Small and spunky. Galaxy and MP5K, is that an oxymoron? Can a gun that fits in a briefcase really do the business? Read on.

Internals

Like the Tokyo Marui gun that it’s borrowed from, the Galaxy MP5K has a Version 3 gearbox. The hopup is a push-pull adjustment instead of a barrel or wheel type. Unfortunately it’s hidden inside the handguard and will not be easy to adjust in the field. The barrel is 110mm in length compared to 141 in the MP5K PDW and 229mm in a standard MP5 variant. It seems to be of a good quality overall and manages to be about as good as the longer barrel in the standard variant, and even accurate enough to match with a stock M4 CQB barrel at 30 meters.

All told the package adds up to 310fps at 0.20g or 0.89 Joules, with accuracy only just keeping shots inside the outermost ring of our test target (77mm off the center of mass). This level of performance should serve well in the CQB or even jungle arenas where engagement distances are close, but would be decidedly underpowered for the open field.

Reliability

Finding mags that feed well with this gun has been the main challenge. Galaxy’s own 200rd hi-cap feeds reliably, but being a bit of an off-brand, Galaxy mags are harder to come by, than, say JG mags. But slap a fresh JG hi-cap in there and feeding gets dicey. A period of break-in is needed before the JG mags start to provide any sort of reliable feeding. An old Tokyo Marui lowcap fed well enough, but as lowcaps go those really go fast.

Otherwise Galaxy has done a good job keeping power levels tamed to ensure this gun just keeps on going, even when used primarily as exercised by our wantonly reckless field test team, for wild bursts of sustained full auto fire. It has not quit once since we had it in for long term testing.

Externals

Outside, the Galaxy G.5K is a fairly accurate copy of the Tokyo Marui version, so it doesn’t break any new ground on the realism front. Token trademarks that denote the caliber of the weapon are littered around the plastic body. Caliber notation is even carried down to the metal hicap.

As a model of the MP5K and not the PDW, the gun features a cutdown front with no visible flashhider, and it has no stock but instead has a sling swivel for attaching the gun to a one-point sling or a harness. A forward vertical grip is incorporated into the design of the handguard.

Other parts of the gun including the front and rear sight, cocking handle, and pins are metal. The pins are reinforced and have a locking mechanism usually seen in AEGs of higher end manufacturers. The metal on the hicap is prone to scratching on the finish, which could be a minus for some and a plus for others. The plastic is good old ABS and should survive a few scrapes.

Style

The whole point of the MP5K is the small form factor. In real terms it’s prized for concealement, but for airsoft it has inspired players to find ways to incorporate this small AEG as part of a subload. MP5K dropleg holsters have been specially made for this AEG in an effort to drop it into a loadout as one would a pistol, but its use as a secondary weapon is a debatable point, versus an actual pistol which is still much more compact.

As a primary weapon, our assessment is that its exceptionally compact size and weight could conceivably be a crucial advantage for a quick run-and-gun game. However in some ways too much has been sacrificed to make it concealable that the design becomes impractical for airsoft play, as it challenges the player, as with a pistol, to manage controlled accurate bursts without a stabilizing stock. The PDW version that features a folding stock and a longer inner barrel, for a minimal addition in weight and size, would be the more level-headed choice. We also kid about the option of dual-wielding the MP5K, but must admit that dual wielding is less ‘tactical’ and more ‘hollywood’.