Airsoft Canada - Review: CYMA FAMAS

Hey guys,
This is going to be my first review on ASC, so I hope I make it good.

In case you didn't read the title, I'm reviewing the CYMA FAMAS F1.
It's licenced and imported by Palco Sports, and, before you start hating on me, I got it on sale. This makes up for the fact that it used to be clearsoft. (Smokesoft, to be precise) :3

http://imageshack.us/a/img69/1999/p5305979.jpg

First Impressions:
Well, this was my first AEG ever at the time I got it, so all I could do was marvel at it's amazingness. The plastic is very well built, but the metal is Pot Metal. But, metal is still metal, and all the internals are steel, which is good, and the barrel is brass. More on that later. It feels solid, and clocking in at around 2.85 Kg, this thing is pretty close to the RS' 3.2 Kilos.

The box is very ornate, with an image of the gun, some tacticool guys using the gun, a whole crapton of warnings in foreign languages, and the stats on the gun. I found most of them to be pretty accurate, so I won't be going over them.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg687...jpg&res=medium

What's in the box?
Out of the box, CYMA/Palco supplies you with:

One 300 mAh wall charger,

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg267...jpg&res=medium

One 8.4v 1100 mAh Ni-Mh Rechargeable Battery,

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg689...jpg&res=medium

One barrel cleaner/unjamming rod,

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg600...jpg&res=medium

And, of course, the gun itself.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg835...jpg&res=medium

Key Features:
The FAMAS is a bullpup rifle, meaning it has a very long barrel inside of a carbine-length rifle. It does this by placing the magazine and magazine well behind the trigger assembly, thereby shortening the space that the barrel has to stick out.
The FAMAS also has a fold-out bipod. This comes in handy sometimes, such as when you need to rest it on a ledge, table, etc. or when you need to go prone. Considering some people pay well over $50 for a bipod to attach to their gun, I think this is a nice feature.
The FAMAS, in airsoft, contains a V1 gearbox within it's body. TM's first gearbox design, it is arguably the strongest and most robust 'box out there, as TM decided to over-reinforce everything in case something went wrong. Even after the modernization of the gearbox by CYMA, the casing is still very sturdy.

Externals
The externals are made of a durable plastic. I can't tell whether it's ABS or Nylon Fiber, as it kind of feels like a cross between the two. But whatever it is, IT FEELS GOOD. It's not hard and glossy like ABS, but it's also not flexible and fragile like NF. It's a beautiful material, something I wan't expecting on a clone-ception gun (a clone of a clone). Considering the RS' furniture is also mostly polymers, this is a very accurate detail.

That doesn't mean there's no metal, however, as the gearbox, gears, trigger guard, and trigger mech are all steel, and very sturdy. The outer barrel, inner barrel, sights, cocking handle, under-mounted RIS rail, bipod, sling mount, and magazine are all metal. The internal barrel is made of brass, though. Slightly disappointing.

Overall, this gun feels very strong, and isn't made of those cheap PVC/ABS plastics. It's wonderful, as far as plastics go.

Handguard
The handguard was a little disappointing as well, because of it's plastic construction. The included rail is metal, so why not make the whole handguard metal? I have no clue.

Due to this, and also because it only has 4 real contact points on the rest of the gun to hold on to, the handguard probably won't take too much abuse. I would recommend limiting the amount of stuff you hang off it, and it you're planning on an M203 or the likes, you better have a barrel support ring on it, because the handguard alone probably won't be enough.

The handguard:
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg41/...jpg&res=medium

That being said, the handguard attaches nicely, with no wobble or shaking at all. So at least that part's good, as I know lots of guns with wiggly handguards that annoy the sh*t out of me. (And the user.)

This is also where the battery attaches, and it's actually quite hard to do because of a little foam plate that holds the battery in and prevents it from making sound when running around. A little detail that makes all the difference in combat, but really complicates battery reloading. But, at least you don't have that battery compartment EVERYBODY knows about, where it goes 'thumpathumpathumpathumpa' when you run around. Directions on how to replace the battery comes a bit later.

Upper General Receiver
Yes, you read right. Upper general receiver. I kinda made up that term, but it's because the gun has no distinct upper or lower halves; You take off the buttplate and the top carrying handle to get to the innards. Again, I don't know why. But, because I can't say 'entire receiver', I'll kinda draw a distinguishing line between the two.

The 'upper', like aforementioned, is composed of that really nice plastic that's present throughout the body. The handle and the parts surrounding it are made of the same smoked kind of bumpy polymer, and are very well made. There's not a crack anywhere. There are, however, self-tapping screws.

I HATE self-tapping screws.

GAH.

That's a major -1 for this gun, because if they put that much effort into making the parts fit, you'd think they'd take the time to put in real disassembly pins, or at the very least, GOOD SCREWS. But alas, nope. But the rest of the relative upper is okay.

It also doesn't squeak like the TM. Only the grip does, and even that is very minimal. Again, VERY good plastic.

Charging Handle and Sights
The charging handle is made of pot metal, and is the ergonomic FAMAS trigger-shaped cocking handle. The motion is very smooth, although there are reports of sticky cocking handles. If you have one, the solution is to sand away a part of the plastic that interferes with three nubs on the handle itself. If you have one, you'll know what I mean. The sound of metal on plastic is kinda anticlimactic, however, but at least you still get an accurate travel distance. I know several rifles that have cocking handles that travel back only a centimetre or so.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg832...jpg&res=medium

The sights are, to say the least, very complicated. There are millions of different arrangements you could do with the sights. There is a kinda useless middle flip-up sight, which aims too high to be useful,

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg688...jpg&res=medium

Up
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg853...jpg&res=medium

Down
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg830...jpg&res=medium

A grenade sight, which, in all it's cleverness, cannot be used unless you have an M203 or something like it, (More on it's use below)

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg513...jpg&res=medium

And, of course, the BIS.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg215...jpg&res=medium

The main sights are aperture-style, with a three-point adjustable aperture. The rear sight can be adjusted for elevation of up to six points, and the front sight for windage. Another front sight can be slid up for usage with the largest aperture.

Windage

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg192...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg209...jpg&res=medium

Elevation

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg708...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg3/s...jpg&res=medium

Aperture
(Adjustable for Large [shown], Medium [Back petal up], and Small [Both petals up])

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg20/...jpg&res=medium

The grenade sight works kind of like a blade sight, where you turn the rifle sideways, turn the sight either 45 or 70 degrees to either side, aim, and fire the grenade from the barrel or an attached launcher.

Magazine
The mag is the standard 300 round FAMAS straight box magazine. CYMA supplies a hi-cap, unlike TM which gave you a lo-cap. It's got plastic internals, and a metal jacket. Nothing too special.

What is special, however, is the fact that it fits VERY snugly into the magwell. No wobble whatsoever, something I wasn't expecting with a clone. Pretty cool.

Mag

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg696...jpg&res=medium

Loading Tube

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg684...jpg&res=medium

Lower General Receiver/Selector
The 'lower' is also made of the same delicious plastic the 'upper' is made of. This portion of the rifle contains the barrel, barrel sheath, gearbox, and grip/trigger assembly. The inner barrel is made of brass, like mentioned before, which is still metal, but highly temperamental metal. I really don't like well-used parts like the inner barrel to be brass, but hey, I'll take what I can get. At least it's not plastic.
I'm pretty sure it's a 6.08, but I have no caliper, so I'm not 100% certain. Sorry.

The outer barrel is also fluted, or notched, and has little numbers for the barrel grenade system. This, in real life, would have allowed the user to attach a 50mm grenade onto the barrel and propel it using the bullet's gases. This ring is meant for adjusting the amount of gas let into the hollow 50mm. This tiny detail, albeit useless in the airsofting realm, is still very cool, and it's nice to know that CYMA kept it in there for accurate replication.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg862...jpg&res=medium

The FAMAS has a unique selector system.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg840...jpg&res=medium

However, because this is not a PTW, it has no 3-round burst selection, and the selectors do not remain loyal to the RS' selector.
Instead, the front safety swings to the left from safe (blocking the trigger),

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg19/...jpg&res=medium

to fire (90 degrees left of the trigger).

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg688...jpg&res=medium

Turning it another 45 degrees to the left unlocks and ejects the front handguard, where the batteries are stored.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg692...jpg&res=medium

The rear selector goes from safe to semi and to auto, and it's here, behind the magazine group, that you make those 'special kinds of selections'. (Insert generic evil laugh here)

I think it's interesting that the FAMAS has an electrical safety. This is both a blessing and a curse, as it prevents any shots from being fired, even if the front 'manual' safety is disengaged. The blessing is that this prevents a large amount of accidental discharges, and makes the gun much safer to bring into a safe zone. The curse works on the same principle in reverse, and oftentimes on patrols or skirmishes you will find that engaging in a firefight is especially disadvantageous when you're not shooting back. That extra 5 seconds to 'turn the gun on' will often result in your getting hit.

However, both selectors click in place very nicely, and if they ever loosen, they have large screws on the backs of both their mounting plates, allowing easy re-tightening. However, after a couple hundred selections (at least) my selectors are still going strong and locking nicely in position. The location of either switch also conveniently minimizes accidental changes in selections.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg835...jpg&res=medium

Sling Plate/Stock
The stock is a full stock, as it has to hold the gearbox. The back of the stock is rubber-padded and studded, allowing it to effectively grip the user's shoulder. This doesn't look like a lot, but it makes WORLDS of difference in a game, where your combats are wet or slippery (for any reason).

There are only two sling points on the gun, and both of them are on the stock, regrettably. This prevents any type of two-point slings to be mounted, unless a specialized FAMAS sling is purchased, or a front sling mount is fabricated. Magpul's MS2 one-point works beautifully with it, though. However, because the buttplate is directly mounted onto the gearbox VIA a SINGLE SCREW (Bad planning on CYMA's part, although the shape of the rifle kinda limits options), so be careful when dropping your rifle. Bent barrels may occur.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg854...jpg&res=medium
(With kitty in background!)

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg696...jpg&res=medium

Inserting the Battery
Inserting the battery, like mentioned above, is very tight and can be painful sometimes.
Here are some picture to help.

1. Open the handguard, and connect the wiring to the battery.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg820...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg543...jpg&res=medium

2. Put the wires tightly into the relative right side of the compartment, and put the body of the battery in the relative left. Then, maintaining pressure on the battery, put the cover on.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg834...jpg&res=medium
(Kinda blurry, sorry)

3. Slide the cover forwards, making sure not to crimp any wires.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg803...jpg&res=medium

4. Continue sliding until you hear a click. If enough pressure was maintained, the front four teeth of the compartment will mesh, and the back eight will click and lock.

Make sure these mesh!
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg13/...jpg&res=medium

Congratulations on installing your first FAMAS battery!

Considering the tightness, I think a 9.6v would be a hard squeeze, but it could happen, depending on the battery type. Removing the foam plate is also a possibility, but prepare for rattly battery compartments. A 10.7 and an 11.2 would most likely shred the motor, so don't try, please.

Internals Quick Overview
The internals are all metal, which includes everything in the gearbox and the barrel. The inner barrel is around the 472mm mark, more than sufficient for long-range kill shots. Not sure about the motor and gear types, but the gears are metal and the motor seems to be torque-oriented. The barrel isn't tightbore, but with 500mm of goodness, who cares? Keep in mind though, the barrel is brass, so regular maintenance is a must. The wiring is very clean, and although they are cheap wires, they are bunched and colour-coded, making the entire disassembly and reassembly process less of a nightmare than I first expected. The fuse is the standard tube fuse you can find anywhere.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg210...jpg&res=medium

The connector is the standard small-type connector as well.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg196...jpg&res=medium

The flat FPS generated by all this is around 360-380 FPS, slightly too hot for CQB, but perfect for field. The RPM is hovering around the 650-750 mark, so not too shabby, but nowhere near TM's 1000 RPM mark.

Also keep in mind that CYMA did change around the internal layout, so it's not a direct TM clone. The disassembly is different, so you'll need to work around that.

Gearbox

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg812...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg10/...jpg&res=medium

Hop-Up
The hop-up on the FAMAS is reported to be able to spin over 720 degrees, allowing fine tuning of the hop.

My dial doesn't do this.

I don't know if it's just on mine, or if it's on every unit, but I can only do about 270 degrees (3/4 of a rotation) before it locks and resets.

Ah, well. You don't need THAT much hop anyway.

EDIT: FIXED! :D
The hop-up knob simply doesn't align with the rubber nub-pushing-plasticky-bit below, which causes hop-up adjustment headaches. This can easily be rectified by putting them back together on track. The hop is very precise and minute, and holds it's bearing very easily. No ArmaLite-style unwinding hops!

Aligned (Good):
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg43/...jpg&res=medium

Misaligned/Jammed (Bad):
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg850...jpg&res=medium

The hop-up dial is your standard M4 hop dial laid on it's side with a slash through it, allowing easier (and less painful) hop adjustments. The hop is right behind the carrying handle, and can be accessed by lifting away the cheeck rest.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg705...jpg&res=medium

Close-up
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg190...jpg&res=medium

Flash Hider
The flash hider is the average birdcage hider, with a design unique to the FAMAS. The FH is full metal (pot metal), but the orange tip is plastic, and appears to be glued on.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg577...jpg&res=medium

Gearbox (Insides in a post below)
The gearbox is a V1 gearbox, albeit redesigned by CYMA. It can take V2/3 gears, the cylinder is Type 0.
It can use a standard M100/110; however, the FAMAS has a crappy AR latch, and high FPS setups can cause it to break. Not only that, but they're hard to find.
The spring guide can be swapped for a V3 spring guide, and the piston, piston head, and air nozzle are all compatible with any aftermarket parts.

I didn't take pictures of the insides, but the outsides are here.

Edit: The innards are here! Scroll down to observe the amazingness.

It appears to be made of Steel, but I may be wrong. It looks extremely sturdy, however.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg7/s...jpg&res=medium

Conclusions
Overall, this gun was a great gun for a great price ($170 on sale), and I'd be willing to pay the full $220 for it, if I were to buy it again.

Pros:
-Good mid-range FPS
-HUGE barrel
-Reinforced metal insides
-High-quality plastic on outside
-Decent RPM
-SALES :3

Cons:
-Clone
-Not a direct TM copy (This could arguably also be a pro)
-Not much metal

Update - Jan 29, 2012:

Pics of the insides of the Gearbox are now in!

The gearbox is steel, as are the gears. The gears are XYT gears, something I actually wasn't expecting inside this cheap of a gun.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg685...jpg&res=medium

The gearbox, just like any other clone gearbox, was heaped with snail sh*t as lube, and so I had to clear it up.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg10/...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg842...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg85/...jpg&res=medium

The cylinder housing is brass, but the cylinder and cylinder head are plastic. The tappet plate is also plastic.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg829...jpg&res=medium

The elephant snot is strong with this one...

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg688...jpg&res=medium

This O-Ring is so defunct, I can put my hand over the tappet nozzle and this thing leaks air out the back without me even pushing. It's retarded.
Never mind. I must have been tired when I wrote this, because I just realized that the cylinder head is ported, which explains it leaking air out the back when travelling at a slow speed. :P

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg837...jpg&res=medium

The spring guide.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg252...jpg&res=medium

It appears that JP actually tried to correct the AOE (Angle of Engagement) by placing a washer in the back of the plastic spring guide. This doesn't do much, so I'm not sure what it accomplishes. I left it on just in case. Never mind. Stryak kindly pointed out that it only helps deal with rotational friction on the Spring guide. Woops.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg819...jpg&res=medium

As a small sidenote, you may be interested to know that the gearbox has 6mm metal bushings. Considering most China Guns come stock with nylon, this came as a small shock and, overall, contributes to the gearbox's longevity.

And, the finished product, cleaned and re-lubed with Silicon Spray.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg10/...jpg&res=medium

Extra: Screw the Handle/Upper Receiver! Just use this! :D

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg401...jpg&res=medium

Update - Feb 2, 2012:

Guess who got their braces off?!

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg831...jpg&res=medium

I finally managed to wrench that ugly orange tip off my Flash Hider.
It looks so much better without it!

Pictures:
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg856...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg28/...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg402...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg832...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg835...jpg&res=medium

Oh, and by the way, does anybody have ideas on what to do with this?

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg715...jpg&res=medium

I'm actually quite stoked about this, as it now has so much more of that 'authentic' look to it after that hideous bright orange piece of American Regulations off it.

Now, about that black body... :rolleyes:

Update - February 4, 2012:

Relubed gearbox with Lithium Grease, as recommended by Styrak. Running much better now.

Update: March 1, 2012:

Pinch, punch, first day of the month! No returns!
No?
Okay.

On to the real reason for this update: New photos up! Just a couple to show you what the FAMAS would look like with an optic (in this case, an Aimpoint CompM2). Sorry for the relatively bad quality, it was night, I was lazy, and the flash on my camera sucks.

Also, if you'll notice, I added a vertical grip onto the bottom rail, just for the lulz. Thanks to FullOtto for the free grip. Much appreciated!

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg685...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg607...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg341...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg827...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg138...jpg&res=medium
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg685...jpg&res=medium

Thanks for reading!

Update: March 3, 2012: Pics of the hop-up and inner barrel are in!

Like previously mentioned, the inner barrel is by no means a tightbore, and appears to be a standard 6.08-6.10mm barrel that is found on most mid-grade guns.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg813...jpg&res=medium

The barrel is around 472mm long, and is shown here with a HotWheels vehicle for scale.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg814...jpg&res=medium

The 'nubbed' end of the barrel has the typical engravings on it; a hole for the hop-up nub to actually protrude out of,

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg853...jpg&res=medium

Two dings on either side of the barrel for the locking lug,

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg535...jpg&res=medium

And a large rail down the bottom for the hop-up rubber to correctly lock into place.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg717...jpg&res=medium

The hop-up chamber and locking lug are made of plastic, which, suspiciously, seems to be made of a lower-quality plastic than the externals. The hop-up rubber is moderately soft, but is quite effective regardless. Below are the hop-up parts that can be disassembled with only a screwdriver:

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg513...jpg&res=medium

This is an image of the locking lug. Basically, it holds onto the inner barrel using the two flattened portions shown above, and then screws into the hop-up chamber to ensure that everything is lined up. Quite effective.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg820...jpg&res=medium

Because it is a Cybergun repack ( :spits on ground: ), they marketed the hop as the 'BAXS Accuracy System'. Basically, all it means is that there are two nubs at the top instead of one, forming a kind of primitive H-nub:

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg189...jpg&res=medium

To 'stabilize the pellet further by increasing the contact points on the BB'. Whatevs; I'll take whatever more primitive ways of stability that it offers.

The adjustment works VIA a kind of spiral track on the nub you spin, connected to a pointy bit of plastic that runs along the track, getting pushed down or up, increasing or decreasing the hop by pushing down on the rubber simultaneously.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg848...jpg&res=medium

And that pretty much sums it up. Thanks for reading!

Update: March 18, 2012: Finally finished painting! Full Black body is now in, and it looks freaking amazing! :D

You know, I now believe there's a reason there's a 'pain' in 'painting'...
I will also be working on reinstating the complete review with more relevant and updated pictures, so stay tuned!

Images:
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg850...jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg714...jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg3/s...jpg&res=medium
(Messy ejection port...Paint thinner didn't help, and now I'm unsure of what to do... :confused: )

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg210...jpg&res=medium
(That shine isn't from the plastic; It's from the paint, even though it's on the inside.)

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg263...jpg&res=medium
(Hooray for masking tape adhesive marks!)

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg443...jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg88/...jpg&res=medium
(Upside-down!)

Thanks for reading!