(click for a larger image)

Why buy it? If you don't like gas blow-back pistols and the inherent problems that come with a gas system, then how about this? Slightly larger than either an M11 or an UZI, but with the ability to fire about 1500-2000 rounds off a standard stick battery, and ammo clip capacities of 200-400 rounds.

This is what the MP5k brings you - it's the smallest AEG that I have seen and used, apart from that rather 'naff' electric AA powered Beretta M9 that came out fairly recently.

The muzzle velocity of the MP5k is that of a stock AEG, so you can expect to get 280-310fps from it. Admittedly it doesn't have an incredibly long inner barrel (it's only about three inches long), but amazingly this doesn't seem to matter in the slightest.

MP5k shown against a Glock 17 for size comparison

Um.. no, the small one is the Glock. The MP5k is in the other hand

The MP5k stripped, with battery, mag and foregrip removed

Build Quality: Metal parts include the magazine, bolt, trigger, firing selector, front and the rear sights, the rest as usual with TM guns, is made from tough ABS. Compared to the likes of the G3, and the SIG5XX, the MP5 wins on appearance, as it looks good, has a good weight, and there's no 'plastic creak', (which is one of my pet AEG hates, that really annoy me).

The battery runs along the top of the reciever; to replace it is a very simple process, there are 3 pins through the MP5k, that need to be removed. Two pins hold the back-plate on, and one holds the foregrip on. With the foregrip removed you can clearly see the battery connector, that when unplugged allows the battery to fall out the back of the rifle.

To get to the gearbox for upgrades is a different story.. which I'll cover in a later article if we ever do it (I doubt it, but I may if something breaks inside), but suffice to say that as the MP5 has a one piece receiver and pistol grip, everything needs to be dismantled. It's not amazingly difficult, but it sure is more taxing that taking my SG1 to bits.

On the side of the receiver, above the trigger, is the fire select switch. Unfortunately this is made of ABS not steel, this isn't a great problem though, as unlike the G3 fire-select lever it doesn't feel like it's going got break off the second you touch it.

The fire select system on the TM MP5k is actually that of the MP5kA1, as it lacks the tripple-shot 'burst' option. My guess is that TM didn't add this feature because of space and price concern. It really would have been incredibly fiddley to fit to and AEG of this size anyway, plus it's just another thing to go wrong or break in the field. One nice feature of the MP5 series, is that the fire-select switch is ambidextrous, with a lever on both sides of the receiver. This allows it to be used in the left hand as a secondary firearm with ease.

The MP5k may be shall, but it packs a real punch - Look at that muzzle flash!

You should recognise Robert Patrick who plays the 'henchman' here, his most famous acting part was as T1000 in "Terminator 2"

Samuel L Jackson, shows how to NOT hold the MP5k. Firing the real MP5k like this will lead to feed jams

Mags: Unlike most AEG's (which normally only have a standard mag, a hi-cap) - there's a wealth of mags for this weapon, you can get standard mags in 2 different length sizes (28 and 50 rounds)

As for hi-caps, the standard long mag hi-cap, carries 200 rounds, but you can get 3rd party copies that look like double stack mags, that carry 240 rounds or more. For those of you who want to look really silly you can get a, 1000 round or so, C-mag. Personally, I think that 2x200 round hi-caps is more than enough, for what is essentially a pistol.

One thing worth remembering about the TM hi-caps is that the clockwork winder on the bottom of the mag, winds in the opposite direction to the mags on most other TokyoMarui AEGs (G3, M16, etc) - You have to push it towards the firing end of the smg, to wind it up.

"Please tell me, how turn the safety off, and fire this.. or I shall taunt you a second time..."

The left image shows the clockwork winder on the bottom of the hi-cap mag. The other image, shows the aperture that you have to load bb's through - In the picture I've raised the cover.(Note the small size of the hole).

It's very difficult to get bb's into this hi-cap without pouring them all over the floor - I can normally just pour a bag of bb's into my G3 hi-caps without a problem. For this reason I'd recommend either becoming very dextrous, or buying a funnel, or a bb filler.

Upgrade Details As with all MP5 variants, there's a load of accessories you can get for this SMG, these include silencers, fore grips, custom mags, and much more. But - the main reason for the MP5k, is that it's small light and easy to carry, so adding any of these really detracts from it's primary advantage.

Being a Tokyo Marui AEG though, there's a wealth of internal upgrades that can be fitted, courtesy of Systema. Given that you are stuck with an AK stick battery, any power upgrade will reduce the number of shots that can be fired off a fresh charge. You could use an external battery bag to carry a larger capacity battery, but I think they just look ugly. Another option I have seen, is a double clip mag, where the 2nd clip is a dummy, and contains a larger battery. This though, has disadvantages, as the weight of the battery puts additional wear and tear on the mag release catch; and it also unbalances the gun.

"Are you carrying any metal objects on your person Sir ? - Such as 2 MP5k's ?"

The one accessory that I would recommend getting is the shoulder holster sling. The images to the right are courtesy RedWolf airsoft, and depict exactly what you get from them.

You can normally find these types of slings being used by most of the 'evil' henchmen in the major Hollywood films and blockbusters ('DieHard' and 'Lethal Weapon' come to mind).

I'll quote directly from their site, as I haven't got one here to look at (yet), and I don't think RedWolf will mind me putting a little advertising their way

You can get the sling from RedWolf for $60 , or (a better version) from EagleIndustries for about $80.

Conclusion

As an alternative to my M93r it's lovely, and for something to sling over your shoulder as a backup I can't think of anything better. This combined with the fact that it's electric, means that it's very reliable, even in cold weather.