The Disavowed Posted January 29, 2017 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 Having only just recently purchased my first vfc pistol with some hesitation after having purchased their mp5 and g36, I wanted to write a small review as I hadn't found one yet. I was having a toss up on whether to get a tm or a ksc Hk45, but decided to go with the vfc VP9 as I couldn't quite decide on the other two. Size wise the VP9 is similar to the Hk45 or P30, but is a striker fired weapon as opposed to having an external hammer. I believe that the magazines are the same as the P30, so maybe we will get a decent airsoft one soon? Anyway, here is the pistol: All that I can really say about this gun is that I was blown away. I know how beautiful vfc guns can be, but they seem to have stolen little desires from my brain and finally put them into reality. I shall elaborate further on this later. For now the initial impression is of a really solid superb quality gun. Then there is the magazine: The finish on this magazine is hands down the best I have seen on any airsoft magazine, Ever! The finish is just like the real gun, giving it a fantastic feel. I love it. No leaks or problems with it either, unlike all my gbb rifle mags had to start with. The trademarks on the gun are lovely too. The correct trademarks in the correct places, but as they should be as per the real gun: The only marking that shouldn't be there is the licensed trademark Jonnie, but that is so subtle that I struggled to photograph it, but here it is: It is neatly set in the groove of the rail, and is hardly even visible. So, for those who don't know, the VP9 has two little sticking out tabs at the rear of the slide to help assist cocking etc. Some people may worry about them catching on their gear, but I cannot see them causing any problems, and they do make racking the slide easier, although not a major issue for airsoft guns. The sights are standard tri dot sights, but they are very clear. There is also a little red loaded indicator on the back, which is also a nice touch. On firing the pistol it has a really great crisp blowback, probably one of the nicest I have experienced. Then this leads me on nicely to my favourite little detail, and it is not much, but I love it. The blow back unit itself. I found it a really difficult little bugger to take a decent picture of, but in case it isn't clear, it is actually shaped like a 9mm parabellum round! Awesome. I have always wanted manufacturers to do this and never understood why they don't, just a shame it isn't brass coloured, but I love it anyway. So, with all my vfc love going on here, is there anything bad that I have to say about the gun? Actually, yes there is, but not much. The only thing that feels a bit flimsy to me is the slide release lever on the right hand side of the frame. It probably isn't, it is probably just my big ol banana fingers, but it does come across as seeming a bit dainty, probably more H&Ks fault than vfcs as it is how the gun is. Only time will tell whether this will fail on me or not. The conclusion is that this gun far exceeded my expectations and I simply love it. It shoots great like any tm I have ever owned, and looks better than everything else hands down with the attention to detail that it has. I shall definitely be getting a second one. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bankz5152 Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Whats the range and accuracy like? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Disavowed Posted February 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2017 Absolutely spot on, as good as any tm I have ever had. The groupings are great at an average range. Obviously time will tell as to how it will last, but so far I am more than sold on it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1st Commando Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 I honestly think this was the best pistol of 2016 . I will write up a bit here tomorrow 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Disavowed Posted February 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 (edited) I would go as far as to say best pistol, unless you are spending silly money. I shall look forward to reading what you think and looking at some more pretty pictures :-) Edited February 8, 2017 by The Disavowed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 Looks like this will be my next purchase for sure. Maybe even steel upgrade kit Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1st Commando Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 I wouldn't bother with the steel slide kit if I'm honest. I was going to but vfc have got the finish spot on compared to the real one and it kicks hard while having good efficiency Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 (edited) Just ordered one last night Deluxe Asia version from Boom Arms för 160 USD with shipping included But yeah it's not so much for the finish as for feel and realism. But I have said in the past I was done with steel kitted guns so. I will have to see if I even like it when I get it But what makes me think it might work for this one is because it has steel internals. Edited February 9, 2017 by NonEx Quote Link to post Share on other sites
icolater Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Nice review ! I have owned nearly every stark arm / vfc pistol available including : g19, g17 gen4, g17 sai, ppq, m&p and didn't find them that great at all, they look great but lack decent performance and inevitable fale or break, I'm done with vfc TBH! So I'm going to give this a miss because I don't have confidence in their products, poor design with poor materials usage. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) I am with you on that icolater, I will let you know if this one is worth getting or not compared to those other ones Edited February 10, 2017 by NonEx 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 So if I were to go all out with this one and get the steel slide kit, which of these two do you think looks better? http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/taitan-cnc-steel-slide-barrel-for-umarex-vp9-gbb-pistol.html#.WJ45SjsrJaQ http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/dark-duke-steel-slide-barrel-kit-for-umarex-vp9-gbb.html#.WJ45TTsrJaQ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
icolater Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 I would try find out witch is a better fit, both look great. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Squad 701 Posted February 12, 2017 Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 Non-Ex, They're both similar but I'd go with the original release of the Dark Duke Steel VP9 kit... It's sold out presently with most retailers only having the later Taitan release.... Hopefully someone will bring out a stainless steel version at some stage.... If getting a steel-slide get the AMG valve-knocker and remove the inner rubber O-ring 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
icolater Posted February 26, 2017 Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 I'm thinking of getting one of these, but I'll wait for Non-Ex's verdict, as I know he will be bluntly honest and has a wealth of experiance with GBBs, and will probabley skirmish the thing for an in depth analysis of its performance and durability. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted February 26, 2017 Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 Well no skirmishing and probably limited shooting but the rest is true Quote Link to post Share on other sites
super64 Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 Thanks for the review mate, I ordered one from AsiaAirsoft around 2 weeks ago and I'm still waiting for it. This review's just made me more impatient. Can't wait to get my hands on it. I went for the delux Asia version as well NonEx, so I'll wait to see if it was worth the extra money. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 Yeeeh mine got stuck outbound from HK for 3 extra days, killing me right now. Should be here by end of week I hope! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
super64 Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 I think mines going to be a bit longer than that. According to the Hong Kong post website mines still waiting for AsiaAirsoft to post it off, and that's from the 16th Feb. I ordered the VP9 and a WE Kimber Desert Warrior and I'm desperate for them both to arrive. I've sent an email, but for some reason, the last few guns I've bought from AsiaAirsoft have taken a few weeks to arrive when they were getting here much quicker in the past. But, I suppose good things come to those who wait. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
super64 Posted March 11, 2017 Report Share Posted March 11, 2017 My VP9 arrived yesterday and after a little bit of a look over I've got to say I'm impressed. Nice weight, feels solid and the markings and general build quality seem spot on. It may have taken a while to get here, but it's been worth it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 Mine should be coming in tomorrow or Tuesday Super excited! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wingman Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 I might put this on the list but I'm still put off by the right side slide release. I'm sure it's made well but it's just looks like it was just an afterthought. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted March 14, 2017 Report Share Posted March 14, 2017 (edited) Sooo! It finally arrived I will be making an unboxing and initial impressions video this weekend. Some initial thoughts after 10 minutes of handling. First on the pistol design itself, i.e. not actually in relation to the airsoft replica but the RS HK VP9. It feels like I expected, like the slimmer and younger (newer) sister of the Walther PPQ As I suspected the depth between trigger and thumb/hand webbing (i.e. where the gun grip goes in your hand), to me, with the pre-installed medium backstrap, feels a bit short. I would like some additional depth there to make the trigger reach feel more comfortable. I will have to test the other back straps and see what that does. Not really much else to add on that subject for the time being. As for the Umarex/VFC replica. Also as I expected, looks pretty good, feels alright, but you can kind of tell it is a VFC/SA pistol. Like the Glocks, the PPQ and the FNX it just doesn't feel "complete" somehow. If I try to compare between a stock WE pistol and a fully blinged out aftermarket upgraded pistol, kind of like my custom Glock 19 build I did, it falls somewhere right in between in terms of feel and quality. Polymer of the frame feels really nice. Unlike any other polymer lower I have experienced so far. Very... solid and rugged(?). Slide finish is very "sand" like, again on par with the PPQ, Glock and FNX finishes from SA. Hopefully it is more durable than those but I suspect not. Markings are nice and crisp as shown in previous pictures and posts, nothing to complain about there I actually had a hard time finding the very tiny and faint "Licensed by" marking on the right hand side rail which is a good thing :-) Trigger pull was pretty stiff and has a very hard "wall" and creep before the break. I think I like it, but it felt very different. Reset is pretty weak, both tactile and audible wise. Racking the slide felt somewhat underwhelming. Very reminiscent of the FNX feel. Kind of... hollow or ceramic almost? I do like the little racking tabs on the rear of the slide though, they look cool and seem to be usable without being much in the way (like say, an M9 safety lever). Releasing the slide was a bit of a let down, either the gunk they use for lube is hindering the slide or something or the recoil spring is pretty weak. It's not terrible, but definitely on the "meh" side. Will see what the Crusader steel recoil spring guide does for that. The stock recoil spring did appear to be metal though, I thought it was polymer as on the RS VP9 (?). Which I actually would have preferred, for realism sake Speaking of, I bought the Deluxe version with the Crusader parts, which actually don't come installed as I had thought. They came in a separate bag. At least I think that is the Crusader parts? Either way, just something to make note of if you are not very GBB tech savvy. Looking at the front of the barrel, for whatever reason, the inner barrel is all but 2mm short of matching the front end out the outer barrel which looks terrible. You can clearly see the inner barrel brass even at a very shallow angle. If I recall correctly the Asia version of the PPQ is also like that. Might have to switch to a shorter inner barrel. The inner threads of the outer barrel is also a bit of a downer for me. I prefer the fake rifling bumps instead of this. The threads also do not look painted/finished (gray). Magazine is nicely finished with a slick gloss black, fake weld lines and bullet markings etc. Takedown lever looks very brownish in the pictures, better in real life. But will also be replaced with the Crusader part. And the guy worrying about the right-hand side slide release. It does look and feel a bit "flimsy", but mine does work without problems, unlike my first PPQ which had too much play between left and right lever so it wasn't working. Had a quick look at the internals, which are supposedly steel. They look very beefy but as mentioned there is some really thick lubrication in there so I will have to do a complete strip down of this (probably will be a video series!) and fix that. One thing that made me go "uh ooh" on the internals is the use of two very tiny machine screws to hold the extractor and BBU chassi in place. A la Tokyo Marui slide catch metal reinforcement style. I have those screws because they are so tiny and fragile. If you over tighten them or there is stress out on them from blow back they can crack and go to *suitcase* Not fired it yet, not sure if or when I will But yeah. For me, out of the box, it is pretty much just another Stark Arms / VFC licensed replica that gave me what I expected. A good looking and decent, but not great feeling replica out of the box, on par with the PPQ, Glock and FNX. So if you are going into this expecting it to be any greater than those previous SA/VFC pistols, it probably is not, in terms of overall look and feel. We shall see how this fares over time with some dry use in the couch while watching TV Project RS Case for this will probably go ahead with. Oh, speaking of. Finally they included all three of the factory back straps that the RS one comes with! The PPQ only came with the medium pre-installed which ###### me off. This comes with Small, Medium and Large back straps and side grip panels in the box. AND, there is a cleaning rod in the box! I really like that, I mean, really really liked that! It should be standard with all pistols! I took some quick pics as well. Edited March 14, 2017 by NonEx 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mimesis Posted March 14, 2017 Report Share Posted March 14, 2017 Perhaps the little baggy contains the original parts, and they already installed the Crusader ones... How will you know??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wingman Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 I had the same issue with the right side slide release. Was able t get a replacement for the leaver and now it woks perfectly. Now of course, l have to put one of these on my list. Can't wait to see the video. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NonEx Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 (edited) Perhaps the little baggy contains the original parts, and they already installed the Crusader ones... How will you know??? The bag with spare parts is heat sealed (4 separate compartments all with sealed edges, like a little booklet almost) around the edges so I would assume those are the new Crusader parts. A magnet will give me the answer as the Crusader parts are supposed to be steel Edited March 15, 2017 by NonEx Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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