Tokyo Marui IMI Uzi




Gearbox - Version 5
Inner Barrel Length - 245mm
Motor - EG1000R

The Uzi was a gang-banger favorite of the 1980's. That was probably due, in part, to it's overexposure in films such as Chuck Norris' "Delta Force." Despite it's bad reputation as a drive-by gun and being in some of the worst films ever made, the Uzi is, nonetheless, a reliable and sturdy weapon. The airsoft version is no exception.

First of all, the Uzi uses a unique version 5 gearbox. According to the manual, it's made of a strong PVC material. To me, it just looks like it's some sort of polymer (that's possibly fiber reinforced), kinda like the stuff they make real steel Glock frames out of. The entire gun is reversed, with everything traveling towards the center of the gun. The piston and cylinder assembly are found at the front of the gun, with the piston travelling towards the grip when the gun is fired. I'm sure that this design was done, in part, to fulfill the Marui claims that this gun has realistic recoil. By forcing the shock to go backwards towards the grip, it's supposed to make the resonant vibrations feel stronger. I don't really think that's the case, but whatever makes Marui happy, right?

The piston is pushed by some sort of transfer bar, as the gears are found in the rear of the gun. The motor is an EG1000R, with the "R" signifying that it's spins in reverse direction. The inner barrel passes through the piston itself, as well as the spring and spring guide. You can take a look at a video of it's operation by clicking here. You will need realplayer to view that. I found that nifty video on Team Infinity's website. They don't know the origin of the video either.

The rate of fire on this gun seems higher than the usual stock Marui AEG. I would compare the rate of fire to that of the P90 or FA-MAS. It chronographed, bone stock, with a high of 305 fps, a low of 260 fps, and an average of 285-290 fps. That's more than adequate for CQB, and I feel no need to upgrade it beyond stock. My MP5K is one of my favorite AEG, and it only shoots around 240 fps. The trigger pull on this gun is a bit stiff, but does not lack in smoothness. The stock is deployed simply by pulling it out. To return it to the folded position requires the rear section to be pinched together and folded over, then a button on the rear of the gun must be pushed and the entire assembly can be folded underneath and tucked away. I know that some people feel that the folded stock is a bit intrusive, but I don't find it getting in my way. This is a gun that I can hold and fire in just one hand.

There appears to be something missing from the trademarks. Oh yeah, it's made by S.M.G. instead of IMI, and it's an "UZ" instead of an "UZI." (Click here and here to see what the real steel trademarks look like on the legal imported version.) Marui went overboard this time and made sure that you knew this gun was a TM by putting their trademarks on both sides of the gun. Overkill? I would think so.




The Uzi actually has a lot more metal than people give it credit for. It's actually got good weight to it, and the balance is almost at the center of the gun. The top cover, with functioning cocking handle, is all metal. Interestingly enough, the slot where the cocking handle passes through is serrated on one side. I have no idea why they did that. Perhaps it's to increase the noise made by the cocking handle or to try to give it the sound of a cartridge being stripped from the magazine?



The magazine release is placed at the bottom of the pistol grip. This works out well if you're right handed. You grasp the empty magazine with your left hand and press the button with your thumb, pulling the magazine free. Trying to accomplish the same task with your right hand while holding the gun in your left seems nearly impossible. You kinda have to reach around the front of the mag with your index finger and push the mag release that way.



Here's a nice feature about the Uzi. It's got a grip safety, just like the 1911 pistols. I was reading an article about this. The Uzi was used heavily at checkpoints, and if a guard felt that a situation might escalate, they would flip their selector from safety to one of the fire modes in preparation for trouble. However, if the situation proved to be a false alarm, all they would have to do is release the grip and the gun would be rendered safe. Although you probably won't run into similar situations in airsoft games, it's nice to have the added safety. I, personally, never use the manual safety, so little features like this are a gem to me.



Like the real Uzi, this gun field strips with the removal of one pin. Set the selector to safe, push the pin out, rock the lower receiver forward and remove it. Realism at it's finest. I'd also like to note that gearbox isn't really a standalone part. Most of the outer body attaches to the gearbox in some way, making the gearbox the skeletal structure of the gun. Changing the fuse in this gun will be a major pain in the ass. The forgrip must be removed, via two screws, to get to the fuse. Despite what people say, it's not a "flimsy plastic gearbox." It's more of a polymer, and is rather strong. I still wouldn't drop an M120 spring into it, but on the same token, I feel that it can take much more abuse than people give it credit for. Once the gun is field stripped, you can see where the cylinder sits above the trigger.



Marui really went for the gold when it came to replicating the features of the real steel Uzi. On this gun, you can depress the locking tab above the outer barrel and unscrew the retaining nut, allowing you to remove the outer barrel. I've seen a threaded silencer attachment that can be put in the place of the outer barrel should one choose to do so.



Once the top cover is removed, you can see the cutout in the gearbox for the stick battery. Battery capacity is just another one of the major downsides of this gun. Right next to it, on the ejection port side of the gun, is the hopup adjustment. It's a bit on the stiff side, clicking positively into place. The nice thing is that it won't back out on you.



The front sight is adjustable for elevation. I'm not sure, but I think that, depending on if you rotate the front post, it may also be adjustable for windage, since the post is not centered. The rear site, like the Colt/Armalite sights, has a flip option with different sized aperatures to adjust for varying ranges.



The selector is designed to be worked by the thumb of the right hand. In the left hand, it can still be manipulated by the index finger, with a little bit of practice, but it's probably not the most comfortable way of going about it. The selector gets stiffer as you go from safe, to semi, to full, but it locks positively into place once it's set.



A view up the deep magwell. The mag release locks the mags towards the base of the grip, which means that they lock the standard mags at the bottom and the hi-cap mags are locked at the center of the mag. Not that it matters, but it was just an interesting observation.



I don't regret buying my Uzi at all. Owning this gun is a unique experience and gives me the pleasure of playing with one of the most unusual weapons in the Marui lineup. My final verdict? This gun is more than adequate for it's purpose. It's size and balance, combined with it's high rate of fire and features, makes this an excellent assault weapon. It maintains a lower profile than the MP5 series of guns while offering a slightly longer barrel. If you want to perform room clearing exercises, this could be the gun for you.