mrblah Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) Introduction: The reason for this purchase, was the need for a backup gun for my GnG Gr16. I have always been fond of TM's reliabilty, but I have a huge distaste for plastic guns, no matter how well they shoot. Luckily, TM came out with the TYPE 89, which is the Japanese version of the AR-18. Unlike past aeg's from TM, this one sported a full metal, outer receiver, and supposedly had the ability of taking STANAG mags (which it doesn't, more on that later). Also, this is TM's first gun to have a mechanical 3 round burst, which made it more appealing to me. I quickly placed a preorder with Redwolf, and on July 16th, the Type 89 arrived at my door. Fit and Finish Presentation was spot on, they used some fabric patterned after the JGSDF camo, to outline the gun, while in the box. The aeg itself isn't very heavy, when compared to full metal m4 AEGS from GnP, GnG, and CA. I found it fairly light, even with the bipod and battery in it. There are visible seam marks, and weld marks visible, but none of it actually gets in the way of comfort, or ruins the gun visually. Fit and finish is spot on, there are no creaks or flex coming from the plastic. The gaps are pretty tight, and everything seems rock solid. As for trademarks, I don't know what to tell you. Since I have never seen a real type 89 before, I can't say the markings on the gun are legitimate, or fictitious. There really isn't any trademarks, except for Kenji characters denoting the name of the gun, ammo it uses, selector options, and the japanese symbol. Plastic parts Plastic parts consist of the front grip, stock, and the pistol grip. Unlike other AEG manufactures who use poly/fiber/nylon/blah/ mixtures, which gives the plastic more strength, and adds visual appeal. TM still uses what looks like to be plastic. Granted, this time it is a flat matte color, give it some time, and it will probably become shiney after some use. In all honesty, it looks pretty good, and seems pretty good, but not as nice as the plastics other manufactures are using. Also, I found the front grip to be pretty thin. When it is on the gun, there is no flex because of the battery once on the gun. However, because the front grip splits into 2 pieces, it is a pain in the butt to put over the battery at times, and i'm always afraid of breaking the plastic. Also, the grip is held on by one push pin in front of the gun, and grooves near the front receiver. The pistol grip and trigger guard is made of one piece of plastic. The trigger guard also has a groove to help seat the magazine. I have no idea how this area will wear with continuous mag changes. I'm sure Tm kept the copy faithful to the original type 89, otherwise, i'm sure they would have use metal for the trigger guard, and magazine area. magazine To my disappointment, the TYPE 89 cannot use standard m4/m16 mags. You have to buy the type 89 mags at this moment in time. Basically, TM redesigned the mag lip of the type 89 mag, so the hopup would sit further into the magazine. They did this by eliminating the mag lip. When i tested the mag it feed all the BB's, so I guess its a good thing. However, i bought this AEG because i have a bunch of armalites already, and wanted a good backup. Now, i have to go out and buy more accessories, and you guys know, TM mags are not cheap. I guess you cant win them all. Bipod The bipod is really good actually, much better than my m249, and even better than the harris bipod. The bipod is made of heavy duty pot metal, and features a quick release (think of a vice grip). There is a switch that will lock the bipod to the barrel, or unlock it to allow you to remove it. I personally will keep it on, I think the type 89 looks weird without it, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As for functionality, the bipod works great, has good yaw control, and gives just enough clearance for the mag to clear when prone. The bipod is not adjustable though, but i find that you probably don't need it. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/mrb.../Picture050.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/mrb.../Picture063.jpg Ergonomics and comfort Feels like a armalite, shoots like a armalite, so is it a armalite? well, not quite. Yes its based on the ar-18, so there are alot of similarities to modern day m4s, but there are enough dissimilarities to make the type 89 unique. First of all, i found the design of the gun for people who are right handed, but i honestly figure that left handers will find the gun more at home than righties. Even though the pistol grip is for righties, the selector switch is also on the right side of the gun. I have no idea why. The other big difference, is the front grip. It is much thinner than the m4/m16 front end, and it is much more comfortable. It also makes the gun more streamline than the m16. There is no forward assist button, no shell deflector, and the mags slide in differently. In order to insert the mag, you have to get it into the groove near the trigger guard, and move straight up. Unlike, armalites, where you can just slap a mag home. The type 89 requires some precision, since the magwell is fairly small. On the good note, the type 89 uses the same mag release mechanism, and is pretty much where it should be. As for the sights, it is also different than the armalites, and pretty unique. There are different settings for windage and elevation, but you can also make it retract fully (interesting). Also, its not as easy to use as hk dobler sights, but the type 89 sights are miles above regular armalite iron sights. So if you are use to armalites, this gun will be easy to adjust to. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/mrb.../Picture054.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/mrb.../Picture055.jpg Performance All i can say is, 3rd burst is addicting, and my mags last much longer. With a 8.4 volt battery, the ROF isn't anything to write home about. It is about average, on par with other TM guns, maybe even a bit slower on full auto. I find this advantageous though. My GnG already has a insane ROF, now if the type 89 shoots as fast as that GnG, I would probably get misfeeds, and other problems. I think they might have slowed it down for the 3rd burst. the Type 89 doesnt seem to shoot as fast as a Tm with the eg1000 regular motor. However, I'm not complaining, because a slow ROF is perfect for the three round burst. As far as distance and FPS. Im not sure. I don't have a chrono available, and i'm too lazy to measure accuracy atm. However, FPS and distance seem to be pretty good. FPS is competitive to other stock guns, and the distance is pretty good also considering its stock. All in all, i'm happy with this performance, and i'm probably going to leave it stock for now. Oh yeah, the takedown for this gun is probably going to be a PITA, by looking at the explosive diagram. Conclusion Tm did a great job with this gun, it is even more innovative than the M14 and mp7. This gun shows that TM still has what it takes to compete with CA, GnG, GnP, STAR, etc. Is this gun realistic enough to be a PTW? I don't think it is, but nevertheless, this gun is a great gun to skirmish with. As far as upgradability and accessories, only time will tell because this gun is too new on the market. Since, I havent done any performance tests, I cant say if its better than a m14, etc. However, I can say this, that this gun is skirmish worthy out of the box. It maybe quirky, but thats what makes this gun unique. I hope you guys enjoy the review. I'm sure someone will make one that is more indepth. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/mrb.../Picture065.jpg Edited July 18, 2006 by mrblah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dusk Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) uh... okay.? Good intro, but i have to suggest putting everything together before planning to make a multi piece review. Edited July 18, 2006 by Dusk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrblah Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 yeah, im having issues with the photos......sooooooo..im trying to fix, n edit, bleh.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SAWGunner Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Awesome, thanks for the review. Any chance of taking a look at the burst mechanism? I'd like to know more about that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrblah Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 no i dont plan on disassembling this box. I'm familiar with armalites, but the explosion diagram seems a bit to complicated for me (im on time constraints.). However, because of the burst mechanism. The trigger pull isn't smooth at all, that we are use to when dealing with aegs. The trigger pull does have resistance, and requires you to "squeeze" the trigger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DFSM Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I'm not quite sure if I want one yet, interesting review though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
revsd5 Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Thanks for the review! Loved it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrblah Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) actually, it might take regular armalite mags. I just noticed that the mag will seat in the magwell, but there is a few milimeters of space between the mag and the receiver. However, the mag lip should be seated flush with the hopup. I dont know yet, because i dont have any more bb's left atm. thats the pic of the gap. The mag is seated fully, and it won't fall out. Now if i only had bb's to see if it feeds perfectly. Edited July 18, 2006 by mrblah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shao14 Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 yeah, im having issues with the photos......sooooooo..im trying to fix, n edit, bleh.... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> There's a max limit of 10 image tags per post, so Quote Link to post Share on other sites
davedawg123 Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 More innovative than the M14? BLASPHEMY! It's dissappointing TM is still using that crappy plastic. The 3rd burst sounds very interesting, though. I'd like to know how it functions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrblah Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) lol, yeah i got rid of the links. Davedawg: its not bad, its just not as good as the others. Like the Tmg36 vs. ca36 plastic. I just dont like how TM plastic gets shiney after alot of use. The plastic reminds me of the sig552 i use to have. Edited July 18, 2006 by mrblah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
davedawg123 Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) Compared to CA and even ICS, I think TM is still really behind in the type of plastic and metal they use. But I guess they make up for it with their reliability, gearbox innovations, and aftermarket support. Have you tried to field strip it yet (not saying to go as far into the gearbox, although that would be even better )? Also, if the hopup unit is different, are they using the M14/VSR10 v-type hopup? Edited July 18, 2006 by davedawg123 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sysoosi Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Good review. You shouldn't open the gearbox, because it may cause a breakdown that wouldn't happen with an untouchable stock gearbox. And I want to know how long the burst mechanism lasts . Btw. can you test how well a left hander can use the gun. At least the grip does not look as mad as for example an MP5 SEF. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrblah Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 i'm a southpaw, and it was pretty comfortable. The right handed grip didnt bother me at all. Yeah, im not going to strip it just yet, until US retailers can fix my mistakes first lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
matrixiskool Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I want to see the v8 gearbox! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hoppum Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Would putting a 9.6v battery mess with the 3 round burst at all? Like give you a 5 round one? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Venmoch Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Would putting a 9.6v battery mess with the 3 round burst at all? Like give you a 5 round one? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It shouldn't as the Three-Round Burst is mechanical. Thing is, the Type 89's gearbox is still new. So we don't know quite how much damage a 9.6v battery could do..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sig552 Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Nice review. Looks like a really nice gun. Some one linked me to another video and I found videos of the japanese army and the type 89 Cheers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
44MAGNUM Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Thanks for the review. Seems like a keeper Now to find an extra $400 laying around ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ArronT Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 I want to see the v8 gearbox! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You can see lots of picture here(Taiwanese website:http://www.kicbbgun.com.tw/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=7881), also with detail explanation why type 89 can take M4 magzine(also tested M4 drum...). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Prolific Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Shame about it not being STNMAG compatable. I shudder to think how many armalite owners rushed out to buy this thinking the initial outlay wouldn't be so bad because they can still use their armalite magazines. Good review. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joker, the frickin ninja Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Why can't you use a large battery in the full stock? Its not like an AUG where all the gears are in the back of the weapon. Seems a little fishy to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Caveman /F-A/ Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 In fact, TM choosed to make a stronger stock with a "passing-through" sling plate locked with the rotating stock floor It allows to be a little more brutal on the sling point probably By the way, giving the inner size of the stock, you will never fit a 8.4V Large Type Hyper command battery inside it ... and because Marui will not devellop an unique battery-type for this AEG... that's why it is the way it is .. BTW, some pictures previews i took after receiving mine, i'll add more pictures after tomorrow and a video on the firing range Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Caveman /F-A/ Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Utty Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Shame about it not being STNMAG compatable. I shudder to think how many armalite owners rushed out to buy this thinking the initial outlay wouldn't be so bad because they can still use their armalite magazines. Good review. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I guess you only read the review, and not down to this post? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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