Tokyo Marui, like many other big corporations, is well known for their marketing strategy, which is hint at a product, set a release date, hint a bit more, delay the release… delay again, and again, and by the time the product is on the shelves, the buyers are sleeping in big queues outside the airsoft shops, waiting with money or credits cards in their hands.

This time TM changed strategy. No hint, no release date, just *pop*! Here's a new gun! Enjoy! A new PDW electric gun! Or should I say pistol? How about both? Wow! The hype was great, every airsofter went crazy and everyone was drooling at this new small Tokyo Marui wonder. But can it stand up to its expectations?

So, why the TM MP7A1?
Being a CQB specialist (a.k.a. "Sneaky B****rd"), I need a small, compact and easy to carry weapon. My G36C is more than enough for that purpose, but sometimes, when I needed to climb, run, jump or do other circus tricks, it proved big and heavy. On the other hand, my WA M1911 Military is small, super compact but it is a sidearm. That means less accuracy than an AEG and only 21 BBs per mag. Carrying a bottle of gas is not an option either. So, what could fill my needs? Tokyo Marui gave the answer with the MP7A1! I waited for a while until it was reviewed and tested by other airsofters from around the world. Now, the wait is over and the MP7A1 is a part of my collection.

I ordered the gun from "Guns 'n' Guys" in Hong Kong. We all know about customs in Greece, so, in order to make the parcel as small as possible, I asked Mr. Chan of GnG if he could send the gun out-of-the-box, and he did so! The parcel was at my front door 3 days after my order was placed. No box, but all the contents were there. What does the actual box look like though? One word: small! One could quite easily mistake it with a big shoe box. It is black and gray, with "MP7A1" written with big letters in the middle, just over a profile picture of the gun. The H&K and TM logos are there too and, just below the MP7A1 title, the words "Maschinen Pistole" show what this is all about.

Inside, instead of a pair of shoes, you will find the gun, a 50 round magazine (low cap), a cleaning rod, a BB loading rod, the manual, safety instructions, a hex key (Allen), two hundred (200) 0.20g BBs in a small plastic bag and some paper targets to test the gun with and a 14mm CCW silencer adaptor. But wait! That's not all! Included are also one 7.2V Micro EX Battery and a Marui mini-EX battery charger! That was a big surprise because, usually, you have to pay extra for a battery and/or charger.

If you've used a TM G36C before, you'll notice that the plastic parts make a lot of squeaks. Try holding it from the stock and you'll see what I mean. The MP7 on the other hand is as SOLID as a rock! No squeaks, no rattles, no nothing! It feels great, just like a gun should! The weight distribution helps a lot too. The mechbox is located in the back of the gun and in order to balance the weight, Marui has put the battery in the front of the gun, just above the barrel.

From a distance it looks like an extension of the handgrip but it can be pulled down. Again, as steady as a rock! It locks at 90o angle and can be unlocked by pushing the lock release down. Two thumbs up to H&K and, of course, to Tokyo Marui for putting this on the gun! No need to pay extra for a R.I.S. style grip.

The gun comes equipped with two KSK Style sights. In the down position, they are standard pistol sights with the usual three-white-dots system, but when flipped up, they work as ordinary BUISs (Back Up Iron Sights), very similar to those of the M16 series. Marui also made an L-shaped AimSight, for this gun but it is sold separately.

Customization is as easy as making a frappe coffee, thanks to the long top rail and the two front side rails, which look exactly like the G36C rails. They are perfect for a small flashlight and/or a laser. On the top rail you can put a red dot sight or an AimPoint sight. Using a big scope is ok but not practical because this gun was not made for snipers. The side rails can be removed by unscrewing two hex screws. Removing them reveals two air holes on each side, used by the real gun to cool down the barrel, but it also makes the front of the gun lighter, which means more weight at the rear end.

The flash hider is a true beauty. It has four holes, just like the MP7s grandfather, the G3. The gun also comes with a 14mm silencer adaptor, which can be used with a big variety of Marui silencers. (again, sold separately). Both the flash hider and the adapter have bigger holes but that is normal if you consider that the actual gun shoots 4.6mm ammunition, which is quite smaller that the 6mm BBs we use.

The trigger is metal and it has a safety in the centre (like a Glock), making accidental firing almost impossible e.g. by dropping it down. The feel of the trigger is soft and after a while you'll be shooting with great ease. Speaking of firing, the fire selector switch is ambidextrous and it bares the same markings with the G36.

Taking a closer look at it reveals many details that Marui copied from the original H&K MP7. It probably has the highest level of detail I have ever seen on an airsoft replica so far. Even the small metallic tag at the rear bottom of the gun, with the serial number (SW-000103, which is the same on every TM MP7A1), and the BWB eagle logo (Bundesamt fur Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung) is there.

The hop up is located under the bolt cover, just like on every Marui model. The bolt cover can be opened by pulling the charging handle, which is located at the back, just over the buttstock.

The battery is another Marui wonder. When I first heard that it is only 7.2V/500MAh, I thought it would be enough for a few hundred shots only, but Marui proved us wrong (again!). Using the included charger is easy. Although the manual is in Japanese, I made out a "2hr" in the text and that's how long it takes to charge the battery. A red led on the charger shows when it is charging and when it goes off, it is time to remove the battery. My only concern about the battery and charger is that Marui used NiCd cells and that means that, without proper discharging, the battery will eventually "die" very soon. Since my Japanese is... rusty, I can't read the manual so I don't know if the charger is a discharger as well. I sure hope so!

A first on this gun is the new Marui safety measure. The battery cannot be removed or inserted into the gun, unless the safety switch is in the "safe" position".

I played with the MP7 a full day (about 6-7 games), using 1-2 mags (50 BBs each) in every game. I was expecting the battery to die but it kept going and going and going! Another thing that really impressed me was the fire rate. The BBs go so fast that you see a white line in front of your gun. The range is above average too. I tried it side by side with my TM G36C and both guns shoot at the same distance. As you see in these pictures, you basically have a 3-in-1 electric airsoft gun in your hands. You can use it as a pistol, a submachine gun or as a rifle.

It'll take a while to get used to it due to its size and weight. One small flaw I noticed (many thanks to Journeyman for that) is the angle of the grip. The grip of every normal pistol or rifle has an angle which helps in holding it better. The MP7's angle is 90o and that makes your hand tired after long use.

I couldn't find a flaw here! Well, only one! 50 rounds are not enough! (I need extra mags… *sniff*)

Rifle Use
This is what this small wonder was made for! Close Quarters Battle! Once you pull the stock and put it on your shoulder, you'll fall in love with it. Moving around is easy, especially in tight corners (e.g. "cleaning" rooms) and locking on a target is done easily, thanks to the vertical grip.

Magazines
The gun comes standard with a 50round mag (low cap) and it is made of metal and plastic. It fits perfectly into the gun's handgrip, and, just like a pistol mag and it can me removed by pushing down the mag release switch, which is located right below the trigger That's where one of the guns flaws is located. The trigger is plastic. Although it is made of strong material, a strong accidental pull could break it. So far I haven't heard of such incidents but just in case, I use both fingers to pull the release switch. One more thing people find annoying is that you have to pull the mag out of the gun. On the real thing, the mag drops out because it is a lot heavier.

... And while we're talking about both the MP7 and the G36, here's a pic of them both. Notice their strong similarities.

I think the fact that you have to pull it by yourself is better, because magazines are valuable and I don't want to see my Marui mag broken in half if it drops on the ground.

On the magazines, there is a "4.6x30" marking (type and amount of ammunition - real gun), a "5/05" on the left side (construction date maybe?) and on the bottom, "TOKYO MARUI, JAPAN" and the "HK" logo.

The MP7A1 is a sweetie. If you are looking for a PDW, then look no further. Its small size and functionality make it perfect for CQB games. Despite the hype and the bad comments prior to its release, Tokyo Marui gave its best and the result is more than I was hoping for.