GBB pistols are fun, and I wanted to add to my collection with a GBB rifle or SMG; slight issue however, as those are typically very expensive and/or rare, with very little in the way of options. So, being the creative type I decided to take my crafting and modding skills and build my own, sort of. I combined an AAP-01 pistol with a Nerf Crossbolt foam dart blaster, with some Milliput, careful shell cutting and a paint job to create something truly original and unique- the result, an AAP-01 Cyberpunk style SMG. The pistol is bedded into the shell with the epoxy putty to keep it securely in place once the shell halves are screwed together, with enlarged openings for the magazine ( takes standard and extended mags ) and the charging handle, with an enlarged charging handle coming via Project Airsoft to make pulling back the slide easier. Beyond that I made a tiny modification to the trigger to reduce the amount of excessive travel distance, otherwise the pistol is completely stock- set to full-auto because that's how SMGs should always be...

Small update: I just discovered that this build has been featured on the PopularAirsoft website- it's not much of an article, but it's nice to have my work recognised all the same.

I wanted a bolt-action rifle but I wanted it set up more like a target rifle than a marksman rifle, and the Ares Striker AS-02 really seemed to fit the bill- modern styling, easily upgraded, affordable- what's not to like? I did make some mods to improve handling and ergonomics, but the internals are essentially standard.

List of mod parts:

Direct trigger from printedairsoft.co.uk
Thumbwheel Hop-Up adjustment screw
Chinese knock-off Accutac HD-50 style Bipod
UTG BugBuster 3-12x32 scope
Hush XL silencer with working internals
JB3D adjustable buttpad

This is functionally identical to my previous pistol with two important distinctions. Firstly, it's based on the 7.2 Dragon version of the HiCapa with a nice split-slide ( and a little bit of custom work I did to fill in the ugly-looking holes in the front part of the slide ). Secondly and most importantly I filed down a couple components to enable full-auto fire rate; this is of course not select-fire, just full-auto as long as you keep the trigger pulled down. I chose the 7.2 HiCapa to make full-auto so that it was obvious at a glance compared to having two identical 5.2 models; I wanted twins, just not identical twins, lol.

List of mod parts:

CowCow Hi-Capa Custom Grip
CQB Master IPSC Extended Metal Slide Release
5KU Magazine Catch- Square
AIP Aluminum GUNDAM Airsoft Mag-well Type 2
Modified Disconnector and Hammer to enable Full-Auto

Update 08/03/2020: Just for fun I did some photos with a short vertical foregrip, and an old school Thompson foregrip- not sure which I prefer, but the John Dillinger style Full-Auto Hicapa is certainly rather wicked looking...

As before, no other internal mods yet, though I am certain the full-auto fire will wear things out more quickly, so I have been researching upgrades for when that time comes.

My first pistol, a WeTech HiCapa 5.2- based on a standard 5.1 but came fitted with the 'meat tenderiser' muzzle compensator; I really liked the way this looked and it wasn't obscenely expensive compared to certain other options for 'factory custom' pistols. I did however want to make a few mods purely for aesthetic reasons- the stock pistol looks good, but a few hours of drooling over photos of customised HiCapas made me green with envy so I started looking at options just to pimp out my pistol a little without going crazy. Below is a list of the parts I fitted:

CowCow Hi-Capa Custom Grip
CQB Master IPSC Extended Metal Slide Release
5KU Magazine Catch- Square
AIP Aluminum GUNDAM Airsoft Mag-well Type 2

Like I said, nothing crazy, just some aesthetic items and some items to improve ergonomics/usability. However, I did also make a change to the Grip Safety that was digging into my palm constantly in an unnecessary way; I removed it from the pistol and filed & sanded it down into a much smoother shape that still engaged when squeezed, but no longer dug into my hand. The result looks exactly like the hideously expensive Airsoft Masterpiece grip safety, yet only cost me a couple hours of work instead of 70-120 dollars. It hasn't escaped my attention just how expensive some aftermarket parts are for airsoft... same as many hobbies I guess, rather annoyingly.

I haven't made any internal mods yet as this is a brand-new pistol so I'll wait and see if/when something feels like it's wearing out and needs upgrading.