MC-51 - ArniesAirsoft - Review Archive

Author

Trotsky

Registered: August 2005
Location: Norfolk, the flat English one... famous for Admiral Nelson and real friendly locals...
Posts: 45

Review Date: 24/11/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �140.00 | Rating: 8

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Powerful, high ammo capacity, very compact and ergonomic
Cons:	Small batteries only

The TM MC-51 is the John Merrick of AEG's, hideous to behold but strangely compelling at the same time. It truly is the incestuous lovechild of 2 superb guns, the dainty MP5 and the butch G3, thereby inheriting unusual looks but fantastic performance to boot.
We're all grown-ups here, so the image should be easy to see past and take note of the excellent gun that lies underneath. It will take the worryingly large G3 hi-cap, thus giving it a silly 500 rounds to spend, which it will with delightful power and accuracy, despite having the same barrel length as an MP5.

Out of the box it will happily spew white agony at a sumptuous 280 fps which is superb for a stock Marui SMG (which it is, despite taking a rifle round as per the real steel) and while only having a 230mm barrel, it will still keep a good grouping over range, a man size target still hittable up to about 35-40m. This combination of huge ammo capacity coupled with an unusually potent gearbox makes it an ideal intermediate weapon, capable of holding its own in a woodland setting without difficulty, although it will lose out on range against longer guns. However, its true home is in CQB, and although I have yet to use it for FIBUA or anything along those lines, its MP5 heritage immediately makes it stand out as a serious contender, mainly due to its ability to outrange any similar SMG.

Having played a few games with my MC-51, I quickly realised that the sliding stock would have to go, mostly due to the miniscule battery it was forced to house in the foregrip. This is possibly the biggest gripe I have with the MC as there are very few options for mounting a large battery. There is the ever-present battery bag, but it must be mounted on the side of the handguard otherwise it becomes outrageously bulky to hold, however, the straps of the bag will almost certainly block the cocking handle, therefore making hop adjustment all but impossible. There is always the enlarged foregrip, but to me this seems like �40 spent on making the gun even uglier, and most importantly, front heavy. This only really leaves the option of a full stock, which is what I opted for. While the stock itself is likely to set you back at least �35, it massively enhances the overall look of the weapon, and makes it far more balanced. The addition of the stock is also common for rental guns and as such, makes the MC-51 popular with some sites, although lagging behind the FA-MAS in terms of sheer numbers.

Once I had my stock and 2200mah battery, my MC was a force to contend with, a fact I was reminded of when I lent it to a friend who ended up on another team. During the course of a poorly concieved charge, I took a severe peppering to the face from about 20 yards which sent me to the floor with the impact. Much swearing later, I surmised that it probably wasn't worth upgrading it with anyhing more than a longer tightbore barrel, something I am actively considering.

All in all, a brilliant gun with lots of ammo to call upon and a poke that will leave the recipient gasping. It is let down only by its battery capacity, but this can be remedied by a full stock or new, larger mini batteries.
Ideal for QCB but is equally suited to woodland, although it will be at a disadvantage when pitched against larger AEGs.