Golden Eagle Type 96 Machine Gun AEG Replica

The Type 96 LMG entered service with the Imperial Japanese Army in 1936, designed by Kijirō Nambu, a former career officer in the IJA and founder of the Nambu Arms Manufacturing Company. Nambu is known as the "John Browning of Japan" thanks to the proliferation of his designs, having learned from Nariakira Arisaka, another famed Japanese firearms designer.

While it may look like a BREN or VZ.26 copy, the Type 96 was a unique design, making use of a long-stroke gas piston like the BREN but with a locking block instead of a tilting bolt. The visual similarities come down to its intended battlefield role, being designed to provide supporting fire from the prone position in mind. To facilitate this, the stock is slightly dropped from the line of the bore, the magazine is located on the top of the receiver, the pistol grip is set at a more vertical angle than the norm and a folding bipod is positioned at the front, giving you a well-concealed firing position with ample stability.

The Golden Eagle Type 96 boasts full metal construction along with real wood furniture, giving it the museum-quality looks and feel any historical replica deserves. Inside, we have a unique gearbox which uses version 2 gearbox internal parts, meaning upgrades are a go for those who want the best possible performance. The Type 96 already has plenty of accuracy and range potential thanks to its 6.02mm tightbore inner barrel and rotary HOP-up unit combination, with an extraordinarily lengthy 550mm inner barrel to work with. Whether you are a WWII buff or you want a platform that really turns heads, the Type 96 is a great choice.

Starting at the front, we are greeted with barrel threads, but not the type you use to mount a suppressor or tracer unit! These threads are to install the included conical "Trumpet" flash hider which not only adds to the Type 96's unique looks but amplifies the muzzle report for a beastly LMG feel. The flash hider can be left off the platform to save weight and length, though it looks fantastic in place.

Following the flash hider, we come to the outer barrel which features a realistic spiral mock cooling fin along its entire length, functioning in the real deal to help dissipate heat and maintain accuracy. The barrel profile is a perfect match for the real Type 96, with a slight taper towards the tip to improve handling, with the meatier part being close to the receiver, where the explosions happen.

Running below the outer barrel we have the mock gas tube, connected to the barrel via a steel mock gas block. The gas block includes all the details necessary for an authentic build, including a gas adjuster at the front which can be rotated, and a bayonet lug on the bottom. Even the British wouldn't mount a bayonet to an LMG! Impressive stuff that the Japanese foresaw a situation where one might need an LMG with a bayonet mounted, though not compatible with common Airsoft bayonets, those with fabrication skills might be able to work with this lug.

The bipod mount is positioned just to the rear of the front sight/gas block assembly, allowing the Type 96 to be set up in a fixed firing position with maximum stability. To deploy the bipod, simply pull and hold the sliding button on each bipod leg rearwards (towards the bipod feet) and each leg should unfold and lock into position. The ability to cant by a few degrees left and right means you can keep the Type 96 horizontal, even when deployed on uneven ground. The bipod mount is constructed from alloy, and the legs from steel, meaning plenty of strength to support this hefty LMG when it is doing its downrange duties!

Following the barrel and gas tube, we reach the receiver with its plethora of unfamiliar knobs, levers and wheels. The first lever we come across is the barrel removal lever, which functions similarly to modern LMGs but was included to simplify manufacturing instead of swapping a hot barrel in the middle of a firefight. Due to the limitations of wartime production, the Type 96 required each barrel to be headspaced to suit each individual gun using shims, meaning they could be swapped by an armourer, but not in the field. To remove the barrel for storage or transportation, simply pull and hold the pin at the tip of the lever out, rotate it by 90 degrees counterclockwise and pull the entire lever out, after which the barrel can be removed.

The charging handle is located just below the barrel removal lever and is non-functional but can nonetheless be pulled back for added realism. This charging handle is absolutely massive and intended to be easy to grab when operating the Type 96 from the prone position; yet another of the platform's forward-thinking design characteristics. The hinged door above and to the rear of the charging handle is the dust cover for the considerably oversized ejector of the real thing and can be opened up to satisfy realism fans. To open it, simply press the small button on the top and you can open the dust cover to reveal a representation of the ejector cast into the side of the receiver.

There are a grand total of 3 dust covers on the Type 96, proving Nambu was way ahead of his time and very focused on improving reliability by preventing dirt, dust and debris ingress. The magazine well is on the top of the receiver and can be covered with its own dust cover when the LMG is stored or in transit, and on the right side of the receiver, there is yet another dust cover concealing the mock ejection port beneath. The rotary adjustable HOP-up unit of the Type 96 is accessible either through the magazine well on top or through the ejection port on the right side, requiring the dust cover to be manually opened to access the rotary adjustment dial.

The top-mounted magazine may seem weird if you are used to modern platforms, but there are plenty of perks that come along with it. Being top-mounted means reloads are far easier and faster when shooting from the prone position, avoiding any awkward movements and allowing you to stay hidden as you refuel your LMG. The magazine release is also very large and prominent, meaning you can hit it easily even when pumped with adrenaline and access it from either side. The Type 96 is also designed to allow an assistant gunner to reload the LMG while the shooter stays on the sights, as is the case with the BREN gun. This would be all but impossible with a magazine mounted on the bottom, so if you want to make the most of the Type 96, get your mates involved!

To the rear of the ejector dust cover, we can see a large and prominent knurled wheel constructed from steel. This provides elevation adjustment for the rear iron sight, replicating the real Type 96 perfectly with its extremely wide range of adjustment. Turning the wheel clockwise will raise the rear iron sights, allowing it to be adjusted into any one of fifteen adjustment increments.

Each increment is indicated with an engraved digit visible through a viewing window on the rear of the adjustment drum, and each marking denotes X hundred meters. Obviously, being an Airsoft gun, it is not likely you will hit anyone at 1600 meters, but nonetheless, the sight's wide range of adjustment allows it to be set up for any Airsoft applicable range and an experienced Type 96 user will be able to make this work to their advantage.

The top of the receiver is quite crowded, but that didn't stop Nambu from finding room to mount a scope! Unfortunately, the real steel Type 96 scope is not yet available in Airsoft form, but this feature is cool enough that it is worth mentioning. The Type 96 scope is a 2.5-power periscopic sight, meaning it functions as a periscope, offsetting the line of sight to the right side of the LMG, on the opposite side to the iron sights. This is designed in to avoid the centrally mounted magazine and is quite an advanced feature for the era. The scope mounts to a dovetail on the right side of the top of the receiver, and we simply cannot wait for an Airsoft version to drop!

The right side of the receiver is relatively featureless, other than the ejection port. At the front right, we are treated to authentic markings matching the real Type 96, crisply engraved in for maximum realism. At the rear of the receiver, over on the left, we have one last lever. This is the disassembly lever and is non-functional, but can be rotated as a nod to authenticity.

Moving down, we come to the lower receiver/trigger group, the base of which is constructed from steel with a real wood pistol grip. The safety lever is on the left side, requiring a 90-degree rotation into the horizontal position to unlock the trigger and fire the LMG. The surface of the safety lever is textured to make it easy to rotate whether you are wearing gloves, have hands caked in mud or otherwise. Like the real Type 96, the Golden Eagle replica does not have a semi-automatic mode and shoots in fully automatic only. The pistol grip is set at a much more vertical angle than the norm, allowing for improved comfort and control when shooting in the prone position while reducing wrist strain.

Following the pistol grip, we arrive at the stock of the Type 96 which is constructed from real wood with a deep and varied grain. The butt plate is constructed from steel and has stamped serrations on its surface to keep it locked into your shoulder in any weather conditions. The stock sits slightly lower than the bore on the Type 96, allowing you to get a good view down the iron sights while staying as low as possible to make the best use of surrounding cover.

The battery compartment of the Type 96 is inside the real wood stock, requiring the screws retaining the butt plate on the bottom and top to be removed to access. With the butt plate removed, you will find a mini-Tamiya battery connector inside. We recommend a 7.4V 2300mAh LiPo battery in block configuration to take advantage of the ample space inside the stock.

Inside the Type 96 LMG, we have a unique gearbox with version 2 internal part compatibility, meaning good news for those who cannot help themselves but upgrade everything they touch. The inner barrel is a 6.02mm tightbore example, providing a slight raise in FPS and improved accuracy potential downrange. The HOP-up is a unique rotary unit which is compatible with AEG barrels, HOP-up rubbers and nubs, and the pre-installed gearset is steel, running on 8mm bushings with an 18:1 ratio. The result is a quite realistic rate of fire and impressive accuracy at range, ideal for a light machine gun intended to lay down fire and suppress long range targets.

Whether you plan to run an Imperial Japanese Army loadout or you want a rarely-seen platform to provide supporting fire for your team, the Golden Eagle Type 96 is a fine choice for the job. Unconventional though it may be, the Type 96 is very well designed for its role, and once you get your head around how to use it you will definitely appreciate its quirks!

Features

• Full metal construction - Loads of steel!
• 6.02mm Tightbore inner barrel - Awesome accuracy potential
• Spiral cooling fin on the outer barrel - Allows for heat dissipation in the real thing, looks great
• Authentic replica of the Japanese Type 96 LMG - Perfect for reenactment
• Built-in bipod - Steel legs, alloy mount - Deploy in a more stable position
• Conical "Trumpet" flash hider - Wild looks, works as a sound amp for a booming muzzle report
• Top mounted magazine - Easy to change mags when in the prone position
• Enlarged charging handle - Non-functional, just there for aesthetics
• Ambidextrous magazine release - Up top, accessible from either side
• Rotary adjustable HOP-up unit - Accessible through the magazine well when the mag is removed
• Real wood carry handle, pistol grip & stock - Realistic build, perfect for history buffs
• Side-mounted aperture iron sights - On the left side, provides clearance for the top-mounted mag
• Textured pistol grip - Provides plenty of grip for wet weather operations
• Rotary safety catch - On the left side of the lower receiver, SAFE - FULL AUTO only
• Rear wired - Mini-Tamiya connector -  Recommended battery -7.4V 2300mAh LiPo Block Battery
• Unique gearbox - Version 2 compatible, steel 18:1 gears running on 8mm bushings
• Barrel quick release - Rotate the lever above the charging handle down by 90 degrees to remove, great for storage
• Proprietory 700 round flash-mag high-cap included - Designed to work upside down, fill window on the bottom

Package Includes

• Golden Eagle Type 96 Machine Gun AEG Replica
• 700rnd Flash mag high-cap magazine
• User manual