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Written by Masada » 24 Feb 2012, 18:24
Okay, so what I`m going to do is give ya`ll a complete rundown of the 2011 version as of 2/24/2012. I just bought it last week from ehobbyasia so this is the most current stuff; it may be different later on as Viper Tech likes to change stuff around mid production cycle. I will also compare with my old gen. 1 that I purchased within 1 month of the original release (so it`s the really old stuff).
Externals: (front to back)
Flash-hider:
Gen. 1 - Came with an orange plastic flash-hider, along with a black steel flash-hider. Thread size is real steel dimensions, so 12mm. Real flash hiders should fit.
2011 - Only came with the steel flash-hider that was spray painted orange. A bit of acetone and some time and it will be back to black. Thread size is still 12mm.
Outer Barrel:
Gen. 1 - One piece, all steel, looks exactly like a real AR-15 barrel. Has correct 5.56 markings engraved in the correct place.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, no change.
Front Sight:
Gen. 1 - Steel casting, exactly like a real AR-15 front sight.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, no change.
RAS:
Gen. 1 - Machined from aluminum, painted with high quality black paint, then laser engraved just like the original KAC version. Includes KAC markings on the inside of the heat shield and underneath the top of the top half.
2011 - Machined from aluminum. The top has been anodized black and has a very slick feel to it, exactly like the KAC version. The bottom piece is still painted like the Gen. 1. All of it is still laser engraved like the real version, but this one lacks the KAC markings on the inside that the Gen. 1 had.
Delta Ring:
Gen. 1 - Well, its a delta ring that would be just fine on a real gun. Can`t tell the difference from a real one. Spring is stiff as hell.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, but the spring is even stiffer. That just might be a because of use though.
Receiver:
Gen. 1 - Cold forged and machined from 6061 aluminum. It used the same tooling from the original 2008 Inokatsu`s so it is not completely correct if you look really really close. I honestly could never tell the difference. It is anodized black that kind of sparkles a bit in direct light, it`s hard to explain, but it doesn`t look like a the colt receiver it is supposed to be imitating. The machining is very nice, no defects anywhere. The inside of the magwell is very smooth from the machining, but the tooling marks can still be felt.
All the markings are laser etched on and are white. The markings are half Colt, half Viper. Look at the included picture, hard to explain. Features SAFE - SEMI - BURST markings.
2011 - Cold forged and machined from 6061 aluminum. The tooling has been d and most of the mistakes from the 2008 have been fixed. Again, I can`t tell the difference, that`s just what they said. It is again anodized black, but where the Gen. 1 was kind of sparkly, this one is not. The finish is magnificent, I can`t say much else. Where as the Inokatsu 2011 is more dull like the real thing, this is more shiny. Shiny isn`t really the best word for it because it is far from it, it just reflects more light. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there are defects from the forging and machining that can be found on the receiver (mostly the upper). They look like little tiny divots. Now, some might see this as a negative, and if you are looking for perfection it is; but this is how most real receivers are, so technically it`s more realistic. The magwell is also a bit rougher, signs of a quicker machining process. There is also milling lines around the bolt catch mounting area.
This time the trademarks are engraved onto the receiver. They are still the same markings as the Gen. 1, but damn the engraving looks nice. It`s nearly perfect, no rough edges at all. This one features SAFE - SEMI - AUTO markings though. The full length M16 has the burst marking instead of auto.
Pistol Grip
Gen. 1 - Plastic of sorts. Nice feel.
2011 - Plastic of sorts. Smoother than the Gen. 1, and attracts scratches more. Still feels nice.
Buffer Tube:
Gen. 1 - It`s a buffer tube, it`s machined and it works? I don`t know what else to say.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, no change.
Stock:
Gen. 1 - LE style stock on my 14.5 in. version. Wobbles a lot.
2011 - LMT Crane stock now comes on the 14.5 in. model. Still wobbles, but not as much.
Internals:
Hop-up:
Gen. 1 - Steel, uses AEG type barrels and buckings. Adjusts underneath the bottom rail section. The standard barrel is a 6.04 brass tightbore. It is next to impossible to take apart the hop up unit. The lips on mine bent after a while and caused misfeeding. The rubber wore out after a while as well and the lips of the rubber eventually tore off. The barrel extension is made of aluminum and showed very heavy signs of wear pretty quickly. Barrel extension is gold in color. Generally bad unit.
2011 - Still made of steel, still has a brass 6.04 AEG type tightbore. Adjusts underneath the bottom rail section. I have not tried to take it apart yet, and I will not attempt it until I absolutely have to. Let`s just assume that it will be hard to take apart. The rubber is completely different, the lips are now as wide as the steel lips of the chamber itself. They angle in toward the barrel and stop at the inner diameter of the barrel. What I am saying is they are very thick, ~2mm, and are designed to stop misfeeding and should not get torn off by jams and other malfunctions. You will have to buy replacements from Viper Tech though. The barrel extension seems to be made from steel this time and is a darkish brown in color.
Bolt and Carrier:
Gen. 1 - Steel carrier, aluminum nozzle, very heavy. The carrier is the same steely color as the outer barrel, the nozzle is goldish, somewhat like the barrel extension. The bolt features two o-rings to keep a good seal. The side-lock plate is held in place by a hex screw that has been subsequently loctited in place. Oh, and it`s also held in place by a very tight pressure fit. It`s nearly impossible to get this out without breaking something. The internals are negative pressure. The flute valve is made of brass and will break eventually, which sucked when it happened.
2011 - Steel carrier, supposedly the nozzle is steel as well. I`ll have to go get some magnets to make sure. Carrier color is the same, the nozzle is grayer, but still has a gold tint. Still has two o-rings on the nozzle. The side-lock plate is no longer held in by a screw, and will fall freely from the carrier which is great news. The internals are still negative pressure, but the flute valve is now made of steel rather than brass, and looks a bit thicker too.
Charging Handle:
Gen. 1 - Aluminum, machined. Very nice.
2011 - Forged aluminum and machined. Very smooth and pretty shiny. Looks and feels great.
Firing pin Housing:
Gen. 1 - Aluminum. Western Arms design I believe. I could still insert a mag with the hammer not cocked and no gas would leak, might just be wear though.
2011 (GFPA `11) - Aluminum. Allows you to insert a mag without being cocked. I`d rather not go into tons of detail here because their video shows it pretty well. The bolt catch has also been slimmed down to work with the new design.
Hammer and Spring:
Gen. 1 - Steel. Western Arms-ish design. The hammer spring only forces it halfway through the cycle, when it hits the firing pin it is just moving on its own accord. The hammer spring is decently hard, may need to upgrade for co2.
2011 - Steel. I`m not sure if it`s actual design has been changed, though it does now look like a real steel hammer. Due to the new firing pin design it does not travel as far as a real hammer or other GBBR hammers. Now though the spring does follow it until it hits the firing pin. The spring is also much stiffer than the Gen. 1, and should be sufficient for co2.
Sear:
Gen. 1 - Steel.
2011 - Looks to be oil quenched steel. Very nice and should be a lot stronger.
Selector:
Gen. 1 - Steel. Locks into place very well.
2011 - Steel. Also locks into place very well.
Buffer and spring:
Gen. 1 - Buffer is the same as a real steel version. Has a hard rubber piece at the end. Recoil spring is stiff, but still reasonable. Includes two plastic spacers at the end to short stroke the gun. Do not ever try to use the gun without these, it will cause major problems down the road. The bolt will still lock back even though it is short stroked.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, no changes.
That seems to cover all of it. I hope this helps anyone that is thinking of buying one. I know I have repeated some things that people have already said, but a lot of this has not been said. Having this much info would have helped me a lot when I was making the decision to buy this current one I have. I was so close to getting a 2011 Inokatsu, and honestly I`m glad I went with the Viper. They really have improved greatly from the first version.
I will try to have a bunch of pictures of the 2011 version soon.
If you have any question regarding this gun please don`t hesitate to send me a message, I will help you.
Gen. 1 Pics:
2011 Version Pics:
Last edited by Masada on 25 Feb 2012, 01:37, edited 3 times in total.
Original Post : gasguns.info forum
Okay, so what I`m going to do is give ya`ll a complete rundown of the 2011 version as of 2/24/2012. I just bought it last week from ehobbyasia so this is the most current stuff; it may be different later on as Viper Tech likes to change stuff around mid production cycle. I will also compare with my old gen. 1 that I purchased within 1 month of the original release (so it`s the really old stuff).
Externals: (front to back)
Flash-hider:
Gen. 1 - Came with an orange plastic flash-hider, along with a black steel flash-hider. Thread size is real steel dimensions, so 12mm. Real flash hiders should fit.
2011 - Only came with the steel flash-hider that was spray painted orange. A bit of acetone and some time and it will be back to black. Thread size is still 12mm.
Outer Barrel:
Gen. 1 - One piece, all steel, looks exactly like a real AR-15 barrel. Has correct 5.56 markings engraved in the correct place.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, no change.
Front Sight:
Gen. 1 - Steel casting, exactly like a real AR-15 front sight.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, no change.
RAS:
Gen. 1 - Machined from aluminum, painted with high quality black paint, then laser engraved just like the original KAC version. Includes KAC markings on the inside of the heat shield and underneath the top of the top half.
2011 - Machined from aluminum. The top has been anodized black and has a very slick feel to it, exactly like the KAC version. The bottom piece is still painted like the Gen. 1. All of it is still laser engraved like the real version, but this one lacks the KAC markings on the inside that the Gen. 1 had.
Delta Ring:
Gen. 1 - Well, its a delta ring that would be just fine on a real gun. Can`t tell the difference from a real one. Spring is stiff as hell.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, but the spring is even stiffer. That just might be a because of use though.
Receiver:
Gen. 1 - Cold forged and machined from 6061 aluminum. It used the same tooling from the original 2008 Inokatsu`s so it is not completely correct if you look really really close. I honestly could never tell the difference. It is anodized black that kind of sparkles a bit in direct light, it`s hard to explain, but it doesn`t look like a the colt receiver it is supposed to be imitating. The machining is very nice, no defects anywhere. The inside of the magwell is very smooth from the machining, but the tooling marks can still be felt.
All the markings are laser etched on and are white. The markings are half Colt, half Viper. Look at the included picture, hard to explain. Features SAFE - SEMI - BURST markings.
2011 - Cold forged and machined from 6061 aluminum. The tooling has been d and most of the mistakes from the 2008 have been fixed. Again, I can`t tell the difference, that`s just what they said. It is again anodized black, but where the Gen. 1 was kind of sparkly, this one is not. The finish is magnificent, I can`t say much else. Where as the Inokatsu 2011 is more dull like the real thing, this is more shiny. Shiny isn`t really the best word for it because it is far from it, it just reflects more light. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there are defects from the forging and machining that can be found on the receiver (mostly the upper). They look like little tiny divots. Now, some might see this as a negative, and if you are looking for perfection it is; but this is how most real receivers are, so technically it`s more realistic. The magwell is also a bit rougher, signs of a quicker machining process. There is also milling lines around the bolt catch mounting area.
This time the trademarks are engraved onto the receiver. They are still the same markings as the Gen. 1, but damn the engraving looks nice. It`s nearly perfect, no rough edges at all. This one features SAFE - SEMI - AUTO markings though. The full length M16 has the burst marking instead of auto.
Pistol Grip
Gen. 1 - Plastic of sorts. Nice feel.
2011 - Plastic of sorts. Smoother than the Gen. 1, and attracts scratches more. Still feels nice.
Buffer Tube:
Gen. 1 - It`s a buffer tube, it`s machined and it works? I don`t know what else to say.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, no change.
Stock:
Gen. 1 - LE style stock on my 14.5 in. version. Wobbles a lot.
2011 - LMT Crane stock now comes on the 14.5 in. model. Still wobbles, but not as much.
Internals:
Hop-up:
Gen. 1 - Steel, uses AEG type barrels and buckings. Adjusts underneath the bottom rail section. The standard barrel is a 6.04 brass tightbore. It is next to impossible to take apart the hop up unit. The lips on mine bent after a while and caused misfeeding. The rubber wore out after a while as well and the lips of the rubber eventually tore off. The barrel extension is made of aluminum and showed very heavy signs of wear pretty quickly. Barrel extension is gold in color. Generally bad unit.
2011 - Still made of steel, still has a brass 6.04 AEG type tightbore. Adjusts underneath the bottom rail section. I have not tried to take it apart yet, and I will not attempt it until I absolutely have to. Let`s just assume that it will be hard to take apart. The rubber is completely different, the lips are now as wide as the steel lips of the chamber itself. They angle in toward the barrel and stop at the inner diameter of the barrel. What I am saying is they are very thick, ~2mm, and are designed to stop misfeeding and should not get torn off by jams and other malfunctions. You will have to buy replacements from Viper Tech though. The barrel extension seems to be made from steel this time and is a darkish brown in color.
Bolt and Carrier:
Gen. 1 - Steel carrier, aluminum nozzle, very heavy. The carrier is the same steely color as the outer barrel, the nozzle is goldish, somewhat like the barrel extension. The bolt features two o-rings to keep a good seal. The side-lock plate is held in place by a hex screw that has been subsequently loctited in place. Oh, and it`s also held in place by a very tight pressure fit. It`s nearly impossible to get this out without breaking something. The internals are negative pressure. The flute valve is made of brass and will break eventually, which sucked when it happened.
2011 - Steel carrier, supposedly the nozzle is steel as well. I`ll have to go get some magnets to make sure. Carrier color is the same, the nozzle is grayer, but still has a gold tint. Still has two o-rings on the nozzle. The side-lock plate is no longer held in by a screw, and will fall freely from the carrier which is great news. The internals are still negative pressure, but the flute valve is now made of steel rather than brass, and looks a bit thicker too.
Charging Handle:
Gen. 1 - Aluminum, machined. Very nice.
2011 - Forged aluminum and machined. Very smooth and pretty shiny. Looks and feels great.
Firing pin Housing:
Gen. 1 - Aluminum. Western Arms design I believe. I could still insert a mag with the hammer not cocked and no gas would leak, might just be wear though.
2011 (GFPA `11) - Aluminum. Allows you to insert a mag without being cocked. I`d rather not go into tons of detail here because their video shows it pretty well. The bolt catch has also been slimmed down to work with the new design.
Hammer and Spring:
Gen. 1 - Steel. Western Arms-ish design. The hammer spring only forces it halfway through the cycle, when it hits the firing pin it is just moving on its own accord. The hammer spring is decently hard, may need to upgrade for co2.
2011 - Steel. I`m not sure if it`s actual design has been changed, though it does now look like a real steel hammer. Due to the new firing pin design it does not travel as far as a real hammer or other GBBR hammers. Now though the spring does follow it until it hits the firing pin. The spring is also much stiffer than the Gen. 1, and should be sufficient for co2.
Sear:
Gen. 1 - Steel.
2011 - Looks to be oil quenched steel. Very nice and should be a lot stronger.
Selector:
Gen. 1 - Steel. Locks into place very well.
2011 - Steel. Also locks into place very well.
Buffer and spring:
Gen. 1 - Buffer is the same as a real steel version. Has a hard rubber piece at the end. Recoil spring is stiff, but still reasonable. Includes two plastic spacers at the end to short stroke the gun. Do not ever try to use the gun without these, it will cause major problems down the road. The bolt will still lock back even though it is short stroked.
2011 - Same as the Gen. 1, no changes.
That seems to cover all of it. I hope this helps anyone that is thinking of buying one. I know I have repeated some things that people have already said, but a lot of this has not been said. Having this much info would have helped me a lot when I was making the decision to buy this current one I have. I was so close to getting a 2011 Inokatsu, and honestly I`m glad I went with the Viper. They really have improved greatly from the first version.
I will try to have a bunch of pictures of the 2011 version soon.
If you have any question regarding this gun please don`t hesitate to send me a message, I will help you.
Gen. 1 Pics:
2011 Version Pics:
Last edited by Masada on 25 Feb 2012, 01:37, edited 3 times in total.
Original Post : gasguns.info forum