Righty! Time for a NEW Definative upgrade guide, Ive been about since the begining and both me and the now eagle6 shop have always been about helping the sopmod platform take off, after all it start from the community simply NEEDING some springs and information for and about the sopmod m4s which at the time where a giant unknown quanitity. The prinicple is simple, the more support a platform / airsoft gun has the more popular it becomes which is difficult with Toyko Marui’s poor stance on the international market’s and the language barrier that comes with buying japaneese products.

An Airsoft recipe for success:
The reason i wanted to support the platform was that my own personal AEG experience up until now had been fairly disapointing, some solid aeg’s, some not so solid, different brands offering different qualitys but nothing i could call an ultimate aeg. Some of the brands out there where pretty shocking offering a gun on the face of it but when it came to working on them it was like opening a can of worms one thing breaking after the next, the best and most accurate aeg’s i used had always been the TM based AEG’s and not only that the NEWER ones just seemed to get better and better, a couple of examples that come to mind where the TM p90 and TM M14 both of these guns seemed to offer a great build quality surviving repeated rebuilds, had massive compatibility with upgrades and extremely accurate hop units. Ive always been a techincal person how i approach things, even when i play golf its a very technical approach never just sitting back and enjoying it for what it is, i have to break things down in to how and why, so i used the P90 a lot and eventually an m14 too, simply becuase they where technically supirior in how they work, some might disgree with that stance and buy what they like but unfortunatly when you play a game it will always promote then need for players to try and find an edge over other players. Normal aeg’s by there very design are pretty old, 20 odd years now with many many flaws. There’s a few new company’s with newer guns but for the most part the design is still based on the original TM design, its hard to buy a TM with there cost when there are newer guns offering the same thing but newer both in build quality and sometimes in design. So when the worlds first AEG manufacturer and inventor of the hop unit decided to make a whole new design of aeg my interest was peeked as lets face it my ownly choice left for a high end advanced option would have been a PTW and i was about to get one at the time of them announcing the Sopmod M4.  TM guns have always been compatiable and reliable but out dated when compaired to modern day aeg’s so at this point i was hopefull and pre-ordered one.

The New Next gen AEG’s introduce a new design of gearbox, they introduce a blowback system, and a separate recoil system. They introduce metal body’s to there aeg’s, this is a big step for TM aeg’s as it brings there externals up to date with other makers. And also they designed a new hop unit system. With the new gearbox and hop unit system and magazines the NEW next gen recoil system / AEG’s has managed to remove a lot of problems / issues, and although its not perfect it has fixed a lot of old school issues and are much closer to the ULTIMATE aeg than other’s.

The Best thing is that these guns are new, and basically remaking the entire AEG range. Over time expect a new version of all of the old classics and of course new ones too.

So this guide will be about showing you what parts fit which next-gen guns as i develop it, and also what options you have for upgrading.

Please also remember that the arnies thread on the sopmod also has 3 years of conversation and information should you want to read through it, its actually kind of interesting seeing what we didnt know then to what is common knowledge nowadays.

The link can be found here – http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/158786-initial-impressions-of-the-tm-sopmod-m4-aeg/

So back in 2009 the mighty marui released the first next gen recoil guns, the ak74mn with its now known as Version 1 Recoil system. After that came the Sopmod m4 with its proprietary battery system and mag stop function, and version 2 recoil system, and then others.

Link here for latest marui next gens – http://www.tokyo-marui.co.jp/cgi-bin_ex/openLists.cgi?ctg=neg&sr=&page=1

Or there full product line up can be downloaded in PDF here -

The Recoil Series:

I’ll Try and break each one down for you, what they are and what fits each one.

M4 Series - (All M4 series are Identical Internally, all M4 series come with bolt stop feature when mag is empty providing you use sopmod magazines. All M4 Series use a NEW Version 2 gearbox and NEW version 2 recoil system. Please See New Version 2 section for upgrade parts that fit or upgrade parts section for parts available)

 

RECCE SOPMOD M4 – The RECCE is identical to the sopmod m4 in every way, but it comes with a Longer Daniel Defence RIS, the RIS is fully licenced through madbull, and actually has a barrel extension which comes in the box, so even though this gun uses a 260mm 6.08 inner brass barrel, you can screw on the extension to give the RECCE either a longer shorter look. It uses Sopmod m4 style battery packs and uses version 2 recoil system. As with ALL guns using the battery system please see the battery section much further down.

Sopmod M4 – This comes with a Normal M4 length RIS and Sopmod Style Stock. It uses a 363mm 6.08 brass inner barrel and uses Sopmod M4 style battery packs and uses version 2 recoil system. As with ALL guns using the battery system please see the battery section much further down.

Socom M4 / M4A1 – This gun comes with an m4a1 style handguard and a standard CRANE stock. Its important to note that this gun is front wired and uses 1600 mah style small handgaurd battery’s, a common example would be 7.4v 1600mah. This gun is slightly lower in price and considered to be a cheaper option all round, as it doesnt have the propiatary battery system. This gun is a recommend option if you want to get a next gen AEG but your on a budget or want a base gun to mod the externals on.

Sopmod CQB Version – This comes with a Normal M4 length RIS and Vltor Style Stock. It uses a shorter inner barrel and outer barrel 260mm 6.08 brass inner barrel and uses Sopmod M4 style battery packs. As with ALL guns using the battery system please see the battery section much further down.

Sopmod CQB Version DARK EARTH – This comes with a Normal M4 length RIS and Vltor Style Stock. It uses a shorter inner barrel and outer barrel 260mm 6.08 brass inner barrel and uses Sopmod M4 style battery packs. As with ALL guns using the battery system please see the battery section much further down. This is the same as the other CQB but comes with a dark earth Vltor stock and Dark Earth grip.

Ak Series – (All AK Series are Identical Internally and all AK series take the same 7.4v 1600mah lipo’s. All AK Series use a NEW Version 1 gearbox and NEW version 1 recoil system. Please See New Version 1 section for upgrade parts that fit or upgrade parts section for parts available)

AK74MN – This version has the Full black stock which is foldable, this gun is front wired. Its a full length barrel version which has an inner length of 460mm. The bodys are Metal.

AKS74M – This Version has a foldable Skelton Stock and plastic wood affect front hand guards. Its a full length barrel version which has an inner length of 460mm. The bodys are Metal.

AK102 – This Version has a foldable Skelton Stock and RIS front hand guards. Its a short length barrel version which has an inner length of 260mm. The bodys are Metal.

AKS74U – This Version has a foldable Skelton Stock and Wood effect plastic front hand guards. Its a short length barrel version which has an inner length of 260mm. The bodys are Metal.

G36 Series – (All G36 Series are Identical Internally and all G36 series take the same 7.4v 1600mah lipo’s. All G36 Series use a NEW Version 1 gearbox and NEW version 1 recoil system. Please See New Version 1 section for upgrade parts that fit or upgrade parts section for parts available)

G36k – This Version has a scope built in which is 3x and has reported good eye relief and is very usable. And a longer barrel, using a inner barrel of 363mm long.

G36C – This version is a more compact version in a traditional G36c style with no scope and RAS mounts, also using an inner barrel of 363mm long (not confirmed in person yet)

SCAR Series – (All Scar series are Identical Internally, all scar series come with bolt stop feature when mag is empty providing you use sopmod magazines. All scar Series use a Version 2 gearbox BUT a Version 1 recoil system which means you need a piston, piston head and spring guide from a NEW Version 1 (please note the scar uses its own scar piston) all the rest is NEW version 2. Please See Both NEW version 1 and New Version 2 section for upgrade parts that fit or upgrade parts section for parts available)

Scar (Black) – This is a scar in black, with a 363mm inner barrel. You can buy a outer barrel conversion kit from prometheus for this should you wish to convert to CQB.

Scar (TAN) – This is a scar in TAN, with a 363mm inner barrel. You can buy a outer barrel conversion kit from prometheus for this should you wish to convert to CQB.

What is Version 1 recoil and What is Version 2?:

I know ill get this question asked and its simply the postion of the weight unit, all units are around 300grams in weight and offer a very similar feel, with one not being better than another they are simply made to fit the gun. In version 1 its on top of the gearbox and operated by the top of the piston. In version 2 its in the stock tube and operated by the back of the piston. These guns are often classed as blowback guns but its important to note the difference. These guns have both a recoil shock system, which simulates a recoil affect and also a blowback system which simulates the bolt or bolt cover getting blown back as you shoot. The recoil systems are VERY reliable, the only fault being that a JAM on the version 2 recoil system and happen if the units screws loosen, so keep it tight and keep it lubed :/ .

PIcture of the V1 Recoil System –

PIcture of the V2 Recoil system –

What are the Different Version gearbox’s ? are they different from normal AEG’s?

YES, they use very different parts but the idea of this thread and my support over the years is to make getting a next gen AEG as painless as possible, to ease players transitions into the THE NEXT GENERATION (insert dramatic music here).

NEW Version 1 or Version 9 - Its important you use the NEW terms this separates Next gen guns from older TM aeg gearbox’s. The NEW version 1 is basically a remake of the VERSION 3 AK gearbox, please note New version 1 is also called version 9 (This was before they moved to a new system). New Version 1

Part list -
Gears – Next Gen AEG gears
Spring – Next Gen Upgrade springs (shorter than normal AEG springs)
Spring guide – You can use a Version 3 spring guide BUT i recommend the Spring guide for the version 9 gearbox, which is simply a version 3 spring guide with a screw hole in the back for the scar and ak stocks to screw in too.
Piston – This uses a NEW version 1 piston which is specifically for the new version 1, the the time of writing the only options where prometheus and TM original.  (please note the AK and g36 use the same piston but the scar uses a scar specific piston however! players have been installing the scar piston in the ak and it works)
Cylinder – Any Full size cylinder will fit. Either type 0 or A for 363mm and over or type B or 1 for the shorter barrel 260mm versions
Piston head – This version doesnt need any support on the back of the piston head thus uses a NEW version 1 piston head or also called VERSION 9 piston head is different from the sopmod version.
Cylinder head – (still too confirm) Normal Version 3 cylinder head
Airnozzle – Ak74MN Air nozzle (as with ALL airnozzles they are gun specific)
Anti-reverse Latch – Next Gen Anti reverse latch
Bushings – Any 5.9mm or 6mm bushing or bearings. (if the bearings you are installing are a little tight dont force it, gently rub the inside of the hole with sand paper or a needle file to make it an easyer fit for the bearings, note it should be tighten enough that they dont spin but not so tight as damage ocours to the shell of the bearing)
Tappet plate – Original TM tappet plates ONLY atm.

NEW Version 2 – Its important you use the NEW terms this separates Next gen guns from older TM aeg gearbox’s. The NEW version 2 is basically a remake of the VERSION 2 m4 gearbox.

Part list -
Gears – Next Gen AEG gears
Spring – Next Gen Upgrade springs (shorter than normal AEG springs)
Spring guide – New version 2 specific spring guide

Piston – This uses a NEW version 2 piston for sopmod m4

Cylinder – Any Full size cylinder will fit. Either type 0 or A for 363mm and over or type B or 1 for the shorter barrel 260mm versions
Piston head - New version 2 specific piston head

Cylinder head – New version 2 cylinder head

Airnozzle - Sopmod m4 nozzle (as with ALL airnozzles they are gun specific)
Anti-reverse Latch – Next Gen Anti reverse latch
Bushings – Any 5.9mm or 6mm bushing or bearings. (if the bearings you are installing are a little tight dont force it, gently rub the inside of the hole with sand paper or a needle file to make it an easyer fit for the bearings, note it should be tighten enough that they dont spin but not so tight as damage ocours to the shell of the bearing)
Tappet plate – Original TM tappet plates ONLY atm.

Selector plate – Sopmod m4 specific
So Lets start with the most common and work through each next gen AEG.

Sopmod M4 AND other M4 variants, Common Faults:

Its a little depressing but lets get into the common fualts:

Propietary battery system:
Fualt 1: Battery cells not charging in sopmod m4 battery packs.

 

So this has been an issue for a while, you charge your 8.4v sopmod battery pack and you go to play and get 1 mag and it dies…

What this is (we think) is high impedance due to either the cells or soldier contacts between cells. Its annoying but charging with the TM charger seems to be a sure fire way of getting a good charge. But obviously we want to use are good all in one imax chargers, so we recommend if your having troubles first try charging at 0.02 amp, yes this is very slow typically over night charge.

The Reason for the Slow charge is becuase of the 2/3 cells, if you speak to anyone who knows about batterys the 2/3 cells are simply not up to fast charging they get out of wack and one cells dies.  this is why some sopmod owners are actually poping cells!

Eagle6 recomends you charge all sopmod battery packs like the good old days over night!  if your not taking 12 + hours to charge a pack then your doing it too fast and risk premature death of your pack.  This is the only sure way of getting an even fill on all cells since cycle charging a whole pack and not individual cells is no sure way of recoving your pack and risks damaging it further.

We offer a service as does most places that repair sopmods where the original cells are removed and new cells are installed, its imporatnt to do all new cells as the new cell will be significantly different in charge to the others.  The added benifit is now the pack is increased in capacity and size from 8.4v 1300mah to 9.6v 1600mah.  The going rate for this is 20 – 25 pounds at most places unless you do it your self inwhich case you will need 1600mah 2/3a cells x 8 and a soldiering iron.

slow charge sopmod packs for the win…

Fault 2:

My gun intermitantly stops working while playing, i cant explain it.

Ok so this can actually covers a lot but to explain my thinking you have to understand the sopmod system.  The wires come out of the gun to a connector with pressure contacts.  These metal contacts push agasint flat metal bars, which obviously slide back and forth as the stock is adjusted.  On the end of the metal bars are more pressure contacts which go into a fuse and then press once again agasint the battery pack contacts.

some pictures:

 so a few pictures and a few problems.  What you can see in the top picture is the internalparts of the stock removed and then lined up like they would be in the stock.  Notice how the plastic block on the right is broken.  This crumbles inside the stock, this is actually at the very least cracked on every sopmod owners stock, when it crumbles due to further breakage its actually trapped in the stock, its holding the bars in the right postion agasint the pressure contacts, when the stock bars are removed you actually cuase a problem becuase now you cant put humpty back together again at this point you WILL need the laylax hard stock peice.

Notice also how grubby the metal bars get, cleaning them should be something you or your gun servicer / repairer does every year.  They will get black and dirty, obvisously be aware that when you do you may need the hard stock peice.

Notice also in the second picture how one of the contacts is broken off this happens usually by accident when you remove a stock sometimes they catch and break off.  The gun will still work BUt i recommend installing the Laylax GOLD contact set, which will include all new contacts and bars.

Notice in picture two how it describes an intermtant problem with the stock contacts a common test is to fire the gun in full auto with the stock extended. With it in full extension it allows for the most movment and least contact.  What your listening for is NY slowing down of the gun in full auto fire from SHOULDERING the gun or moving the stock.  Try to imagine you are playing and jamming that gun into your should or rolling about.  If it does do it youll need to play about with the pressure contacts untill you find the one with the weakest contact and bend it for a better connection.

I think that about covers the stock and you have an idea of the pressure contact system and how a weak conection + recoil from the gun + violent shoulding and banging of the gun and cuase a weak conection.

Fault 3 – My fuse keeps poping…

Fuses only pop becuase something bads happening….

Its not just 20 a draw but 20 amp rapid draw that pops the fuse so somethings definatly wrong.

The most common cuase is a broken tooth off the sector gear, it will be half way round on the single teeth.  Oddly the gun in most cases keeps on working but obviously theres enough resistance to cuase fuse poping. and eventually a perminant jam.

A second cuase is the motor plate.  This is on the bottom of the motor and held in by 2x screws, remove the plate and make sure your motor contacts arnt shoritng out or arcing agasint the metal base plate.  If so you will need to dremel back the base plate so it doesnt contact the motor any more, i suppose you could just insulate but i prefer a smooth motor height adjustment.

Fault 4: My Guns firing but FPS very low / also can be if the recoil stops but the guns still working.

What this is is a recoil weight seize or jam, the difference is a seize can be temparaory cuaseing the damage but still working.  What you will see internal is misssing teeth on the piston about half way up.  Old v2 users will never see missing teeth at the half way point becuase it was a jam of the recoil weight.  You need and this is something as part of the maintance section, remove the recoil weight and make sure theres no debris but also that the screws holding it together are tight, you can add red loctite if you want a perminant fix.  Once tighten apply a white grease to the unit then reinsert.  You will also need to replace the piston with either a tm or prometheus preplacment.  Something else to check is shimming, please make sure the sector gear is shimmed low enough that it doesnt interfer with the pistons return.  What your looking for is when assemble put your finger in the rear of the gearbox you need to be able to slide the piston without moving the gears.

Fault 5 – My guns recoil is getting less and less and less over time.

Simple one this one, have you touched your piston recently ive seen it about 4 times, customer guns sent in for repair and the METAL tooth on the piston is the wrong way round with the tooth towards the piston.  It obviously needs to be next to the plastic teeth to protect them on release, if it isnt there your teeth gradually wear, resulting in less and less piston movement.

Fault 6 – My Front sight is wobbly or Is the front sight ACTUALLY removable.

Yes it is, You ave to remove the two front pins holding it in, im sure youve done that, then remove the upper reciever, then remove the inner barrel and hop unit assembly.  Then insert a hex/allen key about 2.0 if memmory serves into the hole under the front sight, and undo the hidden grub screw.  if you cant feel it undoing or tightening then you have got the wrong size allen key, trust me its there.

Obvisouly for tightening loose sight just tighten the grub screw.

Fault 7 – My stock tube is loose/My locking ring is tight but its still twisting

Man up! crank that bitch… The laylax tool should be sufficent for all your ring troubles :/ If it isnt you can try the gym or a tool with more leverage like the guarder tool with a longer handle.  This can nip it just that extra bit tighter.  The reason is probably you now have worn threads which occour from either A: fitting a normal aeg spring B: playing a game with some twist in the stock tube, even the slightest gap can cuase wear.  Now perfect solution would be to replace the stock tube with a new one (£69.99) or you can try a laylax locking ring which has a tighter thread for a better grip, but it still can require a good tightening!

Please note with a nice new stock and ring, it actually requires very little effort to do the ring up, you need to be able to try to twist the stock if it doesnt move its tighten enough if it does keep going !.

Fault 8 – My mags arnt activating the bolt catch lock out

This is almost always bb releated BUT for your veiwing pleasure is a mag Cleaning guide

Recommend and know working bbs are guarder bbs in all weights, and blaster bb’s in all weights.  The gun cost you a bomb dont skimp on the ammo!

1.
Sopmod Mag Cleaning Video Part 1

2.

Sopmod mag cleaning video Part2

3.

Sopmod Mag Cleaning Video Part 3

Fault 9 – My RIS is wobbly i cant believe i spent 500 on a gun with a wobbly RIS

Chill pill .. richards here… Theres 2 screws and a locking ring.. its got to be one of them.  The first is on top of the RIs and takes a HEX/Allen driver Its about 3.0 from memory.  After removeing that you can lift off the lower ris then the upper ris.  At the bottom of the outer barrel is a M3x4 or 5 philips screw, This also can be loose.  Becarefull when tightening this that you do not snap it off in the outer barrel.  A little and often approach is needed for that screw and maybe some blue loctite.  Once that is removed slide forward the outer barrel peices and youll see a ring screwed on to the upper reciever.  Remove this to take off the outer barrel, or tighten if its loose which it often is by 1 or 2mm.  Use the laylax tool for this.  Reassemble and all should be good, There are laylax 0.1mm spacer rings avaialable but i found them not to be much use unless installing a Aftermarket RIS set or something like the DD ris sets.  I use red loctite on the top allen screw, but i would never use red on the locking ring or the philips underneath which can sometimes round off if you use the wrong style of screw driver.

Fault 10: My airnozzle has broken!

Right this happens very really an is usually on a hi cap feed gun, It seems to be a missfeed / jam that cuases it since theres nothing inherantly wrong withthe sopmod airnozzles and it really isnt very common.  Obviously install a new airnozzle, you can get tm ones but aftermarket ones like prometheus and lonex are cheap enough, maybe consider a new cylinder head while you are in there.

Double check your bbs are high quality dont skimp on your ammo.

 

 

Now lets move on to internal upgrades available for each gun.  Im Going to stick with ones that i recommend to start with then include all available at some point, and ill try and include why and what they do.

Air Nozzle’s:

Please note – when installing a new airnozzle, it has notch on both ends these both need to be point down for the gun to feed properly.

Prometheus Airnozzle – This air nozzle is a great fit having tried it my self on lots of sopmods now. It has an internal o ring for a better airseal. Installing this upgrade will produce a better airseal, and obviously its handy if youve broken your airnozzle for what ever reason.

Lonex Airnozzle:

This Airnozzle is very similar to the prometheus.  The pricing is about the same, i would suggest matching airnozzle with cylinderhead.

Cylinder head’s:

Prometheus Cylinder Head – This is anodized red and made from aliminum, this provides a tight air seal between the cylinder and cylinder head, also a tight airseal between the nozzle and cylinder head. Very high quality and a worthy upgrade if you are after increasing fps or more cushioning from impacts by the piston.

Lonex Cylinder head – This is also a nigh quality aliminium cylinder head it will provide a good airseal and extra cushioning, its also a lot cheaper than the prometheus one if you out to save a few pennys on upgrades.

Cylinder:

Prometheus cylinder, this has an internal low friction coating for reduced resitance agasint the piston o ring, while allowing the o ring to maintain a good seal, theres also some merit to its heat dissipating abilitys.

This is available in many sizes the standard cylinder size for the sop is full type..

CQB owners with 100mm short barrel may need a ¾ cylinder, but having worked on cqb gearbox’s they come as standard also with the full type or also known as TYPE A.

Nice upgrade for increasing overall gearbox efficency

Lonex Cylinder - The Sopmod specific lonex cylinder has some small notches in the end, why they made that is beyond me, its a bit anoying as youll loose a little fps, but it will obviously be a good quality cylinder, i cant rememeber price but it wasnt cheap if i remember rightly, if im honest i cant see this selling unless you buy the NONE sopmod version in FULL type instead.  Just my opinion of course.

Piston:
Currently the only option is a Magic box piston or the standard TM piston.
Please order the TM pistons through me at eagle6 Airsoft or check our site for ones in stock.
The tm piston is the preferred piston by mane, if you fit the magic box piston, please check for its fit against the sector gear and angle of engagement from the pickup tooth of the gears, these can work but usually are not a straight fit.

Piston Heads:
Prometheus Piston Head –

This piston head is very well constructed, has a nice quality o ring providing excellent compression, also the head its self is vented for a faster return time and better expansion of the o ring. This has a built in metal peice on the back to take the impact of the recoil unit.
Great up grade for increasing fps and over all health and longevity of your gearbox. Id say this is one of the first upgrades you should consider..

Spring guides:
Prometheus Spring Guide – This spring guide provides a better wide fit for the spring to slide on, its a friction free material and spins on a bearing to remove any tensional stresses from the spring. Because of the bearing this may also cause an fps increase.
Good upgrade for potentially improving fps, and maybe removing a little rattle from the spring as it fires, and for overall efficiency.

Gear Sets:
Prometheus Hard Torque Gear Set – We all been waiting for these, they replace the standard TM monkey metal gears which tend to fail after about a year of use. These gears are torque for more battery life and a faster trigger response. They are balanced for an over all more efficient cycle and most importantly Prometheus gear sets never break.. there for they are worth every penny.
Please note – When fitting new gears or bearings or bushings you will need to reshim your gearbox! Please check not only for play but interaction with piston, tappet plate and the other gears…

Bearings / Bushings :
Prometheus 6mm Bearings – These bearings are very well made, ive never had a set fail, they provide a slightly faster rof and extra efficiency of the gearbox
Please note – When fittings bearings or bushings you need to 1. Reshim 2. Oil the bearings and bushings with bearing oil and 3. Use bearing lock (a form of loctite) to secure the bearings so they don’t move.

Selector plates:

The Prometheus Hard selector plate – This is metal and much more resistant to wear and snapping. The original one can wear and stop fully operating the electrical safety, thus causing your gun to not work.
Certainly a worthy upgrade if your experiencing any electrical issues.

Springs:
Eagle6 upgrade springs for Recoil AEG’s
M90 – provides 315 fps on a stock Sopmod with no mods, extra mods can increase it as high as 330 FPS.

M100 – Provides 335 fps on a stock Sopmod with no mods, extra mods can increase it as high as 350 fps.

Please note – fitting normal aegs springs which ARNT the correct length for the Sopmod will damage your internals and cause EXCESS wear to the lower receiver threads.

Other Upgrade parts:
The Prometheus high current fuse – This is a high current fuse to pass more current yet still maintain the protection for your gun. If were forced to use fuses lets make them good ones.. any electrical efficiency you can claw back on the Sopmod is worth it.

24K Gold Electrical Terminal Bar kit – This is a high current kit to replace the standard ally bars, the standard ones are prone to corrosion and low transfer of electrical current. This is a major part of the Sopmod this is where all the current flows through to get from the battery to the gun. The gold contacts also replace the end connectors on the Sopmod stock pipe. A part which breaks on many owners sopmods and ends up not providing a reliable connection!.

This is a must have for Sopmod owners wanting to improve health, ROF, trigger response.. etc
Please note – Tiny bit of soldiering required..

External upgrades:
Sopmod Hard stock block – Not the sexiest of upgrades but ALL Sopmod stocks are broken.. Seriously if you don’t believe me take your stock apart and remove this piece from your stock. It will be in pieces.. This governs the distance of the metal contact bars.. Worst case your gun will intermittently work / low conductivity just because of this small little plastic stock piece..
100% must have for all Sopmod owners..

Sopmod Hard Locking Ring – The locking ring on the Sopmod is rubbish, if you drop your gun, if you fall over.. hell if you fart in the wrong direction youll strip / wear down the threads on the ring/lower receiver/ stock tube. Theres nothing we can do about the tube or receiver BUT you can fit this HARD ring, it has deeper threads and will not stretch or flex the more you tighten it. This is a potential god send for those who are having thread issues..
Must have for all Sopmod owners
Please note – IF you do not do your locking ring up on all sopmods TIGHT, the recoil / vibrations / sling pressure will wear the threads! Buy a tool ! do it up tight.

Laylax Shim set for Sopmod outer barrel – This is to shim the outer barrel (please refer to pictures) Basically it will take out some of the play in the Sopmod outer barrel and ris. If youve tightened up BOTH you Sopmod barrel and ris screws and you still have play then maybe you need to consider these.

Laylax Sopmod Hard barrel piece – This Is to replace a cast metal support piece in the outer barrel, basically people noticed that impacts etc can cause the original to squash slightly or wear over time. This new piece laylax states “offers a sense of improved rigidity”.

Worthy upgrade if you’re suffering loose ris etc

Laylax Sopmod Front receiver pin – Not much to say its a smoother sexier laylax version of the original.
Luxury upgrade or for those who loose theres.

Laylax CQB length outer barrel – This is a high quality CQB length outer barrel which is about 100mm shorter than the orginal Sopmod outer barrel.

Laylax Gearbox locking pin – Due to repeated fitting of the gearbox pin, it can wear and eventually fall out, this is a version by laylax which will not fall out, the gearbox pin is the only pin which located the gearbox. Important if it wears or is lost.
Luxury upgrade

Accuracy Upgrades
The barrel, hop unit, ammo and power are all that affect your accuracy, the best combination of parts for accuracy on the Sopmod I’ve found are listed below. Those on a budget or who generally don’t upgrade might want to start with these upgrades as you will visually see instant results.

Prometheus tight bore barrel 6.03 – This barrel is steel so a very strong construction which will not scratch or bend over time. This are machined so accurately and are so smooth they require no additional coatings to compensate for lower machining tolerances.

Firefly hop rubber AND Firefly FLAT nub combo..
This is the best hop rubber we used, it acts like a cricket bowler bowling a cricket ball, if he bowls with just 1 finger on in the middle of the ball, he could potential add left or right spin, however if he uses all of his fingers evenly spread across the ball, it will be an even amount of spin.
The small dimples on the inside of the rubber provide much of the same affect, even spin with no left or right bias.
The flat nub is also the same principle, removing bias to left or right, because its completely flat and covers a larger surface area there is no chance of the flat nub putting anything over than completely flat pressure on the dimples in the firefly rubber..
The two combined will see you increasing your range and accuracy at range.
Please note – These come in different hardness types, Soft isn’t always the right option feel free to experiment they come in extra soft, soft, normal and hard. The common ones found are soft and hard. Please also note that although traditional fps governs what hardness of rubber you use, AMMO also plays a part, if you’re using 0.25 and below use the soft, if you’re using 0.25 and above you can use the soft it works fine, but you can also use the hard if you would like.

Ammo -
The heavier the ammo the straighter flight you will get but you loose a little speed to target.
Guarder 0.25s
Great ammo never get jams, good for those between 300 – 350 fps

Guarder 0.28s
Great ammo never get jams, good for those between 330 – 430 fps

Update: 28/10/10

So i get a lot of emails, lots of people are switching to sopmods / Next gen guns. The reputation is spreading, people know that they have an unusually good accuracy out of the box, so dispite the price they are an investment in future good gaming / win.

I thought i would post a come example of an email, no names of course. But a good example of a common question, which is I want to upgrade my sopmod. Now that theres SO much to choose from people want to know there options fromt he horses mouth so to speak.

—–Original Message—–
From: Eagle6 Airsoft [mailto:Info@eagle6.co.uk]
Sent: 28 October 2010 02:05
To: Info
Subject: Contact Form

Name: *********************
E-mail: ****************** Telephone: ***************

Comment: I’m thinking of purchasing a Tokyo Marui SOPMOD M4 then eventually getting these:

Prometheus 6.01 Barrel
M90 Spring
Prometheus Cylinder Head
Prometheus Air Nozzle
Prometheus Cylinder
Prometheus Spring Guide
Prometheus Piston Head

Now, I have absolutely no idea when it comes to internals and was wondering if there would be anything else I needed to go with these upgrades to make it have more range/accuracy?

Also I read something on Zeroin about changing the batteries from 8.4v to 9.6v. (Stupid question incoming) Will this just change the RoF? Will it increase mAh? Will it increase trigger response? Ideally I’d like more mAh.

Cheers, ***

—————-

Hi ***

Theres a massive amount of parts out now for the sopmod. How long is a piece of string, theres nothing you NEED to fit. Out of the box it works great and accuracy is above average.

Most people find that beucase of the expense of the gun and its potential they want to actually spend more on it, to make it there one main gun and sell there others.

They then don’t mind spending more on it. When you see the others that are upgraded don’t feel like you need to instantly upgrade it.

That said the upgrades usually bring something to the table.

Order of priority

Upgrade spring
Battery pack new cells 1600mah
Firefly hop rubber set
Prometheus 6.03 barrel.
Laylax Hard stock piece
Prometheus gold contacts
Prometheus hard locking ring
Gears
Everything else is gravy on top

The pack upgrades are needed to replace the sopmod cells, for some reason people can’t charge them / they don’t hold there charge or they have issues cycling the gun with standard packs.

We offer a service where you send us the packs and we install brand new 1600mah cells, x8. £20 Per pack. Making the pack into a 9.6v 1600mah. Works out about 110 for two packs new then converted to 1600mah.

Or if you like lipo you can order one of the new lipo packs 2400mah 7.4v at £120, sounds like a lot but IF you don’t buy any sopmod packs its actually about the same after the upgrades. And it’s a gutsy power planet, lasting a day easy. Plus it looks sexy as hell with our logo on the top.

If the sopmod has a flaw its that the standard cells in the standard packs are poo. So money should be spent on whats powering it before anything else. Ive had many guns sent in with “lock up” or the customer tells me the guns locked because it was a common issue in old version 2 m4s, I then fit my lipo pack and it springs to life.

I hope that info helps.

And I hope you enjoy your sopmod when you get it.

Regards
Richard

——————————

I hope that helps answer some of the common emails i get sent via you tube, or email, or zero in / arnies.

If you love your sopmod, money willing treat it to some upgrades, but you dont NEED to fit anything out of the box it should be fine. BUT the upgrades do fix some problems, like one customer dropped his gun and bent the stock tube another fit a spring which was too big, in these cases, the threads had worn on the stock tube / locking ring. The stock pipe was differcult to get the locking ring line up straight and tight. In this case the Laylax locking ring fixed the problem. Just an example that sometimes problems can arise after time / abuse. And In this case the hardened locking ring fixed the problem. It could be said as well there wouldnt have been a problem if the upgrade had been fit from the start something else to consider.

BATTERYS:

The sopmod battery packs, more accurately the cells inside, for some people work great others cant seem to get them to hold a decent charge cuasing locking up / cycling issues. I suppect this is to do with how we charge them / what charges / Ampage we use to do it.

Options:

Send Eagle6 Airsoft you battery packs, we will fit brand new high qaulity 1600mah cells x8. Making the pack a 9.6v 1600mah pack, with substantially increased reliability, ROF and ease of charging. Cost £20 Per pack. To remain impartial you can also do this your self by buying a 1600mah mini 9.6v and doing it your self, OR taking it to your local retailer, both fire-support and zero one offer this service.

Fit a lipo pack.
We are doing lipo packs now in these versions.

7.4v 2400mah 30c = £120, These packs drop straight into your sopmod quickchange stock. No fitting required and charg via the normal sopmod charge adaptor and a lipo charger. ROF is similar to a 9.6v nimh pack but offers a longer mah and i feel a better trigger response.

also

9.9v 1100mah 30c = £120, These are a new technology, dispite the low MAH these advanced cells can be charged in less than 15 min… This option is for those that want a faster ROF but with out going too fast. For the average user the 7.4v lipo pack is the prefered option, but we are giving you this option for those that NEED more. The low mah is a hassle but with in car chargers being aviable from eagle6 airsoft, we feel its not a big hassle to simply charge it in the morning and charge it again at diner time. Then again at the end of days play. The new tech charges extremely fast, much faster than normal lipo.

We also offer eagle6 9.6v 1500mah ready made packs for £80, similar indesign to the lipo packs but with nimh cells.

We hope this large list of battery options offers you a large choice for powering your sopmod.

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More coming soon