Glock 18C - Tokyo Marui
Rather unimaginatively, Tokyo Marui released a Glock 17 a few years ago.
I rather unkindly wondered if the market really needed another Glock 17, but it turned out to be a worth contender and a firm favourite with many.
The same thought might have entered my head when they chose the Glock 18C to be their first select fire GBB, but experience with TM's recent designs meant it didn't linger long and it was with much interest that I opened the box from the ever helpful Mike Cripps at the Elite Shooting Centre, Bury who generously provided this gun for me to review.
What would TM bring to the select fire GBB market?
In the Box
The box is a bit ordinary compared with some of TM's other guns (especially the 1911A1), but it does the job well, being a photo printed cardboard lid over a white polystyrene bed, which holds the gun (with or without magazine) securely and has space for the magazine separately - Making storing your Glock 18C and a spare mag a doddle.
As well as the gun and the mag, the box contains the familiar collection of BBs, clearing rod, parts list and instruction manual, albeit all in Japanese.
First Impressions
The Glock 18C is a very familiar airsoft gun, with AEPs, EBBs and KSC (and clone) GBBs already existing, so there's little novelty in the TM version.
The frame is hard, shiney black plastic, which people who have handled and fired real Glocks suggest is close to the real thing, although there's little doubt that the slightly rubberised feel of the heavyweight KSC models is what you would want the real thing to feel like.
Like a real Glock, little is made of metal, even the sights, mag release and trigger being plastic.
The slide release is metal, as are the selector switch and the mag takedown catches, but on the outside of the gun, that's about it.
With nice deep, clear markings, the TM Glock 18C looks good (if you like Glocks) and feels well enough made, if not quite as solid and precise as something like a Western Arms SVI or Tanaka Works revolver.
Closer Look
The Glock look will be familiar to nearly everyone, especially airsofters, as it's a ubiquituous gun in the hands of Police and other Security forces all over the world and stars in most Hollywood movies and TV thrillers.
The 18C is the same size as the semi-auto only Glock 17 and most would describe it as a mid-sized gun, being similar in size to a SIG P226 or a Beretta 92.
This is good for most people as the smaller 19 and, especially, 26 models can feel a little small in some hands. The 17 and 18C fill most hands well and feel suitably 'point-able'.
Tokyo Marui's Glock markings look very good.
This is an area where KSC/KWA always fall down (and not just on Glocks) with thinly, shallowly engraved trademarks on their slides. The 18C and is deep and prominently marked on the left front of the TM Glock 18C and the Glock logo also looks very realistic to my eyes (something that has caused much litigation on the part of the Austrian gunsmith in the past).
A little further back on the left side of the slide is the 9x19 marking to indicate this particular Glock (in real steel form) uses the 9mm Parabellum ammunition.
The 18C features a sloted slide upper through which the vented outer barrel is visible and through that the inner barrel.
At the rear of the left side of the slide is the selector switch. This can be moved at any point (not just when locked back as on correctly functioning KSC/KWA). There is no safe position between Full-Auto and Semi as on the KSC guns, if it's not set to Full-Auto it will fire Semi-Auto.
The slide itself looks and feels slightly dusty to the touch, so I presume it's made of the metal dust/ABS mix often used on 'Heavyweight' versions from other makers. It reminded me most of a heavyweight Marushin revolver, feeling dustier to the touch than KSC, WA or Tanaka guns.
The extractor is moulded into the slide, but is done so such that it almost looks like a separate part.
The rest of the gun is also well marked.
The Chamber is marked "ESR315" and bears a proof marking "VDK". Under the ejection port, on the slide is another proof marking and "ESR315"
The top of the right grip bears the wording "MADE IN JAPAN ASGK"/"TOKYO MARUI CO. LTD", which although clearly unrealistic looks ok being in the right form and location for the genuine Glock markings.
The bottom of the right side grip is marked with the, again fake, “Gas blow back system/TMC-P9M-7731”, whilst the left side has another realistic looking Glock logo.
If you're a purist for markings you can always pick up a Guarder 'replica' frame which bears genuine Glock markings, but the TM ones probably won't grate on too many airsofters' sensibilities, having the right look at least. I've been accused of being a bit picky about such things, but I wouldn't worry about them.
Under the front of the frame is a metal plate bearing the "ESR315" serial number as seen on other parts. There's also a standard sized accessory rail there, allowing the fitting of torches, lasers or forward grips as you desire.
The sights are good and well replicated. There's a white dot front sight and a square outline rear, both plastic, but disappointingly there's no night sight option as you get with TM's Glock 17.
The grip is extensively chequered on its front and rear faces (and on the front face of the trigger guard). Oddly the hole in the rear of the grip base is blocked a short way up. This open on a real (or KSC) Glock allowing the fitting of aftermarket stocks (for example), which almost certainly would not work (even with modification) on the Tokyo Marui version.
The trademark Glock two part safety trigger is present and works as expected - Only by depressing the central part can the gun fire.
A few minor things disappoint a little, but reflect the real Glock.
Firstly the recoil rod is plastic. This is true to the Glock, but one wonders if it will stand up to the repeated impact of full auto fire over the years. The mag catch too, like the real thing is plastic, but I've suffered with plastic mag catches wearing down with use and preventing the mag sealing properly rendering the gun non-functional. Again, I had no problem during the test, but over time this might become an issue.
On this example the standard mag tended to stick in the gun too, needing a little tug to remove it with the magazine release pressed. The heavier 50 round mag fell free without aid.
If these points bother you, you'll be pleased to know Elite have metal mag catches and recoil rods available for around a tenner each, which might be worth adding to your order anyway! Metal slides and accurate frame kits are also available along with the usual hi-flow mag valves, upgraded recoil springs and the like. Tokyo Marui products are always well supported by the aftermarket and the 18C looks like being no different.
Those nit-picks aside, the Tokyo Marui Glock 18C is a very good GBB by any standards.
50 Round Magazine
Mike sent a 50 round magazine along with the Glock.
This is very similar to the KSC version, but obviously only works with TM Glocks (I know it works with the Glock 17, but I'm not sure about their older 26 design).
As with the KSC version, I found the extra length and weight of the long magazine made the Glock 18C a little unwieldy, but the extra capacity is certainly something anyone using the 18C's full auto mode will appreciate.
The magazine, like the grip length version, is all metal with tight fitting jaws that make hand loading BBs quite hard work, but you shouldn't get problems with double feeding.
It features fake round viewing holes in the rear face of the magazine (as does the short magazine)
The 50 round mag (which retails for £35 currently at Elite) also features a sliding mag buffer with a Glock logo, which wasn't present on the standard magazine I received. This slides to reveal the gas fill nozzle, but I found it much fiddlier to operate (especially close) than that on KSC magazines.
Shooting Impressions
As this was Tokyo Marui's first select fire GBB the proof of the pudding was in the shooting. We all know they make decent (and ever improving) airsoft replicas, but could they realy maintain the accuracy and dependability of their GBBs in a select fire model at their first attempt?
Click on image for bigger version in separate window.
Carrying out my standard 5m/6 round, off hand test, the Glock 18C delivered a decent, if not remarkable, best 5 from 6 grouping of 55mm (2.2 inches), a bit down on the accuracy from the TM Glock 17 I tested, but part of that could be due to differences in power due to ambient temperatures and there seems little reason that it should be any less accurate than the 17.
As you can see, the rounds all fell comfortably in the centre of the target.
Full auto, there was no problem keeping all the rounds on target at 5m. As a matter of interest (only), the best 4 grouping here is just 27mm (1 inch) in diameter.
Click on image for bigger version in separate window.
The eagle eyed might have noticed there are only 23 rounds here as at first the gas filled mag refused to fire. After a couple of what felt like light strikes it emptied the magazine in one burst.
Over 10 shots, the TM Glock 18C averaged 273 fps (using Green gas) indoors (at 15C). This would equate to about 285 FPS at 20C, decent performance on a par with the latest TM guns generally, but lagging a bit behind the best from Western Arms or KWA/KSC.
| Shot | FPS |
| 1 | 284.0 |
| 2 | 279.6 |
| 3 | 273.6 |
| 4 | 269.7 |
| 5 | 265.4 |
| 6 | 263.3 |
| 7 | 278.0 |
| 8 | 276.0 |
| 9 | 273.2 |
| 10 | 265.5 |
The really impressive thing about Tokyo Marui's Glock 18C is the rate of fire.
I use Audacity freeware to record the sound of the gun firing in full auto and then measure the time between shots.
At first I doubted my results. The above shows 5 shots in .224 seconds, which equates to over 1300 RPM!
I was amazed at the MGC Glock 18's ability to deliver 1350 RPM, but that used a much shorter recoil action and for the TM Glock 18C to cycle very nearly as fast is, in my opinion, little short of incredible!
It also has no problem emptying a magazine full of BBs. I gassed the standard 24 round mag with Ultrair (Green) gas and fired off a magazine full in a single burst. I then loaded another 12 BBs and fired them in a single burst, before adding another 12 and firing another burst when the gas ran out. There were 4 BBs left, meaning it fired 44 rounds full auto on a single fill.
The 50 round mag too was emptied in a single burst, even though I hadn't quite filled it (darned metal tipped gas cans), so the last few rounds dropped a little in power.
Click to hear 50 rounds in under 2.5 seconds
Trigger pull was 1185g (42 Oz), which is a medium-heavy weight pull for a GBB, although the odd safety trigger probably interferes a little with my test method as it doesn't feel particularly heavy in action.
Take Down
It's a Glock!
Drop the magazine and then push the disassembly catches (on either side of the frame, over the trigger) down. The slide, barrel and recoil rod will then push forward off the frame.
The recoil rod can be removed by pushing it gently forward and down and then back. The barrel should be slid forward and down, once clear of the nozzle.
I had a bit of trouble getting the recoil rod out, but that might have been me and sliding the outer barrel forward of the inner solved the problem.
Conclusions
Overall, Tokyo Marui's Glock 18C is a very impressive entry into the select fire GBB market for them.
Quality is good, if the finish is not quite up there with some of the dearer Japanese brands, but the performance (power excepted, which is certainly adequate) is class leading, with good accuracy and exceptional rate of fire and gas consumption, even with Green gas.
At the time of review, I would say this is probably the best select fire GBB I've ever reviewed and I would recommend it to anyone after such an airsoft pistol.
Weight : 730g (with 305g 25 round magazine. 50 round magazine weighs 585g)
Realism : 75%
Quality : 85%
Power : 80%
Accuracy : 85%
Buy this gun from Elite Shooting Centre
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