Thermalright Ultra 140 Announced

Thermalright has been one of the leading companies in computer cooling for years, offering a wide range of heat sinks and fans for various PC components.  We all remember their Ultra 120 EXTREME CPU cooler which held the crown for years, setting new standards for CPU heat sinks.  Since then they've released many heat sinks under different names, adding new improvements.  Now they've returned back to the Ultra series with the new Ultra 140 CPU cooler!


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Finally...

After tragically breaking the trigger contacts in my ICS M4A1, my new one finally came in along with a MOSFET so that it won't break this time with a measly 9.6v 2000mah Ni-MH Intellect battery.  I'll be installing all of it into my gun so that those Madbull reviews will finally come online.  But first, let's see that replacement switch assembly.  It's made by Element and wired to the rear (I'll be using a battery pouch from now on).

Well, there it is with large tamiya connectors (will be replaced with knockoff Deans) and silver plated wire.  Don't let that last part fool you - the wire is of an extremely thin gauge.  I'll expand on this later.  The contacts themselves are also a bit of a letdown.  While the moving one clearly has a silver plating/coating (or maybe it's just made out of silver), the other part is just copper which isn't as conductive as silver.  I picked up this switch assembly for $8.99 on Airsoft-Club.  Whatever, it should be fine with my little 9.6v battery.  I won't even think about running an 11.1v lipo on it before rewiring it.  Next up is the extreme-fire SW-S MOSFET.

Ah, that's a Hexfet IRLS3034-7P.  The datasheet can be read here.  That yellow wire was also part of my order - it's a 20AWG wire which is recommended for its purpose (it will be connected to the trigger assembly).  That silver wire came with the Element switch assembly.  Now, is it just me or do they look as if they're the same gauge?  So my switch assembly came with 20AWG wiring... seriously most at least come with 18AWG if I'm not mistaken and most users switch to 16AWG.  Jeez... good thing this entire solution was only intended to be temporary until AWS products become available again.  I'll be going for an AWS Raptor with a Scorpion module.

Madbull Sling Adapter QD Swivel Review

Madbull is a name widely recognized in the airsoft world for their variety of products, including grenades and grenade launchers as well as various external and internal upgrade parts.  Thanks to Madbull airsoft, today we're looking at one of their smaller external accessories - the SA03 which is a sling adapter with a quick detach swivel.

As you can see there are three models available - the SA01, SA02 and SA03.  The SA01 is a fixed mount with a horizontal loop while the SA02 is a fixed mount with a vertical loop.  We're looking at the SA03 which includes a QD swivel adapter.  The specifications are listed below.

• Aluminum T6 6061 metal construction
• Quick-detach design
• Matte black finish
• Steel mounting screw
• 100% made in Taiwan to the highest standards
• Fits picatinny MIL-STD-1913 rails
• Slim profile design
• Quick-detach sling swivel included

So this product is constructed out of aluminum to keep weight down, with a steel mounting screw for durability.  It attaches to any standard picatinny rail and includes a QD sling swivel so it's quite a universal sling adapter.  Now lets take a closer look at the product and its packaging.

As far as packaging goes, this sling swivel includes no surprises.  It's inside a sealed bag and on the opposite side you'll find an image and short description of the SA01, SA02 and SA03.  Opening the packaging reveals the hard anodized aluminum sling adapter and QD swivel.  It's considerably lighter than the sling mounts on my M4.

The swivel rotates in place and works like any swivel.  To remove it, press down on the button and then unscrew it with your fingers.  The adapter and swivel come pre-installed to a picatinny rail adapter.

The picatinny rail mount utilizes a flat head steel screw which works with small or large flat head screw drivers.  This is how I will be installing it onto my ICS M4A1 R.A.S. AEG.

To install it onto a picatinny rail, simply loosen this screw, attach it to the picatinny rail and then tighten the screw with a flat head screw driver.  If you want to mount it to a gun without a picatinny rail, you can use the included sling swivel.

Now it's attached to the bottom picatinny rail on my M4's R.A.S. unit.

One thing I noticed is that the paint scratches off quite easily with a screw driver or key, but not with your fingers.  However if you have it installed in such a way that the sling mount flaps around and hits a part of the gun, you will lose some paint over time.  Thankfully it isn't mounted in such a way - the sling mount is clear of any obstructions aside from my M4's connector.  Now lets install a UTG 3-point sling onto it.

Thanks to the picatinny rail mount on the Madbull SA03 sling adapter/swivel, I can now remove the triangle front sight post and pre-installed sling adapter and switch to a longer R.I.S. unit, while not losing my front sling mount.  This product is a great accessory for any rifle in need of a sling - whether it needs a front or rear sling mount.  It can be mounted onto virtually any gun thanks to the QD swivel and picatinny rail mounts.  Now it's time to sum up this review with a list of pros and cons and then a final score.

PROS

• Universal mounting options - sling swivel stud or picatinny rail options
• Full metal construction - combination of aluminum and steel for light weight and durability

CONS

• Paint scratches off rather easily

The only website I've found this product listed at is albertaairsoft for $35 although it should become widely available in the near future.  

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Review

"Today, the market for top-of-the-line computer equipment is expanding at a staggering rate. System builders have realized that settling for mid-range or mediocre equipment is no longer an option for constructing that "kickass" gaming rig everyone wants to have sitting next to their desk. On the other hand, as much as most people would love being able to afford the biggest and most expensive case out there, money seems to always play a role in the type of computer us system builders end up with. The hardest part is finding that balance between price and performance, or getting the most bang for your buck.

Seeing this increasing need for high end--feature packed computer cases that won't put your credit card to the limit, Thermaltake has answered with its new, Chaser MK-1 full tower computer chassis. While affordable, the MK-1 is stuffed with just as many features that you would find on a case priced double the amount. And what about performance you ask? Not to worry, there is enough airflow provided by this case to easily cool the most power hungry equipment."

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Careful...

This is another post regarding airsoft.  To those who don't know, most replica AR magazines are slightly shorter than the real 30 round STANAG magazines.  The only exceptions I know of are the ICS 450 round hi-cap and G&G 450 round hi-cap.  I wanted to find a full size mid cap mag and I found the ECHO 1 Extended 120 round mid capacity magazine.  Very interesting product, I must say...

What a long mag!  It's also grey which is a nice contrast in my opinion.  Here it is next to an ICS 450 round hi-cap - it's about a half inch longer.

Why so long?  Why that's because it's based on a 40 round magazine.  So for what it is, it's actually too short.  It's made out of metal although it seems like thinner metal than my ICS magazine, but I suppose it's robust enough.  It has nice trademarks on the side.

The bottom shows a Noveske trademark.  That's funny... looking on their website I don't see a 40 round magazine anywhere.

Here are two more shots of it in the gun.

So it looks nice... but how is the functionality?  Well I have one word for that... horrible.  They advertise it as a 120 round mid cap but it only holds 75.  To drive my point even further, it jams all the time.  Don't blame the BBs... they're made by the same company - ECHO 1.  And the properties of their BBs are very nice.  You'd think they'd test their own magazines with their own BBs right?  Even if it does not jam and you get to run one o these through your gun, it will not feed the last 15-20 BBs.  So this "120 round magazine" is only good for 55-60 rounds, about half of what it is rated for.  This might be a lemon but either way don't bother with it, it's not an accurate representation of it's real-life counterpart.  I need to get some JG quickwind mags...

I also got to try out a Mad Bull blue bucking, made of 60 degree rubber.  So it's nice and soft... softer than usual 70-90 degree buckings although not as soft as Guarder's clear 50 degree one.  But buckings this soft are a PAIN to install... so much so that I gave up on it.  The thing just stretched out too much and blocked the C-clip from installing property.  To hell with it.  Looking at the bucking though I'm sure it would have made a nice upgrade... it's softer so it can give a more crisp backspin on the BB and the better contact with the BB would definitely help.  I might try again one day but not any time soon.

I also got my SHS 16:1 gears and SHS high speed motor.  My pics of the motor disappeared but I have some pics of the gears.

The shimming is still off however, as the ROF of the gun has not changed.  I hate shimming...

New Stuff

So I got some new stuff for my armory today, and one of them is a necessity in my opinion for any M16, M4, SCAR and other rifles that use the same pistol grip.  I hate the stock one - it isn't comfortable at all.  I ordered a UTG Ergonomic Pistol Grip from airsoftpost.com (out of stock on airsoftgi).  Amazon has the real-steel ones (not interchangeable).  So here's a bit of information about it.

^ So you can see it installed right there.  It's made out of a polymer material and the entire thing has what seems to be a rubber coating over it.  Small, low-profile grooves are pre-cut for each finger.  The left side has a thumbrest as you can see.  Left handed people are left out as always.

If you hate the stock grip like I do then a new one is a must.  I bought a real-steel one for only $15 on Amazon, but the airsoft one will set you back $20-$25 (go figure).  They are very similar but there are some noticeable differences.  First of all the real-steel one is much more narrow and won't mount to any airsoft gun. Second, the real-steel version can't house a motor - instead it has a compartment in the bottom which holds anything you desire (batteries, small notes, whatever).  The shape is slightly different as you will see in the photos below.

The version designed for real guns is uninstalled and on the right, while the airsoft one is on the left installed onto the gun.  You can notice that the real version extends past to the trigger guard, unlike the airsoft one.  You can also see that the airsoft version bulges out more in order to hold the motor.  This has me thinking... maybe VFC guns use real steel grips?

Looking from the right we can see more of the slight shape difference.  Again the airsoft version is installed on the gun (right side) while the one for real guns is uninstalled on the left.

The airsoft one on the right has a motor adjustment plate while the real steel version on the left has a storage compartment.

Here's a closer look of the airsoft version.

While this is the airsoft one, both have a bulge on the right side.  I have no clue what it's for.  It isn't uncomfortable but it is different than the standard grip so it may take some getting used to.  Still this grip is a worthy investment for any gun that uses M16 type pistol grips.

I also picked up a pair of UTG Full Seal Tactical Goggles for $15.  They have a soft, light strap that is adjustable and a reinforced polycarbonate lens that is torture tested by being hit with a 0.20g BB fired from a 450 FPS gun from 21 feet away all the way to point blank range.  It is also ventilated so it won't fog, and it is extremely clear.

How clear?  Here's a little sample picture which doesn't really do it justice, but it's the best I can do.

So that's my new stuff.  I also got a 5,000 ct bag of ECHO 1 0.25g BBs which are very smooth, glossy (although not quite as much as Airsoft Elite), have no seams and no visible injection nipple.  Some sources state that they average 5.98mm diameter with a 0.01mm deviation but the bag shows 5.95mm +/- 0.01mm.  With a 0.01mm deviation they are not the most consistent BBs but I've had no problems yet.  I have however hit the top part of a fire hydrant at 100+ feet away 10/10 times.  I also got a Version 6 Propane adapter since it's more cost effective to get Propane and silicon oil instead of green gas.  So that's all for now, I hope to present some reviews of products in the near future.

Cooler Master Storm Sirus Review

Cooler Master's Storm Sirus headset has been sent to us at GND-Tech for an extremely in depth review.  Read the article here.

http://www.gnd-tech.com/content/721-Cooler-Master-Storm-Sirus-Review