Review of the Tokyo Marui FA-MAS F1

            I’ll start with some brief history of the real steel FA-MAS. First of all FA-MAS is an acronym. Now I'm sure you’re dying to hear what it stands for, Fusil Automatique, Manufacture d'Armes de St. Etienne. Or Automatic rifle, Munitions factory of St Etienne

For all of us that don’t speak french. If you haven’t picked up on that yet, the FA-MAS is a French assault rifle. It fires the standard NATO 5.56 cal. Ammunition (same as the m4a1, m16, and many other rifles). Carried by the French Foreign Legion and The French infantry (if they aren’t the same thing). Referred to by French solders as le clairon, or the bugle, the FA-MAS is known for its unusual bullpup design. To my knowledge the FA-MAS barrel is 4-5 inches longer then that of the M4A1, which leads into longer range and superior accuracy. The FA-MAS was first manufactured by GIAT in 1973 and went into service with the French in 1979.

Now onto Tokyo Marui’s version of this fine piece of French craftsmanship

Looks:

            All right, you either like how it looks or you don’t. If you absolutely hate how the FA-MAS looks this is not the gun for you, don’t waste your money because you will hate yourself for it for the rest of your airsoft days. I personally love the look of the FA-MAS, but it’s simply a matter of opinion. There is a lot of plastic on this gun. The trigger guard, outer barrel, trigger, bipod, magazine, and charging handle are the only metal parts, the sights, body, stock, and carrying handle (which make up most of the gun) are all plastic. I’ll get into the durability issues with this a little later.

            There are some modifications you can make to the looks. I’ve added a scope to my gun. The rail actually adds a lot of heft to the rifle. The scope serves no real purpose, its not very well suited for the FA-MAS. I’ll hopefully be getting a red-dot soon to replace it. The red-dot would be a worthwhile addition, where as the scope is more for looks than functionality. M16 magazines will fit in the gun after a few modifications if you like the banana clip style. I’m planning on retrofitting one of the M16 magazines to fit, I think the shot clip looks better.

Performance:

            Accuracy:

                        In stock for this gun was pretty accurate. It easily outperformed the various models of MP5’s that my friends carry and was a hair better than my friends AK. I never had a chance to compare it to a G3, M4, or any other AEG for that matter, but I’d like to assume it has very comparable accuracy (as the FA-MAS has a longer barrel then the series listed). The sights on this thing are amazing. Two flip up sights in the back allow for a pinhole view or a larger viewing area for quicker target acquisition. There is a flip up grenade sight that is cool but has no practical use in the world of airsoft. The front sight adjusts for wind, but since I play in heavily wooded areas I haven’t had the chance to use it. However the back flip up sights make it possible to be incredibly accurate with this gun if you’ve got the time to find your target in a pinhole. The hop up dial is located under the ejection port cover (which is removable to stay true to the ambidextrous real steel) and works just fine. I would recommend adjusting it before you go into a skirmish, as it is rather difficult to fit your fingers into that little dial. The fire selector switch is located behind the magazine. This means you wont be able to switch from semi to full auto in the blink of an eye like with the mp5’s and m16’s. That is one of the only problems that I have with this gun. But then again you soon realize that you won’t spend much time in semi auto fire with the FA-MAS because its just so much more fun to rain bb’s down on your target.

            Power:

                        Yes the FA-MAS does have the EG 560 motor, but incase you haven’t picked up on it yet the size of the motor doesn’t affect FPS. EG 560 simply means the FA-MAS can’t push much over a PDI 150% spring. Not that that would matter anyway since the lack of reinforced version 1 gearboxes out there makes anything stronger then a 150% gearbox suicide anyway. The EG 560 however pisses bb’s. My FA-MAS had a ROF close to that of my Maruzen Micro UZI. It has a ROF noticeably higher then my friend’s mp5’s. Another thing that helps the ROF is the large 8.4 volt battery. This also shouldn’t run out on you I’ve gone hours without noticing a slow in ROF.

            Upgradability:

                        Yes it is possible to upgrade a FA-MAS. If you’re looking to put out more then 360 fps I wouldn’t recommend this gun though. I have a PDI 150% spring in my gun and it works just fine. It shoots noticeably harder and is much more accurate. The bigger spring does lower the rate of fire. Now my FA-MAS is on par with my friend’s mp5k. It actually still shoots faster; I’d compare it to an mp5 with a large battery. I also recently put a tight bore barrel in my gun. Although it shoots 15 fps slower than my friend’s AK, it has better range and accuracy. I would recommend spending $30 and purchasing a 120% or 150% and bushings for optimum performance with the FA-MAS. The 120% should have you around 328 fps and the 150% closer to 360 fps mine is running 348 right now. You’ll probably start at around 365 and as the spring is broken in you’ll drop to 350. There are high-speed gear sets available for the FA-MAS. I haven’t had time or money (about $50 on wargamers) to experiment with them but I haven’t read anything bad about them either.

            Durability:

                        Despite being almost all plastic this gun can take a beating. The sights are protected by a raised edge on the carrying handle so they won’t snap off if dropped. The gun does creek a little if you twist it but I’ve heard a little electrical tape in key spots solves this problem. The creaking doesn’t bother me so I haven’t tried. No barrel wobble is nice after hearing people complain about their M4’s. The bipod legs are made of metal and show no sign of bending/breaking. However they do leave little scratch marks next to the carrying handle when you fold them up. I would recommend putting a little bit of black electrical tape around the corners of the ‘feet’ if this bothers you. The FA-MAS really “takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.” I see no reason to worry about this gun breaking on you.

Conclusion:

            If you don’t mind the looks of this gun and aren’t looking for something to pour a lot of money into upgrading then this is the gun for you. Its bullpup design allows a lot of gun to fit in a little space. High rate of fire and shorter style body make for an excellent CQB choice, while still maintaining a long enough inner barrel to play outdoors without any difficulty. Because its been on the market so long the price is relatively low. If you like being original this gun should help you not blend in with the mp5 and m4 clones. A good gun for the money and a real looker in a crowed.

Back