ZY Toys Cheytac Intervention M200 sets

Howdy figure fans, this time out we are going to take a look at another ZY Toys sixthscale weapon accessory. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with ZY Toys products for their quality, finish, and value. And it has been refreshing to see a company take on weapons that have either been overlooked, or have been under-produced.

Over the years I have become a bit of sixthscale gun nut. In this time, I have had the chance to play around with various sixthscale weapons from most of the major and minor manufacturers. Part of the appeal for me has been a great love of tinkering with and modifying sixthscale weapons – so I tend to look at them not only as they stand, but also for their custom potential. All of this has lead to a standard by which I judge sixthscale weapons… It is this standard that helps inform me on the quality and value of the weapon sets that I have a chance to review.

When I first saw pics of ZY Toys M200′s, I was eager to lay hands on them to see how they measured up… And after my experience with ZY Toys M82 and RPG-7 sets, my expectations for the M200′s was high. Happily, I received the opportunity when Brian included both the desert camo and black and gunmetal M200 variants with the latest shipment from BOT HQ.

I would also like to take a second to stray slightly off-topic in order to thank Brian for the inclusion of some terrific military related DVD’s in this latest shipment. The list is too long to mention in whole, but needless to say, I now have some great titles to add to my collection. Thank you my friend, your generosity is appreciated.

Long range can opener…

In the 2007 film Shooter, Bob Lee Swagger ( played by actor Mark Wahlberg ) employs a variety of exotic sniper rifles in some very interesting ways… One notable scene depicts Swagger boning up on his shooting skills with a Cheytac M200 Intervention. In this scene, he displays his exceptional sniping chops by using his Cheytac to forcibly open a can of Denty Moore Stew from afar. I love a good hearty stew as it is delicious stuff that sticks to the ribs, and makes your tummy happy on a cold afternoon. I have not sampled the Denty Moore brand of stew, but I have to say that after seeing Swagger punctuate that can, my stomach did rumble a bit. Makes me wonder if sales of Denty Moore went up after the release of the picture. This has to be one of the stranger examples of product placement in a film in recent memory…

In real life the Cheytac M200 Intervention is capable of sending bullets down rage at distances of up to 1.42 miles. In fact, the M200 holds the world record for best group at a distance, with 3 out of 7 hits within a 16.5 inch group at 2,321 yards. And former Navy SEAL Richard Machowicz ( host of Future Weapons ) made 3 out of 6 on a human sized target at a distance of 2,530 yards. So the Cheytac is no slouch in the accuracy and range department.

The Cheytac features a turn-bolt action, and comes with a seven-round magazine. It fires either the .408 Cheytac, or .375 Cheytac round. Before conducting my research for this review, I had assumed that the rifle chambered .50 ammunition – so I was surprised to find that it actually chambers and fires it’s own special home brewed ammo, which is said to be a bridge between the 338 Lapua and .50 BMG. The Cheytac currently comes in six variants:

M200

Those in the know may be able to add to the list – but needless to say, there are enough versions out there to offer some customizing options to the sixthscale gunsmiths out there.

I visited the MOMA ( Museum of Modern Art ) in San Fransisco a few years back, and one of the highlights of the visit was a stroll through an exhibition hall devoted solely to what I will call, for lack of a better description, functional art. This exhibit included such things as furniture, appliances, and even a fantastically imagined road bike. Although the latter was the one thing, that despite it’s flowing lines and trance-atory paint scheme, was so inadequate in it’s mechanical design, that it would most likely cause grievous bodily harm to anyone foolhardy enough to attempt to ride it.

One thing that was reinforced by my visit was the presence of an artist’s eye and hand in almost everything that is produced or manufactured. True, one could argue that the Arts and Crafts movement was done in by the Industrial Revolution – and in many ways I would agree with that assertion – but I would also argue that everything from automobiles to toilet brushes – no matter how common place or banal, is intentionally imbued with at least some measure or attempt at artistic design.

How does this apply to weapons? Well, over the years, in many cases, weapon designers and smiths have imbued their designs with at least a hint of artistic flare. Whether you are talking about the use of exotic materials, or designs emblazoned or engraved onto the weapons themselves. From swords to peacemakers, there have been some really fancy examples of artistry. This has been lost to some degree with more modern weapons, which seem to be built with an eye toward efficiency and effectiveness, and have little in the way of flare – at least by way of scrimshaw or engraved filigree. And how many pearl handled Glocks have you seen?

Yet there is still something alluring and visceral about the look of many a modern firearm. They are almost Giger-esque in their oily, insectile anatomy… And the high tech look and feel of many modern weapon attachments and sighting systems is reminiscent of the imagery of recent science fiction themed films. In short, guns have a certain something that makes people want to look at them. Sounds weird, and maybe it’s something less to with artistic allure, and more to do with a dread fascination with cold, hard, and deadly efficiency.

Lithe, long, lethal…

There is something very interesting about the look of the Cheytac M200 Intervention… In some respects it appears almost denuded or skeletal – but still robust and purposeful. Sort of the weapon world equivalent of a mud dauber wasp… In some ways the design reminds me of an automobile or aircraft prototype that engineers have stripped clean of all the external fru fru in order to expose the internal workings. Yet this stripped down and unembellished design is not without some visceral presence.

The Cheytac has a uniqueness that is all it’s own… It doesn’t seem reminiscent or derivative in the way that the FN SCAR, HK 416 or LWRC M6 are reminiscent or derivative of the M4… True, the hand grip of the Cheytac does remind me of the hand grip of an HK PSG1, but that is where the similarity to other modern era sniping systems ends. The Cheytac really is unique and strangely alluring – in my mind, and in my opinion anyway…

As contrary and weird as it may sound, the Cheytac seems to share this ” unique to itself ” look with another modern era sniping system – and again, one that ZY Toys has chosen to produce in sixthscale… The Barrett M82. Interesting that ZY Toys has announced plans to produce yet another ” unique to itself ” firearm – the Cornershot. It seems that ZY Toys has a thing for exotic and unmatched firearms.

Two versions…

As with Zy Toys recent M82′s and RPG’s, we are offered a little variety with our M200′s… In this case we have the option of either a black and gunmetal variant, or a three tone desert camouflage variant. Both color variants come with more or less the same bits and pieces. And both variants are more or less the same – minus the barrel configurations.

The black and gunmetal variant come with what is meant to represent either the M200 26″ or 29″ inch barrel, while the desert camo variant comes with a silencer equipped barrel. Both come with three magazines, five brass rounds, two bi pod legs ( which seem to extend – but be careful when manipulating the lower limbs of the legs, as they are very fragile ), a separate bolt system, a long range scope, and a telescopically collapsible butt-stock that has a flip-down butt spike. Unfortunately, neither version came with the Newcon Optik day night laser range finder, or the Kestrel 3000 series wind meter that came with the M82 Barrett sets. Of course this lack of extra gear is reflected in an overall lower price point than the M82 sets, so it isn’t a critical omission, or a deal breaker.

Black and gunmetal…

I tend to like it when paint apps on sixthscale weapons are left simple… Many times when a company attempts to apply a factory weathering job to a weapon they end up making a mess of it. Personally, I would rather have the option of adding the weathering myself, or not at all – I mean let’s face it, not all weapons are weathered and worn looking. Another area of paint detailing where companies can drop the ball, is in an attempt to reproduce an accurate representation of gunmetal. It is one of those finishes ( like many metallic finishes ) that can be tricky to achieve with paint. Make me want to lay hands on some Alclad colors…

Often times gunmetal paint finishes end up looking too glittery or too flat – more like something the boss would use as eyeshadow for New York Dolls dress up day at the office. But I am happy to say that ZY Toys seem to have found an effective formula for their gunmetal paint. The finish is dark enough to still allow for some light dry brush weathering with either a silver or steel color, yet not so dark that the metallic effect is diminished or understated. This combine with the satin ( but not quite matte ) black finish give the B&G variant a clean, stealthy look that would fit in well with a SWAT, Night Ops, or near future/sci-fi bash. Well done ZY Toys.

Desert camouflage…

I have mentioned in the past that I am not always a fan of factory applied desert camo paint schemes. The colors may be off – or the design may be sloppy… In some cases the camo paint apps can look downright awful – yellowish tans, and orange browns – as if a cake decorator or the head cheese monger at the Kraft plant were put in charge of the color palette.

In the case of the desert camo variant of the M200, the overall tan color is actually quite decent. It has an almost greenish tint that gives it the FDE ( Flat Dark Earth ) look of the P-mags that came with Soldier Story’s MSOB figure. Over this there are lightly sprayed bands of a slightly darker greenish tan, and a reddish brown color. The effect is subtle, and stands as an above average desert camo factory paint scheme.

One complaint that I have with the desert camo variant is that it is constructed from a white plastic similar in appearance to resin. You can see this white plastic in areas where the paint isn’t as heavy ( look in the mounting holes on the top of the receiver’s RIS rail ). ZY Toys used this same material for their desert camo variant M82, and I imagine that it has something to do with economics. It just may be that it is easier to paint a lighter color on a lighter background – that you can get by using less paint to achieve an even, opaque coverage.

I would rather that ZY Toys had used black plastic for the Desert variant, as that would have allowed for some weathering options by way of sanding or lightly scraping away the overlying tan camo paint to reveal the black underneath… An effect that is highly appealing, and somewhat easy to accomplish. Unfortunately, if you were to try this technique with a weapon cast from white plastic, all you would reveal would be a barely perceivable white area of wear, as opposed to the effect achieved by the contrast between the tan and black. With that said, If I am to do a custom paint job on the M200′s, it will be the black variant that receives a desert camo paint scheme, and the desert camo variant that receives a black paint scheme. Kind of funny eh?

Edit: I ended up leaving the desert camo version a desert camo version… I used a combination of black and steel drybrushing, and a black pencil to make all of my wear away weathering ( chipping ) effects. This proved to be a little more time consuming and difficult than I had hoped, but in the end I was happy with the results. Ironically, it appears that the black and gunmetal version may also be made out of white plastic – this summation due to a spot on the hand grip where the paint had rubbed away… Very interesting that Zy Toys seems to mix up the color of plastic that they use for certain of their products…

Fit, function, value…

I am happy to say that this set is similar to the other ZY Toys sets that I have played with in the past… The detail is crisp and clean – the fit of the pieces is decent and true – and the overall look is sharp and in no way cheap. There were some small issues with various parts not fitting as well as I may have liked:

1. The magazines that come with the black and gunmetal variant not wanting to stay in the magazine well.

2. The mounting pins on the scope that comes with the desert camo variant being just slightly too small for the mounting holes on the receiver’s RIS rail – or maybe the holes were too big…

Bottom line, the scope fell off a few times when I was posing the desert camo variant for the pics, and the magazines didn’t cooperate while I was tinkering around with the black and gunmetal variant. This latter was easy enough to fix by placing a small scrap of paper atop the magazine before sliding it into the magazine well. But other than that, all of the parts fit well and functioned well.

I should mention that the insertion points for the bipod legs ( rounded pegs on bipod legs – receiver holes on bipod flages on fore-end of rifle ) are a little tight the first time you install the legs to the rifle. Again, as with any sixthscale wepaon part, use utmost caution when popping these pieces together. Don’t try to force them – just take your time and go at the insertion point from different angles until the peg is firmly seated into the receiver hole. Once the pieces are joined together, there are two minute detents ( notches ) on the bipod flages on fore-end of rifle that allow the legs to lock into either the fully extended or fully closed postition. These detents are very small, but are defined enough to allow you to ” feel ” when the bipod legs are in a locked postition. When removing the legs, use the same level of patience and caution to ensure that you don’t snap any parts. Since the legs are a longer, thinner piece, I would suggest holding them as close to the point where the insertion peg is loacted so as not to multiply the force on the insertion peg or on the leg itself ( like a fulcrum would multiply force ). Caution and patience are the keys to success. I had considered boring out the receiver holes a bit to make the insertion easier, but I am happy that I did not go this route, as I noticed that after removing the legs, it was easier to reinsert them the on subsequent build ups. With this in mind, I fear that boring the holes would only result in loose fitting or wobbly bipod legs.

Also worthy of mention is the packaging that ZY Toys uses for they weapon sets. I have to give kudos to ZY Toys for their packaging – small consideration by some estimations, but a measure of effort never the less. Zy Toys have packaged their M200′s in boxes constructed from sturdy white cardboard, which is similar to a heavy gauge card stock. The box consists of two main pieces ( top half and bottom half ) the outside of which are decorated with photographs of the M200′s in an outdoor, scale specific, rubble strewn environment. This seems to be the same location that ZY Toys uses to photograph all of their weapon sets, and these are the same images that we see in the pre-release pics on the forum boards. I find myself wondering if this location was somewhere out in the rough, or was literally right outside of ZY Toys HQ – maybe on the fringe of the employee parking area.

Getting back on track, when you open the box, you see an inner clear plastic tray with cells ( openings ) for the M200′s component parts. There is also a clear plastic over tray ( lid ) that securely covers the display tray, and keeps the individual parts from rattling around or coming loose. There is also an inner leaf of white card stock under the plastic display tray, which while unnecessary for the integrity of the packaging, is still a nice addition… You may even be able to come up with some clever 1/1 scale uses for this extra bit of card stock… A grocery list, a love note, an on the go pooper scooper, all three maybe… The possible uses are only limited by one’s imagination…

At around $15.00, these are a definitely a good deal… And the minor issues with fit are not unique to any particular sixthscale weapon product. With almost any example there will be issues. It is up to the individual to decide whether these are deal beakers, or things that can be addressed or overlooked. In this case, I feel that for my own personal use, the issues are small enough that I can overlook them.

I am looking forward to seeing what ZY Toys will come up with next.. I am hoping that we won’t have to wait too much longer to lay hands on the Cornershot that they first announced back in July of 2009. This is another one of those oddball weapons that would be a welcome addition to any sixthscale arsenal.

Now for the score… Being an accessory, and not a boxed figure set, these will receive an “overall” and not individual and cumulative scores. I considered making a minute deduction for the issues of fit with the scope pins and the magazines… Had these issues been unique to these sets, and not prevalent in most all sixthscale weapons, and had I been certain that they were product wide and not exclusive to the in hand sample, this deduction would have been present ( most likely in the form of a half point ) But based on the fact that the magazines fit securely in the case of the desert camo variant, and that the scope fit securely in the case of the black and gunmetal variant, and that the components shared by both variants ( scopes and magazines ) are no doubt cast from the same mold, I feel that these fit issues may have had more to do with paint finishes, and not a lack of quality.

Taking all of the above into consideration, I feel it fair to award these sets a five out of five stars.

If you have read any of my past reviews, you know that I wrap things up with a section devoted to the changes and modification that I have made to the subject of my review. Sometimes this will also include any fixes that I may have had to preform to get the look right or function. This time out I didn’t have any broken parts or direct from the factory glitches that needed to be addressed, so I was free to play around with customizing options.

I chose to make my custom touches in the paint department. Along with the custom paint, I also added custom weathering and wear details. This is something that I always enjoy, as these details add a life and a history to the item in question that can be told through each little ding and dent. Fun stuff to play around with. Pics of both the before and after look of the rifles can be seen below. In the pics marked ” Factory ” you will see the rifles as they appear straight out of the box with no custom touches added… In the pics marked ” Custom ” you will see the results of my custom paint and weathering work.

It is my sincere hope that all of my reviews shed some light on the product in question, and give an unbiased breakdown of the product attributes and drawbacks. Thank you as always for taking time out to read the reviews, and to look at the pics.

Best regards, Michael Skram II