducive to staking. I was worried about actually breaking the receiver if i tapped too hard so i have not attempted to stake my guns. I believe that for a toy, locktite is enough to get the job done.

Edited by Magsz
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Magz... you make valid points and I can understand your point of view.. however, every "clone" is bought with the thought of it "breaking" , every TM is bought with the thoughts of it being the "best pioneering weapons training airsoft blazing platform" the world has seen. so to debate your stament of having a disclamer on all Clone guns welll its a given they are clones.

 

did you buy your Sopmod from Redwolf too? cause thats where the guy bought his... maybe its a lemon party!

 

as I said before. I 'll say it again. as a consumer I have a voice just like you and I can rant or rave just like you and everyone else. my ideas may not float your boat and yours may not float mine however, I feel we all have one thing in common... having fun in a great past time that is known as Airsoft!

 

 

rad

 

 

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alright, everyone reel it in. if you guys say that radrockin is on a one man crusade to demolish TM, the oposite case could also be made; that magz is on a one man crusade to brag about TM.

 

this is a forum, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. and they are also entitled to not be attacked for their opinion. members do deserve to know the bad as well as the good, and its understandable to be just as passionate when something goes wrong as when it goes well. this thread has lots of good information and i would hate to see it locked over a petty arguement.

 

ok? ;)

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Just some small snippet, but depending on which batch of TM SOPMOD you bought, you are likely to have the 1st batch if something did go wrong. Marui immediately made small adjustments to the bolt catch functions after the first batch back in Feb. So it's a possibility that you may or may not have had a 1st batch version or it is an actually lemon.

 

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Just some small snippet, but depending on which batch of TM SOPMOD you bought, you are likely to have the 1st batch if something did go wrong. Marui immediately made small adjustments to the bolt catch functions after the first batch back in Feb. So it's a possibility that you may or may not have had a 1st batch version or it is an actually lemon.

 

Shinden, could you elaborate a bit on that?

What was wrong with the bolt catch and what was fixed?

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There was only a few things that included fragile diecast part on the dust cover latch and bolt catch. The dust cover latch and bolt catch were fixed in the 2nd batch. Most of the SOPMODs on sale now should have all problems fixed so as long as you don't have any problems with the latch on the dust cover breaking off or the catch not working, you shouldn't worry. If its something else which includes your problem of the tappet, it is likely to be either lemon or the problem is beginning to show and thus third party companies should be already in progress of making the parts. I wouldn't worry as much as it's a minor problem and if its major, then many users would be complaining already. I think you just had one bad one as you mention that your other units are working fine. Personally, this gun is something to invest in.

 

And to your interest, LA GUNSHOP is tuning SOPMODs for high recoil link

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Thanks for the clarification Shinden, greatly appreciated.

 

Im not worried about my tappet plate and nozzle, like i said, im guessing its an isolated issue.

 

Switching gears. I went to your link and it appears as though LA gunshop is using a prometheus piston? Either Laylax released a piston already or they modified the system to work with traditional pistons? Anyone got any clue?

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LA Gunshop is most likely using a modified part. Given the way I've somewhat used to be with them that's what they like to do. However preorders of new Prometheus parts have come in. This includes a hard cut off lever made in aluminum for ver2 and ver3 Gearboxes, hard tappet plates for ver2 and ver3, but no words on the SOPMOD parts. These parts are to be released on 3/14 but also includes new 9 Ball Hi Capa parts from thumb rest, magwells, scope mounts, and anti grip safety lever.--Sorry a little off topic.

 

Edited by Shinden
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yeah ive seen the new cut off lever on the laylax site looks sexy hopefully when they have finished up with them they will get on to the sopmod stuff

 

its interesting what they have done at la gunshop it doesnt give details about the harder recoil, they must have strengthened the recoil spring maybe a cut down normal spring to the lentgh of the recoil spring, it would actually prevent lock ups if they could get it recoiling quicker for those that fire singles a little on the quick side

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Shinden,

did you get your April issue of ARMS yet? they were talking about the Laylax tappets in the "coming next" section, in the back part, that was the Aluminum V2/3 tappets they were showing? they mentioned the sopmod too in the article as well, but I couldn't translate it all. -curious. thanks.

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