VFC Daniel Defense Licensed MK18 MOD1 Airsoft AEG Rifle w/ Avalon Gearbox (Color: Dark Earth)

"I'm fully satisfied with the quality of the external and internal details. It feels really realistic on your hands. That's a great choice for CQB and mid-range airsoft engagements, especially with good optics (I use a replica of the Elcan Specter dr 1-4x).

"Ok, so let’s start with the looks. Right out of the box this thing feels so close to a real mk18 it’s crazy. The Daniel Defense rail system is absolutely perfect. Everything is in great shape and no blemishes. Every part of this system functions flawlessly right out of the box. That said upon completion of function test, it is switched to deans and an 11.1 with a thorough cleaning of the barrel. Threw on an optic and a light and headed straight to the local field and jumped right in with no sighting in or adjustments. Now, we were a little hot on the chrono as we have a 350 FPS rule at our local field as it is a small cqb field. After a few mags and “break in” time it passed with no issue. Played all day with 0 issues. Performed amazingly. Adding a tracer unit(xcoretech xt301 mk2), qrs stock, and qrs trigger guard that come on the Saber this week for the next outing. No complaints and would gladly recommend this entire line of m4’s to anyone. Well done Elite Force/VFC.

"So I have had this gun since it first dropped day one in the states. I have used it quite a bit since then and here are my thoughts.

Evike says 9.6V battery type is recommended..... well the instructions say 11.1 Lipo. I used a 9.6 in it and I was having issues with the trigger being responsive and consistent. Every so often I would get a dead trigger from the gun not doing its full cycle. Once I started running the 11.1 I have had no problems.

I HIGHLY recommend switching this thing over to deans. I was getting a pretty warm motor shooting semi in games and once I went to deans not only did it improve the performance even more then just using a lipo but it helped everything run cooler it seemed.

Off the bat I was having some issues with .28 being consistent groupings. Switched out the inner barrel to a 6.03 Prome and its been great since then.

When you first get this gun..... you are going to have to break it in a bit in your backyard before you go to a crono. I failed my first chrono with this thing shooting a bit hot at 400fps 1.51J. After it breaks in its simple to pass. I have noticed a FPS drop so them putting this as a hard 400 they are full of it. It dropped to about 360 simply off the spring breaking in.

The stock sucks. Switch it out. Its a 2 piece design to get the battery in and out of it and not a lot of space in there. I put a PTS stock on and couldn't be happier.

All in all this thing is great, I do recommend to anyone who wants a MK18. The avalon gear box is solid and I have been putting it through its paces.

OH and clean the barrel when you get it. Mine was super dirty.

"I haven’t shot the rifle yet, but I still wanted to leave a review to let y’all know that the externals are great as ever, but if you wanna get into the rifle’s gearbox, you’ll need all of Home Depot because the pins to release the upper and lower feel like they’ve got a whole jar of loctite on it. Unfortunately so does the orange flash hider, that also has a set pin at the bottom.

"I purchased this gun from Atlanta Airsoft, and so far, it is good. I took it to a few games and it shot just under 400 out of the box with a Valken battery and .20 BBs. You will have to change the stock spring for CQB firefights at most fields. It performed well and the ergonomics are lovely. The trigger is firm and crisp, but for a more sensitive trigger, you will want to upgrade; otherwise, the trigger is reliable and very responsive. The Battery space on the stock it comes with is very small, and it's a battle fitting it in every time. The difficulty of this issue is increased because the wires to the gearbox are very stiff and do not go down into the buffer tube well. I have to take a long and thin flathead screwdriver to gently shove them back down after connecting the LiPo. Finally, due to the MK18 being a shorter barrel rifle, I would use .28 BBs to maximize the possible range and better groupings, or (if you can) get a longer barrel and put a mock suppressor over that to get a bit more range. Overall, I am satisfied with my purchase. That being said, if I had the choice to buy it again I wouldn't because a lot of what you're paying for is the DD trademarks and licensing when there are guns with better performance and more features (such as a quick change system). 8.5/10

PROS
Well built- Nothing has snapped or wobbled
Metal lower, upper, buffer tube, trigger, and handguard
Lots of attachment real estate
Gearbox is well built (I mean its a VFC)
Real DD handguard with serial numbers
Lightweight
True to size

Cons
VERY little battery space
Gearbox wires are difficult to fit back into the buffer tube
Motor gets hot very quickly
No quick change spring system (for an MK18 I believe this to be important)
A bit loud compared to most AEGs (could be a pro)
The price is a bit expensive due to the trademarks