MILITATED

My first gun was an AEG & sold it promptly to buy a GBB. Many years have since gone by and have gone through many GBBs.
 
COST & WEIGHT
If you are considering that route, please keep in mind that the magazines can be very expensive (~£50 each), as well as weighty. Due to the low capacity, you will probably want about 4 - 6, depending how trigger happy you are. The price & weight definitely add up from the mags alone. Personally, I go for second hand packages that already come with mags for a greatly discounted price vs new, but buying second hand has it's cons.
 
MAINTAINENCE
Maintaining a GBB is not too hard - I would prefer to maintain a GBB as opposed to an AEG. As mentioned above, YouTube is your best friend. Keep the metal on metal contact areas oiled/greased & clean. 
 
BRANDS
I heavily recommend sticking to TM & GHK. If on a budget, pick up the GHK G5. Otherwise, a TM MWS/MTR16 or a GHK M4 will do you good. Wouldn't recommend the GHK AK as their hop unit seems to have issues more often than not. There are other options available if you aren't feeling the M4, such as the GHK AUG or TM Type 89. TM & GHKs are built brilliantly which is often reflective of their price.
You will find other expensive GBBs from companies such as VFC - I recommend steering clear of them. Their price comes from their incredible externals and licensing, not their durability or performance (hell, my 416a5 doesn't even work & hasn't even seen a skirmish!).
WE Tech is budget friendly & they have a wide variety, but they are made of cheese, both inside and out. You will be on MilspecSolutions or KYAirsoft shopping for parts, which will eventually add up. I have owned many WEs due to their selection, but ends the same way.
There are many other brands offering GBBs, but again, I recommend TM or GHK.
 
GAS
Green gas is expensive, I recommend buying regular propane & keeping the gun & mags oiled.
 
ALTERNATIVES
TM & KWA offer recoil AEGs. The recoil isn't anything to write home about but it is a good compromise. Steer very clear of the GBLS DAS GDR15! Very cool concept, but they seem to spend more time with a tech trying to get them to work than they do with their owner, which is ridiculous considering the cost.
 
TL;DR
Mags are expensive & heavy.
Maintaining them isn't too hard, YouTube helps.
Stick to TM or GHK.
 

Same! Kinda...
 
And so the build begins! Must decide on what to do. Need to replace the buffer tube also, bit of a weird one as it doesn't screw in more than 3 revolutions. Not even sure if it is a TM tube
 
Wanted to use the MTR as a base for a while now
 

I purchased a lot
 
- TM MTR16 GBB (I will be making this a SBR)
- Umarex/VFC HK416A5 GBB (looks nice, more trouble than it is worth though)
- Lots of Warrior kit. Bought a FRV Tailoring shooters belt too but will stick with the WAS belt instead.
 

I purchased a lot
 
- TM MTR16 GBB (I will be making this a SBR)
- Umarex/VFC HK416A5 GBB (looks nice, more trouble than it is worth though)
- Lots of Warrior kit. Bought a FRV Tailoring shooters belt too but will stick with the WAS belt instead.
 

I purchased a lot
 
- TM MTR16 GBB (I will be making this a SBR)
- Umarex/VFC HK416A5 GBB (looks nice, more trouble than it is worth though)
- Lots of Warrior kit. Bought a FRV Tailoring shooters belt too but will stick with the WAS belt instead.
 

Looks like someone trying to take advantage of clearance by charging twice the price lol. No actual item pictures & only the sale sizes available, probably going to place an order on EdgarBrothers right after someone falls for it & just input their address 🤣

I purchased a lot
 
- TM MTR16 GBB (I will be making this a SBR)
- Umarex/VFC HK416A5 GBB (looks nice, more trouble than it is worth though)
- Lots of Warrior kit. Bought a FRV Tailoring shooters belt too but will stick with the WAS belt instead.
 

Little update on the blaster. 
 
Turned it into a short boi cqb monster.

Well, thats another quarantine project done. Introducing the HK 417a2. It started life as two G28s; G28 LE #227 and G28 standard #IDontCareEnoughToCheck. #227 was my original G28 LE that Ive had for awhile, but it just kind of sat around as it was heavy, loud, and comparatively ineffective at range compared to my other DMRs. I wanted to upgrade it, but I wasn't sure what to do. Then comes the standard. I bought the standard off a secondhand airsoft app in November of 2019. It was a bastardization of a 417 and G28 - G28 receivers, grip, and outer barrel, but 417 buffer tube, stock, and rail. I didnt really care as it was dirt cheap and already had some decent upgrades in it. Turns out I should have cared, as not a month later the lower receiver cracked. Real bad. It may be repairable but itll be obvious. So I was left with a semi-upgraded but broken G417 and a stock G28 LE.
 
Now, between these two I built a 417 for a mate. I believe I posted it here, but it involved making a custom fitting to mount a PTS UBR stock to it. I looks good, and works well. It also gave me some experience building 417s that I didn't have before, and it gave me an appreciation for the "Battle Rifle" class of weapon. Essentially, a BR is a carbine-length DMR. This would include short-barreled AR-10s, Scar mk17s, etc. In airsoft you follow rifleman rules. It just looks fancier. Around this time I started toying with the idea of creating my own BR, but in typical Spaz fashion it had to kind of stand out. Knowing how much of a pain VFC mk17s are to upgrade, I shied away from them, but 417s are expensive, with an approx $450 price tag. Add in the $500ish in internals I would have to do to field it and things weren't looking too good on that front either... Plus, there arent many aftermarket externals for the VFC 417s, and my squadmate already runs the one I built him. Then this broken G28 shows up and I had an idea...
 
Until this year, I always preferred my guns having a dedicated setup. My M27 stays as it is, its sights are zeroed, I dont pull attachments from other guns, etc. However, with me recently turning my VFC Jag Arms PHX-15 SBR (see previous page) into a hybrid Krytac LMG with a second upper, I started thinking of doing the same with my G28 LE. I mean, if I built a lower based around trigger response why wouldn't it work in a DMR as well as a BR? So I began working on it. In this period I saw the news from SHOT that HK had revamped their 417 program into a new model - the HK 417a2. Shiny, new, not made in airsoft to date, and best of all - in RAL8000, just like my spare G28 receivers.
 

 
So to begin I stripped the 417 sniper parts off the standard and sold them. No need for them, so why not. Ill make someone else happy. Bought a 417 short rail off someone selling one. Ordered a short outer barrel and gas impingement system from VFC. Started asking for quotes from various techs I trust on AEG gearboxes. Started looking into HPA as well, cause why not. Decided to go HPA as it'd be about the same cost, and more importantly, much quieter. Ordered a REVO kit from Italy (3D printed kit that allows the G28 to take aftermarket triggers, more HPA engines, standard M4 hops, and more).
 

 
Ordered one of the new Wolverine Reaper Gen 2 Premium engines. Ordered a speed trigger, the internals needed to make the revo kit work, and an r-hopped barrel from the guy I always get my barrels from. Then it was onto externals. Ordered a fully trademarked Eotech XPS,  G33 magnifier, KAC irons (closest I could find to gen 2 HK 417 irons - wasnt going to pay that much for the real thing - the rear sight alone is $300...), a Magpul AFG, a Surefire M600DF, and one of my signature blue-lasered PEQs. Rail arrived, and it sent it off with another project that will be unveiled here soon to be cerakoted in RAL8000. Rail returns, and most attachments come in. Decide I need a case, so pick up a Eylar 53in rifle case. Big, but i figured I'd need it. Case arrives, REVO kit arrives, Reaper arrives, bipod ordered and arrives. Install what I can, but Im still waiting for the order from VFC. Rest of the externals come in. Barrel from VFC finally arrived this morning, so in it went, gun went together, foam was plucked, and the HK 417a2/G28 project was complete. Now I can switch back and forth from G28 or 417a2 on the field depending on the role I want to play. The REVO kit also allows for full auto, so if the game allows it that is available. A fun project, a real head-turner (I hope), and it should have excellent range and accuracy. Im happy. Every part that should be is also trademarked, which really adds to the overall look. 
 

Scar H is the true Scar 😎 

Scar H is the true Scar 😎 

I like it from the pistol grip forward 
I know this makes me a bad man but whenever I see a scar with an m4 stock tube This image appears in my mind
 

Bit o' fancy Arc'teryx gear
Couldn't pass up on it
 
Edit: Turns out they are a bit too big for me 🤣To the classifieds I go...

Bit o' fancy Arc'teryx gear
Couldn't pass up on it
 
Edit: Turns out they are a bit too big for me 🤣To the classifieds I go...

Bit o' fancy Arc'teryx gear
Couldn't pass up on it
 
Edit: Turns out they are a bit too big for me 🤣To the classifieds I go...

Goodness this thing is such a meme... Meet my Nanogun I affectionately call "The Chode".
 
 

Coolest gun I've had! Not sure which optic to go for though. 

Coolest gun I've had! Not sure which optic to go for though. 

Coolest gun I've had! Not sure which optic to go for though. 

Oh yes have to agree one I had to have in my collection too!
 

 
Looks just like the Alpha tech grenade, had one but lost it, tried to get another one but apparently they got sued, I am all over this one though looks great!!

I saw this and just had to share it here 🤢🤮

Scar H is the true Scar 😎 

Someone please make this
 

I saw this and just had to share it here 🤢🤮

I saw this and just had to share it here 🤢🤮