Boring isn’t it Jazzy … 1911s, Sigs, Berettas (92s etc.) and Glocks … more and more and more variations of the same …
Rumours are that JinMing are releasing yet another updated version of the old Gen8 warhorse!
Upgrades to the gearbox, including metal gears etc and modernising the buffer tube & handguard attachments etc.
Apparently it’s gonna be in direct competition with the CYMA M4 CQB 
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It’s not like JM don’t have the pedigree… early gens were average to low quality build wise but they DID give us the Gen 8 gearbox which shifted the goal posts completely on the cheaper gear.
I wasn’t even aware JM were still manufacturing. If they’ve upped their game with the quality of their body moulding they’ll give CYMA a decent nudge… entry level CYMA blasters always feel flimsy to me.
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Forgot to mention…… apparently the new models will actually have fully functional Safe/Semi/Full Auto for the first time ever.
But looking closely at this test mule pic, hard to tell exactly if the Delta Ring and Buffer Tube mounts have changed, also the same style Receiver/grip screws as the usual current Gen8’s as well.
Full information about anything in development is always sketchy until they are actually released
Something other than yet another M4 platform would be good 
but I won’t sing to the choir on that one.
I’ve heard plenty of times on Aussie reviews retailers saying “M4s sell”… but if the marketplace is swamped with M4s then obviously that’s what’s going to sell best… a bit of a chicken or the egg situation.
Maybe now that the stateside market’s picking up we may start seeing a little more variety? 
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Yeah this release from JinMing is not a “new product”, such as the progression of Gen9/Gen 10/Gen 11/Gen 12 etc……… is only their 3rd redesign of the original old Gen8 to offer the same old Warhorse with more modern features.
The old Gen8 is still the most popular selling blaster of all time, so it makes sense for the manufacturers to keep releasing updated models of these simple old cheap blasters.
Rumours have it that even though a completely upgraded model, they will still sell for the same price as the old Gen8 2.0 full nylon old blasters.
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I often wonder how much it costs, to manufacture the cheapy budget end models…
En masse , I reckon they’d probably cost about 30-40 Aussie dollars each….
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Interesing to see what they offer up.
I could never get on board with the Gen 8 style of handguard and buffer tube attachment. I assume the nylon version’s stronger than the old ABS unit but it’s such an old design. Low production costs, I guess.
Gotta say though, a lot of left of centre blasters I’ve fettled for myself have run good ol’ Gen 8 boxes with metal goodies… one on the wall still does. Two if you count my Vector. Having an integrated motor cage solves a lot of problems if your stuffing it into something weird. 
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Probably less than that… profit margins would be huge 
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I think JinMing are still going, just not coming to Australia as much. I have seen the JM J17, Galil Ace, and I would buy it. Got quite the soft spot for JM, and it isn’t an M4, though likely still takes M4 mags.
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Yes, I’m absolutely expecting that this will be nothing more than an upgrade to the quality of the Nylon externals and very simple gearbox redesign that runs semi/auto select and some very basic other upgrades from the original Gen8 warhorse.
To advertise this new version for the same price as the old 2.0 full nylon Gen8, there obviously not going to be too much expensive innovation put into them.
That’s not knocking whatsoever they are releasing, simply stating that they are upgrading to the minimum amount required to keep these old models relevant in the new markets.
I’d agree that there’s a definite need to offer more affordable options, and JM have a history of doing that. Weird tho, I can’t help thinking that JM’s reissued Gen 8 is basically a Gen 9.
But if this hobby / sport is going to remain viable it’s important to keep it accessible to every budget… I’ll be keeping an eye out for JM a bit more now.
@RokSolid Yeah, that’s a cool looking unit… I’d probably buy it too
That’s exactly it mate…… it’s simply the OG JinMing Company still making the effort to keep producing stuff into the modern market whilst still sticking to their old school tried and true style of just producing simple and reliable cheap GelBlasters 
Hopefully higher quality externals with really basic modern upgrades to the original indestructible platform should sell like hotcakes above much more expensive technical and troublesome new models
There was something special about the early cheap models, they were reliable and fun, and modifiable, leading to delightful tinkering and community information exchanges. Of all the nice metal expensive things that are wildly modified, two of my favourites that still see field time regularly are my trusty gen8 ump, and the J12 ak74u.
The ump is just one of those will not let me down blasters. It has the singularity box, red chihai, shs 16:1s, m100, with an easyfet, will just not die. It has been used so much, it is on its 3rd red chihai motor, I have burned out and used up two, and it is still using the original builds pinion, bevel and sector gears, only changed the spur from 18:1 to 16:1 at some point.
The gen8 ump is like an old friend, everytime we get together we have a great time and then go back to our boring lives.
So yeah, if they are going to release a gen8, that has select fire, and takes normal handguards and buffer tubes, they would sell well. The perfect beginners blaster, that becomes the old reliable spare.
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My wishlist for an updated gen 8:
Just a gen 9 but with the CQB length out of the box, while gen 9 can be the full carbine length.
Seems kind of possible, because it would mean they’d have cheaper overhead, only needing to run one type of assembly on the machines, for everything behind the barrel/handguard.
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For me a $1600 dollar gel blaster is ridiculous. The sub $500 blasters are what started the interest in Australia as it was affordable for the majority.
If I was a multi millionaire, I’d buy a $1600 blaster and play with it for 5 mins then leave it in the pile of other stuff that I bought because I could while I went for a cruise in either a Bugatti, Pagani, Ferrari or Roller after flying to space and back 
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Honestly, from what I can tell from my airsoft buddies in the US/Canada, that’s basically how it is there. Cheap shit airsoft guns that will do the job (equivalent to the ol’ CYMA CQB etc) run $100ish, actual hobby tier is about $300 (so I guess kinda 500 with conversions) and then the ridiculous enthusiast tier is like 600USD/900AUD for the rifle alone.
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I love this reply mate
I also cut my teeth and built my replacement on building/modifying the simple OG blasters from 2017 onwards.
Same as yourself, my absolute favourite models out of all the older and more technical newer models are as follows.
#1: JM Gen8.
#2: SKD M4SS.
#3: SKD HK416.
#4: JM ACR J10.
#5: JM J12 AK 74U.
#6: HK UMP45.
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There is only so much upgrading you an do, particularly if are manufacturing at a cheaper price point.
Better box, gears, spring, seals etc, then the rest is cosmetic changes, for the sake of releasing a “newer, upgraded model”…
I stopped buying new model phones a long time ago, as they were getting into ridiculous prices, and just gimmicky upgrade features…$2k for a phone…really.?.?
I use the samsung galaxy S5, last of the phones with a removable battery cover and user replaceable battery.
Does everything you need a phone to do, and costs around $220 for a new one nowadays…
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Just dont book a ticket on elon’s space x flights…reliability isn’t great so far…!!
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