A little history on Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal,they are a Belgian company, based out of Hertsal, Belgium. Their name translated from French to English means National Factory of Herstal or FN, FNH, FN Herstal are all loosely interchangeable. They are most notably recognized for producing some very awesome real guns such as the, P90, SCAR, F2000, M249, M240 and in this case the FNX-45 Tactical.
The airsoft gun is brought to us by Cybergun which is a French company who specializes in providing high quality, licensed trademarked replica guns. They hold some of the top names in the real firearm industry and offering very detailed replicas of those guns. In the case of the FNX-45 Tactical Green Gas Blow back, which is a fully licensed replica of the real FN Herstal .45 Caliber pistol.
At first glance the gun is very nicely made, it has a good weight to it, and feels extremely solid in the hand. It doesn't have an unnecessary amount of play in the slide and all the controls are positive when operated. In the above image which illustrates the attention to detail with their extremely high quality trademarks.
Here is a look at the port side of the gun which gives you another angle of the sexy trademarks. Notice the ambidextrous slide catch, safeties and magazine catch.
My favorite part about the pistol is how the raised suppressor sights work perfectly with the NcStar Red Dot Sight. Once installed and everything was sighted in, the dot co-witnessed the iron sights perfectly and definately made for faster, accurate, shooting. One thing I would like to note is that neither the sight, nor the pistol came with the propper screws for installation. However I did, have screws handy and was able to install the sight. A quick trip to any hardware store should result in acquisition of the proper screws.
Here is another view of the starboard side of the gun. Notice the ambidextrous slide catch, safeties and magazine catch.
Another nice touch on the gun, which really shows the attention to detail is the Loaded Chamber Indicator (LCI), this is the typical way to show that there is in fact something in the chamber. If there is a case or live cartridge in the chamber the extractor is bulged out slightly and manufacturers typically put some sort of red paint to indicate there is something in there, this method is the least intrusive and isn't ridiculous like some of the LCIs used on real guns sold in California.
The airsoft gun features a molded in serial number plate like the real gun. It even has a QR code for inventory control purposes in an armory setting.
The gun does feature the capability to interchangeable back straps, however I have not seen a variety of back strap sizes available as of now. The back strap does have a nice lanyard loop to allow the use of a pistol retention lanyard.
Here is another view of the lanyard loop as well as the nice extended magazine base plate. This is probably the secret to the high capacity magazine. The real gun features a capacity of 15 rounds of .45 Auto, which is a really large capacity for the caliber. In the airsoft gun, the magazine is an advertised 25round, however you can fit 26 BB's in the magazine plus 1 in the chamber for a total capacity of 27 rounds, which is actually very impressive.
Here you can see the blinged out magazine and it packed nicely with 26 BBs... Yes my BBs are pink...
Here is another picture of the blinged out mag. It is actually really nice, it drops free extremely fast and the mag insertions are like butter. Also note the magazine fill valve on the back of the magazine so you do not need to remove your magazine base plate. I really like the placement of the fill valve.
Here is a look deep into the inner bowels of the FNX-45 Tactical. They actually use a really nice synthetic lubricant on all moving parts inside the gun. This would virtually make the mechanical portion of the gun maintenance free. Typically I recommend using the Slip 2000 Airsoft Lubricant 3 Pack, which includes a grease, gel, and an oil which covers all bases of lubrication of ALL airsoft guns. On a pistol, i typically use the grease if the gun has a hard enough blow back and if not I will use the gel on all moving parts. I then use the oil to lubricate any gas components such as the fill valve and gas release valve as well as the loading piston head cup seal. In the case of the FNX-45 as long as you keep it away from dust and dirt you will be in great shape. However should you decide to drop the gun in the dirt or sand, you may be in for one heck of a cleaning. If this is the case you will definitely want to get the Slip 2000 Lube Kit.
Now let's look at what really makes this an awesome gun, beside the gun itself. The gun already has a flat spot machined into the slide to accept various red dot sights. In this case I chose to mount the NcStar Micro Red Dot sight as you may have already noticed. The gun has a cover plate for use when the red dot sight is not installed on top of the pistol.
Another really cool feature that really ties the dot sight together with the gun is the use of suppressor sights which are able to co-witness with the dot sight. They are simulated to look like night sights. A interesting observation was the use of a clear fiber optic tube which simulates the tritium vial. This allows light to come through the sight actually making them appear brighter. They also feature serrations which gut down on glare.
Here is a nice view of the front raised suppressor sight. This also shares the same features as the rear sight with the simulated night sight.
This picture illustrates the two typical sight pictures you would see when using the dot sight with the raised suppressor sights. The left image shows the lower 1/3 co-witness while the right picture shows unobstructed view of the target. Both are acceptable and would yield rounds on target.
While we are on the topic of aiming, all the red dot sights in the world are useless without being able to identify your target. This is especially true in airsoft as you can easily friend fire a team mate in a night game and potentially loose the game. I opted to use the ASG Super Xenon weapon light, as I feel the paddles on the back and its low profile make it a nice fit on the gun.
Overall I feel the FNX-45 Tactical GBB from Cybergun is a outstanding pistol, it is a meticulously crafted replica. It would serve you equally well as skirmishable gun or a beautiful wall hanger for the avid collector.
The Cybergun FN Herstal FNX-45 Airsoft Pistol Review on Fox Airsoft highlights the meticulous craftsmanship of this fully licensed replica, emphasizing its outstanding performance as both a skirmishable gun and a collector's item. Its detailed design, including ambidextrous features and a high-capacity magazine, places it among the top picks for airsoft pistol brands, showcasing Cybergun's commitment to quality and realism in their airsoft products. For a closer look at this model and its features, you can visit Fox Airsoft's website for more information.