First impression
The replica came to us in a black box with a red E&L Airsoft logo. Inside, apart from the replica, is a factory quality certificate and a manual. The replica makes a very good impression after taking it out of the box. Thanks to the matte texture of the metal and considerable weight (3335g, and 3124g without the magazine), we know that we are dealing with something more than a toy. The replica put together very well, we did not notice any considerable slack between parts.
The receiver
The receiver is of classic design and lack any modifications that are popular today. It has one-sided manipulators and bolt-catch. An interesting feature is the one-sided fire selector switch which, as in the real firearm, has a moving firing mode indicator on the other side (which in most replica is just a fake cap). The upper and lower receiver has no markings.
The front
The replica has a two part, aluminium (aluminium 6061) RIS front, made using CNC technology. To take it apart, one must unscrew four screws, two on each side of the front. Inside is a space that can be used as alternative battery compartment which, in case of this replica, is located inside the stock's tube. The front is attached with four hex screws to a ring that is screwed on to the upper receiver. There are also rubber RIS cover panels supplied by the manufacturer as part of the set.
The sights
The flip-up type sights are made from aluminium and steel: the flipped-up front and rear sight are made of steel, and the RIS mounts - from aluminium. The sights are very robust. They do not have a position lock but stay in the desired setting very securely and some effort must be used to flip them up or down.
The external barrel and flash hider
The external barrel is made in the TM standard and is completely made of steel. It has a fake low profile gas block and gas tube. The flash hider used in the replica of classic design and is made of steel.
The pistol grip
The polymer pistol grip is of standard AR-15 design and has a finger nub which improves the grip.
The magazine
As in the case of the pistol grip, the magazine is also of the classic AR-15 design. It is a STANAG type midcap. It has no markings and its very well made.
The stock
The stock mounted in the replica is a new look in the Special Forces type stock. The cheek pads are present yet we do not have access inside them to use them as storage compartments, which was featured in the traditional design. Now the pads have a more rounded, modern shape. The end of the stock guide is a screwed on cap and under it is a battery connector and a fuse.
Disassembly
The replica has been based on the well known TM standard, therefore its disassembly is quite easy. After the removal of the forward pin, we pull the upper receiver forward from the lower receiver, closing the dust cover which is obstructed by the pin which stays in the receiver. This gives us access to the hop-up chamber. To take the gearbox out, we must unscrew the fire selector switch, take out the rear pin and the trigger pin, and than unscrew the pistol grip after first taking out the motor which is inside it.
The hop-up chamber
The hop-up chamber installed in the replica is of the rotary type and is very airtight. This solution, known from the G36 replicas, is slowly becoming a new standard in the AR-15 type replicas. It has been made almost entirely from metal, only the adjusting wheel and the spacer lever are made of plastic. The bucking used in the replica is soft and has a spinning nub in a shape resembling the PDI W-hold or the new blue G&G bucking. The spacer is of standard type and has a shape of an empty cylinder.
The inner barrel
The brass inner barrel is 380 mm long and is beveled at the exiting end.
The gearbox
The replica has a black, reinforced, metal V2 gearbox made by E&L. It has a quick spring release system. The designers used rounded right angles in the place where the cylinder head is mounted, therefore in the spots where the V2 gearboxes are prone to cracking. Rounded angles result in a bigger surface on which the energy of the working piston transferred thus giving the gearbox more resilience. It is screwed together with Phillips screws, but to disassemble it we must first remove one of the gears responsible for the working of the firing mode indicator.
The pneumatic unit
The designers decided to use a single piece type 2 cylinder and cylinder head set. This gives perfect airtightness of this part of the unit. The piston head used is a silent type and it is liked by many thanks to its properties. Despite being made from polymer, it works fine with M130 springs. The piston is also made from polymer and has three steel teeth. It is unfortunate that the manufacturer did not use a piston with full steel teeth (the reason might be the fact that E&L does not have this type of piston in its offer). The nozzle is made of polymer, has an O-ring and is 21,2 mm long. The tappet plate is plastic and performs its task very well.
The gears
The manufacturer decided to use helical gears with 18:1 ration, all bearing the E&L logo. The gears if this type are characterized by greater resistance to mechanical stress and they operate with less noise. They are placed in 9 mm ball bearings.
The motor
The long type motor has an engraved E&L High Torque ELM170 markings. It has very strong magnets and, as suggested by the name, will work with an M170 spring without any problems. It is black with a red the shaft cover and the rear cover.
Shooting
The replica generates an average of 426,1 FPS. The lowest registered muzzle velocity from 10 shots was 422,7 FPS, the highest was 429 FPS, which seems to be a very satisfying result. Those values mean that the replica is ready for airsoft games right out of the box. The ROF we registered was 20.2 RPS (on a 11.1V LiPo battery), which is quite a good result for a stock replica. The ELAR SOPMODII Platinum is very well centered, which combined with the hop-up bucking used in the replica, make the shots very repeatable and the BBs fly sideways very rarely.
Below is a table presenting the amounts of FPS that were registered during our test. We use the XCORTECH X3500 chronograph. The test has been performed right after the replica had been taken out of the box:
426,2
422,7*
429^
429
424,3
426,1
425,4
424,2
426
428,3
An average of 426,1 FPS
Summary
For many people E&L company is synonymous with high quality AK family carbines replicas, therefore the introduction of AR-15 type replicas into the market has been met with big interest. And E&L did not let its users down: both the external and internal finish of the replica is of of highest quality. It is noticeable that the designer know how real firearms are made therefore the materials used in the ELAR SOPMODII Platinum have been chosen very well and the replica has an excellent finish. The only thing lacking for complete satisfaction would be a in-built MOSFET circuit. Yet, as we found out at the IWA 2018 fair, E&L is currently working on a MOSFET design, so it is possible that this feature will be included in the replica in the nearest future. A minor drawback is the lack of any kind of markings, which might be a big issue for many reenactors, though the more creative people are left with a lot of space for custom laser engravings.
ELAR SOPMODII Platinum is a replica which is difficult to classify: nor is it a replica for beginners (a bit to expensive), nor a rarity for collectors (lack of markings and a MOSFET). This places the E&L product somewhere in between, and it should not be placed together with other so called "mid-range" products. Still, it has to be noted that E&L does not disappoint it's fans by delivering a replica that is ready for games out of the box. The replica is also susceptible to a slight tuning. The ELAR SOPMODII Platinum is simply a good choice for people who are looking for a reliable replica at a decent price.
Pierwsze wra
ż
enie
Replika trafi
ł
a do nas w czarnym pudle z czerwonym logiem
E&L Airsoft
. W
ś
rodku, oprócz repliki,
znajdziemy certyfikat jako
ś
ci z fabryki oraz instrukcj
ę
obs
ł
ugi. Po wyci
ą
gni
ę
ciu z pude
ł
ka wra
ż
enie jest
naprawd
ę
dobre. Dzi
ę
ki matowej fakturze metalu i dosy
ć
du
ż
ej wadze repliki (3335 g, a 3124 g bez
magazynka), wiemy,
ż
e mamy do czynienia z czym
ś
wi
ę
cej ni
ż
tylko zabawk
ą
. Replika jest bardzo
dobrze spasowana, nie odnotowali
ś
my wi
ę
kszych luzó
w.
This test was possible thanks to the courtesy of Gunfire.pl
