We get the replica in a black and white box with G&G and a holographic sticker of the replica. On the back there the most important features of the replica are presented as well as a short history of the company coupled by an extensive description of its logo, including its meaning of its symbols and colours, and also a map if the world depicting the area where G&G brand products are distributed.

When we take the replica into our hands for the first time the feeling is impressive: matte, with a front's surface pleasant to the touch, an ergonomic pistol grip and a comfortable stock. Despite is length and the impression that the rifle is cumbersome, it can be held firmly and comfortably. There are no crackling sounds, there is no slack on parts. One can feel that it is a solid piece of work. One note though: when you plug in the battery and pull the trigger there will be no response – this is intentional. The replica has a Firearm Simulation System, which one of its features is no magazine, no fire.

The body is a modified AR15 standard. The designers decided to forego the traditional rounded shapes and replace them with sharper ones, giving the replica more character. The body has G&G logo and markings in a form of an engraving on one side only. The other side of the body is completely clear.

The 16-inch front that uses the licensed M-lock mounting system is made of metal. It has a matte surface which is pleasant to the touch. A notable feature is the use of a top mounted RIS rail which has been slimmed down by leaving empty spaces in the flats.

The stock used by G&G is a variation of the special forces stock and the popular MAGPUL MOE stock. It is worth mentioning that despite the obvious inspiration the designers went a step further and added a few of their own solutions. The compartment to house small things like batteries and Allen key is detachable, so it is possible to transform the stock to look somewhat like a minimal stock by Battlelink. It also has a six step length adjustment and is secured by a slightly loud, one piece, two level clip.

The fire selector switch, the magazine release button and the charging handle – all of those are made from metal in an ergonomic, ambidextrous version. The  bolt catch is one sided and fully operational which eases up the adjustment of the hop up. There is also an ergonomic pistol grip, which allows to hold the replica very firmly in one's hand. Coming back to the fire selector switch the, it has 3 standard settings: safe, semi, auto, but after a simple reprogramming of the trigger (which will be detailed later), the auto mode can be set to a 3 or 5 round burst.

The iron sights are of flip-up type. They are made of metal, have company markings and are fully adjustable. The position locks are strong enough and rarely fold by themselves.

The external barrel is mounted with a ring. After removing it we can easily exchange the barrel for another one. The replica has an fake low profile gas block and a fake gas tube. At the end of the barrel is a metal recoil compensator with a counter clockwise thread. 

The magazine supplied with the replica is a G2 MAG Mid-Cap type with the capacity of 90 BBs. It has a feeding system that feeds up to the last BB, thanks to the use of a moving BB pusher in the magazine. The replica has a Firearm Simulation System which works together with the magazine and the ETU to block the ability of shooting when all BBs (both from the magazine and the hop-up chamber) are gone, until a loaded magazine is inserted. But do not worry as you can use standard magazines designed for the M4/16 replicas but then the system will simply not work.

The internals

The replica was build on the basis of the well known TM system. After popping out the front pin we can slide the upper receiver forward, while manipulating slightly with the charging handle, to expose the gearboxa. The front pin is still locked inside the lower receiver after this operation so one does not have to worry about losing it. After parting the replica we also get the access to the hop-up chamber and the inner barrel. To disassemble to stock one must unscrew a screw that is inside the stock guide.

The hop-up chamber is made of polymer and has G&G  markings. Its design is reminiscent of the ones used in G36 replicas. It becomes more evident that old, standard hop-up chamber slowly become obsolete, which is a good thing as the solution used seem to be more precise and less susseptible to self-deregulation. The turning wheel works with noticeable clicks which helps to set the right pressure on the bucking. Inside the chamber there is a blue, soft, low temperature resistant bucking with a characteristic, split BB spinning nub which is similar in design to the PDI W-hold. This solution facilitates to flatten the trajectory of a BB and increases the repetitiveness of shots. The spacer used is a traditional, cylinder shaped  in design.

The brass inner barrel is 463 mm long, has 6.08 mm of internal diameter and is not bevelled at the exiting end.

To take the gearbox out of the lower reciver one must unscrew the pistol grip and the stock, pop out the triger pin, the magazine release button and disassemble the fire selector switch. One must be careful not to loose the steel bearing balls which lock the switch in the proper positions. While taking the gearboxa out be mindful of the gears of the double sided selector switch which lie loosely in the on the side of the gerboxa: they like to fall out.

The heart of the replica is an interesting in design and made with high quality in mind, reinforced G&G G2 gearbox. It is truly reinforced: places most susceptible to cracking were thickened from 2.3 mm to 5.3 mm. The design is a straight reference to the Krytac's gearbox. It is very well fitted together and makes an impression of a solid and robust design.

It is held together with Phillips screws and one must remember to unscrew the screw that connects the gearbox to the functional bolt catch. The gears are mounted in 8 mm bearings. The gearbox has a quick spring exchange system but because of the external design of the body, exchanging the spring requires workshop like conditions. On the outside is has an engraver G&G G2 logo and two interesting ports. One allows us to see the sector gear at its meeting point with the piston. This makes seeing what is wrong with the gearbox without disassembling it. The second one, at the height of the meeting point of the motor gear and the beaver gear which makes it easier to adjust the height of the motor and the amount of washers used on gears. Do not worry, none of those ports has any influence on the durability of the gearboxa. 

In interesting feature is the use of drilled holes/grinded surfaces around the area of the cylinder hear, where the gearbox is most prone to cracking. This creates a bigger surface on which the stress of the operating piston is spread. This solution has been used by me for some time now and it gives good result by prolonging the lifetime of the frame.

An excellent solution is the modified space for the wires thanks to which they do not fall out on their own during assembly. To top it off there is a little plastic wire cover which protects the wires against accidental insulation tear when they are pulled out, put in or while the motor is running. Time will tell how will this gearbox perform in the field but as of now, in my opinion, it is one of the best designs I have ever seen.

The internals of the gearbox make a very good impression. The pneumatic system has a very good seal thanks to the aluminium cylinder head with a double O-ring and a specially prepared, muffing bumper, an aluminium nozzle with a double O-ring, a polymer piston with 14 steel teeth, a polymer piston head with a green O-ring known from other G&G replicas. A questionable solution is the use of a type 2 cylinder with such a long barrel. When tuning the replica I would suggest exchanging the cylinder for an at least type 1. The tapper plate is black and made out of a considerably hard plastic.

In our unit we came across the problem of the initial shots not being fired under full pressure. We solved this by replacing the tappet plate spring. The stock one seemed to be too weak so we replaced it with a shorter one. Another solution would be to shorten the existing spring which would also solve such a problem if it would to arise.

The G&G Electric Trigger Unit is made as on electronic plate with a nub that is responsible disabling the firing once the magazine is out of BBs. This circuit is a part of the MOSFET which, thanks to this, has been miniaturised and takes much less space inside the stock.

The electrical circuit used in the replica gives us a few interesting options. We do not need any additional device to reprogram the trigger and change the full auto to a 3 or 5 round burst. It is enough that in the semi mode, after firing a shot, we will hold down the trigger for 10 seconds until we hear a sound signal and than let it go and switch into the full auto mode, fire 2 short bursts. Now we have a 3 round burst mode in the full auto setting. To set a 5 round burst we fire a shot, we let the trigger go and switch between the auto and semi settings five times, until we hear a confirmation sound. The MOSFET also informs us though beeps about low battery levels or a failure of the gearbox. The only downside is that our programming works only until the battery is plugged it. It has to be reprogrammed each time a new battery is connected, which is simple but can become annoying.

The G&G gears have 13:1 ratio. They product an ROF of 1375 Rpm on a LiPo 11.1V 20C battery with the stock setup. Both the mount of lubricant and the shimming is very good: there is not too much lubricant and it is found in the proper places. The gears work without noticeable resistance or slack. This translates into flawless working of the mechanism.

The replica is run on an IFRIT 25K long type motor with strong magnets. It will be able to handle most tuning modifications. It has a silver housing and an orange bottom plate.

Shooting

The replica generates 405 FPS at 1375 Rpm on a LiPo 11.1V 20C battery, which is a very good result. Adding to it a very smooth and quite operation of the gearbox, good accuracy and repetitiveness of shots, we get a replica suited well to mid to long range engagements.

Summary

Just after the first glance at the TR16 MBR 556WH replica by G&G, we know that we are dealing with a high quality product. One can see excellent attention to detail and great ergonomics. Technologies used in the G2 gearbox, with true reinforcements and equipped with an programmable electronic trigger system without the need for external devices are surely its strongest pros. The replica is comfortable, quiet, has a great ROF and, above all, works smoothly. All these are slightly overshadowed by problems with feeding which can be easily fixed. Yet such problem in a replica of this class should not had been present. The G&G TR16 MBR 556WH is a replica for players who like realism (feeding to the last BB, stopping the gearbox when the magazine is empty), smooth workings and easy of use. It is a replica which will meet the expectation of even the most picky players.

We would like to thank G&G Armament for making this replica available for our testing