THE ARMOURY UMAREX H&K UMP AND G36C
lBoth the G36C (left) and the UMP (right) are fully-licensed replicas from Umarex, bearing official H&K inscriptions
INFORMATION UMAREX H&K G36C SPORTLINE Length: 711mm Barrel length: 245mm Weight: 2.8kg Battery: 8.4V NiMH Firing Modes: Semi/fully-automatic Mag Capacity: 470 rounds Price: £150
& Koch trademarks, each weapon is tightly packaged and secured within. (Asian airsoft manufacturers take note.) Within lie the UMP/G36C, a two-pin charger, chunky magazine and glossy and well-versed instructor’s manual in good English. Indeed, early thoughts on the Umarex packaging are extremely positive, and some of the very best we have yet seen from high-end manufacturers. Initial thoughts on the UMP are less than stellar. It feels extremely light and… cheap. However, it is well made, solid and compact. The Umarex UMP is also fully compatible with the STAR UMP, so magazines made by STAR and Ares should fit this particular model. The battery compartment extends into the cocking tube and can fit a 9.6V stick battery with ease. Also, the gearbox can take upgrades such as piston, cylinder and gear sets, and promises to send an avalanche of .20 BBs downrange in excess of 320fps at more than a pulverising 950 rounds a minute: that is some serious machine-gun cha cha cha from its meaty 420-round magazine. While the UMP is intended primarily for CQB, such specifications make this particular model more than suitable for woodland terrain. However, there are some budgetary concerns that tarnish the aesthetics, such as a false charging handle and blemished magazine that has the ammunition visual counter cheaply altered. Otherwise, despite its visual tackiness, the UMP is solid and appears practical. Despite being a larger rifle, the G36C is practical for both CQB and woodland thanks to the folding stock. Like the UMP, the G36C features original Heckler & Koch trademarks, is made of plastic with a metal gearbox and is armed to the teeth with rails for peripherals such as grenade launchers and lasers. Like the UMP, the G36C features an enlarged trigger housing for gloved fingers and feels compact and robust in operation. The 470-round magazine offers some serious BB apocalypse and sturdy construction of the rifle offers to absorb battlefield punishment. The battery is an 8.4V NiMH, although installation is somewhat difficult as the front end of the rifle has to be dismantled, making an issue of the fore-end and splint on assembly. Also, the top lever to engage the hop-up unit remains exposed, although the inferior and fragile plastic material involved in this airsoft incarnation beggars careful operation. Like the UMP and its impressive quality of two-tone – a startling bright electric blue that screams from the rooftops with vulgarity and a onefingered salute towards good taste – the G36C feels solid yet underwhelming in appearance.
INFORMATION UMAREX H&K UMP SPORTLINE Length: 450-680mm Weight: 1.8kg Battery: 8.4V NiMH Firing Modes: Semi/fully-automatic Mag Capacity: 420 rounds Price: £150
Upon the shooting test, both the UMP and G36C were armed with a selection of .20 and .25 Blaster Devil BBs; the firing range was 150 feet in length. Initial impressions remained curiously disheartening. The magazines were prone to malfunctions and feeding jams leading to sporadic and frustrating firing, although this improved through constant use. Also, range and performance – despite being just under the legal fps limits – lacked gusto and a crisp punch, although hitting and penetrating what was expected from a low-budget weapon. Also, both guns, despite their rock-solid construction and bad boy demeanours, have been simplified in terms of eyeball candy and functionality due to the low budgets that they command.
CONCLUSION These Umarex hooligans were never intended to impress the high demands of this reviewer. You have to start somewhere, and a newcomer to the sport could do a lot worse. Indeed, the two-tone UMP and G36C are therefore ideal if one is new to the sport of airsoft and does not want to wait for a UKARA licence. They are well priced for the market and light to wield and operate in the fire zone as well as absorbing internal and cosmetic punishment. Ideal for the beginner and those with smaller hands, these Heckler & Koch submachine guns may not be high-end airsoft shooters, but we all have to start somewhere.
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