Umarex H&K MP7 A1 AEG Gen.2

The Real H&K MP7 A1

The H&K MP7A1 began its life as the H&K PDW, first shown to the public in 1999 and a late entrant into the NATO 1989 RFP for an easily transportable, lightweight, and easily controllable firearm to be issued to rear echelon troops. This new pistol replacement was expected to have the capability to defeat Soviet titanium body armour out to 200 meters due to fears at the time of mass parachute assaults behind NATO lines. 

H&K's answer to this requirement was the 4.6x30mm round, effectively a miniaturized rifle cartridge, and the MP7 platform. The MP7 uses a shrunk-down version of the G36's short-stroke gas piston operating system, with a rotating, locking bolt carrier. This was a significant departure from the traditional design of PDW and SMG-type firearms and allows the MP7 to be extremely lightweight and have low felt recoil. 

The MP7 also features a non-reciprocating ambidextrous charging handle and a bolt hold-open function; characteristics that generally do not find their way into SMGs and PDWs due to the compact nature of these platforms and the additional complexity required for these advanced, rifle-like features. Although the MP7 was designed for behind the lines soldiers such as logistics troops and other non-combat roles it has found its way into the hands of some of the most elite operators in the world due to its controllability in full auto, compact and concealable nature, and high cyclic rate.

Notable users include the UK MOD Police, German KSK, French GIGN, and the US Navy SEALs, who are rumoured to have used at least 1 MP7 during Operation Neptune Spear, the raid which saw Osama Bin Laden meet his end.

The Umarex H&K MP7 A1 AEG

Umarex is well known in the Airsoft world for producing some of the best quality, high performance and most realistic Airsoft replicas available. Their MP7 A1 AEG definitely meets the standard, but what makes this MP7 different to the previous electric iteration of the MP7? This latest MP7 AEG is a full-sized 1:1 scale replica, being nearly identical to the real MP7 and the GBB MP7 in size, making it a more realistic replica and providing more room for more features, such as a functional bolt stop/release. 

The Umarex MP7 A1 AEG also uses a full-sized AEG gearbox with a capable high-speed motor and comes out of the box perfectly able to compete with other high-end AEGs, if not surpass them in rate of fire, range and muzzle velocity. No longer are electric MP7s relegated to being backup weapons and CQB only tools!

Starting at the tip of the barrel, we can find a steel MP7 birdcage style flash hider, which is correctly shaped to match the latest variant of this muzzle device and is finished in dark gunmetal, giving some nice contrast with the matt black of the high-density polymer body. The flash hider is attached via 12mm CW threads, meaning this AEG MP7 can use the same suppressor adaptor as the GBB version. 

At the rear of the flash hider, we come to the front handguard cap, which features an integral hand-stop to prevent your hand from slipping in front of the muzzle, a mistake that may result in some significant pain given this is a full power AEG. Beneath the handguard cap, we can find this AEGs battery compartment which can be accessed by squeezing the tab at the bottom of the handguard cap and removing the handguard cap towards the front. 

This AEG uses a mini-Tamiya connector and can house up to a 7.4V 850mAh LiPo stick battery. The location of this battery compartment makes using an external battery inside a PEQ box extremely easy should you want to use a larger capacity battery. 

Next, we arrive at the receiver/body of the AEG, which is appropriately constructed from high-density fibre reinforced polymer with a very similar texture and finish to the real MP7. The polymer is rough to the touch and shows no signs of flex, squeaks, or rattle.

At the very front of the body, we can find two sling points, one on either side, which are perfect for HK hook style slings, or others with the use of a keyring or paracord loop. On either side of the body there are threaded holes for the attachment of Picatinny rails which are available separately should you need the additional rail space. 

Speaking of rail space, the MP7s 12 o'clock position features a massive, uninterrupted 28cm of aluminium Picatinny 20mm rails; enough space for a PEQ box, Holographic red dot sight, and magnifier! If you don't believe me just ask the US Navy SEALs (or pop "SEAL MP7" into your favourite search engine)! 

Out of the box, the MP7's top rail comes with dual function backup iron sights installed; when flipped down the sights can be used as open "pistol-style" sights, and when flipped up they provide a set of rifle aperture sights. This allows the MP7 to be used with the sights deployed, with a crisp front sight blade protected with "ears" on either side and a narrow aperture for precise aiming. Alternatively, it can be used as if it was a pistol, held outstretched, with one hand if you like, using the open pistol sights. The MP7 A1 iron sights can also be removed if you would rather use alternative aiming devices. 

The front end of the MP7 AEG also features an integral folding vertical grip, which can be used in either the folded position as a standard handguard or deployed and locked as a vertical foregrip. The grip can be deployed by pulling the ridged locking piece towards the MP7's trigger guard, which will unlock the grip and allow it to be rotated 90 degrees, where it will lock in the deployed position. To fold the VFG, pull the locking piece downwards and the grip can then be folded back down in line with the receiver. 

To the rear of the folding VFG, we can find the trigger guard, which is enlarged to allow for use with gloves. Within the trigger guard lies the trigger, which is a two-stage design. The centre of the trigger is a separate part, which needs to be pressed with the trigger in order to fire the MP7. This makes the MP7 one of the safer designs out there, as even when the manual safety is turned off the weapon is still protected against accidental discharges, and requires an intentional trigger pull to fire.

The controls of the MP7 are all ambidextrous, being mirrored on each side making this PDW perfect for a left-handed user or anyone who likes to operate their AEG from either shoulder in order to take advantage of the ability to shoot from the left or right-hand corners with equal effectiveness. The fire selector lies comfortably under the thumb when the MP7 is held in a firing grip, with the bolt release catch being accessible using the trigger finger. The fire selector markings take the form of attractive high visibility pictograms in H&K styling, with the safe mode indicated in white and semi and full auto in red.

The AEG's magazine release is similarly placed to that of a USP or MK23 pistol and is an ambidextrous design positioned between the pistol grip and trigger guard. A push down on the textured mag release surfaces on either side will release the MP7s magazine, which is a 120 round medium-capacity mag, which includes a bolt stop/release function. 

The bolt stop/release function prevents the MP7 AEG from firing when the magazine is empty, and following a magazine change, requires the bolt release catch to be pressed before the MP7 is back in action. This feature is extremely rare on Airsoft guns in general, and the MP7 joins the mere handful of elite AEG platforms capable of such realistic operation. Features like this are great for Milsim players, or anyone who wants a more realistic skirmishing experience: there is nothing quite like the immersive experience of pulling off a swift and realistic reload with the MP7 A1 AEG! 

The bolt stop/release also serves to hold the mock bolt carrier back when the charging handle is pulled, providing access to the MP7's gear adjustable HOP unit. Following a HOP adjustment, simply press down on the textured upper surface of the bolt stop/release to send the mock bolt home. 

Above the bolt stop/release on the left side, we can see the "Cal 4.6mmx30" markings, with "Heckler and Koch GmbH" appearing on the right side, keeping this replica realistic and faithful to the real firearm. The pistol grip of the MP7 is a straight design, in similar styling to a MAC-10 or Uzi, but unlike those platforms, the MP7s designers actually cared about ergonomics. The MP7's grip has ridged texture on the sides, and aggressive stippling on the front and rear panels, keeping the AEG comfortable to hold but preventing it from being easily dropped. The rounded rear strap of the grip makes the MP7 extremely comfortable to hold, providing support for the web of the hand, and feeling somehow silky smooth but secure at the same time. 

At the bottom of the pistol grip we can find the H&K logo, and "MP7 A1" moulded into the designation panels on either side of the pistol grip. This gives the MP7 A1 its ultra-realistic flair and reminds us that this is a fully licenced replica endorsed by H&K themselves. The rear of the body also features a sling loop on either side, close to the upper Picatinny rail, adding to the plethora of sling mounting options on the MP7. 

As we reach the rear of the MP7 we come to the sliding retractable stock, which can be deployed in any of four positions depending on the user's build, and whether or not they use body armour. The stock bars are made from metal, and interface perfectly with the grooves on the MP7 body, in classic H&K style. When collapsed, the MP7 is extremely slim, making it less prone to snagging on gear by virtue of the design itself. 

The butt plate features linear checkering, ensuring the stock will not slip off your shoulder during firing. The stock release catch can be found on the right side of the body, near the rear, and can be pushed down to deploy/collapse the stock. The stock also features a sling loop on either side and two holes near the "toe" of the stock. These holes provide helpful storage for the MP7's body pins during disassembly, a hallmark H&K feature that dates back to German firearms designs pre-WW2.

Though this MP7 is larger than the AEP versions out there, being a realistic 1:1 scale replica, when you have it in your hands you will wonder how they managed to fit a proper AEG gearbox inside. We are scratching our heads here too, the MP7's gearbox is somewhere between the size of an AEP and AEG gearbox but is a proprietary design made specifically for the MP7.

This gearbox is remarkably smooth and well put together, and with its high speed motor can deliver a devastating rate of fire, keeping the enemies' heads down, if they know what's good for them! This gearbox is not compatible with version.2 or version.3 internal parts such as gears and pistons but it performs easily as well as any enhanced v.2 or v.3 AEG. No need to upgrade this bad boy, it is shooting right on the money at 320 FPS, very consistently and absurdly quickly. We would like to see this gearbox find its way into more compact weapons platforms, we can only hope Umarex will get this superb gearbox into more SMGs!

Our recommended battery is the 7.4V 850mAh 30C LiPo Battery. Please ensure you do not attempt to install battery larger than this, if you do it can push the outer barrel downwards and cause nozzle/tappet plate failures. 

Tappet plate and nozzle failures due to 11.1v use WILL NOT be covered by any warranty and repairs will be charged.

Features

• New version gearbox
• Generation 2 MP7 AEG
• Two-stage safety-trigger
• Folding vertical foregrip
• Gear adjustable HOP-up unit
• H&K licenced trademarks
• 12mm CW threaded barrel
• Functional Bolt stop/release
• 3 sling points on either side
• Ambidextrous controls - all of them!
• 4 Position retractable sliding stock
• Dual function backup iron sights
• 28cm Picatinny 20mm upper rail
• Mounting points for side rails (available separately)
• Compatible rail sections can be found here ASG AR36 Hand Guard RIS Side Rail x2
• Extremely compact for a full-sized AEG
• The rate of fire is out of this world

Package Includes

• UMAREX H&K MP7 A1 AEG Gen 2 
• 120 rnd Mid-capacity Magazine
• User Manual