Umarex Licensed H&K 416 A5 AEG w/ Avalon Gearbox by VFC (Model: Black / Gun Only)

"Pros:

-This AEG features the same gearbox as VFC’s “Avalon” series rifles, which are renowned as being rockstar performers right out of the box. This thing is a laser pointer at around 150ft with .28s. Slap the ol’ 11.1 LiPo in there and you’ll get some of the best performance in a stock AEG you’ve ever seen.
-The full metal construction is very solid feeling, and the slight satiny finish on the receiver parts is a very pleasing touch.
-The RAS is big and beefy, yet balanced and not too heavy. You’ll love all that real-estate for your tacticool accessories.
-The integrated iron sights are sturdy, and snap into position firmly. When retracted, the detachable rear sight is low enough to not be in the way of any other sight options, and thus does not need to be removed; quite handy if your electronic sight stops working for whatever reason.
-The buttstock does require a bit of oomph to slide between positions, however it does not wobble at all, and is very light.
-The mock bolt catch allows you to access the hopup adjustment without needing to hold the door open manually, and the ambidextrous bolt release controls are fun to press.
-The pistol grip has a nice, grippy texture to it, and is not too big, even for my rather small hands.
-The rounded, convex trigger guard is just perfect. Perfect for when you’re wearing gloves, perfect for when you’re sick and tired of scraping the bottom of your trigger finger on regular old flat ones, what have you.
-The US Compliant orange muzzle is also metal, which is always nice.
-The Elite Force HK specific magazine included is amazing. It feeds very nicely, it has the caliber and “military and law enforcement only” laser etched in the metal for the realistic aesthetic, but the best part is that you only have to wind it once (that’s right, one time) to fire all 300-ish rounds. HOWEVER... (see cons)

Cons:

-The buttstock being slim and sleek as it is, there’s a bit less room for the battery than you’re probably used too. I was able to fit an 11.1 stick type down the buffer tube with the wires tucked just behind the shoulder pad, but only when the stock was extended a bit.
-It’s wired Tamiya, not Deans, which is somewhat of a let down for this price point.
-The included magazine wobbles a little, side to side. It still feeds perfectly, and it’s nothing some electrical tape wrapping can’t fix, but for a magazine specifically designed for this rifle, it just annoying.
-This AEG does not come with a battery.
-The fire selector switch on the left side is perfect, and is very satisfying to click between positions, but the same switch on the right side feels loose. This could just be mine, though.

All things considered, I definitely recommend this gun if you’ve got the money. It makes one feel like a boss just holding the thing. Honestly, I think the price is a tad high, but a lot of the price is for the HK trades and 1:1 replication. But hey, that’s what it takes if you want a truly authentic HK.

"wanted to chime in on my experience with the 416, let me start by saying that there is a reason everyone rates it 5 stars, it really is that good, if im being honest, it feels like the quality is on an entirely different level of normal vfc, love the coating they did to the tan version, very incredibly durable, and I abuse my stuff.
the only reason im making this review ontop of all the others is I wanted to provide my experience and point out the issues.
first and fore most, known issue is that vfc has qc issues, you really are playing the vfc lottery when you purchase a gun. the motor that came with my 416 was terrible, sounded super screechy, with a combination of grinding noise, i figured maybe the motor height was not set right, fidgeted with it for 15 minutes to find out that its just the way the motor sounds. used it one game, noticed the motor was getting insanely hot, to the point I could not grip the pistol grip, even with gloves, and it finally over heated, and locked up, surprisingly, it did not blow a fuse, but the motor would not budge until it cooled down again, its not fun when your in the middle of a fire fight, and your gun is completely dead until it cools down. replaced the motor as soon as I got the chance, i was a little upset that I had to spend an additional $50 ontop of the $550 I already spent on just the gun.

the only other thing to truly alert anyone too, is that 416s are kind of heavy, not by themselves, the rail is larger that that of a standard m4 to make room for the fake the piston system, the rail also is not very light, but when you start putting things on the gun, it can get considerably unbalanced and front heavy, in my case, it was so heavy, that the combination of the weight and vibes from the motor, that the pistol grip was coming unscrewed and I could only use it for one game until the grip backed off so much that motor started grinding the gears, a combination of an uncomfortable amount of torque and blue loctite solved this problem.
just be aware that when you start dress this up, its going to weight allot.

last complaint is they used a super small grub screw to secure the mag release, and there is no way to loosen it quickly because the receiver is in the way, you will have to accept the fact, that if you are taking this gun apart, that its going to take you 20 minutes to unscrew this one screw because the most you can do is a get a 1/4 turn at a time.

other than that, its a fantastic gun, and these issues are very minor in comparison to the total package your getting, every time I bust this gun out and play with it i get tons of compliments on how it looks. if you are looking to make other players envious, this is a great place to start.

4 stars because im still upset about the trash motor

"If you are wondering if this still holds up in 2023 you'd be right, but there are a few cons to point out. This review is from what I encountered and not what others have with this toy.

Pros
-Good for both CQB and outdoor play.
-Fast trigger response with an 11.1v.
-The gun is heavy enough to feel like a powerhouse but not enough to become overbearing (could be a con).
-Ambidextrous fire select, mag release, and bolt release.
-Shoots around 1.47J-1.49J out of the box
-You feel great with it in your hands
-Easier than most guns to remove the orange tip (Just add heat!)
-Trigger feels good

Cons
-Battery space is very limited. The only space is the buffer tube (unless you change the stock)
-The mock bolt and charging handle can fail after many uses so id recommend taking out the mock bolt
-Tamiya connectors. The use of Tamiya connectors when they are in a tight space like a buffer tube for long periods of time could mess up the connectors themselves (it's what I observed with mine)
-My left handed selector is a bit wobbly but it still functions
-Because of the weight and the shape of the enlarged trigger guard, it might dig into your middle finger and could feel uncomfortable holding it in long periods of time especially without gloves

Conclusion:
Very very good gun. It will perform even better with the classic barrel, bucking, and hop-up upgrade
along with switching the gun over to Deans plug (easy to do by soldering and very worth). It could be a rough start out of the box with the need to fix a few things but once fixed, it is a machine to be reckoned with.

"I’ve been using this gun for about 6 months and honestly I’m fairly happy with this gun. It’s snappy and it’s been fairly reliable for me. I have some things of note though that someone should keep in mind. When I got mine the motor was awful, like truly awful. I had to swap it out. It would get stuck constantly, but once I switched it the problem went away and it was perfectly fine. If you really want to drop the money and really want a 416, it’s perfectly fine. Just note you’re paying for trades and decent internals, that’s pretty much it.

"Not sure if it’s worth $500, but a slick gun. I didn’t pay $500 for mine, just $350 buying off a secondhand site. It was unopened, so it was a no-brainer.
I use .32s and its a laser. Mag is odd, and if you lose the winding key, good luck, just throw it away.
My only complaints are:
(1) the motor is just not up to scratch, I switched it for a G&G Ifrit, and now it zips. I think this is definitely a must if you use semi a lot, as an incomplete trigger pull will lock you out next time you go to pull it. I missed some kills due to it.
(2) wired to tamiya. Not a hard fix, but seriously? List it at $500, and use tamiya? Not cool.
(3) flash hider is stuck on there. I got it off, but still…
Great gun, but you’ll have to do a couple things to it to make it perfect.

"good gun. expensive but if you like hk416s as much as i do or evike matt, you'll be needing one. externals are superb. removing orange tip is very difficult. i needed to put the handguard in a vise and use a wrench to unscrew the orange tip which is made out of metal i forget if it was aluminum or steel. the handguard comes off by unscrewing the flat head screw closest to the receiver and it slides right off. if you wanted to put a geissele hk416 rail on this i think you can, i personally prefer the look of the railed handguard. im not a fan of the stock it comes with but it still works. its wired to the stock so you need a buffer tube battery unless you plan on changing the stock. when i first fired the gun it was very very whiney. i wasnt expecting this for a higher end gun, but again its from vfc. the hop unit is rotary and it clicks in place for each position, made out of plastic. brass inner barrel nothing special. the motor is not high torque its just a typical vfc motor, magnets are weaker than a cyma motor and less torquier than a cyma. perhaps its meant to be used in a high speed build. gearbox has quick change spring guide with bearings. no self shimming vfc gears inside which is good. the connecter has a fuse on the back and the mosfet is built into the trigger contacts. red vfc tappet plate, good quality vfc nozzle with o ring. piston in mine was black felt like nylon fibers with i believe 5 steel teeth on the release side. red aluminum cylinder with a port. aluminum piston head no thrust bearing. cylinder head is plastic with 1 o ring. air seal is perfect no leaks even with nozzle. the grip is slightly different from a standard a2 grip, if you plan on rewiring it make the wires come up the side facing the mag well. one complaint i have is the ambi selector on the right side will inevitably become wobbly and this is for all vfc avalons. this has fit all my m4 mags. i have pts epms and MAG 130rd shorties. they wobble a bit because the mag well is a bit wider to fit more mags but its not a big issue. !!! REMOVING MAG RELEASE YOU NEED A 0.9mm ALLEN WRENCH !!! im confused on why they made the screw so small on the mag release. the left side mag release was a bit unsmooth so i put some super lube on it and that fixed the issue. there was some factory grease on it but i guess that didnt help. overall great gun for HK416 fanboys like me with some small flaws. i think its a great gun and can be an even greater gun if you put in some aftermarket upgrades like i did. lambda inner barrel, maple leaf rubber, zci 22tpa motor, shs gears, retro arms piston, zci piston head, full cylinder, zci cylinder head, gate nanoAAB mosfet.

"This has been a good gun but we did have a surprise that we are not sure why it happened. My son was putting a recharged battery in the gun and there was a pop and electrical smell. He thinks he must have crossed a wire. It blew the wiring so we are having to replace the whole thing including the MOSFET for $50. Anybody else have this happen? Also, a previous review said they upgraded the motor - I am wondering what motor would be the upgrade for this gun. We have not had great luck straying from OEM but we might consider it again since it is a nice platform.

"I like this Rifle, had one issue, and that was magazine compatibility. I have EPM1's I haven't tried to feed them, but the fit is quite wiggly. Feels great in the hands, safety is super nice and positive, overall happy with my purhase.

"being as of right now the single most expensive gun that is oem'd by vfc I expected better, sadly I blew the fuse sighting it in, replaced and it turns out I also cooked the mosfet at the same time. (did I get a lemon?) anyways its a realy pain to get to the gear box. this is my first avalon that has done this but I am no impressed. 3 stars lemonaide