Realsword- The Nokia of airsoft?

[BenJackson]

Realsword.

It makes me feel old but when I started airsoft, they were synonymous with the best quality externals you could find on an AEG, and were generally just good products.

Sure, the range is limited compared to other manufacturers, but what they make, they make well.

I think ever since Covid, they've slowly fallen out of people's minds, disappeared from the market, even used, and most airsofters who have entered the hobby since this period have probably never heard of them.

What if they made a resurgence? With full parts support and availability, they are still very much around on Facebook.

Pictured is the prototype QBU-88, and my old SVD.

 

[Tackle]

Not sure what year Realsword became "the thing", for me, systema was a similar product, more expensive than most stuff on the market, allegedly the best available (in m4's lol), but then after a few years barely mentioned ?
What are you saying Ben, do you have an option to revive Realsword for the UK market ?

 

[BenJackson]

Not sure what year Realsword became "the thing", for me, systema was a similar product, more expensive than most stuff on the market, allegedly the best available (in m4's lol), but then after a few years barely mentioned ?
What are you saying Ben, do you have an option to revive Realsword for the UK market ?

Click to shrink...

Yeah, Systema at the time were very much a leader in an element of technological advancement for airsoft, and clearly that niche was appreciated by customers for some time.

Then, as always, other market developments slowly made them less and less appealing, the market focus shifted, and now the days of seeing Systemas in stores (and even skirmished really) are long behind us. I think Systema still manufactures for the security or military industry, but I could be mistaken.

I've been speaking to them recently again after some discussions last year. They want to relaunch (but only have Type 56 variants available at the minute) after the noticed drop-off. They still have spares for everything, including SVDs and Type 97s, both of which are now unfortunately out of stock.

They said they are ready to remanufacture the products at any time, depending on the market.

They told me they were about to launch the QBU-88 in 2020...and then I'm sure you can guess what crushed that.

Who knows, maybe in the future we might even see a totally new product launch, but I've been told it will have to be PLA / Norinco based.

I don't recall Realsword ever having a bad rep for quality or QC, the main issue after a while became spares and mags etc.

In the next few weeks I'll be looking to stock the Type 56s with magazines, take some out to games and see where we go from there

 

[JimFromHorsham]

I could be recalling from a faded memory but whilst the externals were always great , were the internals not total cheese ?

 

[mightyjebus]

I've got a Real Sword Type 56 here and the new Akriva GBB Type 56's look very much like Real Sword externals. Wonder if that is the case?

 

[BenJackson]

I could be recalling from a faded memory but whilst the externals were always great , were the internals not total cheese ?

Click to shrink...

Not that I remember, although anyone is free to correct me here. The only problem I remember with anything internal related, is due to the SVD having no mosfet, you'd have to use a flathead to sort it out once it got locked up!

I've got a Real Sword Type 56 here and the new Akriva GBB Type 56's look very much like Real Sword externals. Wonder if that is the case?

Click to shrink...

 

[BenJackson]

I've got a Real Sword Type 56 here and the new Akriva GBB Type 56's look very much like Real Sword externals. Wonder if that is the case?

Click to shrink...

I've heard the Akriva used Norinco bodies, whether or not this is true, I don't know, but given what people say about Realsword, it might be

 

[Colin Allen]

I could be recalling from a faded memory but whilst the externals were always great , were the internals not total cheese ?

Click to shrink...

I have a QBZ-97 and the internals are very decent.