Past Blast, Present Danger
Along with upping age comes upgrade. And so I bid my aged beginner's spring/cartridge-ejecting UZI pistol of the 80's a fond "forget you" and started researching the next best thing. Enter the 90's and Maruzen's UZI pistol becomes a compact and powerful gas gun as covered well on the Action Games League site. As the 90's come to a close, Maruzen has again made their UZI pistol into a well evolved and well equipped Micro version.

Subtle yet Significant
Maruzen has managed to make a few improvements to the Micro UZI's exterior form & fuction. The first thing that you notice is the metal side-folding stock. Maruzen did a good thing in copying this stock to exacting spec's to the real stock fitted to my real steel Mini UZI. The two stocks are the same length, locking feature, and sturdiness. When folded, the stock acts as a vertical foregrip like a TMP as well as making the gun very compact. Unfolded, the stock doubles the length of the pistol but is very comfortable to face, cheek, or hip. I would prefer this stock over the wire stocks of the MAC-10, 11, or the Scorpion pistols. Another feature on the Micro as well as the standard pistol is the barrel threading which makes the gun mount-ready for a suppressor, foregrip, extension, etc.. Like KSC, Maruzen matched the barrel's thread pattern with that of a real MAC-10 barrel threading so anything that screws onto the muzzle of a 9MM MAC will fit onto the Micro. Worth mentioning is the parkerized finish which is that dull & dark gray phosphating on most military arms. It's a protective, non-glare finish that is of course not genuine on the airsoft model but is a very nice facsimile of it that Maruzen has finished on the gun. The gun is lighter than a TMP but is just as solidly built.

UZI does it
Gas-blowback with HOP pretty much sums up it's function. The magazine and mag well are somewhat bizarre though. 20 BB's is the count and their feeding is at the top but the gas port that pressures the blowback/launch system in the gun is deeply recessed in the magazine below the BB feed chute unlike the TMP where the gas port is at the very top just behind the feed chute. This means that the gas resevoir is small and only takes up half the mag's total short length leaving not much gas for wild firing especially since the gun is full-auto only. An estimated 60 rounds is about what to expect from the gas load. In turn looking down the mag well, the gas valve & tube extends down half the length of the grip. It's a strange setup but it's probably a design that Maruzen decided to keep and use in other guns in their selection like their MAC-10. Power is much lower than the twin gas-tanked exterior powered UZI pistols reviewed on AGL's site which is the sacrifice for a smaller self-contained internal gas system.

Firing the Micro is alot more fun than examining it's strange magazine. Snap shooting was easy with the aid of the folded stock/grip and precision burst is no problem when the stock is unfolded but then you have to clasp your hands together around the single grip which can be awkward. The sights have always been wierd. For a compact gun, it's rear sites have large "Mickey Mouse" protective ears and the tall, see-thru cocking handle is a distraction when looking for the front post site.

Maxed Micro
Like AKs, M-16s, and MPs, UZIs have a special following of shooters and enthusiasts, and Maruzen's Micro definitely caters to those influenced under the 3-lettered SMG. Obviously the next couple of guns that come close to the Micro are the similarly box-designed MAC-10 & 11 and TMP which the Micro is an obvious candidate for those who own one or the other three. It's updated version has a user-friendly advantage over previous UZI pistols in that it has a stock that doubles as a forgrip, and the barrel threads will accessorize the Micro into a different configuration as well as giving your supportive hand a place to grip the undersized smg. I screwd on my MAC silencer, vented foregrip, and custom foregrip onto the Micro and the gun looked even sweeter with each add-on. As for the short mag of limited rounds and gas, I'm pretty sure Maruzen has a hi-cap mag out there for the Micro as they have in their previous UZI pistols. So if you think boxy is bitchin', then Maruzen's Micro UZI would probably be a better choice than an early Volvo. Ask Executive Airsoft for a box to go since they were gracious enough provide me with one on special request. Next to the skirmish-heavy Canadian, Japanese, and UK teams, the Philippine-based airsoft veteran team of Action Games League has a visual as well as technical website comitted to airsoft, events, and everything else serious. They have my special respect & thanx along with Almighty for the research.