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TM Thompson M1A1 in Action - a review by G Man: You're up in the loft and the enemy is trying to get in. A hand grasping an SMG comes around the door. You let them have it with a stinging full auto burst. They can't get the elevation because they're just guessing. They throw in a grenade, then another, but you know you're safe … Airsoft doesn't get much better than this.

Two soldiers come through the door, you've got the Thompson at the patrol position. You shoot the first one with a controlled burst and then switch to the other … too late you realise that they were on your side! Still, maybe next time they'll be quicker to identify themselves.

A brief history of the Thompson: Created towards the end of world war 1 the Thompson sub machine gun was envisaged as a 'broom' to sweep clear enemy trenches.

The Thompson achieved notoriety in the nineteen-twenties and thirties as the favoured weapon of the gangster and also of the law enforcement officer. This is of course the version with the pistol fore-grip and the round drum magazine.

At the start of world war two demand for the Thompson soared, initially with the British army as an NCO's weapon and for use with the commandos and other special forces being established. In fact the Thompson rattled a lot for clandestine use and could not be fitted with a silencer.

When America entered the war slowness and expense of production led to a new design being introduced losing the fore-grip and utilising a straight long box type magazine, this was the M1A1.
The Thompson combined a heavy slug with a respectable rate of fire. In the Pacific campaign one of its most memorable traits was its ability to neutralise enemy snipers in palm trees, in fact its suitability for jungle warfare led to the Thompson still being in use during the early Vietnam years.

The Thompson hung on in Northern Ireland in occasional use by the IRA and the Government until the early eighties.

The TM Thompson M1A1: Pick it up, feel the weight, isn't this what air-soft is all about? The TM M1A1 has the weight and heft of the original weapon. If you are a fan of metal guns and you don't want to go down the M16 or AK47 paths then this is the weapon for you. Control layout couldn't be simpler, a twist knob for safety on/off, another for single shot or full auto.

Hop-Up The hop-up adjustment is above the magwell. You need to adjust the hop-up for two reasons, one, to ensure that the BB flies straight and true from the barrel, two, because not adjusting the hop up reduces the velocity. As an example this gun was chronographed at 240fps, after adjusting the hop-up this rose to 280fps.

Magazines: The magazine (standard) with 60 shots is fine for ammo' limited scenarios but you do need at least one hi-cap magazine, preferably two for most games. The advantages are that you can change magazines in the event of a jam and that the 400 round capacity allows you the latitude to lay down suppressive fire and trigger responses without running out of ammo.

When the magazine is out the note of the gun changes to a flat 'clack' sound which you need to listen out for. The other obvious sign is the lack of BB's flying from the end of the barrel! This can also mean that you've forgotten to wind up the clockwork wheel at the bottom of the high-cap mag'. Don't put inferior quality BB's through the gun, these are more likely to jam.

Keep the standard mag' for night battles where you can hand load every third or fourth shot a tracer to take advantage of the Marui tracer unit which is one of the few accessories that you can realistically fit!

Battery: A large battery is in the stock, fully discharged beforehand and then charged up this will last for a full days play. A battery discharger is as good a buy as a spare battery with the bonus that you can use it on other guns.

Finish: The high proportion of metal in the gun makes it robust in the field.

You are not likely to see a Thompson with gaffer tape around the butt like an M16. The 'wood' on the butt and fore-grip is plastic but you'd never know unless you touched it. You can guy a real wood kit but the price is prohibitive.

The gun is solidly built and will stay that way if you tighten the Alan bolts which hold it together occasionally.

Accessories: This is the disappointing bit for a lot of people. No sights, lasers, silencers, bipods, maybe tracer unit. If you want accessories how-about a Fairburn-Sykes commando dagger or a satchel full of grenades?

Conclusion To sum up a super gun, highly recommended. Where to go from here? How