Echo 1 E90 (P90) RAS review by Booligan
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Real Steel History
Ordering
Basic Information
First impressions
Included
Externals
Installation
Pros/Cons
Overall
Introduction
P90 fans rejoice, there’s a cheaper alternative to the First Factory Nitro VO P90 RAS kit! Echo 1 has remade it and for about half the price, but with no noticeable drop in quality. I won’t bore you with a lengthy introduction and will cut straight to the chase.
Real Steel History:
Oddly enough, as far as I can tell, this product was originally designed for airsoft use, and was later modified to be used on real P/PS90s. Life imitating art I guess. Anyways, the original RAS kit was developed by First Factory, and is a very high quality piece of equipment for P90 users. Echo 1 has redeveloped it to be manufactured at a lower cost, and is now offering it in their line of new accessories for their E90 (P90) line.
Ordering:
I requested this item from Echo 1 as a supplement to the E90 which I already reviewed here. I was very impressed with the gun, so I wanted to see how the accessories would work out. I was pleasantly surprised, as I’ll delve into further later on in the review. The RAS is available at most airsoft retailers currently, and is priced at about $70, a good $60-$80 cheaper than the FF RAS.
Basic Information
The E90 RAS is obviously a rail kit. It offers four 20mm RIS surfaces to mount your choice of lights, lasers, grenade launchers, foregrips, optics, or other rail mounted accessories. It is full metal and is compatible with all TM compatible P90 AEGs that have a removable flashhider. It can be mounted on both the TR and RDS versions of the P90 with no permanent modifications. It is also compatible with real P/PS90s after substantial modifications that I know nothing specifically about, so don’t ask.
First impressions:
The RAS arrived in a small white box with an Echo 1 sticker, and a small label saying “ECHO1 E90 RASâ€. Inside, it was securely wedged inside a cardboard holder, with the mounting hardware secured in a plastic bag inside. Due to the extra cardboard at the ends of the box, shipping damage risk should be at a minimum. My first thoughts were that it is actually smaller than I thought it would be. Perhaps it’s because all of the pictures have lots of stuff mounted, but it seems like it would be bigger. The size soon grew on me for several reasons, which I’ll get into later.
Included:
The RAS kit includes the RAS itself, the mounting ring, the two mounting blocks, and all the required screws and washers. There were no mounting tools included, and you will need a set of metric allen head wrenches to install it.
From here on, click all pictures to enlarge
Everything included
Externals:
The kit is made entirely of metal, which is sturdy but lightweight. My guess is aluminum, due to its light weight and lack of magnetic attraction. The screws included seem to be steel. The body of the RAS is built out of several pieces of metal that are bolted securely together, with the actual 20mm rails attached via nuts and bolts. When you receive the kit, be sure to check all the nuts and bolts to ensure they’re secured. Once everything is nice and tight, there’s absolutely no movement in the various pieces making up the kit.
Make sure all the nuts and bolts are tight
There are some Echo 1 trademarks laser engraved on the RAS, and the numbers on the rails themselves are laser engraved as well.
Trademarks
The side rails on my RAS were slightly off camber, with them both appearing to droop down a bit, although they’re both very secure. The top rail is lower than the main sight rail, which means that you can mount a light or laser on the top with it still clearing most optics on the main rail. You can also mount something like an EOTech onto the top rail and it would be lined up perfectly.
The finish application on the RAS is quite nice, with one slight exception. The application on one of the 20mm rails is slightly rough on the inside channels.
Roughness in the finish
Installation:
I’ll now do a photo installation tutorial.
Installation is accomplished by first removing the flashhider and locking ring by unscrewing them both clockwise.
You can then put the attachment ring onto the muzzle, with the flat part on top.
Insert the grub screws into all four holes in the attachment ring, and tighten them evenly. I found that it attaches more securely if you put your mock mock silencer, PS90 outer barrel, or other barrel extending device on before tightening the screws, as it’ll hold the ring tighter against the receiver.
All screws tightened, muzzle device attached, ready to install the RAS.
Take the two mounting blocks and place them inside the spots in the receiver. They won’t stay in on their own, so you have to hold them in until the RAS can keep them in.
Slide the RAS down onto the mounting ring and blocks.
Ensuring everything is lining up, slide it all the way down until the screw holes are lined up.
Now, you can tighten the two large screws into the mounting blocks, and the three smaller screws in the RIS holes and into the mounting ring, and you‘ll be ready to rock!
Now attach the accessories of your choice. My choices are a Madbull XM203, green laser on the top rail, which clears the reflex sight because of the stepped down design, an Element 10†Troy Industries trademarked mock mock silencer, and two rail covers just to keep the sides looking good and clean.
The nice part about it is that it’s actually very balanced out, right on the middle of the trigger.
Pros:
Rails for your P90!
Almost 50% cheaper than the FF RAS
Rock solid attachment to gun
Able to mount on the top rail and optic rail at the same time
No permanent modifications needed
Quite lightweight
Cons:
Slightly off camber side rails
Rough finish on one rail (may not appear on other kits)
Needs an extended barrel device to look right
Nuts and bolts can loosen up and need to be watched
Overall:
If you want more rails on your P90, you need a RAS kit. The Echo 1 is currently the best priced kit, and is a great choice. I’m very happy with mine, as it allows me to mount a 40mm launcher easily, and gives it a very unique look.
Many thanks again to Echo 1, and of course, AirsoftRetreat!
Glamour shot time:
