SHOP DROP

batteries, and motors. There’s also an Ambidextrous Fire-Selector that includes a Burst function, improved Trigger Response with FET and more! This is yet another fine TM AEG, and we are seriously looking forward to getting it on the range with hopefully a full review to drop in the October Issue of AA!

GEAR UP!

Okay, REALLY… onto gear!

We’ve been having great fun testing some of the latest new Autumn/Winter garments from a number of our industry friends, and by the time you read this some of us will be up in Scotland putting these through their paces “in the wild”! What we can tell you is that there’s a lot to look forward to from the likes of VIPER, Snugpak, Helikon-Tex and Pentagon and we’ll provide more information as these new models are ready to hit stores.

Right now though, there’s a couple of garments we’d like to give you the “heads-up” on as they’re already available - and they’re absolutely ACE!

HELIKON-TEX

The first of these is the new RANGE HOODIE from our good friends at Helikon-Tex, which is a tactical hoodie designed by shooting specialists. Its cut and the fabrics used will allow for comfortable use even in bad weather conditions. An extended cut allows the Hoodie to be tucked into pants, whilst an anatomically cut hood and a zipped kangaroo pocket are the elements that distinguish RANGE HOODIE from classic combat shirts or shooting shirts.

The combination of elastic and tear-resistant materials, known from other garments in the shooting community has been used throughout, making this hoodie suitable for intensive and demanding work specifically for, but not restricted to, “range work”. Mesh sewn under the armpits provides better ventilation during dynamic training, and the small, zipped pockets on the upper arms will allow you to conveniently carry small items of equipment. The RANGE HOODIE® is a great replacement for a range polo or combat shirt on cold and rainy days, and in combination with Helikon’s LVL 1 thermal underwear and HYBRID TACTICAL PANTS® pants, it will allow you to work at the shooting range all year round.

Made of 100% Polyester with 93% Nylon/ 7% Elastane inserts (the mesh is 100% Polyester) and featuring quality YKK zippers the TANG HOODIE stacks up technically, and the cut and fit is indeed great for its intended use. This however tell only one part of the story, as when you actually wear it, it’s genuinely quite remarkable!

The main body fabric is not a fleece as the image might suggest, but a high-performance breathable construction that also has a degree of wind protection! It’s thin and lightweight, but thus far has proved to be warm, comfortable, and very durable. The attractive tonal “insets” feel almost like high-grade soft shell and offer four-way stretch. The arm pockets are way big enough to swallow a smartfone or set of range cards and the main, zipped “kangaroo” pocket is a great place to stow gloves when not in use - there’s even a hanging loop under the neckline zip for your shooting glasses!

When it comes to range gear, Helikon-Tex are really pushing things forward, and we look forward to seeing just what they add to this line next, but we can certainly see the RANGE HOODIE getting good use this autumn, and even into winter as an additional layering piece in our clothing systems.

PENTAGON

Thinking of the coming winter months, we’re starting to think about “investment” pieces and we’ve seen that www.military1st.co.uk have the

PENTAGON OLYMPUS JACKET in RAL 7013, and as this is one of our favourite “tacticool” colours it’s looking good for an early buy in!

The Olympus jacket is a warm, and lightweight outdoor shell with a Storm|Tex windproof coating and polyester soft-shell body with 80gsm internal

filing power and gives protection wind. A comes that insulates excellent against the peaked hood with

an elasticated cord which can be quickly adjusted and secured with cord locks. The jacket has a full front YKK zip closure with chin guard and internal weatherresistant flap for excellent isolation. The tricot-lined high collar and hand pockets offer additional warmth and comfort. The extra pocket on each arm provides storage for other small items , and the internal document pocket with zip closure and port for headphones provides secure space for documents or a smartphone.

The hook-and-loop cuffs and adjustable bottom hem with cords and quick locks provide an excellent customisation for a better fit and protection against the elements, and the Olympus jacket even comes with a compact compression bag in the form of a zipped back pocket for fast and convenient storage! The Olympus from Pentagon is a perfect choice for that extra piece of “Safe Zone Snivel Gear” and is REALLY well-priced for what it is.

5.11

One of the projects we’re going to be looking at soon is that of the “Grey Man”, and looking in more detail at what this means, and where it has a place in airsoft games and scenarios. It’s also a great crossover where gear that you use in game can also serve you well in everyday life… good gear, multiple applications = win for our pocket money! One of the pieces of clothing we’ve been putting through the ringer is the RIDGE PANT from tried and trusted brand 5.11.

At first glance these pants don’t scream “tactical”, but they’re definitely the perfect accompaniment for those needing performance in a low key ways they’re built with huge functionality, such as a hidden cuff key pocket, an IWB flex cuff tunnel, and hidden pockets. They offer a high range of motion and are definitely the pants you want to be wearing when you need to keep things on your person away from prying eyes. • Comfort waistband with zipper and logo button closure • Reinforced belt loops with center back webbing loop • Back yoke utility pockets • Back body patch pockets • Cargo pockets with zipper closures and inside dividers • Articulated knees While they’d work perfectly in game, they’re ideally suited to those who want to live the “grey man life” and we’ll be showing you exactly what this means soon.

However, for this month… watch your six, keep an eye out for your buddy and GO PLAY AIRSOFT! AA

WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF (ANTI?)-SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS PURPORTING TO SHOW AIRSOFT PLAYERS CHEATING, AS A LONG-TIME PLAYER AND SITE OPERATOR, FRENCHIE ASKS: “SHOULD PLAYERS BE BANNED FOR POSTING CHEAT VIDEOS FROM THE SITE?”

Here’s an interesting one… I recently read a Facebook post from an Airsoft site, making it clear that anyone who shot video on their site and then posted it to social media, claiming that it showed another player cheating would be permanently banned if they had not first submitted the video to the site so that they could investigate the incident.

Now, with typical keen journalistic rigour I cannot find the post again and therefore cannot credit the site involved.

As someone who ran a site for years, I have a lot of sympathy with this stance. The stated reason for this approach was that it harmed the reputation of the site without ever giving them the opportunity to investigate the incident. To be quite clear, the proposed ban would only apply where the person filming the incident made no attempt to bring it to the site’s attention during the game or after, preferring to trade resolution for manufactured outrage and likes online.

INDIGNANT BIAS

Do you detect bias on my part? Damned right you do!

Cheating is a fact of life in Airsoft; sometimes completely deliberate, sometimes wholly accidental and often as a result of the shooter simply not being aware of their own limitations and the limitations of their guns. Pointing a Go-Pro at the alleged incident seldom clarifies anything, as a 170-degree field of view seldom makes for precise detail, you would get better results with a 500mm telephoto lens. Possibly…

Let me give you a real example: I was marshalling a game when a player approached and accused another player of not taking hits. I knew the “target” and felt that he was a little “flexible” in his playing approach, so I crossed the field of play and positioned myself where I could see him clearly. He was taking fire but he absolutely wasn’t being hit. He’d positioned himself prone behind a small earth berm with coarse grass on top. Although rounds were passing over him, or hitting the berm, none were hitting him as BBs simply don’t have the penetrative power required to reach him in those circumstances. I went back to the complainer and explained the situation and suggested a more active flanking approach might be necessary to dislodge him. Sorted!

Now, if that had been filmed and the first I knew about it was when it potentially blew up on social media, the whole thing would have been a much bigger pain in the arse! Firstly, it would have been in the past - no chance to investigate in real time. Although the player wasn’t being hit, video might have prompted a very different view as it most likely would have come from the shooter’s point of view.

“NOW, IF THAT HAD BEEN FILMED AND THE FIRST I KNEW ABOUT IT WAS WHEN IT POTENTIALLY BLEW UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THE WHOLE THING WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH BIGGER PAIN IN THE ARSE!”

If you see hundreds of BBs streaming towards a target the natural assumption is that some must hit the player. Anyone who appreciates the (sometimes random) nature of hits and misses knows that’s not true. Both the site and me would possibly have looked as if we didn’t care - not good for anyone’s reputation and finally, there would be absolutely nothing that I could have done about it!

That last point is key. In situations like this, where a video is posted, the site is nearly always amongst the collateral damage, even if it’s not specifically blamed by the poster. They will tell you where it was filmed and viewers will almost unconsciously make a connection between the site and the incident.

So, yes, I strongly sympathise with the approach the site at the centre of this has taken. It may seem draconian but there is also an element of “our site, our rules”. As long as all players know that this is the case, any who choose to ignore it are solely responsible for the consequences.

No doubt some of you might suspect that the site simply wants to control its image online, or to suppress any hint of cheating regardless of whether or not it is endemic. I mean - you could, but what would be the point? Activity like that wouldn’t remain a secret for long and would hurt the site’s reputation more than trying to deal with the problem of cheating, or perceived cheating. Ah, sometimes you cannot win!

PRIVACY RULES!

A further thought… Although this wasn’t part of the original post; privacy, specifically the rights of the player being accused. Don’t get me wrong, if you have gun cam footage of a player standing ten feet away getting rinsed and acting as if nothing is happening, by all means shame the bejeezus out of them, they completely deserve it! But what if it’s simply not that clear cut? What if you call the player out by name, or they are easily identifiable in the film? And what if you’re wrong in your accusations and they have witnesses who can assert that they were not dodging hits? What is their right to redress?

Now, I have met few (if any) airsofters who have the sort of money you would need to bring a case for defamation but the potential is there, no matter how remote. What if they were instead to go directly to the platform host, Google for instance in the case of YouTube, and notify them of their grievance? A simple letter before action might be enough for YouTube to simply go - “not worth the grief” and pull not only the offending video but the whole channel. Probably not the result you were after… Actually, given how YouTube has been treating watch channels recently, even thinking bad thoughts about a channel seems to get it pulled with no warning - but that’s another story altogether!

Although the “no cheat video posting” rule seems harsh, from the owner’s perspective it really isn’t. It is fundamentally about housekeeping and being in control of what happens on, and to, their site. Cheap outrage is easy to manufacture online; anyone who has run, or marshalled, games will tell you staying on top of fast-moving gameplay and being as fair as possible to everyone concerned is a good deal harder!

IMAGE FROM ORANGETIPTACTICAL

“WHAT IF THEY WERE INSTEAD TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE PLATFORM HOST, GOOGLE FOR INSTANCE IN THE CASE OF YOUTUBE, AND NOTIFY THEM OF THEIR GRIEVANCE? A SIMPLE LETTER BEFORE ACTION MIGHT BE ENOUGH FOR YOUTUBE TO SIMPLY GO - “NOT WORTH THE GRIEF” AND PULL NOT ONLY THE OFFENDING VIDEO BUT THE WHOLE CHANNEL. PROBABLY NOT THE RESULT YOU WERE AFTER…”