ICS TransforM4 rifle

I’ve had a long and ultimately enjoyable relationship with Taiwanese manufacturer ICS, and I’ve seen them time and again come up with interesting replicas; some of those are direct replicas of a real world firearm, such as their excellent SA80, but other times they take a theme of their own and follow it through to completion.

The airsoft world is absolutely chockfull of M4 replicas, so it’s a pretty shrewd move from ICS to look at a variation on that theme for their latest creation, the TransforM4CXP-UK1 series of Electronic Blowback (EBB) rifles and carbines. They’ve taken an exceptionally popular airsoft replica and given it some sweet new tweaks to bring it fully up to date and ‘on-trend’.

KeyMod

At IWA in Germany this year, one of the overwhelming themes common to virtually every manufacturer was the ‘KeyMod’ rail system. Literally every airsoft company was showing a variation on the theme and some, including that offered by ICS, were really quite stunning in their design. The KeyMod rail is essentially a universal interface system for firearm accessory fitment designed to supersede the MIL-STD-1913 rail. The concept was first created by Eric Kincel at VLTOR Weapon Systems and released initially by Noveske Rifleworks before becoming more publicly available. The name KeyMod was coined by Kincel following the naming method used on other VLTOR accessories with the suffix ‘Mod’ meaning modular, and ‘Key’ being a reference to the keyhole profile of the mounting slots.

VLTOR Weapon Systems had previously pursued a design which was the basis for the KeyMod system. While developing the first prototype, Kincel was approached by the late John Noveske with a radical new design for a universal accessory attachment system. After a short collaboration John Noveske decided to adopt what became the KeyMod system for the NSR series of hand guards and accessories. Kincel acknowledged later that their design was inspired by the keyhole slot system first developed by Accuracy International.
In the real world the whole KeyMod solution has overtaken the firearms industry and is predominant as an add-on, aftermarket accessory for AR/M4 platforms. Whilst at IWA I visited the UTG/Leapers stand and one entire wall was devoted to different KeyMod rail systems for both the AR/M4 and the AK series of firearms; to say this is spreading like wildfire in the real gun business would be an utter understatement!

Where the real gun world goes, airsoft follows, and ICS have done a stunning job with their own slimline version fitted to the CXP-UK1 which is available in both long rifle length and a shorter carbine length. I’ll get this out of the way right now: this rail is ultra slimline and battery fitment is a right pain. To replace the battery inside the rail you need to take out six screws and then slide the entire rail forward to fit the battery inside; I managed to squeeze in a 7.4V LiPo, but you’re going to struggle with anything more. Fire Support, who kindly supplied the test gun have recognised that this is not ideal and supply a free PEQstyle battery box. Three short rail sections come with the gun, and if you need more you can buy these as accessories.

All Boxes Ticked

Right that’s the niggle out of the way, so let’s now get on to the good stuff, of which there is a lot! The overall design of the CXP-UK1 is right up-to-the-minute in terms of design, being extremely ergonomic and shooter-friendly. I’ve already covered off the rail, but as you look the whole thing over ICS have spared no effort to make the things both externally and internally superb.

As well as the super rail there is a new sixposition sliding stock which obviously takes some inspiration from a certain company whose name begins with ‘M’, but ICS have put their own unique slant on it with a new lever and some extra body which means you can get a super consistent cheek weld. The pistol grip once again gives a nod to others out there, but is different again; it’s relatively slim, is nicely angled and fills the hand well. The trigger guard is angled which means you can work with gloves easily.

In terms of sling fitment ICS have fitted a single point sling adaptor plate as standard, which is a nice touch, but they also provide QD stud points in the rail should you wish to work with a two or three point system; you will need to buy the QD sling swivel separately though. The fl ash hider has been designed specifically for this gun, and sits neatly in front of a fake gas block which also helps in stabilising the rail. Also fitted as standard is an attractive, ambidextrous, extended charging handle and polymer front and rear flip sights. The sights work very well indeed and are extremely easy and intuitive to operate, and mean you can get straight out to a skirmish immediately.

Controls & Other Features

The controls of the CXP-UK1 are completely bog standard ‘M4’ with safe, semi-, and full-auto settings. Another nice touch though is that the selector also operates as a spring release, easing tension on the M100 spring when you’ve finished your day’s shooting. The magazine provided is the new ICS TMAG 300 round HiCap; these are very nicely shaped, anti-slip polymer mags which also come in 160 round mid and 45 round ‘real’ capacity and have a unique feature in that there is a window on both sides which allows you to easily ascertain if you are running low on BBs.

Internally things are also in great shape too; the CXP-UK1 comes with a brand new EBB reinforced split gearbox system (an upgrade on the already great gearbox that ICS have worked with for years) a reinforced piston, a reinforced MIM bevel and pinion gear, and a metal hop-up. The hop-up is of the tried and tested rotary variety and is accessed by pulling the charging handle to the rear.

Downrange

I decided for testing that I would stick with the 7.4V LiPo battery installed inside the rail to see what performance I got out of the CXP-UK1 with this in the engine room.

The TMAG was simple to fill and wound quickly and easily. Topped off with .20g NUPROL BBs it was down to business.
Even on the 7.4V battery the trigger was surprisingly crisp, sending BBs to target very sweetly on semi-auto; with each shot the fake bolt, in reality just the cover, clunked back and forth neatly. Although there is no recoil as such this does add to the airsoft shooting feel. When switching up to full-auto the rate of fire is perfectly good, and the blowback function really comes into its own and will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face!

Running a string of 20 rounds of .20g through the chronograph gave a very acceptable mean of 322fps; this neat little carbine is site friendly and good to go straight out of the box. With the hop set it sent BBs out with a nice fl at trajectory, and accuracy was spot on out to a good 30 metres on the flip up sights, hitting a sandbag unerringly at this distance. I believe that, with the longer barrelled version, a little tinkering with the hop, and with an optic fitted, you could easily reach out even further.

Conclusion

All things considered, The TransforM4 CXPUK1 is one very tidy package, and I haven’t even got to the best bit yet! It’s right on-trend with what is going on in the real firearms world, with some great design features and some thoroughly righteous new internals. It looks great in either a black or tan finish, shoots very well indeed and at the moment the short version is available for just £245.00, with the longer version coming in at £259.00!

For a full-metal airsoft replica that has sound, tried and tested internals and comes with so many external parts fitted as standard that normally you’d need to buy as accessories, the CXP-UK1 is one hell of a bargain. If you’re in the market for a new M4 then I would seriously check it out!

For more information on the TransforM4 CXP-UK1 and the full range of ICS replicas and accessories please visit www.fi re-support.co.uk.