Classic airsoft

The term classic airsoft is used to describe any airsoft items that were produced before the advent of the modern electric guns (AEGs). The term is debatable; the common consensus is that for an airsoft gun to be a "classic" it must have been made before 1995, but there are exceptions. For example, many newer gas guns from companies like Tanaka and Digicon are often called classics, despite many of them being made after 1995. Owning a classic airsoft item is considered a status symbol among those in the airsoft community.

The origins of airsoft

Despite misconceptions that airsoft originated much later, it was actually first played in the late 1970s, stemming from the concept of realistic-looking guns that shot non-lethal projectiles for sporting and simulation purposes. There were guns of this style before airsoft, such as the Mattel "Shootin' Shell" guns of the late 1950s. The US military even tinkered with ideas of this type after World War II. The BB guns that existed before shot metal BBs that could do a lot of damage to a person and in rare cases, kill them. Mattel's guns were a novelty at best though.

Airsoft filled a void. It originated in Japan, where owning real guns was generally illegal. The first manufacturers were long-standing toy companies such as Masudaya, Fujimi, and Matsushiro. These companies decided it would be a good (and profitable) idea to market BB guns that could be safely shot at others in a similar manner to paintball guns, which were also becoming popular at that time. These guns were spring-powered, single-shot weapons and were often very crude in nature. Many used odd, proprietary ammunition, such as the 7 mm "Long Range" ammo some Masudaya guns used, or the soft rubber ammo used in TradeMark's guns. Eventually, it was realized that a standard-size round BB would be cheaper and more efficient to produce. There were a variety of companies making guns during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Daisy enters the fray

The Daisy company had been known for over a century as the premiere producer of BB guns in the US. So in the early 80s, they decided to market airsoft in North America. Up until that time, airsoft was virtually unheard of outside of Japan. Daisy contracted the Maruzen company of Japan to manufacture a line of spring-powered guns to sell in the US. Most of these guns already existed in Japan and were essentially re-packaged for sale in North America. These guns used special BBs loaded into simulated shell casings. The line included:

Rifles/Submachine guns/Shotguns
*Interdynamics KG-9 (Model 12)
*IMI Mini-Uzi (Model 13)
*Ruger Mini-14 (Model 14)
*Heckler and Koch MP5K (Model 15) (though not accurate in external design)
*Remington Wingmaster shotgun (Model 870)
*M1918A2 (BAR)
Pistols
*Colt Python .44 (Model 4)
*Luger 9 mm Softair (Model 8)
*Beretta M-92 U.S. Army sidearm (Model 9)
*Walther P-38 (Model 38)
*Colt .45 Auto U.S. Army sidearm (Model 45)
*.357 Magnum revolver (Model 57)

All models were manufactured by Maruzen except the Model 15 H&K MP5K, which was made by Falcon Toy Corp.

These guns were as realistic in appearance as an airsoft or model gun had been up until this point, and many anti-gun and anti-violence organizations showed disfavor towards these items in America.

Modern Classics And The BV System

Around 1985, several Japanese airsoft companies began developing guns using the BV, or "Bullet Valve" system. BV used a direct flow of gas from an external tank, usually CO₂ or compressed air, to power a mechanism which allowed the guns to fire in a fully automatic mode. Later models also included semi-automatic mode. Some people added "booster tanks," empty air bottles to add to the effect of the air rig. These setups were generally called Flon Rigs.

Companies like JAC and Asahi Firearms led this revolution with Maruzen updating many of their old spring guns with the BV system as well. Asahi and JAC, whom often worked in conjunction with each other, developed airsoft versions of many guns, such as the British Sterling and the M60 machine gun. Other notable guns were Asahi's German MG-34 and their version of the very rare Walther 2000. JAC made many new guns like the Thompson, BAR, and M3 Grease Gun.

Other companies, such as Kokusai, MGC, Toy-Tec, and FTC also made many guns with the BV system.

The near end of classics

In the early to mid-1990s, the Japanese economy hit an all-time low and fell into a recession. Prior to this time, JAC, Kokusai and other large companies had invested in large real estate ventures, factories, and machinery. After the economic bubble burst, these companies were unable to survive the debts they incurred and were forced to sell their holdings. Unfortunately, prior to the economic downturn, many of these companies took on large, risky projects. This spelled the end for gas driven airsoft in the '90s.

Many of the older companies lost business and were forced to close their doors. The most famous of these closures was that of JAC. The common consensus is that JAC's ambitious World War II line of guns, featuring only two guns, the BAR and Thompson, both made of metal and wood and even using a few real gun parts like mag shells, cost so much to make that, combined with slumping sales, it forced the company to declare bankruptcy. However, to this day, concrete evidence has not been discovered to support that idea.

Contrary to popular belief, Tokyo Marui was the least factor in the closure of classic airsoft companies. During this time of turmoil Tokyo Marui was given a 50/50 chance of survival. Other companies had already ventured into the AEG market with limited success and Tokyo Marui's hopup was years away. Customers and retail outlets were already familiar with gas systems and their workings and were reluctant to change to an alien motor driven system using batteries.

The factors which led to the fall of the gas companies were:

#Economic recession
#Poor investment decisions
#Poor product decisions
#Poor marketing
#Legislation regarding high-pressure gases
#Emerging competition

Other factors included player preference. Gas rifles and pistols do not fare well in colder temperatures while electric and spring type weapons do much better. Also the external tank is seen negatively by many groups of airsofters as it looks unrealistic and heavy.

Another problem that contribed to the downfall on the gas rifle is the legal controversy; many of the gas rifles were internally similar to the patented real versions of the weapons. This caused legal battles which caused problems with importation in certain countries like the United States. Because the AEG piston is cycled by a motor and not run off gas from the barrel, AEGs does not have the same legal problems when it comes to patents. Today most gas pistols and rifles are produced with agreements with the real weapons companies like ArmaLite and Olympic Arms to produce replicas for airsoft.

Back from the grave

In the late 1990s, classic-style guns saw a bit of a rebirth. Companies like Youth Engineering and Sun Project began developing new guns using an updated form of the old BV system. These guns made only a small splash outside Japan but nonetheless helped to open at least some minds to the idea of "new classics"

Escort and the new era of gas guns

In recent years, the Escort company of Japan began a vigorous campaign to market new, externally powered gas guns. Their system was used in model guns from the legendary Japanese model gun company Shoei, including the MG-42 and StG-44. Escort also began developing new guns in-house, such as a series of MP5s and others. These guns offered more appeal to those formerly skeptical about classics due to many of them using magazines that AEGs used. This rectified the problem of locating often very rare magazines for the guns.

Escort also branched out into other types of devices, including the first truly functional gas airsoft hand grenades, and even a command detonated Claymore mine.

The Escort system also allowed for full-stroke blowback in many of its guns and offered a degree of realism never before seen in airsoft.

Classic airsoft manufacturers

A brief description of many classic companies and the guns they made. Some other companies exist besides those listed here, but these are the most prominent. Most of these companies are out of business, although companies such as Maruzen, Marushin, Tokyo Marui have survived.

Asahi Firearms: Asahi made many larger guns, like the MG34, WA2000, many M60 variants, and Bushmasters. They were known for using air-fed magazines and their high build quality. Other guns of note included a gas-electric hybrid M134 Minigun and an M40 that used a special "Blade Bullet", which was similar to some of the older Masudaya rounds.

JAC (Japan Arms Collection): JAC had a long and illustrious career, making many types of guns. Their "Battle Master" system appeared in many guns such as the M3A1 Grease Gun, AR-18, L2A3 Sterling, FN FAL L1A1, and UZI. The JAC Uzi DX was once considered the gold standard of skirmish worthy airsoft guns and many still exist today. JAC's later years saw the development of some of the most realistic looking airsoft guns ever made, culminating in the "Nostalgia" line, which included two guns, the M1A1 Thompson, and the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) which sells for upwards of $2000 and is considered to be one of the finest pieces of model gun craftmanship ever designed.

MGC (Model Gun Company): Known primarily for their long line of pistols, MGC also produced variants of the M16, Ruger 10/22, and Hecker & Koch MP5KA4 machine pistols (the latter employing a gas and electric hybrid operating system), as well as a few other notable assault weapons. The famed airsoft designer Tanio Koba also produced guns for MGC before going out on his own to produce his famous line of Heckler & Koch USPs and others, including the much-sought after 10/22.

Tanio Koba: Tanio Kobayashi, former designer and first employee of MGC, designed gas blowback systems for classic pistols such as the MGC H&K P7M13 and the JAC Browning Hi-Power series, as well as the Tokyo Marui GBB mechanism. He has been producing his own airsoft guns since 1992, and in that time has released masterpieces such as the USP .40 and the 10/22 GBB rifle.

MMC (Military Model Company): Often goes by the alternate name KSK. This company only released a small line of guns, mainly centered on the British L85/L86 (SA-80) series.

Kokusai: This company produced a very nice line of revolvers. They also made a few variants of the M16 and a Mini-Uzi, among others. They recently ended business.

FTC (Falcon Toy Company): FTC produced a wide variety of guns, from the first airsoft replica of an AK47 to the one-of-a-kind airsoft Galil and SITES M4 Spectre SMG, among others. FTC guns are notorious for their overly complicated internals and the sheer rarity of magazines (many go for over $100 a piece!) They produced some models that no one else had done before or since, such as the Galil ARM and SAR, and the Spectre.

Masudaya: Masudaya was an old toy company from Japan. They made a large series of spring rifles, culminating in the outlandish-looking Thunderbolt rifle. Most of their guns used proprietary ammunition.

TradeMark Modern Toys: Known for their soft rubber proprietary ammunition, they produced a few guns in the early 80s such as the MS series, which included a Luger, Walther P38, and Magnum, as well as the Inter-Arms Falcon-077 Family Target Gun.

Maruzen: Maruzen is quite possibly the longest-lived of all the airsoft companies. They were around in the very beginning. Produced many spring-guns and updated many to BV in the late 80s. They still produce guns to this day -- mainly shotguns, small SMGs, and pistols.

Marushin: Marushin is known for their revolvers and classic-style rifles such as the K98 and M1 Carbine, as well as Model 1892 rifles. Their M1 Garand and K98 function exactly like real ones, with the empty magazine ejection of the M1 and the ultra-realistic loading of BBs into shells, that load into the gun via a stripper clip. They also manufactured gas operated, shell ejecting airsoft versions of the M1 Carbine, UZI, Colt 1911, and CZ-75 pistols. Their most recent airsoft gun, an M2 Carbine, was released in late December 2006. The Marushin M2 carbine is similar in appearance to the original M1, but there are two major differences: It feeds 8 mm BBs straight from a magazine rather than feeding 6 mm BBs from shells, and it is capable of fully-automatic fire whereas the M1 Carbine was semi-automatic.

KTW: KTW made very high-end spring rifles, including the Enfield, Springfield, and Type 99 and Type 38 Arisaka rifles.

Sheriff: Sheriff did a lot of custom work during the late classic era, the most famous of which being their Asahi based "Magnum Power" M16 rifles, "Dangerous" AK47, Semi-automatic SPAS-12 shotgun, and the Highlander Magnum (a copy of the FN GPN LMG, itself a sort of futuristic take on the WA2000 sniper rifle). They made many custom parts which can still be found today.

Tokyo Marui: Now known for their AEGs, but in the classic era, they manufactured a small series of spring-fed shell ejecting guns, mainly MP5s. Tokyo Marui is now the single largest producer of AEGs. In addition, Tokyo Marui has a small but trusted line of gas blowback pistols and they are slowly expanding the product line.

Nakaya: Nakaya made some air-cocking guns in the early 80s. They got out of the gun business but continued to make accessories, especially wood furniture sets for guns such as Digicon.

Fujimi: Fujimi is a long-standing Japanese toy maker. They made a few airsoft guns, most notably the M712 Broomhandle, which is distinguishable for its combination BV and gas-in-mag system.

LS (Light Sports): LS was a lower quality air gun manufacturer. They made a few versions of the AK47, as well as a British Sten, L85, and a few others. This company didn't last long and their guns are usually shunned in the airsoft community.

Toy-Tec: A bit of an oddball, Toy-Tec only made a few guns, all of which used essentially the same system. Often affectionately referred to as "bb hoses", these guns were and still are preferred for CQB games. They also made an electric version of their P90 at the beginning of the AEG era; however, it was not enough to save them. They produced a Calico, and a bb-spitting M203 Grenade Launcher, as well as an electric version of the M134 Minigun to compete with Asahi's Gas-electric hybrid. Toy-Tec also provided internals for the Hobbyfix M16 series.

Digicon: Digicon was a controversial airsoft company. They only produced one BV gun, the MP5A5. Later, they produced a line of pistols including the superlative Digicon Target, a version of the famous Thompson Center target pistol. Their guns are affiliated with the only known airsoft-related fatality, the death of an elderly woman in Japan. These guns could be modified to take unregulated CO₂, allowing them to fire at extremely high power, well over the .98 Joule limit in Japan.

Shoei: Shoei was a model gun company out of Japan. They eventually manufactured AEG versions of some of their guns like the MG42 and STG44/MP44. In recent years, a version of the Escort system has been placed into two of them, the MG-42 and the MP44.

Youth Engineering: Youth Engineering only made a handful of airsoft guns, all variants of the MP5, and used a version of the Escort system.

Sun Project: Sun Project is known for their grenade launchers and similar items. They also made a small line of Colt M16 variants (XM177 etc), which are highly sought after. [Review of Sun Project M16-series AEGs http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/?filnavn=/projects/sp_m16_mods/sp_m16_mods.htm] Among other models produced were an M40, M700, and a few others.

Escort: Escort was the Japanese company that provided internal systems for companies like Sun Project and Shoei. Their gas system incorporates a full-stroke blowback system in most models to allow for full recoil, and was designed to allow for the use of AEG magazines in many cases. Escort is often credited with resurrecting the gas-powered airsoft gun.

External links

* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qx0iZ-FScEc Kokusai M10 in action]
* [http://www.airsoft-shooting.org/ International Airsoft Practical Shooting (IAPS)]
* [http://www.classicairsoft.net/ Classic Airsoft Forum and Bazaar Site]

References