Seriously, fuck Manticore Arms... And I say that with all the respect for their quality and love I can muster for a company.
Why you may ask? Because these guys brought out one of the single best products for the AK ever commercially made and then just dropped it. Back in the beginning of 2018 I was running Magpul handguards on all my AK's and I was perfectly happy. Then on a whim I decided to give MA's Transformer AK forend set a try. BIG FUCKING MISTAKE!!! Like an addict who gets their first taste of heroin I was hooked. These turned out to be the best handguards I have ever come across! Lightweight at less than what the OEM handguards weigh, and approximately the same size and shape. These things are fucking sexy and the top handguard sits low enough to co-witness a RDS. While everyone drools over the Zenitco handguards, these are essentially the same thing but BETTER! How you ask? Their 'Transformer' plates allow you to mount any accessory you have no matter how it mounts. You want to use a standard picatinny, they have a plate for it. KeyMod or M-Lok, they got plates for those too. You wanna be a douche and run one of each, knock yourself out!! But I don't mount a much on my AK's anymore (tho I like having the option) and the handguard had a great option for that too in their grip plates... Again, sexy and comfortable.
But unfortunately, when I purchased my set from AIM Surplus I must have got one of the last available anywhere. Within a week of me mounting the handguards I tried to order another set only to be told AIM was out. I googled and searched everywhere in a desperate attempt to find someone else selling them, but to no avail. I contacted Manticore and asked what the lead time on there next run would be only to be told they cancelled the product. After that I spent almost a year looking at the marketplace here and other places, even Gun Broker, trying to find someone selling even a used set. I posted threads begging for someone to sell me theirs... Finally after a year I found someone willing to part with a set. Due to the required fitting it's not a perfect fit but I finally got another set for one of my other AK's.
How you gonna bring a product this great to market and only do a limited run!? I know they sold cuz you couldn't find them anywhere a year or so after their release. I know people like em cuz nobody is willing to give theirs up and you never see them on the secondary market.
Seriously Manticore, BRING THIS SHIT BACK!!!!