As a package:
$231 w/battery and charger
$58 shipping

This was the first Airsoft purchase for my teammate ACE. He has a fascination with all the AK variants and this one he especially likes. Rumor has it there is no real steel equivalent to the AK Beta Spetz, but I have not been able to confirm or deny that. As long as it is possible to modify a real steel to look as this one does, it doesn't bother me that it is not a true replica. When you look at the pictures of an AK Beta, it looks very little, and very tiny, but when you actually see it and hold it that perception goes away. It is compact, but fits very nicely in your hands. I can compare its size and form with the that of the TM Sig 552.

The Beta Spetz comes standard with a 250 round high cap magazine and a tactical rail under the fore grip. The technical specs are as follows:

Gearbox: Version 3
Motor: EG700
Barrel Length: 229mm
Overall Length: 710 mm
Weight: 2700 grams (5.95 lbs.)
Listed Stock FPS: 265 (.65 joules)
Calculated effective range: 120 feet (Does not account for hop-up setting)

As I said above, this gun is compact. It is definitely a gun made for close quarters. It abandons the normal AK front sight for a close up front sight. The much shorter distance between the sights on this model, makes it more difficult to aim at longer ranges than with the AK47 and 47S. (Due to smaller vector angles between the front and rear sight). The black composite style stock gives it more of a modern look than the original AK but the rest of the gun is visually and functionally the same as the other AK models.

Battery Fit: The Large type battery on this AEG fits easily into the stock. An interesting note however is that the standard AK receiver has space in the top, for the AK type 600 mah stick battery as well. The Beta comes with a metal tube as a blank to fill this space, but a clever owner, could wire up this space to take a "spare" stick battery for those long rounds. You could conceivably have a battery in both the stock and the upper receiver, with a switch between the two.

Fire selector and safety: The fire mode selector and safety works well, but personally I don't like it. It's not like the MP5s or P90 fire selector that you can just easily flip on the fly. At least for me, my small hands may be to blame though.

Magazine: The 250 round high capacity magazine that comes standard with the Spetz suffers from the same failings as most other high caps. Rattles, eventual wear out of the feed mechanism spring, and the 20 or so bbs that can never make it up the feed line to the gun at the end of the magazine. It fits well into the lower receiver and the release catch is easy to operate. For my money, If you like those higher capacity mags, I would go with the G&P 150 rd. AK Mid Caps.

ROF and muzzle noise: When we first fired this baby up, we were shocked and pleased. The rate of fire was phenomenal and the sound..... You see we already knew that the combination of the Version 3 gearbox and the acoustic shape of the AK receiver, gave the AK line a unique sound. But the Beta Spetz's standard flash hider adds a little something. Distinctive muzzle report! After we first shot it, I surmised it was the reverse conical shape of the flash hider that was causing the sound. We tested that by removing the flash hider and trying it. With the flash hider off, the muzzle noise was quiet as a baby. The muzzle noise with the flash hider on is so noisy, that you can't even hear the gearbox at all. Or at least, you cant make it out over the "whack whack whack whack" coming from the muzzle. Now many players have done everything in their power to silence their AEGs, but this one is so cool sounding. I mean, think about it in CQB, that intimidating noise of the AK Beta Spetz throwing bbs in your direction.

Sight Alignment: The relatively steep downward angle of the stock on this gun, makes sighting with eye protection a bit easier. I would say that if you were only wearing goggles, you'll have no problem. However, wearing a full face mask may make it hard to use the iron sights, depending on what mask you have.

Upgrades and
Attachments:

There are a multitude of attachments you could use with the Beta Spetz. There are a couple of choices for sight rails, such as the Guarder side locking AK scope mount, or the G&G scope mount base. With the lower tactical rail, you also have the options for attaching flashlights, lasers, or any other tactical mounted accessory. As for Upgrades, as with most TM AEGs your options are great, springs, bushings, metal gears, tightbore barrels or even a Systema FTK. You are limited only by what you can afford. Tightbore barrels are sorta difficult to find, cause many places are not listing the Beta Spetz in their product pages. But I know that the Prometheus 229 mm 6.03 barrel is listed as compatible with the AK Beta.

First Impressions on durability? It's a very solid, very tight gun. I foresee no problems with durability in the field. As usual, proper preventive maintenance and lubrication should always be addressed.