WE P08 (Luger) review

Well this is a review of the WE P08, aka 'Luger', full metal airsoft gas pistol, I've attached a few pics, apologies to those on dial up





Well I recieved this Luger today, having ordered it on the 10th of January from 'Cobra Airsoft', it was shipped the next day and reaced me today (18th Jan), so very pleased with the service! The item was not stopped for examination or customs charges added

http://www.cobraairsoft.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=86&products_id=3657

Being a militaria collector and on hearing that a 'full metal' airsoft pistol was availible at a very resonable price I decided to take the plunge and get my first GBB, I have to say I'm not much on an airsofter I enjoy the collectablity side more so, so the general performance of the pistol, ROF, accuracy etc isnt all that important, I'm not expecting much for that price. So therefore this review will look at the gun itself, construction, detail, finish, fit etc etc.



The package arrived well wrapped in green waxed wrapping paper, on opening this I was confronted with a plain brown cardboard box (where were the nice graphics?) perhaps the actual gun box was inside this one? No, Paul at Cobra Airsoft had turned the box inside out so as to avoid any unwelcome attention should it be stopped.



First Impressions
On opening the box you are presented with the gun, magazine fitted, sunk into a polystyrene insert over which is a piece of black cloths, its simple, looks the part, but you just want the gun!!



Also in the package is a bag containing three small allen keys and an instruction booklet, thats it. Below is a pic of the box turned the right way around:



On picking up the gun for the first time you first encounter these horrible plastic grips, to feel the grips alone makes the gun feel very cheap, but once you pluck her out of the box you can really feel the weight in her, its a nice hefty piece, it weighs in at approx 826g, just shy of the weight of its real steel counterpart. It just feels good in the hand, sturdy and robust.






Fit and Finish
There appears to be two finishes on the gun, a satin black and a dark metallic 'gunmetal' grey. The finish is applied well, no runs, smudges or blemishes, perhaps the spray is a little lighter under ledges and in grooves etc, but thats nothing important. I'm not fond of this finish though, as nice as it is, Lugers werent painted or sprayed, like most guns they were either 'blued' or 'oil blackened', a chemical process whereby the metal takes on a tone, rather than a color being applied over the metal. In fact the hand grip screws and some pins have been blued and look really well, pity the whole gun wasnt like that. but then the most of the body of the gun appears to be an aluminium, so probably couldnt be blued etc.

The toggle drum, arm, breech block, magazine and trigger bar are a metallic grey, again a sprayed finish, which like the black is well applied but not very authentic, but then maybe I'm being too fussy



'Black and straw' finish on an original:


I'm going to look into alternative finishes which may be suitable to give a more realistic, aged look, so it can be used as a display piece.


The mechanical finish of the components is very nice, no seam lines, no mold line, no flashings or obviousing machine marks that I can spot on external, visible faces, which is really good, its a proffessional job almost.

There is a little rattle inside the gun, which is more apparent once the gun is cocked, theres a little arms that has a lot of play in it, so thats a bit annoying. The mag has a bit of movement too, but isnt too bad. Its easy to slide in and out. Like the gun itself WE have tried to replicate the exact look of the real Luger mag, even down to the platform slide button, which is a nice touch.




The grips........the achilles heel of this GBB, the killer, the lowpoint, the only really bad thing I can say about this piece!! Theres HORRIBLE!! (in my view anyway) theres cheap, molded plastic, might not be so bad had they been solid plastic, but they are only shells, so can be pressed in with your thumb (ok, it takes a little force, but you can press them in). WW2 era Lugers were fitted with bakelittle grips, thats true, but these are cheap, 'childs toy' plastic. They feel cheap, they sound cheap and really detract from an other wise well finished gun, I'm definately sourcing a set of wood grips, stick a set of woods on it and you'll have a really really great piece with an authentic feel. I hate the grips, really.......:mad::rolleyes:





Interestingly the end of the barrel is threaded , I cant imagine why anyone would want to fit a silencer or any other item on the end of the barrel, not appropriate!