Famas SV (Super Version) - ArniesAirsoft

Author

rhino

FRAN-TICK-TICK-TOCK!!!

Registered: September 2004
Posts: 306,966

Review Date: 2/9/05

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �180.00 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Compact, cheap, reliable, takes large battery
Cons:	not many upgrades, bullpup style not to everyones liking

The Famas SV (Super Version) and it's sister model (the Famas F1 5.56) were one of the first AEG's from Tokyo Marui and have been recognised as an all-round adaptable assault rifle.

Based off the french assault rifle (nicknamed "The Bugle"), the AEG version is a great replica composed of heavy duty plastic and metal parts.
The Famas falls into the Bullpup class of weapon (magazine behind the trigger) This basically allows a long barrel to fit into a smaller gun. This has it's advantages, especially in CQB (close Quarters) and Urban games, but makes it perfectly adept for woodland battles as well. The Famas takes the large 8.4v batteries meaning that you can have a full days play before your battery dies.

The Famas has a unique double-safety incorporated into the frame; the First safety is located directly in front of the trigger (which, when lined up prevents the firers finger from depressing the trigger) and the second is located behind the magwell (where the Semi/Full toggle is.)
It also has a spring decompressor which, when pressed decompresses the AEG's spring and thus preventing the spring from losing it's strength; a handy item when you're not planning on using the gun for a while.

The differences between the Famas F1 and the Famas SV are purely cosmetic. The SV has an enlarged handguard and sling attachments, whereas the F1 model has a grenade sight, smaller handguard and a built in bipod.
The gun has a formidable ROF (rate of Fire), churning out a 1000 rounds per minute and emptying the standard 68 round magazine in seconds (investing in a couple of Hi-cap magazines would be worthwhile in the longrun!)

Power is standard (approx 270-300 fps give or take) and the Hop-up can be adjusted by removing the cheekpiece and turning accordingly. The cheekpiece can be switched to the right or left (depends if you're left or right handed)

There are a few niggles with this gun (as there are with any airsoft weapon), namely the fiddly battery cover which is disengaged by turning the trigger safety towards the guns front and the obvious creaking that you get with owning this weapon. These are only minor and can be remedied by simply tightening any screws and getting used to opening/closing the battery compartment. Add on's for the Famas include the twin magazine clamp (which also fits AK, G3 and M16 magazines) and a scope rail (as shown in picture with a standard Red Dot Sight mounted)

SUMMARY

All in all, it's a great little gun. Powerful, accurate, reliable and very durable (on a recent skirmish, i fell on mine. I got up, pulled the trigger and it worked fine (and i'm 16 stone!) The only thing i can say you'll struggle with on this gun, is whether to buy the SV model or the F1 model...

Ian "Rhino" Leonard

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Quote:

Darklite: Actually, I was using my AK - the shottie I had lent to Tink at that point.

*suitcase*, I best go and check it still works.

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Robot 2000

Spy sappin' mah sentry!

Registered: February 2005
Location: Humboldt Universit�t, Berlin
Posts: 2,318

Review Date: 6/9/05

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �180.00 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Bullpup/compact design, sturdy and reliable, idiosyncratic
Cons:	Some creaking, limited upgradability (will hit 328 no problem), unusual controls

I bought my FAMAS new from Guns 'n' Guys in Hong Kong for under �100! After factoring in shipping, customs and a few accessories I ended up paying about �180 for everything I needed to skirmish the gun (except a UK charger).

Taking the FAMAS out of its box (standard TM polystyrene tray/exciting cardboard affair) you will not be disappointed by it! Contrary to popular belief, it feels weighty in the hand, and with a large battery in the foregrip is well balanced around the pistol grip.

The gun is extremely comfortable to shoulder and aim, although I wouldn't recommend it if you're below about 5'6" in height as it may prove a little long.

That said, this is one of the shortest "rifle" AEG's you can buy. It's a good deal shorter than an M4 carbine or a G36K and it has a longer barrel than either thanks to its bullpup design.

One thing that many comment on is the creaking that often happens when handling the gun. This can be easily solved with the application of duct tape around the pistol grip and handguard, and some screw tightening (although be carfeul not to ruin the threads which are directly into the plastic).

While it may sound a bit unsteady, the FAMAS is far from fragile. There are many tales of the beatings which have been survived by this largely plastic AEG, testament to TM's sturdy design!

In the field the FAMAS is a veritable BB hose: you can actually see clouds of BB's spraying towards the enemy. The hop-up is very effective at increasing range up to about 25 metres, with power at about 270 FPS (still not shabby compared to almost any stock modern TM product).

The most important accessory you can buy for the FAMAS is the scope rail made by TM: a red dot scope is a must as the iron sights are unfortunately made of plastic and very wobbly! Once you have a red dot zeroed however, you'll be bang on target every time.

In summary the FAMAS has turned out to be my dream weapon: it's reliable, tough, low maintenance, shoots where I point it and is comfortable to use. I heartily recommend it to anyone buying their first AEG or looking to try something a little different.

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FOR SALE: VFC AKS74UN STD INCLUDING BATTS AND MAGS �200

Un_FriendlyFire

Perhaps we should try returning effective fire about now?

Registered: October 2004
Location: UK, Hampshire
Posts: 1,144

Review Date: 8/9/05

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �175.00 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Durable...very durable, accurate, high rate of fire, No major technical issues, squeaking easily solved with tape and screwdriver, very pointable and maneuverable in a skirmishthe perfect first gun
Cons:	anti reversal latch might give in, hard to maintain and source parts, not much rape potential without a bit of work (to some a good thing perhaps?), not a lot of "heft" to it (again a good thing to some?), French jokes :p

FAMAS F1

Well ill have to re-iterate this before i start but i wont mention it again, the FAMAS is made of indestuctilium, ive trodden on it, fallen on it and dropped it down stairs and in water and its still come out shooting. Every single one of the other guns me and a bunch of mates bought in a bulk order have had a technical hitch that stopped them using it for a while EXCEPT the FAMAS, oh And yes it does have a stunning rate of fire.

I bought mine as my first AEG about two years ago and it has performed excellently and held itself incredibly in skirmishes, especially the bullpup design that makes it so pointable that ive found myself shooting people before ive thought about taking aim and this could only be enchanced by a red-dot. As i have the F1 version with the Bipod ive freguently found myself playing support gunner for my group when we are out together so i am now the owner of three hi-caps which just about do my ammo needs. And if i am playing rifleman the L85 sling i have works perfectly with the FAMAS and comes highly recommended by moi

As i just mentioned i own the F1 version which is the version which has the bipod, ive found this very useful in defensive play and when ive gone off to play counter sniper with the FAMAS (i nailed someone from about 50 metres just using the iron sights with the stock FAMAS so thatll give you an idea of the accuracy of this thing even without a tightbore barrel)

Unforunately my FAMAS now makes a grinding noise whenever it fires due to the slightly weak manual reversal latch which is the only technical snag you ever hear about from FAMAS owners and this is normally confined to those whove upgraded heavily. This is a superficial issue though and the FAMAS will still keep lasting on

In the future however i will be switching to something chunkier and metal (most likely an ICS M16) which is also easier to maintain, i have used real weapons a lot and while i love the feel of the FAMAS i would like something with a bit more of a heft to it in the future. however my FAMAS will still perform its role as a loan gun and an always trusty backup, especially as i trust it so much after two years of intensive yet faithful use ive had out of it without a hitch.

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we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender

The Bushman

6mm HUNTER

Registered: June 2005
Location: in your shadow
Posts: 2,191

Review Date: 3/10/05

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �180.00 | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	fastest ROF, accurate, large battery, land rover
Cons:	plastic exterior and controls

Well yet another 10 out of 10 from me (yep i hand 'em out don't I). This is another gun from my top 5 best performing TM AEG's ever.

I would just like to go into my backgrond: I ran a site for 13 years and nearly always manned the chronograph. All Airsoft players have a habit of saying "have a go" and hence I have fired almost every TM AEG going upto 2003. Our range was 10, 15, 20 and 30m targets. 8 inch square yellow galvanised steel plates.

so I got to see a fair comparison of airsoft guns.

I have an F1 however it is from 1991 (one of the very first AEG's in the UK)and is therefore non hop. It had 6 owners. I got it in 100% pieces and springs. All in a tesco carrier bag for 30 pounds. Was like an Airsoft jigsaw puzzle. The original piston was damaged, but I repaired it and it is still holding out to this day!

I did own another F1 in 1992, that sold in 1995 for the same price I bought it at (180 pounds including battery and charger)

The F1 has a trigger guard that is held on by a plastic lug that can snap off. That version also has a bipod. This is heavy and folds down. The bipod is not adjustable in any way, and is therefore useless unless on completely level ground. Also you cannot aim high enough when firing from the bipod to hit long range lob shots.

This is a great gun, that many non airsofters don't realise is a replica until you tell them. This is good, as people just feel less threatened by it. It is a large plastic brick for a better description. Named by my team mate who has owned 2 SUPERMAS as the LAND ROVER of AIRSOFT. He doesn't oggle anyone elses gun at all. He says, "the first AEG and never bettered."

This gun can go on working for a long time, espescially if you don't abuse full auto too much. The FAMAS has a unique gearbox that is not used in any other TM AEG. This box has different gearing to later models, so more speed, less torque. This is great for keeping as a STOCK gun. OK it might only shoot at 260fps but with the HOP set high, it can shoot out to 50m using 0.20g

ACCURACY is excellent. I am not over rating this gun here. It has a very long brass barrel and 0.20g pellets fly straight and true.

I once fired this on a DEAD CALM DAY in a field. I fired at 2 X 8 inch targets. One was 50m downhill. One was 50m parrallel. We were shooting from one tree line to the others of the field, if you can imagine. I fired HIT then alternated to the second target and then continued to alternate, hitting the 2 small target with everyshot until shot 13. Now that is amazing it proves the number 13 is unlucky! No seriously, to hit these targets 12 shots in a row with IRON SIGHTS (without walking the shots on) proves the gun is SUPERB and a real force to be reckoned with.

combine this with the large battery capacity giving amazing punch to the motor if running an 8.4v. This provides 1000rpm which is far faster than all other TM AEG's.

You can use 7.2v on FAMAS due to the gearing (the originals were rated 7.2 and 8.4 on the side of the box.) You get a slower ROF still a good 750 rpm but the parts will take even longer to wear out (perhaps a million pellets!) 1,000,000???

I was using EXCELL 0.20g pellets. This was not my gun, I just got passed it to have shot with by my team mate.

The Hop is great to adjust and stays tight in place. The reset button is only of use when your battery runs out to be honest. The mag release is only plastic and can break if the gun is dropped onto the mag.

These are supposed to be ambedextrous, yet the safety is only good for right handers.

The SUPERMAS was the first HOP UP AEG released and once again not bettered. The grip is larger but far more durable. The bipod is missing but a sling swivel replaces it which is far more useful. remember this gun is pretty hefty, but only if you add a scope mount will you really notice it.

So well balanced, the grip being central allows one handed firing and crawling far easier than many AEG's.

OK it's mainly plastic, but damned solid plastic at that. Don't let this put you off, the performance on field will make it all worth while.

A cheap yet UNIQUE and amazing AEG........ worth the money and great gun for Newb or PRO. Bargain.

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otherrandomhero

Making Stallone feel inferior since 1991

Registered: March 2006
Location: hangar 18
Posts: 2,449

Review Date: 10/1/07

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 7

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Good accuracy, cheap, good performance
Cons:	creakier than the lesser part of hell, bad feel to it, weak cocking sound, awkward mag system, not many upgrades

Tokyo Marui FAMAS SV review
By otherrandomhero a.k.a. random_hero a.k.a. Schmitzel

I�m not wasting our time by providing 3 pages of real steel history, since you can just look it up if you�re interested. Instead, I�m just gonna cut right to the chase.

So, why the TM FAMAS?

Most people know the TM FAMAS as being the first true AEG, along with the TM M16. This is true, and sadly, it reflects on build, but more on that later. Most people buy the FAMAS because of a few reasons:

-It�s very inexpensive, running around $180 new from the right place (i.e. Poweredge)
-It�s small overall, but has a barrel length between M16 and AK length (about 475mm)
-It is very maneuverable, yet can perform adequately in woodland. This goes along with the above.
-It has a very nice array of extra features.

There are 2 versions of the FAMAS available: the Super Version (SV) and the F1. The SV has an enlarged hanguard with a lip on the front, some nice front sling mounts, and a pistol grip guard (see a picture to get what I mean). The F1 has a bipod, grenade sight, smaller handguard, and a barrel designed for rifle grenades. I bought the SV with 5 hicaps and a locap used from Jin in November because I got an amazing deal on it.

External build quality is�plastic. The metal parts include: outer barrel, flash hider, trigger, trigger safety, front and rear sling mounts, top half of the bolt. Plastic parts include everything else. The FAMAS gets a bad rep for being very creaky, and this is completely true. Imagine 6 rusty screen doors being operated by old women with dry bones, then double it. Even with the barrel running almost the entire length of the gun, the outer shell creaks like no tomorrow. Don�t expect to pull off any major stealth operations with it. The gun is around 6 pounds with a battery in, and weight is about 60/40 back heavy. Before this gun, I was most accustomed to a full metal CSI AK47 which had absolutely no creaking, fantastic build, perfectly even weight, and was around 8 pounds with battery and mag.

The FAMAS has quite a few nice qualities on it, a few bad ones too. Most prominently of all is the spring release behind the selector switch. It also has 2 safeties, the first being the switch and the second being a lever in front of the trigger. The trigger one, when positioned in safe, keeps your finger from getting at the trigger and also locks the trigger in place. Rotate it 90 degrees to get your finger in there and be able to move the trigger. Another 45 degrees and you can pull off the handguard. The second safety goes off, semi full. If it�s in off, you can pull the trigger without the gun firing. The cocking bolt is metal on the part you grab, but plastic underneath so it makes a weak noise. It doesn�t have any function. The hopup is adjusted by removing the cheek rest, which can go on either the left or the right. The hop is a clock-like dial you turn clockwise to turn on. With a .2, it works well a notch before full.

The handguard is monstrous on the SV, and has large grooves for your fingers. Unfortunately for me, I have stubby little fingers and it doesn�t fit me at all. As a result of this and the grooves on the pistol grip being too big, the gun is very uncomfortable for me to hold. Other people have said it is great, though, so it�s all relative I guess. Make sure you hold one before you buy it. The trigger safety has 3 positions as I explained, and it needs to be in the 3rd position to pull off the handguard (the farthest out). To put the handguard back on, you need to put the safety in the 1st or 2nd position. The gun takes a standard large, and it is challenging to get in. I have a bit of practice and I can change one in about 10 seconds, but my first time took a few minutes.

Enough about externals though, how about performance? As you probably know, this gun has a wickedly high firing rate. On an 8.4V it kicks out around 1000 rpm, much to my distaste (I find that it wastes ammo). Because of this, the gun would make a good support weapon. It also is pretty accurate; I can hit a man sized target around 120-140 feet consistently. The standard magazine holds 60 rounds and takes about 3.5 seconds to empty. The hicaps hold 300 rounds, and feed well. On a long burst in auto, it should last around 17 seconds. If you like saving ammo, this may not be the gun for you. Power is a bit below Marui average, around 265. The gun is very pointable, making it excellent for CQB, especially with its 30� length. The sights are: standard rod thingie in front with side to side adjustment, the back is a ring with 2 smaller rings you can flip up for a more accurate sighting, and a big flip up sight that aims way high and I can�t tell what it�s for. The sights, I find, are very difficult to quickly aim with. They are very �boxed in� since they are both enclosed on both sides by the carry handle. It�s rather difficult to line them up quickly.

If you want to customize your gun, the FAMAS is most definitely not for you. The only available accessory is a scope/RDS mount, which is a good buy because of the sights. People have added rails to the front handguard, but I question how strong the handguard is and if it could support the weight of a launcher like some people add. I have seen quite a few cases where the carry handle is cut off in place of a rail, which can be either disastrous or awesome, depending on how you do it. Really though, this is not an accessory gun.

Overall, would I recommend it? Personally, probably not, but here�s why. These are what I like in a gun:
-Big. Generally 40-41� is a good length.
-Full metal
-slow firing rate to save ammo
-very uncommon in the field
-can mount a launcher, scope, or bipod
-functional cocking handle (i.e. it moves the breach cover)
-very accurate
-grip is easy to hold

Here�s what the FAMAS offers:
-almost entirely plastic
-wickedly high firing rate
-pretty common
-can hardly mount anything except a scope
-difficult to hold (for me)
-accuracy is meh, not much better than my CSI AK
-cocking handle does nothing and makes a weak noise

Really, what do you think I think of the gun? I know plenty of people who love their FAMASes and wouldn�t give them up for anything, but it�s just all wrong for me. I can�t say I completely don�t recommend it, because it seems like a great starter AEG, but you really have to get a hold of one to see if it suits you before buying it.

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