Tokyo Marui: The Ultimate Airsoft Brand Since 1965
Known for the quality of their products, Tokyo Marui is an airsoft guns and accessories manufacturer from Japan. The company was founded in 1965 and they are the ones to pioneer the design for the AEGs we know and love today. They’re widely regarded as the manufacturer of the best airsoft guns in the World. They were the first to introduce an airsoft fun powered by an electric gearbox (in 1991) and they are the ones to create the first battery-powered AEG, the FAMAS F1 (a replica of the FAMAS, an assault rifle designed and manufactured in France starting with 1946). Tokyo Marui also designed the 3-gear AEG which is still used today and was copied by other manufacturers. Short History of Tokyo Marui’s Airsoft Guns Tokyo Marui started as a toy company and it took them about 20 years to reach their airsoft guns glory. Still, when they started, they made history, and this is proven by the types of guns they developed: 1985 – Luger P-08 was first 6mm airsoft pistol which quickly became a best-selling product in Japan. This was a cheap airsoft gun, with a full ABS body, and a spring action that didn’t shoot very far or fast. 1986 – Tokyo Marui S&W M59 GBB, the first gas blowback pistol from TM, which has a different mechanism in comparison to the GBBs we know today. Also, they launched a second pistol in the same year, the HP Browning Gas Blowback Pistol. Up to 1991 – The company stuck with producing all types of pistols and submachine guns that ran on gas or spring power. 1991 – They released the first AEG design (the FAMAS F1), which was quickly followed by an improved design, the Colt M16A1 AEG. 1993 – The first FA-MAS SV was launched, with a hop-up system, low power, and longer reach. 1995 – TM launches the more realistic and powerful Desert Eagle .50AE gas blowback pistol. With the start of a new millennium, Tokyo Marui launched their airsoft guns and accessories business and nowadays, their products are exported and known worldwide. Furthermore, some designs are so realistic that some movies even used them as props. A good example is the movie ‘The Kingdom’, where, in several fighting scenes, you can see the Tokyo Marui Sig 552 airsoft gun being used by the soldiers. As an added bonus and to show that the company members really understand the fun of playing airsoft, there is a Tokyo Marui field (called Tokyo Marui BB Sports Field), which has been operational since 2010. Features that Made Them Famous If you ask any airsofter about their dream airsoft gun, in 9 out 0f 10 cases it will be a Tokyo Marui design! Even though the prices are a bit steep, their guns are pre-ordered in stores all over the world, and whatever it’s left is sold immediately. So why do airsofters almost kill each other to have a TM? According to the reviews you can find online…
