24 minute read
EVENT: MOA CAMPFEST 2022
DESPITE RECENT SPIKES IN THE ONGOING ‘RONA PANDEMIC IN TAIWAN ERIC CHU AND HIS TEAM FROM QRF MAGAZINE, AS WELL AS NUMEROUS LOCAL AIRSOFT INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, PLAYERS AND ENTHUSIASTS, MANAGED TO COME TOGETHER AGAINST ALL THE ODDS TO HOLD ANOTHER IN A LONG LINE OF EXCELLENT EVENTS IN TAIWAN THAT WE’VE COVERED FOR SOME YEARS NOW! WITH STEWBACCA “IN COUNTRY” AND ON THE GROUND FOR AIRSOFT ACTION WE’RE VERY PLEASED TO BRING IN HIS REPORT ON MOA CAMPFEST 2022!
Having had hopes of holding MOA2021 at the usual Taipei 101 International Convention Centre dashed due to pandemic restrictions relating to indoor event capacity limits and cleaning requirements, those behind this important even, Eric Chu and his team, persevered and managed to organise the first MOA ‘Campfest’! Making use of the recent developments of the local industry and TaiWan Airsoft & Airgun Association’s management of the riverside camping park in Shulin, a large scale event could still be held using a giant marquee with plenty of ventilation and pandemic prevention measures!
In spite of the odds, and the inability for our international friends from manufacturers, distributors and media partners to join in the fun in person this time, the event was nonetheless a surprising success; I imagine after two years of basically being trapped within our own protective bubble and last year’s short quasi-lockdown people are just looking for any game in town to get involved in, myself very much included.
So, from Friday the 1st of April through Sunday the 3rd, a wealth of big name manufacturers, smaller scale independent outfits, local distributors, surplus and custom product purveyors (and of course their followings and customers!) descended upon the outdoor event campsite in the Southwest of Taipei” Despite it being somewhat of a trek out of the city centre by local standards, and near continuous heavy rain for the Friday and Saturday, the footfall and general mood seemed defiant and enthusiastic; nothing’s going to dampen OUR spirits.
With the continued rains also came some flooding of our end of the marquee however, and poor Unicorn Airsoft got pretty thoroughly washed out as the water
slowly built up throughout the first day and night, so we arrived on Saturday to a bit of a Greek tragedy! Eventually after bailing the deluge into buckets and Eric even personally taking a few swigs of the most horrendous brown water to try and get a siphon
going to draw the pool to a nearby drain, a pump was eventually sourced which helped clear away the problem, and throughout it all, the show went on… the things I’ve seen the man suffer through lately… props to him for keeping chipper and making it all happen at any cost.
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT?
This year I was helping out my good friends at Archwick and grabbing a ride with them each day in their Abduction Wagon of doom, dealing with the basic setup and logistics of moving a decent amount of their product line, prototypes and general infrastructure to the venue as well as doing the filming and photographic assistance that’s part and parcel for the show. For them this event saw the continued release and promotion of their L119A2 GBBR platform which I covered in depth back in Issue 129 of September 2021; having sold out of all their GHK based models they’re now focusing on fulfilling the Marui MWS compatible kits as well as announcing the intent to provide full turnkey MWS platforms in future through a partnership with their Japanese friends over at Guns Modify. Players won’t have to sacrifice a donor gun in future with their release of further models which will be pre-assembled, taking out all of the inconvenience, risk and guess work, and hand-assembled by their well versed team. Also on show was their recently re-worked and fully licensed (through Action Sport Games and their sub-licensing) final preproduction prototype or their B&T SPR300 urban sniper platform, something which seems to have gained a great reception and is really a move towards a more mass market and economical but still high quality platform better suited to the players rather than the collectors. With dual interchangeable feed mechanisms allowing for use of standard VSR magazines in the typical forward position, or the use of a bridge system and more realistic proprietary magazines in the same location as the real one this looks great.
They were also exhibiting their ‘PCC’ Hi Capa kit, which also gained a lot of attention, as a variation on their popular B&T USW-Glock chassis carbine kit (which yours truly has been enjoying his personalised laser engraved G18C model of!) the PCC version has basically the same outline but will be compatible with the vast majority of Hi Capa platform pistols, making it ideal for the SpeedQB community or anyone who
wants to field their 1911 or 2011 format sidearm in a more practical and force multiplying format. Their modular silencers with Acetech tracer module compatibility and dual 14 & 16mm reversible thread adaptor was also on show, along with a variety of their new sub-brand ‘Mechbox Pro’ AEG upgrade components to suit discerning end users, and supported by their recently acquired in house expert gunsmith who has decades of experience.
Across from our stall were PAF Airsoft, exhibiting a range of their M2HB AEG/EBB/GBB heavy machine guns, as well as their crank handle and automatic grenade launchers, a Striker Shotgun system they’ve been toying with, and of course their own imagining of the Carl Gustaf M3 recoilless rifle, along with an array of the compatible ammunition on display, able to fire typical 40mm/37mm plastic projectiles, shower shells, and a variety of other objects depending on the outer casing you load in its rear. Also teased was their next upcoming project in the form of posters and T-Shirts sporting the FIM92 Stinger outline.
Next to them Joanna of Slong Airsoft was showing off her latest products again; along with her recent release of classically styled wood furniture bolt action sniper rifles, she also has a folding stock compact modernised sniper rifle, as well as now providing 90 degree sear system trigger boxes after receiving market feedback that that’s what the players demand these days to avoid wear or piston override when tuning bolt actions up. She told me that hers will be good at least up to M190 spring powers, so I can’t imagine anywhere in the world allowing power levels that would challenge her new internal components. Alongside this was an array of her other existing product lines including a nice looking and feeling Glock carbine kit that includes a standard AR buffer tube as a fixed stock option as well as her original KRISS Vector style front handguard grip which also holds your spare magazine at the ready for fast reloads and features a full-length top rail for mounting optics or other accessories.
To her side was local custom components outfit Unicorn Airsoft; Mr Kuo is a fairly recent addition to the manufacturer base here but is already making waves with his high grade internal components such as high polish AEG & GBB inner barrels of numerous lengths and hop rubbers pre-fitted for convenience, as well as separate hop nubs of varying shore hardness, gas magazine fill valves and other components or consumables such as greases and QD inserts as well as even full custom gun solutions.
On the other side of Archwick, towards the front of the show and entrance (and more importantly the bar!) was Northeast Airsoft, rocking their typical understated but well-presented stall, complete with their comfy couch that steals the show for many! Stephen, Sebastian and their production team (which seems increasingly to be comprised of my SPPT Action Air teammates!) were making a big splash with their much-awaited release. Despite their arguably small footprint at the show and in the industry, they continue to make their presence felt with the release of not only further STEN GBB SMG models to fill the entirety of the variants based on their open bolt system, but more importantly in spite of all the trials and tribulations of the supply chains and pandemics they can finally answer the baying masses with the production samples of their Uzi GBB SMG platform.
It somewhat stole the show and was announced in both earlier Secret Service style wooden stocked models (their prototype featuring a real stock as they just hadn’t had time to produce their own as yet; this model will be the best part of a year after the initial offering) as well as the collapsible stock variant. I couldn’t wait to get hands on with it, and the surface finish and colouration, as well as the general handling and recoil experience are excellent – they’ve really put together another well considered and executed niche product that’s bound to please. Available from May 2022 (just in time to be my birthday present gun to myself!) and with 32 round green gas and 25 round shorter CO2 magazines planned alongside an initial run of 1000 units, be sure to get your name on their waiting list or your nearest distributor’s, I can’t wait to get mine!
Opposite their stall was the organiser’s QRF Magazine stand itself, selling a variety of event patches and paraphernalia and also militaria model kits ranging from ground vehicles to aircraft of various nationalities; with an impressive US aircraft carrier filling a long table and providing a nice centrepiece and talking point to enter the show to, their allimportant Yongjin beer pump unsurprisingly helped fuel me through the long weekend, the only thing better than a hard earned adult beverage is maybe four…
Besides QRF were Acetech, showing off their latest targeting systems which included a very interesting omni-directional illuminating orb target which can register hits from basically anywhere, and more importantly is on a modular track system with separate track pieces being clipped together between two end sections that have contacts that register the end of travel and send the target truck back and forth, adding an interesting challenge and yet more modularity and adaptability to their already popular APP driven system of targets. Also on display was their impressive QUARK tracer unit. This may seem like a bit of a niche product at release due to its inclusion in a specifically modelled outer casing which makes it proprietary to the KSG gas shotgun (it matches the front end geometry and stylisation of this platform well), despite it being a less prevalent gun, but knowing Acetech it’s a bold move and technology demonstrator to signal the arrival of a shotgun tracer unit that will no doubt be made more mainstream and likely as a separate module in the same vein as their existing pistol and rifle compatible lines, allowing other third parties to produce silencers or housings to adapt the technology to myriad other platforms.
COOL FOR OLD SKOOL
On the other side of the wall was a long display stand and gun wall featuring an array of offerings both old and new from our good friends at LCT Airsoft. This year’s centrepiece was a trio of their Christmas 2021 announced Dragunov SVD AEG; available in both traditional wood and modern polymer furniture, and with bipods also in production, this was definitely a highlight for me! Having owned the Real Sword version back in the UK I was very interested to see how their imagining stacked up. It felt familiar, to be sure, but the execution of course has LCT’s signature obsessive attention to both detail and functionality. I’m sure Dan, our US contributor, who also runs the Real Sword version can attest to the mind-numbing misery of trying to tinker with it and having to dismantle the entire damned gun around the gearbox, something I did fifteen times the first night I had mine to downgrade the power to reasonable levels.
Well, LCT have added the creature comfort of a quick-change spring system to enable much less painful modification of their own offering. They also had on display an example of the receiver in both its final form, but also how it begins its life, as a near 4 kilogram lump of forged steel. Yes. Their obsession with realism has now extended to the manufacturing process as well… just like you’ll find in a real steel factory, a lump of metal is pounded into a general shaped forging and then heavily CNC processed to remove a massive amount of the material to provide a perfect replication of the real gun’s production method and durability. They also announced a second generation upgrade which will follow the completion of their initial run of a thousand or so units, with the factory inclusion of a MOSFET system which allows for prodigious trigger response that they were demonstrating during their livestream show, and of course being LCT the external dimensions are as close to perfect as possible, so if you have real PSO1 or other suitable Russian optics, they will fit right on just as the real examples they had on their display examples did.
Further product lines were also announced in the form of more derivatives of their AK lines, including a very nice looking all stainless steel finished AKM that took the fancy of my teammate who’s already an avid fan of his own LK74 that he’s regularly seen fielding, and I got hands on with numerous different models including the LK53 HK SAS derivative carbine which was a very handy but sturdy package, among their other sterling offerings. I also had the chance to finally meet the lovely Benita, the face of their LCT Fresh YouTube channel, and discuss plans for a factory tour the week after the show, so watch out for a much more in depth company profile Island Insider article coming soon!
Over the other side of the main corridor was a similarly imposing stand sporting the latest goods from our friends at VegaForceCompany (VFC) with their typical panache and presentation standards in full force, their tidy looking display units emblazoned with their latest high grade showstoppers were flanked by an attack buggy sporting a bunch of their own heavy weapons offerings, as well as presenting an obvious photo opportunity and an impressive gate guardian for the front entrance.
Alongside their somewhat epic Mk48 AEG LMG that I got hands on with in great detail and tested for your adoring eyes in our March issue No. 135, they were also displaying their M110K1 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS) replica which has all the latest
trimmings such as their much appreciated guide-hop adjustment system as well as an ultra-durable surface finish in flat dark earth which I was discussing with Ryan from their team at length, along with many other products and manufacturing techniques and woes – when engineers meet…
Their BCM Air AEG & GBBRs still took centrestage with a huge display wall footed with a table of examples of both, as well as one of the separate stand units displaying all of the currently available additional BCM licensed accessories such as front handguards and grips, as well as their compact carry M1911 and the larger full framed IDPA branded variant. To the front of the stand in an amusingly presented ‘emergency break glass’ style case was an array of VFC’s own Carl Gustaf M3 offering which is entirely separate to the PAF version and has a different system of unitised ammunition and firing mechanism, with numerous shells and tubes also adorning the front of the attack buggy which also had Mk48s mounted on the roof and side seat with some very interesting mounting systems, it was certainly an impressive display of arms.
Of course the majority of people attending and watching remotely were best pleased to see not only their announcement of the first of no doubt boundless possibilities for retro AR carbines in the form of their Colt Commando M733, but also to hear that their much awaited LAR/FAL GBBR should be with us before the end of the year, likely just after the midyear point. What’s that screaming? Oh. The sound of my wallet! It’s going to be an expensive birthday gun season for me this year…
Alongside a good conversation with Ryan I also managed to finally get around to introducing myself to the top man Vega himself and elaborated on our activities and desire to provide more inside coverage of what each company is about and what they are looking to bring to market and the end user and how; hopefully we can find time to make that happen too…
Modify occupied the other corner of the marquee with their well-presented booth; of course their ASG licensed Steyr Scout was centre-stage for them, with great sales and reception reported already (and a number of our own AA Legionnaires and my teammates investing in their own) they clearly got that one right, but nonetheless have released the Elite variant with an ultra-fine adjustment dial wheel hop unit as well as enlarged magazine and well, and a full length uninterrupted picatinny rail system to avoid any scope mounting issues of the original layout. Beyond that, their existing range of XTC AEGs will also be joined by further AR variants building off the same solid internals they made their name developing, while their flagship MOD24 bolt action sniper and gas blowback PP2K and its OTS carbine variants were also on display. I got to chat with Jane and Nelson for a while and even went over some feedback from my personal experiences of the PP2K (covered back in March 2021 Issue No. 123) as well as realising it’s in fact been over four years since I first visited them for TacticalTwo, and I should really schedule another site tour and update article for Airsoft Action. Eyes peeled.
Opposite Modify and the other side of the wall to VFC was everyone’s favourite power couple; Clarence Lai and his partner in crime Katherine were showcasing the latest in his and hers holster and belt gear for competition revolver division use, with magnetic retention spindles to hold CLPD custom moon clips in either double or even six clip belt kit setups, as well as moulded holsters for 4” and 6” wheel guns, all making use of Blade Tech attachment hardware to allow for fairly industry standard cross compatibility and ease of attachment. The moon clips themselves are of all steel construction to avoid the denting and resultant misfeeding typical of other brands which are inevitable when they are dropped during competition usage, thus ensuring your continued pain free usage.
Of course of greatest interest to myself was the continued expansion of the ASG licensed KJ Works CZ75 Shadow SP01 and Shadow 2 line of accessories, being that it’s where my own competition shooting love lies; with nearly all the components complete and bestowed upon me to completely refit my own ageing example, expect me to be singing their praises soon, while the new top slides are also available in optics cut ready variants to sport the likes of SHIELD red dot sights for use in production optics or perhaps open division depending on what’s available in your local club or circuit.
While I was hanging around the booth the room was once again lit up by the arrival of local influencer and shooter ‘Military’ Anny Wu, who was mentioning her envy of our competitive pistol exploits and who
I was very much imploring to take up a Shadow 2 and come and join as well; presented in civilian garb and even short heels for the first time in all my years knowing her she was standing almost as tall as me and obviously looking much nicer behind the guns, so hopefully we’ll see more of her running and gunning sooner rather than later.
Sharing CLPD’s stand was also local outfit Narcos Airsoft. Fronted by ‘JeffTheKid’ one of our local YouTube personalities who presents testing of guns, he also produvces his own custom line of components, particularly for the Action Army AAP01 in the form of custom grip panels, entire lower frames and upper accessories, as well as HiCapa slides and even custom GBBR M1 Garand en bloc clips which give you a better ‘ping’ sound than the originals thanks to his material selection and geometry modifications.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
With the main hall pretty much covered in the first day or so I ventured outside and braved the elements to see the militaria and independent stalls; next to the main marquee the local armed forces of both the RoC Army and Marines were displaying some of their vehicles and equipment with their Para jumping SF in full digital camouflage garb and a variety of paraphernalia on offer as well as videos of their training regimes playing.
Across the other side of the campsite was an array of independent sellers and smaller scale outfits. In particular I spent some time at Poseidon’s stall being briefed in depth by their engineer Fred on their latest Glock compatible accessories and full turnkey solutions in the form of their Orion pistols which have a hidden select fire option actuated by sliders underneath the rear of the top slide that avoids the typical Glock 18C selector lever that can cause issues with holsters or carbine kits, and their ‘engine’ system has an enclosed bottom to avoid excessive wear on the gas and ammunition feed nozzle that prevents damage.
Their adaptor systems for use with Glock or Hi Capa magazines and pistols allow the SpeedQB oriented crowd as well as Gel Blaster users to have higher capacity AR format magazines as well as HPA adaptor routing for their pistols. I also checked out their partners CSI and their futuristic looking AEG platforms very reminiscent of Tom Cruise’s ‘Oblivion’ film and its featured carbine, as well as an innovative power tool like interchangeable battery compartment handguard which allows rapid changeover of standard LiPo batteries held inside them, but also features an electronic LED power level readout-built in.
FACETIME!
Over the course of the three days I also helped out administering the livestream feed system, which was making use of a mixture of Google Meets and Twitch streaming, featuring presentations from Modify, PAF Airsoft, VFC (yes, Bill and Ray were on at it again, especially about the new 1911 Ultra Carry… so much “bro love” right there!), Archwick, LCT Airsoft, CLPD and Northeast and saw folks from the UK including our own Bill, Vic from popular Airsoft, Tom of AATV and Ben of The English Kiwi tuning in to field questions following the presentations; it’s always a pleasure to see people, even if it has to be “virtual” for the moment… hopefully not for long!
After surviving on a diet of ice cream, M&Ms, coffee and beer for the best part of the weekend we quickly broke down the Archwick stall as soon as the livestreams were done with and along with the majority of other exhibitors said our goodbyes and congratulations for everyone’s great efforts and cleared site, Nelson and I grabbing dinner after dropping off all of the equipment back at Archwick HQ.
Once again I’d like to extend my thanks to Eric and his team for enduring all the hardships to put on such a good show, and to all our industry partners and firm friends for showing up and making such superb presentations of so many exciting new products!
Lots to be done… AA
COMING IN EARLY 2022!
