CYMA CM.097B

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We all know CYMA, right? Really? Do we? Of all the airsoft brands out there - and in this statement

I include Tokyo Marui - they are probably one of the hardest to � nd any information on… and I do mean ANY!

CYMA have been producing AEGs for as long as I can remember and could be rightly classed as one of the industry “veterans” but scour the interwebz and other than the fact that their products are available from most airsoft retailers, I

bet that you’ll � nd very

little about the brand, not even

a website! It’s almost like they don’t exist as a company! However, if you look on the webpages

of any of their distributors you’ll � nd comments like:

“Known to both new airsoft users as well as enthusiasts, CYMA is a leader when it comes to airsoft ri� es and accessories”

“CYMA are one of the biggest manufacturers of airsoft products in the world. Based in China, there are two CYMA factories, one making cheaper replicas and one that makes more “pro” stuff. They make a massive range of airsoft

guns”

“CYMA is amongst the oldest, most experienced and the largest airsoft manufacturing facilities in the world. Known for their unmatched quality control and professionalism, CYMA is selected to be the OEM of a vast amount of airsoft products”

NO CONTACTOkay, so why in this day and age when information is so freely available and some folk believe they have the “right to know”,

is it that CYMA don’t engage directly with their customer base? My answer… why the hell should they!

CYMA have been around it seems to me... forever! If I go back to earlier (more simple) days, a CYMA was probably the most common “rental” AEG that you’d � nd, certainly throughout the UK and even farther a� eld, especially their plastic AK

CYMA:NOT JUST A POSH WATCH

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WHERE DO YOU POSSIBLY START WITH A REPLICA FROM THE ELUSIVE CHINESE AIRSOFT MANUFACTURER CYMA GIVEN THAT THEY’VE BEEN IN THE MARKET FOR SO LONG? BILL GETS TO GRIPS WITH A MODEL FROM THEIR LATEST AR SERIES AND LOOKS AT JUST HOW FAR THE BRAND HAS COME!

guns”

“OKAY, THE ORIGINALS WERE UNASHAMED CLONES, THEY DID HAVE A HABIT OF SNAPPING REGULARLY WHERE THE BUTT MEETS THE BODY, THEY HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE QUALITY CONTROL AND SOME MODELS ARRIVED AS NEW IN SIMPLY LAUGHABLE PACKAGING!”

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CYMA CM.097B

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models. Okay, the originals were unashamed clones, they did have a habit of snapping regularly where the butt meets the body, they had some problems with the quality control and some models arrived as new in simply laughable packaging! Although the quality of the old CYMA AEGs could not be compared to more expensive brands, the fact of the matter was that they ran like trains (even without the butt!), were easy to work on and upgrade, and above all they were cheap - and I mean DIRT CHEAP!

So, with this in mind my question still stands; why do we need to know who they are and where they live? Why do we need to talk to them on social media? We know that they are located in China, as are many brands these days (gone to a degree are the failings of the “ACM” cachet!) but you can � nd their airsoft replicas and accessories all over the world. You can buy them from most airsoft stores and I’ll bet that you will � nd at least one CYMA AEG on every airsoft � eld that you play!

Bottom line, they don’t need to talk to us directly and who cares if they don’t when what they are producing today has really wow’d a bunch of us.

CHANGE OF VIEWOver the past few years my personal view on CYMA has changed quite dramatically and I’ve been hugely impressed with their AK AEGs since they released the 040 series. Yes, they still make the original 028 series of AKs and they are still cheap as chips (under 80 quid for an AEG!) but for me the 040 series really put them in a very different place. I’ve been using on and off an externally upgraded 077 “Antonov” AK for a while now and it’s a super little AEG that often gives rise to comment as it performs beautifully. On the strength of this I got myself an 077A AK (the Magpully one), then a 040I Tactical model to use as a project base, and these too have been wonderful.

When the guys at Taiwangun

(TWG) contacted me to say that they were working directly with CYMA on the 0.98 AR model and asked me if I would be interested in trying one, I thought to myself “why the hell not” as, although I hadn’t bothered putting my hands on a CYMA “AR” in years, the AKs had really opened my mind to what the brand was producing now and not in years past.

The 0.98 AR is just hitting the stores at the moment and one has been promised for review as soon as it is available but I thought that I’d better get a “benchmark” on the current CYMA “American” models and therefore asked Kamil at TWG if he could send me one over. When I received the CM.097B boy, am I glad that I had!

NEW AND VERY MUCH IMPROVED!I asked the guys in Poland about the collaboration between TWG and CYMA, as in my mind nobody seems to talk to them directly and I was told:

“The new 097 series of AEGs has been created as the result of a long cooperation and mutual trust between companies which have signi� cant experience in this

domain, CYMA and TAIWANGUN.COM. These carbines have

produced to a different

speci� cation; the lower receiver, the

upper receiver, the stock tube, the external barrel, the � re selector, the magazine release button, the trigger, the charging handle, and the front and rear sight are made in aluminium, which has made the replica more realistic. Each model even has on the lower receiver a unique serial number.”

VARIATION ON A THEMEThere are three variants of the 097; the stock model with a 16 inch barrel; the “A” with a 14.5 inch and the model I received for testing, the “B” which is the most compact of the family with a 10.5 inch barrel. All three models otherwise share a commonality of parts which include a precision 6.03mm inner barrel, an aluminium MLOCK handguard, aluminium A3 � at top upper receiver and an aluminium lower receiver. You get as standard a 6-position “magpulesque” stock for large capacity batteries, ergonomic pistol grip, folding sight set, and a really nice 160BB midcap magazine, all in high-standard polymer. There’s also a unique � ash hider with a 14mm thread CCW � tting and an ambidextrous sling mount plate. Quite the tidy package!

The 097s in the new “E-EDITION & HIGH-SPEED” con� guration have a velocity of around 360 fps as standard (although TWG will downgrade this prior to shipping to the UK if you ask them to!) and claim

that in combination with a LiPo battery you’ll be getting a ROF around 25rps

and a faster trigger response. After testing I have to agree with this claim and this seems to be largely down

to new gearbox parts with increased durability, such as a reinforced V2 gearbox frame with quick spring change system, a polycarbonate piston with steel teeth,

CYMA:NOT JUST A POSH WATCH

asked me

hell not” as,

speci� cation;

domain, CYMA and TAIWANGUN.COM. These carbines have

produced to a different

that in combination with a LiPo battery you’ll be getting a ROF around 25rps

and a faster trigger response. After testing I have to agree with this claim

“IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE I WASN’T SURE WHAT TO EXPECT STRAIGHT FROM THE BOX, BUT I WAS GENUINELY SURPRISED WHEN I GOT ONTO THE RANGE. THE MODEL I RECEIVED HAD BEEN OBVIOUSLY SET TO 1.07 JOULE/340FPS AS THIS REMAINED PRETTY CONSTANT THROUGH THE CHRONO.”

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CYMA CM.097B

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a CNC machined steel gear set (ratio: 13:1), 8mm bearings, a CNC machined aluminium silent cylinder and piston head set (ball bearing piston head, double o-ring cylinder head), and a high-speed motor. There’s even a processor unit with built-in MOSFET system!

In terms of performance I wasn’t sure what to expect straight from the box, but I was genuinely surprised when I got onto the range. The model I received had been obviously set to 1.07 Joule/340fps as this remained pretty constant through the chrono. As I’m a midcap player I was delighted with the polymer 160BB model as standard and this fed � awlessly throughout testing. I also tested the CYMA on all my usual AR mags, both STANAG and other and I’m also pleased to tell you that these all fed perfectly too. In terms of groupings at 30m prone things were great, and I’m certain this will improve further once the 097 has had time to bed in properly. As I prefer to shoot on semi-auto the ROF, although exactly where claimed, was of little interest to me but the trigger response is indeed crisp… VERY crisp.

NEVER JUDGE A BOOK…To round things off, after I’d � nished on the range I took the 097 down to my local shop to hand it around and see what the guys thought without telling them what brand it was. Probably, just like you, these are keen airsofters that play nearly every weekend somewhere or other and they are constantly tweaking their own RIFs to get better range, more consistency and more performance from them. These, I � nd,

are the harshest critics of any new AEG I show them and after much nodding and approving “oohs and ahs”, as to the build quality and overall � t, � nish, and “feel” of the 097, there were quite a few jaws

hitting the � oor hard when I told them it was a CYMA!

It just goes to prove that we really do need to put the past behind us and look at what is in the here and now. Many retailers are getting directly involved in producing AEGs in collaboration with an established OEM and from what I’m seeing, this is a very good thing as the player is getting exactly what they are asking the frontline retailers for. At the end of the day, this is a carbine that you can currently buy for well under £200 that looks utterly superb,

feels so solid that you could use it to hammer nails and is more (way more!) than adequate in terms of performance.

If you’re in need of a cheeky new AR then the CYMA 097 models are most de� nitely worth a look.

My concluding comment? Stop trawling the interwebz trying to � nd out who CYMA are and how you can troll them for no good reason! Buy an 097 and get out and play airsoft with it... you’ll be glad that you did! Now, bring on that 098!

My thanks go to www.taiwangun.com for providing the test sample, and please do go and check out what they have available …which is A LOT! AA

“THESE, I FIND, ARE THE HARSHEST CRITICS OF ANY NEW AEG I SHOW THEM AND AFTER MUCH NODDING AND APPROVING “OOHS AND AHS”, AS TO THE BUILD QUALITY AND OVERALL FIT, FINISH, AND “FEEL” OF THE 097, THERE WERE QUITE A FEW JAWS HITTING THE FLOOR HARD WHEN I TOLD THEM IT WAS A CYMA!”

a carbine that you can currently buy for well under £200 that looks utterly superb,

feels so solid that you could use it to

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