Airsoft, an outdoor game of tactical combat with replica guns, is fantastically popular with high school and college-age guys. Similar to paintball, airsoft is a combination of “Cowboys and Indians” and “G.I. Joe.” Players clad in camouflage and tactical gear, plus the required protective goggles, fire plastic bbs at each other from their uber realistic-looking weapons. If hit, a player is supposed to call themselves out and walk off the field, making the game very honor-based. One of the airsoft guns I own is a Tokyo Marui M4 Airsoft Electric Gun (AEG). It was my first AEG, a big step for most airsoft players, and it has served me well in these forest skirmishes with my friends.
When I started playing airsoft, I first purchased a spring-powered airsoft shotgun and pistol. These were very cheap ($20 for the set) but not too reliable-I went through them within a couple of months. Then, I purchased several more airsoft spring guns, having a blast playing with them during my friend’s airsoft games. Of course, this “arms race” continued, as my friends bought more powerful airsoft guns, so I began shopping for an AEG, the pinnacle of airsoft weaponry. I scoured the Internet, comparing deals and package offers for several weeks before I finally found what I wanted-a Tokyo Marui M4 AEG from a Hawaiian airsoft dealer, PowerEdgeUSA. I eagerly placed my order for the M4 and also ordered a small FPS upgrade.
After a week, the package arrived. Everything arrived in great condition, and I quickly charged the included battery and tried out the AEG. The TM M4 required a few adjustments to the hopup before it was shooting as straight as I wanted, but other than that it performed excellently. Excited, I took it to my next airsoft game and had a blast with it.
I have had this M4 AEG for 5 years now, and it still performs well. Its performance has not changed very much through these years. The biggest complaint I have is that occassionally, when firing the first three to four bbs from a new magazine, the bbs have a tendency to simply roll out or just weakly shoot out. This usually happens when I haven’t fired the gun for a while, perhaps it needs to be “warmed up.” Cold weather performance is generally decent, although cold weather will really sap a battery, even if properly charged. FPS hasn’t changed much over the years and it still packs quite a zing when shooting. I use .2, not .12 plastic airsoft bbs for this gun for best performance.
Tokyo Marui is a solid name in the airsoft market and this airsoft gun is another testament to the reliability of this brand. I paid a lot for this airsoft gun and since then the price on such items has gone down considerably. However, I’m still happy I got it and would recommend Tokyo Marui as a reputable name brand of airsoft gear to all airsofters.
