RED CELL: FAVOURITE 2021 MODELS

2021 MAY HAVE BEEN A DIFFICULT YEAR FOR MANY AND IT CERTAINLY PROVED CHALLENGING FOR THE MEMBERS OF RED CELL! HOWEVER, “THE CELL” (AS IT HAS BECOME KNOWN IN-HOUSE) HAS GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND IN THEIR QUEST TO GET THE REAL LOWDOWN OF SOME OF THE BESTLOVED AEGS AND GBBS - AND FROM ADVERSITY GREAT THINGS HAVE COME. THIS MONTH THEY REFLECT ON THEIR FAVOURITE MODELS AND AFTER TESTING OVER 100 DIFFERENT MAKES AND STYLES IN THE LAST YEAR, IT’S WORTH READING ON…

Istart this month’s Red Cell with some news that has saddened us all, and that’s the passing of our source of inspiration for this testing group, Richard Marcinko, who finally set his sights on his place amongst the warriors of lore at the grand age of 81. Posted on Twitter by his son Matt and the National Navy SEAL Museum, the following sad announcement was made over Christmas:

“Last night, Christmas evening, we lost a hero, who’s also known as The Rogue Warrior, the retired Navy SEAL commander AND the creator of SEAL Team Six, my father, Richard Marcinko… His legacy will live forever. The man has died a true legend”, and we can only agree.

Richard Marcinko was born into a tough Pennsylvania coal mining community and dropped out of high school to enlist in the USMC; it’s said that this enlistment was refused due to his failure to complete high school and I can only see this as the Marines great loss, and an example of rules outweighing common sense! Instead he joined the Navy, and

subsequently the Underwater Demolition Teams, graduating in class 26 in October 1961. Marcinko served with UDT-21 until he was selected for an officer commission in 1965, and was commissioned as an ensign. He was later reassigned to SEAL Team Two and went on to serve two tours in Vietnam; it was during this time that he earned the nickname “Demo Dick, the Sharkman of the Delta” due to his role in pushing forward to role of unconventional warfare techniques in a largely conventional conflict. After this he became commander of SEAL Team 2 from 1974 to 1976.

Following the disastrous Operation Eagle Claw the US Navy mandated Marcinko to build a SEAL unit that could respond quickly to terrorist crises, and “Team 6” was born; even though only two SEAL teams existed (East and West Coats SEALs), Marcinko called the new unit SEAL Team 6, hoping that Soviet analysts would overestimate the size of the force! He handpicked team members from across the existing SEAL and Underwater Demolition communities, which sadly made him a number of powerful enemies (not that he cared, he had a job to do!) including counter-terrorist specialists from Team Two, codenamed MOB-6; Team Six of course would go on to work with other specialist units around the world, becoming a first-rate CT and HRT in its own right… a legend within a legend had been born ! Usually a two-year tour, Marcinko commanded SEAL Team Six for three years, from August 1980 to July 1983.

After handing over a fully-formed Team Six Marcinko was tasked by Vice Admiral James “Ace” Lyons, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, to create an even more specialist unit to test the Navy’s susceptibility to terrorist threats; designated “The Naval Security Coordination Team OP-06D”, the team became better known as “Red Cell”. Marcinko continued to prove an inspirational if somewhat controversial figure; rules were broken where he deemed it necessary to ensure the safety and security of the USA, and eventually those “powerful enemies” came back to haunt him. In 1990 Marcinko was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for “defrauding the government over the price of

contractor acquisitions for hand grenades”! Marcinko maintained his innocence and claimed that he was picked on for his work with Red Cell and that the fraud committed revealed further weaknesses of military security… after reading his own words on this, and understanding the nature of those that he humiliated during his career over their own alleged lack of competence, I personally am inclined to believe him, as in every other instance he had his country and his fellow SEALs most definitely first and foremost in everything he did. I’m pleased to say that I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Richard Marcinko at SHOT, and he proved to be a most generous and gracious man, although if I’m honest somewhat “forthright”! Like many great warriors and leaders, his like will not be seen again, and I, and all of the AA Red Cell, wish “MARCINKO WAS TASKED BY VICE ADMIRAL JAMES “ACE” LYONS, DEPUTY him clear skies and fair winds into the next life, and our condolences go CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS, TO CREATE out to his family. If you’d

AN EVEN MORE SPECIALIST UNIT TO like to know more about TEST THE NAVY’S SUSCEPTIBILITY TO his life then I urge you to TERRORIST THREATS; DESIGNATED “THE NAVAL SECURITY COORDINATION TEAM grab a copy of his book “Rogue Warrior”; trust me, your time invested

OP-06D”, THE TEAM BECAME BETTER in reading it will be

KNOWN AS “RED CELL”.” amply rewarded, and paraphrasing Marcinko’s own words, “Doom on you” to those that don’t!

THE MAIN EVENT

I do not apologise in any way for taking so much space to talk about the man that inspired me to create the AA Red Cell, but of course what you came here to read about is the AEGs and GBBs that have also inspired us during 2021. Without further ado I’ll hand you over to the members of our own “AA Cell”! Jase: So as the year winds down and I sit with my note pad, pen and coffee. It’s a perfect starting point to work out what RIF’s where my top for the last year. Now, I didn’t get to play as much as I wanted to during ‘21 but there was only one carbine at the top of my list, the Specna Arms SA-H12. Had I played more, it would have still been top of the list. Now for those who have read my previous articles will know that yes, I had a few issues with this AEG to start with but I’d like to say they were mostly user error and caused by the RIF being a wee bit picky with mags. Now, because of the mag issues, I managed to have some feed issues which manifested into a

SPECNA ARMS SA-H12

Price: iro UK£190.00 Age: New Weight: 3000g Length: 730mm/820mm Magazine Capacity: 300, will accept all STANAG/AR Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Taclite Compatibility: Dedicated, SMR Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.gunfire.com

VFC (UMAREX) HK416

Price: iro UK£435.00 Age: New Weight: 3000g Length: 730mm/820mm Magazine Capacity: 300, will accept all STANAG/AR Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

G&G CMF16

Price: iro UK£190.00 Age: New Weight: 2530g Length: 673mm Magazine Capacity: 450, will accept all STANAG/AR Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.guay2.com

DOUBLE EAGLE M907D

Price: iro UK£106.00 Age: 1 Year Weight: 2650g Length: 730mm/810mm Magazine Capacity: 300, will accept all STANAG/AR Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/335fps (after spring change) Hot Chrono: 1.04 Joule/335fps (after spring change) Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

EVOLUTION GHOST L EMR CARBONTECH

Price: iro UK£295.00 Age: New Weight: 2520g Length: 740mm/830mm Magazine Capacity: 120, will accept all STANAG/AR Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: store.evolutioninternational.it

VFC BCM MCMR (AEG)

Price: iro UK£480.00 Age: New Weight: 2158g Length: 716/790mm Magazine Capacity: 120, will accept all STANAG/AR Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: https://bcmair.vegaforce.com

ARMY ARMAMENT R17 V3

Price: iro £50.00 Age: New Weight: 700g Length: 200mm Magazine Capacity: 25+1 Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.allagesairsoft.com

UMAREX GLOCK 17 GEN 4

Price: iro £160.00 Age: New Weight: 665g Length: 210mm Magazine Capacity: 24+1 Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

RWA NIGHTHAWK CUSTOM RECON (CO2)

Price: iro £140.00 Age: New Weight: 908g Length: 220mm Magazine Capacity: 17+1 Cold Chrono: 1.20 Joule/360fps Hot Chrono: 0.84 Joule/301fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: No Suppressor Compatibility: No Available From: https://uk.redwolfairsoft.com

ARMY ARMAMENT R501

Price: iro £80.00 Age: New Weight: 1020g Length: 218mm Magazine Capacity: 28 Cold Chrono: 0.80 Joule/295fps Hot Chrono: 0.70 Joule/276fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: Good Available From: www.taiwangun.com

RAVEN HI CAPA 4.3

Price: iro £90.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 880g Length: 220mm Magazine Capacity: 25 Cold Chrono: 0.96 Joule/323fps Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: Good Available From: www.rvnairsoft.com

SIG PROFORCE M17

Price: iro £160.00 Age: New Weight: 769g Length: 203mm Magazine Capacity: 28 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps Hot Chrono: 0.86 Joule/305fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibility: N/A Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

bugged bucking; like I said in my previous articles these where down to my frustration stemming from the mags. Once I fixed the issue this H12 was shooting straight as a die, power was consistent and reliable. Now it would be mean of me to say it shot like any other RIF but this was the case. What makes this H12 stand out from the rest was the build quality, it was simply flawless. I remember when I first clapped eyes on it; it was like looking at Scarlet Johansson, love at first sight! The chassis didn’t wobble or have play. Stock and grip where well-made but by far my favourite feature was the bolt stop release button, it was crisp and snappy but it was ambidextrous, I wish I had this feature on my LM4. From what I can see, prices of this H12’s are now a bit more expensive than when first released at about £300 here in the UK.

Next on my hit list was the Sig ProForce M17. Now, I have to be honest and say that I have only been lucky enough to have shot this twice in the last year when at the CELL meetings. I’d love to get my hands on it to do a longer review over a few months or so but with what short time I had with it, I adored it. The build quality was fantastic, crisp, solid and properly snappy. Range get better the more it was shot but as this wasn’t my gun I couldn’t go tinkering with it. What floats my boat in airsoft is the attention to detail with the RIF’s that copy the real thing and for me this M17 did not disappoint. I’d like to say a thank you to you the reader for supporting the magazine and to all the staff and writers at Airsoft Action, it’s been a good year, thank you. Let’s all hope for a positive 2022! Boycie: My favourite pistols of 2021 still have to be my VFC (Umarex) Glock 45, 17 and 19X. I’ve been so used to using Glocks in both real and airsoft form since the early 1990’s that they feel as comfortable as a pair of slippers. But one that really challenged my love of Glocks (which I had the chance to review back in Issue 121, January ‘21) was the VFC (SIG AIR) M17. Having owned a real SIG 226 as well as a TM version, I could never get on with how top heavy that they felt with all that slide before the sights. The M17 changed my mind and as a striker fired, single action only pistol it sits lower in my hand and sighting feels a lot better. Another huge bonus for me is that my M17 fits in the same Safariland holster as my Glocks, so less time wasted in changing over holsters if I want to run either the Glocks or M17.

Rifle- wise, it’s a much harder choice. I’ve had several favoured rifles thru 2021. There is the ‘Dream MCX build’ featured in April 2020 issue which has undergone more changes but externally, the VFC HK416 that Red Cell’s Marcus rebuilt with a Jefftron Leviathan (Issue 121, Jan ‘21) and the KWA RN47 that we featured in November 2020, which has now had a few cosmetic changes. One that technically is from 2021 is the first VFC (SIG AIR) MPX into the UK which is reviewed in this issue. This could be a real challenger for my favourite if I were to count it but it wouldn’t be fair to as I haven’t had the chance to get out and field test it yet. So my favourite of 2021 has to be the VFC HK416, again from Issue 121, Jan ‘21. The work that Marcus put into it for me has taken it to another level and it’s the first rifle that goes in the hard case when I’m prepping for a skirmish day Dan: I get to work on a lot of guns over the course of a year, including the opportunity to see the occasional new release or two up close and personal. Out of everything that’s crossed my bench though the one new platform that did work its way into my personal collection was VFC’s SIG MCX. This has somewhat usurped the throne from the HK416 in my personal armoury, and I know it ranks up there for Boycie too. It has M4 ergonomics and styling influences, but it’s also not just another boring M4 format and is different enough in the aesthetics department to set itself apart from the herd; it’s “such a hip rifle” as one of my friends likes to remark. I love the system modularity, the 1913 attachment point, true quickchange spring guide, the whole SIG ecosystem designed around it, and the lightweight feel and handling of the rifle. It’s also a fun and easy platform to tech on and takes upgrades well, with just a few intrinsic quirks to overcome.

Jon: For 2020 my favourite rifles have been from the Evolution International range. “Evo Int” are an Italian manufacturer that we have looked at in the CELL on our range day testing. I recently ran the Ghost (more specifically the EC35AR-ETU) which is the full size rifle in that range and I also run the CQB sized Recon EC34AR. The two AEGs are internally the same. They sport a programmable ETU, have clever battery sensing and voltage warning tech, reprogrammable fire modes along with settings for pre-cocking and active braking. They both have an easy to operate rotary style hop wheel, which is essential for us gloved users. The only real differences are rail sizes, flash hider style and accessories supplied.

I’ll start with the Recon Hybrid - It’s a lovely feeling bit of kit. The upper and lower are metal and are of a more “classic” AR/M4 design. The stock is your run of the mill nunchuck battery style, retractable type but it’s comfortable, firmly clicks into place and has a snug fit which reduces rattle. Target acquisition and transition is super simple and fast thanks to the short (10”) MLok style rail and the provided stubby foregrip. Crowning off the business end of the rifle is an aluminium sound amplifier. The pistol grip is a Magpul-esq design and coupled with the monolith trigger guard and straight trigger, gives a good feel in hand. Seriously, it is a really comfy rifle and as they’re not super heavy, you won’t get too much arm fatigue when operating. I was reminded of the Ares Honey Badger, this being a little sleeker.

The Ghost is a full size rifle and it’s my favourite. There’s nothing flashy looking about it from six feet away, but in the immortal words of Granny Wolf, “Come a little closer dear, let me look at you”. The upper and lower are of a contemporary angular design, with an angular molded pattern, faux cooling fins on the magwell that double up as extra grip. The monolith trigger guard has a cut out along the bottom too for that sweet, sweet weight reduction. Speaking of weight reduction the upper and lower are ABS or as Evolution International calls it “Carbontech”. Fancy Stuff! The rail is again of M-Lok design which allows for all sorts of customization. Unfortunately they didn’t come with spare fittings but I had some laying around so I decked it out with a Nuprol PEQ-15 and a Sightmark Ultra Shot Reflex Sight. It looks awesome in my honest opinion. It comes with a slightly more angular styled (have you noticed the design theme here?) and narrower stock but it’s just as comfortable to shoulder. At the end of the 12” rail is your standard flash hider so not as fancy as the hybrid. It’s not as agile to manouver due to its extended length and unless you are a gym goer, you will suffer fatigue when shouldering for prolonged periods simply because your arm is more extended. Overall, I like these rifles, they aren’t gaudy or too flashy, they are modern class. Think Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffanys” meets Scarlett Johannson as “Black Widow”.

As for pistols, I’ve been using my Army Armament R17. It’s a direct Marui clone so has spec for tons of future upgrades and fanciness. We reviewed it back in 2020 in our “Glock” Pistol Review and I was sold on it there and then (It also ranked highly in our list). It’s a budget friendly piece with excellent gas efficiency and reliability. It feels great in hand and so far (all bar a return spring bending due to bad refitting) I’ve had no

issues with it whatsoever. As a little treat I’ve had the Ghost and the R17 Cerakoted in Kobalt Green and Titanium Grey, They look stunning and I love them. Stewbacca: Whilst I’m evidently not known for being a regular handler of AEGs since I left the UK for the tropical climes of Taiwan, and my entire collection of twenty something guns I’ve already accumulated here are all gas blowback, I was nonetheless very impressed by G&Gs CMF16 HK416A5 styled AEG that Rick Huang sent me shortly after I visited their facility for my article.

Having run it pretty hard out of the box in a short space of time over a few different skirmish scenarios from Linkou CQB’s close to medium ranges of indoor fighting to the heavy fire throw down that was dabbling in SpeedQB after usually using GBBs and wiping the other team out pretty much single handedly thanks to its out of the box dead on iron sights and a great pairing with my Acetech Lighter S tracer, I made the best use of my time behind the CMF16 and can certainly see its appeal to those in colder countries. It is a lightweight, tough, handy carbine with great ambi controls that are very positive and the trigger and on board electronics are ludicrously responsive compared to the AEGs I left behind when I emigrated. It’s laser beam consistent with mid weight ammo like the 0.3g BLS I habitually use, and although I had a few minor teething issues with the high cap provided it would work excellently paired with a light chest rig of mid caps and a simple red dot.

If we’re talking GBBRs you would think I would be tempted to say the PSG-1 because emotionally involved reasons. But. If I’m honest, in terms of a mass market option many could obtain I would hands down go for the VFCBCMMCMRGBBR. Outstanding fit, finish, feel and performance out of the box, I’m really impressed by how well they look and run out of the box and VFC have really turned it up a notch with them. Try one if you get the chance. Buy one if you feel the same!

Pistol-wise, I have to say the Action Army AAP01 has really blown many things out of the water, or at least disrupted the market quite effectively. Again I was gifted mine by a friend and it might not have been something I would have purchased as a puritan type who likes his realistic replicas, but again fielding it for SpeedQB or in general skirmishing you really can’t fault it for the price point, accuracy and consistency due to the minimal moving parts, and the sheer ecosystem of parts and options such as carbine kits or other components that have sprung up around it Bill W-R: Rifle... As a member of Red Cell, I have had the privilege of trying out a lot of different rifles this year. My number 1 is the ICS CXP-ARK, however, I’m not going to pick that for this article as a reloaded will be appearing soon. So I would have to go for BPT’s M4A1 WE GBBR. For a 6 year old gbb it didn’t miss a beat and I’m truly gutted that it didn’t come home with me!

Pistol... The SIG Proforce M17 was an amazing bit of kit but still out there being used every game day is my tan Army Armament R501. The thick stippling on the handle has kept the pistol steady in my hand all weather. It is a cheap pistol but it proves you do not need to spend mega bucks to have a reliable and consistent side arm. On a side note I took delivery of a double bell 416 short for Christmas and look forward to teaching this myself having never fully stripped a gearbox before. Jimmy: We have had such a plethora of AEGs to test over the last year and there are a few I have been equally impressed with it’s a difficult choice it really is but out of all of them I going to say my favourite was the underdog. It is probably the cheapest AEG we’ve had in the pool and it really was a shocker as to how good it actually was. The Double Eagle M907D really impressed me and was the favourite over all the others and proved how a brand I once knew to be real cheap and really quite bad could make something worth talking about. Up against some big competition the likes of G&G, VFC, ICS, it held its own and yielded some fairly good results for what I class to be a budget gun. I was shocked to see one of my

friends Luca had purchased one and the fact he also said just how good it was, this from a guy who would religiously spend upward of £600 on a RIF! There was a lot about this platform that really appealed to me but one thing that really caught my attention was the falcon fire control system. An electronic trigger which offered a degree of programmability and safety features.

I honestly think other manufacturers could take a leaf out of Double Eagles book here. If I had to give the M907D a score out of 10 I would give it an 8.5/10 purely for the fact that the hop rubber let it down very early on and saw a dramatic lack of range, quick hop rubber change and it was back to fully operational.

Pistols… Ahh pistols! I often carry one into games and as such will try and use it as often as I can. If I haven’t needed to draw on my pistol then for me it’s a bad day! I am a self-confessed Marui fanboi when it comes to pistols and my favourite is undoubtedly the Hi Capas, more so the Gold Match 5.1, possibly the best out of the box airsoft pistol ever made. It is a very popular pistol but from the Red Cell pool I would have to go with the RWA Nighthawk M1911; now this was a pistol that I really took a shine to, so much that I just had to have it. It’s a very heavy full metal pistol with a heavy recoil effect and it’s CO2 powered meaning it will be more reliable and efficient over say a green gas powered pistol and won’t suffer from cold fatigue as quick. Being a 1911 what is there not to love about it. I haven’t had chance to get it on site yet but it has seen a fair bit of action at my local airsoft shop range and it hasn’t skipped a beat although it could do with some choice upgrades just to bring the accuracy in a tad and get the groupings tighter. I think I shall make a point and get out to a game with it very soon. Bill: To wrap this up I’m going to sound like a song on repeat, but I have to say that all the AEGs and GBBs we tested during 2021 brought me a huge amount of joy, and even more so when I saw how the rest of the crew were relishing the opportunity to get their hands on so many different makes and models! The experience of different manufacturer’s offerings has REALLY grown in the team, so as we enter another year of testing they have ALL THAT to refer back to! As I’ve said many times, I have years of experience of testing and hundreds of models under my testing-belt, and I’m overjoyed that the AA “CELL” have started that journey as well.

And talking of things that bring me “joy” I have to reflect on two models that have been standouts for me personally, and although there have been some stupendous models in the test pool my favourites are really “no brainers”! For the rifle/carbine category it may surprise you that I’m going to choose an AR, and it can only be the BCM MCMR from VFC. I now have both the AEG and GBB versions of this fabulous-in-every-way carbine, and both thrill me in different ways! The operation in both is superlative, range and accuracy are superb, and when it comes to ergonomics and ease of manipulation then frankly, as far as I’m concerned, it’s in a league of its own!

The pistol I have found myself using most regularly recently is the simple-yet-effective RAVEN Hi Capa. As I’ve spoken at length about my love for this functional, reliable and just downright easy-to-shoot pistol in my review of the new 3.8 version already in this issue I won’t go into depth here but I will say that if you haven’t yet tried one, you REALLY should!

Thanks so much to all of you out there for the feedback you’ve given us on the Red Cell Program to date and, rest assured, there’s a LOT more to come in 2022! AA