Thompson V2 review..(or, your wanted on the Al Capone..!)

[BME]

Ok, here we go…as promised…

A review of the new thommy, will inevitably draw comparisons to the old.
So, here is a side by side comparison/ walkaround of both blasters.

OLD= older xforce thommy…lighter wood furniture…
New= New ihobby thommy, darker wood furniture…

Xforce only has a couple left, of the OLD thommy’s so if you want one , grab em quick…

Basically , externally nearly identical to each other, and faithful to the original design.

Stampings are slightly different…

The first big difference you notice, is weight.

OLD = 3.0 kg
NEW = 1.8 kg

These numbers dont sound like a lot, but the NEW is 40% lighter than the original…!!!

Thats huge.
Feel wise, the OLD feels like your hefting around a genuine thommy. Fun for a bit, but then it gets to be a bit of a burden. It feels like a full length rifle, not a small SMG, so lugging the weight of a full length rifle all day would get tedious.

By comparo, the NEW feels so light, almost toyish, in contrast. Its easy to carry, move, handle and swing around.

The difference, is the amount of metal.

The NEW has metal switches, levers, trigger, sights, inner barrel.
Basically anything that moves is metal…this gives the tactile impression of it being metal as anything you touch or move is made from metal.
The rest is all nylon, including the long outer barrel.

The OLD has the above, as well as a full metal outer barrel, as well as a few more metal bits around. The barrel would comprise the bulk of the extra weight, and makes the OLD a bit more front heavy, and feels heavier to move and aim. The NEW is lighter, and much quicker to move around.

Both have blowback and mag prime.

Blowback is LOUDER on the OLD, the NEW is much quieter overall, though you would want to disable both.

[BME]

Onto the mags…

Different setup for both blaster and mags…not interchangeable…

NEW is left, OLD is right…

The OLD, has power springs in the receiver, connecting with terminals on the mag.
The NEW, has an angled path on the mag, with terminals mounted there. These connect with other terminals on the receiver ( no springs) and make contact there.

With regards to loading the mags, the OLD one is a bit trickier.
Both have mag release catches, which lever an obstruction in the mag channel out of the way. The OLD one has a larger more protruding obstruction, that is harder to push past. You can push past it with some force, but it is easier to push the mag lever up, to get rid of it. I believe the OG thommy was like this.

With the NEW one, it is a smaller obstruction. You can push past it quite easily, and you still need the lever to remove the mag. Mag changes are easier.

[BME]

Ok, FURNITURE…

Very similar, could be interchangeable, but on the forepiece, holes are different. You could drill more holes, but you would need the furniture first.
If your not buying a OLD blaster, good luck finding a 2nd hand one…

On the NEW one, the stock has different internal structure, which leads to intimate seams. The OLD ones are different internally, and have a few gaps visible in the seams, which is dissapointing. Both are rigid, with no flex / creak, just the few gaps in the OLD.

From the rear, both metal plates unscrew, to open the battery compartment. Both can hold longer 11.1v batteries, the NEW one has padded cushioning in there, to hold the battery and stop rattling.

The OLD one has a access panel you can open, but its too small to get a battery in/out of. You need to take it off for proper access. The OLD panel, is held on by one screw only.

[BME]

Finally , PERFORMANCE…

For a start, neither of these are stellar performers, OOTB

FPS wise, OOTB, using xforce pinkies, OLD does around 210-230, NEW does 190-210.
ROF is pretty high, around 1100 r/min so , coupled with a small mag, sees it empty fairly quickly.

The OLD has a v6 Gearbox (Nylon) , a clone of TM v6, and parts are interchangeable for upgrades.
NEW hasn’t been opened yet, but i expect it to be the same.

I had my OLD one done up, new piston, nozzle, cylinder, orings etc, m100 spring ,and it sat happily north of 310 fps. I expect you would get similar results from a NEW one. Do yourself a favour, and disable blowback.

A few piccies, of suitcase goodness…!!
It has the foregrip, and later barrel , to go full 1920’s Gangster…

Final thoughts:

The NEW one, is good value for the $230 i paid for it.

Nice and light, i’d run around a game day with one of these, and not care about dings…
Yes’ it’d need a performance upgrade, but everything out of china does nowadays.

Upgrade the components, and it should be a decent platform for game use / collecting.

If you want the more realistic option, go for the OLD, but be quick, they’re almost gone.

[DRAGON]

The weight of the old is absolutely perfect in my honest opinion, I’m not the most solid of blokes and I can run all day with it. The only issue I’ve had with the mags has been motors that died after one load, and the doors only having weak plastic hinges that easily break. That really ain’t an access panel on the butt, but a pull tab; flip, pull, twist, then access.

[BME]

Your right…
Its been that long since ive used it, i forgot it was a twist panel…
Whoops…!

i reckon the NEW are Good enough/ Cheap enough, for people who had held off before, on price…

[DRAGON]

The only major hassle I’ve had with mine was the fire select switch falling off during the first game I used it, so it was stuck on semi. Solved that issue by replacing it with the safety switch; having full auto capabilities on an SMG being more important for gameplay than being able to lock the pew pew switch, but if I ever get the chance I’ll fix that too.

[Friendly_Fire]

Nicely done with the comparo, BME… just in time too, lots of interest in these SMGs right now.

Have to say, visually I prefer the new style, the seams look less visible and I’ve always had a thing for darker wood furniture anyway.

I’ve always wondered about how the mag is when it’s in the receiver with these… is their much lateral wobble? Neither Thompson seems to have much magwell depth, but I know that’s by design to keep it true to real steel form. The AKs suffered a bit because of that, are these similar?

[DRAGON]

From my my experience as per the old model, absolutely no wobble whatsoever with the stick mags, I can’t give any feedback in regards to the drum though.

[BME]

No wobble at all on either thommy, either stick or drum.
Rock solid…

There is a long guide groove in the receiver magwell track, and a guide rail the whole length of the magazine…it locks whatever mag in solid…no wobble.

Its a shame the mags aren’t compatible, it means you cant use the drums on the New ones.

Anyway, this review should cover all the questions anyone would ask, about the two.

My only problem is… i cant get my Old thommy to fire…!!
It seems, no battery power to the mag springs.

Receiver power is fine, the gearbox cycles, the mag is fine, i tested it in my Pulse Rifle.

I gently stretched the springs ( dont leave your mags locked in, long term), and applied some dia-electric grease, so contact should be fine.

I suspect a wire has come adrift inside.

" Whats the chorus, boys and girls…??

Its not gel, if you dont have to F@%K with it…!!"

Oh Joy…

[BME]

A bit of history…
Most people here would already know, but there might be some who dont…

The thommy’s were very popular, with both crims and law enforcement, in the 1920’s era prohibition.

High rate of fire, controllable, good stopping power with the .45’s…and relatively quiet.

.45’s are a subsonic bullet (just), so there is no crack of the bullet breaking the sound barrier. Firing one shot, of a .45 pistol, could be mistaken for a car backfiring, in a urban area, if its muffled in a building.

The gangsters loved the thommy’s and converted violin cases, as per above, to contain the thommy dissasembled components.
They could be transported around in plain sight, without drawing suspicion, and quickly reassembled when it was turf war time…

They sounded rattly and clattery when firing, hence the term " The Chicago Typewriter"

[Friendly_Fire]

Wire off a terminal spring maybe?

I see a screwdriver in your future, good sir.

[Maiphut]

@BME

" Whats the chorus, boys and girls…??"

[BME]

ME: “its got to be a quick, simple easy fix, right…?”

MURPHY: " Who’s next fur a good fookin then…!! Ye look like the right sort, who needs a good fookin…go ahead, pull it apart then…ail be a waitin fer ya…i’ll fook yer for sunday too, ya see, te he he he!!!"

[Wombat]

what’s wrong with your elf?

[BME]

Power problem for the OLD thommy found…

Take off the grip, uncovers the motor.
The red power lead, for the silver wiring running forward, has snapped off…

A mosquito having an erection, would have a larger diameter than those wires…!!

A bit beyond my soldering skills, I think it might be too small to solder, and the whole wiring to the mags might need to be replaced…

Hello Xforce…??

[Friendly_Fire]

No way, I’ll bring my soldering kit over and we’ll nail that sucker. 5 minute jobbie.

I’ll even bring the heatshrink

[BME]

I had a hard enough time, doing the XT30 conversion.
Bloody solder wouldn’t go where i wanted it to, and stuck to the end of the solder line, not the wire.

I used flux, and it took me ages…then broke…!!

[Friendly_Fire]

Patience, young Skywalker…

Learn you will… practice you must. Easy and seductive is the dark side of soldering.

[DocBob]

Solder definitely isn’t what it used to be these days

Ever since they cut down on the Lead and Tin content it’s a bloody pain in the arse

Luckily I still have a few rolls of old 1970’s/80’s solder from the old man/grandfather that’s been keeping my sanity in check