I'm just waiting 'till the weekend when I can try it in the back garden and see how it shoots and feeds because in the low light of the tunnels it was impossible to tell if anything was coming out or where it was going.
That said, I too am very pleased. It looks nice, is heavy and pretty solid and the battery seems to be magic. It was also a pleasant surprise to find that it didn't need downgrading. Hop was a bit of a blow, however if Viva stick to their word and come up with an after-market add-on that will be very welcome.
and ,, the next time we play as a bren section, its very very in character, NCO=sten, bren gunner=bren, no2=enfield. works for me b+a.
Got it off Ebay. Axenige sell them for £8.
Should`ve kept that quiet bud, there goes your idea of finding your Sten in a pile of `em 
I've been comparing the VIVA with pics of real Stens and as a copy (that has to work in a different way) it ain't too shabby at all.
I've been applying my mind to the most glaring omission - the recoil spring. It wouldn't be hard to make a coil of wire to pop in there of course but it would restrict the space available for the battery. Hmmm, how about a faux 'spring' - just one half on the open side? Bolt will have to be locked forward though. When I have it to bits to change the spring I'll give it a whirl! 
Got mine off Alex today, pleased as punch with it. like Barrie I can't wait until the weekend for a blat in the garden, then I'm going to buy one of those foregrip cover things because when I was 12 I spent ages painting them on 1/32 scale model stens and so think that's how all stens should look!
Or maybe I imagined it
Looks like VIVA have been busy, you can order them by the wheelbarrow-full!
Looks like VIVA have been busy, you can order them by the wheelbarrow-full!
Seeing the sudden interest in a new product AGM mobilise the troops.
1 st batch of VIVA Sten MK II without hop up system
Factory would add hop up system to 2 nd batch....
What would be the best way for the rest of us to get our grubby mitts on one?
Have just been told by supplier that the second batch of Viva Stens should have rectified the problem with the Hop Up and are offering free units for the people who have already recieved one from the first batch. Nice to see a supplier listening to buyers concerns and not only sorting them for future products but trying to do the right thing by those that have already paid thier money 
Yup, in fact they posted as much on this thread a while ago.
Hows that for service!
Hooray! *faith in humanity restored somewhat*
After my abortive attempt yesterday to upgrade the MP44 spring (which I'd previously downgraded to a 1J spring which gave a measly 270fps) in which I managed to lose the anti-reverse latch spring I foolishly and recklessly decided to ruin my Sten to up its 280fps to something a bit pokier.
I was a bit dubious not because I never learn and should never poke around inside AEGs but because it has an M14 type gearbox which I have never tackled before and have read many reports of its complexity.
Heh, simples! Its the easiest thing ever. Since the Sten only fires on full auto and even has no safety all the weird external gears, cams, contacts and triger mechanism are completely absent. Fab! Three screws and the top slidey clamp thing and you are in. What's more is all the bits stay in place as you reassemble, no gears shifting or trigger popping out so one pair of hands is sufficient (instead of having to gather the entire household to have sufficient hands to hold bits in place).
Chronoing will have to wait until tomorrow and no doubt I'll have to do the whole job again three times over 'cos nothing is ever that simple as far as me and AEGs go, but meh.
I think I did mention somewhere that it should be fairly easy. 
One thing I will have to do is try and sort out the motor brushes which are sparking quite a bit - or will they bed themselves in?
A good question...
They certainly will wear away. Whether the sparking will reduce is another thing. The sparks will cause blackening on the motor at the very least.
Personally I wouldn't worry. If the motor goes I'll get a new one.
Hi,
There was a tip in AI last year or so to remove the motor and use a low voltage power source like a 1.4v or 3v battery and leave the motor running to bed the brushes in off load so there is no sparking. Apparently it is an RC racing trick. Don't know if this helps or is necessary?
Does anyone know how long the LIPO needs charging for and does the balance charger supplied prevent overcharge etc? I have't really tries to charge the battery yet and am a bit nervous!
Peter Rabbit - Tank Killer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawk914/2159973655/
The charger shuts itself off when the battery is charged.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Yup the red light goes green when it's charged.
I've had the instructions translated from Chinese.
About the only other thing to note (apart from the bleeding obvious) is that the charger is polarity protected.
Well, I spoke too soon of course. The Sten is still in bits.
For some reason my perfectly shimmed gearbox when mated with the motor didn't align properly with the motor crown spinning noisily against the bevel gear. The motor sits in its custom made cage and although it has a thrust spring it is so tightly crammed in, it has no function. Indeed even if it did all it would do is push the motor away from the gearbox instead of allowing a cushioned bearing thrust between motor and gears. There is no way to easily adjust the motor distance - no adjusting device on the back of the motor and no way to move the cage. The only way (that I could work out) is to take the motor cage apart, undo the crown gear grub screw and re-fix it further up or down the spindle, then re-assemble.
OK, that done things took a turn for the worse - the micro-switch fell apart. I seem to remember Steve-AW saying it was a poor component! Still, a £1.50 from Maplin should sort it but I would be interested in someone with a tech/electrical background investigating a more robust and industrial solution. As it is the motor cage/trigger assembly is a clever and simple solution for putting a trigger in the right place but its not completely thought through. Things to be considered - more robust switch + motor height adjustment.
Yay, Sten is better!
Trigger switch now replaced as well as some external hex bolts replace with slot heads. I've also filed out the mag well and smoothed down the magazine housing spacer - which solved the stifness I had inserting magazines. I also sorted out the mag release latch which didn't depress properly and so made magazine removal a chore. Replaced the lipo battery and gun connectors with mini tamiya fittings.
That should do it, just need a battle to go to now...