I havent used one yet.
But, with the GBB pistols, using hardened gels, 270+ fps…
Come out and go spiraling…
Thats the nature of those hardened gels.
When i had my RE Burton in the states, it was doing 320 fps, on 6 mm bb’s…
you could hit a sub 1m2 target, at 30m+
Not with these…
stale like a loaf of stale bread 
but I was using the term blaster loosely, pistols were inferred but I get the drift
I had a replica browning 9mm that used 6mm BB’s before they were banned, no idea the fps as it was many many years ago but it’s accuracy demolished the accuracy of gel blasters completely,
at least it does the stock standard blasters I possess, obviously I can’t compare them to top of the line highly modified for performance blasters out there
Anyone had one of the new Thompsons apart yet.?
Visited @Friendly_Fire today, and we struggled to get it apart…
The quick release pin was kept depressed, but the lower receiver could only move a little bit backwards, ant that was it…
We also tried pivoting the upper up, but couldn’t get anything to move…
Any one else had luck.?
They’re kind of crap looking as a gun but jesus they are so iconic AND with the violin case I have to have one… 
They are certainly very popular…they sold out quick.
Their appeal lies in their historic involvement…which was significant.
Good luck finding a violin case , though…
I’ve got an empty violin case… 
Wouldn’t be easy to make anything other than a violin fit in it though.
@BME 2 minutes in… it’s not just us that struggles with these
Looking at that vid, it looks like the upper cover doesn’t have to slide completely rearward. 
Raahhhh!!!
Hulk Smash…!!!
Puny Warranty…
Ive got the shell pulled apart, had to use a screwdriver underneath to lever it out…
It doesn’t seem to pull apart nicely like the xforce one…
Slightly different gearbox to xforce one.
Photos to follow later…
Ok…now its apart, its definitely a different beast, than the Xforce jobby…
The xforce pull apart is tricky, there is a technique to it, but it comes with practise, and the two halves seperate cleanly, and lever out.
With this shell, applying the same technique… it wont work.
It only goes back a little, no further, and CANT be pulled apart.
The trick is, to gently get a screw driver between them, and ‘gently’ lever them apart.
The thinner plastic flexes in , then back, and pops out.
A bit hair raising the first time, but also a fair bit of frustration and anger behind it…
Popped out…with xforce shell, on far right…
TOP VIEW.
Blow back now disabled…dremeled top arm off…
SIDE VIEW:
Mag prime works on a switch down on the side, so i didnt cut that off ( this time!!)
Comparo of the 2 gearboxes…
The top one on both, is a xforce thommy gearbox thats been souped up.
I had hoped it would be a straight swap over, but not to be.
The xforce box is a bit shorter overall.
Now that its out, i can take it xforce, and see what parts they reckon will fit.
Like the Xforce box, its a nylon shell, with metal gears.
I wont pull it to pieces, until i have parts on hand, likely to fit, to rebuild it.
I’ll go for stage one mods, improve airseal, oring , piston etc and stick with a fairly sedate spring.
Aiming for 300-320 fps should be enough , for this type.
Hopefully, some budget upgrades should get it singing, and no more blowback is a good thing…!
ALSO… ONE WEIRD THING…
On mine, the Safe / fire lever has been reversed.
Ie, it fires when in the ‘safe’ position, and vice versa.
I cant see how the lever is held in, cant see a grubscrew…
Is anyone elses Safety Lever, facing the wrong way around…??
Also, photo of the Xforce empty shell…
Different slots and cutouts…
Finally,… New shell ( far left) vs Old xforce shells (centre and right)
Xforce has thicker/ wider slots…
New one is thinner / bendy, to flex in and out ( how many times??)
I still think the best way around your safety being the wrong way around is to put the pin on the other side of the knob. 
It might not be true to the real Thompson but at least the printing would match.
Nice work. Very insightful stuff.
Also those red X-Force motors are awesome, hope they get them again!
The iHobby Thompson just got a bit of an upgrade.
For anyone who has one of this brand (Hanke, I’m told) here’s what you need to know about compatible upgrade parts for the V6 gearbox in it.
The nozzle is 100% proprietry, no upgrade option for it. Longer than normal and smaller diameter.
The offset cylinder head is also proprietry, no upgrade option. On the left, compared with a standard V2.
The tappet plate is also proprietry due to the offset cylinder head.
Internally it’s the same as any V2. Wiring is tidy with clip points to hold the harness in place, two pins, the grip and the mag release are all you need to remove to free the box from the lower receiver.
This ended up getting a cylinder head o ring, piston o ring and an M110 piston spring upgrade, the rest remained proprietry standard.
Its a shame its so many proprietry parts.
+1 for the xforce thommies, at least parts were available, for decent upgrades…
We’ll see how this performs 2morrow.
Hopefully, it’ll get to at least 270-290 fps.
If you look at it as a budget blaster, at least its cheap to buy, and “cheap” upgrades…as you cant really upgrade too much…!!
If $250 gets you a 270 fps blaster…not too bad…
It was Hanke just for reference. Probably explains a few things.
That offset nozzle and tappet plate was the Achilles heel of the ZB26 too.
I searched for months for ANY suitable replacement and came up with nothing 
Ok,
Thommy back together, tested, and pleasantly surprised…
With just a spring (M110) and oring upgrade, it sits on a comfortable, consistent 330+ fps…!!
That’s higher than my upgraded xforce thommy…
That’s using Ultra Elites…
A few sideways flyers at that fps, but thats to be expected…
With blowback disabled, doing 16 rds/ sec…960 r/min.
So, final thoughts…
Good value, for money.
For a $250 blaster, minimal upgrades, you get a solid performer.
you might want to run a M100 spring, for longevity (lack of parts available), nylon gearbox and sub 300 fps for some fields.
I got this as a “curiosity purchase”.
I wondered just how different it was to the xforce one, if mags/ gearboxes / parts were compatible. (thats a NO.)
I like the wood / stock on this one, the colouring is better than the xforce one, and no creaks or seams showing on the ‘wood’.
Fps is great upgraded, better than my modded xforce (though it may be running a M100 spring, for longevity).
If you missed out on an xforce one, grab a decent budget blaster, with minimal spend on upgrades, for a good little performer…!!
… and the Hanke blasters don’t break in half!
