dougaliath Posted January 14, 2006 Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 Star G36 initial impressions and review Well I just recently acquired the Star G36 and am here to give my initial opinions on the recently released AEG. This is the first time I have done a write-up like this so please bear with me. This AEG represents two firsts for me, it is the first G36 series gun I have owned, and the first non-Marui made gun I have come to own. So I was quite excited and anxious in ordering the AEG, I put my order in at Redwolf on Tuesday night and received my package Thursday morning. Upon opening the large cardboard box (I was slightly disappointed Star did not release this AEG with one of their hard plastic gun cases) I was confronted with the rather long profile of the G36. I wasted no time removing the AEG from its box and begun to examine it. I was immediately struck by the weight of the AEG. It felt noticeably heavier than the CA G36 my friend owns, not by a lot, but enough to tell that it was indeed heavier. This AEG is very solid, not rattles, shakes or creaks at all. The material of the body seems close to the Classic Army G36 and is of good quality. Molding of the body is pretty good, there are some imperfections and mold markings, but were they do appear, they are relatively minor and not a cause for any real concern. They marking are pretty well done; there are full trademarks on this gun, which is nice. However for those sticklers for detail out there, there are some problems. There are only four bullet markings for the full auto setting (there should be five) and below the serial number where the manufacture date should be, it reads “04 15” (this stands for the year and month the rifle is produced so this reads the rifle was produced in the year 2004 and in the 15th month!). Overall I believe the appearance to be very good despite it subtle flaws in my opinion it is equal or very close to Classic Army’s G36. close up of markings Now for how everything works. The magazine included is a Star 140rnd mid cap, and it fits very well into the magwell, it fights tightly and does not rattle or move. The folding stock works very well locking solidly into either the folded or extended position. The working cocking lever is well done and made of metal and like all other G36s, it gives access to the hopup, which is the same as the CA hopup. The fore grip provides ample battery storage, as it is actually bigger than its Classic Army equivalent. To get a battery inside, one must remove the forward part of the outer barrel (bayonet lug will not fit through the foregrip) and a pin holding the foregrip in place. The bipod functions like it should, while it isn’t rock solid, it is sufficient for skirmish use. When folded the bipod stays put very well and I find it much easier to use than the bipod found on a SG-1. This brings me to the area I think Star could use the most improvement, their sights. The carry handle and sights are molded very well and look good, but their operation leaves something to be desired. The 3.5x scope is ok but has some issues. The first issue is the sight can get out of alignment if you perhaps, drop the AEG (yes I dropped it! mine happened to be at about a 45 degree angle). This actually was easy to fix, all I had to do was remove the scope, realign the sight and use a little glue to make sure it did not happen again. The second issue with the 3.5x sight is the eye relief is to close to the back lens of the scope, making it a little difficult to use with goggles and hard to use with a full mask. I liked the having the red dot sight because I liked the way it made the AEG look, if it worked well it would be an extra bonus as far as I was concerned. I am glad that was my view, because the red dot is not very good. The problem is the laser is way out of focus and produces a large dot that is bigger than it should be. The red dot sight is usable, but only barely. G36 foregrip disassembly for installing battery So that brings us to what is inside this AEG, and how it performs. The Star G36 disassembles the same way Classic Army’s and Marui’s do so no detail necessary. The Star “Version 2 metal gearbox” is nothing more than a copy of the Marui V3 gearbox. This gear box is rumored to run stock at 350 fps, so naturally I had to test it. So today I visited the Santa Clara AEX store and test fired the G36. The results fell in what I believe to be a wide range of 342 at the lowest to 360 at the highest, but generally stuck in the area of 350 fps. Rate of fire was pretty good at 8.4 volts I estimate (I stress estimate) it to be around 800-850 rpm, at 9.6 it jumped to around 950-1000 rpm. I did not do any accuracy tests, so info on that will have to wait till later, sorry guys. I though this pretty good for a stock gun, in fact I don’t plan on doing an upgrade until something breaks. Overall I believe the Star G36 to be a decent gun. It looks good and operates very well, I believe it is a great value for the money, good performance out of the box, working bipod, working dual sights, solid build, and great looks. I would defiantly recommend looking into this AEG for anyone wanting a G36 series AEG. Well I hope this was informative and helpful. Link to post Share on other sites
HKG36 Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 What are the metal parts on it? Link to post Share on other sites
Gundrosen Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 Doesnt this come in a hard case? I thought all new STAR AEG's came with this Link to post Share on other sites
dupka Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 thx for thunder review, if it would be possible take some inside gearbox pictures Link to post Share on other sites
dougaliath Posted January 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 The metal parts on the G36 are: the outer barrel, trigger, fire selector, bipod release, bayonet lug, stock release, fake bolt cover, cocking lever, and of course, the various bolts, screws, and internal parts that support and hold the AEG together. (I believe that’s all of them, but I could be missing a couple) Remember the real G36 is made from mostly of polymers, so there is not supposed to be an abundance of metal on this gun. As far as the hard plastic case, as I said, it does not come with one. It comes in a plain cardboard box like the one pictured in the review. I have looked at Star's site and nowhere does it mention that this AEG would come with one. (However the photos they provide of the G36 on their site are misleading) Star's website Link to post Share on other sites
dougaliath Posted January 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 <html> Some more pictures: Right side link to photo Folded stock link to photo Disassembly link to photo Gearbox link to photo Sorry, but I have no pictures of inside the gearbox at the moment but I may add some later. Keep in mind this is a copy of the v3 mechbox, so its probly nothing you havn't seen before. </html> Link to post Share on other sites
unimatrix001 Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 The metal parts on the G36 are: [...] cocking lever really? Well that's +1 for Star, it's made of plastic at Marui and CA guns. Link to post Share on other sites
Robot 2000 Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 This is looking increasingly tempting Link to post Share on other sites
Maple-Leaf Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 I used to own a custom G36K - made from a TM G36C with a Star "K" conversion kit. Frankly, the quality of the Star components were fairly schitt - weak plastic, oversized foregrip... From your review, it doesn't sound as if they've totally overcome these issues - scope sounds disappointing, foregrip is still unrealistically sized. On the other hand the FPS is much better than CA's. What are your impressions of the overall build quality? Link to post Share on other sites
Alexjenko Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 Nice review, a little short but veery good. Link to post Share on other sites
Tom2510 Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 Just mini batts then? Does it take marui mags? Thx for the info! Link to post Share on other sites
nightfire6 Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 Yes it will take marui mags, because these are the same mags used for the g36 series. Its like the m16,m4s, mp5, ak47, blah blah blah. Hey douggaliath, Would you say its still usable for skirmish? Is it possible to disassemble the sights? Im planning to take out the lens and fix up the red dot. If of course I buy one. While the bipod is not rock solid, would you say that it would last for a good while I was thinking about putting a c-mag on the thing and make a MG36. Link to post Share on other sites
Donut Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 dam... I was hoping to get one... now that I hear the reddot isn't that good. I think I'm just going with the CA one then... Link to post Share on other sites
djbside Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 What size of battery, and config are you able to fit in there. Do you have any Hi-Cap mags for it? Wondering how well they fit in the mag-well. Link to post Share on other sites
dougaliath Posted January 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 For JKT 1/ Tom2510: The foregrips used on the new AEGs are not the same as the conversion kit ones (thank God). They are actually really solid and Star did do a good job on the moldings. However they still are slightly oversized. The foregrip is about 2mm taller in overall height than a CA G36 and the wider section of the foregrip is about 4mm to tall. They are however not as big as the earlier conversion kit foregrips, and I actually think the foregrip looks good, really it only is an issue if you are looking for strict realism. This does come with an advantage though; you can fit larger batteries in the foregrip. Any AA battery pack will fit which means you can fit up to a 12v 2500mah battery pack in the foregrip. The sights are not good out of the box, but can be made to be decent with a little work ( I actually like the 3.5x sight now that I have fixed it). The overall build of the gun, as I said before is good. Apart from some discrepancies (improper markings, slightly larger foregrip) I feel it is as good as CA, it looks great and feels very solid. However to make up for these appearance discrepancies, the Star G36 gives you full trademarks and larger battery capacity. Then for the extra $50 you get a bipod, dual sights, and a gearbox with better performance out of the box. As far as magazines go, I have a Marui standard magazine, Marui hi-cap magazine and Hero Arms 3000rnd C-mag. Both Marui mags fit extremely well, they do not move at all after being inserted. The Hero Arms is a little loose, however it is in good enough it will not fall out. This is due to Hero Arms not having the best molding on the part of their magazine that goes into the magwell, it is not a fault with the Star G36. For nightfire6: I would say this appears to be a great skirmish AEG, it is solid, it works well, and it seems very durable. However I have not skirmished with it yet, so I will post how it performs in skirmish settings once I do. As far as the sights, yes it is possible to disassemble them. I had to fix the crooked sight I had from dropping it. With a little glue I prevented this from happening again (why Star couldn’t do this I do not know). I have not worked with the red dot yet, but if I do I will let you know. As far as the bipod is concerned I realize I should have been more clear. This bipod is not like a sniper rifle bipod, which is to be expected. This is why I say it is not rock solid, because its not. The bipod is however very securely in place, you would really have to abuse the gun to get it to fall of or break. The bipod is made of strong plastic with metal used to connect it to the foregrip and is solid in its construction. What I meant is that by the way the bipod is connected there is a lot of freedom of movement and some flex to it. In fact the bipod is pretty good, and perfect for the function of say, a support role lmg. I find it to be far supperior to the TM SG-1 bipod, but that is my oppinion. MG36 huh? That is actually one of the main reasons I bought this gun over a CA G36. This gun is almost perfect for making an MG36 out of the box. I put in my Hero Arms C-mag and was very happy with the results. Really the only thing missing is a heavy barrel, but only those sticklers for realism would even mention it (damn you realism freaks that make me feel I have to pay large amounts of money for realistic parts!). Sorry for the long post, but it had to be done. Link to post Share on other sites
Donut Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 Is it just me or is the carry handle slightly large? btw, how accurate is it? can we have some accuracy tests? from various ranges? thanks. and between this and the CA one... which one would you recommend? Link to post Share on other sites
Maple-Leaf Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 Sorry for the long post, but it had to be done. No apology needed - great follow-up! So what makes the Star gearbox better than the Classic Army one? Link to post Share on other sites
cds11939 Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 No apology needed - great follow-up! So what makes the Star gearbox better than the Classic Army one? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> One special function is that you can quickly change the spring even dring the game Picture shows how to modify the gun to make this happen Link to post Share on other sites
W.K.Shuridys Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 The disappointing sights are of little surprise to me. Optics is a highly specialized and advanced field that one cannot merely dabble in, and airsoft manufacturers seem unwilling to invest in either the R&D or production of high quality optics. I came from a background of shooting real guns for a long time, and was spoiled by high end scopes that cost double, triple, or sometimes more than the gun they were sitting on. Such is the nature of optics - they must be intrinsically perfect because an even more advanced piece of organic engineering will be scrutinizing it every time it's in use. The problem is, grinding glass is expensive and complicated. So is reticle etching and holographic projection. I suspect the reason airsoft optics typically suck is because manufacturers believe (and rightly so) that their customers aren't going to pay an extra $100 or $200 for a better scope. As long as it's barely functional it's good enough, as too many people seem to consider them tertiary or even perfunctory since they can aim with irons or even the BB stream. I don't expect airsoft scopes to cost thousands of dollars, nor even hundreds. If someone wants a really classy scope they always have a sea of real scopes to select from. However built-in optics that cannot be replaced such as those on the G36 or Steyr AUG, ought to at least be above average in clarity, craftsmanship, and durability. The user is owed that much if they have no choice BUT to use the included optic. But I digress. Great review! Link to post Share on other sites
Maple-Leaf Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 True - but as you say, optics on an airsoft weapon are secondary to just eyeballing your BBs. Easy way around the "crappy" optics is to get a rough aim with your sights, and then shoot with both eyes open - combat style - so you can observe where your rounds are falling, and correct your aim. Link to post Share on other sites
Donut Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Is the gearbox metal?... Link to post Share on other sites
Tom2510 Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 yes, dunno if thats a good or bad thing Link to post Share on other sites
dupka Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/inde...opic=45016&st=0 http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c364/dou...th/P1010207.jpg btw. is there any cheap g36 box of mags on the market? so far only colts, mp5s, AKs... Link to post Share on other sites
dougaliath Posted January 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 * update* Well today I finally had an opportunity to put about 2000 rounds through the AEG. I was actually surprised how quick this thing ate BBs, Hi-caps don’t last long with long bursts. Fire rate seems very good on the 9.6v battery I have. I had no jams or any sort of gearbox trouble. However I did find a slight problem with the barrel. If you put to much weight on the bipod during use it seems to move very slightly (maybe 1-2mm upwards), this causes significantly reduced range and accuracy. I believe it caused the inner barrel to flex slightly (still not entirely sure) causing this effect. However after insuring the outer barrel was screwed on really tight the problem seemed to go away. So how was accuracy and range? This AEG can defiantly shoot pretty far (495mm inner barrel), but how far effectively I am not sure (I was limited to my back yard, which is about 80ft long at its longest point). With in the confines of my yard I could really hit any thing I wanted to, and it is defiantly apparent its range extends far beyond what I was limited to. Accuracy I would say is good, nothing to be excited about but also nothing to be disappointed about. I really think a TN barrel would help if you really want this thing shooting at full potential. I am still unsure of Star’s inner barrels status as precision barrels; they seem equal to Tokyo Marui stock barrels, maybe slightly better. I was getting about 4-5 inch groupings at 50ft on full auto and 2.5-3 inch groupings on semi at around 50 ft. Every once in a while I got a stray BB, probably once every 15 or 20 rounds in full auto. Sorry I have no targets to post, I really put a lot of holes in the one’s I used, so they are useless for showing any sort of accuracy (I think I had a little too much fun). I would have done up some more for the post, but I ran out of BBs (I thought I had a new bag with my CQBR in its case, but I guess not). I will hopefully post some targets in the next couple of days (after a run to my local AEX). The 3.5x sights were actually not to bad, after zeroing the sight I found it very useful in getting the BBs were they needed go. The red dot was actually usable, this is the first time I used them outside, and because of this the dot actually seems smaller due to the daylight. The red dot gives one an idea of the general area BBs will hit for ranges up to about 50ft I would not trust it beyond this, wells that’s what the 3.5x sight is for anyway. The red dot may still not be great, (Aimpoint replicas I have used are much better) but it is usable. I agree totally with W.K.Shuridys, it is unrealistic to expect great optics from an AEG priced like this one. The only way you can probably get great sights for any G36 is be willing to pay around $400 for the real dual optics from H&K (then again I heard reports the real red dot is not all that great). Given the AEG’s overall cost (around $370 from HK dealers) I would say the sights are acceptable. Now to address some questions/issues brought up: The gear box is defiantly metal, made of steel according to Star. When I referred to the Star gearbox being better that the CA one I was referring solely to its performance out of the box (specifically the higher fps in the Star box). I really do not know which has higher grade materials or durability, only time and use will tell. As far as I know there are no cheap (real cap) mags for the G36. The cheapest one I know of is the Star 140rnd madcap (around $22). cds11939: I believe you are referring to the Star M249 gearbox. The G36 has a copy of the Marui v3 gearbox, so a quick spring change is not possible. Donut: I really think it is too early for me to say one is better than the other; I’ve had the AEG for less than a week. Also I think my experience with the CA gun is not extensive enough either, at least for me to really be sure. I have used one, seen it, held it, and have read extensively about it, but it is not the same as owning one. I would say from my experience, that the CA G36 is a good AEG, and there are a lot of other people who think so (especially owners). I was leaning towards the CA G36 then decided to take a risk on Star. Am I glad I did? So far yes, I am fairly happy with AEG despite its minor problems ( I really like its looks). I would recommend getting some more opinions and doing a decent amount of research before going one way or the other, I am giving you but one opinion. Ok that’s enough for this post. Link to post Share on other sites
nightfire6 Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Have u tried a 100-200 rd burst yet? Fast ROF huh, good accuracy, decent 3.5x and 1x scopes, good build, mid 350 fps, 140 round midcap, decent trades, good build material, decent bipod. Ok now im gonna buy one, thx for the review I give u a 1+ for t3h ub3r 3L337 review. Link to post Share on other sites
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