Is the Cyma CM.023 a True Tokyo Marui Replica?

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Is the Cyma CM.023 a True Tokyo Marui Replica?

One of the biggest question in the minds of beginning airsoft players is whether the Cyma CM023 MP5 AEG Airsoft Rifle is upgradeable or modifiable. For $20, it is truely affortable and has capability that exceeds it's price.

Everyone argues that there is no point to upgrading this gun, because each individual part can cost more than the gun itself. Sure, I can understand that a $50 metal gearbox, a $30 tightbore barrel, and a $30 battery pack adds up to the cost of a Galaxy G5 or a JG M5-S5 ($80 and $122 respectively). But this cost benefit answer really doesn't answer the original question. Afterall, the Cyma CM023 is suppose to be a Tokyo Marui replica, meaning it could use many of today's airsoft MP5 parts.

To satisfy my own curiosity and those of you who are truely interested in the original question, I have ordered a Cyma CM023 off Amazon. It will arrive in a week or so. It costs $35, including shipping, but comes with everything you'd want in a simulated MP5 firearm.

In the mean time, check out all the guns mentioned in this thread in "Related Links" below and watch this CYMA CM.023 MP5 LPAEG Review, which seems to indicate that it has a sturdy plastic body.:

Jake
Sun, 14 Jul 2013 06:54:45 +0400

I received the Cyma CM023 MP5 two days ago and was able to take it apart last night. Here is a brief disassembly steps:

Remove the shoulder stock: Unscrew the bolt pin screw. Remove the bolt pin. Pull off the shoulder stock.
Remove the nozzle by unscrewing it.
Remove the front sight. You don't have to unscrew anything; it's tight with a little bit of grue.
Unscrew all the screws on the right side of the gun.
Slowly pry the two halves apart.

Jake
Thu, 18 Jul 2013 21:25:22 +0400

I happen to have a APS ASR106 Patriot M4. It so happens that the MP5 and the M4 uses the same gearbox and motor (you can see that easily by visiting airsoft online stores). So the idea is to try the APS Hybrid gearbox and motor in the Cyma CM023 MP5.

Sadly, after removing the Cyma CM023 plastic gearbox and the APS ASR106 metal gearbox, I found that the internals on the Cyma CM023 is not a replica of the Tokyo Marui. There is, certainly, enough room inside the casing to fit the metal gearbox. But the APS ASR106 metal gearbox will not go into the gun without modifying the gun's casing.

It baffles me why Cyma would design their own plastic parts, rather than modeling the their plastic parts like Tokyo Marui. After all, Tokyo Marui uses only plastic parts in their guns. But that's the situation we have with the Cyma CM023.

Jake
Thu, 18 Jul 2013 22:26:50 +0400

Next thing I tried was to upgrade the inner barrel. Believe it or not, the inner barrel of the Cyma CM023 is even shorter than the inner barrel of the APS ASR106. The CM023 inner barrel is 5.5" (139.7 mm) while the ASR106 inner barrel is 7.25" (184.15 mm).

Cyma makes up for it by putting a plastic inner barrel at the end of the aluminum barrel. It's obvious that the CM023 is ready for a real barrel upgrade. In fact, with the included plastic silencer, you can actually increase the barrel to 2 or 3 time the original size.

But sadly, the barrel notches are different from the ASR106 inner barrel. The photo below shows that the two side notches are closer than the hop-up notch hole on the Cyma inner barrel than the APS inner barrel. It's possible to hacksaw two new notches to make it work. Unfortunately, without a swappable, more powerful gearbox, it would be a waste of time.

Attached Image:

IMG_20130718_021417.jpg

Jake
Fri, 19 Jul 2013 02:16:10 +0400

Re-assembling the gun is not an easy task. Because the safe/fire toggle switch interface to the gearbox is not fastened to anything. You must place it on the gear box just right (in the single shot position) while putting the two halves together.

In conclusion, the CM023 is not an upgradeable gun. Sure you can perform a lot of custom cutting, etc. But there is no direct replacement modification parts. For a $20 gun, it's not worthwhile to open this gun to fix it when it breaks because the re-assembly is so difficult. It's better to spend another $20 on a replacement gun, if your heart is sat on it. It does look nice on the outside, and you can use it to train tactical combat skills in the backyard (even if it no longer shoots), so it's not entirely worthless. But if you are looking to buy the gun to upgrade later, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Jake
Fri, 19 Jul 2013 02:25:10 +0400

The following photos shows the hop-up in the CM023. It doesn't look like any replacement hop-up I can find in online airsoft stores. If replace the hop-up and the inner barrel with Tokyo Marui parts, it's possible you will also need to replace the magazine as well. That leads to the question whether standard MP5 magazines will engage correctly in the CM023.

Attached Image:

IMG_20130816_231050.jpg

Jake
Mon, 19 Aug 2013 21:48:49 +0400

The photo below shows the plastic transparent gearbox. It doesn't look like any of the metal replacement gearboxes on the market. Battery connector wires to the front of the gearbox.

Attached Image:

IMG_20130816_231906.jpg

Jake
Tue, 20 Aug 2013 01:06:17 +0400

The photo below shows the fire selector, trigger, and magazine release mechanism for the CM023. Unlike the version 2 and 3 gearbox where the trigger is in the gearbox, the CM023 trigger is separate from the gearbox.

Attached Image:

IMG_20130817_163634.jpg

Jake
Tue, 20 Aug 2013 01:08:29 +0400

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Title: Intel Shows that Cyma CM023 MP5-SD3 is Upgradeable to Metal Gearbox
Weblog: GearHack
Excerpt: Biggest question for many new airsoft players is whether the Cyma CM023 airsoft gun can be upgraded to metal gearbox. A quick search shows many folks claiming that it's not possible. But a more careful in-depth search reveals a few folks has done it successfully. Let's take a look at those intels... . . .
Tracked: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 02:27:56 +0400

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