As you probably know by now, Mad Bull acquired license to manufacture Gemtech's tactical products. Trend of acquiring rights to manufacture high quality replicas of equipment from captains of the tactical industry is probably one of the most welcome changes for the better in airsoft.
Product, labeled by Gemtech as Talon is actually upper receiver with sound suppressor (Trinity) and modular forearm. Talon is build upon Colt 635 SMG upper receiver; heart of the system is Trinity sound suppressor, which is actually a a pistol suppressor, adopted to a sub gun platform. Explanation courtesy of Gemtech's website:
The TRINITY has become a commercial favorite for its ability to adapt easily to various host firearms. You can switch the modular adapters to make your Trinity a 3-lug fast attach suppressor for 9mm carbines such as the MP5 or UZI. You can swap mounts and use our L.I.D. (Linear Inertial Decoupler) recoil device for flawless cycling on many hard-to-function handguns including Glock 9mms.
There is even our TALON – an entire 9mm barreled AR15/M16 upper that the suppressor module threads into, shielding it under a rock-solid modular Picatinny rail system for use on a compact short barreled rifle or submachine gun.
Gemtech's Talon is a platform, very much liked by users in "tactical" community. You probably remembered, that we mentioned that it is build upon Colt 635 receiver. Colt 635 is basically a SMG version of Colt M16, modified for 9mm round. In other words: (airsoft) combination of Armalite magazines and Talon is wrong (if that bothers you). For perfect realism, you should buy appropriate SMG kit, manufactured either by Warhead or Classic Army.
Usually I try not to waste time on packing description, but I'll make an exception here. All parts are extremely well protected during transportation as they are individually wrapped in bubble wrap. Before you start with process of installation, check manual and protect yourself from possible blunders. Installation is very smooth and problem free. Everything aligns properly and it is manufactured with utmost attention to details. You will need to separate outer barrel from receiver by unscrewing the barrel nut with barrel nut key. Lets assume that you successfully separated barrel and upper receiver. You need to insert outer barrel, fixer ring/carrier and Trinity replica sound suppressor. Assemble both halves of modular forearm and you are ready to install rails and rail covers. We tried installation on plastic Marui receiver and on metal receiver from Classic Army. Despite overall shortness of Trinity I would advise against installation on plastic bodies, as it could put undue strain on receiver tabs. As you are probably aware, Classic Army metal bodies (at least older types) have an annoying step between body and RIS interface; Mad Bull encloses spacer, which raises upper rail on the Trinity to level it with the receiver- thoughtfulness, worth praise.
Forearm is fully modular. You receive mounting hardware (hex screws) and assorted rails and rail covers, which you can apply according to your preference. Additional covers and rails are also available from Mad Bull. Forearm has 8 faces (definite improvement over basic 4 rail system) with pre-drilled holes. Package contains 9 pieces of full rails, half rails and RIS covers. It is possible to experiment with different configurations (as we did) but we ultimately settled for configuration, described in the manual. This is one of the most comfortable and ergonomic RIS/RAS configurations I've ever tried. And it is not just me- everyone who tried it liked it a lot.
Forearm is manufactured out of aircraft grade aluminum and very sturdy. However, there is a small annoyance, which is actually a nobody's fault (not Gemtech's, not Madbull's and not ours). Actually, Mad Bull warns in manual and on their website that real gun is using gas tube to connect the Talon and upper receiver. Airsoft rifle doesn't have gas tube and Talon will be taken off easily. We suggest you purchase MAD BULL RAS Fix (scope raiser mount) to connect both Talon and upper receiver. Connection between Talon and upper receiver is rock solid- but this means that it is possible to unscrew Talon from upper receiver. It is absolutely necessary to connect rails on upper receiver and forearm.
Prominent markings are stenciled in white on the forearm (GEMTECH, BOISE ID) and on the replica Trinity sound suppressor (GEMTECH, BOISE ID, MB 06-00045, TRINITY 9mm). Not surprisingly, Talon excels in visual department. Finish is excellent deep black satin, much the same as replica Halo sound suppressor finish.
Forearm is -in original- supplied to Gemtech by GG&G. Standalone product is called Tactical Modular Free floating Forearm and is also available from Mad Bull (with Gemtech's markings, of course). Connection between forearm and upper receiver is very rigid, as both halves clamp around barrel nut while still providing free floating barrel. Hand guard cap is "hovering" approximately 1mm from forearm. Such configuration gives a very distinct look to your M4A1 replica. Additional bonus is that you won't loose your sights- as it is case with "9mm" Talon conversion. Best solution is appropriate red dot sight and/or BUIS (Back Up Iron Sights) combination.
Field experiences are very good. First of all, it is very short and very handy. As it is intended for work within closed spaces and shorter distances. Airsoft suppressor is filled with felt like material, which somewhat dampens the sound of the replica. What might bother you is relatively short inner barrel (for test purposes we used MP5K brass 6,08 mm inner barrel). Naturally, we experienced some loss in accuracy, but nothing major. You have always option to buy longer inner barrel and run it trough replica suppressor. Test setup was RIS vertical grip and tactical light. Tactical light was installed at 8 o'clock, which enabled engaging the push switch with support hand.
Mad Bull's Trinity is very impressive product in its own right and is probably as close to real thing as we can reasonably expect in airsoft. It is a bit awkward writing about such products, as their "usefulness" is limited mostly on aesthetics and not as much on function.
Drawbacks? Not many, if you look for specific look of your replica, go for it. You will be awarded with excellent product. But I won't finish this review without token criticism: it wouldn't hurt to offer Trinity replica sound suppressor as stand alone product with different interfaces- just like Gemtech's Trinity line.
