dEFCONAirsoft Tokyo Marui USP AEP Review

What is that you say? Another new release from Marui, at roughly the same time as their VZ61 Scorpion? That's right folks, the Airsoft pixies at Tokyo Marui have been working overtime to bring you another excellent gun, and lets face it, most of their releases are pretty excellent. This time in the form of the Heckler and Koch USP, albeit an 'AEP' version - meaning now you have the joy of a fully automatic USP too. Ok, so it's not exactly authentic to the real steel, but who cares, any medium frame size pistol with full automatic fire gets the thumbs up from me.

The real steel Heckler and Koch USP was first introduced in 1993, which compared to similar popular pistols of today such as the Glock 17, the SIG P226, it makes this pistol the fairly new kid on the block. It is certainly one of the most modern looking pistols out there today, being constructed heavily of polymer and composite materials which add to its durability and a reduction in weight. Originally chambered for the 0.40 S&W round, variants in 9mm and .45 also exist, the later being used in the SOCOM version of the USP which is known as the MK23 (Marui also produce a non GBB version of this).

This is Marui's 3rd AEP pistol since the release of the Glock 18C and the Beretta 93R, with the Scorpion VZ61 being their second 'SMG' AEP. The USP uses the same gearbox design as both previous pistols, but boasts an improved hop-up mechanism, and most useful of all, larger battery capacity - a 500mah NiMH!

The box is the usual high-quality as expected of Marui, with a large picture of the pistol on the front, including schematic diagrams showing the internal workings of the pistol. Upon opening you are presented with the pistol itself, a box containing a charging unit (US style plug, your UK retailer should swap this for a charging adapter with a standard Tamiya connector), 200 rounds of 0.2g ammunition and the 500mah NiMH battery. Also included is a 'universal rail adapter' which allows the use of standard 20mm accessories, along with the instruction manual and a cleaning rod / unjamming tool. The manual is the same standard as most of the Marui range, but compared to the VZ61's instructions has virtually no English translations. The gun however, is extremely easy to operate and the diagrams offer sufficient instruction. Also included is the Marui 'line up' catalogue, which interestingly does not feature the Scorpion, although it does hint at the next AEP model being a Beretta 92F. The stats for the USP .40 S&W as follows:

Length: 194mm

Weight:702g

Height: 111mm

Magazine Capacity: 30 (100 hi-cap will be available)

Velocity: Average at 228fps with a 0.2g Marui BB

ROF: Marui claim 17 rounds per second... over 1000 per minute!

Battery Capacity: 500mah (around 2500 rounds) - Compatible with Glock 18C / 93R

Marui's latest AEP is pretty much identical in appearance to the Tanio Koba model apart from the threaded barrel and adjustable rear sights which appear on the TK model. So when is a USP not a USP? When it has the capability of fully automatic fire. This seems to be a point which has put some die-hard Airsofters off the TM AEP version, but to me, I can only see it as an advantage. Not only have you got greater magazine capacity over the GBB versions of this pistol, but with the flick of a switch you've also got the capability to empty that 30 round magazine in just under 3 seconds - great for if you need a quick burst of suppressive fire in certain situations. This has always been a big plus point for the Glock 18C, so why not for the USP? Just because the real steel doesn't sport this feature, there is no reason why the Airsoft model can't. Still, the choice to us the automatic option is entirely up to you.

The markings on the pistol are fairly accurate and easy to read. On the left hand side are the words '.40 S&W', along with the H&K logos and a serial number stamped onto the slide, these are also repeated on the fake ejection port cover. On the understand is a metal stamping which repeats the serial number, with the wording 'Universal Self Loading Pistol' - hence the name USP. The only real giveaway are the words 'Tokyo Marui Co LTD, Full Automatic System' on the opposite side of the frame. The quality of the moulding is such that it would be impossible to tell the slide is fixed without actually trying to pull it back. The quality of the plastics used are also of the high standard we're used to by Marui, with no nasty 'plastic shine' apparent, the finish on the pistol is slightly better than the Glock 18C in a side by side comparison.

There are still a number of metal parts used in the pistols construction, which include but not limited to: Trigger, magazine release, slide take-down lever (not functional), selector lever, front and rear sights and the hammer which doubles as the slide-release to allow access to the battery compartment. In comparison to the Glock 18C, the number of external metal parts is far greater, but then the real steel Glock heavily utilises polymer materials.

The selector switch on the USP is built into what would normally be the safety / de-cocking lever. Pushing this lever upwards puts the pistol into safe mode, much easier than the fiddly little safety catch on the Glock 18C. In the centre position the gun fires in single shot mode for each depression of the trigger, and downwards, puts the pistol onto full auto exposing a small red '30' symbol under the lever.

The slide take-down lever is non functional and is fixed in place. Instead, to remove the slide, you simply pull back on the hammer and gently lift the slide off. This allows access to install the battery, which like the Glock is simply slotted into place, you cannot get it the wrong way round. It sits at 45 degree angle beneath the barrel and is removed by simply pulling down on a black plastic tab on the left hand side of the gun. Unlike the Glock, the USP will fire in both semi and full auto with the slide removed, whereas the Glock will only fire in Semi mode with the slide absent. This makes quick battery changes even easier as the pistol remains fully functional whilst in your hand.

The brass barrel is very highly polished and appears to be the same length as the Glock. Marui claim a new hop-up system on the USP, but from the outside they look identical, apart the notches on the USP's hop wheel are slightly more pronounced. The nice thing about the AEP range in general, is that the hop-up can be adjusted with the slide off, with no need to reassemble the pistol before firing, this makes for very quick and accurate adjustment.

The trigger pull on the USP is a lot smoother and easier than the Glock, even if you take into account the 18C's mechanical trigger safety. The trigger guard is also larger, allowing easier access for gloved hands. Within the trigger guard area is also the magazine release which I much prefer over the 18C. On the Glock, I have often found magazines ejecting themselves due to the rather pronounced magazine release button being accidentally engaged whilst the pistol is in the holster. On the USP, this cannot happen as simply squeezing the pistol will not release the magazine, you have to pull down on the release lever. Those of you who own a Glock, whatever make or model will know what I mean, as it seems to be a design fault with the pistol in general. The magazine itself holds 30 rounds, and is of the same 'stick' metal type as the Glock. Interestingly on the USP the magazine is loaded with the BB's facing towards the rear and not the front. It sports the same spring loaded clip design on the top of the mag, meaning the BB's can be very easily loaded by simply pushing them in one at a time with no need to pull down on the BB follower lever... or you can just use a speed loader.

As mentioned previously the USP comes supplied with a 'universal rail adapter' which allows the use of standard 20mm accessories such as a laser or flashlight. Disappointingly this is constructed from plastic, but I'm sure companies like PDI / X-fire will be bringing out a metal version, as they have done with VZ61 Scorpion accessories recently. If you are considering a flashlight, then you should be aware that Marui make an M3 style tactical flashlight called the Prolite, that is actually capable of powering the gun also! It's internal 1100mah battery pack allows around 5000 rounds to be fired from the pistol, whilst also functioning as a flashlight.

Firing, Range & Accuracy

Popping a freshly charged 500mah battery in the USP, which took a shade under 2hrs to charge at 250mah and after loading 30 rounds into the magazine, it's time to put it to the test. I also had to hand my Glock 18C to use as a direct comparison.

After first setting the hop-up for a level BB flight path with the optimum range, I took aim at a metal compost bin around 35 metres away, which was about the size of a crouching man-size target. A quick squeeze of the trigger and 3-5 rounds flew towards the target, 'ching ching ching', all hitting dead centre mass. Same test with the Glock? Exactly the same results... although I wasn't surprised. Aiming above the target I fired off some shots to judge the overall distance, which was estimated to be around 45 metres. Marui claim the USP can reach distances of 50 metres, which you can possibly achieve indoors under windless conditions. As for the Glock? It too displayed a similar range, meaning performance wise, these two pistols are pretty identical. With regards to accuracy, both pistols achieved 2 - 2.5 inch groupings at 5m, and on full auto mode, you could easily 'cut' the centre of the target out.

One thing noticeably different with the USP, is the response time in semi auto from when you pull the trigger, to the shot being fired - much quicker than the Glock. With all AEG's / AEP's there is a slight lag, this is usually less noticeable on an AEG using an 8.4v battery, but with a 7.2v battery it's much more apparent. On the AEP's you only get the option of using a 7.2v battery, but the higher the capacity of the battery, the better discharge rate it will have under load. As the USP has a battery capacity 2.5 times greater than the Glock, both the response time and the rate of fire are improved.

All is not lost for owners of the Glock 18C however, as the 500mah battery is compatible with the 18C. So what happens when you slot the 500mah USP battery into the 18C? You get a far improved response time, and a greater ROF, it kind of puts the Glock on steroids! Good news then, as the USP's 500mah battery is available as a spare and retails for around £15.

Conclusion

The Marui USP .40 S&W is another excellent AEP in the range, and overall I'm a big fan of them in general. It makes a refreshing change if Glocks are not your thing, whilst remaining just as functional as it's predecessors, there are certainly enough Glocks out there so perhaps its about time we saw something a little different. The 500mah battery is a real bonus as the 200mah batteries on the previous AEP's just didn't seem to hold enough charge for a full days Skirmish, especially if using the optional 100 round 'hi-cap' magazines. I would recommend to anybody who already owns an 18C or the 93R to spend £15 and get yourself one of these batteries, you will certainly notice the difference in performance. Another plus point is the magazine release, which for me, if I had not ready got an 18C - would be the deciding factor over the two pistols. I've already lost 1 magazine from the 18C (luckily it was found and handed into a marshal) plus numerous times it has partially ejected, I've pulled the pistol out to fire it to hear the sound of 'click click click' - empty. Very, very annoying when had it been securely in place, that would of been another couple of kills and me still in the game.

The price is good too, price varies from £100 - £110, where as Fire-Support have just lowered the price to £90, absolute bargain! We gave it a big two thumbs up!

The Marui USP .40 S&W AEP is available for purchase at fire-support.co.uk. Click the image to be taken to their pages.

Please mention dEFCONAirsoft when ordering, thank you.

All material within is copyright dEFCONAirsoft 2007. dEFCONAirsoft is kindly sponsored by Fire-Support. Some of the views expressed within these pages are not necessarily the views of dEFCONAirsoft or any of the sites affiliated with us.