H&K MP7A1 PDW - ASR Airsoft Reviews

Author

TehLlama
MacGyver

Registered: May 2004
Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA
Posts: 9759

Review Date: Thu February 23, 2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: $205.00 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Compact Firepower, Remarkable Design, Solid Construction, Marui Quality Control
Cons:	Compact Battery, Gearbox, Hopup adjust is difficult

Note: This is not in final form

<a href="http://www.airsoftretreat.com/gallery/data/506/IMG_0816.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.airsoftretreat.com/gallery/data/506/medium/IMG_0816.JPG" border="0"></a>

Tokyo Marui MP7A1 PDW Review
 By: TehLlama

Heckler & Koch MP7A1 Personal Defence Weapon

Tokyo Marui of Japan introduces their new line of automatic electric compact submachine guns with the MP-7, the third PDW model after the MP5k PDW, and P90 PDW. Reportedly other compact SMG models such as the Steyr TMP are in the works.

In 1999, Heckler & Koch unveiled a new submachine gun, chambered in the new 4.6x30mm high velocity caliber. Designated the Maschinen Pistole 7, the MP7 joins the H&K ranks of PDW guns along with the MP5k PDW and G11 PDW Concept.

The MP-7 is a novel design, with pistol grip is also the magazine well, the foregrip is a fold-down vertical grip, and this allows the PDW to be fired one-handed like a pistol, or two-handed like a submachine gun. Notably, the MP-7 is only 3.75" longer than the Mk23.
Based largely on the H&K G36, the MP7 uses a carbon fibre reinforced polymer frame, ambidextrous safe/semi/auto selector switch, side picatinny rail attachments, fires from a closed bolt, and is internally quite similar to the G36. The MP7 uses an ambidextrous magazine release much like the USP and Mk23 Pistols, and uses an M16 style charging handle, which, again, can be used with either hand, and also functions as a forward assist. The MP-7 uses 20rd magazines, though optional 40rd magazines that extend below the magwell exist. The overall layout still pays much homage to the great IMI UZI SMG.

In 2001, the MP7A1 entered production -- most notably changed are the additions of a flash hider, full length top Mil-Std 1913 rail, a thicker retractable stock pad, included flip-up sights, locking mechanism for folding vertical foregrip, and use of more current H&K markings.

In 2002, the MP-7 was adopted by the German KSK Special Forces, and has apparently seen combat in Afghanistan. Despite relatively limited real world deployment, the MP7 is featured un numerous video games, such as HalfLife2 (although with a UGL module, and the older PDW version), the Battlefield2 Special Forces expansion, and IronWrath expansion for Tom Clancy games.

The NATO PDW competition addresses the necessity for a compact SMG with the ability to pierce modern body armor. The MP7 and 4.6mm bullet is clearly a direct competitor to Fabrique Nationale's P90 in 5.7mm in this competition. Also chambered in the new 4.6x30mm caliber is the H&K P46 UCP pistol; the clear similarity to the P90/Five seveN system is seen with the MP7/P46 UCP pairing. Also in competition is the MP-9 SMG in 9x19mm, built by Brugger & Thomet as a licensed and improved copy of the Steyr TMP. The prominence of ammunition type in the competition is impressive, as lightweight, high capacity, armor peircing, and stopping power are all mutually at odds with each other, but each entrant PDW system is an impressive compromise.

Tokyo Marui replicates the contemporary MP7A1 version, complete with KSK Style flip-up sights and side picatinny rails. Quite remarkably, the MP7 is replicated with full sized magazines, self-contained battery, and tiny gearbox located in the rear of the gun. Following suit with the remarkable G18c and M93r AEP's, the MP-7 is sold bundled with the 7.2V 500mAh Micro EX Battery, EX Charger, and 14mm adapter. Marui is also marketing their existing 7.2V Pro-Light, as well as revised Pro-sight Aimpoint replica, and PDW silencers.
Considering the low release price, the features and build quality of the MP-7 are astounding.

Appearance:

The first part of appearance is the box, and the MP7's box art is positively magnificent. In semi-glossy black with light grey print are the usual AEG gearbox insignia, profile of the gun, Full Set markings and MP7A1 Maschinen Pistol; at the bottom, Product by Tokyo Marui Co., Ltd. Made in Japan; Patent Pending: but that's not what I noticed first. The box is small. It's an AEG in a shoebox, basically. Even with the battery, charger, ad styrofoam, the box is small and light. This was only compounded by the fact that my friend’s brand new M60's box, also from RedWolf, was nearby. I actually prefer the bland blank cardboard look of boxes, but still, I'm always a fan of Marui box art, and the MP7 is no exception. In any case, the rest of the review will involve the wee monster inside the box.

http://www.airsoftretreat.com/gallery/data/506/medium/IMG_0819.JPG

Click image to enlarge

In the package, there is the gun with side rails attached, one 7.2V Micro EX Battery, the Marui charger, loading tool and unjamming rod, the usual small baggie of BBs, a bag with the Manual, catalog, safety info, registration info, and some targets, a hex key, and a 14mm CCW adaptor (RW boxes come with that installed, orange plastic flash hider, and the PDW flash hider in a separate baggie with the muzzle cap). In the upper left inside the box, there is the KSK printing, in the left middle, MP7A1 in large text, and the serial number SW-000103 (which is common to all first batch MP7's), and in the lower right by the magazine is an outline of a 4.6x30mm catridge. Like any other Marui gun, the presentation is flawless, and slightly innovative.
It's a good thing I planned ahead and dried my mouth, or I would have drooled on myself. The overall appearance is stunning: the MP7A1 is all the cuteness of a baby and the jaw-dropping glamour of a scantily clad supermodel -- wrapped up into one.

http://www.airsoftretreat.com/gallery/data/506/medium/IMG_0817.JPG

Click image to enlarge

The look of the plastic material, as it IS a plastic gun, is very good. In artificial lighting, you can get some glare off faces of plastic, as well as the metal rails, but in any kind of natural light, the gun looks flawless. The front cap is a slightly different (little bit more grey, little bit more matte) plastic, as is the the bolt dust cover.

The list of external metal parts includes: the top rail, both sights, sliding stock (minus buttpad), stock release buttons, back plate, selector switch, trigger, bolt catch, side rails, foregrip hinge, flash hider, magazine bodies, and of course, metal screws and springs. Notably missing from this list is the magazine release lever, which is plastic.......

http://www.airsoftretreat.com/gallery/data/506/medium/IMG_0822.JPG

Click image to enlarge

The gun markings on the MP7A1 are distinctive, yet classically H&K. On the left side, there are simple caliber markings above the trigger: 'Cal 4.6mm x 30', and on both sides of the pistol grip/magwell, the HK logo and "MP7 A1". On the right side, there are manufacturer markings 'Tokyo Marui; Co., Ltd; Made in Japan', presumably in place of the Heckler & Koch; GmBH; Made in Germany. In the same indented box, the ever-present ASGK logo sits, fairly subtle, and as always, well executed. The selector switch markings on both sides are the familiar 'bullet in a box' pictograms, with SAFE in white on top and SEMI/AUTO in red below. On the magazines, there a 4.6x30 markings, as well as a mysterious 5/05 on the left side, and on the bottom plastic bumper, TOKYO MARUI; JAPAN and at the bottom, the prominent HK logo. All in all, the gun is marked remarkably well, with nothing shallow or poorly executed.

The forward grip is another peice uniqe to the MP7 design, and the look from HK is second to none on this styling point. With lengthwise flutes down half of the length, a prominent metal hinge, and permanent, but steady looking integrated mount, the grip looks very practical and agressive extended vertically, and while horizontal, is flush with the trigger guard. The foregrip lock holds the grip in the vertical position when desired, and itself, adds a bit of an agressive look to the foregrip -- all this is of course faithfully replicated in the airsoft version.

The two side Picatinny rails included appear to be the same size as G36c side rails -- I'm going to assume that the H&K designed modular accessories were designed to work with these mounting holes, hence the common Mil-Std 1913 accessory rails. The rails themselves bear no marking (whereas the G36c ones have markings indicating side and odd numbers 1-7). They are each affixed using two simple hex screws, and on the whole, look quite stunning. With the rails removed, three more vent holes are uncovered, but given the already featherlike weight of the weapon system, keeping the rails on makes sense for style points alone, although the streamlined look works great too.

The sling mounts for the MP7 are also integrated with the plastic frame, with both left and right, front and rear. The front sling mounts are located over the vertical grip, right above the rails. The rear mount is just in front of the top back set screw, just under the railing. They're relatively simple, just a smoothed triangular extension with a hole for attaching the sling, nothing fancy or ridiculous.

Click image to enlarge

One of the subtle gems of the MP7 are the KSK Style sights -- in the down position, they are standard pistol sights with white three-dot system, but flipped up, work as ordinary Back Up Iron Sights (BUIS), cowitnessing with an L-mounted AimPoint sight. The front sight has a simple vertical adjustment built in (very compact, use the outside of the textured know with your hands, but otherwise just like an M16 front sight elevation adjust), while the rear sight has a very intuitive windage adjustment -- again, quite similar to the M16. It's a very handy design, further allowing the gun to be fired as a pistol or SMG.

Like the familiar Marui designs, the bolt cover and charging handle are correctly attached, and the hopup mechanism is placed neatly behind the bolt cover -- and also like Marui designs, the bolt catch is purely cosmetic, meaning that it's a headache to adjust the hopup with just one hand. Still, the charging handle functions, and looks very precise, the bolt cover is well replicated, as is the shell deflector. For the sake of looks, impeccable.

On the bottom of the gun, just in front of the buttplate, there is an inset metal tag, which reads SW-000103; [Distinctive BWB Eagle Logo] 03/12. The BWB, or Bundesamt fur Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung, basically office of military procurement and technology, is responsible for purchasing armaments, as well as collaborative projects, as it has operations in Reston, VA and in Canada. These markings are common to every first batch Marui MP7A1, and is even reflected in the manual -- so it's possible this will be retained for later. Individual serial numbers are nice, but in no way does a lack of them detract from the quality of the gun.

The sliding buttstock was a subject of much debate, but Marui has pulled off this feat: functioning exactly like the real thing, the stock happily slides back. Complete with the correct rubber stock pad, the look is very nice. The metal has the same semi-matte coating familiar to Marui metal parts, and on the whole, looks accurate and rugged. I think it'll also take wear nicely, so later pictures will definitely be in order.

http://www.airsoftretreat.com/gallery/data/506/medium/IMG_0827.JPG

Click image to enlarge

The gun comes packaged with not only the PDW flash hider, but a 14mm adaptor. The gun looks very good without any flash hider attached, the barrel simply protruding, but I personally am a tremendous fan of the PDW hider. The adaptor, intended for Marui tracer units or silencers, looks decent by itself, but only looks reasonable with a silencer or tracer unit mounted. The PDW flash hider is a magnificent looking peice of equipment, attaches brilliantly and securely (without any pesky set screws). The birdcage style hider has four openings, similar to a G3 rifle, and is just impressively small. Compared to any rifle flash hider, the PDW one is miniaure, but once you remember that it's designed to fire 4.6mm ammunition (smaller than 6mm rounds) it seems to make more sense. All in all, the muzzle options are great, even though I'm perfectly content with just the basic PDW style flash hider.

Lastly, the gun obviously has numerous textured regions on the pistol grip, the front and back side have the familiar orange-peel like texture found on the Mk23 and USP pistols, while the sides have a unique vertical pattern, which is almost a backward mold of the Simonich&Strider Warrior grips on the Kimber Warrior, just rotated. As with any H&K design, ergonomics and functionality are paramount, and this is no exception -- this part gives the MP7 part of its very unique look, and on the whole, these are replicated excellently by Tokyo Marui. For the rest of the gun, the semi-matte texture works excellently, and looks very good. While occasional glare still belies the ABS material makeup, the gun as a whole looks fantastic.

In terms of overall appearance, since it's a polymer framed gun, the Marui MP7 scores a 9.6/10 for precise attention to detail, quality looking materials, and precise repication of the MP7A1 design. The rails and sights are clearly pot metal, the rear sight adjustment knob is the only part not 100% accurately replicated, and the plastic mag release isn't the greatest -- that said, the gun just looks phenomenal, and for the price tag, is easily among Marui's best looking guns.

Feel:

According to Marui specs, the gun weighs around 1.4kg (or just over 3 lbs for those of you base ten challenged), which is just under the weight of the real MP7A1. Contrasting this to other guns, the MP7 seems very heavy and bulky for a pistol, but is a feather among SMG's. The weight of the gearbox is readily apparent when manouvering, but very well offset by the battery weight. The net tendency should be towards a backheavy gun, particularly with the buttstock extended, but once shouldered, the gun is simply an extension of one's shoulder, effortlessly and thoughtlessly manouvering in tight quarters, and with the off-hand using the vertical grip, the gun intuitively snaps to a target. Fired as a pistol or SMG, the weight distribution is flawless, allowing fluid motion and effortless aiming. Silly German engineering.

The size of the pistol is really the simultaneous strong and weak points of the gun -- too large to be a pistol, but very compact firepower for an SMG. Unlike the older UZI SMG design, or particularly the crude and tiny Mac11 design, the pistol grip is just the correct size -- people with small hands will have a bit of a hard time accessing the mag release (as with a USP or Mk23), but for 90% of shooters, the grip itself is the right size. You won't find yourself stuggling to keep your pinky happy just hanging off the grip, nor will you have to modify your grip to comfortably hold the gun and squeeze the trigger. The foregrip is a tad narrow, but understandably, and still provides a very solid gripping platform. Adequate spacing is provided, and the only peice of the gun that might interfere with my front hand is the far side rail making incidental contact with my thumb. This can be remedied simply by using the gun in streamlined configuration.
Unsurprisingly, the controls are second nature for any H&K aficionado, the selector switch is natural to operate, just like the G36, the magazine release works just like the USP, and though it sounds odd, the charging handle/forward assist is intuitive, and even the seemingly awkwardly placed buttstock release feels like pure muscle memory. Even the non-functional bolt catch has a very positive feel.
Basically, every control is accesible, intuitive, feels correct, and positively works. Silly German engineering.

A cheif critique of other Marui gun designs is the lack of rigidity and sturdiness -- no such complaints here. The bulk of the gun is the reciever: a monolithic peice of plastic including the pistol grip/magwell, with metal rail added on top -- it's very solid. The foregrip is very sturdy, and attached in an extremely solid fashion, and very positively locks in the down position.
A BIG concern prior to release was how sturdy the retractable stock would be: I am honesly very impressed. Retracted, it's on there, no questions asked. Extended, there's a small amount of up/down play, remarkably little side to side play, and a little bit of rotational play. It feels very solid, and honestly, I appreciate a small amount of play as I will be using it as a sidearm, and *gasp* it might get dropped. Last, the flash hider is a lot more solid than I had expected, and using the included 14mm CCW (counterclockwise, also known as 14mm- or Negative) the gun can mount an impressive array of silencers, flash hiders, or the Marui tracer unit. Silly Japanese Engineering.

The trigger is quite similar to those of the Glock pistols -- while I am personally not that familiar with them (the trigger can't be pulled unless the center safe action part is pulled even with the rest of the trigger), these triggers are evidently another safeguard against negligent discharges. The actual trigger pull is right on par with any other Marui AEG, but is comparatively short. I personally like shorter trigger pull, and am a big fan of limited travel after the break point -- once you're actually firing the gun in a skirmish situation, you won't notice the trigger, and with any practice, the gun will simply shoot when you want it to, your fingers will just work with the gun.

The magazines are quite their own animal -- they have a metal body, sturdy plastic bumper and top assembly, but still feel unrealistically light. While this is great for an extensive loadout, if Marui had put weights in the magazines, it would have been a cheap way to bring the TM weight up very close to the HK gun's weight without affecting the superb balance. That said, despite the light weight, the magazines are very solid feeling, quite sturdy, and feel extremely durable.

http://www.airsoftretreat.com/gallery/data/506/medium/IMG_0829.JPG

Click image to enlarge

The only three items that seem to detract from the feel of the gun are the awkwardly light magazines, plastic mag release lever, and troublesome charging handle/hopup adjust.

The balance of the gun is simply superlative, the gun is solid all around, and the controls are positively excellent. I give it a 9.8/10 on feel, as it's very nearly perfect, exceeding my expectations. Silly engineering pays off.

Firing Impressions:

EDIT: 4/9/06

I STILL HAVEN'T SKIRMISHED THIS THING YET, SORRY.

Parts and Accessories:

One of the most important part/accessory items are the magazines -- without proper mag function, the gun can't shoot, and without enough of them, skirmishing can become a long, painful experience. The pre-order free mag is what finally convinced me to order among the first batch, and I also bought 2 additional magazines. MP7 magazines will fit in any double stack pistol magazine pouch, which is extremely handy, especially since the only magazines available at release were the 50rd standard magazines. The cost per magazine is actually remarkably low (~17USD), and as always, for reliable feeding and quality control, Tokyo Marui standard magazines cannot be touched.
Still, the obvious question lingers: what of other magazines? In the real 20rd variety (grip length) the STD capacity exist, but it might be possible to make double-stack 'mid cap' magazines, as well as a short hicap mag -- as well as possibly very cheap 20 or 30rd magazine options. But there's more -- the MP7 uses shorter 20rd or longer 40rd magazines -- and each variety above can be repeated: what remains to be seen is if Marui will come out first with a long [40rd] hicap, short [20rd] hicap, or long standard magazine. Still, if the gun is as popular as the inital batch offering suggests, possibly most of these magazine variants will be avialable.

The sights are also an extremely important of a gun's overall function: the included KSK sights, as stated above, are a tremendous bit of engineering, and very handy to have on a gun like this. The top rail allows mounting of ALL SORTS of optics, most common among H&K literature are the Zeiss point sights, reflex sight, EOTech Holosight, or Aimpoint Comp sight. While the Zeiss sight looks fantastic on the MP7, is very compact and highly durable, the cost is up there, considering there are no precise repicas. EOTech sights are also quite fancy, but function extremely well on the gun, but again, are not that easy on the budget. I chose to go with a G&P Aimpoint Replica on L-Mount, which can be purchased for very competitive prices on eBay, mine from eHobbyAsia, great retailer. I consider the G&P AP to be the best value, particularly on the MP7, as the KSK flip-up sights are almost exactly in line with the 4MOA dot.
Marui also released the latest version of their Aimpoint replica Pro Sight -- low mount, flip-up sights. Although there are likely rumors that a minor earthquake knocked out the plant Marui contracted for making lenses on the older units, the lack of production or relative quality on these is debatable, so for the price, I still think the G&P replicas are the best for an exact AP copy. King Arms sights are also quite nice, but they are rather inexact replicas of the actual AP sight.

The included 14mmCCW adaptor is a very nice little bonus -- silencer attachment should be relatively easy, and the existing array of 14mm attachments means there are LOTS of possibilities here. The M4QD silencers are really too big, and anything intended for a sniper rifles will just look preposterous -- remember, compact SMG. Still any 100-180mm silencer should look exceedingly good on there, and in style, Marui has released their compact Pro silencer right in time *wink*.

One item that almost qualifies as an accessory is the instruction manual -- which is again classic Marui. Primarily in Japanese, with sparse, but gramatically acceptable English, the cartoons are very familiar, and describe every function of the gun. As always, the exploded parts diagram is extremely high quality, and confirms that the receiver is the primary peice of the gun, the fuse assembly is quite complicated, and that the MP7 has a lot of features designed into it. The front literature (Information on the H&K MP7A1, KSK, uses, and modified promotional material) is impressive in its depth, more so than any other Marui manual, but is, sadly in Japanese, which to me might as well be the lyrics to the Llama song.

http://www.airsoftretreat.com/gallery/data/506/medium/MP7_Parts.jpg

Click image to Supersize

Final Impressions:

Appearance: 9.6/10
Feel: 9.8/10
Performance: /10
Upgrade potential: 9/10
Value: 9.4/10
Overall: /10

Notes:
http://tokyo-marui.co.jp/MP7A1/index.html
http://www.hecklerkoch-usa.com/images/media/techdata/LE_Chart.pdf
http://www.military.com/soldiertech/0,14632,Soldiertech_HK,,00.htm
http://www.hkpro.com/pdw.htm
http://www.tacticalgearcommand.com/weapons/submachine_guns/HKMP7A1.html
http://www.hkdefense.us/pages/military-le/smg/mp7/mp7.html
http://www.mcwl.usmc.mil/factsheets/MP%207.pdf

spartan_13579

Registered: November 2006
Location: Templeton, C.A
Posts: 6

Review Date: Thu April 19, 2007

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: $250.00 | Rating: 6

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	1)great secondary! 2)nice feel when you hold it
Cons:	1) breaks way too much 2)plasticy(for me thats bad) 3)not many rounds i tend to burn through them too quickly

Ok, my review is gonna be real short and simple:

first off, depending on the time your TM MP7 is made...it'll break within a month or so(i got mine about 2 weeks after it launched). my friend garrett has fixed mine for me. Its a problem with the hop up and some other part, he told me it only cost about 50 bucks to fix it though.

The gun is a PERFECT secondary. Shoots pretty fast, has a decent fps(mine was at 260) although it'll burn through the 50 round clip quite fast. I recomend the hi-cap rather then the Star Mid-caps you can buy. Only because you'll burn through the 30 round clips waaaaaaaay too fast and will be under alot of fire when you try to reload.

this gun is a great addition to my armory, but it has broken/damaged the hop up much too often for it to be rated any higher than I think, spend your cash on somthing a little more reliable

Review Date: Sun October 7, 2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: $230.00 | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	This gun is like a rock
Cons:	The mag release is a bit stuck

Tokyo Marui never cease to amaze me. Their quality is wow. This gun feels so real and so solid.I have both the wel r4 and this and wow. You really do get what you paid for. You can call Tokyo Marui expensive but man, its for a GOOD reason. btw... my rof is crazy. I dunno how hard it hits, but it seems strong. For some reason I like the well r4 mag release more. When I let the mag go, it falls and drops into my hand and I can replace it. But TM makes it so tight that I have to pull the mag out like a battery. For skirmishing, reload time is a big factor.