Airsoft Action - July 2024

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.

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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.

8

ARMOURY: ARCHWICK B&T AIR APC9K

It isn’t often that the US Military adopts a new submachine gun, so when they eventually brought the B&T APC9K on board it caused somewhat of a stir! Of course Archwick are now finally set to release their fully-licensed, premium-built gas blowback replica to the market and Stewbacca as usual has the inside track from the outset thanks to his close ties with them.

18 ARMOURY: VFC FNC GBBR

You may have noticed Stewbacca’s enthusiasm for VegaForce Company’s (VFC) products, not only in terms of his ever-growing licensed Walther, Glock and SIG pistol collection, but also their H&K submachine guns! Now they seem to have really put the icing on the cake with their release of the LAR FAL’s ‘little brother’, the somewhat more niche FNC GBBR.

28

ARMOURY: G&GCM16 BATTO

G&G COMBAT MACHINE (CM) SERIES AEGs have delighted players both experienced and new to airsoft, and indeed have been the backbone of the rental pool for many a site; it’s without doubt that many players first playing at an airsoft site have done so with a “CM16” in hand, and now there’s a new version that seems set to take this not-so-humble little AEG platform firmly into the future!

36

TECH: SPECNA ARMS

We have talked about SPECNA ARMS (SA) a lot in the past, with so many models and so much news in the past few years since the brand blew up, and we’re probably going to talk about them a lot more! At IWA 2024 they highlighted a whole host of new developments, technologies, and performance-oriented models…. Miguel tells us more!

42 KIT & GEAR: HUGO INDUSTRIES

The AA Crew are taking a small break from THE CAGE this month as we prepare something extra-special for next month, but the we’re always searching for new, innovative, and useful upgrades to our personal kit, and sometimes it can be the smallest of things that makes all the difference to your performance in-game! Dan takes a look at some interesting developments from an outfit called HUGO INDUSTRIES and likes what he sees!

48

RED CELL: SMG UPDATE

When it comes to SMGs it’s an area where AEG meets GBB so very well, and in a very positive way! More and more we’re seeing excellent gas systems appearing in short MP and SMG platforms, and it does appear to be an area where the new, more consistent gases excel! With a mix of “operating systems” the members of Red cell start to drill even further down on some of the test models old and newer!

62 KIT & GEAR HIGHLANDER FORCES PACKS

Getting the right pack for airsoft is a big decision as none of them come cheap, but the old adage of “you get what you pay for” is 100% true when it comes to your trusted load-lugger! Bill has many years of experience working with packs both civilian and military, and now he introduces some great models from HIGHLANDER FORCES that work perfectly in-game!

68 AA SPECIAL REPORT: LEGISLATION IN TAIWAN

It’s not often that you get invited directly into the “Halls of Power”, the government chambers where influential decisions are made, and debates endure over legislation and its impact on concerned stakeholders on either side of the fence in question. However, as Stewbacca has been increasingly finding out during his time in Taiwan, a myriad of local government operations are very much more transparent and accessible to members of the public, even those who aren’t voting citizens, at times.

78 AA LEGION ASSOCIATES: AIRSOFTER WORLD GAMES

This month Bill gets together with Rob from AIRSOFTER WORLD to discuss how things are progressing, and why it is now more important than ever for our global community to pull together to move airsoft things forward in a meaningful way. Why does AIRSOFT ACTION support AIRSOFTER WORLD, and what does the future hold… Bill digs deeper!

86

AA LEGION: TAIWAN

When Stewbacca is out and playing it’s usually alongside his regular teammates from Team Taiji. Every year they get involved in larger multi-team MilSims where all the major teams in the upper counties of Taiwan, and even some friends from further afield, congregate to enjoy a weekend of gaming as well as a hog roast, beers among friends and camping. They also have their own smaller MilSim event closer to home to prepare the team for these larger events, so this time Stewbacca tells us all about how this works… in the jungle!

96 RELOADED: ICS HI-CAPAS

Back in ISSUE 160 we introduced the latest HiCapa GBB pistols from ICS, The LEGACY, ACME and the CARNOTAURUS! These pistols have now been in the hands of the testing crew for a couple of months now, and they’ve been pushed hard through their paces; whilst Bill will report back on the split-slide CARNOTAURUS given it’s unique character, Ben, Stewbacca and Jimmy now update on the two “anything-but-conventional” models.

‧ SSS.III E-trigger system (SSS only)

‧ Smart Trigger & Pre-cocking Function (SSS only)

‧ Master Mods Reinforced Internals (SSS only)

‧ Short-Stroke Trigger (SSS only)

‧ Lightweight M-LOK Handguard

‧ Rear-Lockable Decorated Bolt Plate

‧ EBB System

‧ Three-way Magazine Release Button

‧ Split Gearbox

‧ Gearbox QD Spring Guide Design

‧ Spring Tension Release Function

‧ One-Piece Metal H-Up

LICENCED TO PERFORM!

IT ISN’T OFTEN THAT THE US MILITARY ADOPTS A NEW SUBMACHINE GUN, IN FACT THERE HASN’T REALLY BEEN ONE SINCE THE ADOPTION OF THE M3 ‘GREASE GUN’ TO REPLACE THE EXPENSIVE AND HEAVY THOMPSON SMG, SO WHEN THEY EVENTUALLY BROUGHT THE B&T APC9K ON BOARD IT CAUSED SOMEWHAT OF A STIR! OF COURSE ARCHWICK ARE NOW FINALLY SET TO RELEASE THEIR FULLY-LICENSED, PREMIUM-BUILT GAS BLOWBACK REPLICA TO THE MARKET AND STEWBACCA AS USUAL HAS THE INSIDE TRACK FROM THE OUTSET THANKS TO HIS CLOSE TIES WITH THEM

B&T might have originally made a name for themselves by supplying accessories, predominantly premium suppressors/silencers for other big names like H&K or Steyr among others, but in the last few years they have been carving somewhat of an epic path through the firearms industry with their turnkey solutions and products that answer a lot of the long standing deficiencies of the established industry yardsticks like the venerable HK MP5 platform in all its various guises.

Their APC (Advanced Police Carbine) belies its primarily civilian-aimed lilt in its nomenclature, being pitched as a premium option for law enforcement agencies and discerning civilian shooters alike, with an ever growing array of 9mm and 5.56mm variants all built of a fairly common design language and making use of generic features and aesthetics. Like many modern industry-leader offerings the receivers are extruded aluminium of a constant cross-section for ease of manufacture and adaptability in making various length versions from the same moulds or dies, with a polymer moulded lower receiver for improved ergonomics and lighter overall weight.

The APC9K is the smallest of these platforms, and occupies the same kind of footprint (physically and in terms of intended usage) as the likes of the MP5k or MP7 among others, an ultra-compact and concealable package with a lot of features and firepower to deliver rounds on target in the most dire situations, with the US Army acquiring it for close protection use cases of high ranking members and their assigned details, something that can be hidden under outer layers, or easily carried upon the crosssection of a user’s torso.

With a very rigid but easily extended telescopic stanchion stock which can be pulled out in a swift motion during deployment, and that can also be closed easily with gravity assist and the one handed actuation of its underside release button, as well as the convenient ambidextrous controls, the APC also has M-LOK/Picatinny adaptors on the short front section ahead of the vertical magazine well, a trilug adaptor for quick detach suppressor attachment or removal, as well as standard AR pistol grip interchangeability on later models as is becoming the standard for a lot of platforms to allow users to tailor

them to their preferred grips.

The monolithic upper receiver has a typical full length Picatinny adaptor rail for optics-mounting along with the supplied flip-up back-up iron sights which have pistol style sights on top in their stowed position and adjustable front blade and rear ghost ring when deployed, offering plenty of flexibility for sighting preferences to suit the use case. Of course the real steel equivalents all tend to ship with an Aimpoint red dot sight as a standard part of the package, an ACRO P1 or P2 looking right at home atop the small but powerful platform.

THE ARCHWICK REMIT

Archwick, having moved to secure a licensing agreement directly with B&T AG of Thun Switzerland began developing their APC9K GBB & AEG offerings which will eventually lead into a similarly growing family of licensed B&T Air products, starting with the PRO version of the smallest family member, then adding the SD versions slightly later in the year before finally offering the different butt-stock options which as per present plans will be sold with guns as a whole package rather than separate components.

As usual, Nelson and Ray at Archwick have been very open with me and have become accustomed to me hanging around their facility to do my various side projects during the process of their product development. I’ve seen the Archwick APC9K go from a twinkle in Ray’s mind to the CAD models, 3D printed mock-ups

“THEIR APC (ADVANCED POLICE CARBINE) BELIES ITS PRIMARILY CIVILIAN-AIMED LILT IN ITS NOMENCLATURE,

BEING PITCHED AS A PREMIUM OPTION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND DISCERNING CIVILIAN SHOOTERS ALIKE, WITH AN EVER GROWING ARRAY OF 9MM AND 5.56MM VARIANTS ALL BUILT OF A FAIRLY COMMON DESIGN LANGUAGE AND MAKING USE OF GENERIC FEATURES AND AESTHETICS”

“THE MONOLITHIC UPPER RECEIVER HAS A TYPICAL FULL LENGTH PICATINNY ADAPTOR RAIL FOR OPTICS-MOUNTING ALONG WITH THE SUPPLIED FLIP-UP BACKUP IRON SIGHTS WHICH HAVE PISTOL STYLE SIGHTS ON TOP IN THEIR STOWED POSITION AND ADJUSTABLE FRONT BLADE AND REAR GHOST RING WHEN DEPLOYED, OFFERING PLENTY OF FLEXIBILITY”

and initial prototyping components, testing and final prototypes, and often heard the distinctive report of semi and fully auto test firing coming from the test area downstairs while getting on with my own design projects, with increasing excitement to see its eventual release and seeing all of the design decisions. Typical attention to detail and consideration has gone into not only giving the end user great value for money and gameplay experience, but also an appreciation for a well-crafted product, but also doing their B&T realsteel forebears proud with what Nelson admits to as an ‘anal retentive’ level of ‘getting it right’

This attention to detail extends right down to the engraved lettering being the exact same font and layout as the real steel counterpart, along with the trigger pull feeling being informed by their handling and firing of the real steel versions on their trip to B&T HQ and their firing range, as well as the atypically stiff but realistic fire selector levers which admittedly take some getting used to using; as usual I’m all about the semi-auto-only really due to our gameplay rules locally and my own preferences towards effective marksmanship.

Likewise the extruded receivers use the same Type III hard anodising finishing technique of their real steel counterparts, while the internals are CNC machined steel with a similarly realistic quench-polishquench (QPQ) treatment for superb performance and durability. The bolt is CNC machined billet aluminium, the outer barrel is realistically free-floated and a specialist removal tool is even included in the package, while the tri-lug front end of the outer barrel is machined steel and includes 12mm and 14mm threading with a supplied adaptor to ensure the whole setup is ready to go with whatever suppressor, tracer or other muzzle device you might want to attach straight out of the box.

I also had the pleasure of helping Nonocat and Thunderspear out with their own early review and photography efforts of the ‘beater’ prototype unit we used while they were in country in November last year for the G&G CQB World cup event, and we spent some time after the event testing out the APC9K PRO GBB at Acetech with Bill on-scene too for this, and then at Linkou CQB; Thunderspear did his usual excellent photographic and videographic work to

bring Nonocat’s assessment of it to life, some of which is included here, so many thanks to Romaine and Norah for their support!

Suffice to say, as you can see in their video review online, the APC9K follows Archwick’s philosophy of “underpromise, over deliver”, with the typical attention to detail, materials choice and processing which keep the look and feel as close to real as possible, as well as making for optimal performance on the field. One of the more discussed design choices was to make their own magazines rather than trying to build in compatibility with KWA’s MP9 versions, which are not only heavy but would not have allowed for optimal operational performance in the footprint of the APC9K. As a result Archwick’s own magazine design improves the seal with the gas nozzle ensuring consistent power delivery over multiple loads of the same magazine, usually managing at least 40 BBs per gas fill on a 30 BB magazine despite its small overall cross-section and resulting narrow gas reservoir, as well as an unusually consistent lock open on empty function even when suffering worsening cool down after those multiple loads that other such platforms might envy.

SETTING THINGS UP

With an easily accessible HOP adjustment grubscrew under the receiver just ahead of the magazine well where the underside picatinny adaptor rail resides, this provides top-dead-centre (TDC) application of the downward force; the consistency over typical CQB ranges of 25-40m as we experienced at Linkou CQB allowed Nonocat to tag a fair few OpFor with snapshooting from out of cover in her usual nimble way, despite only having what is essentially a pistol length inner barrel, while out on the outdoor range portion of the site we were easily reaching to the 40m mark and getting BBs on the typical 4-inch steel disc rack setups used for the likes of competitive shooting. Again the shot to shot consistency was pretty surprising with only minimal ‘gassing out’ towards the end of what must have been the fourth or fifth reloading and hammering of the same test magazine. The magazines themselves are unusually lightweight being of customised blend aluminium-

“I’VE SEEN THE ARCHWICK APC9K GO FROM A TWINKLE IN RAY’S MIND TO THE CAD MODELS,

3D

PRINTED

MOCK-UPS AND INITIAL PROTOTYPING COMPONENTS, TESTING AND FINAL PROTOTYPES, AND OFTEN HEARD THE DISTINCTIVE REPORT OF SEMI AND FULLY AUTO TEST FIRING COMING FROM THE TEST AREA DOWNSTAIRS WHILE GETTING ON WITH MY OWN DESIGN PROJECTS”

“WE SPENT SOME TIME TESTING OUT THE APC9K PRO GBB AT ACETECH WITH BILL ON-SCENE TOO FOR THIS, AND THEN AT LINKOU CQB; THUNDERSPEAR DID HIS USUAL EXCELLENT PHOTOGRAPHIC AND VIDEOGRAPHIC WORK TO BRING NONOCAT’S ASSESSMENT OF IT TO LIFE, SOME OF WHICH IS INCLUDED HERE, SO MANY THANKS TO ROMAINE AND NORAH FOR THEIR SUPPORT!”

alloy construction rather than the more typical zincalloy industry standard, as well as being Cerakotefinished to assist in recovery from cool down. They are available in 20 or 30 BB variants as well as green gas or CO2 powered systems to suit your local climate or playing regulations, and ammunition capacity or overall footprint reduction requirements. They come supplied as standard with decent thickness rubberised base plate ‘feet’ that help absorb the worst of impacts if they are dropped, or otherwise provide a good gripping assist for when retrieving them from pouches and feeding them into the gun’s slightly flared magazine well.

The trigger is typically very well engineered by Ray; I’ve experienced some of his other works in different guises, and it gives a great, crisp break after a very slight take-up as well as a very tactile and positive reset that allows for some very snappy follow up shots, while the CNC aluminium bolt moves back and forth smoothly over its reasonably short travel given the compact 9mm nature of the platform’s footprint. With the upgraded PRO variant being replicated you also get the benefit of the ambidextrous charging handles being non-reciprocating, as tends to be most user’s preference these days, with the usual ‘sled’ system retaining them and acting upon the bolt during initial charging of the first “round”, but then being securely latched forwards under its own separate return spring pressure even in the case that the bolt itself is held back on an empty magazine. Of course the folding charging handles are of the rugged spring-loaded flap design already seen in the B&T USW-G and Archwick’s replica thereof, so the manipulation is easy, positive and comfortable.

The bolt itself has a positive rearward snap, but like its real counterpart the jump and related muzzle rise are not so bad, allowing the user to easily keep it on target even in rapid strings of fire, making the most of the shorter barrel and its inherent manoeuvrability. Personally I find the whole platform a little bit small for my own liking and will no doubt acquire the APC9 SD or SD2 version when it releases and give it a more thorough shakedown on the clock and in the field as its integral silencer and related widened M-LOK handguard makes for easier handling for me and my kermit arms and big bear paws; the side folding stocks

also present an appealing option if you can wait for their planned release later in 2024. Norah took to throwing down with the shortest sibling of the family during our visit to my SPPT team’s training space and put some great times in on IPSC stages against the usual paper and popper targets which made for great viewing.

DEPLOYMENT!

For now the SD variants are planned for slightly later in the year, with the base APC9K PRO units now very much underway and deliveries made to the earliest adopters; by the time you read this they should also have made landfall in Europe or the UK among others! Every time I’ve swung by Archwick over the last few weeks there have been racks and racks of them in various stages of completion and the staff have been busy assembling and testing them ready for delivery and enjoyment by their no doubt impressed end users.

Out of the box they’re clocking in the region of 290-310 FPS on the obligatory .20g BBs using the 129mm long 6.03mm tightbore barrel, making them perfect for close-range encounters and export basically anywhere without the need for modification, and the ultra-compact footprint makes them ideal as a sniper backup weapon with a little more bite than a pistol or similar PDW setup. The quickly-deployed stock takes the APC9K PRO from just 375mm to 550mm in short order giving you something unobtrusive within your own body’s cross section that can then deploy to a decent size for comfortable and accurate shooting to beyond the inner limits of the typical minimum engagement distances of your primary sniper platform ensuring there’s no ‘dead zone’ that’s too far away for your backup but not far enough away for your chosen sniper platform, it also comes in at around 3000g so is not terribly heavy or cumbersome compared to some other systems.

It seems lots of people have been eagerly awaiting the final release of the B&T licensed Archwick/B&T AIR APC9K PRO GBBR and many have bemoaned the delays which seem to be another industry standard issue as of late, but it certainly seems like the end product will be worth the wait and deliver a great user

“OUT OF THE BOX THEY’RE CLOCKING IN THE REGION OF 290-310 FPS ON THE OBLIGATORY .20G

BBS USING THE 129MM LONG 6.03MM TIGHTBORE BARREL, MAKING THEM PERFECT FOR CLOSE-RANGE ENCOUNTERS AND EXPORT BASICALLY ANYWHERE WITHOUT THE NEED FOR MODIFICATION, AND THE ULTRA-COMPACT FOOTPRINT MAKES THEM IDEAL AS A SNIPER BACKUP WEAPON”

experience for a really quite reasonable price given the quality and realism of the materials, processes and finishes used in its manufacture.

As always, the Archwick team have taken the time to get it done right regardless of the detractors, and coming in at around 13,000NT in Taiwan (GB£325 direct equivalent) or GB£500 once it makes landfall in the UK, it’s a lot of gun for the money given its performance and durability, and of course, as we always prefer at Airsoft Action it’s making use of the legitimate trade marks by direct authorisation and enthusiastic blessing of the real steel manufacturers themselves. I’m very much looking forward to acquiring my own longer variant when they release

later in 2024; the 9K is just a little small for me to comfortably handle for the most part, but I will no doubt do a more thorough comparison once the busy periods for both Archwick and myself have died down later in the year!

Many thanks as always to Nelson, Ray and their team for entrusting me with a very in depth inside oversight of the whole process and nerding out with me over the engineering aspects of things throughout their development of the whole upcoming family of APC products, and don’t forget you can check out the video of the ARCHWICK B&T AIR APC9K on the NonoCat YouTube channel too! AA

“FOR NOW THE SD VARIANTS ARE PLANNED FOR SLIGHTLY LATER IN THE YEAR, WITH THE BASE APC9K PRO UNITS NOW VERY MUCH UNDERWAY AND DELIVERIES MADE TO THE EARLIEST ADOPTERS; BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS THEY SHOULD ALSO HAVE MADE LANDFALL IN EUROPE OR THE UK AMONG OTHERS!”

THE HEAT IS ON!

IF YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING STEWBACCA’S PERSONAL EXPLOITS AND JOURNEY THROUGH ALL THINGS GAS BLOWBACK SINCE ARRIVING IN TAIWAN, YOU’LL NO DOUBT HAVE NOTICED HIS EVER INCREASING ENTHUSIASM FOR VEGAFORCE COMPANY’S (VFC) MORE RECENT PRODUCTS, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF HIS EVER-GROWING LICENSED WALTHER, GLOCK AND SIG PISTOL COLLECTION, BUT ALSO THEIR H&K SUBMACHINE GUNS! MORE RECENTLY IT’S BEEN THEIR FN PATTERN SYSTEMS, ESPECIALLY HIS MUCH-LOVED ‘LAR’ FAL INCARNATION, AND NOW THEY SEEM TO HAVE REALLY PUT THE ICING ON THE CAKE WITH THEIR RELEASE OF ITS ‘LITTLE BROTHER’ THE SOMEWHAT MORE NICHE FNC GBBR.

Like undoubtedly many of you die-hard GBBR fans the last few years have consisted of VFC ensuring they repeatedly abuse me and my personal finances with an apparently never-ending cavalcade of “ooh, that’s awesome and I must have one”, especially in 2024 with it seemingly like a new gun a month dropping thus far… some of which I still haven’t even had chance to get hands on with despite their excellent staff’s attempts at their VegaForce Pentagon Service Centre (VPSC) to send me home with more than one review gun at a time!

With my desire to give each gun a month or so of gaming experience to ensure everything gets a reasonably fair shake in different environments and use cases, it’s just difficult to fit everything in at times… and of course there ARE other companies and releases I must honour too!

Nonetheless, MOA 2023 was yet another announcement of a wallet-beating to come, with various shiny new models all dropping simultaneously; of course as we’ve mentioned before, Bill, Anny and I were given a bit of an inside track on some new things, some of which are still unannounced and just the other day I got hands on even more exciting stuff they know they can show me without me spilling early! Test firing the FNC GBBR around the same time as our good Kiwi friends Nonocat and Thunderspear who were also in-country sharing antics with us, we’d seen the prototypes of it and other [redacted goodness] which I’m also excited for the release of at their headquarters, and then had the privilege of test firing them all at VPSC among numerous other funtimes to be had, so we knew before the official announcement that I’d be having a very busy, expensive, but also extremely exciting, year!

Having eagerly snapped up my own FAL off the bat prior to reviewing it, after waiting so

long since its fairly early announcement and being very impressed with the handling and user experience, I was equally keen to get my mitts on the next FN offering, the FNC, this one being fully-licensed by Fabrique Nationale through Cybergun, markings, trimmings and all, albeit in a somewhat idiosyncratic presentation as it’s once again another fan favourite drawn from a movie setting, the same love of Michael Mann’s epic heist-thriller HEAT which brought us the Cybergun-licensed Colt M733 of Val Kilmer’s character way back in Issue 122. This is not exactly a replica of the service rifle as such, but of the gun in the movie which was customised by the armourer from a no-doubt more civilianised version, but regardless it just oozes aesthetic appeal and the stamped steel construction is suitable hefty, yet feels slightly handier and better balanced than its longer and slightly nose heavier FAL bigger brother.

Building on the success of their Version 3 GBBR AR platform which already gave us the aforementioned M733, as well as the T91 SOC Taiwanese service rifle I reviewed in Issue 161, as well as their excellent rendition of the M16A1 Vietnam-era US service rifle that started it all so to speak (which I’ve had on hand for longer and finished the review of already to follow in another upcoming issue for reasons that will become clear when it does finally drop!), the FNC GBBR uses the same excellent magazines allowing you to maximise your commonality across your collection, although I was informed that older variants may not actuate the dead trigger on empty system. As with the majority of real FNC variants, as well as the later F2000 and many European platforms such as the pre G36 / 1990s range of H&K rifles, as well as AK systems and derivatives, the FNC lacks a stop on empty in terms of a bolt lock back feature, the doctrine of European powers at the time being “keep the bolt shut as much as possible and keep the muck out of the action” unlike AR15s and other follow on systems based off the AR18 which the bolt stops rearward after the last round is fired.

TESTING TIMES

In my own testing all of the latest magazines I had (the black variant the FNC ships with, the T91 specific variant with round counter markings and overinsertion stop wings, and the standard grey) the AR mags all worked flawlessly with the exception of the short 20 BB Vietnam-style box magazine supplied with the M16A1; this seems to move around within the magazine well a little more than all the other relatively tight fitting 30 BB equivalents, and this movement allows it to rock back and forth slightly lessening the effectiveness of the rear red ‘shoe’ or lever around the outlet valve which lifts up with the follower as the last round feeds to lock open the AR systems.

In the case of the FNC’s system it acts on a small lever on the left side of the gas feed and striker mechanism to actually move the striker out of alignment with the outlet valve on the rear of the magazines enough for it to interface with a corresponding cut-out in the front of the hammer body preventing it from being struck forwards, giving you the ‘dead click’ trigger where the hammer drops as usual but no ‘dry fire’ empty chamber shot goes off. This also requires you to manually depress the red follower ‘shoe’ after loading BBs into your magazines; normally in the AR platform guns the resistance from the bolt hold-open system is enough to displace this on insertion, but not so with the FNC due to the very softly sprung system… if you fail to press the rear magazine parts down manually they’ll dead click on loading like the HK53 and G3/PSG-1 magazines with the manually reset side-swinging levers.

Besides this idiosyncrasy of the operating system to get used to, along with the slightly awkward folding stock release mechanism (a bit of a three hand job to slide the retention button sideways out away from the receiver while pulling the stock downwards and beginning to swing it closed, or open), the out of the box experience of the Cybergun-licensed VFC FN FNC GBBR has been possibly the best to date, even compared to my love of the PSG-1, FAL, HK53, T91 SOC and M16A1! VegaForceCompany have clearly been improving things progressively and the first fielding in anger the other week saw me almost single-handedly wipe an opposing team out with single shots or double taps as they advanced on my

“I’D INITIALLY TAKEN IT OUT TO A RANGE DAY WITH OTHER FRIENDS AT THE SAME XINDIAN SITE WHERE WE HAVE AN 85M FLARE FIELD TO USE AND AS WITH THE T91 SOC AND M16A1 I’D SPENT SOME TIME PUTTING BBS OUT TO THE BACK BERM STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, A FEW WEEKS PRIOR TO OFFICIAL RELEASE IN MID-MAY”

hilltop position while the rest of my five-man squad displaced and repositioned to cover me off; I was having a whale of a time throwing my usual chonkeh boi .48g BLS BBs out to daft ranges with near laser accuracy, and only using iron sights!

I’d initially taken it out to a range day with other friends at the same Xindian site where we have an 85m flare field to use and as with the T91 SOC and M16A1 I’d spent some time putting BBs out to the back berm straight out of the box, a few weeks prior to official release in mid-May. Unfortunately I’d forgotten to take the specific allen key supplied in the small accessory bag along with the small speed loader; this is a ~2.4mm across flats tool which interfaces with the convenient HOP adjustment grub screw in a similar setup to the FAL just ahead of the magazine well on the underside of the receiver. Nonetheless I was still able to fling BBs to extreme ranges albeit it less straight than after I’d had chance to properly adjust it on the following skirmish game day. Everyone who handled and fired it on both days commented on the comfortable profile and natural aiming capability as well as the good balance around the centre of the magazine well. It not only feels, but looks, the part, with the flat black paint-job all over and chunky controls like the somewhat stiff left-handside four position selector lever… yes, FOUR position, because like the T91 SOC this features VFC’s latest three round burst mode, which is also extremely consistent and fun to use on distant paper or metal targets as I found with its forebear. The fire selector lever is admittedly not the most ergonomic of features for those of you used to easy flippy AR selectors, and even for me and with my bear mitts requires a bit of breaking the firing hand grip and force of the thumb to get it down into the semi-auto position or back up into safe; definitely not the easiest to use for ‘tactical shooting’ drills out of the box with the constant need to safe and off safe it between movements, although it does wear in a little bit after a few days of use.

The cadence in three round burst or full auto is fairly controllable and satisfying, allowing you to put BBs on target with relative ease, with only around 300g of mass in the bolt carrier group and a fairly hefty gun overall at 3500g the recoil is snappy but not overly stout compared to some other platforms;

“IT’S CERTAINLY ENJOYABLE TO SHOOT AND ADDS TO THE EXPERIENCE, ALONG WITH ITS DISTINCTIVE CHARGING AND CYCLING SOUND, BUT AFTERMARKET OR CUSTOMISED BOLT CARRIER GROUPS WITH MORE STEEL AND MASS WILL NO DOUBT BETTER SERVE THOSE DISCERNING RECOIL ENJOYERS”

it’s certainly enjoyable to shoot and adds to the experience, along with its distinctive charging and cycling sound, but aftermarket or customised bolt carrier groups with more steel and mass will no doubt better serve those discerning recoil enjoyers. However, for the skirmishers or those seeking performance it certainly doesn’t disappoint out of the box, with great range and consistency on offer as well as an extremely fun and refreshing overall shooting experience. The chunky front handguard did make me reminisce somewhat of my L85 real-steel and airsoft experiences, and your hand seems to naturally wrap around it comfortably and the tubular butt stock seems surprisingly comfortable to cheekweld on, giving you line of sight on the fairly low mounted front and rear iron sights, the rear of which has a smaller and wider aperture setting on a flip over ‘L’ shaped unit as is fairly typical.

The pistol grip is the same familiar fairly highly angled FAL-esque affair which suits me just fine, but might be an acquired taste compared to those youngsters and their more vertical AR grips they’re used to; the whole platform just feels like it belongs in my hands, and really looks distinctive in both its outline and general aesthetic. The stamped steel, ported and vented body with the chunky foregrip and fixed charging handle jutting out of its right side along with the sprung loaded charging handle slot-cover and classic-style drop stock and low sights make it something very different from what most will carry onto the field, and even in terms of real steel counterpart, it was never as widely adopted and recognisable as it’s “right arm of the free world” FAL sibling.

HOME TEAM ADVANTAGE

While the FAL served in over 90 countries armed forces, basically any western bloc country that didn’t adopt the H&K G3 or something more obscure, the FNC was never the success it was hoped to be. As a 5.56mm downsized and economised stamped variation of the 7.62 milled-receiver FAL that had carved out a path of popularity and acclaim for Fabrique Nationale, by the time of its release at the turn of the 1980s other systems like the AR15 and its derivatives had taken hold and neared their

“THE INTERNAL FIRE CONTROL GROUP MECHANISM IS FAIRLY TYPICAL ARCOMPONENTRY INCLUDING THE THREE ROUND BURST FUNCTIONALITY DRUM WHICH IS ISOLATED UNLESS IN BURST MODE, PREVENTING UNDUE WEAR ON IT OR ADVERSE EFFECTS UPON THE TRIGGER PULL”

operational perfection and become trusted by many, with H&K alternatives filling the needs of many other second tier militaries who didn’t adopt AR15/AR18 pattern derivatives.

The somewhat AK-system-based FNC fell by the wayside to a much greater degree than it perhaps should, of course being adopted by its native Belgian armed forces; I’ve seen some in the flesh myself during European travels just after the Paris attacks which put military forces and heavily armed police units on the streets of France, Belgium and Luxembourg; a good excuse for gun spotting that was, despite the unfortunate context.

Besides the “home team” adoption advantage, it really only saw any predominant service in African nations along with some smaller Asia Pacific and South American use, making it much more niche than its larger-calibred and legendary forerunner; thus it seems a somewhat odd choice to replicate, but, as we established, the folks at VFC are wont to replicate movie classics, and everyone looking to scratch their Al Pacino fix can get their hands on this “big ass cold war masterpiece” for themselves; I’ve been told it looks at home in a jungle environment and pairs nicely with a beret during my Heavy Recoil Discord preambles regarding my own experiences and comparing notes with the likes of Catgut and the rest of the excellent “Explosive Enterprises” youtube channel review team in the US.

Three of their number secured examples early like myself for reviewing ahead of the curve a little, between our four examples all have been functioning excellently, although my example and one of theirs had a slightly tight rear receiver when it came to disassembly and getting the bolt carrier group and recoil assemblies out of the rear end… it can take a bit of a swift thwack to get the bolt carrier through the last very rear section of the upper receiver, and do be aware when disassembling that the recoil spring and rod assembly must be rotated 90 degrees to safely remove it from the bolt, lest you incur damage to its front retention cross-pin that holds the front end of the spring on if you try and force it straight out.

The internal fire control group mechanism is fairly typical AR-componentry including the three round burst functionality drum which is isolated

“GAS-PERFORMANCE-WISE WITH JUST A 360MM INNER BARREL THE MUZZLE ENERGY COMES OUT AT AROUND 110M/S ON THE TYPICAL .20G BBS, WITH A CONSISTENT ENERGY OF AROUND 1.2J AND REDUCING MUZZLE VELOCITY DOWN TO 85M/S WITH .30G, AND 70M/S OR 1.1J WITH .48G BBS RESPECTIVELY”

unless in burst mode, preventing undue wear on it or adverse effects upon the trigger pull. This is crossed with heavy utilitarian FAL-style spring systems and general takedown; the receiver retainer pins, it should be noted, are also pretty tight and required some soft mallet action on my part to unseat when I first decided to get inside my example, at least it isn’t going to pull a SpaceX on you and perform a “spontaneous unplanned disassembly” during even the most rough handling games, I suppose. The trigger itself is also very utilitarian with an exposed butterfly spring leg resting behind it from inside the fire control group and giving a reasonably crisp average pull of 2.2kg (4.8 lbs) allowing for fairly rapid follow up shots with the usual very tactile and positive reset I’ve come to love on VFC’s GBBR offerings as of late.

While the FNC lacks an automatic last-round holdopen function, the reciprocating charging handle can be pulled out slightly at the rear of travel and latched into the receiver to manually hold the bolt open for inspection during unloading or troubleshooting; given the right-hand-side position of it compared to the FAL, I did experiment with using the firing hand to lock it open, remove the mag, insert a fresh one and then “FNC slap” the charging handle to release the bolt on a fresh mag. I guess whatever way you operate it is a bit of a cludge, and opinions vary on whether canting the rifle outward to remove and replace the mag and then flipping it to draw your hand back along the top right edge like with the Galil is better than finger-hooking the charging handle underhand like an AK, but the latter was my go to once I’d fitted an obstructing ELCAN replica optic to the new VFC picatinny rail.

This picatinny mount rail is a very simple and rigid part and installation in itself; the front end of the rail seats nicely into the top of the front trunnion with its “tongue” section, then the rear-end rests on the rear sight block atop an included additional wedge piece that is then bolted to the main rail above to pinch the rear sight block with angled surfaces and force it forwards against the trunnion and make it solid for mounting an optic reliably.

Gas-performance-wise with just a 360mm inner barrel (as seems to be one of the new standard

“EVERYONE WHO HANDLED IT LOVED THE RECOIL FEEL AND ESPECIALLY THE SURPRISINGLY GOOD OUT-OF-THE-BOX RANGE AND ACCURACY, AS WELL AS THE SHEER NOISE AND FUN SHOOTING EXPERIENCE OF SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT”

lengths even for longer offerings like the FAL, T91 SOC and M16A1) the muzzle energy comes out at around 110m/s on the typical .20g BBs, with a consistent energy of around 1.2J and reducing muzzle velocity down to 85m/s with .30g, and 70m/s - 1.1J with .48g BBs respectively; again, the heaviest BBs might get there marginally slower, but I always think it’s worth the added expense for the consistency and sheer reach they give you carrying that muzzle energy out to the nearing 100m mark with much greater ease, and with a CLPD made NPAS adjustable nozzle added you could tweak the velocity to suit your needs.

FULLY-BLOODED

Having already “blooded”’ my own example at its first outing in anger I was already very impressed with the in theatre performance beyond just slapping tree trunks or IPSC paper targets and metal plates out to the 60m mark on the range day, so prior to the Team Taiji-exclusive MilSim the following weekend towards the end of May I went back to VPSC to purchase their own optics mounting rail along with a trio of additional magazines to bring my total on hand up to six thirty rounders to give me a decent combat loadout for the weekender event. I fitted the scope rail with ease as it’s a single countersunk hex bolt job, the front end protrusion slips under the lip of the corresponding opening at the rear of the trunnion at the front of the receiver, while the rear end is held down by a shoe which has angled surfaces that interact with the rear sight mount and work to force the whole rail forwards as it’s tightened down against the shoe giving you a very slimline but rigid and simplistic solution.

I decided to throw my ELCAN hardened 4x optical sight on it as it already had a very thick scope protector installed from its prior use on my L85A2, and it seems to suit the aesthetic with the outer ribbed surface looking similar to the handguard and overall rifle’s external look; apparently it was genuinely used and loved in Belgian service with this setup, so I stumbled on a real-use-case in my haste to prepare it for the weekend.

Then the major test came, it was off to our team’s own MilSim in the hills of Sanxia further south of

Taipei than we usually play. I took it out to zero the ELCAN after we arrived on site and got camp set up, only to find it needed no adjustment and the BBs were flying dead straight for the most part just above the obelisk style aiming post; it continued performing excellently throughout the whole event, albeit being a bit heavy to lug around and clamber up slippery muddy jungle hills among the foliage, aside from planting the muzzle in the dirt a few times while falling over, and one instance where I forgot about the reciprocating charging handle on the right side. I posted up on some thick bamboo as cover and engaged an enemy sniper across the gully, incurring a stoppage as the handle came back and smacked the tree I was resting against.

We spent some of our time off the field in the camp area tuning our rifles and pistols and I was consistently pummelling a head-sized empty water bottle stuck to a tree 40m from the table and chairs we were working from; everyone who handled it loved the recoil feel and especially the surprisingly good out-of-the-box range and accuracy, as well as the sheer noise and fun shooting experience of something a little different.

IN CONCLUSION

So there you have it, another in a long and seemingly ever-growing line of VFC’s excellent recent GBBR platforms; it really feels like they’ve knocked it out of the ballpark with this offering, taking all the lessons of previous systems and amalgamating them into a brilliantly executed finished product! Granted it won’t be their cheapest and will come to market in the 17,000NT (GB£425) price range in Taiwan, and purportedly GB£800 or similar in Europe, fairly similar to its FAL predecessor, but, if you want something a little different that looks epic and works brilliantly, can you really say no to yourself?

Many thanks as always to VFC and their VPSC team for facilitating my habit, although again they’re likely to help themselves to more of my wallet filling as they won’t be getting this back either, and I already bought the scope rail anyway so now I guess I have to keep it eh? Woe is me… on to the next financial ruin in the name of shootyfuntimes! AA

“SO THERE YOU HAVE IT FELLOW SHOOTERS, ANOTHER IN A LONG AND SEEMINGLY EVER-GROWING LINE OF VFC’S EXCELLENT RECENT GBBR PLATFORMS; IT REALLY FEELS LIKE THEY’VE KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE BALLPARK WITH THIS OFFERING, TAKING ALL THE LESSONS OF PREVIOUS SYSTEMS AND AMALGAMATING THEM INTO A BRILLIANTLY EXECUTED FINISHED PRODUCT!”

MACHINE LEARNING!

FOR MANY YEARS NOW G&G ARMAMENT COMBAT MACHINE (CM) SERIES AEGS HAVE DELIGHTED PLAYERS BOTH EXPERIENCED AND NEW TO AIRSOFT, AND INDEED HAVE BEEN THE BACKBONE OF THE RENTAL POOL FOR MANY A SITE; IT’S WITHOUT DOUBT THAT MANY PLAYERS FIRST PLAYING AT AN AIRSOFT SITE HAVE DONE SO WITH A “CM16” IN HAND, AND NOW THERE’S A NEW VERSION THAT SEEMS SET TO TAKE THIS NOT-SO-HUMBLE LITTLE AEG PLATFORM FIRMLY INTO THE FUTURE!

It actually shocks me sometimes that it’s nearly THIRTY YEARS since I bought my first-ever AEG, and oh my, how airsoft has changed in that time! When I first started there was no internet to speak of in common use, no “chat groups”, very few airsoft shops, and indeed very few organised sites; yes, sites and shops were there, but to many of us they were the thing of myth, whispered between those “in the know”, and in the early days it was all about having a mate with a bit of land where we could go and chuck BBs at one another!

The nearest airsoft shop to me at the time was

about 70 miles away, and I actually didn’t even know it existed until much later, so finding an AEG was a matter of “knowing a guy, who knew a guy” and then money in quite substantial amounts changed hands. After a trip to your local army surplus store for some DPM, what you ended up with for your money back in the late 90’s was an AEG (in my case that creaky, wobbly TM FAMAS!) and you were happy; if you were lucky you got a couple of extra mags, a battery that fitted, and a bag of BBs and you were SET… god forbid though that anything went wrong with your pricey-purchase though!

But I’ll come back to reminiscing on these not so “halcyon days” another time, but I believe you’ll be able to see where this is heading; if you’re starting off in airsoft these days the “entry level” AEG that you’re going to part with cash for is far from those of days past! You can now research the living heck out of what is available to you for actually very little money, and you can chat online to folk that already own what you’re thinking of buying and will tell you all about your potential purchase in the most minute detail. Most airsoft stores (of which there are now many!) will let you “try before you buy” on their in-house range, and most airsoft sites (of which there are more every day it seems!) offer a rental service for new players so that you can try different things out in-game…

And the fact is that for many sites, what you will rent to run around the woods with and greatly abuse for the day will be a G&G “Combat Machine”, or CM16. A few years back I decided to buy a couple of reasonably–priced ARs to put into my armoury as friends who had not played airsoft kept asking me all about it and wanted to have a go; as much as I have quite a collection (which is STILL growing!) of AR-based rifles and carbines (and don’t get me started on AKs!) I thought it easiest just to buy in a couple as “loaners”, carbines that I knew would perform well that would give non-‘softers a taste on the range before I even introduced them to the game as a whole, and could act as “stand-bys” for friends having a crisis of one kind or another on game-day; these soon-to-be-very-abused carbines were the G&G CM16 Raider 2.

So, have I been pleased with the two older CM16s that I bought? Yes I have! They’ve seen a lot of range use with shooting friends, but they’ve also been loaned out at games where even seasoned players have needed a quick “back-up” when they’ve had problems with their own primary, and they’ve given great service in both respects. They’ve been professionally serviced a couple of times now, and

continue to run well on my usual N-MAG 30/125 magazines, and even though they’ve had a lot of abuse and many thousands of BBs through them, they’re still active and ready for duty when called upon; not too shabby for “budget” polymer AEGs, not too shabby at all!

A NEW PARADIGM

Just as I’ve seen the airsoft community grow, flourish,

and other new features include a functional bolt catch, an upgraded V2 MIG-enhanced gearbox with steel bushings, a 6.04mm brass precision inner barrel, rotary Hop-Up chamber and dual profile folding fibreoptic sights.

G&G are certainly packing a lot into their newest

“IF YOU’RE STARTING OFF IN AIRSOFT THESE DAYS THE “ENTRY LEVEL” AEG THAT YOU’RE GOING TO PART WITH CASH FOR IS FAR FROM THOSE OF DAYS PAST! YOU CAN NOW RESEARCH THE LIVING HECK OUT OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUALLY VERY LITTLE MONEY, AND YOU CAN CHAT ONLINE TO FOLK THAT ALREADY OWN WHAT YOU’RE THINKING OF BUYING”

“entry level AEG” and on paper it looked like it would tick a lot of our “LIKE” boxes! When the test and evaluation sample arrived at AAHQ though, and I actually got the latest CM16 in-hand I looked back at my old Raiders, and the BATTO has certainly moved things forward again for G&G in a very positive way. One of the major things that “sold” the Raider too me initially though was the look… yup, why not have a great-looking AEG for friends to shoot, and the fact

on other models in their range, and is modern and blocky, but in a good way!

It follows the “billet-style” and looks thoroughly up-to-date, and the lower benefits from a shaped magwell for easy reloads, along with an oversized

trigger guard so that you can use the CM16 yearround, even with heavier winter gloves. The control interfaces are pretty standard, and although the selector is LHS-only, you do get the ambi mag release. The “bolt-release” is also functional; the dust cover drops when you “charge” the action, and the mockbolt is held back so that you can easily access the tactile rotary hop adjustment wheel… slapping the bolt-release, again LHS-only, lets the mock bolt

The updated modern profile, again featuring an M-LOK rail system, offers a cool, tactical look, while its versatile length makes it ideal for both closequarters battle (CQB) and woodland games. The rail, although M-LOK as before with the old Raider and therefore very, very functional in terms of potential accessory placement, looks much more modern, and rail extends a full from the sharp-end right to the rear

Here you’ll also singlepoint-sling get to the buffer tube and the excellent G&G-designed GOS-V15 stock, with the easy-to-use “swivel to the side” buttpad which allows you to access the battery compartment. At the “aim-towards-enemy” end you get a simple

One of the other new additions to the BATTO is G&Gs new fibre-optic polymer battle sights, and I’m in two minds about these to be honest. Although they’re great componentry to come as standard on an “entry level” AEG and the red (front) and green (rear) fibreoptic inserts look the business, in use I found them a little too low in the closed position to really get down on; getting a solid cheekweld on that superb stock means that your sightline is above the tight-to-thebore fibre optics, although in the flipped-up position they work perfectly. I’m thinking that a small riser

front and rear would make the lo-pro fibre-optics fully usable, and this is something that I’ll have a play with…

The BATTO has Gen II G&G internals and it comes equipped with a true quick-change spring, which allows you to easily remove the spring and replace it, even without having to remove the stock. Otherwise internally the reliable, reinforced G&G gearbox, heattreated gear set, and polycarbonate piston ensure consistent and robust performance, complemented by an 18,000rpm motor; additionally, the BATTO now includes 8mm steel bushings, upgrading the old brass bushings, to enhance durability and performance. For any of you who want to push things further, the BATTO I’m told is now fully compatible with Gate Titan and Aster MOSFETs, with the potential to offer even more efficiency and set-up choice.

DOWNRANGE

I’m pleased to tell you that as well as making use of great-quality components and looking modern and kinda cool straight out of the box the BATTO also shoots like a l’il laser! I chrono’d initially with .20g using an 11.1V LiPo and as a “straight out of the factory” AEG I got a mean reading of 0.99 Joule/328fps. Now may drop slightly as the hop beds in and it’s used more, but this is a perfectly acceptable, and sensible, power level that will let you use the CM16 as-new on virtually any airsoft site; the last thing you want is to get your shiny new AEG to its first game and be told that it’s “hot”, right?

With the 11.1V battery the BATTO is snappy as hell with superb trigger response and a great ROF; the 120 BB “bullet mag” fits and feed perfectly thanks to the G&G follower, but I’ve had no problem running it on my N-MAGS or indeed STANAG mags. Accuracy-wise, with the 6.04mm inner barrel it proved to be pretty darn tasty too, easily reaching out 30m+ and on target each and every time, which has impressed everyone that’s tried it so far, and transformed their thinking that “this is not just a plastic toy”!

So, overall? Robust external construction

that looks great, simple and solid (yet easily upgradeable) internals, along with a 120BB magazine that fits and functions perfectly plus a host of other cool things straight from the box… the CM16 BATTO is a tight AEG package that shows that G&G have been “in the game” for nearly as long as I have, and this is 100% an example that when it comes to their “machine”, G&G have most definitely kept “learning”; I’d go as far as saying that this is probably their most assured “entry level AEG release to date, and I am certain that the CM16 BATTO will please yet another generation of new (and indeed more experienced!) airsofters all over again.

As we said when we announced the new AEG in our web news, “and the name… BATTO? Although this is as yet unconfirmed by G&G themselves we have a number of martial arts guys among the AA CREW and we’re reliably informed that BATTO, or Battojutsu, is a sword discipline practiced with a live blade when training for combative effectiveness, taking into account factors like distancing, timing and targeting…. What a GREAT name for an AEG if this is the case!”

My thanks as always to go Apple at G&G ARMAMENT for getting a sample of the production CM16 BATTO over to us so quickly, and it should be hitting stores imminently! There’s a LOT more to come from G&G in the coming months, so please be sure to visit www.guay2.com and keep an eye on their socials for updates. AA

“THE UPDATED MODERN PROFILE, AGAIN FEATURING AN M-LOK RAIL SYSTEM, OFFERS A COOL, TACTICAL LOOK, WHILE ITS VERSATILE LENGTH MAKES IT IDEAL FOR BOTH CLOSE-QUARTERS BATTLE (CQB) AND WOODLAND GAMES”

“THE BATTO TAKES THINGS FORWARD TO A NEW LEVEL IN MY OPINION, AND ILLUSTRATES THAT G&G ARE CAPABLE OF CREATING SOME MIGHTY FINE-LOOKING AEGS IN THEIR OWN UNIQUE WAY! WE’VE SEEN THEIR UNIQUE DESIGN-FLAIR COMING THROUGH ON SO MANY OF THEIR MORE RECENT MODELS, AND I AM VERY PLEASED TO SAY THAT THE BATTO FOLLOWS THIS TREND”

THE SPECNA SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME!

WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT SPECNA ARMS (SA) A LOT IN THE PAST, WITH SO MANY MODELS AND SO MUCH NEWS IN THE PAST FEW YEARS SINCE THE BRAND BLEW UP, AND WE’RE PROBABLY GOING TO TALK ABOUT THEM A LOT MORE! AT IWA 2024 THEY HIGHLIGHTED A WHOLE HOST OF NEW DEVELOPMENTS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND PERFORMANCE-ORIENTED MODELS, AND SINCE APPARENTLY THEY AREN’T STOPPING ANY TIME SOON THIS YEAR PROMISES TO BE FILLED WITH SOME GREAT NEWS COMING TO THE FIELD…. MIGUEL TELLS US MORE!

It’s really hard to go to a game and not see players with replicas from SPECNA ARMS (SA) these days, and from many ranges, Flex, CORE, ONE, EDGE and EDGE 2.0, there are choices for every wallet and almost every taste.

Let’s start at the beginning for most players; I have talked about the FLEX series before, it’s a range with the new player in mind, someone who is still trying out airsoft and that doesn’t, or can’t, spend that much in this “experimental phase”. These are platforms built with nylon fibre-reinforced polymer, which offer a light but sturdy replica, and I’ve been using a model of the same range since last year, the FX01; this AEG has been with me through numerous games, small and big. And let me tell you, it has NEVER let me down, especially in some bigger games, where having a lighter replica is a major positive point. So, if you are starting airsoft or looking for a backup replica that brand.

the AEG’s safety and durability through conformal coating and self-test with 2 LEDs. Although designed for up to M120 springs, in full auto mode, X-ASR cooperates even with M150 spring. Moreover, in case of high torque motor and gears, you can use stronger spring.”

This means that the X-ASR adds a few more safety layers to the F01, but do keep in mind that it might “steal” a bit of battery space in the buffer tube or stock. So with this addition you get a platform with a really affordable price, sturdy and with some extra protection, especially since we are prone to make some mistakes when we are new to airsoft and there are some tricks and tips that we don’t know.

WHAT OF THE FUTURE?

So, having established a great benchmark for the new players with an immediate improvement and benefit to an existing platform that I’ve

And as we can see when visiting the GATE website: “Acting as an electronic guard, X-ASR improves

to the player community worldwide!

The next item on the agenda is DARK MATTER, brushless motors with rotational speeds from 27,000 to 55,000 rpm! Within the range are long, short and

“THIS AEG HAS BEEN WITH ME THROUGH NUMEROUS GAMES, SMALL AND BIG. AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN, ESPECIALLY IN SOME BIGGER GAMES, WHERE HAVING A LIGHTER REPLICA IS A MAJOR POSITIVE POINT. ...THE FLEX RANGE IS A GREAT CHOICE”

even slim engines, intended for players who want uber-levels of performance from their AEGs!

SPECNA ARMS tell us that:

“A new product series with many variants for the most demanding users; decide for yourself which direction you want to go. Take on the challenge of

of replicas,

• an affordable price,

• an advanced and programmable HAL system. Previous CORE series replicas were known from the old proven contact block, which under the influence of the trigger press, closed the electric circuit allowing a shot to be fired; a good proven thing, but unfortunately technically limited compared to current capabilities.

technological trends. This is particularly evident after the latest delivery of CORE+HAL replicas. However, the benefits of DARK MATTER brushless motors compared to traditional brushed motors include:

• High torque

• Improved trigger response, high TPA ratio

• Significantly quieter operation compared to brushed motors

• Aluminium housing made on CNC machining centers

• Reduced current consumption and battery load

• Increased longevity and reduced component wear

• Good heat dissipation

And of course there was a mention right there about HAL, and the latest part of the SA release program is the uprated CORE AEG models! The guys over at www.gunfire.com told me:

“The well-known manufacturer in our range, Specna Arms, has surprised us with CORE series replicas featuring the latest HAL system. In this set, the manufacturer allows us to receive:

• a well-known, durable, and most trusted series

The HAL system completely replaces the previously mentioned component. It features a magnetic sensor that reads the current position of the trigger thanks to the Hall

Additionally, the mounted components

binary trigger programming (two shots per one

• active braking (the piston stops in the same place after firing),

• trigger adjustment in five positions (5 levels),

• adjustable pre-cocking (6 levels),

• programming fire modes on semi and auto (3rd burst, 5rd burst, binary, AUG, sniper),

• an alarm signal for low battery level,

• compatibility with brushless motors.

“DARK MATTER, BRUSHLESS MOTORS WITH ROTATIONAL SPEEDS FROM 27,000 TO 55,000 RPM! WITHIN THE RANGE ARE LONG, SHORT AND EVEN SLIM ENGINES, INTENDED FOR PLAYERS WHO WANT UBER-LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE FROM THEIR AEGS!”

have created in the past, but this new generation seems to push things forward yet again! They say:

“Are you a classic sniper, destroying enemy units from hiding? Or perhaps a more dynamic figure who prefers to test their skills in direct confrontations? Decide for yourself and start your sniper adventure with the new series of replicas from Specna Arms! Several models await you, in three colour versions, with different equipment. Have you ever dreamed of a sniper rifle replica that exceeds most electric rifles in range and accuracy right out of the box? From today, Specna Arms meets your expectations!”

This all sounds pretty cool to me and the latest EDGE S-SERIES (SA-S11, 12, 13, and 14) models feature:

• 500FPS straight out of the box,

• steel cylinder and cylinder head,

• aluminium piston in a 90° system,

• trigger assembly with steel components in a 90° system,

• precision 6.03mm inner barrel

As stated earlier, the guys have had good experiences with the existing S-SERIES models, so the new ones have definitely got their attention!

And there appears to be more and more news coming each and every week from SPECNA ARMS, so I’m definitely interested to see what all this new tech brings to the airsoft-party, and rest assured that I’ll be talking about all of it in greater detail just as soon as we’ve had chance to check it out properly!

www.specnaarms.com and www.gunfire.com and check out all the models with the HAL SYSTEM; check out for yourself the capabilities of the new CORE replicas from SPECNA ARMS, the performance of those DARK MATTER motors, and the new models of sniper rifles… and of course I’ll be checking things out myself and reporting back so just as soon as we can get my hands on production models! AA

TACO UPGRADES FTW!

THE AA CREW ARE TAKING A SMALL BREAK FROM THE CAGE THIS MONTH AS WE PREPARE SOMETHING EXTRA-SPECIAL FOR NEXT MONTH, BUT THE WE’RE ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR NEW, INNOVATIVE, AND USEFUL UPGRADES TO OUR PERSONAL KIT, AND SOMETIMES IT CAN BE THE SMALLEST OF THINGS THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE TO YOUR PERFORMANCE IN-GAME! DAN TAKES A LOOK AT SOME INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS FROM AN OUTFIT CALLED HUGO INDUSTRIES AND LIKES WHAT HE SEES!

High Speed Gear’s original TACO pouch undisputedly set the standard for open-topped quick-access style magazine pouches, with their versatility and durability making them extremely popular among the military, law enforcement and civilians. As good as the TACO was, there were a few inherent flaws with the design, however.

Aside from everyone’s least favorite aspect, installing the pouch, reinserting magazines back into the TACO was sometimes a little tougher than one might like. Being that the exterior of the pouch is laced throughout with elastic shock cord, this causes the lips of the pouch to want to naturally close when a magazine is removed. On the rifle pouches specifically, there are also some Cordura tabs designed to allow for the end user to modify the pouch with some elastic keepers if they wish to add some additional retention. Unfortunately, it’s been my experience that these tabs often fold over into the interior of the pouch and can catch on the magazine.

HSGI uses two polymer glides to create part of the structure of the pouch and also to facilitate smoother insertion and re-insertion for magazines that have lugs or other protrusions. The main point of contention is actually the front and rear of the pouch, which do not have any guides and are simply stitched 1000D Cordura fabric with a seam-taped edge. Particularly with airsoft magazines, which typically do not have curved magazine lips and just terminate in an abrupt 90 degree angle on top, these can be even more problematic when trying to reinsert a magazine into a TACO. Long time users will undoubtedly have developed some techniques to circumvent this issue; mine being what I like to call “auguring”, which is where you insert one edge of the magazine against the polymer glide, then rotate the magazine in a circular manner until it slides in… sort of like working a drill augur bit back and forth a bit so it can bite the soil. With practice, this can be done fairly fast, but one suffers when exhaustion sets in or you’re attempting

“AS

GOOD AS THE TACO WAS, THERE WERE A FEW INHERENT FLAWS WITH THE DESIGN, HOWEVER. ASIDE FROM EVERYONE’S LEAST FAVORITE ASPECT, INSTALLING THE POUCH, REINSERTING MAGAZINES BACK INTO THE TACO WAS SOMETIMES A LITTLE TOUGHER THAN ONE MIGHT LIKE”

to run things in a hurry.

During my many travels on the Internet, I happened to come across Hugo Industries, who had created a rather interesting device for HSGI’s TACO’s. Like other boutique 3D printing shops aimed squarely at the tactical market, Hugo Industries is concerned with developing products that address existing design deficiencies or simple problems. As their company profile section states: “We make products that fix a problem. Plain and simple.” I am pretty keen on investigating some of these smaller shops offerings as they often have some neat concepts and good out-ofthe-box thinking; tackling niche products that some of the bigger companies would not.

LIP SERVICE

Whether it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek or for lack of a better name, Hugo has created what they call “Feed Lips for HSGI TACO’s.” Rather ingeniously made, these are basically a set of guides that clip into the top of the pouch and serve to create a smooth entrance for the magazine. Having now used them for a while, I can confidently say they do an excellent job at helping you “feed” the magazine back into the TACO.

The Feed Lips are made from 3D printed PETG, which is rated to withstand temperatures as high

as 88C / 190F and has good impact resistance and flexibility. This flexibility allayed my initial worries of these being overly brittle (as has been my experience with some 3D printed products in the past). In fact, you can bend the Feed Lips quite substantially; I halfway suspect if they were flexed greatly beyond their normal shape, they would deform as opposed to actually cracking.

Installation is quite simple, though the long lip is a little bit easier to install than the shorter lip. The longer of the two Feed Lips is the one that inserts into the back of the pouch. Hugo Industries instructional video indicated that you need to remove the MALICE or HSGI attachment clip from the pouch first, but I actually found this was not necessary. You just need to press it into place over the top of the pouch and the small hook on the Feed Lip catches on the taped seam edge, preventing the clip from pulling free.

The front clip is a little trickier, and I found the best technique to get it to situate on top of the shock cord was to slightly squeeze the sides of the pouch so the MOLLE formed a slight loop and then insert the Feed Lip. The bottom edge is supposed to hook under the top row of MOLLE, while up top there is a flange that hooks over the top taped seam. When installed correctly, this pretty much stays put. Additional tension is applied to the Feed Lips by the MALICE clip the magazine itself. I gave them a lot of yanking and wiggling and wasn’t able to get them to break loose from the pouch. Suffice it to say, you would have to deliberately work to uninstall these.

USER-FRIENDLY

Now as to the actual intention of these clips – do they actually solve the problem they set out to resolve? Without question, this is a resounding “YES!”

The Hugo Industries Feed Lips make inserting magazines a legitimate breeze now. I no longer need to “auger” the magazine into the pouch, nor divert my attention away from whatever I was doing

“DURING MY MANY TRAVELS ON THE INTERNET, I HAPPENED TO COME ACROSS HUGO INDUSTRIES, WHO HAD CREATED A RATHER INTERESTING DEVICE FOR HSGI’S TACO’S. LIKE OTHER BOUTIQUE 3D PRINTING SHOPS AIMED SQUARELY AT THE TACTICAL MARKET, HUGO INDUSTRIES IS CONCERNED WITH DEVELOPING PRODUCTS THAT ADDRESS EXISTING DESIGN DEFICIENCIES OR SIMPLE PROBLEMS”

towards steering the magazine into the pouch. Now, I simply push it straight in without any hanging up or catching on the material as before. I genuinely wish I had discovered these earlier; they are really that sublime.

My initial order was for a set of 6 of these, which I have fitted into my Extended Pistol TACO’s. I use these pouches primarily as a dedicated SMG magazine pouch because they tend to fit most every platform out there. I tested the Feed Lips with KWA QRF MOD 1 magazines, as well as the TK.45’s longer 120 rounder, then the Arcturus and LCT PP-19-01 Vityaz magazines, and of course, the MP5, VFC MP7 and others. There was not a single SMG magazine that gave me issues with the Feed Lips.

Currently Hugo Industries offers the Feed Lips for Gen 1 HSGI pouches with MOLLE attachments and the newer X2R and X2RP only. They have feed lips for the pistol, rifle, extended pouches and double-deckers. At US$4.99 per set of Feed Lips, I feel these are well worth the investment and do a lot to make the TACO feel

fresh again.

In early April 2024, HSGI announced the long-anticipated Gen 2 update to the venerable TACO, which aimed to improve a few design features, one of which seemed to be the top edges of the pouch inhibiting reinsertion. I have not personally handled the Gen 2 pouch yet, but I do know there is an absolute ton of Gen 1 HSGI TACO’s in circulation still. As bombproof as these pouches are, for the person considering bumping up to the Gen 2’s and who still own a perfectly serviceable Gen 1 pouch, they may want to consider the minimal investment into the Hugo Industries Feed Lips instead of the more expensive Gen 2 pouches. Given how well they work, I plan on upgrading the rest of the various TACO’s in my possession too!

Just to be perfectly clear, Hugo Industries did not provide their products for review, nor provided any compensation or endorsements… this is all on me. You can check out Hugo Industries and their products at www.hugoindustries.com AA

“THE HUGO INDUSTRIES FEED LIPS MAKE INSERTING MAGAZINES A LEGITIMATE BREEZE NOW. I NO LONGER NEED TO “AUGER” THE MAGAZINE INTO THE POUCH, NOR DIVERT MY ATTENTION AWAY FROM WHATEVER I WAS DOING TOWARDS STEERING THE MAGAZINE INTO THE POUCH. NOW, I SIMPLY PUSH IT STRAIGHT IN…”

RED CELL THE SHORT OF IT!

SMGs and Machine Pistols are a very interesting area of airsoft for me, and us, as by their very nature they are the perfect platform for both gas and electric-driven systems; why do I say this? It’s simple to ne really as the SMG/MP platform is in the real world designed for a number of things, namely closer-in work.

Whilst we will always want a full-auto setting for our platform-of-choice, in airsoft-terms “close-in” means semi-auto usage for CQB/CQC environments; it’s detailed, accurate, aimed-shot territory where each and every BB counts.

Although I’ve owned personally SMGs in AEG form, and have some great in-game memories from my time spent behind the sights of an MP5, these days I find myself increasingly drawn to GBBRs across the board, and let’s face it there are some awesome models out there to choose from, and more of the way as Stewbacca’s Archwick headliner this month illustrates. GBB SMGs are getting better and better, and whether you use more conventional gas or an HPA system, the truth of the matter is that the “motive force” driving these platforms along is of better, more consistent quality, giving performance that we once only dreamed of!

However, that is no way to say that an AEG SMG isn’t worth its weight in gold, and a well-tuned one can be equally effective in the woods as in an urban setting, and for the smaller player the sheer lack of weight and physical size means that the SMG is something you can run all day with, and hold your own in any setting.

But how have the Red Cell Test Models stood up to abuse? Once again, I would stress that the models

WHEN IT COMES TO SMGS IT’S AN AREA WHERE AEG MEETS GBB SO VERY WELL, AND IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY! MORE AND MORE WE’RE SEEING EXCELLENT GAS SYSTEMS APPEARING IN SHORT MP AND SMG PLATFORMS, AND IT DOES APPEAR TO BE AN AREA WHERE THE NEW, MORE CONSISTENT GASES EXCEL! WITH A MIX OF “OPERATING SYSTEMS” THE MEMBERS OF RED CELL START TO DRILL EVEN FURTHER DOWN ON SOME OF THE TEST MODELS OLD AND NEW(ER)!

here are all either owned by members of The Cell, or held in the common pool for regular shooting and evaluation, and when a new model is added we REALLY give it some abuse! Most models are still stock from the box, running on recommended batteries or gas, and have been serviced sensibly in their journey; where upgrades have been made on individual models this has been highlighted so you can see exactly what we’ve done…. And now it’s over to The Cell for our latest category update!

Ben: G&G SMC 9, so my thoughts on this remind the same as before I truly believe this is more a SMG that is suited for the speed softer type of player or for them CQB kill house style games and its strength is really within the indoor CQB battleground, that’s not to say that it’s not a good platform, mine is still a standard build however I truly believe even if you was to get the few upgraded parts i.e inner barrel new hop and hop rubber it’s performance wouldn’t be too much different to justify using it in say an open field battleground where you would have the more medium to long range encounters... it really is a joy to use and still keeps its unique cool look, it’s most definitely more efficient if you have a HPA drum mag set up for it as it’s tends to spill out gas from its usual mags, it’s recoil is satisfying and it just has them cool extra little features like the gull wing ejection ports the ambidextrous charging handle all that just seemed to keep that love for it going, I do love the SMC 9 but it has its particular need for when to be used; luckily I love my CQB unfortunately though there’s not really any CQB sites too close to my home location however this little beast shall remain in my collection ready and waiting…

Bill: I can’t quite believe that it was way back in Issue 112 (April 2020!) that I looked closely at a new model from G&G Armament in the form of the SMC-9, and I’ve been giving my own “Little Hammer” (as we’ve come to call it) some thorough abuse ever since! I initially set the SMC-9 up with .20g BBs for chrono testing, and got a pleasingly consistent and

kit” as it essentially contains the GTP-9 as the “driving force”, it is so much more than that. For now though I’ll conclude by repeating what I said initially; I do completely love the SMC-9! It’s a GBB that I will continue to thoroughly enjoy, and I look forward to using each and every time I pull it from the gun case.

Ben: Tokyo Marui, MP7 A1 GBB.. Oh how I love

start to fade a little beyond 20m, the SMC-9 is still bang on the button, and it’s good now its bedded in for 4050m!

One issue I did have was prior to maintenance the SMC-9 did start to fail to lock back, and then it seized completely; thankfully this tuned out to be nothing major, as the working parts had simply shifted slightly in the chassis, but some tender ministrations from Jimmy soon had it back and running as new, so it just goes to show you do need to keep in top of your maintenance.

Although I would still class the SMC-9 as a carbine, and indeed what many have referred to as a “carbine

secret on my love for this SMG it everything going for it the looks the quality the Marui pixie dust performance what more could you ask for!?....

Okay, okay, enough of my own personal dribble over this lol, so it does have a few kinks of which I am willing to forgive; sometimes the bolt doesn’t lock back when a mag is fully emptied and it’s not one to one scale, some people have issues with the rear end body cracking which I believe is user error as it tends to be people using the heavy gas (red or black), I’ve only ever used green gas in mine and have never had this problem! of standard

an upgrade or new part... Unfortunately I have just

“GBB SMGS ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER, AND WHETHER YOU USE MORE CONVENTIONAL GAS OR AN HPA SYSTEM, THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT THE “MOTIVE FORCE” DRIVING THESE PLATFORMS ALONG IS OF BETTER, MORE CONSISTENT QUALITY, GIVING PERFORMANCE THAT WE ONCE ONLY DREAMED OF!”

recently snapped the end of my outer barrel on my unicorn so she will go back on the shelf as the main flagship in my arsenal getting ship shaped and ready for the next one, but yes this is definitely one platform I highly recommend in everyone’s collection, for CQB and out in the open field; granted the MP7 doesn’t have the greatest of long range but it’s still definitely a good competitor and its accuracy for its range is still that Marui high-quality performance, hands down this is my favourite gun of all guns. It is a piece of art and feels more like family or an extension of one self,.... I’m telling you, you can’t go wrong with a Tokyo Marui MP7 A1 GBB in your life.

Dan: LCT’s PP-19-01 Vityaz continues to truck along, with several new variants released since its original release. Most of these selections are mainly offering aesthetic changes, with different motor

minor cosmetic differences. In some respects, this is more like a UMP 45 trying to be a UMP 9 - if you want to put an analogy around it.

Internally speaking, we have the same gearbox as used on LCT’s larger AK brethren: 9mm bearings, steel 18:1 gearset, full-metal-rack piston with aluminium ported piston head and cylinder, O-ring air nozzle, traditional V3 trigger switch and an old-school ferrite motor. These turn in respectable performance out of the box, but the motor really underperforms and contributes to poor trigger response. My personal example required a number of upgrades to get it performing up to snuff - mainly swapping out the motor and dropping in a good ETU and barrel and hop-up setup. LCT’s strong suit has never been magazines, and unfortunately the PP-19’s magazines are admittedly somewhat

to select if you want to do select or comprehensive cosmetic and internal upgrades down the line. This features the iconic steel triangle folding stock, standard (non-railed) polymer handguards, railed dust cover and two 50 round midcap magazines. The body construction is very robust, with fully stamped steel externals, steel outer barrel, sights, and greebling. This is an AEG you could feel confident in taking a beating and scarcely giving a blink. Purists will undoubtedly note that the LCT Vityaz is not quite clone correct. The magazines themselves are too large compared to the real version, as is the receiver, among some other

shimming of the magazine well so the a bit of a must, but it’s a painful plates used on the internal inserts.

My other point of contention would be the difficulty in accessing the hop-up chamber adjustment. This is tucked inside the receiver, within the rear sight trunnion and is hard to reach. It’s simply easier to swing up the dust cover and adjust it from the left side. But in most cases where I have been given leeway, I perform a little modification by extending the arm rearwards so it can be properly adjusted through the ejection port. I would like to see this offered on factory guns as it would make a big difference in usability.

“AN AEG SMG IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD, AND A WELL-TUNED ONE CAN BE EQUALLY EFFECTIVE IN THE WOODS AS IN AN URBAN SETTING, AND FOR THE SMALLER PLAYER THE SHEER LACK OF WEIGHT AND PHYSICAL SIZE MEANS THAT THE SMG IS SOMETHING YOU CAN RUN ALL DAY WITH, AND HOLD YOUR OWN IN ANY SETTING”

JG WORKS JG069 MP5 AEG

Model: JG Works JG069 MP5 AEG

Price: iro UK£70.00

Age: Five Years

Weight: 1725g

Length: 735mm (Stock Collapsed)

Magazine Capacity: 240 BBs (Mid and Realcaps available)

Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Taclite Compatibility: Dedicated

Suppressor Compatibilty: Dedicated, or buy the SD6!

Available From: www.taiwangun.com

ELITE FORCE (UMAREX) H&K UMP AEG

Price: iro UK£155.00

Age: Five Years

Weight: 2075g

Length: 450mm/680mm

Magazine Capacity: 400 BBs (Midcaps available)

Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail

Suppressor Compatibilty: Dedicated

Supplied By: www.gunfire.com

G&G SMC9 GBB

Price: iro £UK£285.00

Age: Four Years

Weight: 2125g

Length: 420mm/630mm

Magazine Capacity: Gas, 50 BBs (Will accept 27 BB GTP9 pistol mags)

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/335fps

Hot Chrono: 1.04 Joule/335fps

Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW

Supplied By: www.guay2.com

G&G PCC45 AEG

Price: iro UK£290.00

Age: Four Years

Weight: 2500g

Length: 500mm/735mm

Magazine Capacity: 110 BB (Mid and Hicaps available)

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.guay2.com

TOKYO MARUI MP7A1 GBB

Price: iro UK£295.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 2200g

Length: 381mm/586mm

Magazine Capacity: 40BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps

Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail

Suppressor Compatibilty: Dedicated

Available From: www.alphadeltaairsoft.com

Overall, I still quite like the LCT PP-19-01, and at one time it was the only option available for Vityaz replicas; so it has rightfully cemented its place in airsoft history on that attribute alone. But I do feel it’s been eclipsed in a number of prominent areas by the newer Arcturus version; albeit that comes in at a higher price point. But I think with a few very minor improvements, LCT could definitely elevate it back onto the stage again!

Covered in December 23’s Issue 156, my Arcturus PP-19-01 PE edition has continued to perform admirably and has seen quite a bit of use since. I’ve more or less been using it as my main primary for when I’m not running an LMG or sniper rifle. For the unfamiliar, the “PE” version of Arcturus’ Ver. 3 gearbox is equipped with a Perun ETU from the factory, but also sports a number of notable upgrades over the entry level gearboxes found in some of Arcturus’ AK models. These include CNC’d 13:1 short-stroked gears, 8mm bearings, full-metal rack piston, O-ring air nozzle, tunable trigger, and a 21 TPA Neodymium motor. This is all housed within a truncated Ver. 3 gearbox design, which has a true quick-change spring guide that can be accessed by simply folding the stock. When used with an 11.1v LiPo, a you can expect a ROF of 25 RPS, with excellent trigger response for a factory gun. Arcturus also use what I consider to be the best hopup chamber design out there for the Ver. 3 platform. This features a true top-down-center (TDC) nub holder and a rotary adjustment wheel. Coupled with their 6.02 steel inner barrel, this AEG has excellent accuracy and punches far above its weight. Suffice it to say, this AEG has no issues competing on the field.

The Arcturus PP-19’s feature 1:1 dimensions, right down to the magazines - the latter of which can be toggled between 30 or 95 round capacity. Cosmetically speaking, these also match the aesthetics of the real Vityaz much better than the LCT version does. Arcturus has equipped the PE edition gearbox into several variants of the PP-19 platform now, so mainly it’s down to selecting what external package you want. As far as I am aware, the external components amongst all three current models are cross-compatible, so changing up your setup should be pretty straightforward.

By and large, I have left mine mostly stock, having found it one of the few AEG’s that doesn’t really need much finessing out of the box. I’ve been feeding it a steady diet of .32g’s and 11.1v LiPo’s and it’s just purred at every event. Early on, I did run into an issue with the magazine springs “running out of gas” on full auto, but they would have otherwise worked okay if shooting strictly in semi-auto. I upgraded the magazine springs with PTS EPM springs, which have made a dramatic improvement and now they feed flawlessly. My only other gripe - admittedly minorwas the inserts sit a little loose within the magazine body. Adding a little bit of tape on the inside of the magazine shell removed the rattle, however.

While these are priced slightly higher than the LCT model, I feel the Arcturus PE editions are the best bang for your buck given the many significant improvements they bring to the table, and they have certainly set the benchmark for what a good Vityaz replica should look like.

Bill: Having now had quite a lot of experience with LCT’s AEGs, and having now seen first-hand where they’re put together, I’m more than happy with their tank-like build. I had high expectations for the PP-1901 and thus far it’s proved to be a right little cracker! LCT recommend a 11.1v Li-Po as the power source for this AEG, and as usual it’s a tight fit given that the battery sits under the top cover. At chrono you’ll get a mean of 330fps using .20g BBs; all LCT replicas are in fact downgraded by the factory in Changhua to UK legal specification and tested before they are shipped. Accuracy-wise it’s brilliant at CQB distances, and that’s of course what it was designed for, and now it’s been well used and abused in it’s no slouch at 40-50m either! It’s an absolute cracker of an SMG, and if you fancy the idea of an AK variant, but want something that’s a little unique, different and thoroughly up to date then the Vityaz could be just the thing you’ve been searching for!

One “unsung hero” in the mix for me is another AEG (just to prove I’m not a gas-snob!), the Bizon; quirky and distinctive, the S&T Bizon is actually one of my favourite “sneaky beaky” SMGs, and it’s the ideal platform I would want for a more “covert” role in an airsoft game due to the fact that it is very easily concealable, and that the “helical” magazine makes it

ASG SCORPION EVO A1 AEG

Price: iro UK3330.00

Age: Six Years

Weight: 2300g

Length: 425mm/625mm

Magazine Capacity: 75BBs (Hicaps available)

Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail

Suppressor Compatibilty: Dedicated

Supplied By: www.actionsportgames.com

KRYTAC KRISS VECTOR AEG

Price: iro UK£440.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 2600g

Length: 665mm

Magazine Capacity: 95BBs

Cold Chrono: 1.12 Joule/348fps

Hot Chrono: 1.12 Joule/348fps

Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail

Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW

Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

SIG AIR MPX AEG

Price: iro UK£330.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 2540g

Length: 635mm (stock collapsed)

Magazine Capacity: 100BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Taclite Compatibility:

Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW

Available From: www.redwolfairsoft.com

S&T AVENGER BIZON AEG

Price: iro UK£220.00

Age: Six Years

Weight: 2900g

Length: 485mm (Stock Folded)

Magazine Capacity: 300 BBs (Silverback Midcaps available)

Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Taclite Compatibility: None, but you can easily fit a rail section

Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW

Supplied By: www.nuprol.com

LCT PP-19 AEG

Price: iro UK£400.00

Age: Six Years

Weight: 3220g

Length: 480mm/705mm

Magazine Capacity: 50 BBs (Double Included, Hicap available)

Cold Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps

Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps

Taclite Compatibility: None (Aftermarket rails are now available)

Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW

Available From: www.fire-support.co.uk

far more streamlined and less likely to catch on outer clothing or straps inside a pack. The “Sportline” Bizon also weighs in at just 4050g so it’s perfect for carrying all day long!

The Bizon is capable of semi and full auto fire, with a typical AK-type safety with the lever on the right side of the receiver. Although plastic the sturdy skeletonized buttstock folds to the left side when not needed, but you can’t lock it in this position as the magazine fouls this; I will say here that sturdy as the stock is I wouldn’t want to take a tumble on it, but so far it’s stood up to my abuse. As a so-called “Sportline” I wasn’t expecting superb performance from the little Bizon out of the box, but oh my, how things continue to move on! Once upon a time you’d be “fettling” any entry-level AEG to get it anywhere near full performance, but with just standard maintenance and a new hop-rubber the Bizon has retained a smooth operation and performance; load it up with BBs and with an 11.1 Stick LiPo and it will deliver a consistent and site-friendly 340fps, and it kicks BBs out to well over 50m too!

Jimmy: The Elite force H&K UMP45 was the first SMG I purchased about five and a bit years ago, and from then on it has seen countless outings and seen many thousands of BBs pass through it. Of all the UMP’s on the circuit I feel

it definitely is the best one; it’s light yet solid and operates perfectly. The EFCS system gives three fire modes semi, two BB burst and full auto, full auto being my favourite as the EBB sounds pretty cool rattling away and many people think it’s the GBBR version and are surprised to learn it’s electric.

Battery space is a tad on the tight side but fortunately both Nuprol and Giant Power make fairly thin batteries. It will run on both 7.4v and 11.1v, but there’s little to no room for 11.1v sadly. The original hop rubber was not all that good, after all it is an Ares on the inside, so that had to go and was replaced with a Maple Leaf Macaron which dramatically altered the range and increased accuracy at a distance. The G36 hop unit didn’t survive either; I can’t say for sure how but it ended up with a crack on the front end so was replaced with a Prowin and so far so good. Ootb the power was just under a joule and a better quality spring inserted; if memory serves me correct it was an SHS M105 spring bringing the power up close to 350fps. Everything else is still stock and operating just fine. I love the aesthetics of the UMP45, and for me it always was and always will be the best looking SMG and they look fantastic with the correct attachments.

Moving on, I purchased the G&G PCC45 as soon as it hit the UK and I was very excited about this new model. It had the same characteristics as the UMP, only a more modern look. Being G&G I knew I could expect good things from it, but that was until I attempted to fit a battery! Due to its skeleton H&K

“ONE “UNSUNG HERO” IN THE MIX FOR ME IS ANOTHER AEG, THE BIZON; QUIRKY AND DISTINCTIVE, THE S&T BIZON IS ACTUALLY ONE OF MY FAVOURITE “SNEAKY BEAKY” SMGS, AND IT’S THE IDEAL PLATFORM I WOULD WANT FOR A MORE “COVERT” ROLE IN AN AIRSOFT GAME DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT IS VERY EASILY CONCEALABLE”

VORSK VMP-1 GBB

Price: iro UK£200.00

Age: One Year

Weight: 1829g

Length: 557/690mm

Magazine Capacity: 48 BBs

Cold Chrono: 1.06 Joule/339fps

Hot Chrono: 1.08 Joule/342fps

Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail

Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW (comes with a dedicated suppressor muzzle device, or with suppressor on the X variant)

Available From: www.vorskairsoft.com

G&G MXC 9 AEG

Price: iro UK£350.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 2190g

Length: 420/665mm

Magazine Capacity: 130 BBs

Cold Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps

Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps

Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK

Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW

Supplied By: www.guay2.com

ARCTURUS PP20 PE AEG (LTD EDITION)

Price: iro UK£600.00

Age: New Weight: 2950g

Length: 660mm

Magazine Capacity: 95 BBs

Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Hot Chrono: 1.09 Joule/343fps

Taclite Compatibility: Lower Rail Only

Suppressor Compatibilty: Dedicated (comes with the AEG)

Available From: www.taiwangun.com

EVOLUTION REAPER XS EMR AEG

Price: iro UK£250.00

Age: New Weight: 2200g

Length: 490-580mm

Magazine Capacity: 110 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.88 Joule/309fps

Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK

Suppressor Compatibilty: 14mm CCW

Supplied By: www.evolutioninternational.it

ASG MP9 GBB

Price: iro UK£200.00

Age: Five Years

Weight: 1750g

Length: 305-527mm

Magazine Capacity: 48 BBs

Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Hot Chrono: 1.08 Joule/342fps

Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail (RHS, High)

Suppressor Compatibilty: Dedicated

Available From: Sadly, these will now be available second-hand only…

style stock it had to go in the front of the platform. To get the handguard off is very easy and G&G designed a pretty nifty tool-free locking-lever and the handguard just slides off. The battery tray is very small and can only hold small capacity sticks; the smallest 1100mah 11.1v was a very tight squeeze which pushed the thin metal tray apart making the handguard a very tight fit. I was worried about the battery the whole time. As a result of this I haven’t used it that much to be honest however the times I did use it impressed me. With an ootb power around 1.1J and a very responsive trigger and the addition of their new rotary hop unit and the G&G blue hop rubber this SMG could sling a .30g BB out further than most ootb AEG’S I had used previously and with a very fast follow-up shot in semi it really did give an advantage over others.

They really did a great job on the hop unit I must say, much so that it has actually become a choice of upgrade in other brands of rifles. With a ROF around 20rps you could empty midcap mags very quickly, basically all down to the great IFRIT 25k motor, again another choice part from G&G that can be classed as an upgrade part. But sadly the PCC45 has been relegated to the shelf to collect dust and it is mainly due to the very frugal battery space. However the PCC45 did get a new lease of life in the form of the MXC9. It’s basically a revised version of the PCC45

with a much better battery fitment option and is a perfect little platform, one that I still can’t find fault with!

Krytac’s Kriss Vector; I always thought this one to be ugly and I heard from a lot of people it’s too front heavy. I had no desire to own one and had never given buying one a thought. That was up until Perun sent us their new trigger unit. We had to give it a review and no one had a Vector (a lot said there…) so what did I do? I purchased a brand new one, UK£500 I spent on that and I instantly regretted it.

I tried to be positive about it and I hated the fact I had succumbed, but for the purpose of science I rolled with it. The first thing I noticed was that it wasn’t as front heavy as people had stated, and compared to the A&K Mod 0 it was very light indeed. Though it soon became apparent that I would struggle even more with this rifle to fit a battery (do you see a pattern emerging here?) as SMGs have small battery compartments! And I couldn’t find a battery small enough to fit into the tiny space in the grip. The only option was to find someone who could 3D print an extension for it; you can buy the extension piece but even then it’s not that much bigger.

For an expensive platform The Vector didn’t perform as I was expecting, as it struggled to lift anything over a .28g BB and it didn’t carry much range; that said it only has a short barrel around 150mm and the velocity was around 300fps, so less than 1j which was disappointing. However, it does have a quick change spring so it is easy enough to bring the power up. The rotary hop unit was tight and I couldn’t get my finger in the ejection port to adjust it, so this required the use of a small tool. I didn’t like the fact it had two fire selectors, one for the safety and the second for fire modes semi, three BB burst and full auto; due to “muscle

“THE DYNAMICS OF THE RIFLE MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SHOULDER PROPERLY AND GET LOW ENOUGH TO LOOK DOWN MY SIGHTS, AND THE RESULT SAW ME HOLDING IT MUCH LIKE PAINTBALLERS HOLD THEIR GUNS!”

memory” I kept flicking the safety switch to change fire mode which became frustrating.

The dynamics of the rifle made it difficult for me to shoulder properly and get low enough to look down my sights, and the result saw me holding it much like paintballers hold their guns!

Internally it is like no other model featured here; the piston travels vertically and the cylinder head has a 90 degree bend on it meaning it isn’t easy to get upgrade parts for it. I disliked everything about this platform. It has never seen a game day and I genuinely don’t think it will tbh. If ever I get asked would you recommend a Vector I will tell them NO spend the money elsewhere.

You may remember a while back now we had the immense pleasure of being a part of the lead-up to the release of the VMP-1 from Vorsk and I was pretty excited about it to be honest. Vorsk gave us a few test subjects to see what we thought about them. It is a mix-up looks-wise of many classic SMGs and the designer, Ross, did mention how much he used to love using his older gas SMG platforms, so you can clearly see the inspiration!

To date I have used it a fair bit and while I have been enjoying it, it hasn’t been all rosy I hate to say. For the part it has performed incredibly well; it’s a pretty efficient platform and can empty a whole mag with no problems and still have enough gas for a reload. It has the ability to lift a .30g BB and that’s a rarity for a System-7 hop setup. I did suffer a few problems along the way and that was the nozzle on my second outing; the nozzle broke the loading tab off, not a problem, I had a spare which was included in the box. The next time out all appeared well right through the entirety of the day, and there were no visible signs to suggest why it happened. After chatting with Bill I managed to get another two nozzles for further testing so back to the drawing board, simple enough.

I didn’t use the platform for a little while and then we received at NAF 23 the new HPA adapter from Airtac; I was excited and I couldn’t wait to get home and try it out. First game out with the HPA adaptor and the newly fitted nozzle, and another nozzle down; this started to dampen my spirits a

little but I had the other spares so I soldiered on and replaced it again. Fortunately the VMP-1 is a fairly easy gun to work on provided you have the correct tools, especially to remove the tiny pins in the bolt; I managed to get back out for the afternoon games and all seemed fine. The only thing I can put it down to is the speed at which the bolt moves forward and the speed at which the BBs rise to the top of the feed lips, especially when you crank up the HPA system; the BBs don’t seem to move up in time for the bolt travelling moving such speed! That is the only “theoretical explanation” I have, but I haven’t given up on this one and my journey is still very much in full swing, pushing the VMP-1 to the max of the HPA system in controlled testing conditions to see what happens… more to come!

Bill: Although I own and adore many (MANY!) AEGs, to me it is without shadow of a doubt that a good, well set-up and scrupulously-maintained gas platform is the purest form of airsoft as it replicates the “real deal” so very closely in terms of operation, if not performance. But, “performance” is a key word here as that, along with to some degree the historical cost, is what deters most players I know from embracing “The Gas Life”. Gas platforms can be fickle things at the best of times, and it does take both time and devotion to get the best from one, but the VMP-1 for me is making life massively easy in this respect.

It’s without doubt that the VMP-1 shows that “gassers” have improved tremendously in recent years, and prices for a basic GBBR have come down; you can have the basic VMP-1 for around the UK£200 mark and get yourself fully into the “gas game”. It’s also true that the gasses themselves have become better, more stable, and more manageable; this is a dark art all of its own, but gases now are more consistent than ever before, and the “mix” has improved too, all the better to keep your gas platform and accompanying magazines in good shape. Vorsk have actually done a tremendous amount of work on getting the VMP-1in this respect, and I’ve been using their V6, V8, and V12 Fuel in a lot of my testing recently with excellent, and highly consistent, results.

“FOR AN EXPENSIVE PLATFORM THE VECTOR DIDN’T PERFORM AS I WAS EXPECTING, AS IT STRUGGLED TO LIFT ANYTHING OVER A .28G BB AND IT DIDN’T CARRY MUCH RANGE; THAT SAID IT ONLY HAS A SHORT BARREL AROUND 150MM AND THE VELOCITY WAS AROUND 300FPS, SO LESS THAN 1J WHICH WAS DISAPPOINTING”

I’ve got my VMP-1 set up just the way I like it now, and I have to tell you that thus far I’ve been absolutely hammering it… after all, that’s what I, and we, DO! My VMP-1 now has over 15K BBs through from new, with each of the five mags being expended many, many times, with an average of two magsworth of BBs to a single fill… I have now opened the wee beastie up and given it some lubrication in the relevant places, and to date I’ve yet to see any problems develop… in my mind I have now set a new goal of a round-out 20K BB count as new before it gets a total strip-down and some proper maintenance, and then even I, tech-luddite supreme, can do this thanks to the excellent take-down video created by the Vorsk Crew for exactly this purpose (you can find this on YT or on the AA website!); top marks for this Vorsk, lesson to be learnt here all you manufacturers!

I’ve tested pretty much entirely on VORSK V6 gas, and even with a stable gas like this I’ve seen some fluctuation dependant on climatic conditions, especially now we’re finally getting into UK-summer but not as much as some might suggest. On V6 with an ambient temperature of 18-19C the VMP-1 has chrono’d consistently at 1.07 Joule/341 fps using

VORSK .20g BBs… and yes, when the temperature rose to 21C last summer I did see this rise to 1.12 Joule/348fps if I left the mags in the sun… don’t do this at home kids! Has the VMP-1 lived up to my expectations? It sure has so far, in every way possible, especially given the price! This is a gas platform that delivers on all fronts, and one that puts having a gas SMG easily within the pocket-reach of most airsofters out there. It’s a fabulous little CQB tool that with a little love could easily become a solid woodland skirmisher… but of course that’s down to you! AA Red Cell is supported by:

“HAS THE VMP-1 LIVED UP TO MY EXPECTATIONS? IT SURE HAS SO FAR, IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE PRICE! THIS IS A GAS PLATFORM THAT DELIVERS ON ALL FRONTS, AND ONE THAT PUTS HAVING A GAS SMG EASILY WITHIN THE POCKET-REACH OF MOST AIRSOFTERS OUT THERE”

Image: Krios Photography

PACK IT UP

GETTING THE RIGHT PACK FOR AIRSOFT IS A BIG DECISION AS NONE OF THEM COME CHEAP, BUT THE OLD ADAGE OF “YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR” IS 100% TRUE WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR TRUSTED LOAD-LUGGER! BILL HAS MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH PACKS BOTH CIVILIAN AND MILITARY, AND NOW HE INTRODUCES SOME GREAT MODELS FROM HIGHLANDER FORCES THAT WORK PERFECTLY IN-GAME!

“Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin…”

Okay, I know I’m showing my age starting an article with these lyrics from “Jump Around”, but oh boy, what a song! And those lyrics to me set the scene perfectly for talking about owning a decent pack for airsoft, as your pack and its contents can 100% genuinely be the place you start when you prepare for a skirmish day, and most certainly for a MilSim, and the pack I’ve been testing recently from the HIGHLANDER FORCES range seems ideal for the job!

Begin your preparation for a game with your pack, why so? Simple really, if you have all your gear squared away, with everything checked in, and everything in its place then you can concentrate on the more tactical aspects of your game without worrying that you might have left something behind, that crucial thing that you need in-game but have no idea where you’ve put it; c’mon, we’ve all been there…

I can’t count the number of games, especially weekenders and MilSims that I attended in my early years of playing airsoft where the night before I didn’t spend hours packing, checking, repacking, and rechecking my kit… sometimes to the great annoyance of my team-mates as I went rooting around in my pack just to “check one last thing” by torchlight in the dark while they were trying to get to sleep…

Yeah, I’m “that guy”, the guy that has to know he has not too much as I’m a firm believer in “light is right”, but everything that’s important, and the sheer number of times someone has needed a multi-tool, a set of hex wrenches, some paracord for their basha, or spare batteries for their radio or head-torch and said, “It’s okay, Bill will have it/some…” beggars belief! Yeah again, I’m kinda happy to be “that guy” even though I really am annoying at times!

Those “Six P’s” (if you don’t know, look it up!) are my mantra, and that all starts with my pack, each time, every time! I’m discounting here your primary and secondary along with your first-line “battle rattle” as these should be set up and ready to roll ALL the time, and looking to my pack for everything else…. And packs are VERY important to me.

Before turning to airsoft as my “full-time job” I spent many (too many!) years working in the Outdoor

Pursuits sector, with six of those years spent working directly for one of the very best mountaineering pack companies in the world. I was lucky enough in my time there to work directly with pack designers, the factories, and the mountain athletes (and indeed military personnel) that used the final products. I learned a lot about what makes a good pack, and from those athletes and soldiers just exactly should be packed and, equally importantly, what could be left out.

SOLID HERITAGE, SOLID KIT

This brings me neatly onto the HARRIER PACK SERIES from the HIGHLANDER FORCES range, and specifically to the 35L model I’ve been testing recently. Before I get into the meat of things, there’s a cool heritage with HIGHLANDER FORCES; born in Edinburgh and tested in the rugged terrain of Scotland, HIGHLANDER FORCES has been designing and producing performance oriented tactical, outdoor and survival kit for over 35 years. Over the three decades their product range has expanded, but their mission has, and always will be the same; to enable users of their gear to operate in all environments knowing the kit you’re using has been designed with performance focus, user-centric design and is underpinned by value.

And this is no empty boast as their kit has been widely used by disparate users all over the world, and indeed I’ve had a few odds and sods from them over the years that have worked, and lasted, well. I was intrigued when watching the 2021 celebrity “SAS WHO DARES WINS” on the box of vapid dreams (oh,

“THOSE “SIX P’S” (IF YOU DON’T KNOW, LOOK IT UP!) ARE MY MANTRA, AND THAT ALL STARTS WITH MY PACK, EACH TIME, EVERY TIME! I’M DISCOUNTING HERE YOUR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ALONG WITH YOUR FIRST-LINE “BATTLE RATTLE” AS THESE SHOULD BE SET UP AND READY TO ROLL ALL THE TIME”

how I love to watch “slebs” way out of their comfort zone!) by the kit used as it looked pretty cool, and yup, you’ve guessed it, the packs used (amongst other things) were from HIGHLANDER FORCES!

So, HIGHLANDER FORCES have been around a good while, but they’re obviously always looking to bring their kit up to speed with modern tech, design, and fabrics, and the latest HARRIER range combines all of these important elements into three pack models of 25, 35, and 45L that are ideal for airsoft use. These sizes are to me the absolute “must haves” that cover pretty much everything we encounter on a game setting!

• Up to 10 litres: Although these can be great for a skirmish game where you just need to have a few choice essentials, and are usually pretty stable as most models will be designed for hi-speed pursuits where little bulk or weight is really carried, they’re next to useless in a tactical setting where you’re out on the field for longer periods. They’re great if you can head back to the Safe Zone whenever you need to such as on a skirmish day, but at any other time you’ll be wanting something bigger!

• 20-30 litres: This is my first “go to size” for extended games; if I’m going to be working close to a FOB or from vehicles re-supply will still be relatively close at hand. At the larger end of this spectrum a 30 litre pack will let you carry additional shell and thermal garments, a more substantial FAK, and more food and water so you can sustain yourself for a longer period if needed… and of course more ammo!

multiple pockets, they allow optimum packing and organisation. With an airmesh padded back system for comfort when on the move, two front pockets and huge 35L main compartment, the mid-size model is a truly versatile pack.

• 35–45 litres: When it comes to multi-day events and scenarios then this is where I look to have enough packed on my back to last, with occasional re-supply of rations and water, for some considerable time! I’ve gone into packing lists for multi-day scenarios before, but the 3545 litre mark is where this really clicks into gear for me; you can go smaller if you’re REALLY super-minimalist, but around 40 litres is the absolute sweet spot as far as I’m concerned! With this in mind I chose to test the mid-size 35L HARRIER, and what an outstanding neastie this has proved to be! The three HARRIER packs are full clamshell-opening, designed for enabling quick and

I really like a clamshell pack; for many years I was a devoted top-loader-design devotee, and this classic system served me well all over the world. However, more recently pretty much every pack I own is a “clamshell” design, in that it has a “lid” not on the top of the pack, but at the rear. With a large, heavyduty zip (the HARRIERs make us of #10 heavy duty zips throughout) you can open the entire rear of the pack to access any of the kit you’ve loaded, even right at the reinforced bottom of the pack, without having to unload everything; in a tactical situation this is pure gold as it means that you can access the entire loadspace without having to unpack anything!

However, I’ve found with some clamshell designs that they suffer from a lack of stability, and thankfully

“I WAS INTRIGUED WHEN WATCHING THE 2021 CELEBRITY “SAS WHO DARES WINS” ON THE BOX OF VAPID DREAMS BY THE KIT USED AS IT LOOKED PRETTY COOL, AND YUP, YOU’VE GUESSED IT, THE PACKS USED (AMONGST OTHER THINGS) WERE FROM HIGHLANDER FORCES!”

the HARRIER is most definitely and thankfully NOT one that suffers this problem. The 1000D Polyester is a stiff and sturdy fabric to start with which gives a solid overall structure to the pack, and added to this you have four well-positioned compression straps with Duraflex buckles to real cinch your load down tight. Again, this is “tactical gold” as it means that once you have the harness set up properly and the load stabilised the HARRIER ain’t going anywhere on your back; this is completely, utterly important for a tactical pack as we carry our loads over broken ground as the norm, and even have to fight wearing them if we’re bumped into contact… the very last thing you need is the pack on your back causing you to overbalance because your load shifts!

And of course the other element to this as I mentioned is the back system and harness setup, and the HARRIER really is very good in this

airmesh backing, a sternum/chest strap, and a wide, semi-stiffened hip belt again with airmesh backing; buckles here are also tried and tested Duraflex, so once set the straps and belt ain’t moving anywhere, a real bonus in the stability stakes. Add to this that you also have a static airmesh padded threecell channelled back system (which also aids with clothing system breathability if you’re not wearing a plate carrier), and all the elements are in place for a comfortable, stable carry even under load.

FIELD-USE

Moving onto “usability”, quite apart from the excellent clamshell design the HARRIER 35L has load of neat features that make it user-friendly in the field. There’s a large top zipped stash pocket with tricot lining which is perfect for shooting glasses/ googles, and potentially even smaller NV/TI setups like monoculars, and a whole heap of internal mesh pockets (both zipped and not) that will help you organise smaller items of kit effectively. The single main load compartment is also part-lined with a detachable mesh inner organiser, and this really does swallow kit!

There are two front zipped compartments, again with internal organiser pockets, and tucked away on the rear is a further zipped compartment that’s designed with a hydration system in mid, but that is also well-suited for safely carrying a tablet, note or tuffbook; all the compartments are accessed using some excellent zip-pulls that have obviously been designed with “gloves-on” use in mind, a feature that I like a lot. On the lower front, both sides, and on the belt and shoulder straps there are additional lines of MOLLE webbing for attaching additional pouches and/or kit if you really need to, and the upper front features a large hook and loop panel for nametapes and team patches if that’s your “thing”; there’s even a big old, MOLLE attachable plastic karabiner for attaching even more kit (or perhaps hanging gloves or helmet from) included, although I would stress that is NOT load-bearing so DO NOT try any safety-lanyard work or climbing with it!

Overall the HARRIER is a thoroughly well-designed and functional bit of kit, and I have no doubt that the other sizes are equally so. The fabric and components

“THE THREE HARRIER PACKS ARE FULL CLAMSHELL-OPENING, DESIGNED FOR ENABLING QUICK AND COMPLETE ACCESS TO YOUR KIT. LOADED WITH MULTIPLE POCKETS, THEY ALLOW OPTIMUM PACKING AND ORGANISATION. WITH AN AIRMESH PADDED BACK SYSTEM FOR COMFORT WHEN ON THE MOVE, TWO FRONT POCKETS AND HUGE 35L MAIN COMPARTMENT, THE MID-SIZE MODEL IS A TRULY VERSATILE PACK”

are top-notch, and the construction is sold as rock, although I couldn’t make out if the shoulder straps are sewn-through into the body of the pack; this isn’t a biggy for our intended use, but it is something that I will ask of the guys at HIGHLANDER FORCES just to set my mind at rest.

In use the HARRIER 35L carries well, and sits nicely at mid-height on the back, clearing any belt-kit pouches so as not to put more pressure on your hips than necessary. The semi-stiff belt tightens in well and stays there to help put the weight where it should be, and the harness keeps everything in place well. The three models of HARRIER are really well-sized for airsoft use, and although I personally believe that the 35L is “the one” if you’re going to own just a single pack, let me conclude by posing my usual questions when it comes to packs.

“Are you a player that likes to cover all the bases, one that is prepared for any kind of weather that “Old Ma Nature” may throw at you, the player that’s prepared to bivvy at the drop of a hat? Are you a “lone wolf” or are you part of a team?”

To begin to work out what size and type of pack is right for you, first think about the following:

• Fit: This is paramount to me for a tactical pack; if it weren’t I could just drag around a big old trash bag containing my worldly goods!

need it all!)

• Features: How many compartments do you need, and why? How easy is the pack to access? How easy is it to dump if you need to bug out fast?

Packs come in all sizes, absolutely humongous, big, and small, so when you’re thinking about what you need to buy, REALLY think about what you need to have in it. Can the pack swallow up a bottle of BBs, a bottle of gas, some snacks, and water for a safezone-based day-game? Will it be large enough to carry an extra layer and your waterproofs on a bad-weather day? Are you out for an hour, or for multiple days? Do you need to carry any specialist items like comms and overnight equipment?

• Role: How you’ll use the your pack, and in what setting, can will give you an idea of the features you’ll need

• Capacity: Just HOW MUCH gear are you going to be lugging (ask yourself why; do you REALLY

Once you’ve answered all these questions honestly then you’re ready to buy a pack that’s going to be a real “airsoft partner” for many years to come, one that you’ll come to love and appreciate the more that you use it. From skirmish days to multi-day MilSims your pack will become your trusted “oppo”, and for me the HARRIER packs from HIGHLANDER FORCES show all the care, designknowledge, components and quality of construction that will fulfil this role very well indeed.

The HARRIER packs are available in Black, Ranger Green, Coyote Tan, and HMTC (“multicam-style”). Please do head on over to https:// highlanderforces.com to check them out in more detail, along with all the other pack models and gear that HIGHLANDER FORCES offer. Please note that any images shown from “SAS WHO DARES WINS” were found in the public domain. AA

“IN USE THE HARRIER 35L CARRIES WELL, AND SITS NICELY AT MID-HEIGHT ON THE BACK, CLEARING ANY BELT-KIT POUCHES SO AS NOT TO PUT MORE PRESSURE ON YOUR HIPS THAN NECESSARY. THE SEMI-STIFF BELT TIGHTENS IN WELL AND STAYS THERE TO HELP PUT THE WEIGHT WHERE IT SHOULD BE, AND THE HARNESS KEEPS EVERYTHING IN PLACE WELL”

“ONCE YOU’VE ANSWERED ALL THESE QUESTIONS HONESTLY THEN YOU’RE READY TO BUY A PACK THAT’S GOING TO BE A REAL “AIRSOFT PARTNER” FOR MANY YEARS TO COME, ONE THAT YOU’LL COME TO LOVE AND APPRECIATE THE MORE THAT YOU USE IT”

HALLS OF POWER

IT’S NOT OFTEN THAT YOU GET INVITED DIRECTLY INTO THE “HALLS OF POWER”, THE GOVERNMENT CHAMBERS WHERE INFLUENTIAL DECISIONS ARE MADE, AND DEBATES ENDURE OVER LEGISLATION AND ITS IMPACT ON CONCERNED STAKEHOLDERS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FENCE IN QUESTION. HOWEVER, AS STEWBACCA HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY FINDING OUT DURING HIS TIME IN TAIWAN, A MYRIAD OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS ARE VERY MUCH MORE TRANSPARENT AND ACCESSIBLE TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, EVEN THOSE WHO AREN’T VOTING CITIZENS, AT TIMES.

Casting your minds quite a way back to when I first started writing for Airsoft Action (Issue 116!) I covered “Trouble in Paradise” addressing a then recent concern regarding shifting firearms legislation in Taiwan at the time.

Many people back in the UK had contacted me regarding allegations they’d heard overseas that gas blowback rifles of realistic construction were potentially “on the chopping block” due to tightening controls intended to prevent criminal elements in Taiwan from converting GBBR components or deactivated rifles to feed and fire live ammunition.

Thankfully at the time nothing more came of the issues as it ended up being just a miscommunication or lack of clarification on the part of the legislature and National Police Authority regarding their understanding of airsoft replicas and their construction and operation compared to real steel firearms; not everyone has or even needs the understanding of such nuance until proposed laws upset local skirmish or industry players, and one of the best things about Taiwan’s systems is how open to public discourse and challenge they are

If you are ever here during an election cycle you will understand the level of trust and oversight in the democracy here which is younger than I am; people can see ballots being manually counted and challenge or ask for clarification/see ballots themselves and everyone gets pretty passionate and engaged in exercising their voting rights and access to have things explained to them or challenge government ideas.

Skipping ahead a good few years towards the end of summer 2023 and more murmurings from the NPA and Legislative Yuan. “Yuan” is the local

parlance for government division or branch, with Taiwan’s system following the US’ republic division of powers - executive, legislative, judicial branches etc) regarding the use of various materials in the manufacture of “simulation guns” here in Taiwan, basically looking to ban the use of higher grades of steel with greater hardness or structural properties from what we would term ‘deactivated’ or ‘prop’ guns in the UK, which has no purpose for our gaming activities and perhaps fires blank rounds or otherwise is an inert ornamental piece or something used for filming or prop purposes.

However the terminology itself sometimes requires clarifying or leads to further confusion or conflation of what we would term RIFs, “Realistic Imitation Firearms”, things which look very much like real guns but work very differently and cannot be converted to fire live rounds, ones which the Taiwanese officials would term “low energy kinetic/gaming guns” versus the “simulation guns” which use “real” materials or firearm structures and may or may not have previously been live firearms or deactivated ones.

This announced bill amendment to previous legislation intended to throttle the ability of ne’er do well types in local gang communities to manufacture or reactivate live firing firearms here in Taiwan, as although it really doesn’t seem anywhere near as bad as other countries with gun violence, arguably even the UK with similarly tight restrictions, there have been some high profile knife or gun-related violent attacks, hostage situations, and shootings, as well as police busts of real/deactivated firearms being brought into the country or worked on by local criminal machine shops to enable their live fire use for ill intent.

“ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT TAIWAN’S SYSTEMS IS HOW OPEN TO PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND CHALLENGE THEY ARE. IF YOU ARE EVER HERE DURING AN ELECTION CYCLE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF TRUST AND OVERSIGHT IN THE DEMOCRACY HERE WHICH IS YOUNGER THAN I AM!”

However, many in the community here were again immediately riled up by the wording of the proposed legislation, which had the potential to similarly outlaw the use of better materials in functional or even furniture components of the likes of GBBR replicas again, as well as seemingly following Japanese-style laws against metal being used in pistol slides to limit their live fire conversion capability.

As the government processes continued many passed comments online, either through social media, or through official or non-profit feedback channels, similar to those that exist in the UK or elsewhere where people can petition the government to remove, add or make changes to proposed or existing legislation for the benefit of concerned stakeholders. Many were rightly concerned (myself included, given the multiple walls loaded with locally produced GBBRs and GBB pistols which now dominate my personal and review collections) that they were coming after us and our toy guns and hobbies again in a heavyhanded effort to quash legitimate societal concerns.

Those further afield again eventually caught wind of the internal machinations here and began

questioning whether they would affect the local market, international trade of locally produced replica firearms, or both, with the former potentially sinking the likes of more impartial domestically based but internationally accessible media and reviewer efforts not only those of myself, but 4UAD Smart Airsoft down in Taichung and Gaosen Kinetics, our American friend John down in Kaohsiung among others who produce and upload content assessing new products in use locally in Taiwan for wider information and consumption.

With all these things progressing and the TWAAA (TaiWan Airsoft & Airgun Association), the local industry representative body which I visited and reported on back in Issue 135, among others began putting forward legal discourse and comments in order to protect the interests of the manufacturers and players based here, the usual process of the legislative Yuan and NPA addressing relevant concerns and amending proposed bills or actions accordingly was underway, culminating in a clarification meeting pegged for early April 2024.

“MANY

IN THE COMMUNITY HERE WERE AGAIN IMMEDIATELY RILED UP BY THE WORDING OF THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION, WHICH HAD THE POTENTIAL TO SIMILARLY OUTLAW THE USE OF BETTER MATERIALS IN FUNCTIONAL OR EVEN FURNITURE COMPONENTS OF THE LIKES OF GBBR REPLICAS AGAIN”

STANDING TOGETHER

Of course being me and the whole reason I became politicised in the UK in the first place largely a result of similar actions from my own government back in 2007, I followed the proceedings and online commentary and concerns as best I could, bearing in mind the continuing language barrier that Google Translate mixed with my own Mandarin abilities cannot always adequately penetrate, especially when it comes to specific legal or technical terms. So when our good friend Ray from VFC called me up and asked if I’d be able to come along in person to the proceedings and help cover it for the international audience, I was already well aware of what had been going on and very happy to go along and see the process in person.

Signing up online with our contact and ID details the TWAAA submitted an approved visitor list to the government and we arrived on the second of April in Taipei’s city centre area just southeast of the main train station, where most of the government buildings are, not far from the presidential palace itself. Getting

our passes from the front desk and making our way upstairs to the meeting hall, many of the people I’m very familiar with behind the names you know and love were already there as I arrived, or filed in shortly afterwards, with proceedings beginning around 1330.

Along with myself on the foreign media front, Andrew and Jess from 4UAD Smart Airsoft had made the journey up and were live streaming and posing questions for the legislative and police representatives present, as did ‘Jeff The Kid’ and John from Gaosen Kinetics, while QMoer, a local Taiwanese Youtuber was also providing a native language equivalent service, as did ‘Ghostf249’ one of the more prominent local players and Youtubers. Our other AA legionnaire in country ‘Military’ Anny was also present to help with the coverage, and representatives from airsoft players, their teams and governing bodies were also present alongside the manufacturer stakeholders.

Over the course of around four hours the government officials methodically laid out the true intent of the legislation changes and new introductions, taking comments or questions from the community present and clarifying things where necessary, or taking on board ideas or concerns and agreeing a better way forward; again, many of the people in such positions do not have nor require the encyclopaedic knowledge many of us have to for the purposes of understanding, using, maintaining or effectively avoiding legal issues with our increasingly realistic replica firearms. One of the main takeaways from the meeting is the intent to create a liaison work group comprising industry leaders or experts who can deal more directly with the law enforcement and legislative bodies to help compose and word new laws in a way that will prevent any future recurrence of all the upset or confusion as a result.

“SIGNING UP ONLINE WITH OUR CONTACT AND ID DETAILS THE TWAAA SUBMITTED AN APPROVED VISITOR LIST TO THE GOVERNMENT AND WE ARRIVED ON THE SECOND OF APRIL IN TAIPEI’S CITY CENTRE AREA JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE MAIN TRAIN STATION”

As with the previous amendments to article 20-1 regarding anything resembling a real firearm with feeding mechanisms, fire control groups that can potentially hammer strike real firing pins in bolt carriers etc, the legislation should be reworded to explicitly omit any “low energy kinetic/game guns” (airsoft/skirmishable things) and focus only on gunpowder-operated or deactivated iterations thereof, given that it despite the inherent realism of GBBRs they aren’t readily convertible to fire live rounds as some continue to misconstrue.

“AS

Some of the re-iterated points focused on named gun types which have been appearing in noticeable numbers in local seizures (such as Walther PPK or Tokarev TT33 knock offs allegedly manufactured in mainland China/the PRC and smuggled into Taiwan/ the RoC for use by criminal elements), while others focused on ‘Glock switches’ that enable full-auto fire with a simple additional component on the rear of Glock slides, and which are already outlawed in most parts of the world anyway and of course the live-fire Glocks they would be fitted to are already an illegality in Taiwan anyway.

Other aspects clarified the situation for self-contained onboard gas-powered systems (such as 40mm grenade launchers or similar systems), which shouldn’t be affected for our purposes; however there still seems to be some concern over the likes of self-contained gas-powered shotgun shells such as those used in the APS CAM870 series which already caused issues with Taiwan importation and legal issues previously resulting in the Mk. II and Mk. III versions which used different internal gas storage systems to avoid the legal issues and yet still never really saw much adoption over here as a result.

A final point was the outlawing of silencers/suppressors which make use of genuine baffle stack systems and could be used for real firearm applications; while some models of Taiwanese-made pistols, SMGs or rifles in the past or present may have made use for such realistic replications, and they may have had a genuine effect on the sound of gas guns as a result, it seems like an at least minimal loss compared to our original concerns and seems a small price compared to how badly affected

WITH THE PREVIOUS AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLE 20-1 REGARDING ANYTHING RESEMBLING A REAL FIREARM WITH FEEDING MECHANISMS, FIRE CONTROL GROUPS THAT CAN POTENTIALLY HAMMER STRIKE REAL FIRING PINS IN BOLT CARRIERS ETC, THE LEGISLATION SHOULD BE REWORDED TO EXPLICITLY OMIT ANY “LOW ENERGY KINETIC/GAME GUNS” (AIRSOFT/SKIRMISHABLE THINGS)”

the industry and player base here and further afield could have been.

Handouts supplied to each of the various tables of manufacturers, players, media and other stakeholders helpfully explained and tabulated the aspects of

the proposed legislation, and laid out the reasoning behind the updates. As with much of the firearms legislation the world over, it originated back in the 1960s or 1980s and technology and terminology may have shifted in that time, making present laws

“OTHER ASPECTS CLARIFIED THE SITUATION FOR SELF-CONTAINED ON-BOARD GASPOWERED SYSTEMS (SUCH AS 40MM GRENADE LAUNCHERS OR SIMILAR SYSTEMS), WHICH SHOULDN’T BE AFFECTED FOR OUR PURPOSES; HOWEVER THERE STILL SEEMS TO BE SOME CONCERN OVER THE LIKES OF SELF-CONTAINED GAS-POWERED SHOTGUN SHELLS”

on the books inconsistent, they also made particular mention of how the interchangeability in terminology of components used in airsoft guns has added to the confusion (bolt carriers, fire control groups, etc), allowing misunderstandings or misapplications of resulting laws to become a concern, as well as making mention that many skirmishing activities would likely come under the laws as initially presented.

Likewise the handouts laid out proposed exemptions or clarifications regarding parts of airsoft guns which could be mistaken for real firearms components; for instance, regardless of the materials

used, airsoft outer barrels are non-rifled, have too high an internal diameter (because the inner barrels must fit within them) and thus are too thin, as well as lacking a genuine chamber profile to properly load, let alone contain a live round, as well as bolts and their carriers lacking the genuine internal geometry and locking systems to seat and contain live rounds; regardless of how externally realistic they may seem, they just aren’t at all functionally interchangeable. Despite everything being in Mandarin and people speaking fairly quickly (and passionately!) in most cases, I picked up a surprising amount of the technical terms I’m familiar with and what was being discussed in general. Many were also making arguments against the recently implemented and onerous customs and border forces regulations on importation of anything remotely gun related, again an initiative intended to curb the influx of real guns or parts thereof, but which has resulted in every single imported airsoft gun, or constituent component thereof requiring paperwork to be completed prior to its permissible importation, which has been a major headache for everyone since its adoption.

Throughout all of these proceedings everyone’s concerns and questions were addressed and answered where possible, and the representatives from the National Police Agency and Legislative Yuan patiently assuaged the worries of the community and ensured people that law enforcement is not interested in going after anyone for possession or use of realistic imitation firearms for non-illicit purposes… obviously public order legislation and common sense regarding not openly carrying or using such things in public still go without saying.

“THROUGHOUT ALL OF THESE PROCEEDINGS EVERYONE’S CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS WERE ADDRESSED AND ANSWERED WHERE POSSIBLE, AND THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY AND LEGISLATIVE YUAN PATIENTLY ASSUAGED THE WORRIES OF THE COMMUNITY AND ENSURED PEOPLE THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT IS NOT INTERESTED IN GOING AFTER ANYONE FOR POSSESSION OR USE OF REALISTIC IMITATION FIREARMS”

As a result everyone present seemed to come away with a much more optimistic approach and the apparent openness by the powers that be have to future cooperation to avoid any repeat issues related to genuine firearms legislation impacting upon the communities and businesses that rely on replicas of them.

My sincere thanks as always go to Mr Kung, Ray of VFC, and the TWAAA for inviting me along to be part of the proceedings. AA

“AS A RESULT EVERYONE PRESENT SEEMED TO COME AWAY WITH A MUCH MORE OPTIMISTIC APPROACH AND THE APPARENT OPENNESS BY THE POWERS THAT BE HAVE TO FUTURE COOPERATION TO AVOID ANY REPEAT ISSUES RELATED TO GENUINE FIREARMS LEGISLATION IMPACTING UPON THE COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES THAT RELY ON REPLICAS OF THEM”

A TASTE OF THE FUTURE!

THIS MONTH BILL GETS TOGETHER WITH ROB FROM AIRSOFTER WORLD TO DISCUSS HOW THINGS ARE PROGRESSING, AND WHY IT IS NOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER FOR OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY TO PULL TOGETHER TO MOVE AIRSOFT THINGS FORWARD IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. WHY DOES AIRSOFT ACTION SUPPORT AIRSOFTER WORLD, AND WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD… BILL DIGS DEEPER!

Regular readers and followers of AIRSOFT ACTION will know that we have our own internal structure to help us streamline who does what, and when. All of us involved in creating AIRSOFT ACTION each and every month approach our beloved pursuit with a passion, but even so we need to be professional and efficient in “getting the job done” in a timely manner.

Where internally we have the testing team of RED CELL, possibly the most crucial and fundamental part of the team is the AA LEGION where we endeavour to bring together players from all over the world to share their stories with the wider airsoft community. One aspect of the LEGION that goes largely unremarked upon is that of our ASSOCIATES, good people that are directly involved in the business of airsoft, but are trusted to such a degree by us that we want them to understand just why we do things the way we do… and be a part of our wider “airsoft familia” to make our links and relationships even stronger.

Back in September last year I made an announcement in our daily news to the effect of “AIRSOFT ACTION SUPPORTS AIRSOFTER WORLD”; I’d been speaking since the NAF ’23 to Rob (you may know him also as VERAGE AIRSOFT) about the AIRSOFTER WORLD community project, and how quickly it’s growing and I decided to dig in and find out more about an entity that shares the common goal with AIRSOFT ACTION in bringing the global player community and airsoft industry closer.

Of course for us it’s about looking at the latest developments in airsoft and telling the stories of players worldwide; it may seem strange initially that we are happy to support another airsoft platform like AIRSOFTER WORLD, but as they share many core values and dreams for a more connected international airsoft community with us we feel it is a logical and important step to support them in their endeavours, and look upon them as a true ASSOCIATE.

Although in fairness it has been tried before I get a very good feeling about AIRSOFTER WORLD; in their own words “Airsofter World is a global community powered by local players, businesses and (event) organisers coming together over their passion for

airsoft” and this is a sentiment that I wholeheartedly endorse. With players from many countries already sharing stories and intel, the platform offers you a chance to find airsoft friends and connect, create and grow teams, access airsoft rules and laws from different countries, and provides event organisers a place to give information on games and airsoft events too.

Is this the community platform we’ve been waiting for? Quite possibly it is, and I’ve been speaking more to Rob and the AIRSOFTER WORLD crew more about their ethos and goals, and more importantly how they aim to achieve them, and the first rollout of this is their series of games to form a “Mission-based International Competition”!

GETTING INTO IT!

“International Competition”? This really got me thinking so I asked Rob to explain more exactly how this format had been decided upon, and how it would move forward, and he told me

“Airsofter World (AW), the entity behind the Airsofter World Games, saw its light in 2014 in Ukraine. It was created to act as a central hub for all airsoft in Ukraine. In 2020 Airsofter World went global and instead of being a hub for Ukraine, it grew to be the hub for all airsofters around the world.

“AW is active in all parts of the airsoft community and supports where needed. But by just connecting the pieces, without a solid foundation, a reason, it will just be a connection that will fade again over time. So AW didn’t stop there and worked on a solution to incorporate all different aspects into one major idea, the Airsofter World Games.

“Airsofter World Games connects every little aspect of airsoft and to be able to have a successful competition, everything needs to work together and communication is key, which is not an easy thing to do, but things that are worth doing it are never easy., and AW is not just talking about it, they take action!”

So, the format envisioned by the AW team is a mission-based 5v5 team competition. The rules are specifically made to enforce team-play and mission

“IT MAY SEEM STRANGE INITIALLY THAT WE ARE HAPPY TO SUPPORT ANOTHER AIRSOFT PLATFORM LIKE AIRSOFTER WORLD, BUT AS THEY SHARE MANY CORE VALUES AND DREAMS FOR A MORE CONNECTED INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT COMMUNITY WITH US WE FEEL IT IS A LOGICAL AND IMPORTANT STEP TO SUPPORT THEM IN THEIR ENDEAVOURS”

completion; specific rules guide players in the correct direction. While the rulebook is still in draft version it’s ready for testing and that’s what AW are doing right now… in fact AW launched their timeline and the first test event has already happened!

Again Rob told me:

“2024 is the year of testing the rulebook and the concept while listening to the feedback of all the players that were present. 2025 will be the year of the first national competition games. Those games will utilise the information gathered in 2024. But it’s also a year of testing in new countries and testing new scenarios for the coming year.

“2026 will then be the year where the first international competition will be held with teams from countries that had a first national competition in 2025. Besides the international competition, there will be regional and national competitions to compete for a spot in the 2027 competition!”

The first test game was held in Belgium in a CQB field with 22 players rolling out to give everything a whirl; the concept was tested, altered and tested

again. From what we’ve been told all the players had an amazing day and loved the concept, and that’s all AW need to move forward to the next step which will be the next test-event in another country and of course more test events in Belgium.

So how does this grow and flourish? Rob told me:

“Important in the AWG (Airsofter World Games) is that it’s a partnership, not a one-sided organ that dictates what everyone needs to do. The input from the different parts is important to keep the connection going. The included parties in the AWG are:

• Players

• Teams

• Organisers

• Field owners

• Associations

• Shops

• Manufacturers

• Media

By not only including them in the project but also actively working out plans and ideas to grow each

“THE FORMAT ENVISIONED BY THE AW TEAM IS A MISSION-BASED 5V5 TEAM COMPETITION. THE RULES ARE SPECIFICALLY MADE TO ENFORCE TEAM-PLAY AND MISSION COMPLETION; SPECIFIC RULES GUIDE PLAYERS IN THE CORRECT DIRECTION. WHILE THE RULEBOOK IS STILL IN DRAFT VERSION IT’S READY FOR TESTING…”

part will strengthen and grow the airsoft community around the world.”

Again, how will this look in reality? From here on out the numbered insets are words from Rob, and I’ve commented where I feel necessary!

1. Players - AWG also has an important secondary task, adding an extra layer onto a typical airsoft game, giving players a purpose to the players to test their gear and RIFs, but also to train as a team and work on communication and planning skills to be able to complete missions. By giving a purpose to the player, to be more invested in the sport, the player will stay longer in the scene and with that our community will grow.

For years the airsoft community in most countries has been relatively stable, although personally I feel that we are at the far-end of the “post-pandemic churn”; by this I mean that immediately postpandemic we saw an awful lot of new players come into airsoft, and in the years since we’ve seen some of them drop away, and this is exacerbated by the usual model of new people coming in and old players dropping out. In fairness, experienced players will recognise this “churn” as something we see every 3-4 years, but it’s more apparent this time given the sheer influx numbers post-COVID.

The fact is that we need to retain more players; not moving forward, not growing actually means that you’re going backwards. Every single player is the key to growing our worldwide community.

2. Teams - Airsoft teams come and go, a bunch of friends coming together and having fun, picking a cool name and going to events to play together. By giving that team a place on a ranking board, a reason to bring them together to train for competition games and up their level to be better the next time, not only creates stronger teams but also gives the teams a reason to go further in the creation of a legal entity. By registering airsoft teams as sport teams and giving them a place to actively compete in a regional, national or international competition will grow airsoft as an actual sport; this is needed to have airsoft recognized as a sport in most countries. In

“THE FIRST TEST GAME WAS HELD IN BELGIUM IN A CQB FIELD WITH 22 PLAYERS ROLLING OUT TO GIVE EVERYTHING A WHIRL; THE CONCEPT WAS TESTED, ALTERED AND TESTED AGAIN. FROM WHAT WE’VE BEEN TOLD ALL THE PLAYERS HAD AN AMAZING DAY AND LOVED THE CONCEPT, AND THAT’S ALL AW NEED TO MOVE FORWARD TO THE NEXT STEP”

short, teams of friends will transform into actual sport teams that other players can root for in the competition.

3. Organisers – Organisers are the key to all the games and events we have today. They know the fields they create games on, they have the correct staff, the correct legal entity and the knowhow to reach players and teams. The AWG will not be organised by AW, the organisers organise the games in partnership with the association and AW. By using the knowhow of all parties, the specific entity can focus on its part and perfect that. While AW does provide a sandbox and a ruleset, it’s the organisers that create the missions, specifically created for their fields by using the key features that the players love. Think of locations with awesome tunnel-systems, CQB villages, special forest areas, trenches… you name it, a field has it. Organisers know the chokepoints, the places the players don’t want to use, and that is valuable information to make the best competition day.

And how will this benefit the event organisers and site operators? Simply put AWG will bring players to a field if they know that the next competition is on that specific field. Knowing the field as a player gives an advantage for the coming competition. This will drive players to play on different fields and broaden the knowledge of players and keep them interested for a longer amount of time, which directly translates in more players coming to a field. Don’t forget that “we, the players” talk to each other, and while there might be a smaller number of players and teams coming to check a site or field out for the competition, more people following them will discover more fields to play on.

4. Field Owners and Site Operators - While field owners and organisers go hand in hand in most countries and fields, that’s not always the case. Organisers, teams and players can rent fields. By having more event days on a field or site, this increases the revenue stream for the field owners that can be used to maintain, upgrade and potentially fix the field where needed. By creating a way to grow this side of

airsoft, better infrastructure will be created for players and organisers to enjoy their events.

5. Associations – while not every country has them, it’s undeniable that the core for airsoft in any country is an Airsoft Association, an entity that most players don’t care about, until things go wrong. But in good and bad times, the associations are guarding airsoft on different levels. Think of media communication, political input, contacts with government and police services (just see how this has worked in Taiwan by reading Stewbacca’s article this month!). An association is a valuable entity that is often overlooked and with no support from their community it’s not easy to keep operating and protecting airsoft. Associations are key for growth and increase the amount of players by actively promoting airsoft in their country. AWG works together with the associations to create this competition and network between the organisers in their country for national and regional games, but also with other associations and AW for the international part of AWG.

Now this is something that personally I’ve seen tried in the UK, but to date it hasn’t worked, and if I’m honest I believe we only have ourselves to blame, myself included! Airsoft has always been about freedom, or expression and action both, although social media has fractured us more effectively than bringing us together. In my years with Airsoft Action I’ve been lucky enough though to see how airsoft works in other countries like Portugal and The Netherlands and a network with international connections will strengthen airsoft in their country as well as in the rest of the world, and it’s a needed step to create an international entity for airsoft to protect things on a global level.

6. Shops - When player numbers grow and thrive this in turn will grow the need for airsoft products and local airsoft shops; as has been said many times local stores are the place to educate new players about gear and products. Shop Owners have a very interesting knowledge about products and what is good

“IN MY YEARS WITH AIRSOFT ACTION I’VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH THOUGH TO SEE HOW AIRSOFT WORKS IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE PORTUGAL AND THE NETHERLANDS AND A NETWORK WITH INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS WILL STRENGTHEN AIRSOFT IN THEIR COUNTRY AS WELL AS IN THE REST OF THE WORLD”

to start off with at any specific time. Besides new players, AWG gives shops a place to advertise and support the local communities. Because of the media coverage, a lot of people will see parts of the AWG somewhere.

7. Manufacturers - The start of the chain of where our products are coming from!

Partnering up with manufacturers in terms of support for the community and AWG will increase the opportunities to grow airsoft on an international level. Same as with the shops, AWG gives a place to promote their brand and products in various ways. Specific countries have specific laws and it’s hard to figure out what is happening in each country. By creating a network that talks and supports each other in the things they need, again AWG will strengthen the airsoft community at its core.

8. Media - Streaming, magazines, content creators… take your pick of what your favourite information channel is about airsoft, there are plenty to choose from. With AWG we are partnering up with media channels to bring AWG to all players. While it’s good to have all the connections and partnerships with different parties, it’s the different media that have the knowhow on how to bring information to the people. The same with all other parts, utilise the strengths and knowhow to create a stronger community.

FINAL THOUGHTS… FOR NOW

As you might have gathered, Airsofter World Games is more than just a competition, and that’s why I love the concept; in fact its’ what AIRSOFT ACTION is all about, our attempt to bring players everywhere together by way of telling their individual stories so that others can enjoy them, and potentially learn from them too!

This is something that I see with the AIRSOFTER WORLD community initiatives, and AWG is an opportunity to strengthen airsoft and one of the means to this end is this competition. It can only work when all the parts are working together. This will not be an easy endeavour but Rob and the AW team believe “ it’s the only correct path to take for

“AND

airsoft in the future. We are a small community and we need to strengthen the network and work together on different levels.”

And this is why Airsofter World started the Airsofter World Games, it’s all about building communities. While the testing is going full steam ahead, they keep growing their network with more organisers and associations. So if you, any mentioned part of the airsoft community, have an interest in AWG or Airsofter World, don’t hesitate to speak with them via www.airsofter.world or get in touch with them direct, rob@airsofter.world.

I for one am looking forward greatly to seeing how the Airsofter World Games progress, and I will continue to speak with Rob regularly and keep you updated. Our big old world of airsoft needs to be more connected, not in terms of social media where “chairborne warriors” and their vitriol appear to rule the roost, but in the hands of like-minded people who actually give a damn about the future of airsoft, not just in the short term, but in the long-game, and for this reason alone I will support the awesome initiative that is AW and AWG all the way! AA

THIS IS WHY AIRSOFTER WORLD STARTED THE AIRSOFTER WORLD GAMES, IT’S ALL ABOUT BUILDING COMMUNITIES. WHILE THE TESTING IS GOING FULL STEAM AHEAD, THEY KEEP GROWING THEIR NETWORK WITH MORE ORGANISERS AND ASSOCIATIONS”

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!

WHEN STEWBACCA IS OUT AND PLAYING IT’S USUALLY ALONGSIDE HIS REGULAR TEAM-MATES FROM TEAM TAIJI, WHO ARE ARGUABLY ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST DIVERSE TEAM IN THE NORTH OF TAIWAN, IF NOT THE WHOLE ISLAND NATION. EVERY YEAR THEY GET INVOLVED IN LARGER MULTI-TEAM MILSIMS WHERE ALL THE MAJOR TEAMS IN THE UPPER COUNTIES OF TAIWAN, AND EVEN SOME FRIENDS FROM FURTHER AFIELD, CONGREGATE TO ENJOY A WEEKEND OF GAMING AS WELL AS A HOG ROAST, BEERS AMONG FRIENDS AND CAMPING. THEY ALSO HAVE THEIR OWN SMALLER MILSIM EVENT CLOSER TO HOME TO PREPARE THE TEAM FOR THESE LARGER EVENTS, SO THIS TIME STEWBACCA TELLS US ALL ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS… IN THE JUNGLE!

As much as I want to try and get involved in absolutely everything I can shooting-related in Taiwan, and I play almost every Sunday with my Taiji teammates, sometimes full weekends cause issues due to my ongoing day-job Saturday work requirements. As a result I have missed out the past few years on the Taiji Sanxia MilSim due to other overlapping events or reports, and this year I had to choose between the returning PengHu IPSC shoot my SPPT teammates went to, as well as other events I originally planned to attend which then got cancelled; there just aren’t enough hours in the day! Thankfully, late May 2024 saw me finally able to join the Taiji team as they went out to the south of Taipei in reasonable numbers, with around 30 of us attending the ‘Witch View’ campsite an hour or so out of town, on the county line with neighbouring

Taoyuan in the hilly ‘SanXia’ or ‘three gorges’ district, with the campsite itself being around 500 metres above sea level on a plateau surrounded by fairly dense jungle and narrow roads or tracks and thus not quite as humid or low lying as the seaside campsite of POLK3.

That, and with it being a few months before the hottest time of year, made it a little more comfortable although we were all still sweating profusely just setting up our tents and communal shelter areas ready for the evening’s post, just getting our gear stowed in them in time for a slight shower that thankfully didn’t last too long; around lunchtime everyone had chrono-tested their guns for compliance, geared-up and started accumulating in their squads within either team to be briefed and set up our radio comms.

I was part of the Red Team (OpFor) facing off against Blue Team who would be operating from a hilltop around half a kilometre east of the camp area, and performing search and rescue to try and exfil a downed pilot from the area along with some lost intelligence documents from their plane crash, while we would be the responding indigenous forces attempting to capture the pilot and eliminate their rescue forces.

Each team comprised three squads with their own team leaders and most of us being on the same radio comms channel which was kept secret from BluFor and vice versa to prevent any eavesdropping; off the bat we had to change frequencies just to avoid the somewhat typical issue of other people using the channel! Often during regular skirmish days we find ourselves calling for fire support from bemused local taxi drivers! It’s often a pain in the rear trying to get the squelch power levels set up well considering the harsh terrain we play in and the varying range capabilities as a result.

We were also making use of blue training CAT tourniquets as part of our medic game rules; any eliminated player had to await the squad-designatedmedic to attend to them and fit the CAT to either and arm or leg depending on available cover (or being allowed to move the casualty a short distance into better cover) then wait for a two minute cool-down period before removing the CAT with the ‘casualty’ returning to the game; this added some immersion and a decent amount of realistic ‘time out’ allowing the forces to take advantage of eliminations made, without regen-style rules that require moving long distances back and forth to respawn points. If during the down-time waiting for the CAT countdown the opposing force can get hands on the casualty then they are out of the game completely and must return to respawn, then wait for at least three players to regroup there before redeploying in a small but potentially useful force instead of lone players moving back into the game without support… a much better approach to such things in my mind.

DEPLOYMENT… AND AMBUSH!

Shortly afterwards we loaded up in some of the vehicles our teammates

had driven to the site in, getting dropped off at our starting area, with BluFor having already been shipped out to their staging area and already moving into their positions prior to our predetermined game-on time. As the time rolled around we moved off up the main road eastwards until we reached a clearing with an excavator parked at the head of a fork in the road. Immediately we came under fire not only from the front right, but from and element who had positioned themselves in the dense jungle either side of the road we’d just moved down…

Not an ideal start, basically walking ourselves straight into an ambush, although we had limited and predictable ways into the area BluFor had moved through to deploy, in fairness.

Radio-chatter immediately lit up from all squads reporting the strength of the attacks upon our formation and we decided to cover each other off and break right squad by squad, thankfully managing to get Alpha and Bravo teams into the fairly dense bamboo patch on a steep and muddy hill while Charlie team held off the ambush from the rear. We put down plenty of fire to dissuade further movement of the BluFor on our position and managed to clamber up the hill using the bamboo and trees to help ourselves up the muddy incline; of course I managed to dump my boots, butt and muzzle in the mud in the process before heaving myself clear onto another road at the top, taking up a position with overwatch across the road beneath and to the fork where it met the road I was now on.

Our medic moved down to help out with Charlie Team before rejoining us and we moved down the road trying to engage the sniper unit hidden in the dense foliage across to the left side of the road we’d just escaped from; throughout I was sending heavy BBs out with the VFC FNC and the ELCAN replica on top, posting them through the trees and bamboo or bouncing them off them with noticeable ‘thwacks’ keeping heads down on the other end.

Making our way to the bottom of the road our team leader jumped across into a bamboo patch on the base of an even steeper hill and got eyes on BluFor and started engaging them, but was then taken out by the aforementioned element in the opposite treeline to our left. With things stagnating

“I WAS PART OF THE RED TEAM (OPFOR) FACING OFF AGAINST BLUE TEAM WHO WOULD BE

PERFORMING SEARCH AND RESCUE TO TRY AND EXFIL A DOWNED PILOT FROM THE AREA

our OpFor commander rejoined us from the rear while Charlie and Bravo followed our route up to the top road and moved up it away from us, we recovered our team leader, peeling and covering off our retreat up the road.

At the top of this long slog up the hill and around a hairpin we regrouped, took on water and snacks; getting up the hill lugging all our gear and constantly fighting the foliage and gravity pulling us back down with poor footing then getting another few hundred metres up to the high ground overlooking the clearing somewhat winded us all! We rested and reloaded for a few minutes before moving out further along the high trail winding back down through the top end of the same bamboo patch our team leader had dived into previously, moving down the hill towards

the route from BluFor’s spawn point to the other end of the clearing where we’d first engaged them. Eventually they re-engaged us and we spread out in a line along the opening terrain behind some large rock outcrops, incurring casualties and getting bogged down.

I was taking long shots at the BluFor elements moving around while Charlie Team moved right and down the hill under our covering fire and took a pretty hard shot in the head and had to lie down and have our squad medic go through the CAT tourniquet regimen before moving onto my teammate next to me. I popped back up to lay down more covering fire and immediately took another round to the head… it turned out later was a very lucky single pistol shot from one of the BluFor guys struggling with ‘foggles’ like most of us were and resorting to left eye aiming his sidearm as a result!

Finally our medic had finished reviving us behind cover and he had to retreat to the start point to reload as he hadn’t brought additional ammunition with him to the field, I took over as medic and moved back up the hill to revive our commander and regroup. After more exchanges of fire we finally all got back in the game behind the dispersed rocks, finally rallying and pushing through, laying down heavy cover fire to regroup with Charlie Team to our front right; I got taken out again bringing up the rear and had to drop down and apply a tourniquet yet again as the rest of my group engaged the BluFor at the bottom of the hill where they started from. Taking more casualties so close to the opposing staging area led to a lot of ‘totally dead’ players eliminated by direct contact with BluFor players who ended up going back to our start point.

I managed to sneak around the rear of a copse and rejoin the rest of what was left of my team; with just our commander and one of my teammates as well as my squad leader being in earshot but out of sight, I managed to drag my teammate back into cover while our commander

“I WAS TAKING LONG SHOTS AT THE BLUFOR ELEMENTS MOVING AROUND WHILE CHARLIE TEAM MOVED RIGHT AND DOWN THE HILL UNDER OUR COVERING FIRE AND TOOK A PRETTY HARD SHOT IN THE HEAD AND HAD TO LIE DOWN AND HAVE OUR SQUAD MEDIC GO THROUGH THE CAT TOURNIQUET REGIMEN BEFORE MOVING ONTO MY TEAMMATE NEXT TO ME”

covered us and revive him but soon the BluFor were moving back down the hill in force on our position and we all ended up eliminated just as I’d finished the CAT process on him.

RELOAD, REPLEN, REVIEW

With our team all tapped-out by the returning BluFor we were forced to return to our staging point, although on the way out we heard them encounter one of our redeploying groups who had already finished respawning and a sudden and fierce firefight ensued. Arriving back at the staging area after hours of shooting, moving, clambering, reloading and recovering each other with tourniquets under fire, we had just enough time to reload everything, take on water and prepare to re-join the fight just as the rest of our team returned along with some of the BluFor to tell us that they’d managed to complete all their objectives and recovered the pilot, intel and local asset during the time they’d kept us busily engaged as we tried different approaches from different directions, BluFor thus winning the day.

After hours at it I was drenched in sweat and had

gotten through around six litres of fluid just while in game, let alone the other three or so I drank before we even started; I was beat, but felt pretty cheerful about how well we had maintained communication and cohesion within our units. As with at POLK3, when we are working together as a full team, rather than as separate opposing forces, it certainly seems we can hold off against most of what Taiwan can throw at us, apart from the sheer terrain and weather. It was certainly a bit demoralising going up against our regular team leader on BluFor with some of the more experienced players, although our squads worked well together in spite of having to attack entrenched forces that knew where we would be coming from by virtue of the gaming area and objectives.

We all regrouped and were retrieved by the same vehicles that dropped us off at the start of the game, and were dropped back at the campsite to start preparing for dinner. I was the usual mess of dank BDUs and all my other support gear being drenched in sweat; there’s nothing quite like wrestling with the jungle in full gear and the heat and humidity here to

“ARRIVING BACK AT THE STAGING AREA AFTER HOURS OF SHOOTING, MOVING, CLAMBERING, RELOADING AND RECOVERING EACH OTHER WITH TOURNIQUETS UNDER FIRE, WE HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME TO RELOAD EVERYTHING, TAKE ON WATER AND PREPARE TO RE-JOIN THE FIGHT”

knock it out of you, and I had also managed to pull my shoulder a bit it seems during my efforts.

I ditched all my gear, stripped off my BDUs and slung them on the improvised washing line I’d tied between my tent and the trees behind, in the vain hope of them drying out whatsoever given the weather, and trudged off to the showers to wash away the defeat and dank. We all started congregating in the communal area and cracking very welcomed ‘cold ones’ from the camp admin centre’s fridge which we’d fully stocked as part of the game fee overhead, while my squad leader ‘Big Mike’ began preparing to feed the five thousand; a dinner of his famously well-made curries and stews on white rice or bread, with plenty being left over after everyone had had their fills.

The night drew in and we all chatted, shared war stories and beers, and even endured a wild toad attack upon one of our team’s tents, along with of course the ever present assault of mosquitoes; I ended up typically covered in bites on my limbs, some of them are stealthy tiny ones out here that you never even see or hear, you just feel their after effects.

Around 2300 the last of us slumped away to try and get some kip; I assume due to the altitude making it cooler, however I managed to sleep a bit funny and get a bad crick in my neck, that, along with the heat and dehydration of the previous day (no doubt not helped by the beers in all honesty!) made it difficult for me to partake in the Sundays short game.

TEA AND TARGETS

We awoke fairly early and began crawling out of our tents and preparing for the breakfast; our team commander Barrie was taking care of that with large scale bacon, ham and/or cheese sandwiches for all along with the all-important tea, or coffee for those that prefer that. As with POLK3, a lot of the team were pretty wiped out by the previous day and some left early again due to prior commitments on the Sunday afternoon or evening they had to return home and prepare for.

The remnants set off around 1030 for a quick 5v5 game in the clearing given the depleted numbers, while those of us less mobile took the opportunity to make use of the improvised target range along the campsite, slowly waking up while allowing each other to try out all our different guns, and emptying all our pre-loaded magazines in the process in a more constructive manner. This allowed everyone to spend some time tuning and zeroing our guns and sights or optics, while we awaited the return of the other contingent from the final game round.

With all the activities completed we broke camp and cleaned up everything and disappeared into the aether as fast as we had arrived! We already have a smaller contingent signed up to an exciting multi-team MilSim somewhere a bit further afield in September, so hopefully we will get to work together well and further test our teamwork abilities then before some of the bigger games at the end of the year.

Until then, fellow shooters… AA

IC-YES!

BACK IN ISSUE 160 WE INTRODUCED THE LATEST HICAPA GBB PISTOLS FROM ICS, THE LEGACY, ACME AND THE CARNOTAURUS! THESE PISTOLS HAVE NOW BEEN IN THE HANDS OF THE TESTING CREW FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW, AND THEY’VE BEEN PUSHED HARD THROUGH THEIR PACES; WHILST BILL WILL REPORT BACK ON THE SPLIT-SLIDE CARNOTAURUS GIVEN IT’S UNIQUE CHARACTER, BEN, STEWBACCA AND JIMMY NOW UPDATE ON THE TWO “ANYTHING-BUT-CONVENTIONAL” MODELS.

Ben: When you’re looking for a good quality manufacturer you can’t go wrong with ICS, and their new LEGACY pistol is quality from the overall build to its performance! I’ve had this for a while now and already its becoming one of my favourite pistols; it has a hyper-smooth topslide recoil action which is so satisfying, an awesome textured pistol grip which allows for a fabulous grasp and sits very comfortably in one’s hand, along with a very decent trigger response that also has the adjust grub screw for them that want a slightly tighter response or maybe a looser feel on the trigger.

I found this to be almost perfect straight out the box; I tested this in not just my own time playing, but also more in my 177ft long garden, putting about a 1000 to 1500 BB through it; also, in-game I got some good kills with it! Not once did I get a feeding issue

“THE OVERALL LOOK AND BUILD TO THIS PISTOL IS AGAIN OF HIGH QUALITY, AND GIVEN THE SHEER NUMBER OF HICAPA PLATFORMS OUT THERE IN MY PERSONAL OPINION I WOULD PUT ICS UP WITH THE TOP RUNNERS FOR QUALITY BUILDS”

a push if you were to adjust hop a little with a slight elevation of the pistol, and the accuracy was very decent at about 45/50 meters before I started to get the BB ever so slightly veering off, but not by much! Of course, that could have been a slight breeze due to having to test outside, and we all know that “the elements” do take effect.

The overall look and build to this pistol is, again, of high quality and given the sheer number of HiCapa platforms out there in my personal opinion I would put ICS up with the top runners for quality builds. If I were pushed to find a flaw, and this is my own personal perspective and based on the handling of the LEGACY, it’s the safety lever as for me it protrudes out along the arm just a little too much, and sometimes when manoeuvring the pistol for a mag change I found the knuckle of my thumb would just nudge the safety catch when tilting the pistol, and that would then hinder me for a split second, but apart from that, so far the ICS legacy pistol has been flawless.

Anyone who gets themselves a LEGACY will be extremely happy with it; I for one most certainly recommend it and look forward to putting it through its paces in the long term and getting that in-game kill score up with it!

Stewbacca: Having seen the early production models with Bill during our in-person visit to ICS Airsoft’s headquarters as covered back in Issue 157, we were both eagerly awaiting the release of the trio of HiCapa themed GBB pistols. I received the ACME a few months ago and immediately started testing it out at SPPT IPSC training sessions interspersed with my now frontline Shadow 2 Orange, luckily most of my teammates run HiCapa pistols of various manufacture and flavour, so I had plenty of compatible spare magazines to borrow if and when needed.

As is typically the case with 1911-style platforms the stylishly skeletonised trigger is excellent and has a fairly short travel and take up before a nice clean break and a good reset that allowed me to rattle off my usual double taps or longer strings of transitioning shots across papers and poppers. The magazine well extension makes it very easy and smooth to reload

while the textured side grip panels, spotted front strap and striated back strap all help to give a great feel in the hand and control it during firing, while the wide serrations in the rear of the top slide allow for ease of manipulation for loading/cycling the slide.

The HOP unit is pretty consistent once you get it set; as always we test on a 1” square metal target at around ten metres at SPPT to ensure we have our sights set up nicely, and the ICS ACME doesn’t seem to move around once the HOP is set, consistently lifting 0.3g BBs to the target, occasionally I have experienced a little stuttering in terms of intermittent shots being weaker than normal, as well as the safety levers being easily actuated accidentally in some instances, although that might be due to my large mitts. The right hand side/ left handed safety lever did already break after some use which surprised me, it could just be a case of heat treatment inconsistency as it appears to have brittle-fractured along the face that connects it to the left hand side lever; it hasn’t affected functionality for me personally, but might be something worth keeping an eye out for, I’m not sure if my rough handling may have caused the breakage. As always, #IBreakShitSoYouDontHaveTo, fellow shooters.

Minor issues aside I’ve been very happy with the overall consistency and handling thus far and the ACME very consistently chronos at the 80m/s mark

“AS IS TYPICALLY THE CASE WITH 1911-STYLE PLATFORMS THE STYLISHLY SKELETONISED TRIGGER IS EXCELLENT AND HAS A FAIRLY SHORT TRAVEL AND TAKE UP BEFORE A NICE CLEAN BREAK AND A GOOD RESET THAT ALLOWED ME TO RATTLE OFF MY USUAL DOUBLE TAPS”

“GAS

me and their latest offering of HiCapa pistols, and these have sparked a fair bit of interest. Many players who have seen it and tried it have all been surprised by the performance and love the aesthetics. A few months back I was presented with the rather lovely ACME pistol, one of three to be released. I was fortunate enough to get hands on their very first HiCapa a while back which I gave a shining review, so having spent a fair amount of time becoming familiar with that I had high expectations over the new range, and I am happy to report the ACME did not disappoint.

ICS have again pumped out what I would class as a top tier pistol one that can easily rival the mega-popular Tokyo Marui which quite frankly is the standard, and having adopted certain TM specs you can be sure to get high level performance. Internally it is the same high standards which were featured in the first Challenger pistol, only this time you have more choice to please the eye. A pistol of this calibre would suit any field whether it be a fast-paced indoor CQB environment or in the hands of a die-hard BattleSimmer who is looking for next level-performance; equally it would sit perfectly in the hands of a competition shooter and with a small amount of enhancement could be a major contender.

I have spent some time using this pistol now and while most of it is good I have a couple of gripes which may only be a personal thing to be honest. but I will get them out of the way first. The finish on the majority of the pistol is pretty good and the reddish accents do stand out. However, I feel it would have been a better choice for ICS to have anodized them. Both the trigger and the outer barrel have been painted, and to me it looks powder coated and it lacks a little lustre. Judging by the finish the look to have been cast so naturally anodizing wouldn’t have been an option. The components themselves

EFFICIENCY IS SOMETHING EVERY AIRSOFTER LOOKS FOR IN A GBB WHETHER IT BE A RIFLE OR A PISTOL, AND SOMETHING THE ACME CAN BOAST IS EFFICIENCY. EASILY ABLE TO EMPTY A MAGAZINE WITH EQUAL PERFORMANCE ON EACH SHOT IT EFFORTLESSLY EMPTIES RIGHT UP TO SLIDE LOCK AND STILL HAS FUEL IN THE TANK”

work for the intended purpose and the addition of the adjustable trigger is a nice touch allowing you to personalise the pull. I just feel a CNC part finished with anodizing would have made it really stand out.

It would have been nice to have an adjustable rear sight which you would normally find on a 5.1 HiCapa but instead they fitted a fixed 4.3 rear sight with two painted dots and it would have been a nice touch to see some fibre optic on it. Moving on the overall weight and feel of the ACME it is much lighter and thinner than the Challenger and as a result I can use it in my hard Kydex holsters and so far the finish on the slide and frame are showing no signs of wear due to being pushed and pulled into and out of the “sharper” holsters which is pleasing to see as I have OCD about scuff marks and wear marks on my RIFS!

Gas efficiency is something every airsofter looks for in a GBB whether it be a rifle or a pistol, and something the ACME can boast is efficiency. Easily able to empty a magazine with equal performance on each shot it effortlessly empties right up to slide lock and still has fuel in the tank should you need to rearm with more BBs. One great feature of the magazine is the adjustable gas release valve or REVO for short. It has been designed with a degree of adjustability to allow for differing climates. You can alter the valve depending on temperatures or shorten or lengthen the valve axle to release either more or less gas. It can be a tricky job as you will need to fully remove the gas valve in order to adjust or even fully disassemble the valve to add or remove components to suit.

Another positive which aids efficiency is how ICS have designed the piston and piston head to ensure the gases are going exactly to where they are supposed to go. The use of what appears to be Viton rubber on the piston head and the addition of a second O-ring on the rear of the piston means no gas is vented past the nozzle and out of the rear of the piston as a lot of pistols do. I personally would like to see some standards adopted by manufacturers of pistols by way of a single O-ring piston head and completely do away with the rubber cup.

The addition of the MasterMod components have now become a standard thing for ICS and I do like these components. I have much experience with them, many good but some bad but it all depends on

the application and how far you tend to push these components. Ootb the ACME comes with the TDC TM- spec hop unit, steel barrel with the R-Hop patch and flat hop rubber. ICS states the use of .30g and upwards, however I have learned that you can’t push the R-Hop patch much past a point. This is where we get to “how far can you push a component”? The R-Hop patch unlike the R-Hop patch of yesteryear is not glued in place, it is a rubber which sits over a perfectly machined section on the barrel than the flat rubber sits over, creating the seal between hop unit and barrel. When you add too much hop you push the patch through the window which when a BB passes through catches on that material which can either deform the patch creating accuracy issues or at worst completely chewing the patch up. The pistols with the TDC hop unit are best suited for BBs of .30g and at the absolute limit 0.40g; my professional “tech opinion” would be to settle at .36g.

Another thing that you will want to take into consideration is “time to target”; the heavier the BB the slower it travels. This isn’t really a problem in a CQB environment or in a competition scenario but out in the woodlands where sometimes you may be shooting over a distance this can really matter and we have all seen it, people easily dodging BBs because they are travelling slower... I have even done it myself! With a .32g bb I was able to consistently hit a cansized target out at 20 metres and a man-sized target out to around 40 metres, but BBs will travel way past that although the hit percentage started to drop; that said it can still equal the range of many AEG rifles which for a pistol is very good going.

Another great feature the ACME sports is the stippled grips; it isn’t an aggressive stippling but it is just the right amount, and if you look closely it has tiny ICS logos incorporated, only visible upon close inspection though. This grip feels a lot more positive than the very smooth finish to that of the Challenger and coupled with the flared magwell makes for very positive and confident reloads.

Overall, this pistol pleases me, and I am confident it will please many others, and for me as a user and a pistol-lover I look forward to seeing much more from ICS. Would I recommend buying one? 100% it will be money well spent. AA

“OVERALL, THIS PISTOL PLEASES ME, AND I AM CONFIDENT IT WILL PLEASE MANY OTHERS, AND FOR ME AS A USER AND A PISTOL-LOVER I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MUCH MORE FROM ICS. WOULD I RECOMMEND BUYING ONE? 100% IT WILL BE MONEY WELL SPENT”