Okay... so I've got the Tommy and thanks to some good people here been able to strip it right down, upgrade the battery and the wiring and changed the plastic for wood but...
What should I be doing pre and post use? I used to strip clean and lube my paitball markers but don't have clue where to start, what do to and what to use so who can give me the benefit of their years of experience?
PS - I have managed to gun oil the exterior and the mags but that's it.
First of All,
Keep any mineral based oil away from it! If that contaminates your hop rubber then you are totaly flocked. Have a look here for some basics:
http://arniesairsoft.co.uk/?filnavn=/ar ... intips.htm
Edit to add: Use only silicone gun spray or if you are feeling cheap this can be bought as silicone spray for use on cars quite cheaply from auto shops.
It's not what you want to hear HB but I'm afraid I never do anything to any gun pre or post use! I usually forget to decompress the spring, my mags are left full of BBs and wound...
The only thing I do is always remove the battery and after a wet game make sure the gun is throughly dried out for a couple of days before storing.
Or course, when I first started I polished and sprayed everything but hey, life's too short. Do it if you want (I prefer beaten up 'used' looking weapons) but your kit won't fall to bits if you don't.
* CW waits for Airsoft community's outrage at his cavalier attitude!! *
But here is a piece of advice - on you first skirmish you will lose every single nut, bolt and screw from your gun. Fact! (Well, I exaggerate a little).
Loktite is your friend - use it or lose it!
CW is an animal , a/s guns should be pampered a bit, only a bad soldier fails to look after his weapon . 
Maintenance wise, charge battery before use is a good idea, as is not leaving it disconected afterwards .
Clean the barrel out after use using the cleaning rod and a small bit of cotton waste sprayed with silicone , but be carefull not to poke the end through the hop unit .
Ease springs by firing a single shot off with the selector set at single .
Empty mags and once in a blue moon I find firing some silicone spray into them help stop stoppages
Occasionally fire a bit of spray down the barrel from the mag end , helps keep the hop unit in trim although wetting the hop rubber will mean you hop will be off for a couple of mags
About once a year a good service would look at stripping the gearbox, re greasing the gears and making sure the motor clearance was adjusted correctly . Whether you'd want ot do this or get someone else to is up to you . .
Bottom line is there isn't much too them , and therefore maintenace is pretty low .
Externally my view is "the battered the better" I stopped short at tying it to my friends Ford Ka and dragging it along the local A-road only because I didn't want "PC Angry" and his MP5 showing up!
Oh the delights at seeing a shoddily painted full metal MP40 
Internally I like my gun to work, I usually clean the inner barrel with some silicone spray, decompress the spring (though tend to forget), empty the mags and remove the battery. I generally don't fire my gun outside of the skirmish site unless for testing purposes.
Gas gun's I normally let all the gas out, but my knowledge of gas gun maintenance is limited (hence the need for a Colt/WW2 era pistol AEP!)
I used to do 'daily cleaning' to use the old phrase on my first couple of aegs, strip down, dusted, pulled through parts checked etc post game and pre game.
Now i just dont bother and havnt noticed any difference in relieabiloity or wear and tear.
If its caked in mud ill brush it off and make sure its not wet before i store it but otherwise i'm with Dave on that.
Pretty durable toy guns, its not liek with real firearms where you havbe incredibly tight tolerances to monitor or even with markers where you will get paint spill in the bolt.
Silicone spray doenst hurt but make sure you dont get it on your hop unless you intend to as it makes the next couple of hundred bbs erratic.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
as gadge and dave have said , ive always just used em then dumped em in my bag,
the only times ive ever had aegs go down, is due to jams (dirt in mags sticking to bbs, 6mm paintballs bursting in the hop, shit in the barrel.
ive trashed a fair few gearboxes, simply by keeping on fireing to try and clear the jam. if an aeg jams "STOP FIREING", and get it looked at. take it from me keeping shooting trying to clear it will just trash gearboxes (even strenthend steel ones)
external dirt and scratches do nothing, as long as the Inside is clean, it will work great.
"Take that you rotton helping of strawberry flan!"
Joseph Porta to "strawberrys and cream", in the sven hassel book ,ogpu prison
im pretty much the same as you chaps. I'll wipe off the externals, ensure its dry before storage, decompress the spring(where i remember), and make sure i empty spring mags or release the wound spring on hicap mags.
Not had any of my current aegs long enough to worry about a service. to be honest all depends on how often you use it. ie i use my thompson at open days so it'll need a service maybe once a year. my mp40 only gets used at cia events so once every 2 years prob for that if that.
gas guns you can buy maintenance gas for which helps lube bits n bobs
Many thanks guys - I will take your advice to heart!
*clunk*
.......sounds of gun being thrown in back of cupboard unloved 
Should have asked is it one of the chinese Tommys with hte wood kit, if so whats it like ?
My guns are still in my bag from GZ at the weekend. To be honest, I can't be arsed bringing them out, they're full of mud and there's at least one beastie in my Garand breech...
I just clean the barrels on mine.And working parts on my pistol.
If its passed 9 there is a 95% chance im pissed.
