MP40 "Trio + Two"

I've always admired the MP40, and lately I've decided to see if I could accumulate a few of the full-size copies of this iconic smg. So far, I have three, in various stages of disrepair.

Top to bottom: Marushin, MGC 68, and [what was sold to me as] Nakata.







All are plug firing cap modelguns. All have some sort of problem (most notably droopy buttstocks) but all function as intended. I don't plan on shooting them; they are for static display only. I am interested in the design and manufacture of various firearms and love to study their machining properties. The Marushin is the closest to a real MP40 design that I have examined so far.

Wow, they all look great. Hard for me to tell them apart, so they must all be good quality.
Now if you slipped a Denix in there, it would be like chalk and cheese.

Ozguns wrote:

Wow, they all look great. Hard for me to tell them apart, so they must all be good quality.
Now if you slipped a Denix in there, it would be like chalk and cheese.

I had read here that the Denix was...er...of doubtful quality...

However, the Tokyo Toy MP40 that pitfighter shows in his weapons spread looks pretty good...

Added a second MGC68 to my accumulation...Since it looks exactly like the first, here's a comparison of the two...



(It's actually a bit different; those differences can be seen in the MGC68 Registry/pg 4...)

Ozguns wrote:

Wow, they all look great. Hard for me to tell them apart, so they must all be good quality.
Now if you slipped a Denix in there, it would be like chalk and cheese.

I did pick up a Denix...From outside, looks as least as good as the Nakata (but not as good as Marushin)...Insides are totally different...

Just had a look at this thread and some lovely MP40 versions there. Must admit though, if the static, non-firing Denix is accepted on these Forums, then I felt I had to post a pic of another excellent MP40 replica as per below:





It is of course, the SRC MP40 and I would pitch it against the Denix anyday. It is full steel (except the barrel of course!)and it weathers up beautifully to look like it's from the WW2 era. Even though it is let down by the fact it is an AEG (I do not use it as such though), it is still an excellently constructed replica.

richie328 wrote:

Ozguns wrote:

Wow, they all look great. Hard for me to tell them apart, so they must all be good quality.
Now if you slipped a Denix in there, it would be like chalk and cheese.  

I had read here that the Denix was...er...of doubtful quality...

However, the Tokyo Toy MP40 that pitfighter shows in his weapons spread looks pretty good...

Hi Richie,


The Tokyo Toy MP40 was a big heavy lump, very similar to your Nakata, it looked OK in pics because it had been badly abused and showed some age, it was in fact not a very-good replica at all - the mag was more like a Sten mag, and the mag housing, similar to the Denix and the air-soft shown in this thread are molded pot-metal and look nothing like an original stamped MP40 mag housing.

I have real MP40's - and the shoulder stock drooping issue is a problem with them, too.
My favorite of the replicas, and the one that felt and looked the most authentic to me, was the MGC68, I'll buy another if one comes along. It's a lot lighter in weight, but the way the arts have been formed and put together is most similar to the real deal.
I had the later exposed recoil spring version, which was a stupid cost saving and blew the whole charade, as the MP40 of course uses a telescopic recoil spring, clearly visible through the cocking handle slot.

Nice collection -
It would be nice if one of the model gun custom guys came up with side-by side double mag rig -

pitfighter wrote:

richie328 wrote:

Ozguns wrote:

Wow, they all look great. Hard for me to tell them apart, so they must all be good quality.
Now if you slipped a Denix in there, it would be like chalk and cheese.  

I had read here that the Denix was...er...of doubtful quality...

However, the Tokyo Toy MP40 that pitfighter shows in his weapons spread looks pretty good...

Hi Richie,


The Tokyo Toy MP40 was a big heavy lump, very similar to your Nakata, it looked OK in pics because it had been badly abused and showed some age, it was in fact not a very-good replica at all - the mag was more like a Sten mag, and the mag housing, similar to the Denix and the air-soft shown in this thread are molded pot-metal and look nothing like an original stamped MP40 mag housing.

I have real MP40's - and the shoulder stock drooping issue is a problem with them, too.
My favorite of the replicas, and the one that felt and looked the most authentic to me, was the MGC68, I'll buy another if one comes along.  It's a lot lighter in weight, but the way the arts have been formed and put together is most similar to the real deal.
I had the later exposed recoil spring version, which was a stupid cost saving and blew the whole charade, as the MP40 of course uses a telescopic recoil spring, clearly visible through the cocking handle slot.

Nice collection -
It would be nice if one of the model gun custom guys came up with side-by side double mag rig -

Whilst I am in no way defending the Aeg platform (it's shite) - to be fair to SRC they didn't do a bad job with their MP40 compared to other Airsoft versions. The mag well really is steel and not pot metal. Whilst of course there are significant inaccuracies externally compared to a real one - for the money it was a good gun to get back into collecting. In hindsight 3 years on from buying it, my only gripe is that I wish they'd done it in GBB form. If I could retrofit a gas system to this gun or make it PFC, believe me I would, even at considerable expense. I hope KWA fill that gap and soon in terms of gas...

No, I understand - air-soft wise it is clearly as good as it gets - I didn't mean to sound negative.

It is strange they create the master for the mag-wells with hard edges on the ribs, when you would think it was just as easy to carve it closer to the original. It is an immediate giveaway.
The original guns have a lot of soft and imperfect lines, same with the MP44, that is the immediate giveaway even with the Shoei replica zinc upper section, in an effort to make the markings perfect they have distanced themselves from reality.

Still the Shoei MP44 lowers and the MP40 steel parts are incredibly realistic.
The MGC68 resting bars are too clean and need to be knocked about to look good though.
I have some spare original resting bars, the next MGC I get I'll see if they can swap out.

To the OP cool collection different makes of replica MP40.

Have any of you guys ever seen a TOP mp40 up close? Yes, it is an airsoft gun, but it is really well done. I can post pics of mine when I get time. You do not see them come up for sale very often in the US here.

pitfighter wrote:

No, I understand - air-soft wise it is clearly as good as it gets - I didn't mean to sound negative.

It is strange they create the master for the mag-wells with hard edges on the ribs, when you would think it was just as easy to carve it closer to the original.  It is an immediate giveaway.
The original guns have a lot of soft and imperfect lines, same with the MP44, that is the immediate giveaway even with the Shoei replica zinc upper section, in an effort to make the markings perfect they have distanced themselves from reality.

Still the Shoei MP44 lowers and the MP40 steel parts are incredibly realistic.
The MGC68 resting bars are too clean and need to be knocked about to look good though.
I have some spare original resting bars, the next MGC I get I'll see if they can swap out.

To the OP cool collection different makes of replica MP40.