Armorer Works Custom A-180 Rebel Blaster

The A-180 is an iconic blaster seen most notably in the hands of Jyn Erso in the movie "Rogue One". In that distance galaxy, the A-180 blaster is a modular platform that was highly versatile in its use, it is easily reconfigurable to be used as a pistol, rifle or sniper rifle. Unfortunately, this replica does not have the same versatility, but it replicates the pistol version of the A-180 flawlessly. 

As it comes, the A-180 blaster is not fully built, it is split into two separate parts. In one box you will find the Armourer Works Luger base gun and in the other box, you will find the CNC-machined aluminium barrel attachment. This Airsoft sidearm is fully functioning with or without the barrel attachment. Future space age freedom fighter one day, WW2 commanding officer the next!

The barrel attachment is attached to the Luger via several screws located around the pistol. The screws and Allen keys are provided in the box with the barrel attachment but a Phillips head screwdriver is required. To begin with, the lanyard sling point needs to be screwed into the separate metal plate. This requires the cross-headed screw and a Phillips screwdriver. After that is screwed in, slide the aluminium barrel attachment over the Luger's barrel, it requires some force and wiggling but will click into place and fit perfectly snug over the Luger.

Once the attachment is over the Luger the separate plate can then be screwed into the slide plate at the top of the barrel attachment. It is attached on the top left-hand side of the pistol and requires two of the smaller hexagonal head screws. All the screw points on the Luger are pre-drilled and all you need to do is use the Allen Keys provided to ensure screws are in the holes tight. The other two screws on the right side of the slide plate can then be secured in afterwards.

After that, the four larger screws can be installed just above the pistol grip, two on either side. Make sure these screws are secured tight so the barrel attachment will not rattle. Finally, there is one screw remaining, this is another Phillips head screw and it is secured underneath the pistol, just in front of the trigger guard. With all these screws secured, your typical Luger has now undergone a full futuristic facelift and is ready to complete your space-age loadout or go on display in your man cave!

Now that the A-180 is fully built up, let's talk about its unique design and features. The barrel attachment is constructed from CNC-machined aluminium and is a mixture of silver and chrome in colour. Its design matches the A-180 from the famous movies, including the vent ports on either side of the barrel, the lanyard sling point on the left of the pistol and the crescent-shaped trigger. 

The outer barrel is unthreaded and features no front iron sights. This small sacrifice makes all the difference in creating a realistic replica of the A-180 blaster. Moving rearwards down the shiny barrel we reach some textured detailing just before we reach the Luger's upper. This ridged detailing has been CNC machined which has created an extremely clean and flawless finish. Underneath this texture, we can find a superbly machined, angular barrel brace. We assume this is for easily reconfiguring this blaster in the movie universe, but on this replica, it has no function other than looking awesome!

Moving to the back of the upper the toggle can be found on the top and has a charging handle built-in, in the form of a "drum" surrounding the rearmost hinge of the toggle-locked action. Pulling rearwards on the drum will move the entire upper receiver rearwards slightly, retract the toggle and open the ejection port, perfectly imitating the operating system of the real Luger pistol. The toggle can be operated easily, even in wet weather thanks to the textured surface of the drum. 

The controls of the A-180 Rebel Blaster are all located on the left side, identical to the classic Luger style sidearm. The safety lever can be found at the rear left of the frame and provides a safe and semi-automatic position. With the safety catch in the fire position, the enamel red dot will be visible, and with it in the safe position, we can see an engraved "GESICHERT" marking appear from beneath the safety lever, indicating that the pistol is "SECURED", otherwise known as in the safe mode. The safety catch is easy to reach from a firing grip and has a textured and raised upper surface to provide the friction necessary to be operated in all weather conditions.

The magazine release can be found between the grip and the trigger guard, on the left side of the pistol. This is a nice and familiar location for most users for the mag catch, meaning though the A-180 blaster may look futuristic and weird it will still feel familiar in most shooters hands. The catch has a textured surface that enhances grip and is in line with the grip panel to prevent inadvertent mag dropping. 

The grip panels themselves are constructed from polymer with a diamond checkering on the surface, making the A-180 easy to handle with or without gloves with minimal chances of it slipping from your grasp. The trigger is found right where expected and has a crescent-shaped trigger that matches an iconic Luger exactly.

At the rear of the frame, the A-180 Rebel Blaster features a lanyard loop which is centrally positioned to allow for either a left or right-handed draw (or more likely given its era, a hip or shoulder holster draw). This means you can secure the pistol to your belt if you are worried about it flying out during an energetic sprint, which does happen! We are always happy to see lanyard loops on GBB pistols, especially on this one as it matches the A-180 blaster perfectly!

At the base of the grip, we can find a grooved extension which functions as the stock attachment dovetail for the real Luger which this space-age blaster is built upon. That's right, the real luger could mount a stock and so could this blaster in its distant universe! Whilst there are no stocks available for the Armorer Works Custom A-180 Rebel Blaster we can always cross our fingers for one in the future, but we are thankful that this small but essential detail is included on this pistol for the realism it adds.

The A-180 Rebel utilises a fixed HOP-up unit due to its unconventional design. This means your HOP-up is not adjustable but is instead set from the factory for 0.2 and 0.25g BBs. This means less messing around setting your pistol up, but less effective range when using BBs heavier than 0.25g. Everything in Airsoft is a balance, and with some features comes the need to compromise, but for its role as a unique and effective sidearm, the Armorer Works Custom A-180 Rebel Blaster does the job and does it well!

Whether you are looking for a pistol to deliver important plans to a rebel organisation, to complete your space-age style loadout or you simply want a cool display piece, the Armorer Works Custom A-180 Rebel Blaster is the one for you! The unique style will definitely draw attention from peers and be a conversation starter. You just have to hope that nobody is secretly from a galactic empire and looking for some quote-un-quote rebel scum...

Features

• Movie-accurate replica 
• Luger based platform
• Decocker system
• Gas blowback toggle locked action - Unique Luger operating system
• Single action trigger - Short, crisp trigger pull
• Precision CNC machined alloy
• Fixed HOP-up system - Optimised for 0.2 and 0.25g BBs
• Polished chrome finish 
• Removable barrel shroud 
• The Barrel shroud does not impede operation 
• Eye-catching design 
• Rear lanyard point
• Polymer grip plates
• Suitable for Airsoft skirmishers and collectors 

Package Includes

• Armorer Works Custom A-180 Rebel Blaster
  • Armourer works Luger base gun
  • Rebel blaster kit