tech horrors part 2: Airsoft Cymru

[Marauder211]

If anyone has a similar experience with this then please come forward as I plan to compile enough evidence to report these guys to Trading Standards.

I took my Ares M4 to Matt Roberts after replacing the broken air nozzle because there are parts I simply don't have and I feel that the gun is best put back together by a pro. He got back to me with more issues that were found other than the wiring, for a start, the aforementioned shop sold me:

A gearbox that had a broken bevel gear and the whole gear set will need replacement to be safe.

A Gate Aster mosfet that was actually rated for use in a Gel Blaster, not an airsoft gun.

The wiring was secured to the gearbox shell with a metric ton of superglue.

So all in all the mosfet will have to be entirely replaced along with the gears and wiring.

The motor (a Nuprol motor) was too strong for the gears in the gearbox.

All in all, I feel scammed by Airsoft Cymru, and I know I'm not the only one, the overall repairs will cost me a total of £150 - £200. I will NEVER go to that shop again, I am so mad at them and myself for letting my guard down to be scammed like this. 

And yes, this is that same Area gun with the Specna gearbox and Aster Mosfet

 

[Pseudotectonic]

Did they force you to pay for the repairs? Or did they just try to sell you things you don't need

 

[Sewdhull]

The MOSFET has 2 extra wires otherwise it's the same as the Airsoft one.

The motor is unlikely to be too strong, the effort in the gearbox is dictated by the spring.

Isn't it possible the bevel gear was damaged when the nozzle hit the mag knob thing and the gearbox locked up?

It doesn't sound like they have been diligent but the timeline is a bit confusing for me.

 

[Colin Allen]

The MOSFET has 2 extra wires otherwise it's the same as the Airsoft one.

The motor is unlikely to be too strong, the effort in the gearbox is dictated by the spring.

Isn't it possible the bevel gear was damaged when the nozzle hit the mag knob thing and the gearbox locked up?

It doesn't sound like they have been diligent but the timeline is a bit confusing for me.

I almost posted something similar last night; there is something about this entire saga which is a bit odd.

 

[DanBow]

I agree. I said the same thing on part 1. I read it a couple of times and it just didn't make sense.

 

[Marauder211]

Did they force you to pay for the repairs? Or did they just try to sell you things you don't need

Essentially, I paid like an idiot thinking that I was getting a good deal. Luckily I was smart enough to turn down the metal hop unit they wanted to install because I figured the original was good enough

The MOSFET has 2 extra wires otherwise it's the same as the Airsoft one.

The motor is unlikely to be too strong, the effort in the gearbox is dictated by the spring.

Isn't it possible the bevel gear was damaged when the nozzle hit the mag knob thing and the gearbox locked up?

It doesn't sound like they have been diligent but the timeline is a bit confusing for me.

In part 1 I mentioned from beginning to end the issues I ran into, so this is what I am facing now. I replaced the air seal nozzle 2 days ago and that's when I noticed the wires, the gun tech got back to me yesterday with the list of issues in this one.

I hope that helps

 

[Colin Allen]

Essentially, I paid like an idiot thinking that I was getting a good deal. Luckily I was smart enough to turn down the metal hop unit they wanted to install because I figured the original was good enough

Why didn’t you go back to Airsoft Cymru and get them to sort out the problem rather than going to something else?  Their work should have had a warranty.

What you claim to have been told about the Aster is wrong, as Sewdhull has pointed out.  It is far more likely that the gear was damaged when the gun locked up and it is unlikely that a Nuprol motor was too strong.

When was the work done by Airsoft Cymru?  I have emailed them about these threads so that they can give their version of events, if they choose to.

 

[Marauder211]

Why didn’t you go back to Airsoft Cymru and get them to sort out the problem rather than going to something else?  Their work should have had a warranty.

What you claim to have been told about the Aster is wrong, as Sewdhull has pointed out.  It is far more likely that the gear was damaged when the gun locked up and it is unlikely that a Nuprol motor was too strong.

When was the work done by Airsoft Cymru?  I have emailed them about these threads so that they can give their version of events, if they choose to.

Actually, the gearbox is actually a specna arms gearbox that replaced the original ares gearbox to fit the mosfet in. I'm in the process of putting a full timeline in there, but if they messed up this badly the first time (and I'm not the only one this has happened to) then I'm not going to trust them a second time, especially when I pay £175 for the parts and installation.

 

[Rogerborg]

I don't personally have a problem with supergluing wiring. It's better than having it coming loose, and a little acetone will dissolve it easily enough.

 

[Marauder211]

There seems to be a lot of confusion with my posts over the last few days so I'll post up a timeline of events:

2021:

I decided to get back into airsoft, so I take my guns with me. During the first game my gearbox locked up and was unusable. I take it to Matt Roberts who fixes the gearbox by replacing the bushings, he also found the original barrel had a scoring and the bucking was torn so he replaced that for me. This was when I found the motor was working very sluggish so I left it for a while

2022:

I took the gun to Airsoft Cymru to replace the motor as it was running sluggish, and I get chatting to the shop owner, they seemed friendly enough, and I mention that one day I was thinking of putting a mosfet in there, that's when they mention that they have one ready to install, so I decide to go for it. Two weeks later they called me saying that the Aster is not compatible with the Ares gearbox so they would have to swap boxes in order to get the mosfet in, I thought about it and gave the go ahead despite my gut feeling. So a few weeks pass and I pay the £175 charge for the whole thing, the gun shoots better but now I have the issue of feeding.

2023:

After testing my various mags (incliding an ares one in my stash) I foind that the G&G GR16 mags were the only ones compatible, as it turns out the extended follower might have caused the nozzle to break so that's when I go in to replace it. After replacing the nozzle I took it to Matt Roberts (who I should've gone to in the  first place) and that's when he discovered all the issues withing the gearbox.

I apologise if this is confusing, I do have issues wording things (I am on the autism spectrum) but I am always happy to explain and acknowledge where I am going wrong.

 

[Colin Allen]

Actually, the gearbox is actually a specna arms gearbox that replaced the original ares gearbox to fit the mosfet in. I'm in the process of putting a full timeline in there, but if they messed up this badly the first time (and I'm not the only one this has happened to) then I'm not going to trust them a second time, especially when I pay £175 for the parts and installation.

When was the work done by Airsoft Cymru?

 

[Marauder211]

I don't personally have a problem with supergluing wiring. It's better than having it coming loose, and a little acetone will dissolve it easily enough.

I think the amount is more the issue, I'll get Matt to send me photos to show, because he didn't want to risk removing anything and wrecking it entirely

When was the work done by Airsoft Cymru?

This was last year in the summer, if I recall correctly

Why didn’t you go back to Airsoft Cymru and get them to sort out the problem rather than going to something else?  Their work should have had a warranty.

What you claim to have been told about the Aster is wrong, as Sewdhull has pointed out.  It is far more likely that the gear was damaged when the gun locked up and it is unlikely that a Nuprol motor was too strong.

When was the work done by Airsoft Cymru?  I have emailed them about these threads so that they can give their version of events, if they choose to.

Fair enough, I don't mind you doing that, fact is I am kind of screwed either way because I'm not getting money back, and I know that  nobody else is going to come forward, I was really angry when I typed this out.

 

[Colin Allen]

Let's see if Airsoft Cymru choose to respond.

 

[Marauder211]

Yeah, I do want to hear their version of events. Thing is I am mad at myself more than anyone for going ahead with it, but I am also mad because I feel like I have been ripped off big time, I feel stupid.

And dragging a company through the mud was the last think I wanted to do but I've done it now, so we just have to wait and see.

 

[Nathan_jenkins_05]

When was the tech work done by airsoft cymru?

 

[Marauder211]

When was the tech work done by airsoft cymru?

Summer last year, iirc

 

[Marauder211]

To anyone asking about when the tech work was done, I did some thinking, it was definitely in the summer of 2022, sometime around July or August time, the exact date I don't remember. 

 

[Cannonfodder]

How often was the gun used between the gearbox having work done and the problems being found? Almost a year and a half is quite a while and the bevel gear could've quite easily failed after it was installed 

 

[Tackle]

This?, I've no doubt some, possibly all the work done is dubious at the very least, but raising issues 18 months later is open to all sorts of interpretation & assumption, not least by the "tech" your accusing who will throw counter accusations your way. 

Gotta ask, has anybody else had issues with this mob, because if their public profile is viewed positively, doesn't give your claims much credibility ? 

 

[JinxDuh]

From reading this saga briefly, it all seems rather suspect to me. As Tackle said, an 18 month space from the work being done and the pew breaking is already a big stretch. Surely you tested the pew as soon as possible after the work was completed to make sure there was no issues? In my experience, if a wire is chewed up like seen in your first post, the pew wouldn't function and it shouldn't have taken long to get to the point of the pew shorting. 

Be honest op, did the tech steal your girl? ?