ICS has come a long way: L85

[MadMax]

I've been following ICS products on and off for my entire airsoft history. My first AEG was an ICS MP5. I hadn't initially realized it, but it had a wonky spring from the get go and was shooting a pathetic 200fps. I played about a dozen games before I got to a field with a chrony and figured out why I had to play with so much aggression. Right off the bat the gun was a dud. I bought it in broken condition from the first owner who busted the tappet plate on the first mag. I didn't know what I was getting into, but it had a nice metal body and 8 years ago I was keen on fixer uppers anyways.

ICS is maturing and has been taken some pretty ambitious steps with their latest line of AEGs. Their display was full of aesthetically pleasing (feel and look) and it was hard not to go around and manhandle everything. Instead, I decided to focus on only one new product instead of glossing over everything.

I concentrated on their mechanically most interesting AEG (well I thought so) which was their L85. It offers a very modular design which can be rapidly disassembled.

Remove one screw/pin at the top rear and one vertical screw at the bottom rear and the back plate comes out and allows the lower to pivot down and the mechbox to slide rearwards. Seems to me that easy disassembly is a common theme amongst bullpups: P90, AUG, L85...

To save messing with connectors or stringly wires, the electricals in the upper and lower are connected by one copper and one brass contact.







First off, this is a very clean way to make electrical connections. I do have some reservations about their material selections though. The lower contact seems to have been made out of brass which has an annoying habit of forming a non conductive oxide layer. The sprung contacts on the left don't jam down very hard so I'm somewhat sceptical that they'll make a very low resistance connection. However, without my spectrometer, I couldn't identify their materials. It's hopeful that ICS has made better material selections than I though. Still it's odd that one might opt for gold plated high contact force Deans connectors and gimp out on a 8g engagement force at connectors somewhere else.



gearbox


The gearbox offers a really neat adjustable preload spring guide. Unclip the crosspin that retains the spring guide and you can move the spring guide to one of three preload positions to adjust the FPS of your setup. Two holes in the side, one perpindicular hole for the crosspin to engage. The spine on the spring guide post lines up in a groove in the shell.




Push on a rectangular button at the front of the forend and it slides off for easy battery access.




flip up the lide and slide off


easily available automotive fuse that fits into slim space


capacious battery compartment fits a 9.6v large pack


Overall a very nice feeling AEG. Not as heavy as the STAR version, but the engineering in the ICS L85 is quite creative. I didn't get to open up the gearbox to see the mechanicals, but from the outset this appears to be a very well considered design apart from the electrical connection issue.

[MadMax]

And now for some ICS pron... Gorgeous STEEL Galil with milled trades!!







With some scuffs and scratches and a touch of rust it would look perfect!

[The Saint]

Adjustable preload spring guide? That's pretty clever. I'd love to see that feature in other guns.

[Tombstone]

Very interesting, I too started off with an ICS Mp5. People make noise about ICS but I personally think that they are very decent guns. metal body cheaper than CA small upgrades reqrd= kick arse gun. I upgraded mine and now it is one of my best preforming guns.

[Tombstone]

Cool Techs and great pics BTW!

[ancorp]

Damn ICS is starting to look very attractive again. I love the finish on the Galil. Thank you for the pics!

[Tombstone]

L85 pics + 28 days later = mmmmmmmmmmmmm I want one now (and go broke again, just got M15.........Must stop buying guns .......Agh F%&K it i want one its worth it)

[13Fido13]

Very good ideas for that mechbox setup...

[BBS]

neat innovations from ICS especially the preload spring guide. I'm drooling over the Gali.

[MadMax]

Very hefty gun. Steel receiver, wood furniture. The Galil was a gorgous piece of airsoft.

[Sergeantmajor]

the GALIL is sweet, is it out there? or just some sort of "project" that never made it to the market. i havent seen it anywhere (havent been looking either)

[MadMax]

Not released yet. Soon though

[kalnaren]

I love how everyone that makes an L85 has a different mechbox. Hopefully ICS will fix the issued with the other ones.

[Red Tiger]

the ajustable Spring guide is neat. But as a host , too easy to change your fps in game and change it back, before the end of the game.

This is only incovenient is see.

The the design is very promising.

[attack-beaver]

both guns look great i wants the galil right know.