Airsoft Action - March 2024 by Airsoft Action

WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

ISSUE 159 ISSN 2634-9515

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CONTENTS 8 ARMOURY: ASG/CZ P-10C We’re keen to showcase the newest and most interesting models to hit the 6mm market and pleased that ActionSportGames (ASG) are giving us some tasty new handguns to really drive-down with some serious rangetime! Once again Boycie is on top of their latest release in the shape on the CZ-licenced P-10C CO2 GBB, and now he shares his thoughts on this compact mil-inspired pistol!

WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

ISSUE 158 ISSN 2634-9515

18 ARMOURY: EMG F1 FIREARMS SBR AEG Black guns really do matter for most airsoft pursuits that’s for certain, but sometimes you just want something a little more colourful in your life! Bill gets back into “PAMG” mode as he checks out the F1 FIREARMS SBR AEG from EMG that appears ideal for a bit of friendly competition! Editorial Director: Bill Thomas Deputy Editor (Asia): Stu Mortimer Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing Ad Design: Deadshot Design Publisher: Calibre Publishing

Web: www.airsoftaction.net ©Calibre Publishing Limited 2023 All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the publisher in writing. The opinion of the writers do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions prior to publication.

24 ARMOURY: ASG/KJW CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE Christmas 2023 brought Stewbacca a very shiny new present, the CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE, that he managed to get hands on with and use to compete with before it was even officially released thanks to some ever supportive industry friends who look after him too well at times!

FIND US ON…

LETTER , IDEA OR QUESTION? Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the Editorial Director: bill@airsoft-action.co.uk, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

90 AA LEGION EVENT REPORT: SHOT 2024 SHOT SHOW in Las Vegas is one of the biggest events in the calendar for shooters from all over the world, where industry, trade, media and “celebs” gather to celebrate all things “firearm” and see what’s new for the coming year! Increasingly airsoft is a part of this magnificent gathering, and as always an Airsoft Action team were there to check it all out and be part of the celebration!

Contents ISSUE 159 - MARCH 2024

32 INSIDE AIRSOFT: BOLT AIRSOFT While Bill was in Taiwan for the G&G World cup and its aftermath he, Anny, and Stewbacca made the most of his time in country to visit as many industry friends as they could cram into a somewhat hectic schedule all over the island. His old friends at BOLT AIRSOFT were a natural choice, although it wasn’t the first time Stewbacca or Anny had been to see their facilities, and Stewbacca takes things forward now… with some BIG news for BOLT!.

62 TECH: AA TEAM MAINTENANCE TIPS Keeping Your AEG or GBB running at peak performance is not as hard as you might think, and this month the members of the AA LEGION get together to discuss just what they do when it comes to looking after their own armouries; read on to find out their “tips from the top”!

38 KIT & GEAR: VIPER TACTICAL VIPER TACTICAL continue to roll out select new items of clothing and gear on a regular basis, and as old friends we’re delighted to see that what they’re adding to the range these days is both ficused and fully “fir for purpose”! Miguel and Bill have been testing the newest additions to the clothing and footwear line, and now report back…

66 EVENT: OP SCORPIO There’s been an awful lot of discussion in player community groups online about the upcoming OP SCORPIO, but the excitement around this potentially game-changing airsoft event in the UK appears to have given rise to questions rather than answers! Bill gets down to the truth of things as we hear that the event has now been scaled down for 2024… for the very best of reasons!

44 THE CAGE: KRYPTEK Continuing our look at camouflage patterns, but stepping out from our usual “team format”, this month in CAGE Bill takes a look at his personal journey KRYPTEK, a family of patterns that flew high and fast, and then apparently dropped from grace equally as fast! Has KRYPTEK gone, or is it just so effective that we can’t see it?

76 AA LEGION: PORTUGAL Airsoft is often a “driver for good” when it comes to supporting military charities, but sometimes things come a little closer to home and are a bit more personal. This month Miguel lands his report on a game that took place in Portugal where the airsoft community there came together for a very special reason; they certainly had fun playing airsoft, but they helped one special young lady whilst doing so, and Miguel tells us more…

48 RED CELL: MID-LENGTH AR Another month and another update from the AA RED CELL testing team hits the page! This time the guys are looking back at one of the most popular areas of the global airsoft armoury as they delve deep into all things MID-LENGTH AR and update this category after some considerable time! As always, Bill leads off…

82 AA LEGION: TAIWAN Since moving to Taiwan back at the tail-end of 2017, Stewbacca’s already seen a lot of change in the shooting scene as well as the political landscape both in terms of varying levels of public or government opinion and acceptance of our hobby and his various team’s activities onisland and in the public space, for once things might be looking up a bit as he tells us all about a brand-new airsoft battlespace that looks 100%, positively good to go!

‧ Aluminum Alloy Split Slide Design ‧ MASTER MODS R-Hop System ‧ REVO.II High Performance Valve System ‧ Adjustable Trigger ‧ Incl. Steel CCW 14mm Barrel Adapter ‧ Reverse Plug Retention Clip ‧ 3-dot Luminous Sights

‧ TDC Hop-Up Chamber (Compatible with TM spec) ‧ Steel Made Fire Control System Components (Compatible with TM spec) ‧ SUS301 Stainless Steel Searing Spring (Compatible with TM spec)

Facebook (Global): ICSBBAirsoft

Youtube: ICS AIRSOFT

Twitter (Global): icsbbairsoft

Instagram: icsbbairsoft

ARMOURY ASG/CZ P-10C

COMPACT CZ

AS ALWAYS WE’RE KEEN TO SHOWCASE THE NEWEST AND MOST INTERESTING MODELS TO HIT THE 6MM MARKET, AND WE’RE PLEASED THAT ONCE AGAIN ACTIONSPORTGAMES (ASG) ARE GIVING US SOME TASTY NEW HANDGUNS TO REALLY DRIVE-DOWN WITH SOME SERIOUS RANGETIME! ONCE AGAIN BOYCIE IS ON TOP OF THEIR LATEST RELEASE IN THE SHAPE ON THE CZ-LICENCED P-10C CO2 GBB, AND NOW HE SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THIS COMPACT MIL-INSPIRED PISTOL!

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT BRSS ASG/CZ SCAR-SC P-10C

“THE HIGHLY ADVANCED CZ P-10 IS THE FIRST CHOICE OF ARMED FORCES AND POLICE AGENCIES ACROSS THE GLOBE, DUE TO ITS LEADING ERGONOMICS, HIGH RELIABILITY AND EXTREME ACCURACY. FROM ITS INCEPTION, THE CZ P-10 WAS DESIGNED TO TAKE ON THE MOST DEMANDING MISSIONS”

www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY ASG/CZ P-10C

s you’ll know there’s a long standing and now long-running joke at AAHQ that when I’m working on something which I can’t discuss at the time it comes under the “ <REDACTED> “ banner; well, this is the next in the line to break cover! Some time ago I started discussing the upcoming fullylicensed CZ pistols from ASG and one which I was really looking forward to getting my hands on was the P-10 C. Waaay back in the 1980’s I was an IPSC competitor and one of the first pistols I shot was the venerable CZ75, so you could say that I’ve had a longstanding relationship with the CZ brand. The P10-C is the first of the P10 series to be brought to the market by ActionSportGames (ASG) based in Denmark. In the ‘real steel’ world CZ built the P10 series as a modern, large-capacity striker-fired pistol built to withstand the rigors of military use to rival other striker fired pistols. CZ’s website says: “The highly advanced CZ P-10 is the first choice of armed forces and police agencies across the globe, due to its leading ergonomics, high reliability and extreme accuracy. From its inception, the CZ P-10 was designed to take on the most demanding missions and withstand the extreme range of adverse weather conditions. The CZ P-10 series is available in all sizes - full-size, semi-compact, compact, subcompact and micro. “The 9 mm CZ P-10 NATO pistols have been exclusively designed and manufactured as service pistols. From a legislative point of view, they are classified as military material, which also includes their accessories. They are intended for use with military ammunition standardized by NATO and may be specially modified according to the needs and requirements of the armed forces. They are marked, approved and tested under Section 31 of Act no. 219/1999 Coll., of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. In the case of foreign armed forces, they fall under the applicable laws on military material of the country in question. “These firearms cannot be purchased for civilian purposes. For further information concerning these models, it is necessary to provide documentation proving that the person in question is authorized to handle military material within the limits of applicable

legislation.” So other than those who serve in various Armed Forces around the world, ASG’s P10-C is the only chance to handle and actually own a true 1:1 replica of the pistol, and the P10-C is of a similar size to another striker-fired pistol which may have the number 19 and letter X in its name. I am very familiar with striker-fired pistols having owned a number of real steel ones back before the handgun ban in the late 1990s.

BOX FRESH

This P10-C or Compact, using the fresh-out-of-thebox back strap, variant feels really nice in the hand despite having “dabs the size of shovels” as Lil Stu calls them. I really like the aggressive pin type of the four panels which form part of the grip; also there is the same type of grip feel on the front of the trigger guard. This type of grip will be of great use when in either cold or wet conditions with bare hands, as well as when wearing gloves. The look of the P10-C has nuances that can be reminiscent of other pistols of the striker type, some which I can recognise from back in my real steel days and modern pistols. Saying that, one of the really nice features of the pistol are the interchangeable back straps, which will allow the end user to customise the size and feel of the grip to suit different hand sizes. A familiar two-part trigger has a blade in the centre which acts as one of the safeties and this is in a squared off trigger guard which has plenty of space to allow it to be used when wearing gloves. Under the front of the frame is a rail to allow the fitting of a tactical illuminator, which is becoming a usual part of pistols in the modern era. One really handy feature on the P10 series is an ambidextrous slide release and a mag release which can be changed to either suit a right-handed user (as standard) or swapped over to suit a left-handed user. In recent years I have been using a slide release less and less in favour of gripping the slide to release it. The P10-C has some fantastic ‘serrations’ at both the front and rear of the slide which allow a positive grip too. As a left-handed user I tend to prefer using the mag release as it comes from the factory, as this allows me to operate the release with my trigger finger. This, for

“THIS P10-C OR COMPACT, USING THE FRESH-OUT-OF-THE-BOX BACK STRAP, VARIANT FEELS REALLY NICE IN THE HAND DESPITE HAVING “DABS THE SIZE OF SHOVELS” AS LIL STU CALLS THEM. I REALLY LIKE THE AGGRESSIVE PIN TYPE OF THE FOUR PANELS WHICH FORM PART OF THE GRIP” 10

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ARMOURY ASG/CZ P-10C

“A FAMILIAR TWO-PART TRIGGER HAS A BLADE IN THE CENTRE WHICH ACTS AS ONE OF THE SAFETIES AND THIS IS IN A SQUARED OFF TRIGGER GUARD WHICH HAS PLENTY OF SPACE TO ALLOW IT TO BE USED WHEN WEARING GLOVES. UNDER THE FRONT OF THE FRAME IS A RAIL TO ALLOW THE FITTING OF A TACTICAL ILLUMINATOR”

www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY ASG/CZ P-10C

me, makes for a lot safer reload. When operating the magazine release, the magazine drops cleanly from the grip, but should it not drop cleanly CZ have added grooves to the magazine base plate to aid the user in gripping the magazine to rip it out, before replacing with a fresh one. The sights are really clear being black with a white dot on the foresight and two dots on the rear sight. The rear sight is a nice low profile and designed to be snag resistant, which is especially important for those who would carry the P10-C in a concealed carry method. Following on from the release of the P10-C will be the option to fit an optic plate in place of the rear sight. I believe that ASG will be offering the P10-C with the plate fitted at a later date. Take down of the P10-C is in a similar way to that of others, in that first you remove the magazine then pulling the slide back a small amount you pull down on the release catch with your finger and thumb, before removing the slide from the frame. Reassembly is even easier as all you need to do is line up the slide on the rails and slowly push it all the way back to the point where it won’t travel any further and then release. It will then return “to battery” and reassembly is complete. At this point it is usual to carry out “functions checks” like pulling the slide back and engaging the slide lock to ensure it still functions as it should. Then when pointing in a safe direction, pull the trigger to ensure that works…. simple, and easy which should make regular maintenance a breeze!

RANGETIME

Before heading to the range I opened the box containing ASG’s branded paddle holster for the P10-C, the holster I was loaned is for the P10-C without light fitted, but would be suitable for an optics equipped pistol. The only drawback is that it currently is only available in ‘cack handed’ for righthanded users; I hope soon that ASG will bring out the holster for those of us with our hands on the correct way round, hehe. That being said I am an ambidextrous shooter and can happily use the holster on my right side. The P10-C glides into the holster and locks in with a positive click. With the pistol in the holster,

it does have the ability to move around slightly but with the lock engaged, it won’t go anywhere until you release the lock prior to drawing the pistol. The paddle fitment allows the holster to be put onto a belt quickly. With the holster not being worn and the single hex-head screw loosened a little, the user can adjust the rake (angle) of the holster to suit their body mechanics. Then simply retighten the screw before fitting to the belt. I am a huge fan of the Kore belt and this is what I wear on a day to day basis, designed for EDC or Every Day Carry and the belt that is being used for the range tests. On to the range proper; this would feel a little strange for me as I was loaned the right-handed holster for the P10-C and I am naturally a left hander, so this was an opportunity to try shooting “caggy handed”. I tried a few “dry” draws from the ASG holster and the P10-C didn’t snag at all. In fact some may think that the pistol is too loose in the holster but from my experience it is held securely so I had no worries to try some jumps, spins and more “violent” movements to test the retention. Again, no problems. I went through some standard type “drills” with the pistol and I found it performed brilliantly. Point shooting, rather than taking the time to align the sights properly, I found it would easily hit the A zone of an IPSC Classic target from 10m. Once the mag was empty of BBs, I reloaded it and let it warm up a bit by keeping the mag in my pocket. I’m pleased to say I got almost another full mag out of the bulb, with only the last two shots being noticeably “lower powered”. Overall the P10-C didn’t disappoint, whilst not my most favourite-looking pistol it is a really good unit to have in someone’s armoury. I am looking forward to (by time of publishing, I will have done this) firing the real 9mm variant at SHOT ‘24 and whilst I can’t compare the firing of the two pistols I certainly will be comparing the 6mm and 9mm. Thank you once again to JB at ASG UK for the loan of the P10-C and accessories, to Glenn for allowing me to use the range and to Richard for taking the photos for me. You can check everything out further of course by visiting https://actionsportgames.com AA

“THE SIGHTS ARE REALLY CLEAR BEING BLACK WITH A WHITE DOT ON THE FORESIGHT AND TWO DOTS ON THE REAR SIGHT. THE REAR SIGHT IS A NICE LOW PROFILE AND DESIGNED TO BE SNAG RESISTANT, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR THOSE WHO WOULD CARRY THE P10-C IN A CONCEALED CARRY METHOD”

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ARMOURY ASG/CZ P-10C

“THE P10-C GLIDES INTO THE HOLSTER AND LOCKS IN WITH A POSITIVE CLICK. WITH THE PISTOL IN THE HOLSTER, IT DOES HAVE THE ABILITY TO MOVE AROUND SLIGHTLY BUT WITH THE LOCK ENGAGED, IT WON’T GO ANYWHERE UNTIL YOU RELEASE THE LOCK PRIOR TO DRAWING THE PISTOL”

www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY ASG/CZ P-10C

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ARMOURY ASG/CZ P-10C

“I WENT THROUGH SOME STANDARD TYPE “DRILLS” WITH THE PISTOL AND I FOUND IT PERFORMED BRILLIANTLY. POINT SHOOTING, RATHER THAN TAKING THE TIME TO ALIGN THE SIGHTS PROPERLY, I FOUND IT WOULD EASILY HIT THE A ZONE OF AN IPSC CLASSIC TARGET FROM 10M”

www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT EMG F1 FIREARMSBRSS SBR SCAR-SC AEG

SINGIN’ THE BLUES

BLACK GUNS REALLY DO MATTER FOR MOST AIRSOFT PURSUITS THAT’S FOR CERTAIN, BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE COLOURFUL IN YOUR LIFE! BILL GETS BACK INTO “PAMG” MODE AS HE CHECKS OUT THE F1 FIREARMS SBR AEG FROM EMG THAT APPEARS IDEAL FOR A BIT OF FRIENDLY COMPETITION! 18

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT EMG F1 FIREARMS BRSS SBR SCAR-SC AEG

ere in the UK when you first start out in airsoft there are a few hoops to jump through before you can own a Realistic Imitation Firearm, or a RIF as it’s legally known, and this covers both AEGs and GBBRs. Whilst some may say “you need a UKARA” this is but one avenue (although one largely recognised by airsoft retailers in the UK) of obtaining a “Defence in Law” for ownership of a RIF; if you’re new to airsoft and want to know more about this then you’ll find a dedicated section of the Airsoft Action website which explains the requirements in detail… simply click on the HOME tab and this will lead you to “The VCR Act and Airsoft”! However, before you have your “Defence in Law” a retailer is legally precluded from selling you a RIF, so if you want to own an AEG or GBB of your own from the get go (we’d recommend you rent on site before you choose though!) then the platform itself must be very visibly “non-realistic”, and most retailers offer a “two-tone service” where much of the platform in question is demonstrably NOT a black gun, and in fact comes with brightly coloured parts, most normally bright blue or green. In this format you can happily buy an AEG or GBB, and it will be 100% legal for the retailer to sell it to you (if you are eighteen or over), although it should be noted that not all games (especially Battle or MilSims), or indeed entire sites sometimes, will allow “two tones” as they feel it will detract from the immersion of the game for more seasoned players. Whether you subscribe to this line of thinking is a personal thing, but I point it out here so you’ll not be disappointed if you find this… However, in the world of competition shooting rather than skirmishing this is a totally different ballgame, and for many of us ownership of a brightly-coloured rifle or pistol is something to be sought after actively, and although I have my personal “Defence in Law” when it comes to friendly competition shooting I have an entire setup of airsoft rifle (spring), carbine (AEG), shotgun (spring), and pistols (GBB) that are all finished in “Noveske Bazooka Green”, and I love ‘em! In fact the bright green Noveske Infidel that I use

as my primary carbine is an AEG courtesy of an EMG licence, an AEG that uses the outstanding Silver Edge gearbox at its heart! The APS Silver Edge gearbox is a real peach in my opinion, and much underrated, and although it’s basically the tried-and-true V2 gearbox APS have improved upon it with some excellent key features! First and foremost they use an improved-strength Grade 5 alloy for the gearbox shell material, and then they then plate the interior of the gearbox to a chromelike finish, effectively

reducing friction on the moving parts that contact the gearbox walls, such as the sides of the piston and the tappet plate. As standard you get steel gears with 8mm stainless steel bearings, low-resistance wiring and trigger switch, and a true quick-change spring guide for easy spring changes if needed. All of these improvements provide an increase in overall efficiency over the standard standard V2 gearbox designs, and what this means ultimately is improved battery life, smoother gearbox performance, and improved gearbox longevity! So why do I mention this all here? Well, the fact is that I’ve been spending some very loving quality time with another EMG creation recently, one that benefits from that super Silver Edge Gearbox, and that is BRIGHT BLUE! It’s the EMG F1 FIREARMS SBR and I downright love this too!

F1 COOL

Now if you visit the F1 FIREARMS website as a full-on MilSimmer then undoubtedly you’ll be taken with their T10 (7.62) and T15 (5.56) AR designs that are out and out LE/MIL. However, if you delve into the “PRECISION WORKS” section then you’re going to find that it’s all about the colours… and performance

“WHILST SOME MAY SAY “YOU NEED A UKARA” THIS IS BUT ONE AVENUE (ALTHOUGH ONE LARGELY RECOGNISED BY AIRSOFT RETAILERS IN THE UK) OF OBTAINING A “DEFENCE IN LAW” FOR OWNERSHIP OF A RIF; IF YOU’RE NEW TO AIRSOFT AND WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS THEN YOU’LL FIND A DEDICATED SECTION OF THE AIRSOFT ACTION WEBSITE WHICH EXPLAINS THE REQUIREMENTS IN DETAIL…” www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY EMG F1 FIREARMS SBR AEG

of course! The fact is that F1 cater to both the LE/Mil and precision shooting community equally appeals to me greatly, and their story is pretty neat too, and I quote here directly from what EMG say: “Based in the great state of Texas, F1 Firearms has become one of the premier brands in semi-automatic sporting rifles. Utilizing premium materials and cutting edge manufacturing processes, F1 produces firearms that are lighter, stronger, more accurate and built to more demanding tolerances than their competition. F1 Firearms are designed to stand out from the crowd, with an F1 rifle, not only will you look better than the rest, you’ll shoot better than the rest.” Now of course I can’t comment on that, but what I can and will comment on is the AEG version of the F1 SBR that I’ve been testing and it’s a very, very tidy package which weighs in at a solid 4105g. You get all of the Silver Edge sweetness that I mentioned earlier, but wrapped up in a bright, bright set of party clothes, and somewhat revealing they are too, but in a very appealing way, because one of the hallmarks of F1 design is light-weight via strategic cut-outs in the metalwork, and the EMG replicates pretty much all of that minus the skeleton pistol grip, as obviously the AEG version has a long-type high torque performance motor in there. First up is the CNC-finished aluminium-alloy F1

BDR-15 3G skeletonized receiver set, and this is cutaway along the upper and around the magwell to reveal everything that normally is hidden away inside a regular AEG, but it’s done in such a way that very little

of the internal mech and the magazine is strikingly visible! The “BCG” cover is elongated far beyond the ejection port in this case but still draws back to access the hop adjuster, so it appears that you have a real BCG in there and not just a cover, and everything is finished internally smoothly and with a nice matt silver finish. This finish extends out to the outer barrel as well (although the “F1 Dragon Slay” muzzle brake is plain black, something I personally would alter), which rests inside the KeyMod-compatible C7K-style Contoured handguard. The C7K is F1’s own ultra-lightweight handguard design that has some really aggressive cuts which allow the rail to be both feather-light whilst retaining

all its structural integrity. In terms of the real thing, again EMG tells me that “these unique handguards are precision cut on advanced 5-Axis CNC machines. The intricate design limits production of these high-end handguards to only 8 units a day”… and yup, they really are nice to use as the mid-section “handgrip area” provides a reference point for manipulation with little to no thought needed! This replica of the F-1 SBR the RS-3 stock which is extremely Mp-esque to say the least, but is very serviceable; many of the F1 “real models” make us of the MFT minimalist-style and that’s something I personally would consider adding to the mix. PLEASE NOTE here that the SBR comes with a very prominent warning NOT to remove the buffer-tube without first removing the gearbox, so if you want to add a singlepoint sling plate you need to take heed! There’s a QD stud fitted to this as standard, along

“FIRST UP IS THE CNC-FINISHED ALUMINIUM-ALLOY F1 BDR-15 3G SKELETONIZED RECEIVER SET, AND THIS IS CUT-AWAY TO REVEAL EVERYTHING THAT NORMALLY IS HIDDEN AWAY INSIDE A REGULAR AEG, BUT IT’S DONE IN SUCH A WAY THAT VERY LITTLE OF THE INTERNAL MECH IS STRIKINGLY VISIBLE!”

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ARMOURY EMG F1 FIREARMS SBR AEG

with a 450 BB ribbed magazine in the box. Sadly there are no “irons” fitted so you will need to find either

a set of these or add an optic, but that’s not really a gripe in all honesty as otherwise the carbine is a beauty.

LET IT SING!

So, externally the F1 SBR ticks an awful lot of quality boxes, whilst internally there’s a LOT of stuff going on to increase both performance and longevity. It’s a totally neat package that looks awesome, but how does it fare when you start boogying the trigger? First up, let’s look at the power, and the “stock” model I received for testing chrono’d with massive consistency

at 1.34 Joule/381fps using .20g BBs; I jest not when I say “consistently” as with a ten-BB-string I was looking at a deviation of less than 0.5fps! Next up was to play with the different selector

modes which are accessed via the ambidextrous fire controls for both right and lefty shooters, and it proved incredibly easy to cycle through the modes by pressing and holding the button underneath the gearbox which is easily accessed from the magwell. You see a red LED light, hold the button until you see it’s blinked twice, and then release the button to accept the changes; you simply repeat this step to continue through the modes. Then you just double click the button or unplug the battery to reset the ECU back to its factory settings (Mode 1). • Mode 1 (Default) Safe/Semi/Auto • Mode 2 Safe/Semi/3-Round Burst • Mode 3 Safe/2-Round Burst/Auto • Mode 4 Safe/3-Round Burst/Auto • Mode 5 Safe/3-Round Burst/9-Round Burst Now whilst Mode 5 is a bit of an angry soul, I do like to retain semi, so for me Mode 2 is the one to go for. With this set I loaded up the 450BB winder with .25gs and had at it on the 30m range. The flat-face trigger is most certainly crisp; on semi you really can get shots away super-fast, and the three round burst function works brilliantly! I couldn’t resist setting it to Mode 5 though, and that 9 round burst is just fabulous in a weird yet satisfying way! I have to say that the EMG F1 Firearms SBR really gives a massive amount of quality and performance for the money. It looks great, feels great, and shoots like a dream so it really does sing to me as I can see APS and EMG have got this 100% right… again! Whilst many skirmish players, especially here in the UK, will turn up their noses at a “blue gun” I have to say that this is one carbine that I would gleefully add to my personal PAMG armoury… although of course I’d need to create another entire “family” to go with it… Who knows… perhaps this could be a future PAMG comp-project, and the EMG F1 Firearms SBR would certainly be a great place to start! My thanks go to www.iwholesales.biz for supplying the test sample, and you’ll find the EMG F1 FIREARMS models on their regularly updated website. The SBR AEGs will be available in different colours (including black!), with different barrel lengths to choose from too! AA

“I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS ONE CARBINE THAT I WOULD GLEEFULLY ADD TO MY PERSONAL “PAMG” ARMOURY… ALTHOUGH OF COURSE I’D NEED TO CREATE ANOTHER ENTIRE “FAMILY” TO GO WITH IT… WHO KNOWS… PERHAPS THIS COULD BE A FUTURE PROJECT, AND THE EMG F1 FIREARMS SBR WOULD CERTAINLY BE A GREAT PLACE TO START!” www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT ASG/KJW CZ SHADOW BRSS 2SCAR-SC ORANGE

THE FUTURE IS ORANGE!

LONG TERM READERS WILL NO DOUBT BE AWARE OF STEWBACCA’S ‘FRESH PRINCE OF ACTION AIR’ EXPLOITS IN TAIWAN’S IPSC SCENE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, ALONG WITH THE GROWING PAINS OF FINDING A SUITABLE PISTOL AND SUPPORT GEAR ON WHICH TO SETTLE FOR THE LONG TERM. CHRISTMAS 2023 BROUGHT HIM A VERY SHINY NEW PRESENT, THE CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE, THAT HE MANAGED TO GET HANDS ON WITH AND USE TO COMPETE WITH BEFORE IT WAS EVEN OFFICIALLY RELEASED THANKS TO SOME EVER SUPPORTIVE INDUSTRY FRIENDS WHO LOOK AFTER HIM TOO WELL AT TIMES! 24

ISSUE 159 - MARCH 2024

ARMOURY ASG/KJW CYBERGUN/BOLT CZ SHADOW BRSS 2 ORANGE SCAR-SC

he Taiwan Practical Shooting Association’s Kaohsiung Level 3 international match over the Christmas 2023 weekend as featured in my full write up in last month’s issue saw the arrival of a very nice and fresh-from-the factory offering thanks to some people in high places that always come through for me and deliver the goodest of goods. With a sample gifted to me a little ahead of the official release date, I was thankfully able to sidestep the internal politicking of the competition shooting scene here that meant the rules and goal posts were shifted last minute and prevented me from using my long serving Shadow 2 with all of the Clarence Lai Project Design trimmings. I am, of course, speaking of the new ASG-licensed KJWorks OEM CZ Shadow 2 Orange edition gas blowback pistol. I guess people must quietly watch my rabid blunt instrument abuse of their products as I’d acquired my own Shadow 2 way back in August 2020 and proceeded to break everything I could in it over my long term Airsoft IPSC/Action Air exploits since settling on it as my favourite pistol for the activity. I’d started off with a Double Bell Glock 34 TTI of “Wick” fame only to find the slide and barrel were too long for production division regulations, then qualified on my KWA USP Compact but felt the trigger setup and handling weren’t ideal for my large hands. i then also tried the ASG CZ Shadow SP01 GBB that I’d acquired from the Hong Kong based Umbrella Corp Team way back when they last visited us in 2018 for a previous SpeedQB event

and one of their members Muubi won it in the raffle but didn’t want to have to deal with getting it home and through customs on either end, before finally trying a friend’s Shadow 2 and deciding it was the thing for me. Several spectacularly fractured outer barrels, multiple broken sear chassis, and general wear and tear later and I’d extensively overhauled my original Shadow 2 to make use of basically the whole gamete of our good friend Clarence Lai’s CLPD-branded replacement or upgrade parts available as I’ve had the privilege of being his crash test dummy for such things. Nonetheless, the old girl was really starting to show her age and recently wouldn’t even function on green gas magazines after so long making use of CO2 capsule ones; it seems the internals took such a beating that they won’t function without the higher pressure of the CO2 to cycle the slide reliably. As a result of these exploits and increasing reliability issues when it mattered most, my SPPT IPSC Teammates had been imploring me to try something else, or at the very least get a replacement gun of the same type to avoid all the mishaps in training, and more importantly, those on the competition circuit! I’d already spent a lot on additional magazines and the Double Alpha Academy Lynx Belt and Alpha X Shadow 2 specific competition holster so I didn’t really want to invest in a different base system if I could avoid it, and had been eyeing up the urban grey special edition as well as some of Clarence’s full custom builds.

“I AM, OF COURSE, SPEAKING OF THE NEW ASG-LICENSED KJWORKS OEM CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE EDITION GAS BLOWBACK PISTOL. I GUESS PEOPLE MUST QUIETLY WATCH MY RABID BLUNT INSTRUMENT ABUSE OF THEIR PRODUCTS AS I’D ACQUIRED MY OWN SHADOW 2 WAY BACK IN AUGUST 2020 AND PROCEEDED TO BREAK EVERYTHING…” www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY ASG/KJW CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE

GOING THE FULL ORANGE

So, the arrival of the ASG/KJWorks Shadow 2 Orange was a welcome sight to all, providing me with a box fresh top-of-the-line replica with which to breeze seamlessly through the 12 stages of the Kaohsiung level 3, along with the further training sessions since. And to be honest, it almost feels like cheating at this point; granted you could argue I have an obscene amount of BBs behind the platform in general at this point, given the sheer damage I imparted upon my older variant, and the intense training and competition use over the last three years and change, but nonetheless, the Orange Edition isn’t quite the same animal. Clarence and I had already been talking shop and drooling over the announced release way back at the TADTE Defence Expo I covered in issue 155 where KJWorks had been displaying the prototype in a closed glass case; we were discussing the differences back then and waiting with baited breath on its release. The most immediately obvious difference, even noticeable back then through prohibitive glass that kept our hands off it, was the inclusion of a totally new barrel arrangement; the outer barrel of the Shadow 2 Orange is stainless steel, and the front end now features a similarly stainless steel bushing, more akin to a 1911 set up, all of which helps to improve not only the durability, but - more crucially the mechanical accuracy of the pistol; the fixed outer barrel leads to a much more consistent lock-up and chambering of the BB as well as its resultant trajectory, and I can definitely attest to that factor. When my new shiny CZ thing arrived after briefly removing the slide and apparently applying the perfect amount of HOP up on the first adjustment, I didn’t touch anything else about the Shadow 2 Orange all weekend at the level 3 competition, it just kept throwing rounds out in an exceptionally straight line that no doubt aided in limiting the number of Charlies to around two every stage and really making it too easy to shoot on the move! Looking back at my videos from the event I just seemed to be moving a lot better than on previous shoots and had achieved “zen gun” with it having long suffered the mechanical mishaps of its forerunner. Admittedly I was back to using the standard longer-pull curved trigger rather than the

flatter better looking and handling CLPD alternative of my heavily customised Shadow 2, but nonetheless it felt great in the hand and a lot more user friendly and dependable from the outset. At the more recent training sessions at SPPT’s new home training field I sighted it in on paper and slightly tweaked the rear sight left to make sure I can repeatedly hit the one inch square metal swinger testtarget at around 8-10 metres, and I was hollowing out a tight group on the paper target’s A-zone’s centre! To be honest that rear sight might not even stay on there much longer anyway… because another exciting development is also within the TPSA community here; at the start of 2024 it was announced that there would finally be the subdivision of Production Optics opening up for us here. In past years the limited community and participation have somewhat limited such things and most have had to stick to basic Open/Standard/ Production divisions, with optical sights only being permitted in Open. With this good news I can immediately start making use of the rear sight replacement mounting plate that Clarence was already good enough to give me… in the same bronzey-orange of the native Shadow 2 Orange’s highlights, so I’ll likely acquire another SRO clone optic and throw that on there in the next month or two and start training with the future of competitive sighting systems!

FAMILIAR YET DIFFERENT

The external appearance besides the barrel changes is largely identical to the earlier Shadow 2 which is cool, and colour scheme notwithstanding each individual pistol has a unique serial number visible in the typical position, on the outer barrel’s chamber extension within the ejection port; I ended up with number “006”, so I really was early to the table! However the overall weight also feels slightly heavier in the hand; confirmed by my digital scales the Shadow 2 comes in at 870g unloaded, while the Shadow 2 Orange is indeed chonkier at 980g, no doubt a result of the more substantial barrel and bushing, and the standard trigger pull and recoil experience seem a lot more stout, although again this could just be a result of the sheer wear of the older Shadow 2 and me becoming

“WHEN MY NEW SHINY CZ THING ARRIVED AFTER BRIEFLY REMOVING THE SLIDE AND APPARENTLY APPLYING THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF HOP UP ON THE FIRST ADJUSTMENT, I DIDN’T TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE SHADOW 2 ORANGE ALL WEEKEND AT THE LEVEL 3 COMPETITION, IT JUST KEPT THROWING ROUNDS OUT IN AN EXCEPTIONALLY STRAIGHT LINE” 26

ISSUE 159 - MARCH 2024

ARMOURY ASG/KJW CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE

www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY ASG/KJW CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE

acclimatised to its feeling and degradation over the longer term, it only having a double action pull of around 4lbs and a single action pull of around 10oz. The general feel is the familiar heft in hand and buttery-smooth cycling of the top slide with an authoritative clack closed under recoil spring pressure on release; thanks to my new Lyman trigger pull gauge I can accurately report that the single action trigger pull weighs in at 1 lb 7.oz, and the double action is 5lb 14oz, almost as heavy as my Walther PPQ & P99 replicas, but an unfortunate necessity to deal with on the first round of most stages as a result of Production Division rules. The only other minor point I would mention is the fact I unfortunately had to go to town on the brand new finish of the Shadow 2 Orange’s trigger guard;

as with my earlier Shadow 2 standard it seems that KJWorks’ replicas are ever so slightly broader on the trigger guard than their real steel counterparts that the Double Alpha Academy Alpha X holsters are designed for, so I had to remove around a millimetre from the left face of the trigger guard, trying to hide the work done on the inboard face of the pistol to hide it when either holstered or in use as best as possible! I felt a bit bad having to maim it a tad to get it to work effectively with my existing competition belt and holster setup, but I imagine this superior pistol will wear in naturally in the longer term anyway. I suppose I had best laser engrave my callsign on the frame below the front slide serrations as per my older one too, hadn’t I, fellow shooters? Until next time… AA

“THE GENERAL FEEL IS THE FAMILIAR HEFT IN HAND AND BUTTERY-SMOOTH CYCLING OF THE TOP SLIDE WITH AN AUTHORITATIVE CLACK CLOSED UNDER RECOIL SPRING PRESSURE ON RELEASE; THANKS TO MY NEW LYMAN TRIGGER PULL GAUGE I CAN ACCURATELY REPORT THAT THE SINGLE ACTION TRIGGER PULL WEIGHS IN AT 1 LB 7.OZ, AND THE DOUBLE ACTION IS 5LB 14OZ” 28

ISSUE 159 - MARCH 2024

ARMOURY ASG/KJW CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE

www.airsoftaction.net

INSIDE AIRSOFT BOLT AIRSOFT

FULLY BOLT-ED!

WHILE BILL WAS IN TAIWAN FOR THE G&G WORLD CUP AND ITS AFTERMATH HE, ANNY, AND STEWBACCA MADE THE MOST OF HIS TIME IN COUNTRY TO VISIT AS MANY INDUSTRY FRIENDS AS THEY COULD CRAM INTO A SOMEWHAT HECTIC SCHEDULE ALL OVER THE ISLAND. HIS OLD FRIENDS AT BOLT AIRSOFT WERE A NATURAL CHOICE, ALTHOUGH IT WASN’T THE FIRST TIME STEWBACCA OR ANNY HAD BEEN TO SEE THEIR FACILITIES, AND STEWBACCA TAKES THINGS FORWARD NOW… WITH SOME BIG NEWS FOR BOLT!. 32

ISSUE 159 - March 2024

INSIDE AIRSOFT BOLT AIRSOFT

olt Airsoft were, as it happens, the first manufacturer I ever visited on-island when I arrived in Taiwan, more years ago than I like to count at this point! Having immediately made my way to both the Hooha show and shortly after the inaugural MOA show, I’d managed to start meeting many of the people behind the brands you all know and love, and made inroads to visit them and report on their activities for TacticalTwo who I was writing for back when I started out in “Airsoft Central” over here. Situated in the semi-industrialised Northwest area of Taiwan on the outskirts of Taipei, and not too far from the Linkou CQB police training killhouse site we tend to play at (as well as where my day job has now eventually taken me, as it happens) Bolt Airsoft and the people behind it have, like many companies here, a rich and storied history in the airsoft industry. Bill has been a personal friend of Tomy at Bolt now for many years, and I originally visited way back in early 2018 when Tomy and Wilson (the main men at Bolt) were giving me the rundown of their then soon-to-be released AK EBB series, with Tomy happily demonstrating the strength of their receivers and folding stocks by standing on one braced over two crates! Since those early days of my relationship I’ve seen the Bolt team not only at the numerous on-island trade shows and events, but also being on site at MilSim games such as the ‘POLK’ events covered in previous issues, as well as supporting Team Taiji and allowing our members to field test their upcoming products, with our Vice Captain MingYang trialling their licensed FN SCAR SC EBB AEG for many months before its official release.

THE START OF THINGS

But what of the man himself, Tomy, and his trajectory within the airsoft community and industry? His experience stretches back over three decades, in terms of both playing airsoft locally, and acting as one of the original distributors for Tokyo Marui’s burgeoning product line being brought to Taiwan’ shores. A 23 year old Tomy, freshly discharged from his national service, was soon enough whisked away by an old high school classmate to start his own

adventures in our beloved hobby…or habit! Around the same time Tomy went to work in a local model shop, which, like with my own first experiences of airsoft in the UK, tended to be the place to source early Japanese airsoft guns alongside their RC cars and planes (their origins, after all, are rooted in RC components and repurposing them to drive a piston and fling BBs downrange rather than cars around a track!). Back then guns were imported on a piecemeal basis by local customer demand, and the legal landscape of Taiwan was also still somewhat of a grey area and not so permissive to anything gun related. With the efforts of industry figureheads at the time the local laws were relaxed somewhat; having left the model shop as a result of his boss’s lack of vision in terms of pivoting more towards airsoft guns and their wider introduction and distribution into Taiwan, Tomy found himself travelling in Japan. While in Kuramae where a whole strip of airsoft distributors exists (however at the time they were only engaged in wholesale efforts!) he purchased a magazine at a bookstore and made his way to JAC in Shibuya on its recommendation, not far from where he was staying. Soon enough he found himself in an Aladdin’s Cave of toy guns, and ended up bringing back a whole array of them to Taiwan! On his return to the model shop the owner immediately bought the whole stockpile off him having seen the build quality and variety and seeing an opportunity; likewise Tomy saw the opportunity for himself in local distribution, and on a further trip back to Kuramae he made the decision to go wholesale, maxing out his credit card at one of the stores and cleaning them out of stock, and with the easing of legal restrictions following on, he soon founded his trading company in 1988 shortly after was appointed as a general agent of Japanese manufacturers. And the name? Bolt? Well, given the fact that Tomy has functioned as a lynch pin of distribution in the past, he figured he would name the company after the core component all modern guns require… the bolt; thus, like his trading company was originally the core of Japanese gun sales in Taiwan, his own airsoft brand would carry on that theme in its

“BOLT AIRSOFT AND THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT HAVE, LIKE MANY COMPANIES HERE, A RICH AND STORIED HISTORY IN THE AIRSOFT INDUSTRY. BILL HAS BEEN A PERSONAL FRIEND OF TOMY AT BOLT NOW FOR MANY YEARS, AND I ORIGINALLY VISITED WAY BACK IN EARLY 2018” www.airsoftaction.net

INSIDE AIRSOFT BOLT AIRSOFT

naming, Bolt Airsoft.

TAKING THINGS FORWARD

Like so many other on-island manufacturers, Bolt Airsoft eventually formed out of the experiences derived from a growing understanding of Japanese products, but also a need to begin producing spare or upgrade parts domestically to mitigate the Japanese industry’s apparent disinterest in servicing the airsoft community outside of Japan in terms of warranty or other aftercare issues. While many of their components may externally resemble the Japanese forebears of so many product lines, a great deal more goes into Bolt Airsoft’s output; with noticeably reinforced gearbox shells as much as twice the thickness of Japanese equivalents in some aspects, Bolt ensure they can withstand the needs of the domestic and international upgrade

requirements which aren’t as hampered by Japanese national restrictions. While many of the good ideas and design choices of various Japanese-sourced platforms or operating mechanisms work their way into Bolt’s products, there are nonetheless plenty of their own innovations or design decisions thrown in for good measure, and they hold many patents to that effect, protecting their own product developments both in Taiwan and over in Japan. The build quality of their externals seems on a par with the likes of Real Swords’ ultra-realistic (or rumoured borrowed from real steel firearms) components, with a great deal of up engineering over other products in the market to ensure their longevity and adaptability to players all over the world and their shifting needs or trends in the player community; the plastic shells or innards of Japanese guns just can’t stand up to the abuse the players put things through here in the tropics, or indeed in many places where our “airsoft world” thrives! Early offerings naturally focused on the omnipresent AR platform and its Barbie-gun ease of differentiation into various forms built off the same basic receiver, internals, magazines etc, but eventually Bolt would go on to replicate a vast array of different models and families beyond the basic stalwarts you find from most manufacturers. Their AR platforms at least allowed for the recoil engines to be tied directly into the back of the gearbox system, occupying the buffer tube space and hammering right into the users shoulder with their recoil impulse, improving the shooting experience. With the likes of their AKSU EBB which I saw all those years ago on my first visit, their patented recoil engine had to be moved above the gearbox in the space under the receiver top cover, as a result of the need to make a standard receiver layout to suit all the different planned AK models which have since been released in the intervening years, The AKSU (one of Bill’s favourite platforms as it happens!) was chosen as the starting point as it is the most compact and restrictive platform of the series, so fitting everything into the smaller space and having to deal with a folding stock ensured that whatever the resulting system was, it could be much more readily transposed into fixed stock or longer-barreled

“BOLT AIRSOFT EVENTUALLY FORMED OUT OF THE EXPERIENCES DERIVED FROM A GROWING UNDERSTANDING OF JAPANESE PRODUCTS, BUT ALSO A NEED TO BEGIN PRODUCING SPARE OR UPGRADE PARTS DOMESTICALLY TO MITIGATE THE JAPANESE INDUSTRY’S APPARENT DISINTEREST IN SERVICING THE AIRSOFT COMMUNITY...” 34

ISSUE 159 - March 2024

INSIDE AIRSOFT BOLT AIRSOFT

variants to follow. The same approach was also used for Bolt’s ‘SWAT’ range, their take on the MP5, beginning once again with the smallest variant in the guise of the MP5k to allow them to build off the worst case scenario workspace and grow the range with ease after perfecting the shortest sibling. Later innovations added to this line included optically scanned magazines with specialist stickers affixed which would interface with internal electronics to “talk to” the gearbox and onboard MOSFET systems to enable automatic cut-off after a certain number of rounds were expended; this all added to the realism without requiring the more flimsy electromechanical interfaces that plagued the magazine cut-off features of some other manufacturers systems before…. and since!

BRINGING IT UP TO DATE

With a history focused mainly on distribution and innovation, Bolt Airsoft’s Linkou facility is predominantly focused on R&D, design and prototyping, as well as final assembly and quality control prior to despatch to domestic and overseas clients, with many of the components being sourced from stringently overseen specialist suppliers of moulded, electronic, or structural components, with a somewhat Japanese “just in time” approach to manufacture to minimise warehousing requirements. Typically a supplier will make an order and within 3-4 weeks the production line will have all the constituents on hand ready to assemble and final test the desired product, with individual AEGs requiring around half an hour to complete, usually in the typical sub-assembly stages with completed work flowing quite effectively through their shop floor setup and making their way onto the racks of finished and tested products ready for packaging and despatch. More recently the licensed product lines with Cybergun’s granting of Fabrique Nationale (FN) licence has grown to include their aforementioned SCAR SCs, the short almost PDW-esque format of EBB AEG which is an excellent piece of kit by all accounts, and even

field strips in an unusually realistic fashion for an electric gun offering. Furthermore the permission to use Daniel Defense’ licence has also born fruit with Mk18 Mod 1 and shortened variants, as well as Block II replicas, ensuring that along with their HK416 (DEVGRU), AR (ELITE/MILITARY) and BR (SR47 and similar) Bolt really have most of the bases covered in terms of what the majority of players needs might stretch to. The most exciting news, however, has been the most recent, as Tomy put it himself “we’ve kind of run out of guns to make AEGs of”, and as a result of such a broad range there aren’t many things left to economically replicate. Like most manufacturers, the realities of investing in polymer moulds and other new component or product setup costs usually implores them to attack whole generic families rather than chasing very niche lone guns; the likes of the SLR/FAL or WW2 guns with limited follow on lineage or variants compared to the AR or AK etc. With that in mind Bolt Airsoft announced its intention to dip its toes into the GBBR space, like many others are shifting to in the Asian market, as a result of ever improving gas gun technology over the past 5-10 years. The player demands driven by MilSim or realism, and training-focused gameplay means that GBBRs have been very much ‘de rigueur’ of many producers over the past few years, especially when you consider the supply chain issues stalling

“BOLT AIRSOFT ANNOUNCED ITS INTENTION TO DIP ITS TOES INTO THE GBBR SPACE, LIKE MANY OTHERS ARE SHIFTING TO IN THE ASIAN MARKET, AS A RESULT OF EVER IMPROVING GAS GUN TECHNOLOGY OVER THE PAST 5-10 YEARS. THE PLAYER DEMANDS DRIVEN BY MILSIM OR REALISM, AND TRAINING-FOCUSED GAMEPLAY...” www.airsoftaction.net

INSIDE AIRSOFT BOLT AIRSOFT

MOSFET chips or other electronic components. Producing their own variation on the MWS system, making use of a custom-designed nozzle system which vastly improves the consistency of delivery and efficiency of the system as well as delivering some of the strongest recoil impulse Bill, Anny, or I have encountered (as demonstrated when we visited Bolt in November, much to Bill’s delight!), Bolt Airsoft’s GBBR line is definitely something to keep an eye out for! With the prototype floating around at POLK 3 for players to get hands on with there, as well as being front and centre at their MOA 2023 booth, they’re clearly throwing their hat in the ring along with a growing number of local competitors who want to capitalise on the popularity of the MWS platform with their own iterations and improvements specifically aimed at the local and international enduser and markets.

LATEST AND GREATEST NEWS!

The latest news we got the inside track on during our more recent visit is the advent of Bolt’s licensed Daniel Defense furniture making use of the coveted “chocolate brown”’ goodness that we all know and love, with a range CNC-machined Aluminium M-LOK front handguards using a wraparound ‘C’ shaped upper with a drop in ‘floor’ section on the bottom which makes it easy to clamshell the handguard over the barrel of the host rifle, as well as featuring the seven threaded-hole rear attachment section for a

ISSUE 159 - March 2024

very secure and realistic installation and appearance. There are also polymer components in the guise of DD-branded ejection port covers, pistol grips and of course the instantly recognisable skeletonised CQBR style stock which has been especially modified to both avoid compatibility with real firearms, and at the same time provide a cleverly integrated battery compartment in the resulting space created, all of which we were allowed to get hands on with and Anny worked her usual photographic magic on while we were on site. So, when we look at an INSIDE AIRSOFT article we want to share with you the WHAT, WHEN, and most importantly WHY, and after spending some time with Tomy, Wilson and the Bolt team “at home” we all came away with a better understanding of an industry pioneer that’s a household name to many the world over, but who might not know the ideas and history behind the name! Many thanks as always to ‘Military’ Anny Wu for her excellent product and personal photography and handling the native language aspects of our interviewing process, and of course many thanks to Tomy and his team for their continued gracious hospitality and friendly cooperation at the trade shows and events we encounter them at, there’s clearly a lot to keep an eye out for in their future releases, fellow shooters… Bill is meeting with Tomy as usual at IWA ’24 and we already know they’ll be something more to talk about! AA

Technikraum

3,5

VegaForceC

2-107

60,4 qm

21,0

Uebergang/to Halle / hall 1

2,0

4, 0

2-1 06

H W B w a sa n A BC irso Toys ft B , S BS 1 2 A ir qm so ft ,

Ac etk 20

2-2 4,0 05

2-108

Airsoft Shooting Jolly S Range Networking

3, 0

11,6

50 q

5, 0

49,67 qm

7,9

Uebergang/to Halle / hall 1

10,0

Airsoft Shooting Range

4, 0

2-2 04

3,0

30 qm

10,0

Airsoft Shooting Range - Novritsch

SR C 60

30 qm

0,4

5,0

OR Y

airsoft

21,52 qm

2-308 KING ARMS AIRSOFT

5,0

50 qm

8,0

40 qm

3,0

Wolverine Airsoft

Grepow 12 qm

2-407

2-409

4,0

5,0

3,0

18 qm

6,0

3,0

2-402

LTA A

Novritsch Airsoft

HFC 9,2

10,0

2-306

2-304

Air R

3,0

2-4 4,0 00

2-404

5,0

7,0 3,0

2-408

PUFFDINO TRADE

4,0

2-410

Ares Alpha 3,0 12 qm

15 qm

9,0

APS

9,0

27 qm

LANCER TACTICAL

12 qm

REPLICA GUNS

9 qm

2-509a

63 qm

(Altin

3,0 Finances)

2-507 9 qm

Anlieferung Delivery

3,0

Halle / hall 2 Tor / door 1 FM

2-504 00 2-5 11,5 ft ,0 so 10 Air ot ing r o Sh rcou ft Pa irso A en y b e ld H 40

18 qm

2-509

3,0

6,0

15,0

6,0

2-508

Airsoft Shooting Parcour by Airsoft Helden

10,0

60 qm

121,13 qm

9,2 4,0

Uebergang/to Hallen / halls 3C 4,0

2-600

6,0

25,0

100 qm

www.delta-armory.com

KIT & GEAR VIPER TACTICAL UPDATE

BE VIPERSMART!

VIPER TACTICAL CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT SELECT NEW ITEMS OF CLOTHING AND GEAR ON A REGULAR BASIS, AND AS OLD FRIENDS WE’RE DELIGHTED TO SEE THAT WHAT THEY’RE ADDING TO THE RANGE THESE DAYS IS BOTH FOCUSED AND FULLY “FIT FOR PURPOSE”! MIGUEL AND BILL HAVE BEEN TESTING THE NEWEST ADDITIONS TO THE CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR LINE, AND NOW REPORT BACK…

e make no bones about the fact that our relationship with VIPER TACTICAL is a longstanding one that goes back many years, and a very valued one too! With “Viper Actual” (or Ratty as we know and love him!) being out and about at events in the UK that we also attend, that bond grows ever stronger and we find ourselves working on numerous projects and ideas with him these days. However, the fact is that VIPER TACTICAL are going from strength to strength, and as I’ve noted before when they add something to their extensive range of clothing, footwear, and kit it’s worth taking note of, and although their range is stocked by most good retailers in the UK we are very pleased to see that the brand is now reaching players much further afield! Some of us have been wearing the excellent Technical Mid Layer Fleece Top that we spoke about a little while ago during the winter months, and it’s proved to be a real favourite, but now VIPER have added to that with a full fleece jacket, the Gen 2 Special Ops model, that works perfectly with their

Lightweight Softshell Jacket as an insulating layer… and it looks pretty sharp for “off duty” wear too! Miguel has been putting one of the new jackets through its paces and loves it, so over to him to report on his experience with it so far!

COLD COMFORT

It’s cold, we know, it’s hard to venture outside when the thermometers are hitting negative temperatures! And even getting up early to go to an airsoft game can leave us shivering. But, worry not, the newest jacket from our friends at VIPER is here to help! Let’s all welcome the Gen2 Special Ops Fleece Jacket, VIPER’s newest entry to their clothing range. It’s a multipurpose jacket, you can use it day to day, it looks great in any casual look, or you can add it to your tactical loadout; there are several different colours available to adapt to any patterns that you use, and it will help during those cold or even rainy days. VIPER took a different path with the Gen2,

“LET’S ALL WELCOME THE GEN2 SPECIAL OPS FLEECE JACKET, VIPER’S NEWEST ENTRY TO THEIR CLOTHING RANGE. IT’S A MULTIPURPOSE JACKET, YOU CAN USE IT DAY TO DAY, IT LOOKS GREAT IN ANY CASUAL LOOK, OR YOU CAN ADD IT TO YOUR TACTICAL LOADOUT”

ISSUE 159 - MARCH 2024

KIT & GEAR VIPER TACTICAL UPDATE

comparing to the Gen1, which I still have. The Gen1 was more a full softshell-style jacket, highly waterproof and with a hood, but bulkier. The Gen2 adopted a more fleece style, with a slimmer design and no hood.

There is an area in the forearms and shoulders that contrasts with the rest of the jacket and is water-repellent, as well as a tall chin guard (great for extra protection against the cold) and elastics cuffs with a thumb hole, which I find great to help warm the hands, since I don’t like to wear gloves day to day. And of course, a low profile hook and loop on the left harm for any patch or insignia that you want to show off! I think that the only major point missing would be a chest or internal pocket. I really like to keep some of my items safer in certain locations or time of day, or even a bit more protected in case of some rain. The front zipper is an upgrade from the Frontier jacket, which now is made of a stronger material, but it’s not one of those that works as a double puller, which in my opinion is not good or bad, never really cared about that kind of zipper. As I mentioned before, this fleece can work perfectly with your loadout; of course, you will be a bit bulkier, but it’s a good option for those games with extreme weather or even night periods, I’ve been in games where I know that a

jacket like this would come in handy. Right now the jacket is available in BLACK, TAN and OD, which will work with many different patterns and with sizes up to 3XL, so even if you are a big guy like me, no problem! But for me, right now it’s a great addition for my day to day, really comfortable, snug and warm, with a simple design and with that VIPER quality that we know! I am excited to see what VIPER will bring in 2024! They already launched a new version of their Sneaker boots, and I’m curious to get my hands (in this case my feet) in them. Their current range caught the attention of many players, specially the VX range, which I’ve been field-testing almost since day one, and ever since has been an essential part of my loadouts. And to keep up the tradition, their jackets are part of my day to day now too!

FRESH STEPS

Now coming back to the new Sneaker Boots that Miguel mentioned above, I was lucky enough to be sent a pair as soon as they arrived in the UK VIPER warehouse, and although these are predominantly a boot model that’s going to be best for summer wear (they’re unlined) they are absolutely perfect for indoor range wear and CQB even at this time of year!

“RIGHT NOW THE JACKET IS AVAILABLE IN BLACK, TAN AND OD, WHICH WILL WORK WITH MANY DIFFERENT PATTERNS AND WITH SIZES UP TO 3XL, SO EVEN IF YOU ARE A BIG GUY LIKE ME, NO PROBLEM!”

www.airsoftaction.net

KIT & GEAR VIPER TACTICAL UPDATE

Some of us have been wearing the original mid-cut Sneaker boots for a few years now and they’ve stood up really well to regular use and abuse, so we were very glad to hear from VIPER about the release of a high-cut version of this excellent lightweight boot which will be just perfect when married up to their ELITE TROUSERS. Available in UK sizes 7-12 the Tactical Sneakers are an ultralightweight boot which has a sports-fit, so you might want to consider going up a size up from your standard tactical boot sizing; I’m usually a good size 9 and was advised to go for a 10 and the fit is perfect with no unnecessary volume, and no felt pressure in evidence. I’ve been putting the boots to work on the indoor range and thus far they’ve proved both comfortable and supportive; whilst the sole unit has somewhat of a flat profile the grip is very good indeed given the pronounced lug pattern, and the inner sole provides support for your arch to help avoid foot fatigue. The lacing runs to the top of the cuff so you can really cinch them in, but the lacing on the upper foot is far enough back to avoid pressure on your toe-flex-point. The Tactical Sneakers, whilst higher in the cuff are easy to get on and off thanks to the inclusion of a side zip; now I’m normally not a fan of side-zip boots as unless they are meticulously designed this can be a real “rub point” on your ankle bone, especially when you’re tabbing under load! Thankfully VIPER have experience with this type of design and I’m pleased to report that so far the zip has given me no discomfort whatsoever. Coming in Black or Coyote these are be great value boots; if you’re planning on new boots for Summer ’24 use, and you abide by the mantra that “light is

right”, then the Tactical Sneakers (Mid or High!) could be just the footwear you’ve been looking for!

COOL ISSUE

To round things out on this little update the other item that I’ve been trying out are the new V-CAM BLACK Camo PCS 95 Trousers. We’ve commented as a team in the past on how much we love the Gen 2 Elite Trousers, but the fact is that these (although worth every penny!) are a little higher on the price side than some, so I’m very pleased to see that VIPER have added a V-CAM BLACK version in their popular and budget-friendly PCS 95 design. The Camo PCS 95 trousers are more akin to the UK “issue” trousers and come in with two angled, and ample, cargo pockets, two slash pockets, a single rear “wallet” pocket, button and zip closure with an internal waist cord, and a reinforced seat and knees. Made from an extremely hard-wearing polycotton rather than the rip-stop of the Elite Gen 2 these trousers are

“COMING IN BLACK OR COYOTE THESE ARE BE GREAT VALUE BOOTS; IF YOU’RE PLANNING ON NEW BOOTS FOR SUMMER ’24 USE, AND YOU ABIDE BY THE MANTRA THAT “LIGHT IS RIGHT”, THEN THE TACTICAL SNEAKERS (MID OR HIGH!) COULD BE JUST THE FOOTWEAR YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!”

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KIT & GEAR VIPER TACTICAL UPDATE

absolutely “bomber-tough”, and I can tell that with a just a couple of washes they will become very, very comfortable. And talking of washes I banged them through the washing machine on a higher temp wash (NOT something I’d advise YOU DO!) to check on the colour-fastness of the V-CAM BLACK pattern and it’s very good indeed… for general lower-temp washing and care these should keep on looking great for some considerable time too! The features of the Camo PCS 95 are simple yet solid, all you could ask for in a “combat pant”, the leg length is good and certainly generous enough for

blousing over your boots, and they come with belt loops compatible with the full VIPER belt range… nothing fancy, just good, durable “fightin’ pants” at a sensible price! As Miguel said I too am very interested to see what new things VIPER TACTICAL add to their range in the coming year, but I know already that whatever it may be it will be good for airsoft, and good for our “airsoft wallets” too! Be VIPER-SMART and keep an eye on the latest updates by checking in on their active social media pages, or by visiting www.viperkit.co.uk AA

“THE FEATURES OF THE CAMO PCS 95 ARE SIMPLE YET SOLID, ALL YOU COULD ASK FOR IN A “COMBAT PANT”, THE LEG LENGTH IS GOOD AND CERTAINLY GENEROUS ENOUGH FOR BLOUSING OVER YOUR BOOTS, AND THEY COME WITH BELT LOOPS COMPATIBLE WITH THE FULL VIPER BELT RANGE… NOTHING FANCY, JUST GOOD, DURABLE “FIGHTIN’ PANTS” AT A SENSIBLE PRICE” www.airsoftaction.net

TOKYO MARUI

L119A2 CUSTOM BUILD

NEXT GEN RECOIL SHOCK CONTACT US FOR DETAILS

THE L119A2 IS JUST ONE POPULAR EXAMPLE OF OUR CURRENT RECOIL MODELS, BASED ON TOKYO MARUI’S FANTASTIC SYSTEM - FITTED WITH THE ANGRY GUN RAIL SYSTEM AND REAL STEEL MAGPUL FURNITURE

THE CAGE KRYPTEK

THE CAGE:

MACRO/MICRO

CONTINUING OUR LOOK AT CAMOUFLAGE PATTERNS, BUT STEPPING OUT FROM OUR USUAL “TEAM FORMAT”, THIS MONTH IN CAGE BILL TAKES A LOOK AT HIS PERSONAL KRYPTEK JOURNEY, A FAMILY OF PATTERNS THAT FLEW HIGH AND FAST, AND THEN APPARENTLY DROPPED FROM GRACE EQUALLY AS FAST! HAS KRYPTEK GONE, OR IS IT JUST SO EFFECTIVE THAT WE CAN’T SEE IT?

ome say that airsoft gear is driven by “fashion”, and in my long experience there are some camouflage patterns that everyone raves about for some reason, and that then slowly fade into the background until their next incarnation! This “airsoft buying trend” can be driven by the fact that the pattern appears in a game, a TV series, or a big movie and then everyone want it… but then the next “big thing” comes along and said pattern falls away into virtual obscurity… I’ve seen this so many times over the years, and one of the biggest hot-burns followed by an equally impressive crash was in relation to Kyptek patterns! I was lucky enough to meet Butch Whiting, Kryptek Co-founder, a few years back and he had a lot to tell me back then; since that time I’ve been following how the patterns have developed and how the number of “tacticool” brand partners grew massively and then fell slowly away over time. It was very interesting to see just how many airsofters worldwide took up one or other of the variants, but these days it’s not as apparent out in the wild, so there must be a lot of Kryptek in storage and in wardrobes these days… Kryptek of course developed their own unique and innovative family of camouflage patterns for a whole range of end-users, and the most popular in

the airsoft community were NOMAD, HIGHLANDER, MANDRAKE, YETI, RAID, and TYPHON; this development process led to them working with some of the most cutting edge manufacturers in the world, and to an even greater range of first rate products! From the initial inspiration, and extensive testing, the Kryptek family of camouflage patterns was developed with the majority of the adjustments/ tweaks being implemented through the results of “long distance” testing. Luckily for Kryptek, they also obtained a “shelf appeal”, but that was not their primary intent; the overall effectiveness was. Kryptek was actually “down selected” after extensive testing by the U.S. Army when they competed as part of the effort to identify a new family of camouflage, and the patterns have continued to be evaluated and were at one point potentially the new camouflage for the conventional military!

HOW IT WORKS

Without going into to much detail, the Kryptek patterns really start becoming effective at around 10 metres, and maintain that effectiveness at extremely long distances when compared to competitors. This is accomplished through a combination of Macro and Micro layering using the “Distorted Hexagon (i.e.

“THIS “AIRSOFT BUYING TREND” CAN BE DRIVEN BY THE FACT THAT THE PATTERN APPEARS IN A GAME, A TV SERIES, OR A BIG MOVIE AND THEN EVERYONE WANT IT… BUT THEN THE NEXT “BIG THING” COMES ALONG AND SAID PATTERN FALLS AWAY INTO VIRTUAL OBSCURITY…”

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THE CAGE KRYPTEK

camo netting)” as the Micro pattern and fading the transitional areas of their Macro pattern, The Kryptek patterns have a 3-D effect on a 2-D surface. The individual patterns are designed for: • NOMAD: Arid/Desert environments • HIGHLANDER: Transitional environments • MANDRAKE: Woodland/Jungle environments • YETI: Arctic/Snow environments • RAID: Urban environments • TYPHON: This is really a psychological/lifestyle pattern but could also be used at night; this pattern is extremely popular because it was the tactical pattern featured in Call of Duty! Kryptek worked, and still works in some cases, with very specific brand partners for solid gear and/ or service with a leadership team that shares similar philosophies and mentalities to the guys behind Kryptek; some pretty big names were in the mix like HSGI, Grey Ghost Gear, Kifaru, Vertx, Platatac, Wild Things Tactical, Condor, OPS Tactical, Velocity Systems, Mayflower, Safariland, HSP, Tyr, EGL, Honor Point and Helikon to name a few on the kit side. They have also worked with Proof Research, Wetherby, PWS, Leupold, USNightvision, Vortex, Viking Tactics, and Invictus Alliance Group. It’s was Krypteks stated aim to maintain and bolster their focus in the Tactical and Outdoor Adventure markets, spiralling concepts and ideas from the battlefield and into the backcountry, and visa-versa. Their company mantra, “Battlefield to Backcountry” pretty much sums up who they were, and indeed still are to this day.

GETTING THE GEAR

Kryptek certainly still have it all going on, and over some considerable time I’ve managed to pick up kit from more mainstream manufacturers taking on the patterns and producing good quality and well-priced clothing and gear. My personal favourite is their “Highlander” transitional pattern as it does seem to work very well in the environments that I find on many UK urban sites, although “Mandrake” is equally at home in our woodland environment. My first port of call for Kryptek Highlander gear in the UK is always www.military1st.co.uk as they still

have a pretty comprehensive range of products in the pattern (and some of the other variants) from Helikon, Condor, and WISPORT; between these three brands they’re able to cover clothing and tactical gear pretty well. I’m a big fan of the Combat Patrol Uniform (CPU) from Helikon so choosing that for the basis of a fast and light loadout was pretty much a no-brainer. The CPU shirt is made from NyCo Ripstop (50% Cotton, 50% Nylon), and is NIR treated. It’s superbly well featured with a high mandarin collar with a velcro closure and soft fleece inside, a zipped front with Velcro flap closure and two slanted chest pockets with a velcro top closure and zip side entry. There are further upper arm pockets on either sleeve, again with a velcro flap and zip side entry, and pen/chemlight holders on each

“KRYPTEK WAS ACTUALLY “DOWN SELECTED” AFTER EXTENSIVE TESTING BY THE U.S. ARMY WHEN THEY COMPETED AS PART OF THE EFFORT TO IDENTIFY A NEW FAMILY OF CAMOUFLAGE, AND THE PATTERNS HAVE CONTINUED TO BE EVALUATED”

www.airsoftaction.net

THE CAGE KRYPTEK

upper arm pocket; there are also two forearm pockets of various sizes on each sleeve with velcro flaps so you get a lot of storage space for all those essentials you want to keep on you at all times. The back is pleated for a comfortable fit and there are pit-zips to give additional ventilation when things hot up. The matching CPU Trousers are made from the same fabric and feature ten pockets; there are two large pockets, and two small open pockets on the front, two slanted cargo pockets with velcro closures, button loop and elastic draw string with toggle, two rear pockets with button flaps, and one lower side pocket with a velcro flap on each leg. Both the seat and knees are reinforced, and there are pockets with a velcro closure on each knee for protective padding (please note the pads are not included). There are nice wide belt loops and side waist adjusters to keep everything snugly in place, and drawstrings on the bottom of the legs mean it’s easy to blouse them if you like that. Overall this is a cracking, hard-wearing and versatile set of clothing that will see you solidly through most of the year, although I did end up adding an OPS TACTICAL combat shirt for summer use. Helikon and Condor offer Tactical ballcaps in Highlander, from a lightweight mesh-backed model to one made in the same MilSpec fabric as the CPU. I chose here though to grab a cap from NOTCH GEAR; these are a little more expensive but NOTCH caps are structured, low profile, and feature an innovative insert at the left and right corner of the brim which neatly accommodates your safety glasses. Rather than the edge of the brim, which is often “rolled down” to minimise glare, forcing down on the arms of your glasses, the “notch” lets them run comfortably under the brim ensuring that you retain a safe, close fit of your eyepro. If you’re a helmet user then you can still find a cover from OPS Tactical who carry an extensive range of easy-to-fit covers for different helmet models in multiple patterns so if you want to use one helmet

with various loadouts then this is an easy option. The OPS helmet cover for FAST helmet that I have is made from official 50/50 NYCO Ripstop. It features a shaped hole for night vision mount, velcro loops in front for IR tabs / insignia, and paracord retainers for helmetcams. To go with this I wanted to keep things pretty lightweight so I chose just to run with a Recon Chest Rig from Condor initially before moving up later to another Training Mini Rig from Helikon, a design I really like (and own a couple of in different colours)! Made from 100% Cordura Nylon and weighing in at only 700g this is a brilliant design that gives enough space for what you need; it’s designed to work along with a backpack and belt kit, and offers a really effective way of carrying essentials for some fast CQB-action, or short-day skirmishes! It has PALS webbing straps around the rig for additional MOLLE attachments, multiple loop patches for patches and nametags, along with four flapped singlepistol mag and four easily accessiblefrom-the-top rifle magazine pouches. The single pistol-mag pouches include adjustable hook-and-loop openings with pull tabs and position markers, while the rifle mag pouches are equipped with quick-release bungee retainers. The whole rig is fully adjustable and adaptable to any height and chest size. It features a waist strap and is reinforced at stress points on the

“MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE IS THEIR “HIGHLANDER” TRANSITIONAL PATTERN AS IT DOES SEEM TO WORK VERY WELL IN THE ENVIRONMENTS THAT I FIND ON MANY UK URBAN SITES, ALTHOUGH “MANDRAKE” IS EQUALLY AT HOME IN OUR WOODLAND ENVIRONMENT”

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cross-back shoulder straps, both with quick release buckles and multiple loops for wiring, antennas, or hydration tubes. Also, there is one sizeable built-in utility pouch at the front equipped with two-way YKK zipper opening, multiple loops, slots and a zippered mesh pocket, and a second MOLLE detachable pouch at the bottom with a two-way zipper opening and inner loop patches for hook-and-loop inserts. This comfortable and sturdy rig from Helikon will accommodate a basic load of magazines, some additional ammunition, multi-tool, taclite and other small items which makes it an ideal choice for a lightweight loadout! Back in the day I returned to Military1st for a day pack, the Direct Action DUST pack which I love; sadly this particular pack model is no longer in stock in Kryptek Highlander, but there’s a now a whole range of excellent models from WISPORT who make some righteously rugged gear… you can choose from models from 25L like the totally awesome ZIPPERFOX right up to serious MilSim load-lugggers such as the 55L CRAFTER… I warn you, these are not cheap packs, but from the WISPORT models I’ve personally tested they are topnotch!

BUY RIGHT!

It’s really interesting when you embark upon creating a set of gear that will work together in various combinations to allow you huge amounts of versatility, and if you discover something new about how camouflage patterns work along the way then it’s doubly so; my journey with Kryptek continues to this day, and although you don’t see it as much as you used to, it’s most certainly a fabulous OPFOR pattern if that’s your particular airsoft poison! As always I’d recommend you look for gear from trustworthy manufacturers, but that doesn’t mean that a new or different brand doesn’t have exactly the piece of gear you’ve been searching for… so again as I always say, do your research well and spend your money wisely on gear that isn’t just a fad or trend… and make sure you keep enough over to pay your site fee! Having all the gear is all very well, but ultimately it’s all about playing airsoft, right? AA

“IF YOU DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW ABOUT HOW CAMOUFLAGE PATTERNS WORK ALONG THE WAY THEN IT’S DOUBLY SO; MY JOURNEY WITH KRYPTEK CONTINUES TO THIS DAY, AND ALTHOUGH YOU DON’T SEE IT AS MUCH AS YOU USED TO, IT’S MOST CERTAINLY A FABULOUS OPFOR PATTERN IF THAT’S YOUR PARTICULAR AIRSOFT POISON!” www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

IMAGE CURTESY OF KRIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

RED CELL

STILL ROCKIN’! 48

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RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

ANOTHER MONTH AND ANOTHER UPDATE FROM THE AA RED CELL TESTING TEAM HITS THE PAGE! THIS TIME THE GUYS ARE LOOKING BACK AT ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR AREAS OF THE GLOBAL AIRSOFT ARMOURY AS THEY DELVE DEEP INTO ALL THINGS MID-LENGTH AR AND UPDATE THIS CATEGORY AFTER SOME CONSIDERABLE TIME! AS ALWAYS, BILL LEADS OFF…

www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

esting is something that we take very seriously at AIRSOFT ACTION and (unlike some) our testing goes on… and on! It’s all very well looking at an AEG or GBB “as new” and telling you all how lovely and shiny a thing it is ...but WHAT COMES NEXT?

We all believe that testing should continue for longer periods so that we can really give you the lowdown on some of the models that we test initially, those models having been through extensive range and in-game use and then reported on here, or via our regular RELOADED articles. All of the models are again either in the AA ARMOURY, kindly donated to our program by the manufacturers that have complete faith that their products will stand up to our testing, or owned by individual members of the crew. As we have some real “meat” for you this time on a couple of specific models I’ll briefly say that all the models shown are now on par in terms of BB-count, and all are still working as they should. Some of the models are now “veterans” as we looked at them first way back in ISSUE 125, and apart from a couple that have been used in specific projects, all have just undergone simple, basic maintenance to keep them rockin’. As always though, we’ve continued to add new models along the way, bringing this category right up to date. Although the guys are “going deep” on a couple of models worthy of further comment this month, what I can tell you is that AEG models from ARES, BOLT, CYMA, EVOLUTION, SPECNA ARMS, G&G, DOUBLE EAGLE, EMG, KWA, ICS, VFC, HUNTSMAN, and now ROSSI have all been put through their paces and not found wanting so far! Now though, I’ll hand things over to the crew as we get properly into things! Dan: G&G have been enjoying a bit of a renaissance since releasing their revamped G2 series gearbox and releasing an all-new line of rifles sporting the upgraded design. Once the bane of many an overworked tech, G&G’s popular Combat Machine series rode an unfortunate wave of gearbox failures, with some of us collecting literal buckets of fractured shells like ill-begotten trophies as we attempted to keep rental fleets afloat. Soon after, G&G announced a new line of full metal rifles with upgraded gearboxes, dubbed the “G2”. Chief among the recipients of the new gearbox would be the TR16 series, which come in a variety of lengths, and rails, as well as the 7.62mm style format. The keen eye will undoubtedly recognize the influence Krytac’s Nautilus gearbox has had in the

“WE ALL BELIEVE THAT TESTING SHOULD CONTINUE FOR LONGER PERIODS SO THAT WE CAN REALLY GIVE YOU THE LOWDOWN ON SOME OF THE MODELS THAT WE TEST INITIALLY, THOSE MODELS HAVING BEEN THROUGH EXTENSIVE RANGE AND IN-GAME USE AND THEN REPORTED ON HERE, OR VIA OUR REGULAR RELOADED ARTICLES” 50

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design of the G&G G2. Presenting a massively reinforced shell design, with ambidextrous selectors, captive mock bolt, and a quick change spring guide, this was a major departure from the shells of ye olden days. Internally the G2 has a beautiful compression set, with a CNC air nozzle and CNC double O-ring cylinder head. The piston is an all-new design with a full metal AOE corrected rack, all of which is fitted inside G&G’s signature blue air cylinder. 8mm caged bearings support the steel gearset, which is factory short-stroked 3x teeth, and now has a completely redesigned bevel gear for more optimal meshing with the motor pinion gear. Powering the entire ensemble is the IFRIT 25K Neodymium motor, which has found a lot of favor with tech’s as an inexpensive - but quality - high torque motor. The G2 are also fitted with G&G’s ETU + MOSFET, which is a drop in replacement for the traditional mechanical trigger switch. This uses a small microswitch to register trigger pulls, and has a number of functions such as burst mode, a built-in speaker for auditory notifications, and low battery monitoring. There is also a power cutoff feature that can be activated when using G&G’s specific magazines that are equipped with the cutoff function. As good as the new G2 series are, there are naturally a few downsides. Much like Krytac, G&G somewhat needlessly adopted the shortened spur gear design, which means that fitting any aftermarket gearsets is going to require machining one or the other, depending on your capabilities. Similarly, there is a bit of material that would need to be removed from both shell halves if one is wishing to upgrade to a Gate TITAN,

Perun Hybrid or other modern ETU. I’ve seen a couple different types of piston head fitted. But often this is the old black style that is heavily ported and known to crack in a circular pattern around the ports. Presumably this is G&G cycling out “new old stock” still. Some of the later guns are coming in with the better red polycarbonate piston head that, so far, seems to be holding up well. All of the TR16 series come equipped with the new rotary hop up design, which is far and away superior to the traditional hop up chambers previously used. Depending on the model in question, you will find either the green or blue “cold weather” bucking fitted. Either of these perform quite good, but are even better when modified into a flat hop for use with R-Hop installations. They are in fact my primary choice for just this purpose as they have the best and most consistent bucking lip tension of anything else out there. Externally, the TR16’s can be distinguished by G&G’s bespoke furniture set, which consists of an adjustable stock with ample battery storage and CAA inspired motor grip. The receiver set comes with the thicker “billet” style design cues, with full-length M-LOK rails running nearly up to the muzzle threads and a set of folding KAC-style back up iron sights riding on top. The fit and finish is great, and the entire rifle feels pretty solid, owing mainly to the added weight of the G2 gearbox and thicker material used on the receivers. In practical use, the TR16’s have proven to be quite reliable in my experience. Contrary to the Combat Machine series, I have yet to see a G2 shell come in with the infamous cracks G&G was known for. The shells are robust and capable of handling higher velocities than equipped from the factory, even. Owing to the suite of parts and their overall good quality, there is honestly not much that gets changed out when upgrading these. The ETU’s have been improved over several iterations now, and I am amazed sometimes at how much abuse can be thrown at them sometimes. That being said, microswitches are still somewhat problematic on this small scale, and it’s not uncommon to have to replace the ETU’s when the switches go out. The veteran player will almost always opt to upgrade to an optical ETU at some point. As previously mentioned, the only

“SOON AFTER, G&G ANNOUNCED A NEW LINE OF FULL METAL RIFLES WITH UPGRADED GEARBOXES, DUBBED THE “G2”. CHIEF AMONG THE RECIPIENTS OF THE NEW GEARBOX WOULD BE THE TR16 SERIES, WHICH COME IN A VARIETY OF LENGTHS, AND RAILS, AS WELL AS THE 7.62MM STYLE FORMAT”

www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

ARES OCTARMS AMOEBA PRO KM13 Price: iro UK390.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 2467g Length: 845mm/925mm Magazine Capacity: 300, will accept all STANAG/AR Cold Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps Hot Chrono: 0.78 Joule/290fps Taclite Compatibility: KeyMod Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk

BOLT B4 LRP

Price: iro UK£400.00 Age: Four Years Weight: 3100g Length: 855mm/945mm Magazine Capacity: 300 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.93 Joule/318fps Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.nuprol.com

CYMA CM.097 UPGRADED VERSION Price: iro UK£165.00 Age: Four Years Weight: 2900g Length: 845mm/930 mm Magazine Capacity: 160 BBs Cold Chrono: 109 Joule/344fps Hot Chrono: 1.09 Joule/344fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

EVOLUTION GHOST L EMR CARBONTECH Price: iro UK£295.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 2,520g Length: 740mm/830mm Magazine Capacity: 120 BBs 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

SPECNA ARMS SA-E06 EDGE 2.0 Price: iro UK£223.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 2640g Length: 750mm/835mm Magazine Capacity: 2 x 125 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Hot Chrono: 1.04 Joule/335fps Taclite Compatibility: URX / RIS 22mm Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.gunfire.com

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RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

downsides to this platform come when one wants to change the gear ratio or drop in a different ETU. To do this cleanly requires a mill and/or lathe, which your average player does not have access too. You can successfully savage it with a Dremel... but I digress. Overall though, I rate the TR16’s pretty high. It’s a good choice for the player who wants something well equipped with both features and build quality out of the box. The short barreled models also make a great base for a “budget” DSG build as the G2 gearbox stands in as one of the absolute cheapest avenues of approach to doing a DSG conversion. Jimmy: ICS is one of my favourite brands and have brought out many different platforms over a short space of time each one better than the last imo. One that grabbed my interest was the limited edition CXP MARS Komodo and having spent some time with this particular model I have found very little wrong with it to be honest. Being a limited edition and now currently discontinued it may prove a tad difficult to find for sale, and looking back I can’t really recall seeing many of them in the field; that said I believe only 1000 of them were ever made. For a stock AEG it performed impeccably but I felt it would be better suited for the DMR role mainly due to its length and at just over 1 joule I felt it lacked a little. Having used it in game a couple of times I decided to ramp it up a bit in search of more performance. As the internals were already pretty damn good it didn’t require much to eke out that extra performance; a heavy spring to increase the velocity to UK power 1.88j and a different hop rubber to aid with heavier BBs. Running on a 11.1v battery and was a game changer as along with the E-Trigger system and the auto pre-cocking function, flat short stroke trigger and their new evolution motor made for a very responsive rifle. Talking of pre-cocking, ICS on many of their AEGs over the years have incorporated their own de-cocking feature which is something unseen from many other manufacturers, if in fact all other manufacturers which is a fantastic idea especially for the platforms using the auto-pre-cock. It allows you to alleviate any spring tension, maintaining the life of the spring. Through the E-Trigger it is possible to turn off the pre-cocking should you feel the need to.

Even with a heavy spring I had no concerns about the integrity of the internal components. This is all taken care of as from the factory you get aftermarket quality in the form of MasterMod parts, parts that I came to recognise as a good choice of upgrades. The full metal rack piston is tough and even after heavy use does not even show any signs of wear, and the piston head again is MasterMod and is very well finished sporting eight vents and giving a very good airseal in the cylinder. One thing I would change is the nozzle. While it is a MasterMod o-ring nozzle it is flat on the tip and I feel it would be a better design if it were a tapered nozzle which seals in the hop rubber. All of these are fitted in their signature split gearbox design which ICS have used for many years and still proves to be a great choice. From a tech point of view makes life incredibly easy to work on should you need to work on the compression parts or the lower gearbox section. Due to this split design it is very convenient should you want to swap out a spring via the quick-spring change system or even lubricate your gears without the need to strip the entire rifle. The one-piece metal hop unit with rotary dial makes for very precise settings; while it looks very basic it works very well and coupled with the right hop rubber and brass concave nub yield some fantastic results allowing you to maintain a respectable distance from your opponents. I mentioned

“TALKING OF PRE-COCKING, ICS ON MANY OF THEIR AEGS OVER THE YEARS HAVE INCORPORATED THEIR OWN DE-COCKING FEATURE WHICH IS SOMETHING UNSEEN FROM MANY OTHER MANUFACTURERS, IF IN FACT ALL OTHER MANUFACTURERS WHICH IS A FANTASTIC IDEA ESPECIALLY FOR THE PLATFORMS USING THE AUTO-PRECOCK” www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

G&G TR16 MBR 556WH (G2) Price: iro UK£330.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 2900g Length: 910mm/1000mm Magazine Capacity: 90 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.nuprol.com

DOUBLE EAGLE M904A FCS

Price: iro UK£106.00 Age: Four Years Weight: 2140g Length: 730mm/810mm Magazine Capacity: 300 BBs 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

EMG NOVESKE INFIDEL

Price: iro UK£340.00 Age: Five Years Weight: 2450g Length: 830mm/910mm Magazine Capacity: 450 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.emgarms.com

KWA T10 3.0

Price: iro UK£400.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 2950g Length: 742mm/812mm Magazine Capacity: 120 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.13 Joule/350fps Hot Chrono: 1.1 Joule/345fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Rail Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk

ICS KOMODO 3S LIMITED EDITION Price: iro UK£460.00 Age: Four Years Weight: 3160g Length: 840mm/935mm Magazine Capacity: 300 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.98 Joule/325fps Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/321fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

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RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

E-Trigger earlier and I have to say I am impressed with it; it is pretty basic compared to other brands on the market but it works there are no fancy bells or whistles or unnecessary calibration settings, and it has the ability to programme a burst mode along with a self-diagnostic system that should anything fail in the gearbox the system can give you some form of indication as to what has gone wrong. A series of blinking/flashing lights will let you know what has occurred but as long as it is green you’re good to go. Externally the ICS Komodo SSS is far more eyecatching than the standard model, sporting a fantastic grey and greenish-blue paint job which is pretty rugged and yet to show any signs of wear. With its vast M-LOK handguard there is plenty of real estate for you to adorn it with all your favourite attachments. The receiver has a top 20mm rail which spans the length but stops just on the handguard meaning any attachments on the rail sit lower than that of any optics or red dots. Ambi selectors cater for everyone, and these also incorporate the - function so every time you select safety the piston is released. Both receivers and the handguard are metal leaving the pistol grip and stock to be made of a tough fibre polymer. The stock is a 416 style stock with its overly large butt pad but this does provide ample battery storage although I think it looks much better with either a MOE or a CTR stock… again personal opinions here. So far though to date the Komodo has lived up to and withstood the abuse of airsoft; I highly recommend ICS platforms and I look forward to what else they have to offer in the future! Miguel: We all know that Specna Arms has a heavy presence in the AR range, it’s hard to go to a game and not see a few of them around. They are available in several lines, but here we are focusing on the EDGE 2.0 line, which is the brand’s high end (for now). When it comes to performance, the Specna Arms 2.0 AR series don’t disappoint. The replicas deliver consistent accuracy and impressive range, making it suitable for both close-quarters engagements and long-range shots. The included flat hop-up lets you use heavier BBs without compromising the range that much. The reinforced ORION gearbox is reliable and capable of handling various upgrades for those looking to customize their setup. The brand

recommends springs up to M140, so keep that in mind. But one of the main aspects is the pre-installed Aster electronic trigger from GATE. Which allow the player further customizations, like trigger sensitivity, ROF, and types of fire. But, being an optic trigger, the Aster can be a bit sensitive to sunlight in excess. One notable advantage of the Specna Arms 2.0 series is its compatibility with a variety of magazines. This flexibility allows players to choose from a wide range of options, ensuring that finding spare magazines is a hassle-free experience. The S-MAGS included are great, I’ve been using mine pretty much since they were released with the 1.0 series, and they are great. Jimmy: Yup, Specna Arms is now a name that all airsofters will have heard of, a brand that just keeps giving. Very recently Specna have again upped their game with a completely new control system soon to hit the market which has got me pretty excited to be honest. For now though, attention has been on the EDGE 2.0 series; many models have a 12.5 inch handguard covering a 14.5 inch inner barrel , and in general they have a monolithic 20mm rail with the full length top and bottom rail area.

“WHEN IT COMES TO PERFORMANCE, THE SPECNA ARMS 2.0 AR SERIES DON’T DISAPPOINT. THE REPLICAS DELIVER CONSISTENT ACCURACY AND IMPRESSIVE RANGE, MAKING IT SUITABLE FOR BOTH CLOSE-QUARTERS ENGAGEMENTS AND LONGRANGE SHOTS”

www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

VFC BCM MCMR

Price: iro UK£500.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 2158 g Length: 728mm/802 mm Magazine Capacity: 120 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.07Joule/341fps (after spring change) Hot Chrono: 1.35 Joule/382fps (original spring) Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.vegaforce.com

ARES X-CLASS MODEL 9 EFCS Price: iro UK£400.0 Age: Two Years Weight: 2600g Length: 690mm/770mm Magazine Capacity: 140 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.12 Joule/348fps Hot Chrono: 1.12 Joule/348fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk

SPECNA ARMS SA-E09 EDGE 2.0 Price: iro UK£215.00 Age: One Year Six Months Weight: 2640g Length: 800mm/885mm Magazine Capacity: 2 x 125 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.99Joule/328fps Hot Chrono: 0.99Joule/328fps Taclite Compatibility: KeyMod Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.specnaarms.com

HUNTSMAN HMT16 (POLYMER) Price: iro UK£190.00 Age: One Year Eight Months Weight: 2080g Length: 740mm/820mm Magazine Capacity: 300 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.05 Joule/337fps Hot Chrono: 1.07Joule/341fps Taclite Compatibility: Honeycomb/M-LOK Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk

ROSSI NEPTUNE 10.5” SAS

Price: iro UK£290.00 Age: Ten Months Weight: 2500g Length: 740mm/810mm Magazine Capacity: 2 x 120 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.0 Joule/330fps Hot Chrono: 1.05Joule/337fps Taclite Compatibility: Partial Rail (L119-style) Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.davescustomairsoft.co.uk

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RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

More recently again there is a new-design of receiver that gives a much more modern feel and has been described as ‘billet’ although I do believe it is still cast. This also sports a full length 20mm rail matching up perfectly with the rail on the handguards. With ambidextrous fire selector and mag release (we all know at least one lefty lol), included also is their new Heavy Ops Stock, and I would describe it as a modern twist on the very common CRANE-style stock, offering much needed battery storage and a rubberised check pad. One thing I can’t bring myself to like is the pistol grip. They insist on using the ‘tool free’ grip and while it does serve a purpose it is not without its flaws. I have too often encountered motors that have popped out due to the base plate coming loose on its own. I have had the same happen to me, but luckily I managed to spot it in time before any damage. It is a grip I regularly swap out for something more reliable. I haven’t yet been inside this model to any real depth but I can tell you a few things, things that haven’t really changed much and to be fair haven’t needed to be changed ‘if it isn’t broken don’t fix it’! Sticking with the blue plastic rotary hop units it is no frills but it does its job and is well made, a bit stiff to turn but you can be sure once set it’s not going to move. As standard a 6.03mm brass barrel which is actually finished quite well with a very clean polish on the inside; a brass barrel is not a bad barrel in my opinion especially if finished correctly. The heart of the beast consists of the ever popular Gate Aster, the baby brother to the Gate Titan, a programmable optical MOSFET system which allows for finite tuning making it more personal to you the user. The Aster is every bit as good as the Titan, just a bit cheaper and offers many of the same adjustable parameters. To accompany the Gate Aster is the very sleek and smooth Solar trigger which can be compared to the quantum trigger, a flat textured trigger design for speedy operation. This is nestled inside the Orion V2 gearbox which I can honestly say is a substantial shell for all the quality internals that I know Specna use. As mentioned I am yet to inspect the internals in this particular model as we do like to leave models stick for testing, but I have seen inside many, many Specnas. For anyone looking to buy a ‘pre-upgraded’

rifle the Specna Edge 2.0 range offers models I would recommend; I mean the performance for that price bracket is pretty insane, 330fps and the ability to lift a decent weight BB consistently, lightning fast trigger response, a very healthy ROF when using an 11.1v…. what’s not to like, for the money?

THE TECHS GET INTO IT!

Ben has been running the KWA T10 for a while now and this particular AEG has caused some interesting conversation among our testers overall, especially Dan and Jimmy, our resident “tech gurus”, so I thought it best to share their thoughts here in full… Ben: The KWA T10, what a lovely piece of an AEG this is, not too long or big and bulky, with that modern sleek look! It’s very comfortable in the hands and definitely one of the best electric recoil systems you will feel from a AEG platform. When these first came out there were a couple issues too which (Jimmy) has had the pleasure of battling; I’m fortunate enough to of had some of his pixie-dust fingers address some of the issues on my T10; the bearing cases had cracked and this was pretty much gun-fresh out the box, and if memory serves me right as it was a couple years back it was a bit of

“NOW WHEN THESE FIRST CAME OUT THERE WERE A COUPLE ISSUES TOO WHICH (JIMMY) HAS HAD THE PLEASURE OF BATTLING; I’M FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO OF HAD SOME OF HIS PIXIE-DUST FINGERS ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES ON MY T10…”

www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

a pig to deal with but Jimmy pursued and solved it. He fitted new bearings and shimmed the gear’s, and ever since it’s run as it should do, even standing up to me lending it to my friend who’s a full-auto trigger-happy over-kill war-lord, and has probably put more BBs through it in one game then I have in the time I’ve had it! My only issue I have now with it is the stock... I mean damn! KWA what was you thinking of.... It’s like we’ll make a slender man body but whack Bigfoot’s boot on there! Obviously this is a personal issue, but it’s only an easy stock-swap so I’ve just got to find one I like to keep the T10 looking kinky! Jimmy: To be honest the KWA range of recoil rifles never really appealed to me. The T10 was a rifle that got a big-thumbs down rather fast and this was due to a combination of reasons. Externally the quality is exquisite and they are a very solid feeling platform but it’s what is inside that fuelled my dislike and as result of this has put me off ever owning one. KWA opted to be different and I get that they wanted a design all of their own and not followed suit in just making another TM clone as many others have and are still doing. One thing that can be said is, the gearboxes are solid, but it’s the little things that matter. Things such as the tappet plate designs with its proprietary nozzle make it difficult to use anything other than KWA parts and the lack of O-ring on the nozzle allows for air to leak out. In order to use a decent O-ring nozzle requires the use of the earlier Gen 2 tappet plate in order to achieve some compression. Looking at the piston head it is an unvented version which does not really create any airseal in the cylinder and this coupled with the OEM nozzle isn’t really all that efficient; I mean it works but requires a heavy spring in order to give any decent velocity. The piston is 95% polymer and has one metal tooth on the release-end which in an AEG with a heavy spring and high torque motor is a recipe for disaster. Another problem with the piston is it is slightly larger than many aftermarket pistons and from memory the only viable option either a Cyma FMR or a modify piston, easy enough to obtain but to the untrained

eye you would never notice. The bearings used are weak and I have seen many break, even brand new o-o-t-b AEGs have fallen foul to bearings collapsing after only a few shots which doesn’t fill me with confidence. I’m yet to see any broken KWA gears so it’s not all negative here. The recoil is “MEH”, a word I seldom use but recoil in an AEG is just a pain especially from a Techs point if you have never tried removing a recoil buffer tube from an AEG you probably won’t understand, but if you have then you know the battle. Trying to unscrew a buffer tube with wires in the way and having to do it all while not damaging wires can at times be infuriating and I find myself regularly saying “I’m never working on a recoil AEG ever again!” LOL. I would like to see KWA redesigning their gearboxes to allow the use of other internal ETUs rather than being able to only use the gate Titan; it would be nice to be able to have that option if you are going to buy a T10 or any of the KWA electric recoil rifles buy them with the knowledge that you will be replacing parts. Dan: In relation to the T10 specifically and KWA internals more generally I had a long and productive discussion with Debbie and their head engineer about some product improvements when I was at SHOT. They are well aware of the issues with the roll pins on the recoil weights and have already pushed out a fix… but obviously this doesn’t take care of anything out ‘in the wild’ already. I also brought up the need for a “UK / Euro spec” rifle again, as the gun is really designed for the US market and needs a few fundamental changes to work properly with countries that have lower velocity limits without eating itself. I think I also managed to convince them of the need for a reverting back to the Gen. 2 tappets and updating the nozzle to a metal or POM O-ring design instead of the proprietary Gen. 3 setup some of the newer rifles are coming in with. There’s some other very interesting things in the pipeline too, some of which I am not allowed to speak about just yet. But, all positives on the horizon. Jimmy: Dan, nailed on the head specifically when

“I ALSO BROUGHT UP THE NEED FOR A “UK / EURO SPEC” RIFLE AGAIN, AS THE GUN IS REALLY DESIGNED FOR THE US MARKET AND NEEDS A FEW FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO WORK PROPERLY WITH COUNTRIES THAT HAVE LOWER VELOCITY LIMITS WITHOUT EATING ITSELF”

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RED CELL MID LENGTH AR UPDATE

it comes to the nozzle setup. I have done many a build which required swapping out the nozzle and trying to find the right tappet plate in the UK can be a headache. The fact they have used an off-spec piston is also a problem in itself. As good as the rifles look there is so much that need to be addressed. Dan: CYMA FMR’s are what you seek, my friend. I can’t tell you how many I’ve installed over the years, but I’ve never had one fail. AOE correct it and epoxy the rack and it’ll hold up for years. For the price of them, they really give the Angel Custom Kratos and Aztech Xtreme a run for their money - though either of those will arguably be the best you can get. It’s really among one of the most durable pistons out there. I believe the AK2M4 dude in the UK can get them still as that’s where I was buying them from during the pandemic when US suppliers were gutted. Jimmy: Dan I agree 1000% on that with the CYMA FMR pistons. Pete at AK2M4 is one of my main suppliers and, as it happens, conveniently lives just 10 minutes away from me… Cue smug face from me! AA Red Cell is supported by:

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARP9 2.0

EGC-ARP-9V2-BNB-NCM

7” M-LOK Handguard. Combat Machine Airsoft Gun. New GOS-V9 Retractable Stock. 170

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TECHNICAL AA TEAM MAINTENANCE TIPS

RUNNING SMOOTH

KEEPING YOUR AEG OR GBB RUNNING AT PEAK PERFORMANCE IS NOT AS HARD AS YOU MIGHT THINK, AND THIS MONTH THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION GET TOGETHER TO DISCUSS JUST WHAT THEY DO WHEN IT COMES TO LOOKING AFTER THEIR OWN ARMOURIES; READ ON TO FIND OUT THEIR “TIPS FROM THE TOP”!

n our regular AA LEGION updates most Fridays on the website we talk a lot about “what’s on the workbench” for the coming weekend, and although many of these updates are about custom airsoft projects that we’re working on, there’s also a lot of chat about general maintenance, and what we’re doing to keep our own AEGs and GBBs running smoothly and efficiently! As Bill has covered off THE CAGE this time we thought we’d throw open the AA LEGION chat group and find out exactly what little secrets the team have in this respect, and this is what the guys had to say! Jimmy: GBBs, be it a rifle or a pistol, require the most maintenance and a more frequent “love regime” than an AEG. A GBB is more susceptible to the elements and especially the effects of the siliconefilled gases that are so commonly used to drive them. Due to the nature of the exposed workings they can attract dirt and debris far easier than an AEG. Gaspowered platforms though are admittedly far easier to disassemble which makes cleaning much quicker over an AEG which can take some time to strip to get to the internal workings. Regular maintenance of an AEG would be a simple; barrel clean and for this I would use a 6mm soft bristled brush to remove any BB scuffs followed through with some microfibre swabs on a cleaning rod dipped in IPA or isopropyl alcohol (not India Pale Ale LOL!). Then run a couple more clean swabs through until they come out clean. Remember not to push too

far as you may damage the hop rubber. Depending on how much said AEG gets used I recommend yearly servicing which would consist of a full strip down of every component, cleaned using IPA, inspected for wear and reassembled. I use Abbey LT2 grease for gears, Bikehut Teflon grease for piston runners, and for any rubber components I use a silicone based medium oil, something like GHK or WALDO. GBBs on a regular basis will get the same barrel clean; the only difference is the hop rubber will get a clean also to remove any silicone residue from the contact area as a greasy hop rubber will not create the friction needed to give effective BB-lift. I will then

“GBBS, BE IT A RIFLE OR A PISTOL, REQUIRE THE MOST MAINTENANCE AND A MORE FREQUENT “LOVE REGIME” THAN AN AEG. A GBB IS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE ELEMENTS AND ESPECIALLY THE EFFECTS OF THE SILICONE-FILLED GASES THAT ARE SO COMMONLY USED TO DRIVE THEM” 62

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TECHNICAL AA TEAM MAINTENANCE TIPS

clean any contact surfaces using cotton buds and IPA to get in those tight areas ensuring any debris has been completely removed, then a blast of compressed air followed by very thin cover of Tech T Sav on piston heads. Any other moving part or contact surface gets an amount of Magload’s Maglube, a very good oil for GBB/Rs which was introduced to us by Tim Wyborn at iWholesales. I then put a single drop of Maglube just in the gas release valve to keep that operating freely.

After five or six outings with the pistols they will get a complete strip down and thoroughly cleaned using IPA in a homemade ultrasonic cleaner. You don’t need any real fancy kit for maintenance of airsoft equipment but using the right lubes for the correct application is paramount to ensure your tools run right. Dan: On GBB maintenance, I scrub mine out after every game. Good ol’ toothbrush, rubbing alcohol and 5.56mm-sized barrel swabs for the bore. For lubrication, I like Tech T Gun Sav for the cup seal. I use Benchmade Blue Lube for the slide rails. For the mags I maintain those with Superlube synthetic grease or Jet Lube MP silicone grease. With AEGs, I follow a basic prescription of ensuring the batteries are removed post-game and the hop up is fully dialled “off” too. Anything equipped with an ETU will still draw power, even if it’s not being operated. So by removing the battery, you can ensure it will not discharge beyond its safe operating parameters. With regard to the hop up chamber, it is good practice to relieve the hop up tension so as to prevent the bucking from forming a semi or

permanent “set”, which is where the bucking gets deformed from having constant hop up pressure applied over an extended period of time. This can result in having to apply more hop up tension than usual, or even running out of adjustment range in severe cases. Depending on the volume and intensity of shooting (and the environmental factors) I will usually give the bore a quick swab with a 5.56mm-sized patch soaked in rubbing alcohol. For indoor CQB fields, I might not worry about this so much as those are relatively ‘sterile’ environments. However, if it’s an extremely dusty field or there was a lot of rain, it will always get a swab through the bore. With my LMG’s, which are often shooting a volume of BB’s far in excess of a what your average carbine or rifle does, those will also get a good swab post-game to help prevent a buildup of BB residue. Heavy residue buildup will eventually lead to poor accuracy and can even cause BB jams as it starts to choke down the bore diameter. If you’re sighting down your bore and it looks like the interior of a sewer pipe, it’s a definite sign you need to clean it! Once yearly (usually around winter), I will pop open the gearbox, check the O-rings and compression, and clean and relube the components as necessary. I also take this time to examine for any adverse wear, adjust shimming if needed, and replace any consumable parts; namely the O-rings. My preferred lube for most things in the gearbox is synthetic Superlube, which is applied with a stiff horsehair brush, so it gets worked

“WITH AEGS, I FOLLOW A BASIC PRESCRIPTION OF ENSURING THE BATTERIES ARE REMOVED POST-GAME AND THE HOP UP IS FULLY DIALLED “OFF” TOO. ANYTHING EQUIPPED WITH AN ETU WILL STILL DRAW POWER, EVEN IF IT’S NOT BEING OPERATED” www.airsoftaction.net

TECHNICAL AA TEAM MAINTENANCE TIPS

into the teeth on the gears and other sliding surfaces. I typically only do this sort of deeper maintenance for guns that receive a lot of use. Something that maybe see’s one or two games a year will typically be fine and not require much beyond a simple wipe down and setting it away properly for storage. I am a bit of a stickler for maintaining the exterior of the gun as well and always give them a full wipe down after a game to remove dirt and grime. I like to attack things with a toothbrush, soft microfiber rag and a barrier wipe (an oil impregnated soft wipe, basically) to help prevent rust or corrosion from gaining a foothold. Nothing skeeves me out more than seeing a neglected AEG with a fine layer of dirt, mysterious sticky substances, corroded controls and a dozen grimy zipties hanging off the sling loops! Robbie: GBB and such cleaning/care, it’s identical for an AEG as well for me. After tons and tons of experimenting I found nothing worked better than to clean with 90% water 10% alcohol and a drop of dawn dish soap, especially hop buckings and barrels, but in anything gas-powered all residue has to be removed. Then the best lube for me hands down is Super Lube for air tools; on some things I found just the cleaning alone was enough and only a drop of the Super Lube air tool lube in each magazine was needed to protect seals. Stewbacca: GBB wise, silicone oil of varying viscosities for o-rings/piston seals; also petroleum jelly is apparently ideal for internal mechanical lubrication! I’ve also been using the 4UAD Smart Airsoft 4UANTUM range of lubes and sealants, but have yet to try their threadlockers... more to come on this another day! Miguel: Sometimes the guys and I do take part of a Sunday morning in the field to undertake maintenance. Most of us use AEG (no GBB, expect pistols), so we do the normal barrel and hop up cleaning. But any more than that, we leave it to our “mechanics”, the experts in the team! Chris: My three “must haves” for cleaning and maintaining any RIF; a decent cleaning rod, funnily enough I’ve recently purchased the Matrix/EMG cleaning rod set via BZ here in the UK, it’s an absolute game changer. Gone are the days of trying to carry round a long cleaning rod when this thing now just

“GBB WISE, SILICONE OIL OF VARYING VISCOSITIES FOR O-RINGS/PISTON SEALS; ALSO PETROLEUM JELLY IS APPARENTLY IDEAL FOR INTERNAL MECHANICAL LUBRICATION! I’VE ALSO BEEN USING THE 4UAD SMART AIRSOFT 4UANTUM RANGE OF LUBES AND SEALANTS” 64

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TECHNICAL AA TEAM MAINTENANCE TIPS

folds up nice and neat into its own carry box! Second is a decent lube, I use Loctite’s “Super Lube Synthetic Grease” this stuff was recommended by Explosive Enterprises in a YouTube video and its damn good at keeping GBBR’s well lubricated. A simple cleaning tool I also use, and somehow have a bag full are old socks (clean) as when cleaning down a GBBR bolt they don’t leave any fluff, and once it’s used you can just chuck them away and not feel guilty! Bill: As I’ve oft said, I am no “tech”, don’t wanna be, never will be… it’s all about the shootin’ for me! If things need a proper service then it’s off with them to Jimmy, but that said, even a self-confessed “techluddite” like me needs to perform basic cleaning and maintenance on a regular basis to keep those AEGs and GBB/Rs up to snuff! I come from a real shooting background, both military and civilian, so an after-shooting regime is hard-wired into me, and I actually enjoy it immensely… although my dear, long-suffering wife sometimes comments on the smell of gun oil emanating from by workroom! My regime is actually pretty simple, and my best friends are a small paintbrush, a toothbrush, some cotton buds, and a cleaning rod with Clenzoil saturated and dry patches. So, as Dan already noted, batteries come out, hops get taken off, mags get emptied, and if gas the mags are also vented and then topped off a little. Everything gets a good general brushing to remove dust and grit, with the toothbrush and buds getting into those hardto-reach spots or where a little more hard-cleaning

is needed. The inner barrel gets rodded (gently of course when close to the hop chamber!),first with saturated patches (again, don’t get too close to the hop chamber with these) and then dry patches until it’s gleaming. This is the same process for both GBBs and AEGs, but then the GBBs get a little more love with some Maglube and Clenzoil on the “working parts”… so, slide off or BCG out, clean and lube, and then back together! Clenzoil recently came up in a discussion with a friend as they asked me about removing rust patina from steel parts, and for me Clenzoil “Field and Range” products are the perfect solution; if you

have an AEG or a GBB that is in majority steel parts (as more and more are these days) then you need to protect against rust, especially if you put these platforms into longer-term storage. I always clean and then add a small film of Clenzoil to any steel parts when I store my “MilSim AKs” that don’t get used as often as other things to keep them gleaming! The Clenzoil products are also great if you do see any rust forming anywhere; I use their foam spray with a soft cloth if I see any patina forming and this solves the problem entirely, getting things back to look “as new” swiftly! AA

“I’VE RECENTLY PURCHASED THE MATRIX/EMG CLEANING ROD SET VIA BZ HERE IN THE UK, IT’S AN ABSOLUTE GAME CHANGER. GONE ARE THE DAYS OF TRYING TO CARRY ROUND A LONG CLEANING ROD WHEN THIS THING NOW JUST FOLDS UP NICE AND NEAT INTO ITS OWN CARRY BOX!” www.airsoftaction.net

AA LEGION UK - OP SCORPIO BRIEFING

SCORPIO RISING!

THERE’S BEEN AN AWFUL LOT OF DISCUSSION IN PLAYER COMMUNITY GROUPS ONLINE ABOUT THE UPCOMING OP SCORPIO, BUT THE EXCITEMENT AROUND THIS POTENTIALLY GAME-CHANGING AIRSOFT EVENT IN THE UK APPEARS TO HAVE GIVEN RISE TO QUESTIONS RATHER THAN ANSWERS! BILL GETS DOWN TO THE TRUTH OF THINGS AS WE HEAR THAT THE EVENT HAS NOW BEEN SCALED DOWN FOR 2024… FOR THE VERY BEST OF REASONS! 66

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AA LEGION UK - OP SCORPIO BRIEFING

irsoft Action will always be a supporter of potentially great new airsoft events that we believe are important for the player community, not only here in the UK where you’ll find AAHQ, but internationally too, and we take great pride in bringing you news and reports on superb games, events, and shows from all over the globe on a regular basis! That said, we do not run games or events ourselves for a good reason; we are a magazine and an airsoft news source, not a site operator or game-runner! Some things are best left to specialists in their specific field, and whilst many of the AA Crew have vast experience in running games, we produce a multiaward-winning magazine, and that’s what we do best. So, when the team and I learned initially about an all-new airsoft event run by a professional event company, Project Zodiac Limited, you can bet that we were interested in seeing this potential “gamechanger” (quite literally!) happen, and for the last seven months we’ve been solidly behind the team at OP SCORPIO. I, and we, believe it has the real potential to be an event that could encompass many styles of airsoft to the delight of hundreds (if not thousands in the future!) of shooters and players in a totally new and unique way! We’ve been extremely humbled to see in numerous online discussions about the event that the participation and media partnership we initially created with Craig and the event team has become somewhat of a trusted “weather-vane” for the forecast on how things are right now, and will continue to shape up in the future for you out there in the player community, and we’ve really enjoyed the personal emails and messages from you all asking for more details. In response to one such email I wrote back: “Thanks for reaching out... Yes, AA is working as Media Partner with Craig at OP SCORPIO; I believe it will work, hence getting behind the event as I also believe our community needs another solid event where we can all meet up and enjoy being airsofters together! “I agree it is currently “untested”, but Craig is running a Media/Sponsor Briefing Day on site on 17

Jan so that we can all see how things are developing, and I will create a report in the Feb Issue of AA to update everyone once I’ve had “boots on the ground” that hopefully can address all the questions and concerns. “AA will support the event, but I need to ensure we do “due diligence” to ensure that people get their monies worth! In principle though I am excited to see where OP SCORPIO goes as I do feel it could potentially be a great opportunity for the UK (and Euro) community... let’s face it, we definitely need something fresh, don’t we?” As a Media Partner it is our duty to report on the event, good, bad or indifferent! We are proud to support OP SCORPIO and further such events, and as a privileged “outsider” looking in, we need to make sure that you have ALL the information we can provide to make YOUR decision to support the event this year and in the future as we will. So, here we are in the February Issue as promised, and here is UPDATE #1 on OP SCORPIO… and it’s extremely positive, although not for the reasons we first anticipated…. OP SCORPIO HAS BEEN SCALED DOWN…

THE TRUTH OF IT

So, with that particular bombshell dropped, let’s get into the meat of things, the “WHY” and the “WHAT NEXT”! An event like OP SCORPIO that aims to bring something new and fresh to all of us in the airsoft shooter and player community does not happen overnight if it’s done right. At the 17th January Media Briefing Day, Craig brought a core group of the event partners together to look at where things stand right now, and with the majority of the physical event infrastructure already fully in place, the community it appears still has questions about the format of the event, especially when it comes down to the gameplay and the state of the site itself. Sadly I was unable to attend the day for personal reasons, but my old mates Ian from VIPER TACTICAL and Taig from KYDEX CUSTOMS were onsite and I asked them to look at some specific areas for me and report back; namely their feelings over the commitment, planning and physical site-readiness, and this is what they had to tell me:

“AA DOES NOT RUN GAMES OR EVENTS OURSELVES FOR A GOOD REASON; WE ARE A MAGAZINE AND AN AIRSOFT NEWS SOURCE, NOT A SITE OPERATOR OR GAME-RUNNER! SOME THINGS ARE BEST LEFT TO SPECIALISTS IN THEIR SPECIFIC FIELD”

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AA LEGION UK - OP SCORPIO BRIEFING

“Craig and the team are a sound bunch of people. It was the 1st time we had physically met them and although not coming from an airsoft background, they are genuine in what they want Op Scorpio to achieve in delivering a new, fresh, must-go-to annual event with a tournament section to it and bringing the airsoft community that bit closer together. “The site, away from the game zone has plenty of space for all the on-site camping, bar area, retailers, food vendors and side attractions of which there will be many. “The game site itself is around 50 acres. Originally and primarily set up for paintball, the owner/ organiser is very keen to bring in the airsoft element to the venue and understands that the two sports are not the same and the site will need to be altered accordingly. “It’s hilly and, in places, rather steep which will be a challenge in itself… It had been sold to its present owner just before the Covid lockdown periods and he has

been revamping the venue since reopening as it been left to go by its previous owner. At the moment the site isn’t currently being run as an airsoft site, this will be changing in the near future. “There are some great zoned areas with some fantastic features already in-situ, including a small concrete block built village, stream with bridge crossing points in one of the areas. “Another area (as soon as we saw it) got nicknamed “Hamburger Hill”! We can see that being an amazing area, it will take it out of you but (if you succeed) what an accomplishment it will be! “The owner wants to put in many new features and expand/ change some of the existing features, so the site is the best it can be before hosting such a high profile event. From our own experience, their plans to do all the development work is achievable, but they won’t happen overnight.

“AA WILL SUPPORT THE EVENT, BUT I NEED TO ENSURE WE DO “DUE DILIGENCE” TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE GET THEIR MONIES WORTH! IN PRINCIPLE THOUGH I AM EXCITED TO SEE WHERE OP SCORPIO GOES AS I DO FEEL IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE UK (AND EURO) COMMUNITY... LET’S FACE IT, WE DEFINITELY NEED SOMETHING FRESH, DON’T WE?” 68

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“Our current understanding is they will run a scaled-back weekend event on the same weekend in May as the proposed Op Scorpio and see how it plays out, with the view to making adjustments and develop the site more in readiness for the full-on event May next Year. “In the meantime, they want to open the site up to airsoft events and become a “known” venue in both the the local area and amongst the wider airsoft community”.

SCORPIO developing both as an “first event” and into the future, and he told me: “We are very excited! We started looking at the airsoft Industry some 20 months ago and it became apparent very quickly that this sport has a lot offer a lot of people, and connects individuals in remarkable ways. Offering for some a hobby, others a sport and for some even therapy! I have also seen how people benefit in terms of “life skills” such as communication, problem-solving and team work. We were looking for ways to promote our other projects and decided the best way to give back to the industry was with an event ...a big one! “We have a great team of event organisers working on Operation Scorpio to ensure a well- produced and managed experience. Because we approach these sort of events differently, we are able install features that will guarantee a little something

COMMS UP!

On a day to day basis I’ve been in regular, direct, open, and forthright communication with the Project Zodiac Limited Project Lead, Craig, and he’s kept me, and all the other parners, 100% up to speed on developments. From that first moment, and in order to get a firm grasp on the ethos of the event I asked Craig what his personal reasons were for initiating the project, and how he saw OP

“WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM OF EVENT ORGANISERS WORKING ON OPERATION SCORPIO TO ENSURE A WELL- PRODUCED AND MANAGED EXPERIENCE. BECAUSE WE APPROACH THESE SORT OF EVENTS DIFFERENTLY, WE ARE ABLE INSTALL FEATURES THAT WILL GUARANTEE A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, AND THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX WHEN IT COMES TO ENTERTAINMENT AND SPECIAL EFFECTS” www.airsoftaction.net

AA LEGION UK - OP SCORPIO BRIEFING

for everyone, and think outside the box when it comes to entertainment and special effects. “As for the future, well these events will be grown by the players. We aim to host an annual calendar date that gives players value for money and appeals to all. We will endeavour to provide a stage for traders, manufactures and exhibitors to showcase their goods and services, along with a great networking opportunity. All packaged into a 5 Day extravaganza with fantastic catering, entertainment and visual effects that leaves us all wow’d! “As things stand we have found gaining community trust an issue, so we have scaled right back on this first one to give players opportunity to come and see what we are made of. We are hoping that this condensed or “lite” event will give us enough traction to ensure that 2025 Operation Gemini is a sell-out. We think that this is the best way forward and want to make sure that we do things right.

“I have to be honest, as event organisers we have relied heavily on feedback from sponsors, supporters and players from the industry and we couldn’t do it without them. The support has been phenomenal and let’s face it, these guys know airsoft. By combining our event abilities with their vision of what an airsoft event should be, we know we have the ingredients to make something truly special. “The important thing is to ensure that guests feel well looked after, entertained and that they have had good value for money. After Operation Scorpio we will be leaving behind a new premium woodland venue in the south west open to players and other event organisers which will be managed by Mark, the site owner.” So, what can we expect of the site itself as it is completely new and fresh for airsoft? I threw this question at Mark who has been busy developing the physical infrastructure and he told me: “It’s been hard work converting a one acre paintball field into a 50 acre playable airsoft venue. When we were approached by Craig and Project Zodiac, we thought this was ambitious. But there has never been more need for a community focus point in airsoft and it was the catalyst for our partnership. Over the last year or so we have been working on the site and will be putting the final touches to our Game Zones in the coming months, all based on the feedback from the sponsors and players, so you know it’s going to be both a great site and a challenge. We are looking forward to testing these zones as we complete them with some sponsor challenges in March & April but shh, I think that’s still a secret. “After Operation Scorpio we will be opening Airsoft Raiders to the public as another premium site option in the south west. We feel that privately owned sites are vital at the moment as although MOD sites are fantastic, they are not always accessible. We have developed this site to be used by others as well, but we want to support Craig’s vision of building the airsoft community and would love to see other event organisers run their games here. It’s a beautiful place and open to all. Project Zodiac are helping us turn our vision in to a reality.” And with OP SCORPIO being “scaled down” for 2024, what does this actually mean? Craig told me

“AFTER OPERATION SCORPIO WE WILL BE OPENING AIRSOFT RAIDERS TO THE PUBLIC AS ANOTHER PREMIUM SITE OPTION IN THE SOUTH WEST... WE WANT TO SUPPORT CRAIGS VISION OF BUILDING THE AIRSOFT COMMUNITY AND WOULD LOVE TO SEE OTHER EVENT ORGANISERS RUN THEIR GAMES HERE. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND OPEN TO ALL. PROJECT ZODIAC ARE HELPING US TURN OUR VISION IN TO A REALITY” 70

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numbers of people and our supporters know airsoft, as things develop we will expand. “Media Day was an important turning point for us, and with a combined airsoft experience of over 100 years from our guests, we knew we had a lot to absorb. We all agree that this is the best way forward and a chance for the community get a taster, before we go all out in 2025 for Operation Gemini.”

WHAT NEXT?

that... “We have reduced our expectations on numbers for a start; the engagement with the community suggests this first event may not be massive. We have taken out the tournament as this appears to be the most distrusted area. It’s a shame, we’d catered for 100 teams but could still have achieved our goals with just 50. I can’t wait until Gemini in 2025 and we get to give away such a large prize. It’s life-changing and perfectly achievable as long as event organisers we are prepared to give back. I know cheating was another concern and we wouldn’t attempt such a large prize if this were not watertight. We will have some of the challenges running to give an onsite with some cash prizes over the weekend. “Other areas that may be reduced will be the attractions such as the climbing walls and caving. These all cost a fortune. We will do what we can with what we have. Rather than a “if you build it, they will come” approach we are adopting an “if you come, we will build it” philosophy. We are keen to hear what people would like to see at these events, and I’m doing all I can to make sure there are dinosaurs! “It is a shame but it is important we get this right; we’d rather grow our events organically, with and for the community rather than rush ahead and get things wrong. We know how to accommodate large

I hope that this will give anyone who is thinking about attending OP SCORPIO in May this year the little push needed to get you signed up! At this stage, while sensibly scaled-back from the original “vision” it lets you get on board with a totally new site, and a totally new and fresh event format that I for one hope will grow into something very special in the future! I believe that the incredibly hard decision taken by Craig and the team is the correct one; I want to see an airsoft event that unlike so many actually lives up to both expectations and its potential, and by winding things back slightly at this point it sets the stage for an event that in years to come becomes something AMAZING! Truthfulness and openness go a LONG way with me, and the honesty and integrity shown by Project Zodiac Limited now fills me with great respect in relation to their comments towards working WITH our wonderful airsoft community. So if you are in/around the Gloucester area, keep your eye open for game dates, get down there and give them your honest feedback to help them develop the site to its full potential, and support OP SCORPIO! Airsoft Action and all the other industry partners are certainly 100% behind Craig and the team at Project Zodiac Limited to get this event rolling, and we look forward to seeing many of you there as a new era of airsoft events is born! PLEASE NOTE THAT GRAPHICS SHOWN ARE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY CHANGE FOR THE EVENT ITSELF. AA

“TRUTHFULNESS AND OPENNESS GO A LONG WAY WITH ME, AND THE HONESTY AND INTEGRITY SHOWN BY PROJECT ZODIAC LIMITED NOW FILLS ME WITH GREAT RESPECT IN RELATION TO THEIR COMMENTS TOWARDS WORKING WITH OUR WONDERFUL AIRSOFT COMMUNITY... SUPPORT OP SCORPIO!”

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AA LEGION PORTUGAL

OP BACK TO BACK

AIRSOFT IS OFTEN A “DRIVER FOR GOOD” WHEN IT COMES TO SUPPORTING MILITARY CHARITIES, BUT SOMETIMES THINGS COME A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME AND ARE A BIT MORE PERSONAL. THIS MONTH MIGUEL LANDS HIS REPORT ON A GAME THAT TOOK PLACE IN PORTUGAL WHERE THE AIRSOFT COMMUNITY THERE CAME TOGETHER FOR A VERY SPECIAL REASON; THEY CERTAINLY HAD FUN PLAYING AIRSOFT, BUT THEY HELPED ONE SPECIAL YOUNG LADY WHILST DOING SO, AND MIGUEL TELLS US MORE…

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nfortunately, we live in a time when it’s not hard to find someone in need of help, and sometimes these situations are quite close to us. And this is what happened; one of my teammates approached me with the idea of organizing a charity event with the intent to help a family that he knows. Carolina was born with cerebral paralysis, and

with little government support, any help is welcome, and with the current economic and financial crisis, even more so. With that in mind, we got to work, creating a game module, inviting teams, sharing the event to the community and of course, getting in touch with our partners, Specna Arms and Viper Tactical! And after a couple of meetings, with some adult

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AA LEGION PORTUGAL

beverages to help along the way, we finished our game module, and with that “Op Back to Back” was born, so now it was time to hit the field and prepare what was needed! It’s important to mention though that we held a small game session the week before, to check out the areas of the field where the major objectives were going to take place. Always test before play people!

messing around with other players, showing their new gear, trying out their replicas; I went from car to car, to welcome them and talk to each a bit, and of course, those that I’ve known for years took more time, time which was freely and happily given. Everything was going well and on time, but if you also organize games, don’t forget, it’s important to remind the players of the time left until the briefing, or they will lose track…

BRIEF… GAME ON!

With everything ready, it was time to see the player slots being filled, receive the goodies to give away and hammer out any detail that appeared along the way. We even held an online meeting with the team members that were unable to be present while we created the game; it’s important to have everyone on the same page. A week before the game, the slots were pretty much gone, so it was all looking good. It was great to be contacted by teams further away in Portugal, who were unable to be present, but wanted to help anyway, it’s good to see the community getting together to help. The day of the game arrived, and we hit the field early on to prepare objectives, check-in, the parking spaces, re-spawns and any other important aspects for the game. Soon the players started arriving and parking, and of course it was great to see so many known faces from our many years of airsoft. Players

At 0845, it was time for the briefing, and this time the game opposed “two mercenary forces”, the Brotherhood of Ash as the red team, and the Lone Sparrow as the Blue Team, fighting to complete several tasks in the area for their client. Before the game day, I had created a couple of WhatsApp groups, where I shared the main rules of the game and the links to the Ares Alpha App for each faction, because during a briefing people can be distracted, and some important points might be forgotten. At 0900 both teams headed to their HQ, and at 0930 the game started. The game was divided in four different stages, each with one main and secondary question. The main mission was always the same, but in different locations. The teams had to find and dominate a device for 10 minutes, simulating a search, and after those 10 minutes they would get a coordinate to find an item that had to be taken to their HQ. When the game started, BLUFOR moved really fast, they dominated the area of the device fast and another splinter group moved toward the secondary mission. In the first stage, the secondary mission was to find and rescue a pilot that was signalled by a flare; BLUFOR was again really fast and got into location before REDFOR was even close. Meanwhile, in the main mission, BLUFOR completed the 10 minutes,

“ONE OF MY TEAMMATES APPROACHED ME WITH THE IDEA OF ORGANIZING A CHARITY EVENT WITH THE INTENT TO HELP A FAMILY THAT HE KNOWS. CAROLINA WAS BORN WITH CEREBRAL PARALYSIS, AND WITH LITTLE GOVERNMENT SUPPORT, ANY HELP IS WELCOME, AND WITH THE CURRENT ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRISIS, EVEN MORE SO”

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got the coordinate to the objective and moved onwards. Only after leaving the area was REDFOR able to find the device and started their 10 minutes (both factions could complete the main mission, but only the first one would get the full score). At this point, REDFOR was falling behind, because even after getting the coordinate of the objective, they made almost no effort to move and complete the objective. Meanwhile, the second stage started, and the main objective was available again, but as mentioned before, in a different location. The secondary mission also launched, and this time the teams had to find three crates of “special ammo” spread around the field. BLUFOR already had a few members close to the main objective and moved to dominate the device again, but they were stopped by the tripwire traps that were place around the objective and during these

few minutes some members of REDFOR appeared and turned the situation around; they got the coordinates after completing the 10 minutes and

moved toward their goal, In the meantime, they also got two out of the threeboxes for the secondary mission, so the game was quite balanced at the time. BLUFOR also got the coordinates after completing their 10m and moved out just behind their opponent. Both factions completed the second main objective before the third stage began, and the score was almost a tie at that moment, but RDFOR now had a little advantage.

STAGE 3… DOMINATION!

The third stage arrived, and it was here that REDFOR dominated completely; once again the main objective appeared in a different location, and the secondary mission (sniper rescue) was also available, which is

“WHEN THE GAME STARTED, BLUFOR MOVED REALLY FAST, THEY DOMINATED THE AREA OF THE DEVICE FAST AND ANOTHER SPLINTER GROUP MOVED TOWARD THE SECONDARY MISSION. IN THE FIRST STAGE, THE SECONDARY MISSION WAS TO FIND AND RESCUE A PILOT THAT WAS SIGNALLED BY A FLARE”

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AA LEGION PORTUGAL

“THE THIRD STAGE ARRIVED, AND IT WAS HERE THAT REDFOR DOMINATED COMPLETELY; ONCE AGAIN THE MAIN OBJECTIVE APPEARED IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION, AND THE SECONDARY MISSION (SNIPER RESCUE) WAS ALSO AVAILABLE, WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT IT WAS AN OBJECTIVE CLOSER TO THE BLUFOR HQ”

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important to mention that it was an objective closer to the BLUFOR HQ. For some reason, the BLUFOR were really slow on their feet and let the reds control the device from the main objective with little to no resistance, and during the mandatory 10m almost no attempt was made to get the control from the enemy. And so, with ease, REDFOR got the coordinate after completing the 10m, but before leaving the area, they sent a small group to rescue the sniper, which was really close to many blue team members, but completely ignored. They were able to find the sniper and extract, right under the nose of BLUFOR, and with this, got really ahead in terms of score. BLUFOR did end up also completing their 10m, but with no chance of catching up to their enemy now. The fourth and last stage was quite different; our idea here was to give the players a bit more direct fun. In the stage, the team that held the highest score would defend the building complex where the “client” lived, while the other team tried to get their honour back, and get the “bank transfer codes” from a case in the possession of the client. But… this was a pistols and shotguns only scenario with limited spawn and a time limit (which was the end of the

game itself). It was fun to see the players rushing in, with only their secondary replicas, trying to control the complex, while the other group defended it. Some players who didn’t have a secondary even waited for their team members to run out of spawns to use theirs. But, in the end, REDFOR successfully defended the client, and with that, Op. Back To Back came to a finish. Of course, the event itself still had the giveaway part, a great moment with players still trading fun and not so fun moments from the game. Once again, we had the support from good people at Viper Tactical and Specna Arms, who sent us a lot of goodies to raffle among those present. Our many thanks to these brands who never disappoint! In the end, we were able to gather close to €500 to help Carolina’s family, who were really thankful for this surprise donation. Airsoft is fun, but as both a player community and individuals we can always do a small something to help those less fortunate; while enjoying our game we also all did something good for someone in our wider community. It’s doesn’t take much, but it means more than just the money to the persons receiving it, and for this it was our airsoft community’s pleasure and honour to help. AA

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AA LEGION TAIWAN

SINCE MOVING TO TAIWAN BACK AT THE TAIL-END OF 2017, STEWBACCA’S ALREADY SEEN A LOT OF CHANGE IN THE SHOOTING SCENE AS WELL AS THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE, BOTH IN TERMS OF VARYING LEVELS OF PUBLIC OR GOVERNMENT OPINION AND ACCEPTANCE OF OUR HOBBY AND HIS VARIOUS TEAM’S ACTIVITIES ON-ISLAND AND IN THE PUBLIC SPACE. FOR ONCE THINGS MIGHT BE LOOKING UP A BIT, AS HE TELLS US ALL ABOUT A BRAND-NEW AIRSOFT BATTLESPACE THAT LOOKS 100%, POSITIVELY GOOD TO GO!

BACK TO PEWNIVERSITY! 82

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hen I first made landfall in Taiwan over half a decade ago I spent my first two years based in Taiwan’s “Silicon Valley”, the tech hub that is Zhubei, where the semiconductor giants and other tech top end businesses are based. However, aside from the local KUI gun shop that became my regular haunt and its groups of players I would occasionally tag along with to outdoor sites in the area, I spent most of my weekends (and a lot of my income) taking the high-speed rail half an hour or

so North to Taipei, usually hitting the end of the line in Nangang at the east end of Taipei and transferring straight to the MRT that would take me to Action Bunker (the multilevel underground indoor arena I cut my teeth at all those years ago). I played around 80 games there in total over the years, even helping out working in my free time to do DIY refitting of things; building gun racks, the firing range cubicles and other odd jobs in exchange for free play and some money towards new guns!

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AA LEGION TAIWAN

Sadly, as one of only two pay-to-play indoor arenas in the area it managed to just about survive COVID but eventually had to close a year or two ago due to building issues; now only Taiwan CQB Club remains in Linkou near where my day job is. However, a lot of the time Team Taiji who I joined a few years back (and likely the largest team in the country) largely play outdoors assuming the weather isn’t set to “tropical storm”, but the nature of Taiwanese airsoft is very “fast and loose” or, as I’ve said elsewhere, it’s “the wild west, out east”! We largely play for free at unofficial sites where we negotiate permission to play from the landowners, or otherwise use public land outside of the mainstream civilian populous view, for the most part without issues or any negative outcomes as the people here are pretty chill about any such things, and as long as you aren’t making problems for them or others, or walking around urban environments brandishing weapons (or replicas thereof!) they just leave you be to get on with it. This is especially true with the recent increase in militarised-style training in the somewhat public eye that has happened since the Ukraine situation, and many here are thinking more about civil defence preparedness with regard to “them’ns” across the strait. Over the last few years we’ve seen a few of our regular haunts permanently closed or been otherwise notified that they’re strictly off limits to us and we’ll face serious legal repercussions if we’re caught playing there; a lot of them are in the Taoyuan area surrounding the main airport, which is being extended so a lot of the condemned or disused buildings or areas we played at are boarded

up for a quarter-mile radius around its existing boundaries ready for steamrolling and redevelopment to accommodate a new runway it seems. The ground has been shrinking under our feet here somewhat, along with worsening public opinion thanks to real gun crime and the media misconstruing our toys as part of that problem…doesn’t that sound familiar, fellow players? Whilst the midlands like Taichung and its surroundings (and likewise Southern Kaohsiung) have more organised indoor and outdoor pay to play sites, and we do occasionally venture to the midlands to play, as with my experiences of playing in Spain the climate here means we only tend to play the mornings and break around lunch or shortly after due to the intensifying heat. It’s a bit of a trek to go so far south for a few hour’s play and it means co-ordinating everyone and having people set off earlier and leave later, some with wives, girlfriends or families who are less understanding in many cases if it’s a whole day away!

CLOSER TO HOME, AND… OH MY!

Thankfully we recently became aware of a newlyopened site a little over an hour away from Taipei, which is not much more of a travel-time radius than all our other playing sites here. However, this one comes with the advantage of being not only

“THANKFULLY WE RECENTLY BECAME AWARE OF A NEWLY-OPENED SITE A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR AWAY FROM TAIPEI, WHICH IS NOT MUCH MORE OF A TRAVEL-TIME RADIUS THAN ALL OUR OTHER PLAYING SITES HERE. HOWEVER, THIS ONE COMES WITH THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING NOT ONLY AWESOME, BUT IS OPERATED BY AN OFFICIAL BODY WITH PERMISSION OF THE LANDOWNERS AND AUTHORITIES” 84

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awesome, but is operated by an official body with permission of the landowners and authorities, so we shouldn’t be getting booted off by the 5-0 here as has happened occasionally before. It’s also pretty epic because it’s an entire abandoned university campus! Towards the end of January we made our first trip down with only around fifteen of us attending, along with some friends from the East coast and the organisers padding out the OpFor and our team. We arrived on site at the former university on the border of Miaoli and Hsinchu counties, now home to the “Tianquan Tactical Training Center and RoC National Defense Association”, our hosts for the

the upper levels of this horseshoe- shape of buildings are still not accessible at present due to the mountains of furniture piled up to block their stairwells from adventurous urban explorers or the like! I’m not sure if they will eventually clear them away and open the upper levels up too, but for the first few games we were more than content racing around the ground floors both undercover and out in the open with a slight drizzle prevailing throughout the day. Everyone was in their element and having a great time doing the fire and manoeuvre drills we’ve practised extensively as a team over the last few years which has made us fairly formidable in general, but especially at MilSims where we maintain a decent squad and command structure along with radio comms and coordination. Luckily this site gives us a lot more breathing room and running space to make those drills last a lot longer or cover more ground in a realistic fashion with better spacing and making use of the genuine cover or concealment provided by the numerous columns, doorways and other leftover obstacles of the former higher learning establishment. We were certainly all getting “back to school” ourselves in that respect.

day, some of whom are already familiar faces from both the local airsoft scene and the Taiwanese team from the G&G CQB World Cup. Having been settled in for a few weeks prior to our visit, they’d already busied themselves setting up various VTAC barricades and targets in old classrooms or laboratories that constitute the lower-lying outbuildings and the Safezone where we could conveniently reverse our vehicles right up to the building and unload into our home for the day… an old food standards science lab with conveniently large worksurfaces to unpack and dump all our gun bags and gear onto, but even just having a staging area protected from the outside elements was a nice change. After testing and confirming zero of all our guns and donning our full battle-rattle we were lead on a brief familiarisation exercise of the ground floor areas to the North we were allowed to use; unfortunately

OUTLIERS FTW!

After the first two rounds of around thirty minutes apiece with a quick re-arm and debrief followed by switching ends and playing a similar scenario, we were given a bit of a lunch break to reload, rearm, take on fluids; we were all surprisingly warm after getting some longer movements in wearing all the gear and weight! Then we were told to prepare a grab-bag of ammunition, gas and anything else we would need for the afternoon… as we were going for a bit of a walk and wouldn’t return to the Safezone until Endex! We were lead up the hill to the large multi-storey building we’d passed on the way in that dominates the skyline and gives a commanding view of the campus… More flights of stairs than I (or my old man knees) cared to count later; we snaked our way through the various open lower concourses and found ourselves

“WE ARRIVED ON SITE AT THE FORMER UNIVERSITY ON THE BORDER OF MIAOLI AND HSINCHU COUNTIES, NOW HOME TO THE “TIANQUAN TACTICAL TRAINING CENTER AND ROC NATIONAL DEFENSE ASSOCIATION”, OUR HOSTS FOR THE DAY, SOME OF WHOM ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR FACES FROM BOTH THE LOCAL AIRSOFT SCENE AND THE TAIWANESE TEAM FROM THE G&G CQB WORLD CUP” www.airsoftaction.net

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on the seventh floor in among abandoned classrooms and stripped out lecture theatres, being told we had the run of the top three levels, so we had the 6th, 7th and 8th floors to make use of, along with three different stairwells to allow for myriad strategies or attack and defence patterns to test our mettle with each other. This is where the fun really began! Normally we don’t have anywhere to really practise moving and covering or assaulting stairs as the other Yangmei site is a bit of a death-trap with open stairwells that have no handrails left, and are littered with a lot of loose masonry, so we can’t really go charging around them for fear of serious falls or injuries. The remaining two rounds of the day were a tour de force of force on force attack and defence between the two teams, with a medic rule implemented that saw us counting to ten with a hand on a casualty from our own team to revive them, or getting hands on an OpFor casualty to put them out of the game permanently This setup worked excellently, and again due to the largely linear nature of a lot of our game sites it’s not something we can usually effectively implement; suffice to say there was a lot more urgency in our movement and we were all covering the angles and watching out for each other getting

taken out! The last round saw me pinning a lot of OpFor down on a top corner overlooking a wide central staircase with a large surrounding opening and railings somewhat reminiscent of the prison sites I’ve seen others play at overseas. I ended up getting taken out three or four times in the course of that action and thankfully my teammate Jimmy was covering the rear stairwell behind me and was able to play Florence Nightingale for me throughout, while also giving the attackers some stick from his vantage point in between. I managed to burn through all four magazines for my RATech Noveske N4 GBBR which was making an awesome clattering noise all day, throwing BBs out laser-straight and echoing off the walls in an exciting fashion; I lost count of how many eliminations I managed to get

“EVERYONE WAS IN THEIR ELEMENT AND HAVING A GREAT TIME DOING THE FIRE AND MANOEUVRE DRILLS WE’VE PRACTISED EXTENSIVELY AS A TEAM OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS WHICH HAS MADE US FAIRLY FORMIDABLE IN GENERAL, BUT ESPECIALLY AT MILSIMS”

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with it during the day, but the footage from my newly acquired Insta360 Pro headcam turned out great and I’ve already put videos of all four rounds of gameplay up on my Youtube and public Stewbacca Island Insider facebook page. The general intensity of the game play and the movement and communication of the team and the other elements in our OpFor made for a great day’s gameplay and a lot of lessons learned along with wide

grins and excited ideas of what we can do in future when we manage to bring more of the team along in force, or perhaps organise to play against other trusted teams in the area. Our team founder spent most of the day out of play and in talks with the organisers as well as having a more thorough walk around and briefing of the grounds and facilities available. Along with us no doubt making this a regular playing venue on an at least monthly basis given our positive experiences and the fact it gives a great alternative for foul weather weekends that would otherwise force us to go to Linkou CQB, we are already considering the possibilities for urban gameplay MilSim events and the fact we can just camp out in the buildings without the need for lugging tents down and setting them or other camp facilities up. Suffice to say we’re all brimming with excitement at the prospects the site holds both in terms of skirmishing and training events, so lots to look forward to in the near future fellow shooters… and more reports to follow as things move on again! AA

“THE GENERAL INTENSITY OF THE GAME PLAY AND THE MOVEMENT AND COMMUNICATION OF THE TEAM AND THE OTHER ELEMENTS IN OUR OPFOR MADE FOR A GREAT DAY’S GAMEPLAY AND A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED ALONG WITH WIDE GRINS AND EXCITED IDEAS OF WHAT WE CAN DO IN FUTURE”

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AA LEGION EVENT REPORT – SHOT 2024

VIVA LAS VEGAS! 90

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SHOT SHOW IN LAS VEGAS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVENTS IN THE CALENDAR FOR SHOOTERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, WHERE INDUSTRY, TRADE, MEDIA AND “CELEBS” GATHER TO CELEBRATE ALL THINGS “FIREARM” AND SEE WHAT’S NEW FOR THE COMING YEAR! INCREASINGLY AIRSOFT IS A PART OF THIS MAGNIFICENT GATHERING, AND AS ALWAYS AN AIRSOFT ACTION TEAM WERE THERE TO CHECK IT ALL OUT AND BE PART OF THE CELEBRATION!

ill told me last Year... “It’s a marathon, not a sprint!” and boy, this year was more intense than last! 2024 would also see the largest Airsoft Action team so far making the long haul to Las Vegas as we were joined by our “rookie” Steve. The long trip to “SHOT” started in Yorkshire where myself and Steve hail from; our first leg of the trip was to travel 135 miles down to meet up with Li’l Stu before we all boarded the train to Heathrow, another 110 miles away. Finally making it to Heathrow some five hours after we’d set off, we checked in and then a three hour wait to board the plane to fly some 5,082 miles to Las Vegas, and to SHOT SHOW 2024! Ten hours after take-off we landed at McCarran Airport, now known as Harry Reid International. We had a smooth trip through US Border Control and then headed out to our hotel. With an eight hour time difference we decided to get some snacks and an adult beverage before hitting the sack. The first day for us, but Shot Show -3 in reality, started with the three of us having a quite slow and steady day, introducing Steve to the routes and places we’d be going to during the week; whilst Steve has been to Vegas before, he’d not been to the Venetian Center, home of SHOT. We also had a short walk around looking at the rooms and halls which were in the process of being set up and readied for the show, and then after an early dinner we decided to turn in and try to catch up on sleep. Day 2 for us, Shot Show -2! We met up with our friend and Las Vegas-resident Shaun and

headed out to a local range with him, Discount Firearms, for some real-steel fun. We started out with just a basic package of a handgun and rifle; Stu chose the Glock 17 Gen 5 and an AR, Steve and myself chose the Glock 17 Gen 5 and H&K MP5. We grabbed a couple of extra mags for each and went

“WE MET UP WITH OUR FRIEND AND LAS VEGAS-RESIDENT SHAUN AND HEADED OUT TO A LOCAL RANGE WITH HIM, DISCOUNT FIREARMS, FOR SOME REAL-STEEL FUN. WE STARTED OUT WITH JUST A BASIC PACKAGE OF A HANDGUN AND RIFLE; STU CHOSE THE GLOCK 17 GEN 5 AND AN AR, STEVE AND MYSELF CHOSE THE GLOCK 17 GEN 5 AND H&K MP5” www.airsoftaction.net

AA LEGION EVENT REPORT – SHOT 2024

decided to have another package each, this time we all chose the 1911 for the handgun and for the rifle Li’l Stu had really wanted to use the AUG but it was “offline” so he plumped for the P90. Steve and myself decided to go for the big boy .50 cal Barrett Light 50. The 1911 was a great deal of fun but the grin on Li’l Stu’s face when he started with the P90 was evident. Then with the RO’s call of “FIFTY COMING OUT!!!” we made sure our ear protection was firmly in place and he loaded it up with one round at a time. The muzzle blast from that thing was almost like a punch in the nose for the firer, but for others around the range the blast must have been more powerful. Both myself and Steve fired 5 rounds each and left the range with big “daft” smiles on our faces. Once we’d left the range we went out for lunch at the local In-N-Out Burger Shop. This was much nicer than a McDonalds and around the same price. From there it was back to the hotel and await the arrival of old friends Bingo and John before we all headed over to the Venetian Center to collect our Media credentials. With early evening came the arrival of our friend Trampas, the owner of Armed Lifestyle Magazine, and the now traditional family dinner. into the range. The handguns were great fun, but then when we went to the rifles; we started off on semi-auto for a couple of mags, then we finished out the last two mags, the first being short bursts before letting the last mag go on full-auto! After the first stint, we decided to go back into the shop and peruse all the goods on offer, the majority of which would be highly restricted here in the UK. After a break we

“THE MUZZLE BLAST FROM THAT THING WAS ALMOST LIKE A PUNCH IN THE NOSE FOR THE FIRER, BUT FOR OTHERS AROUND THE RANGE THE BLAST MUST HAVE BEEN MORE POWERFUL. BOTH MYSELF AND STEVE FIRED 5 ROUNDS EACH AND LEFT THE RANGE WITH BIG “DAFT” SMILES ON OUR FACES.”

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GETTING REAL

Day 3, Shot Show - 1; this was an early start with no chance for breakfast as we had to be over at the Venetian Center to board the buses to head out to Industry Day at The Range. This is where the members of the media and industry buyers visit the Boulder City Rifle and Pistol Club to test fire a wide range of firearms from a large number of manufacturers. “Range Day”, for us Brits, is the opportunity to fire everything from a .22 LR pistol right up to a .50 Cal Barrett bolt action. The best bit is that it’s totally free. Industry Day is not just firearms, but also a chance for some accessories and kit stands to show their wares too. My stand out firearms were the pump-action .223 rifle from Bilson Arms and the range of pistols from Walther, which, at the invitation of the guys on the stand, allowed us 2-3 times more ammo than the usual 5 rounds per person. From Steve’s perspective, having the opportunity to shoot a .338 Lapua, via an Accuracy International AXMC out to 1084 yards, and a 6.5 PRC via an HTI XPR out to 1km was a big highlight – cue silly stupid grin again. At the opposite end of the spectrum the Armscor BBR 3.10, in .45 ACP, was equally impressive. For such a small pistol shooting such a large round, it was surprisingly comfortable and accurate to shoot. The three ports in the barrel really do make this pistol surprisingly good! Day 4… SHOT SHOW DAY 1… and GO! Well here it is, after a couple of days of testing

firearms and a couple of meetings the opening day of Shot Show had arrived! We joined our fellow media members in the media room for a light breakfast and coffee, where we discussed the plan for the day. From there we moved down to the lobby where we had a short wait before

““RANGE DAY”, FOR US BRITS, IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIRE EVERYTHING FROM A .22 LR PISTOL RIGHT UP TO A .50 CAL BARRETT BOLT ACTION. THE BEST BIT IS THAT IT’S TOTALLY FREE. INDUSTRY DAY IS NOT JUST FIREARMS, BUT ALSO A CHANCE FOR SOME ACCESSORIES AND KIT STANDS TO SHOW THEIR WARES TOO.”

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the doors opened at 0830. Myself and Lil Stu headed straight for the Lancer Tactical stand where we met up with our fellow AA Legion Associate Laylax

Marck and he showed us the new Laylax electric speedloader. After a good half an hour discussing products with Marck and his colleagues, we then moved down to meet Eduardo at the ASG stand. We chatted about existing products and then he showed us the new Hera Arms Chassis KC-01 which Eduardo told me was having its debut at Shot Show and will be followed by the European debut at IWA. Having encountered several unexpected flight delays, our remaining crewmember Dan finally landed at the show to meet up with us nearby the Vaultek booth. Whilst we were waiting for Steve to join us on the floor we had a walk around a few other stands showcasing accessories that could also be used on airsoft replicas. Once Steve joined us we had a walk down to the Tacticon stand where we met Mani, from Leeds (UK) but now from Cordova, CA and he showed us a number of MOLLE products which we will be featuring in coming issues of Airsoft Action. In his first year at Shot Show, Steve told me... “Despite having been around firearms and shooting multiple disciplines over 30 years, I’m very new to the world of airsoft. I’ve received a very warm welcome from both the Airsoft Action and Swanson Media Group teams, despite me asking what I am sure are the silly questions to the experienced airsofters. “After Day one of the show, I have to say that I was blown away with just how popular airsoft is here in the good ol’ US of A and clearly around the world. Being from a firearms background and used to working within tight UK regulations I expected that there would be little market space in a country where laws are far more permissive.”

MOVING FORWARD, TAKING GROUND

Day 5, Show Day 2! After yesterday’s long walk round, today was a little more focused on the stands we wanted to revisit after the “recce day”, as we call it. Our first meeting was with Charlie and Patryk from Specna Arms who showcased some of the new and innovative products from their range. Amongst many of the exciting developments were an all-new L96 bolt-

“WE MOVED DOWN TO THE LOBBY WHERE WE HAD A SHORT WAIT BEFORE THE DOORS OPENED AT 0830. MYSELF AND LIL STU HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE LANCER TACTICAL STAND WHERE WE MET UP WITH OUR FELLOW AA LEGION ASSOCIATE LAYLAX MARCK AND HE SHOWED US THE NEW LAYLAX ELECTRIC SPEEDLOADER”

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action platform, several new AK pattern AEG’s, and a sneak peek at Specna’s upcoming Bluetooth ETU and brushless motor which will be fitted as standard on an upcoming new release later on. We then walked

are being released soon. After seeing the muchanticipated MAWL in 3D prototype form last year, this year there was a fully working production model for the Japanese market,with the European and US variant coming soon. Of other note Dan spied an interesting 240 BB prototype midcap in “Fakelite” coming for the AK lovers tucked away on the display wall. An interesting feature of that magazine is the empty mag / loaded mag indicator. Moving round to the mighty Evike stand there were a good number of products that caught our collective eyes. Among these were the Daniel Defense, FAMAS and Noveske licensed GBBRs, as well as the Staccato GBBP and an entire rack of John Wick-themed rifles and pistols, including his distinctive TTI tuned SIG MPX from the second film. The guys at Evike took Steve into their testing booth for what was his first time with airsoft replicas in the form of the Maxim GBBP and the Krytac LVOA AEG. Needless to say Steve enjoyed himself and commented at how well made both guns felt in the hand and handled when attempting a few drills. Dan spent some time fondling the new releases, from the SIG Air P226, to the VFC FNC GBBR and FN FAL, the latter of which he learned might not be making it to the US after all due to perhaps resembling the real deal a little too much with its inner workings. I spent a couple of hours taking our friend Tyler from Red Dirt Firearms in Florida around the airsoft stands to show him the value of airsoft as a cost effective training alternative. With the restrictions on certain ammunition in the US, more and more training is done with airsoft (6mm Training™) and being used for force-on-force training.

ROLLING EVER ON!

over to PTS Syndicate who had some beautifully constructed ZEV Custom OZ9 Glocks, and a ZEV Custom / Ed Brown special 1911, Dead Air and Griffin Armament Silencers, all of which

Day 6, Shot Show Day 3! After three days now roaming the floor and having meetings, our hips and feet were certainly reminding us of the mileage we’ve racked up to that point. Thankfully we all brought painkillers! Day 3 was another day of meetings and checking out products that caught our eye. There have

“OUR FIRST MEETING WAS WITH CHARLIE AND PATRYK FROM SPECNA ARMS WHO SHOWCASED SOME OF THE NEW AND INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS FROM THEIR RANGE. AMONGST MANY OF THE EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS WERE AN ALL-NEW L96 BOLT-ACTION PLATFORM”

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unlacing which is a huge benefit for those who need to put their boots on quickly... like me when I’m late for work! We were all impressed with how comfortable they were for a slip-on boot and the grip was brilliant, even on a slippery surface. After leaving the Altama stand we went to check out what new products were on the First Tactical stand. One of the sales representatives, Troy Broddrick, introduced us to the new Defender V2 shirt, which is made

been a load of new accessories and airsoft products, too many to mention in this report, so watch out for more on this in Airsoft Action Magazine later! After our usual breakfast in the Press Room where we coordinated our plans, Dan, Lil Stu and myself headed down to the Law Enforcement hall, where Steve joined us shortly after. Our first stop was at the Altama Boot stand where we saw the great slip on boot in the form of the Alpha Freedom Hands Free. This boot, once laced up and fitted properly can be put on and taken off without

from a slightly different material and comes in at around UK£20 cheaper than the normal Defender shirt. After talking to Troy on the stand I asked if our old mate and design-lead Cory was around so that I could say Hi again after meeting up with him last year. Cory is the gent who designs most of the First Tactical products and who designed the Slash & Flash glove which saved my hand when a flash bang went off early and caused an injury. It would have been so much worse if

“ON THE FIRST TACTICAL STAND…. ONE OF THE SALES REPRESENTATIVES, TROY BRODDRICK, INTRODUCED US TO THE NEW DEFENDER V2 SHIRT, WHICH IS MADE FROM A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MATERIAL AND COMES IN AT AROUND UK£20 CHEAPER THAN THE NORMAL DEFENDER SHIRT”

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I hadn’t been wearing appropriate gloves... there’s a lesson when using pyro! Cory was pleased to meet up with myself and Lil Stu again and we introduced him to Dan and Steve. As Cory only had a few minutes between meetings we bid him farewell and carried on with the day. Time for a brew! We decided to go down to the lower level coffee stand to get a drink and plan the day up till lunchtime, then over to the Ceasars Forum to

check out as many stands as we could. Our first stop was straight away to the KWA stand, where we saw the new ATP-Z and ATP-GT, as well as the related chassis kits, all of which will be available separately around mid-to-late Q2 (May-June). This was also the second chance for Li’l Stu to get his dabs on the Lithgow Arms F90 AUG which we saw last year when it was debuted, and I think we can all agree he’s got one of these picked out for his Christmas present! Whilst at their stand we introduced fellow SMG member Shaun and Tyler from Red Dirt Firearms to the KWA products that could be used for training. Needless to say they were both quite impressed with the performance of the replicas, especially the LM4D. We also

briefly met with Debbie Hu, the General Manager of the USA part of KWA. Also at the stand was Mr. Hu, the owner of KWA and Woody, Debbie’s brother. Before we left, we made an appointment to have Dan swing by the following day to conduct an interview with Debbie which will run in Airsoft Action at a later date! For the rest of the morning and into early afternoon we perused the other stands in two of the Caesars halls, before making our way back to the Venetian L2. It’s here that we met with Bill’s ol friend and main man Ray Chang from

“OUR FIRST STOP WAS STRAIGHT AWAY TO THE KWA STAND, WHERE WE SAW THE NEW ATP-Z AND ATP-GT, AS WELL AS THE RELATED CHASSIS KITS, ALL OF WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE SEPARATELY AROUND MID-TO-LATE Q2 (MAY-JUNE)”

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VFC and had a look at some products and a good chat about airsoft replicas. He also mentioned his good friend and our fellow Airsoft Action colleague Stewbacca and some of the experiences they have shared in Taiwan. Once we’d had some photos taken, Ray then had to go to another meeting so we decided to go off in the hunt for more interesting products.

SHOT BITES…

Day 7 for us, Shot Show Day 4! Day Four and the end of a hugely busy week for the team of Li’l Stu, Dan, and I; running the show had

and some awesome armour for SWAT teams. Then we decided to divide and conquer with Dan and Li’l Stu going over to Caesar’s Forum to make their appointment with Debbie Hu, the General Manager of KWA, and Dan’s initially planned-for “short” interview ended up turning into a much longer discussion as the conversation transitioned from the interview segment to a conversation (via Debbie, acting as translator) with KWA’s engineer about potential product improvements and many other topics. They both were pleased and honoured to meet Mr. Hu, the owner of the KWA company worldwide. Afterwards, Dan embarked on a personal crusade to see as much of the remainder of the show as possible. Being a real steel shooter too, there were also a number of booths in his lane of interests that he wanted to see for himself. Last year, he estimated him and the AA team maybe saw only 25 – 35% of what was there before having to depart. Despite fitting his Lowa’s with a fresh set of cushy insoles and

really bitten us by this stage, our feet aching but it’s safe to say that we have all enjoyed the hard work, along with some not-so-hard fun times. It’s was also a pleasure to work alongside our Swanson Media Group colleagues of Trampas, Bingo, John, Amy and Jamie. As always it was a cracking week of walking the floors and seeing the new and upcoming products in the airsoft and real steel worlds. This morning Steve was away on a business meeting, so myself, Dan and Li’l Stu met up in the Press Room to chat and work out where we were going to visit on the final day. We started in the Law Enforcement hall for an hour and saw things like the less-lethal/non-lethal munitions, breaching equipment

“DAY 7 FOR US, SHOT SHOW DAY 4! DAY FOUR AND THE END OF A HUGELY BUSY WEEK FOR THE TEAM OF LI’L STU, DAN, AND I; OUR FEET ACHE BUT IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE ALL ENJOYED THE HARD WORK, ALONG WITH SOME NOT-SO-HARD FUN TIMES”

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now hauling a Mystery Ranch 3-Day Assault Pack to carry the “swag haul” in comfort, he fell short of his personal goal by at least two great halls. Well, there’s always a next time as they say! I spent the morning walking the floors with Trampas, Bingo and John from SMG and we visited a number of stands relating to the training that the Swanson Training Group carry out around the USA. Heading out to lunch at The Rock House bar, the whole team sat and discussed various products that we’d seen over some really great food and soft drinks. Then it was time to head back to The Venetian Center (US SPELLING) for our final foray into the halls, where Steve re- joined us. The 4th day is often when some of the big-name booths crack open an ice cold keg for show attendees, and we gladly made a couple of gratuitous stops to “sample the wares.” This proved to be just the ticket to take the edge off our sore feet and power us through to the remainder of the day, and we finished it out with a final visit to the Shield Sights booth and a hands-on experience with their VR shooting system!

THAT’S A WRAP!

Well, that is it for the 46th Shot Show, held in Las Vegas, Nevada! When I started writing this report, before I realized it, I was at 8000 plus words! Our illustrious leader Bill mentioned that he’d like it more concise so that we could actually fit in a few photos too... well, we only took about 3000 photos during the show! I’d like to thank the team that was with me in Vegas and especially our ‘rookie’ Steve. His selfconfessed “silly questions” have not been silly at all and his fresh set of “real shooter” eyes are welcome in our sport, and in our team! So, Day 8, Home James! After an exhausting but enjoyable week, it was finally time to start the long trip home. As we were not flying out until 2230 we decided to book a late check out for 1500. After such a busy week it would have been hard to spend sven hours just mooching around “The Strip” and it could also have gotten quite expensive if we had gone back to the range! Starting off with a leisurely AA Team breakfast we had a chat about what we’d seen and all things airsoft, and also received a surprise visit from Scott Allan of Land Warrior! Once breakfast was over we headed back up to our rooms to finish off the packing. This normally would be an easy task but with all the swag we had collected I had to arrange a second checked bag. Even Li’l Stu had to shoehorn his

haul into his bags. Steve also collected a sizeable haul and his bag came in just 300g under the 23kg limit. With the extra time we had before we needed to be out of our room we decided to start the write up for the main article. Two hours of discussion and typing later we decided to have a break and a light lunch. The time to check out arrived and we left our room and headed down to grab a cab to the airport. By 1530 we were at the airport, admittedly seven hours early but it was either this or spend more time and money walking the strip and acquiring even more stuff to bring home. By 16:30 we were feeling a little hungry so hit the Starbucks in Terminal 3 for a coffee and light snack. Soon after this we heard the sound of a Scotsman and looked over to see Scott Allan and his guys arriving for the same flight as we were taking! Boarding was at 21:40 and as it was speedily carried out we were ready to push back around 25 mins later. Wheels up and in the air we had a steady flight home arriving some 10 hours afterwards. A simple transition through UK Border Control and then we headed for the train station for the Heathrow Express. Brilliant! We got to Paddington in time to get the onward train; well we would have if the station staff had let us through the gates to the platform. Oh well, cue a trip to Costa for a coffee and snack to while away an hour before our train arrived. The train arrived and off we went back to L’il Stu’s local station where we were met by Lucy, Stu’s wife. This is where Steve and myself handed him back to Lucy’s care, we said our farewells and then got in the car for the drive back to Yorkshire. After a long TWENTY-FIVE hours since leaving our hotel, I dropped Steve off and then ten minutes later I was home, tired but pleased it had all gone well and everyone was home safe... We are hoping that next year for Shot Show #47 we all will be given permission by our partners to make the trip again. Fingers crossed, now he’s recovered from his “Big C adventure” we may even sneak Bill into our luggage for what I think would be the largest AA Team to attend Shot Show ever! After around 40 miles of walking each during the course of the week and the long days, it’s not all fun you know! We are just about recovering, but already we’re already looking forward to The British Shooting Show this month, then Bill and Jase’s trip to IWA in March, The Northern Shooting Show in May and then our return to Las Vegas in 2025. Add this to everything else we do to produce Airsoft Action and it really is non-stop! AA

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