ARCTURUS X C.A.T. Versatile-5S Valor AEG FE™

Starting at the front, we can find a steel compensator styled after the real steel Rainier Arms XT Mini comp, furnishing the front end of the Valor with a menacing look straight out of the box. The compensator is made from steel and flawlessly machined, though if you need a tracer to light the enemy up or a suppressor for a clandestine look, you'll be pleased to learn that the alloy outer barrel features 14mm CCW male threading, ready for the most common alternative muzzle devices in Airsoft. Just make sure you remove the retaining grub screw before attempting to unthread the compensator!

Moving rearwards, we come to the skeletonised handguard, an ultra-light minimalist design which gives you the attachment interfaces you need without slowing you down with unnecessary weight. At the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions, we're equipped with M-LOK negative space attachment slots, ready to rock with the most modern accessory interface out there capable of mounting M-LOK accessories directly or 20mm accessories using 20mm rail adapters. At the 6 and 12 o'clock positions, the handguard boasts short sections of 20mm Picatinny rail built-in, allowing vertical foregrips, tactical flashlights, laser aiming modules and the included set of flip-up aperture iron sights to be mounted with ease.

Next up, we reach the receiver, which is one of the most exciting parts of the Valor build. Starting with the standard stuff, the upper is rocking a 20mm Picatinny rail which seamlessly mates with the handguard's upper rail, providing plenty of space for practically any optical sight setup, including red dot and magnifier combos. The rear of the receiver also features the up-and-coming 1913/20mm Picatinny stock interface found on MCX, MPX and VMP-2 series rifles, allowing you to fit a range of skeletonised side folding stocks, buffer tube adapters, visor stocks and more to suit the mission at hand. Now, onto the more interesting stuff!

Packed with innovation and made with a design philosophy focused on pure functionality in-game, this receiver features ambidextrous AR-15 style controls and a snag-reducing design with the usual protrusions of standard AR receivers omitted to improve handling while the adrenaline is pumping. The charging handle, located at the top rear of the receiver, has been reprofiled to be as small as possible while maintaining functionality, in line with modern SMG designs like the MP7 and MP9, which need to be concealable and snag-free to fulfil their battlefield role.

Pulling the charging handle back will retract the mock bolt on the right side of the receiver, revealing the rotary HOP-up adjuster inside the mock ejection port. The HOP-up allows you to adjust backspin applied to your BBs to increase range and tune for different ammo weights, seeking the flattest possible trajectory. The rotary design is the most modern unit design for M4/AR-15 AEGs, improving over the legacy "gear" HOP-up unit in its ability to be tuned in finer increments and its improved setting retention under the vibrations of firing. When your HOP-up is adjusted to the sweet spot for your choice of BBs, you can hit the ambidextrous bolt release on either side to send the mock bolt home with a satisfying "clank".

The fire selector switch is right where any M4 user will expect, above the pistol grip, offering 3 modes of fire by default in a SAFE-SEMI-AUTO layout. Being an ambidextrous design, the fire selector is present on either side, ideal for left or right-handed shooters and those who like to make the best use of cover through shoulder-to-shoulder transitions. Being equipped with the FE™ programmable MOSFET, the fire selector can be configured however you like, from burst mode to binary trigger with ramping full-auto!

The pistol grip itself is a slim, ergonomic design with dot textured panels on either side to improve traction for wet weather operations. The backstrap is filled out to comfortably support the web of the hand, and the grip angle is slightly more vertical than most pistol grips to reduce wrist fatigue when shooting in modern stances with the stock fully collapsed. The trigger guard is built into the receiver and significantly enlarged, allowing easy access to the speedy flat trigger so you can pump out those double taps up close for improved hit probability.

The magazine well is probably the highlight of the Valor, and while we've seen other platforms with a Kriss Vector-style mag well, no other can match the functionality of the Valor. The secret of this magazine well is its modular design, taking after the real steel G36, allowing you to swap the magazine well to feed the Valor from different magazines. This will require tools but is quite simple to carry out; we're waiting like hungry lions for the release of the upcoming M4, AK and short 9mm mag wells to take full advantage of the versatile nature of the Valor AEG!

The default magazine well offers an ambidextrous magazine release, making use of the M4/AR-15 style push-through release on the right side and a Kriss Vector style release on the left side. The left side AR mag release is non-functional with the Vector mag well installed, but just in front of it, you'll find the textured mag release button in the same spot as it is on the iconic Vector. The magazine inserts smoothly with minimal movement and drops out cleanly, pointing to tight tolerances and high-quality manufacturing. Having tested several AR-9 style AEG magazines, we can safely state that the Valor uses proprietary magazines, but we have some en route; stay tuned!

As we arrive at the rear, the innovation doesn't end! Mounted to the 1913/20mm Picatinny stock interface, we are treated to an adjustable drop stock with an 5-position M4/AR-15 buffer tube, providing 3 stock height positions to suit any choice of face protection or playstyle along with 5 length of pull positions so you can set the Valor up to suit your body type specifically. To set the stock height, simply press the button on the base of the drop stock mount and slide it up and down into your position of choice. Length of pull adjustment works like any other M4/AR-15 stock; simply hold the adjustment lever on the bottom and slide the stock into your chosen position.

The stock itself is shorter than most AR stocks, reducing weight and bulk so you can stay agile in game. Its honeycombe-serrated rubber butt plate keeps the Valor locked into your shoulder in any weather conditions, with or without body armour. If you have a preferred stock design, you'll be pleased to learn this buffer tube accepts almost any M4 AEG stock, including Crane battery stocks, A-frame stocks and many others.

The battery compartment is inside the buffer tube and accessible with the stock removed. To do this, simply pull the adjustment lever out as far as possible and hold it in place as you slide the stock off to the rear. Inside the buffer tube, you'll find a Deans battery connector to which you mount your choice of battery. We recommend a 7.4V 1300mAh LiPo battery in stick configuration for an easy fit and perfect performance.

Inside, the Valor has yet more innovation on board! The gearbox is a version 2-derived design, known as the ARCTURUS Centaur split gearbox. The split shell design of this gearbox makes tuning an absolute breeze, allowing you to change springs and other cylinder group parts while keeping the gears and trigger components in the lower shell in place to avoid reshimming and repositioning fiddly, awkward parts.

The default setup is 18:1 CNC steel gears running on 8mm ball bearing bushings, a CNC stainless steel cylinder, a CNC POM nozzle with an inner O-ring to improve airseal qualities, and a tunable sector gear which allows mechanical precocking to be adjusted for a frightening trigger response. Also inside is a 6.02mm stainless steel tightbore inner barrel, offering improved accuracy potential and a slight FPS boost, along with rigidity benefits over brass tightbore barrels.

The FE™ programmable MOSFET/ETU system is the icing on the cake, offering a wide range of programmable fire modes, adjustable precocking, adjustable trigger sensitivity and reset, low/high voltage protection, algorithm-guided progressive trigger and adaptive hair trigger, to name but a few! While the default trigger pull is quite long, once you've delved into the FE MOSFET settings, you'll be able to tune the trigger to suit your preferences easily, with options ranging from a realistic full pull to "sneeze nearby to fire" levels of sensitivity, with adjustable reset for snappy follow-up shots!

A mould-breaking platform which truly lives up to its "Versatile" namesake, the Valor is an exciting change from the norm of basic M4s with ergonomics to suit any playstyle and performance to challenge the best. If you're fed up with straining your neck to get a sight picture, want speedy functionality without controversial aesthetics or love an adaptable, customisable platform which can support a different playstyle each time it goes out, the ARCTURUS X C.A.T. Versatile-5S Valor AEG FE™ will be an asset to your arsenal!

Features

• High density polymer build - Alloy outer barrel, CNC alu handguard & buffer tube
• FE™ Programmable MOSFET/ETU pre-installed - Advanced functions built-in!
• 6.02mm Stainless steel tightbore inner barrel - Superb accuracy potential
• 14mm CCW Male threaded outer barrel - Tracer/suppressor ready
• Rainier style compensator pre-installed - Squat, aggressive design, steel construction
• Skeletonised M-LOK/20mm Picatinny hybrid handguard - Ultra-fast to point, M-LOK & 20mm Picatinny compatible
• 20mm Picatinny railed receiver - Ready for a red dot sight or scope
• Snag-reducing receiver design - Brass deflector & forward assist removed for improved handling
• Ambidextrous magazine release - Right side AR style, left side Vector style!
• Ambidextrous fire selector switch - Low-profile, ergonomic design, SAFE - SEMI - AUTO config.
• Low-profile charging handle - Minimalist shape to reduce snag potential (MP7/MP9 style)
• Ambidextrous mock bolt release - Use the catch on the left or right to drop the bolt after HOP-up adjustment
• Ergonomic pistol grip - Dot texture on each side for traction, filled out backstrap for comfort
• Modular magazine well system - Switch the magwell out for M4, AK or short 9mm magwells (available separately)
• 1913/20mm Picatinny stock interface - Mount MCX, MPX and other 1913/20mm compatible stocks
• Adjustable drop stock - Choose from 3 stock heights via the button on the bottom, great for full face masks!
• 5-Position M4/AR-15 buffer tube - Adjust the stock to suit your body type and loadout
• Rear wired: Deans connector - Recommended battery: 7.4V 1300mAh LiPo in stick config.
• Version 2 Split gearbox (ARCTURUS V2 Centaur):
  • Alloy shell
  • Microswitch trigger
  • FE™ Programmable MOSFET/ETU
  • 18:1 CNC Steel gears with tunable sector gear
  • CNC POM Nozzle with O-ring
  • CNC Stainless steel cylinder
  • Quick change spring guide
• FE™ Programmable MOSFET Functions:
  • Adjustable pre-cocking (7 levels)
  • Adjustable active braking (8 levels)
  • Adjustable trigger sensitivity ( 5 levels)
  • Adjustable trigger reset distance (5 levels)
  • Algorithm-guided progressive trigger
  • Adaptive hair trigger
  • Programmable fire modes
  • Binary trigger with ramping full auto
  • Low/high voltage protection
• Compatible with ARCTURUS Valor 9mm AEG magazines (available soon) - Not compatible with other brands

Package Includes

• ARCTURUS X C.A.T. Versatile-5S Valor AEG FE™
  • 105rnd Mid-cap magazine
  • Iron sights
  • Spring reset tool
  • Allen keys
  • PVC Patch