Tokyo Marui was the first company to introduce Airsoft guns powered solely by electric motor gearbox-driven spring-piston assembly in 1992, which they called “automatic electric gun” (AEG). This compact air pump system was implemented in their first battery-powered automatic firing replica, the FAMAS F1. Other airsoft guns were then introduced. The 3-gear AEG design developed by Tokyo Marui is still in use today and has been copied numerous times through the years by many other airsoft manufacturers. Tokyo Marui’s airsoft replicas were made primarily from ABS plastic bodies but also used metal parts where needed. Their more recent models, such as the Type 89 and AK-74M rifles have had full metal externals. The internal gearboxes of these guns are primarily powered by rechargeable batteries.
