Review: Dragon's G36KE conversion kit
by: Viper
After purchasing a new G36 from Jack Ma during the Q Project's Airsoft 101 & 102 classes in Houston I became totally enthralled with the design and overall feel of the Marui G36. I then performed some basic upgrades during the classes and proceeded to go nuts over the G36. The solid build, the technical design, the modular concept allowing ease in repair and upgrading were nothing less than impressive. I sold my MP5s, I sold my Standard and Phantom AUGs, and proceeded to commit to the G36 completely.
Shortly afterward I found info at Airsoft Club's website on their new G36KE mod. I placed a pre-order immediately. Then, much to my dismay, I began reading about the poor quality of the components on many different forums and websites. Needless to say I was a bit concerned. Going back to Airsoft Club's site I realized that these were advertised as the improved, second generation of this design. I decided to take my chances and wait.
Well, wait I did. I placed the order on June 2nd. On June 8th I received an email notice that my order would ship the following day. Three weeks later I emailed and informed them that it hadn't arrived, and asked if I should be concerned. On July 8th I received a message from Algin at Airsoft Club saying "sorry for late...^_^" and that is would ship the following day. It finally arrived on July 11th.
All of that being said, this was recently posted on Arnie's:
"P.S.: I have fired all my old staffs and employed some new staffs, all our products will guarantee to send out not more than 1week, if we are false to do so, we will give the customer the money back. Also, our Airsoft.com's web site will be updated and shown to the public after three months.
Best Regards..." Ms Tweety Leung (For & behalf of Algin, AirsoftClub)"
Now, all of that being said, on to the review.
My Speedpost package arrived, and I would have to say that I was less than impressed with the packaging. The graphics and such were nice, but the box seemed flimsy and, as a result, had been crushed in transit. I held my breath and sliced it open. Much to my relief everything inside was adequately (but not exceptionally) padded and all components were accounted for and undamaged.
Having read reviews of the first series kits, I set about inspecting all components for improvements over the first design. Although nothing astounding was noticeable, it seemed solid enough.
Carrying handle with integrated sight:
 Feels good and sturdy. A longer screw is included as the front is a bit wider than the standard G36C rail/handle. This means the new First Factory G36 "Sling Hook" screws will not fit either, as they are too short. I found it a bit puzzling that the one in the kit was an allen screw, when the stock Marui screws are phillips head. Not blatantly noticeable on the finished unit, just odd. The fit of this component was good overall, matching up well in the front and back for length and width.
The integrated sight leaves a lot to be desired. As in the first series, it is simply two clear plastic disks with small, 1mm circle ground onto the center of the surface of each. Adjustment screws and retainer-clips are molded as part of the unit, and non-functional. I am already working on ideas for installing an actual red dot sight inside without it being apparent that I have done so on the outside. I'll let you know if I manage to do so successfully. Hopefully Airsoft Club, or some other enterprising company, will come out with a modular replacement for the sight portion of the handle, as it is easily removable.
The downside is that there is absolutely no place to mount anything on this handle. Presumably this is due to the fact that it has an integral sight. I will probably be adding a 17mm weaver rail to the top for attachment of night vision. The other option is to go with the standard G36 "K" which is essentially the handle from the "C" with the longer front end of the "KE."
Barrel extension:
 Pretty simple really. It's a tube with female 14mm reverse threads on one end and male on the other. I was displeased that the coloring didn't match the stock outer barrel. The stock one is a satin black finish matching the body of the gun, while the extension is grey and matches the charging handle and ejection port cover. The mismatching of the barrels isn't apparent once you install the foregrip, it's just one of those "little detail" things like the mismatched handle screw mentioned earlier in this review. Aside from the coloring the extension was acceptable, and threaded on easily and straight. There are no set screws to hold it in place, so you might opt for a dab of Loctite 243 like I did. This will keep it from coming off when you remove your silencer or flash hider. However, keep in mind that the hole in the foregrip that the outer barrel passes through is only large enough for the outer barrel. This means that you will either have to remove the extension, or what is screwed on the extension, to remo0ve the foregrip and get to the battery inside. As the flash hider is held on by two set screws, this may be a concern later. Mine is fitted with a SOCOM silencer, so I chose the Loctite.
Flash Hider:
Another simple piece. Not a work of art, but made of seemingly solid material that matches the barrel extension. The slots are balanced and proportionate, and the finish and machining are adequate. It has 14mm reverse threads, and is held in place by two small grub screws included in the kit.
Extended front foregrip:
 This seemed to be a sore point with buyers of the first series. Apparently many of them fit poorly, and the two halves spit apart almost immediately upon use. This didn't seem to be a problem with the second series foregrip. Upon initial inspection the first thing I did was squeeze, twist, and torque it a bit. No cracking was apparent. The seam was fairly clean (though pretty noticeable) on the outside, and seemed solid overall. It slid on easily and, although it didn't "click" into place over the lower guide pins as well as the stock one, the fit was snug and solid, with no rattles or wobbles. The retaining pin (stock) actually fit more snugly than it did in the stock foregrip.
Realizing that I now had no place to attach a sling in the front, I set about making a modification to the design. I purchased a standard, screw-in sling mount at a local gun store and returned to my shop. I used a Dremill tool to drill a pilot hole in the left side of the foregrip, in the large "meaty" part just in front of the slots for the lower guide pins. I then screwed the mount in and attached the sling. After a bit of use simulation this seemed to be a bit short, so I decided to perform the same operation in the large nub on the lower, front, center of the foregrip. I'm not exactly sure what it is meant for, but it worked well for this, and made a great attachment point for the sling. I was pleased that the foregrip fit solidly enough that I feel there was no risk of damage or failure in carrying the gun by a sling mounted to this point.
I did notice that the foregrip seems to be made of some sort of resin, as opposed to a polymer as with the rest of the gun. A resin-based material will be less prone to flex, and more prone to crack, when put under duress.
(I will include my own overzealous mistake here. As I prepared to take pictures for this review I thought about including some close-ups of the foregrip being twisted. I squeezed the rear halves together, something that won't happen in use, and the foregrip did crack at the rear, starting at the first hole I originally drilled for the mount. Structural failure due to undue stress and modification of the design, affecting structural integrity. It repaired the crack by spreading it a bit and applying an appropriate amount of cyanoacrylate, then applying a thin layer of epoxy putty to the inside over the crack and filling in the first hole I had drilled.)
Overall I won't say that I was necessarily impressed with the Dragon Arms G36KE kit from Airsoft Club, but I was satisfied with it. I now have two G36 variants, the "C" and the "KE." I currently have a standard-bore, 509mm barrel installed, with a SOCOM silencer to cover the exposed inner barrel. I have placed an order with Jack at The Q for a 370mm custom barrel in a 6.04mm "tight-bore" diameter. 370mm is the perfect length to fit to the inside of the "KE" kit, and will stop just before the slots in the flash hider. It will be the longest you can install in the kit (without a silencer) without being able to see the inner barrel.
In summary:
"The good"
- No complicated procedures to install kit
- All components fit well
- The overall appearance in pleasing
- I believe it will prove to be durable
- Allows for use of larger (longer) battery pack
- Allows for installation of a longer barrel
"The bad"
- No place to mount a sling without minor modification
- No mounting rail on the carry handle
- No points to mount side or bottom rails on the foregrip
"The ugly"
- Mismatched handle screw when compared with the two stack screw that are re-used in the kit
- Finish on barrel extension doesn't match finish on existing outer barrel (undetectable when assembled)
- That useless, butt-ugly sight
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