OTARSHOP: MK23 CARBINE KIT REVIEW
Who ARE OTARSHOP:
Let’s start by having a few words form the guys over at OTARSHOP:
“I started otarshop in 2019 after upgrading many aegs and snipers for myself and friends over the years. I wanted to make an upgraded vsr rifle which didn’t cost £1000’s focusing on the core of the rifle to get the most improvement over stock performance for the lowest cost.
To keep costs down I brought the designing and printing of parts inhouse rather than Shapeways. It took a while to get up to speed and many failed prints, but eventually things started to work out.
After extensive testing I was able to bring out the OTR-10, a super lightweight sniper rifle based on the VSR10. After experiencing what 3D printing could do, I was asked to make a MK23 kit which was at a reasonable price which and evolved into my main product.
Since then I really haven’t looked back, testing and taking advice from other airsofters in order to improve my designs. I have a few interesting projects in the pipeline, including a printed sniper rifle based on VSR internals“
I myself found OTARSHOP as they popped up on my Facebook feed and it was some snapshots of the kits mid print and I made a comment about the quality of them, we got talking and I was kindly offered a kit to review and provide some feedback on.
MK23 CARBINE KIT: WHAT YOU GET
The MK23 Kit is very minimalist and comes with just 2 main bodies sections and some screws. Stock wise you can run a standard AEG m4 Stock, but I think after speaking to OTAR, later revisions may include a buffer tube adaptor (which I’m personally hoping for)
This particular prototype is made from a resin for the 2 body sections and ASA for the buffer tube. The body sections are very tough, they look clean, the print quality in my opinion is considerably better than most printed items I’ve come across.
I’m not sure if the release versions of these kits will include them but my kit also came with 2 allen keys needed to assemble the kit, which is nice tough and greatly appreciated.
This version of the MK23 kit also included an ASA printed stock.
MK23 KIT INSTALLATION (stupidly easy)
Installation of the OTAR MK23 kit is incredibly simply and requires zero modification to the MK23 which is great and means if you ever want to run the MK23 as standard again, you can.
First step to getting this kit on, is simply sliding the front body section over the front rail, from there you can then install the large screw into the trigger guard.
Next up, you need to slide the rear section on and line it up, then you can install the 4 long screws as shown below. I’d suggest doing the screws 1 at a time, in opposite corners just so you can get everything lined up securely.
That’s it…..it is that simple.
Simply slap on a scope, suppressor and stock of your choice and you’re good to go!
One thing to note, is on this particular version there’s cut out on the top rail, which allows access of to the TDC, in my case I’m running the Original TDC by Hadron Airsoft Designs. However, the rail section are split over the iron sights and the gap,. so you are a bit limited on where you can place certain sites, without covering up the hope to adjust the TDC, but I think this is being changed in future revisions.
OTARSHOP MK23 KIT: FINAL THOUGHTS
I’ve had the MK23 Carbine Kit for a few weeks now and tried it on a few brands of MK23 such as STTI and TM, I’ve not had any issues with installing the kit and it looks and feels great on both.
It’s worth remembering that this kit is a prototype and is still undergoing constant revisions and improvements, a number of them have been made since I got the kit and I’ve give OTAR some feedback too.
I’ve had my hands on a number of MK23 carbine kits of the years, most of which are just clones of an old designs, slightly tweaked, to make it just different enough to not be a complete copy (joys of 3d printing in airsoft). However, this kit in both the way it looks and assembles is different and definitely does stand out from the crowd.
I genuinely love the kit, I think it’s got a clever design, the way it’s made is more than suitable for gaming, it’s lightweight and very easy to assemble.
again, this is just a prototype, so I have very high hope for future revisions and releases!
Remember guys, if you’ve enjoyed this post or any of the other content I’ve put out, please check out my other platforms and consider becoming a Patreon
OTARSHOP LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otarshop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otarairsoft/
