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The latest version of the Echo 1 SM Short, AKA the G36C, boasts quite a few positive changes over previous models.  It looks like Echo-1 really delivered a top quality AEG in this gun.

Echo1 SMC EXTERNALS

The shiny ABS plastic has been replaced with a much sturdier feeling material.  It features a nice flat textured finish similar to the composite used on a Classic Army G36.  The body pins on the handguard and magwell have been replaced with much nicer steel locking pins.  The overall impression from the outside is that this almost can’t be an Echo1!  It feels fantastic!

Echo1 SMC PERFORMANCE

When the gun shoots it sounds nice and clean, much better than most entry level guns.  At the Chrono it gave us a solid 370 FPS.   Out of 10 shots it fired 1 low of 360, 1 high of 381, but the other 8 were all 370 +/-  4fps, so it’s pretty consistent for a budget AEG.  It clocked 14.8 BB’s per second, with an 11.1v 1800mah LiPo battery.  Yes, it handles the LiPo beautifully.  The Rate of fire may not be outrageous, but that means you won’t blow up the insides.  For those that insist on higher rates of fire, simply replacing the torque motor with a high speed one should do the trick for you.

Echo1 SMC INTERNALS

Now for the insides: the good news is they did just as good a job on the inside.  We have an 8mm bearing gearbox, 8mm sleeve bearings, metal spring guide, a redesigned hop-up unit, new wiring and an improved  switch.

The spring guide isn’t anything fancy, but it is metal and that’s a pretty big improvement over the original plastic one.

The gearbox shell is similar to the old one, but it’s 8mm instead of 7mm, so it can handle even more punishment than before.

The 8mm sleeve bearings are a very interesting change.   They do not appear to be standard ball bearings.  Instead they appear to a 2 piece steel sleeved roller bearing.  What that means is you get the reduced friction of a bearing with only 2 moving parts instead of 10.  At any rate if you prefer the standard ball bearing bushings they are standard 8mm holes so you can put any aftermarket bearings you want in there.

The wiring isn’t a huge change but it is a welcome one.  The first thing I noticed is the lack of a second mini tamiya connector; it has been replaced with more convenient and tighter fitting spade connectors.  There is also less wiring than before, and it’s a bit neater.  Overall, less wire means less resistance.

The switch inside the gearbox is much nicer than previous generations. For once it actually stays in place when you open and close the gearbox.  It is also made of a very cleanly cast polycarbonate material.  The trigger plug moves smoothly and is cleanly cast as well.

The hop-up unit has been redesigned so that you will no longer have to deal with broken hop-up brackets that result in feeding issues.  It still has our familiar G36 hop-up wheel, but the feed end looks more related to a G3 or M4 hop-up.  When seated it fits snugly up against the gearbox resulting in a good air seal and very consistent feeding.  It also boasts a MadBull Blue 60 degree hop-up bucking.

The other parts are all of good quality, but are almost identical to previous generations.

The gears are Chinese, but they are metal and durable.

The piston and piston head are white polycarbonate and very serviceable if not very exciting.

The piston head does not have bearings, but it is ported.

The cylinder head is plastic, but gets a good air seal with the cylinder and the air nozzle

The motor looks like a standard Echo 1 motor, it runs smooth and provides plenty of torque.

My overall impression of the Echo-1 SM short is very good; it is one of the best guns I’ve seen Echo 1 produce to date, and at about $200 the price can’t be beat.  It saddens me greatly that after all the work that was put into making this gun, this will be the only production run available.  They are sure to go fast, so if you want one, get them while they’re hot.