Airsoft Action - August 2024

‘NAMSOFT SPECIAL

‘NAMSOFT SPECIAL CONTENTS

8 ARMOURY: VFC COLT M16A1 GBBR

Stewbacca has been getting to grips with VFC’s recent AR GBBR range with zeal and having already secured his own T91 SOC Taiwanese service rifle after reviewing it in Issue 161, he’s now eyeing up its original forebear for his ever-growing gun wall too, the daddy of all-things-AR and the most commonly seen US rifle during the Vietnam War, the iconic M16A1 GBBR!

18 ARMOURY: DOUBLE BELL NAMSOFT CARBINES

Editorial Director: Bill Thomas

Deputy Editor (Asia): Stu Mortimer

Deputy Editor (USA): Dan Whedon

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Publisher: Calibre Publishing

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©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.

FIND US ON…

LETTER , IDEA OR QUESTION?

Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the Editorial Director: bill@airsoft-action.co.uk, or talk to us on our many social media platforms.

The M16 is far from the only “long” used by western forces in Vietnam, and the shorter-barrelled, more compact XM177, either E1 or E2, is most definitely among the most popular choices for airsofters looking for the perfect Nam-style AEG. Bill takes a look at two classic carbine AEGs from Double Bell that set the tone for US military personal weapons years to come!

28

SPECIAL REPORT: NAM INTEL

You’ve watched some movies and on your favourite online airsoft page you’ve seen that there’s a thing called “NamSoft”; you like the sound of a little “Nam-inspired” gaming, but how do you find out more, and where can you find inspiration and information? Bill and the members of the AA LEGION can help!

36 KIT & GEAR: NAM LOADOUTS

You’ve made a decision on exactly how you want your NamSoft loadout to look; you’ve bought yourself a suitable rifle or carbine, and now you’re ready to start putting it all together! Word of warning… a serviceable NamSoft loadout is just like any other, to get it right is going to take time and some money… but not as much as you might think!

46 RED CELL: NAM SPECIAL “Never Say Never” is a phrase used time and again in both Living History and NamSoft groups, as “pictures or it never happened” doesn’t in any way cut it for the sheer diversity of weapons used in Vietnam! Continuing our NamSoft theme we thought we’d have a good solid look at some of the most common AEG and GBB platforms available for the “Nam Era”, and there’s actually a LOT to look at, and some great choices for either the multiple-tour-veteran or the “FNG” on a budget!

64 RED CELL EXTRA!

It’s not often that we miss out “obvious contenders” in a RED CELL report, but for a couple of reasons we’ve decided to focus on the Real Sword Type 56 and the ARES VZ58 separately. Although the Real Sword Type 56 and the ARES VZ58 didn’t appear in the main RED CELL list this month, it would be remiss of us not to give both models a mention as they’re absolutely perfect for NamSoft OPFOR use!

69 SPECIAL REPORT: NAMSOFT EXPECTATIONS

If you’ve been skirmishing for a while now, or you just fancy something different in your “airsoft life” but the thought of a themed game with uniform and “weapon” requirements fills you with trepidation then don’t despair, as we all start somewhere! What will you need though for a NamSoft game, and what should you expect when you attend one? Bill got together with Josh from GUNMAN AIRSOFT to find out…

76 INSIDE AIRSOFT: HIMALAYA WORKS TAIWAN

In keeping with this issue’s Namtheme and in an effort to raise awareness of smaller family companies working hard to make their names known in an ever-growing industry that can drown out their efforts given some of the industry leviathans in play, Stewbacca finally got around to sitting down with the folks behind “Himalaya Works Taiwan”, a small family run textiles company that’s been a thing in Taiwan as long as he has

84 AA LEGION: TAIWAN/ GERMANY!

As we transition from the past back to the present day in the AA LEGION section this month, what happens when “East meets West”, in this case when our old mates from LCT AIRSOFT in Taiwan landed in Germany to attend the biggest airsoft event there, taking part in the behemoth that is “DARK EMERGENCY”?

Stewbacca got together with them following the event to get the story…

92

AA LEGION: UK

At the back end of May 2024 the UK saw again one of its biggest, and still-growing, airsoft events, one that is continuing to delight the player community as it flourishes! So, what do you get when you add vehicles, just over 70 acres of varied game site and an extremely friendly and welcoming family type atmosphere? You get RIFT Airsoft’s “Shift Your Rifts” (SYR), and our newest UKbased “Legionnaire”, Rich P, was there to experience it first-hand!

Another year has passed by for Miguel and his fellow GHOSTs, and it was time to organise their traditional birthday event! Sixteen years of airsoft as a team is a massive achievement; the number of games, adventures, meeting new teams and people, seeing new fields, you name it, it’s been a great experience for them, one that continues as Miguel tells us all about their “Birthday Game”, OP 1&6!

100 AA LEGION: PORTUGAL

Facebook (Global): ICSBBAirsoft

Youtube: ICS AIRSOFT

Instagram: icsbbairsoft

Twitter (Global): icsbbairsoft

TESTING THEIR MATTEL

WHILE HE’S NO DOUBT BEST KNOWN FOR HIS LOVE OF GERMAN GUNS AND IN PARTICULAR ALL THINGS H&K, STEWBACCA HAS NONETHELESS BEEN GETTING TO GRIPS WITH VFC’S RECENT AR GBBR RANGE WITH ZEAL AND HAVING ALREADY SECURED HIS OWN T91 SOC TAIWANESE SERVICE RIFLE AFTER REVIEWING IT IN ISSUE 161, HE’S NOW EYEING UP ITS ORIGINAL FOREBEAR FOR HIS EVER-GROWING GUN WALL TOO, THE DADDY OF ALL-THINGS-AR AND THE MOST COMMONLY SEEN US RIFLE DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, THE ICONIC M16A1 GBBR!

The Armalite AR15 is an epoch-defining firearm design which has spawned numerous variations and licensed offshoots, including the odd AR15/ AR18 hybrid variants in the guise of the Taiwanese service rifles, as well as leading to the AR18 and all of its more successful derivatives; the L85, AUG, F2000, G36 family, SAR80, SAR21, VHS1 & 2, it’s hard to think of a western bloc / NATO variant service rifle these days which doesn’t use either the AR15 or AR18 operating system, the FAMAS being the only one that comes to mind and even that’s being phased out for just such a system!

Our lord and saviour, Eugene Stoner, clearly

didn’t know they needed until its virtues were shown to them in stark contrast to the established order.

As it was, the US Air Force were in fact the earliest adopters given their specific needs for lightweight and easily-handled firearms and in particular compact survival rifles for pilots to carry with them in case of being downed behind enemy lines, and they forged ahead acquiring Stoner’s earlier design iterations of the XM16 series back before the Army were even convinced of its benefits and got in on the act.

First revealed by Stoner at Fort Benning in May 1957, and officially adopted under a “special permission” by US Special Forces in early 1963, the

they’re finally moving back towards seven decades later… ah, politics and the military industrial complex and procurement game… something Stoner himself was evidently keen to avoid entanglement with and devised his lightweight and modern polymer and aluminium alternative to the good old ‘iron ‘n’ wood’ that many of the establishment preferred.

Applying aviation industry ideas, materials and processes to firearms design somewhat made him the Gaston Glock of his era, trailblazing a newcomer’s perspective and approach to building a demonstrably better product which the military and end users

became synonymous with the helicopter-borne Vietnam War and its baptism of fire that led to an initial reputation for unpopularity and unreliability as a result of meddling from the establishment with Stoner’s otherwise well-devised implement, but that ultimately led to a thoroughly reliable platform that right gained its place in “gun lore”.

TOP NOTCH REPLICATION

VFC’s GBBR offering of the M16A1 replicate its true forebear excellently; having handled and fired the real steel equivalent in semi and full auto alongside the

“THE AR15 WAS THE 5.56 X 45MM ‘.223’ ADAPTED ‘LITTLE BROTHER’ TO THE EARLIER AR10 7.62 X 51MM ‘.308’ ELDER WHICH STONER HAD WORKED ON ORIGINALLY IN AN ATTEMPT TO BUILD A BETTER ‘BATTLE RIFLE’ THAN ITS PREDECESSOR THE M14, THE SHORTEST SERVING RIFLE IN US HISTORY!”

AKM on my Cambodia trip in 2015, the familiar ease of handling and wielding immediately came flooding back as soon as I first handled one of these at VFC’s HQ while Bill was visiting back in November last year.

It just points and balances so nicely with its overall light weight despite its still significant overall length of 990mm, with its fixed stock sitting comfortably under your armpit if you have to wield it one handed while doing admin tasks or just moving around in ‘high port’ or ‘high ready; it certainly isn’t an ideal CQB platform for indoors use as I found out at its later outing at our Yangmei disused-university-dormitories indoor/outdoor CQB venue

furniture all adding to the overall aesthetic. Drawing the charging handle back reveals a very nice and smooth internal action with a stout recoil spring in the buffer tube that makes for a snappy action coupled with an excellent trigger which has a pull of around 4lbs (just shy of 2kg) and drops a very positive hammer strike with an authoritative clunk. The front face also features a grub screw that can be backed out to ensure the hammer impinges on the striker and opens the valve earlier in its forward travel and thus allows for a greater volume of gas to be dispensed for those of you using it in cooler climates or where latent humidity otherwise hampers GBBRs.

outing when I first began fielding my example having picked it up from VFC’s Pentagon Service Centre in the usual fashion before gleefully toddling home with it in tow on the MRT home.

The VFC replication of the overall appearance is top notch, and being officially licensed by Colt via Cybergun it has all the appropriate markings, the familiar prancing pony on the left face of the magazine well, as well as the government markings and even the white highlighted open winged eagle logo on the front face of the magwell, and the flat grey appearance of the receivers and darker plastic

SOC it really blew me away out of the box, making hits at both Yangmei and Xindian out to 55-60m on coffee cups and used gas cans repeatedly after I spent five hours bedding in all my long guns on a range day up to Xindian using a hastily thrown together wooden clamping sled and my laser boresight as well as 0.48g BLS BBs and 12kg green gas.

Once I’d dumped a few tens of magazines through it the thing was shooting laser straight in a most satisfying fashion and slapping BBs off the tree trunks at 55, 60 and 65m respectively, making it easy to hit player-sized targets at relatively extreme ranges

“THE VFC REPLICATION OF THE OVERALL APPEARANCE IS TOP NOTCH,

AND

BEING

OFFICIALLY LICENSED BY COLT VIA CYBERGUN IT HAS ALL THE APPROPRIATE MARKINGS, THE FAMILIAR PRANCING PONY ON THE LEFT FACE OF THE MAGAZINE WELL, AS WELL AS THE GOVERNMENT MARKINGS AND EVEN THE WHITE HIGHLIGHTED OPEN WINGED EAGLE LOGO ON THE FRONT FACE OF THE MAGWELL”

in airsoft terms; I was in my element with it, and as always the usual crowd of interested onlookers and teammates clamoured to get hands on with approving nods and noises once they too found they could beat up paint-cans or trees at daft long ranges! Clearly whatever VFC are doing with their HOP units and barrels lately, they should keep doing, it’s wild how well these things perform out of the box, and with the M16A1 being essentially an intentionally vanilla platform throughout most of the war, there’s really nothing else you need besides additional 20 or 30 BB V3 magazines to suit the era of your preferred loadout. Both options fit and feed excellently, and while I love the classic aesthetic of the shorter “20 round” boxes, the 30s definitely found equal if not greater use in games; I was once again taking players out through bushes and multiple aligned window frames or single shot eliminating them from great distances and loving every minute of fielding it.

The general form factor and comfort is perfect for my long arms, with me comfortably reaching the narrower end of the triangular front handguards with my Kermit arms and indexing my thumb in the front top vent hole, as well as wrapping my fingers around the front sling swivel to index off it and stop it clunking when moving. Of course you couldn’t do that with a live rifle for fear of burning yourself on the barrel or gas tube, but I’ll probably look at removing the front sling swivel or at least taping it in the fashion of the Nam-era to stop it jangling as I run about with Stoner’s wonderful implement in the future… once I inevitably buy it off VFC as it’s another in an evergrowing well executed and far-too-fun-guns to return!

GOOD IN THE WOODS

The muzzle velocity is actually fairly low, in the 100110m/s region with .20g BBs, and dropping into the high 70m/s range with the heaviest BBs such as my somewhat standard .48g; yes, they are more expensive, even out here in Taiwan at source, but oh my, do they fly straight and take all the energy out to the target consistently!

If you’re carrying a GBBR with just a few hundreds of BBs you might as well improve your chances, and with VFC’s recent releases I am certainly finding myself

“THE WHOLE INTERNAL FIRE CONTROL MECHANISM IS THE FULL STEEL CONSTRUCTION AFFAIR THAT CLOSELY REPLICATES THE LOOK AND FEEL OF ITS REAL STEEL COUNTERPART, GIVING AN EXCELLENT GAS PERFORMANCE AND OPERATING FEEL OUT OF THE BOX - AND IN TERMS OF THE BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE IT’S NO SLOUCH EITHER”

easily doing so; everything from the FAL, HK53, T91 SOC, FNC and this M16A1 are just throwing BBs reliably out into the aether and OpFor.

“Good in the woods” is a Nam-era phrase that was used to describe what we would now refer to as an “operator”, and the M16A1 “operates” excellently! I got into some pretty intense firefights at Yangmei with it and managed to work my way through all 80 BBs I was carrying in short order despite making a lot of eliminations and well-aimed shots; it was just a busy day and we were going hell for leather playing against our own teammates split into opposing squads. Similarly after the main shoot we spent a further hour or two doing team marksmanship drills on a makeshift range upstairs in one of the buildings, and the M16A1 was just casually drilling a hole in the wall over the course of the persistent fast shooting and reloading exercises, allowing me to easily and fluidly dump BBs, reload and fire to empty again before some of my teammates had finished their reloads.

Throughout all my exploits with it I never felt remotely encumbered either, while the FAL, FNC and PSG1 are pretty heavy-set chonky-bois by comparison, and strain my arms and back after a day of ‘silly knees bent running’ around the hills, the original intent of Stoner’s creation shines through, with some of the female shooters also gladly availing themselves of it during our range sessions as it just points and shoots so readily and easily given its low overall weight of just 2.5kg (6.25lbs).

This is pretty close to its real steel compatriot, albeit with an alloy bolt carrier group and outer barrel as standard the weight distribution is a little different. Nonetheless it’s just so handy and fun to shoot, much like the M733 I tested a few years back it just makes for a genuinely very enjoyable shooting experience and a great entry platform for anyone looking to join the Vietnam-era re-enactor troop or just the ever growing ‘carry-handle gang’ of retro aficionados who appreciate the original outline and aesthetic before everyone ruined the original intent of the lightweight combat rifle with all the rails, bells and whistles that weigh down the more modern iterations many carry these days.

The iron sights are surprisingly good to use, albeit a little hard for my ageing eyes to pick out at times

“ONCE I’D DUMPED A FEW TENS

OF MAGAZINES THROUGH

IT

THE THING WAS SHOOTING

LASER

STRAIGHT IN A MOST SATISFYING FASHION AND SLAPPING BBS OFF THE TREE TRUNKS AT 55, 60 AND 65M RESPECTIVELY, MAKING IT EASY TO HIT PLAYER-SIZED TARGETS AT RELATIVELY EXTREME RANGES IN AIRSOFT TERMS; I WAS IN MY ELEMENT WITH IT!”

in terms of the front post being silhouette against darker or low contrast backgrounds; I’d be tempted just to put a smidge of white or yellow paint on its tip to help, but once I got it sighted in at Xindian I was again regularly making single-shot hits on a used gas-can taped onto a tree branch at 55m, with a little variation in the HOP at times making some misses, but I counted 15 hits out of the last few magazines by the time I’d sighted in and bedded the HOP in nicely! By the end of the range day my teammates were duly impressed and also appreciative of the lightweight and practical nature of the M16A1.

The HOP itself is the familiar ribbed turn dial which is accessible from above or below the barrel, unfortunately though not as readily as the T91 SOC with its specific M-LOK rail cut-out giving tool-less access to the dial; the M16A1 has the triangular lateral split handguards in the way and the vent holes on the top and bottom do not reach back far enough to allow access. I’d almost be tempted to cut an extra one in the underside where it’s less visible to enable access, although having said that, once I wrestled the damned things off (with much swearing and consternation!) and subsequently struggled to get them back on in the field, I left it until I got home and had G-Clamps to hand. I altered the HOP and it’s

stayed true since then, so perhaps it’s just a case of adjusting it to a consistent ammunition standard and leaving it be; the handguard removal was basically the only pain in the backside part of the whole experience and you can get the appropriate leverage enhancing tool to drag the delta ring back, but otherwise it can be a sweary three or four-handed job as the spring behind the ring is pretty keen.

Regardless, I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive and enjoyable experience fielding the VFC Colt Cybregun licensed M16A1 GBBR and look forward to it hanging on my gun wall for a long time to come, as well as hopefully getting more chances to lend it to others or field it myself! I’ve seen other very positive experiences already from the likes of our good friends at Explosive Enterprises in the USA and Phil at Clearwater in the UK who report similarly great performance and gameplay experiences on their Youtube channels.

So, what are you waiting for fellow shooters? Come and join the carry handle gang!

Many thanks as always to VFC for entrusting me with another of their new babies that they aren’t likely to get back, and for Andrew Paul, Nick Wang and ‘Jerry’ Cheng Yi Wu for their supporting photography. AA

“(THE M16A1 IS) A GREAT ENTRY PLATFORM FOR ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN THE VIETNAM-ERA RE-ENACTOR TROOP OR JUST THE

EVER GROWING

‘CARRY-HANDLE

GANG’ OF RETRO AFICIONADOS WHO APPRECIATE THE ORIGINAL OUTLINE AND AESTHETIC BEFORE EVERYONE RUINED THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF THE LIGHTWEIGHT COMBAT RIFLE”

SHORTBARREL SPECIALS!

“I’M GOING TO LOOK AT TWO CRACKING LITTLE AEGS THAT ARE PERFECT FOR “NAMSOFT”, MODELS THAT WERE QUITE LITERALLY THE “GRANDPAPPY” OF ALL THOSE SHORT, CARBINE-LENGTH ARS THAT ARE OUT THERE TODAY, AND THAT’S THE XM177, OR THE “CAR15” AS MOST VETERANS REMEMBER IT, AND THE COLT MODEL 607”

SCENE SETTING

Most of my personal living history impressions have been centred though on MACV-SOG, MIKE Forces and the SEALs so the full length M16 has always been in my preferred armoury, but as the SOG reconguys carried the XM177E1 or E2 Carbine, this is an important model for me. The “CAR-15” was actually much loved by the majority of its users, and although there were actually several different “carbine” variants, most remember the original, Vietnam-era model as the “CAR15”. Initially the name was an attempt to re-associate the AR-15 name with Colt, since the AR initially stood for ArmaLite Rifle. Colt later abandoned the CAR-15 concept, but

it went into full production in late 1966. The 10 inch barrel on the Model 609 would prove to be an undesirable length due to reliability and accuracy issues, and it would later be replaced with the Colt Model 629 (“XM177E2”) which was basically the same carbine with an 11.5 inch barrel.

With its original 10-inch barrel in the original configuration, the “CAR-15/E1” was a handful, not in terms of recoil as most believe but rather in the size of the fireball expelled from the muzzle! Reports of three-foot diameter balls of flame made it “interesting” to use, especially at night when nothing says “here we are” more obviously than tongue-ofdragon muzzle flare! To mitigate that problem, Colt

wide scale production and use by US Military Forces. Entering US Military Service with the US Army and was given the designation of “XM177E1”, and

“I

It’s really the general attention to detail that makes the Double Bell carbine models valid contenders; I’ve seen many manufacturers have a crack at an “XM”

HAVE NOTICED THAT DOUBLE BELL HAVE LOOKED AT MODELS THAT HAVE BEEN RELEASED BEFORE, AND BOTH MODELS HERE WERE OF COURSE AVAILABLE IN THE OLD TM AND G&P LINE-UPS, ESPECIALLY THE MOD 607, AND I HONESTLY HAVE ZERO PROBLEM WITH THIS AS FINDING THE OLDER AEG MODELS IS NOW QUITE A TASK”

for instance only to be let down by silly things like using the wrong pistol grip or handguard, slip ring or magwell “fence”; although such things will only be noticed by a true “stitch bitch” once you know, you just can’t un-know, and the Double Bells whilst good fall a little on both sides of the divide.

Early M16s (Model 601 onwards if you must know…) and CAR15’s had some pretty unique features which were only changed at a later date. Initially the lower receivers were what is known as “slabside” in that they carried no protective “fence” around the magazine release. The upper receiver had yet to have the forward assist feature added.

The Double Bell

The replica is fully made of alloy (magazine, flash hider, magazine catch, safety/selector lever, bolt catch, charging handle latch, barrel, receivers) with only the pistol grip, butt, and handguard being made of a very nice matt black plastic; I must note here though that the handguard is a pretty standard “M4/AR” twopiece affair and not the slimmer version that should be fitted to an XM, which is a shame, but thankfully the slim versions can be found online if you want to XM “more correct”, and the standard slip-rings will accommodate this. The outer barrel is also an area I personally would do a little remedial work on as it’s a more modern M4-ish” stepped design rather than the smooth, regular diameter of the “real”. The metal

mentioned earlier. The “E2” though is truly a solid design and no little research has gone into getting things pretty right.

and quick-change spring; nothing earth-shattering here, but what I’d expect to see in a game-ready new AEG these days.

“MOST OF MY PERSONAL LIVING HISTORY IMPRESSIONS HAVE BEEN CENTRED THOUGH ON MACV-SOG, MIKE FORCES AND THE SEALS SO THE FULL LENGTH M16 HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN MY PREFERRED ARMOURY, BUT AS THE SOG RECON-GUYS CARRIED THE XM177E1 OR E2 CARBINE, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MODEL FOR ME”

Internally the Model 607 is much of a muchness, but it’s the externals here that really make it a 100% worthwhile addition to any period airsoft armoury! The Colt Model 607 was the first attempt to produce a dedicated carbine, and as such had both a reduced barrel length and collapsing buttstock; in fact the 607 used modified AR15/M16 furniture to include a buttstock which allowed it to be extended or collapsed, and this was in fact just a chopped M16 butt running on a buffer tube and supporting bar controlled via a large “switch lever” built into an abbreviated buttpad… surely a lot of fun in the shoulder when fired! The 607 also featured a shortened pistol grip and shortened triangular

(sub UK£200!), and even on a 7.4V LiPo they really do crack away; bear in mind that most Vietnam themed airsoft games will have strict ammo limits and you’re going to want to stick on semi-auto anyway, and the triggers proved crisp and responsive on both models.

The alloy 150 BB magazine is solid and feeds well, and this short type first issued with the real carbines is the bomb; I’ve taken my pictures these and they scream “NAM!” Thankfully “shorty mags”, hi, mid, and real cap are easy to get hold of and relatively cheap… and if you’re going to “run recon” like me then you’re going to need a lot of them!

My first testing with both carbines showed that they were both a little “hot” for UK sites, but in

DOWNRANGE

These really are impressive carbines given the price

the box.

The thing that REALLY gives the Double Bell carbines a slight edge over other “VN” replicas

“THE “E2” THOUGH TRULY A SOLID DESIGN AND NO LITTLE RESEARCH HAS GONE

INTO GETTING THINGS PRETTY RIGHT. THE REPLICA IS FULLY MADE OF ALLOY (MAGAZINE, FLASH HIDER, MAGAZINE CATCH, SAFETY/SELECTOR LEVER, BOLT CATCH, CHARGING HANDLE LATCH, BARREL, RECEIVERS) WITH ONLY THE PISTOL GRIP, BUTT, AND HANDGUARD BEING MADE OF A VERY NICE MATT BLACK PLASTIC”

though is the perfromance that you get for very little money in relative terms. I own, and have owned numerous NamSoft M16s, XMs, and 607s over the years, and the Double Bell versions are in some cases well less than half the price that I paid for the ones that came before, and they perform straight from the box, and are better overall… straight away… in a nutshell the 607 is close to Living History standard in terms of look, feel and finish bar the “fencing”, and with a little (and I mean absolutely minimal!) work the tiny flaws that there are could be rectified. The XM needs a little more to get it right, namely the handguards (easy) and the outer barrel (easy-ish), and it would be a great choice for NamSoft, although I

largely loved, in a couple of short, sweet period-ishpackages. Both little carbines are well put together and extremely good value for money, although for me the 607 is definitely the one to go for if you want something that’s nigh-on visually perfect straight from the box, as the XM needs a little more work externally to get it “right”; the XM is not perfect in its “look”, but simply by changing certain key, small things I’d be okay with it.

That said I have to admit that I’m delighted that “Namsoft” still appears to be on the agenda of numerous airsoft manufacturers; I hope that 2024 might well be seeing me heading back “in country” for perhaps a “last hurrah”, and if it does I would

Basically you get everything that Double Bell have shown already that they are good at via their more modern AEG releases which we as a team have

“THESE REALLY ARE IMPRESSIVE CARBINES GIVEN THE PRICE (SUB UK£200!), AND EVEN ON A 7.4V LIPO THEY REALLY DO CRACK AWAY; BEAR IN MIND THAT MOST VIETNAM THEMED AIRSOFT GAMES WILL HAVE STRICT AMMO LIMITS AND YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO STICK ON SEMI-AUTO ANYWAY”

“BOTH LITTLE CARBINES ARE WELL PUT TOGETHER AND EXTREMELY GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY, ALTHOUGH FOR ME THE 607 IS DEFINITELY THE ONE TO GO FOR IF YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT’S NIGH-ON VISUALLY PERFECT STRAIGHT FROM THE BOX, AS THE XM NEEDS A LITTLE MORE WORK EXTERNALLY TO GET IT “RIGHT””

FINDING YOUR OWN ‘NAM

YOU’VE COME TO A POINT IN YOUR PERSONAL AIRSOFT JOURNEY THAT YOU WANT TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT, THAT JUST A SUNDAY SKIRMISH WHILST FUN LEAVES YOU WANTING MORE. YOU’VE WATCHED SOME MOVIES AND ON YOUR FAVOURITE ONLINE AIRSOFT PAGE YOU’VE SEEN THAT THERE’S A THING CALLED “NAMSOFT”; YOU LIKE THE SOUND OF A LITTLE “NAM-INSPIRED” GAMING, BUT HOW DO YOU FIND OUT MORE, AND WHERE CAN YOU FIND INSPIRATION AND INFORMATION? BILL AND THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION CAN HELP!

We all come to a point in our personal “airsoft journey” that leaves us wanting just a bit more from our beloved game, don’t we? For many a simple skirmish day on a Saturday or Sunday is enough and all power to you if this is the case, but for some the lure of something bigger is right there, front and centre! Some will turn to BattleSims and MilSims, but others, especially those whose airsoft marries up with an interest in Living History look for something a bit more “themed”.

But where on earth do you start? For a while the screens of our TVs and movie theatres were full of Nam-oriented series and movies, and I can point you to things like the three series of “Tour of Duty”, and more popular movies such as Apocalypse Now”, “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket”, but in honesty there’s so much more out there both on-screen and in print that can these days be at your fingertips!

All airsofters of a “certain age” will remember the television show “Tour of Duty”, and probably own the DVD box sets of all three seasons as I do. I remember tuning in late at night to watch the exploits of “Bravo Company” as they progressed through the war, starting out as “green grunts” and ending up as part of Special Forces “Team Viking”; the wisdom of Sgt “Zeke” Anderson, the patriotism of Lt Myron Goldman and the tenacity shown by all the young infantrymen just won you over.

Not only that, but in general the weapons and equipment were pretty spot on too; whether it was the basic M16 or the more esoteric “Carl Gustav” SMG used by Cpl Danny Purcell in Season 3 the firearms were pretty much spot on. Uniforms and equipment, from the basic olive green 3rd Pattern fatigues and M56 Load Bearing Equipment through to “Tigerstripes” were all nailed. Yes, the acting was

at some points dubious and the storylines increasingly sensational but you really got the feeling that “Bravo” were usually in country and in the mire!

If you head onto Amazon though and simply type “Vietnam War” into the search box you’ll have pages and pages to work through of movies, TV series, documentaries, books and other media… it can seem daunting to say the least! Even if you head to Osprey Publishing for their excellent “Elite, Warrior, or Men at Arms” reference books then you’ll be slightly overwhelmed… and then there’s the “good stuff”, the old books and comics like “The Five Fingers”, “The Nam” and “Fighting Mann” that whilst complete fiction are actually very cool, and have a bit of a cult following…

So, where to start? If you have a general interest but know little about the Vietnam War then I would direct you to “Vietnam: An Epic History of a Divisive War 1945-1975” by eminent (and eminently readable!) historian Max Hastings, which “blends a political and military narrative of the entire conflict with heartstopping personal experience”

This is a truly insightful overview, and sets the scene comprehensively.

MOVIE TIME

Once you have an idea about the war itself, then you can start to delve deeper into things before deciding upon a direction for your own personal NamSoft journey and for this I personally would get into the movies for this, and not just the obvious ones! By all means watch (or rewtach!) “Platoon or FMJ”, but then search out some others like...

• The Green Berets – Early War Special Forces

• Go tell The Spartans– Early War Special Forces

“IF YOU... KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR THEN I WOULD DIRECT YOU TO “VIETNAM: AN EPIC HISTORY OF A DIVISIVE WAR 1945-1975” BY EMINENT HISTORIAN MAX HASTINGS, WHICH “BLENDS A POLITICAL AND MILITARY NARRATIVE OF THE ENTIRE CONFLICT WITH HEART-STOPPING PERSONAL EXPERIENCE””

• We Were Soldiers – Early War Airmobile

• The Boys in Company C – USMC

• Hamburger Hill – 101st Airborne

• The Odd Angry Shot – Australian SAS in The Nam

• 84 Charlie Mopic – An unusual perspective!

• Tigerland – A different viewpoint

• A Bright Burning Lie – Another different viewpoint!

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and nowhere near comprehensive, but it’s one that covers a lot of bases and will give you a grounding in lots of different perspectives. The difficulty I guess for new NamSoft players is “how far do I go?”, and this movie list gives a lot of different timescale, and hopefully some inspiration!

THE WRITTEN WORD

Now I know that the big thing these days is not to actually, you know, READ! With things like Audible

even the written word can be lapped up more easily, but I’d urge you to actually pick up some books in this instance, and there are some absolute corkers out there that are jam-packed not just with some superb story-telling, but also with a cornucopia of useful information and nuggets of “operational gold”! Where you begin with will be largely dependent on what “role” you wish to play in a NamSoft scenario, and believe you me there’s probably been as much written from the soldier’s perspective about time “in country” from so many viewpoints, and in so much detail that you’re going to be spoilt for choice! To give you an idea, my favourite loadouts centre around MACV-SOG, MIKE Force, and SEAL, so a good starting point for these might be...

• SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam – John L Plaster

• Covert Ops: The Cia’s Secret War in Laos –James E Parker

• Blackjack 34: Mobile Guerrilla Force – James C

“NOW I KNOW THAT THE BIG THING THESE DAYS IS NOT TO ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, READ! WITH THINGS LIKE AUDIBLE EVEN THE WRITTEN WORD CAN BE LAPPED UP MORE EASILY, BUT I’D URGE YOU TO ACTUALLY PICK UP SOME BOOKS IN THIS INSTANCE, AND THERE ARE SOME ABSOLUTE CORKERS OUT THERE”

Donahue

Good to Go: Seal Team

Two - Harry Constance and Randall Fuerst

The Element of Surprise: Navy SEALS in Vietnam – Darryl Young

And if you’re interested in anything LRRP then anything (and I mean anything and everything!) by Gary A Linderer and Larry Chambers!

Once again, this is by no means at all an exhaustive list, and concentrates on my own specific interest areas, but it IS a starting point, and these are five books that are rammed full of information from some of the men that were actually on the ground! As this was my own list of “faves and mustreads” I also asked the members of the AA LEGION what inspired them.

TEAM TALK

Li’ Stu: “Without doubt “Chickenhawk” a book written by Robert Mason; I could not out it down, it’s the raw honesty of the writing!”

Jimmy: “For me it has to be film-

orientated. Having seen many a Nam film there are two that really stand out: “Full Metal Jacket” which will probably rate high on many people’s list, but my all-time favourite has to be “We Were Soldiers”.

“Based on the book ‘We Were Soldiers Once and Young’ it starred Mel Gibson, an actor I have grown up watching and an actor who many love to watch; you become attached to certain actors and it doesn’t matter what film they are a part of, you just enjoy their presence on the screen. This is a film I can watch over and over.

“The odds were stacked against the 400 US soldiers who landed in Ia Drang, and it fast became apparent that they were out-numbered massively! This didn’t phase Lt Hal Moore, a guy who instilled courage in his soldiers and led them from the front.

“One line stuck with me and at this point of the film I was honestly on the edge of my seat; Vietnamese soldiers had broken their lines and were literally on top of them, and Sgt Major Basil Plumley (played by actor Sam Elliot), draws his side arm and yells “Gentlemen, prepare to defend yourselves!”

“WOW! what a moment in the film, a genuine goose-bump moment among many might I add. For the majority of the film it was very intense.”

Stewbacca: “On the book front, I spent a lot of time reading Nam-era sniper-related materials when I first got into NamSoft back in my early days as I wanted to understand the mentality and deployment of snipers in Vietnam. The Marine Corps used them more as independent teams out in the field alone or lone operatives for HVTs, whereas the army tended to embed them more like modern designated marksmen or unit force multipliers for example.

“Thus “Silent Warrior” and “Marine Sniper” charting the legendary Carlos Hathcock III’s activities were of

“AT THIS POINT OF THE FILM I WAS HONESTLY ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT;

VIETNAMESE SOLDIERS HAD BROKEN THEIR LINES AND WERE LITERALLY ON TOP OF THEM, AND SGT MAJOR BASIL PLUMLEY (PLAYED BY ACTOR SAM ELLIOT), DRAWS HIS SIDE ARM AND YELLS “GENTLEMEN, PREPARE TO DEFEND YOURSELVES?” WOW!”

great interest and I can’t believe that as far as I know they still haven’t made a feature film of his exploits.

“13 Cent Killers” was another I enjoyed in a similar theme.

“WHERE

“Movies-wise, of course the classics like “Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, We Were Soldiers, and Apocalypse Now” (although the redux edition did put back in a lot of slow paced ‘meh’ which I can understand being cut out to be honest) are all favourites.

“The music of the era is also something of great interest to myself and my teammates here,

many of whom are also “of a certain age” and I love listening to the tracks from Creedence, the Stones, and myriad other artists whose works were synonymous with one of the most divisive conflicts in US history, an aspect of history I take an interest in in my own ways too... “Sympathy For The Devil” just started playing as I am writing this as it happens...”

Dan: “Movies; Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Born on the 4th of July, Flight of the Intruder, We Were Soldiers, and Oats Studios Firebase!

“For me, “Platoon and Apocalypse Now” are the quintessential Vietnam films; dark, gritty, and full of brutal moral quandary with many standout characters. “We Were Soldiers” stands tall for its vivid depictions of bloody aerial insertions, the horrors of napalm, and leaves you exhausted in the end. Despite being sci-fi, “Firebase” gets honourable mention for its spooky horror concept set amidst the Vietnam war. I would love it to get a full length film treatment.

“Books; Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes, CW2 by

YOU BEGIN WITH WILL BE LARGELY DEPENDENT ON WHAT “ROLE” YOU WISH TO PLAY ...THERE’S PROBABLY BEEN AS MUCH WRITTEN FROM THE SOLDIER’S PERSPECTIVE ABOUT TIME “IN COUNTRY” FROM SO MANY VIEWPOINTS, AND IN SO MUCH DETAIL THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE SPOILT FOR CHOICE…”

Layne Heath, Chickenhawk by Robert Mason, Time to Kill by Stephen Hunter, and The Nam’ comic series!

“There’s many novels I read long ago, but since forgotten the titles of, but the above are all in my collection and all excellent reads. “Matterhorn” might be my top pick for the definitive Vietnam war novel. “CW2” hit differently, sort of in the vein of “Apocalypse Now”, and maybe even “Rambo: First Blood”, which follows a helicopter pilot who refuses to give up on the war after it’s been declared over. “Time to Kill” is fictional, but it has an excellent segment (almost a novella in its own right) that infills the background for the main character, Bob Lee Swagger, himself heavily inspired by Carlos Hathcock

“My dad was a bit of a comic collector years ago, and one of the series he had was “The Nam’”, which I devoured as a kid. Some of the best ones were the depictions of MACV-SOG operations or just day-today life as a grunt. I actually need to track down a few of the missing issues still.”

Boycie: “I just love books! Unfortunately I get little time to read at the minute. I like the “Vietnam:

Ground Zero” series by Eric Helm. I was big into the “Tour of Duty” TV show when it was on so it sort of followed for me. There are also a number of factual ‘Nam books that I like. The most recent one I read was one on Carlos Hathcock.”

So there you have it, a lot of “intel” on where to find information and inspiration for any Vietnam-era role that you want to get into for NamSoft games!

I know that we’re light on the OPFOR side, but as much of this is still written in Vietnamese it is a little harder to access, although you can find some excellent translations of personal wartime accounts online.

As I’ve stressed several times this is on no way whatsoever meant to be a comprehensive list of what to read or watch, as the subject is just too utterly vast. However, I hope that the team and I have given you some insight of where to start and trust me, once you do get started, you won’t be stopping any time soon!

Please note that some images shown in support of this article were sourced in the Public Domain. AA

“THIS IS ON NO WAY WHATSOEVER MEANT TO BE A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF WHAT TO READ OR WATCH, AS THE SUBJECT IS JUST TOO UTTERLY VAST. HOWEVER, I HOPE THAT THE TEAM AND I HAVE GIVEN YOU SOME INSIGHT OF WHERE TO START, AND TRUST ME ONCE YOU DO GET STARTED YOU WON’T BE STOPPING ANY TIME SOON!”

GAME GEAR, NAMSOFTSTYLE!

SO YOU’VE DONE YOUR “DUE DILIGENCE” IN RELATION TO RESEARCH, AND YOU’VE MADE A DECISION ON EXACTLY HOW YOU WANT YOUR NAMSOFT LOADOUT TO LOOK; YOU’VE BOUGHT YOURSELF A SUITABLE RIFLE OR CARBINE, AND NOW YOU’RE READY TO START PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER! WORD OF WARNING… A SERVICEABLE NAMSOFT LOADOUT IS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER, TO GET IT RIGHT IS GOING TO TAKE TIME AND SOME MONEY… BUT NOT AS MUCH AS YOU MIGHT THINK!

Ihope that last bit of the intro hasn’t put you off, as the level of investment needed to get into NamSoft might not be as big an outlay as you think! Certainly, “going OPFOR” as I’ll discuss more as we progress is, as always, a relatively cheap way to get into NamSoft, especially if you already own some form of classic AK. If you want to go “full grunt” though, or certainly get into some of the more specialist units or indeed ANZAC forces recreation, then yes, it is going to cost you a bit more.

As you’ll see from the Special Report later in this issue though, most of the good guys running “Nam Ops” want you at the game, and although there are some restrictions and requirements, even for “allied forces” these can be quite easy and cost-effective to adhere to; green uniform, some form of web gear to carry all your game shizzle, and a rifle or carbine that reflects the period, a “positive mental attitude” and you’re good to go… remember, as much as some players will go the whole “living history standard hog”, this is airsoft, and ultimately it’s the playing that is most important!

As with all things these days though I’ve found that some of the airsoft groups that focus on era-correct kit and AEGs/GBBs can get a little “stitchy bitchy/ bean counter” and snippy about things, and whilst I’d be among the first to say that we should endeavour to get things as right as possible when it comes to creating a good “historical” loadout the fact is that we all start somewhere don’t we?

“Living History” is exactly as it states on the can, history brought to life through the re-enactment of period situations and events, and in this setting the gear and weapons portrayed and shown should be as accurate as they can possibly be. However, whilst we try our hardest to live up to any theme for airsoft games I for one am happy to allow a little leeway when it comes to “the look”, as long as players have

“AS YOU’LL SEE FROM THE SPECIAL REPORT LATER IN THIS ISSUE THOUGH, MOST OF THE GOOD GUYS RUNNING “NAM OPS” WANT YOU AT THE GAME, AND ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME RESTRICTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS, EVEN FOR “ALLIED FORCES” THESE CAN BE QUITE EASY AND COST-EFFECTIVE TO ADHERE TO”

made an effort; I’m not looking for “living history standard” loadouts, more that fellow players have done their best to get into the spirit of the theme, and a starting point is exactly that, a place to begin a journey that can develop over time…

I count myself as truly blessed though to have spent time living in the USA, and the four years that I spent there were absolutely fantastic when it came to playing airsoft, running games, and being involved in thoroughly vibrant and energetic airsoft and living history communities. It also allowed me to delve deeper into one of the most fascinating of “modern wars” to me which was the “American War” fought in the jungles, paddy fields and streets of Vietnam. Having access to real “Vets” allowed me to hear stories first-hand from those that actually served and participated, and I was privileged to meet a number of spot-on guys that were willing to tell me about their experiences “in country”. Of course being in the USA also meant that I had free reign to pillage local “Army Navy” and surplus stores for all that “old green canvas crap” (M56 LBE) and the occasional period gem!

At the time I was living in the USA I was also part of a couple of Living History Groups and my regular trips back and forth to the UK usually resulted in me paying excess baggage fees for all that “old green canvas crap” that I’d haul back for them. I had great fun attending War & Peace and Military Odyssey with the groups, but what I really enjoyed most was the “NamSoft Community”, playing in themed games around the country, and having an annual haul to “In Country” (the much-missed Combat South NamSoftFest!) with the likes of my old friends “Tigerstripe” Paul, “Major” Andy, Tom and Neil, Gaz and the lads from Nottingham, J and the LRRPs, and Nicholas and the Wiltshire crew; thanks to all of you for sending me in some pictures from “the old days”, they bring back some very happy airsoft memories!

The UK Vietnam Airsoft Forum was a busy one back in the day, and was a source of great knowledge, but it was the wit and banter of the members that made it truly memorable. Sadly as with all things folk got on with their “real lives”, time and airsoft moved on, and “NamSofters” (apart from the truly dedicated few) quietly packed up their M16’s and Type 56’s and caught the “Freedom Bird” elsewhere...

TAKING IT LOCAL

I’m absolutely thrilled to see that “Namsoft” is alive and healthy still though, and that a number of my fellow Airsoft Action contributors are actively involved in the living history side of things too. I’ve had great fun talking with them, and I sincerely hope that here I can give you some tips that will allow you to get started if this are of airsoft interests you as much as it does me!

So, with that thought in mind, where do you start when it comes to creating a credible “NamSoft” loadout for either Allied forces (it wasn’t ALL American you know!) or OPFOR? Well, to start you need to do your research before you spend a single cent, and I hope that our “NamSoft Intel” article will give you some pointers on where to look for this. You then need to decide what role you wish to play; infantry “grunt”, some form of special ops unit, ANZAC forces, or OPFOR… when you’ve made THIS decision you can start to plan accordingly!

When I discovered the world of NamSoft I

“HAVING ACCESS TO REAL “VETS” ALLOWED ME TO HEAR STORIES FIRST-HAND FROM THOSE THAT ACTUALLY SERVED AND PARTICIPATED, AND I WAS PRIVILEGED TO MEET A NUMBER OF SPOT-ON GUYS THAT WERE WILLING TO TELL ME ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES “IN COUNTRY””

remember that I already had a pair of VN style jungle boots, and then quickly bought some repro OD fatigues and a boonie hat online; initially I made do with some old ALICE gear and just used one of my M4s with all the modern stuff removed. Soon though the bug bit hard; a Classic Army M16A1 was quickly followed by an XM177E2 from the same brand and I found myself scouring online and at the shows for genuine period clothing, footwear, and equipment.

I also researched like you wouldn’t believe, reading books, watching DVDs, and trawling online forums for information. I joined the international Vietnam Airsoft Forum, and when one was created for the UK I was on that like a flash. To say that NamSoft became a passion would be an understatement and I’ve now been collecting genuine period and good quality reproduction items for a considerable time. I have loadouts from early war “Adviser” through to post-war MACV-SOG with everything in between, and even a couple of sets of “Aussie” kit; I even have clothing and equipment for VC and NVA just in case…

So first up, let’s look at possibly the easiest way to get into NamSoft, and that’s as OPFOR, and “going local” as always is the bomb for many players! As I said earlier, and also in Red Cell, when it comes to playing OPFOR it means that you can use just about any period AEG or GBB and you probably won’t be wrong, and when it comes to gear it really is simple!

Although “black pyjamas” and “tyre sandals” are available out there (I do have both!) the clothing is generally (and correctly) made of a very thin cotton and therefore not very robust, and the sandals totally impractical apart from at BBQ-time, so for NLF (“VC”) I simply use some loose black trousers and black or tan shirt, with a cheap “ChiCom” chest rig for my magazines. I have an old green canvas pack for hauling other gear around, and although I do have a rice hat (five buckeroos on evilbay!) and a clothstrip-covered fibre helmet, in-game I usually just wear a black bandana. The only item here that actually cost more than pennies is my boots, and these are a Palladium-brand pair based on the old French “Indochina” canvas model; these are also similar to those worn by the PAVN so they double up…

My PAVN (“NVA”) “main force” gear is a little more involved and cost a bit more… top to toe it goes Green Pith Helmet with an enamelled red star, an

“NVA Uniform Set” that came from Moore Militaria in the USA, and those Palladium boots. Gear-wise I can still use the chest rig, but I also have an SKS rig, and to that I add a “ChiCom” canteen, brown leather belt, brown leather Makarov holster, and a brown “pleather” map case. I also managed some years ago to find a pretty cool, high-quality repro of the lighttan coloured canvas chest rig, RPK pouch, and “NVA

““GOING LOCAL” AS ALWAYS IS THE BOMB FOR MANY PLAYERS! AS I SAID EARLIER, AND ALSO IN RED CELL, WHEN IT COMES TO PLAYING OPFOR IT MEANS THAT YOU CAN USE JUST ABOUT ANY PERIOD AEG OR GBB AND YOU PROBABLY WON’T BE WRONG, AND WHEN IT COMES TO GEAR IT REALLY IS SIMPLE!”

small pack”, but these get kept for Living History events. The only other addition I have here is a “rice sack”, the cotton tube often seen being worn across the shoulder and some period utensils and a bowl… pretty much all of this can be easily found online, and the uniform can be easily swapped out for simple tan or light green shirt and trousers to give a very cool, more miltary look!

GOING GRUNT

Although I know that many of you, like in all things airsoft, will want to go for one of the “special units”, the fact is that every “US-themed NamSofter” should, in my opinion, have a simple set of “grunt gear”! Yes, you can play in just green clothing and some old web gear, but if you want to start really getting into it, then you’re going to need some iconic jungle boots, a set of fatigues, some M56 LBE and if you really want to “be all you can be”, an M1 Helmet with a “Mitchell Pattern” cover!

Okay, the helmet will show true dedication as they’re actually a right b’stard to wear (kudos to those that wore them for real!), so you’re probably going

to plump for an OD Boonie which is comparatively inexpensive. In terms of uniforms I won’t get into the vagaries of OG107 Utilities, or 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Pattern uniforms here, but I’d say your best bet is to go for a set of 3rd Patterns and call it done; good repros can be had from specialist retailers, and once you know what you’re looking for then you can find half-way decent versions online for less money, although fabrics and colours here can be very much “pot luck”.

M49 black leather Shell Gloves or cut-down Nomex pilots gloves were often worn to contend with the harsh environment and vicious undergrowth and repros of these are easily and cheaply sourced. Olive green bandanas and small towels are also to be found cheaply online and will help to protect your neck from BBs!

Boots… OMG, I could go on and on about “Vietnam Jungle Boots” and the variations thereof, but the overall look is that classic black leather lower with the green canvas upper, and these are iconic to say the least! Once again, specialist retailers can sort you out here, but if you look around you can find decent versions for less money, although the current Mil-Tec versions (mine came from www.military1st.

“YOU CAN PLAY IN JUST GREEN CLOTHING AND SOME OLD WEB GEAR, BUT IF YOU WANT TO START REALLY GETTING INTO IT, THEN YOU’RE GOING TO NEED SOME ICONIC JUNGLE BOOTS, A SET OF FATIGUES, SOME M56 LBE AND IF YOU REALLY WANT TO “BE ALL YOU CAN BE”, AN M1 HELMET WITH A “MITCHELL PATTERN” COVER!”

co.uk) serve very well indeed! If you have the cash though, the Altama Jungle WX 10.5” boots are the bomb!

As the majority of ground forces in Vietnam used the M16A1 load bearing equipment (LBE) should reflect this; once again Soldier of Fortune here in the UK (www.sofmilitary.co.uk) do a cracking repro basic set of M56 Pattern LBE. This was the most popular type of webbing worn in Vietnam by the US troops, and for under UK£100 you’ll be pretty much set. This new M56 web set includes the universal ammo pouch that will hold an assortment of magazines including four “20rd” M16 mags, two “20rd” M14 mags, two hand grenades or three M79 (M203) grenade launcher MOSCARTs. The whole set comprises of two universal ammo pouches, suspenders, belt (regular size up to 42” waist), canteen and canteen cover and a butt pack. If you don’t want the whole set then all the items are available individually so you can tailor make your own setup, and I’d certainly add an extra canteen and cover!

A Claymore bag, M17 gas mask bag, or M3 magazine pouch by the way make a fine dump pouch, and if you want to go the whole nine yards

then a Tropical Ruc, Lightweight Ruc, or ARVN ruc is the very thing… especially of you load it up with all the gubbins like links of inert rounds, smokes, an entrenching tool, and an “MRE sock” (look it up, it’s a thing!). However, genuine Nam-era US-rucs are solid gold these days, and have price-tags to match, so a repro ARVN pack or an ALICE pack can suit with a few modifications to the ALICE; there’s some superb videos online of just how you can carry out the transformation…

To give a little flavour I’ve added some images of some of my other gear, such as Tiger Stripe (for “MIKE Force”), ERDL (for LRRP), and mixi-matchy (for SEAL, including gen-yoo-ine “Zeke hair”!), but more of this one later! You’ll also see lots of little details like badging, accessories, grenades, knives (use a rubber version in-game please!), and associated “greeblies” that really bring your loadout to life; in this instance, as always with a period loadout further research is your friend, and I’d urge you to check out pictureheavy books such as “Running Recon” by Frank Greco, “Special Forces at War” by Shelby Stanton, and the books of Paul Miraldi; these are now hard to find at a sensible price, but SO worth the money! Also

don’t be shy to dip into the OSPREY books Nam Series books and guides for help here too!

COUNTING THE COST

Now of course it may be the case that you’ll only want to attend the odd Vietnam Airsoft game now and again so laying out a lot of money on a full set of period correct kit will no doubt put you off, especially when it comes to an “allied forces” loadout. If that’s the case then never fear, I have a solution for you, one that I have, in complete transparency, offered before but I still feel is 100% valid!

One of the reasons that I specifically chose the SEALs as inspiration for one of my NamSoft loadouts is that it’s actually very, very easy to put together a set of gear that looks correct and gives a nod to Juliett Platoon who served in the Mekong Delta, along the Bassac River to be precise, in 1970. If you want a real overview and some fine detail on kit and operating procedures then “The Element of Surprise” by Darryl Young is a paperback worth its weight in gold.

On page 32 of the book Darryl Young gives us the lowdown:

“As we walked down the streets of Can Tho, we always drew a lot of hard stares and suspicious looks from military personnel and Vietnamese alike. Our hair was longer than military specs, some of us had beards, which were not then authorized, and we wore a mix of civilian and military clothing. Levi’s jeans, cammo top, protective coral booties or tennis shoes. And occasionally we packed Stoners. Even most military personnel didn’t recognise the Stoner. After taking a look at us, normal GIs would say “Who or what the f##k are you?”

This simple paragraph gives you an idea of where you can take things and where you can make everything affordable. First off you can save on the footwear by buying something like a pair of black converse-style boots which work well and of course can be worn every day, although I’ve stuck with my jungle boots. Blue jeans; seven bucks from the supermarket, and the ERDL pockets sewn onto these came from a trashed pair of XXS pants I found online, this time for UK£5.00; the addition of leg pockets was not a regular thing that you’d see, but it looks “airsoft-cool” and reference pictures do sometimes show the modification. Trousers

“I’D URGE YOU TO CHECK OUT PICTURE-HEAVY BOOKS SUCH AS “RUNNING RECON” BY FRANK GRECO, “SPECIAL FORCES AT WAR” BY SHELBY STANTON, AND THE BOOKS OF PAUL MIRALDI; THESE ARE NOW HARD TO FIND AT A SENSIBLE PRICE, BUT SO WORTH THE MONEY!”

(either camo or non) should be left unbloused so as not to hold water. I picked up an old, slightly ragged ERDL shirt from a friend for UK£10.00, and a couple of green bandanas cost just UK£2 from the market…. The “Zeke Hair” is a bit of an “in-joke” with the old and bold, and really just a bit of fun!

With the LBE you can make things really simple too; I’m lucky enough to have picked up one of the excellent Stoner replicas from G&P so I just run an M56 belt with a nylon first aid pouch, two canteens, a magazine pouch to carry grenades, a black leather K-Bar sheath with training knife and a leather holster for my “hush puppy”; this is a customised suppressed Ruger and the holster was made for me by a fellow ‘NamSofter for the price of materials and postage (cheers “Tigerstipe” Paul, love you long time GI!).

If you’re going to run an M16 and a 1911 with this loadout you can simply add a couple of M56 Universal Magazine Pouches and a regular black leather holster and you’re good to go.

So, there you have it. If you’re of a mind to give ‘Namsoft a go, then any of the loadouts illustrated will set you in good stead. You really don’t need to pay out silly amounts of money on your gear, but whichever way you decide to go, do your research and make sure that you’re doing the best job that you possibly can; historical airsoft honours the participants of horrific conflicts so do bear in mind you do carry the weight and responsibility of that with you. As always, research is your friend, and in this case really do make sure you do your homework!

Please note that any images shown without safety glasses are posed in made-safe conditions. AA

Thanks also to my friend and fellow living historian, Cedric, in Belgium, for chipping in to this section for me. If you’re looking for good repro gear, here are some of our fave suppliers and a few pointers for you!

www.mooremilitaria.com – based in the USA, Trey Moore ships his excellent repro uniforms and gear worldwide… and sometimes has some real nuggets of genuine kit too!

www.whatpriceglory.com – Specialists in historical living history standard uniforms who ship worldwide, they have a small but excellent selection of Nam clothing.

www.sofmilitary.co.uk – UK-based, Paul at SOF is an old mate who has a real passion for “The Nam” (he even came to a game with me once!), and their range of US uniforms and gear is truly excellent. www.amsmilitaria.com – Based in Belgium, they have quite a lot of Nam stuff (or at least had).

www.pikebrothers.com - Pike Brothers in Germany regularly stocks great Tiger Stripe repros, and their Jungle Boots are not bad at all!

You can also find great gear at shows such as: www.cineyexpo.be - Ciney Militaria in Belgium (twice-yearly at the Ciney Expo Centre) is still the biggest militaria fair in Europe, and there’s load of gear to be found there, sometimes for neat prices! www.militaryodyssey.com – Now one of the UK’s premier militaria and re-enactment shows, you’ll be able to find some great Nam-bargains and see some superb living history displays to inspire you!

www.hardscrabblefarm.com – A great place to find all sorts of Nam-related “printables”, including the iconic “Marlboro pack o’ ten” for your helmet band!

RED CELL INCOUNTRY ARMOURY!

CONTINUING OUR NAMSOFT THEME WE THOUGHT WE’D HAVE A GOOD SOLID LOOK AT SOME OF THE MOST COMMON AEG AND GBB PLATFORMS AVAILABLE FOR THE “NAM ERA”, AND THERE’S ACTUALLY A LOT TO LOOK AT, AND SOME GREAT CHOICES FOR EITHER THE MULTIPLE-TOURVETERAN OR THE “FNG” ON A BUDGET! AS USUAL, BILL KICKS OFF…

“Never Say Never” is a phrase that I have used time and again in both Living History and NamSoft groups, as “pictures or it never happened” doesn’t in any way cut it for the sheer diversity of weapons used in Vietnam! Let’s remember that there are still many, many veterans of this war who are thankfully still alive and with us to this day, and I’ve had the great pleasure and honour of meeting some of the US “Vets” in person, and corresponding over the years with many more; in fact one of my most prized possessions is a copy of “Whisky Tango Foxtrot” by Lynne M Black (of MACVSOG Recon Teams Alabama/Idaho) that he signed on the inside cover “To Bill, best regards, Blackjack”. What this has illustrated to me is the fact that there are still old pictures and even undeveloped camera films still hidden away and as yet undiscovered in the personal collections of the veterans themselves that have yet to come to light, and these images will perhaps in the future give us even further insight into the “American War”.

I hope that our “Intel” article has given you both information and insight into where you can find it, but the fact is that I believe there is more yet to come.

And nowhere is this truer than when it comes to equipment used, and weapons of that war! As I see it, if it existed between 1955 and 1975 it was “probably in-country” at one point or another!

So, although we’ve concentrated on the main weapons that are most commonly seen for US and allied forces, along with some suggestions for OPFOR, if you have an AEG or GBB from earlier, and certainly of WW2 vintage such as the Thompson, Grease Gun, M1 or M2 Carbine, Garand, Springfield, BAR, L1A1 (for ANZAC use), or even the Lee Enfield then these are valid for “allied”.

On the same token the Lee Enfield, Mosin Nagant, K98, Arisaka, ZB26/30, PPSh 41/43, STEN, MP40, StG44, and C96 all work for OPFOR ...and that’s before I get further into the more unusual and esoteric stuff!

One omission so far appears to be the SKS, and although Viva Arms teased us with one a while back, and I know there are some wonderful custom creations out there, I’m amazed that there isn’t a true production version… same could be said of the “Swedish K” SMG though, and I can only hope!

So, my point here is that your potential armoury for NamSoft is HUGE, and just because there isn’t a picture doesn’t mean that someone, somewhere during the Vietnam War didn’t use the exact historical platform you own, and that they didn’t “pick one up” during the heat of battle! For now though we hope that you’ll enjoy our personal selection of “NamSoft Weapons”, models that we’ve either owned in the past or own (in my case certainly!) to this very day; please note that supporting images in this article were sourced in the public domain… and I sincerely hope that many more will come to light in the years ahead… but let’s get to it!

in both faux-wood and real wood versions (as well as EBR and SOC-16 style) and utilize the same V7 design as TM, therefore also sharing magazine and parts compatibility as well. The notable difference is CYMA has fixed TM’s slanted air nozzle design and it uses a standard V2 cylinder amongst a couple of other smaller changes.

Generally these shoot pretty well out of the box, capturing the usual intrinsic accuracy the M14 design is known for, with most clocking in at the nominal US field velocity of 1.5J / 400 FPS. These are not quite as nicely finished out as TM or G&G’s versions, which is unsurprising given the price. Similar to the TM VSR vs. JG VSR argument, these are often selected for DMR use on the basis of if you’re going to be changing out the majority of components anyway, you may as well save money going with the cheaper gun. I had one of these many years ago which I had converted with a G&P outer barrel set, to make a short-barrelled variant and fitted with a real wood stock. This was inspired by written accounts of M14’s that were sometimes modified by end users to have shorter barrels to make them handier in the dense jungle environment. Sadly, I never actually got to use it, as it languished in build purgatory for several years, then having lost interest over time, I finally sold it someone offered me a good price for it.

FREEDOM BIRDS!

Dan: The CYMA CM.032 M14 AEG is a “99%” clone of Tokyo Marui’s venerable M14 model, and CYMA is the budgeteer’s choice for getting into an M14 without a heavy hit on the wallet. These are available

As it is in 2024, these are not quite as easy to configure for DMR purposes as newer platforms, such as the ubiquitous SR25 is. V7 parts in particular have seriously dried up over the years, and it sometimes feels as if the aftermarket has given up on supporting the platform. Thus, it’s often quite the hunt gathering up the parts from various vendors when one is looking to make a spicy build with these! Stewbacca: I traded in my original first AEG (Marui G36C) to pick up a TM M14 along with some of my teammates at the time as we were making inroads

“AS I SEE IT, IF IT EXISTED BETWEEN 1955 AND 1975 IT WAS “PROBABLY INCOUNTRY” AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER! SO, ALTHOUGH WE’VE CONCENTRATED ON THE MAIN WEAPONS THAT ARE MOST COMMONLY SEEN FOR US AND ALLIED FORCES, ALONG WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR OPFOR”

into the NamSoft arena and all of the financially crippling expenditure of repro M56 and BDUs of the era. I went for the OD stock version because the false wood of the alternative was apparently a bit meh. I of course decided to go down the early M21 route with the big cantilever scope mount and an M3 scope, which made for a very capable sighting system!

The gun itself worked reasonably well, although a lot of people around the time on the same semi-onlysniper journey had issues with the semi-auto system failing in relatively short order and them going full auto only as a result, although I didn’t reach the round count for that in the end myself.

The M14 was long and quite front heavy, and a bit exhausting to lug up hill and down dale at the original First And Only Matlock site where we did the NamSoft events, and I honestly felt like quitting the hobby for a while back then; all the gear, garb and guns were costing a fortune and I was barely getting to the fight laden down with everything and being exhausted by the time I did! A lot of my teammates had the much lighter and handier M16A1s and were just more nimble players in general anyway.

I also found the midcap mags somewhat troublesome with requiring stripping down and reworking to get them all feeding reliably, plus the constant need to reload them with 160 BBs, and then reload the speedloader before reloading the next mag; in the end I got a bandolier and unpicked the partitions and sewed up the top edge to create a long sock with a speedloader integrated at the bottom! No more rattling or reloading the loader... Just 10,000 BBs of ammo on tap over my chest.

Eventually we moved on from F&O after the original sites closure and moved back into FBI or other modern-themed team get ups. The M14 was also very front heavy and clumsy; I remember being the last man standing in the CP underground part and having to high port it repeatedly to get it around obstructions to cover two or more entrances with fire as the enemy advanced and I was hammering the clackers “Major” had left for the last man to set off his landmines and malteser box Mk5 claymores littered around the CP. Fun times, but not the most wieldy weapons system for tight spaces!

Dan: The M14 has enjoyed a lengthy service life with

US forces, from the early days of Vietnam as the standard issue service rifle, to seeing limited use in the GWOT era where it fulfilled a small role as a DMR platform until significantly more modern platforms succeeded it. If you’re after a wood stocked M14 pattern AEG, or even one of the lighter faux-wood variants, then the G&G GR14 series will certainly fill that niche.

There are many aspects about the GR14 that I like better than the TM version, starting with the gearbox itself. This does not clone the classic V7 design, such as that which TM and CYMA use. G&G’s gearbox benefits from being a newer design, with a heavily reinforced shell and massively simplified disassembly process; gone are the myriad little springs, levers, and fiddly bits that made the V7 the bane of every tech’s existence! These also smartly use more commonly available V2 gears, piston and cylinder, plus an ETU assembly, the sum of which makes the GR14 better suited for building out as a DMR platform, which is

“ONE OMISSION SO FAR APPEARS TO BE THE SKS, AND ALTHOUGH VIVA ARMS TEASED US WITH ONE A WHILE BACK, AND I KNOW THERE ARE SOME WONDERFUL CUSTOM CREATIONS OUT THERE, I’M AMAZED THAT THERE ISN’T A TRUE PRODUCTION VERSION… SAME COULD BE SAID OF THE “SWEDISH K” SMG THOUGH, AND I CAN ONLY HOPE!”

WE M14 GBBR

Price: iro UK£375.00

Weight: 4950 g

Length: 1131mm

Magazine Capacity: 20 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps

Hot Chrono: 0.99 Joule/328fps

Available From: www.iwholesales.biz

CYMA CM.032 M14 AEG

Price: iro UK£190.00

Weight: 3300g

Length: 1130mm

Magazine Capacity: 440 BBs (Mids/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Available From: www.iwholesales.biz

TM M14 AEG

Model: TM M14 AEG

Price: iro UK£370.00

Weight: 3850g

Length: 1127mm

Magazine Capacity: 70 BBs (His avaialable)

Cold Chrono: 0.75 Joule/285fps

Hot Chrono: 0.78 Joule/291fps

Available From: www.firesupport.uk

A&K M1A AEG (REAL WOOD)

Price: iro UK£340.00

Weight: 3480g

Length: 1130mm

Magazine Capacity: 320 BBs (Mids/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Available From: www.davescustomairsoft.co.uk

G&G GR14 IWS ETU AEG (WOOD GRAIN)

Price: iro UK£300.00

Weight: 3390g

Length: 1120mm

Magazine Capacity: 470 BBs (Mids/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.28 Joule/372fps

Hot Chrono: 1.33 Joule/380fps

Available From: www.nuprol.com

what most elect to do with their M14’s eventually. Overall, the castings and finish work on the GR14 seems to be a step above the TM, but the perception is no doubt influenced heavily by the lovely genuine walnut hardwood stock which just feels “right” compared to the plastic faux-wood stock that TM uses on their M14. While this does make the GR14 feel notably heavier in the hands and ultimately more taxing on the endurance of the player themselves, there is something distinctly charming about real wood that simply can’t be captured by imitations.

Bill: Where do I possibly start with M16 and XM

AEGs? Dan and Stewbacca have done an awesome job with their experience of the M14, but quite honestly if you‘re going to “go grunt” then only an M16 will do, and if you’re heading down the more “SF route” then it has to be an XM, it just has to be!

Over the years the XM has become by far my gamechoice, but I now have owned a whole heap of M16

AEGs, from my original TM which I adored but in truth was creaky as hell and somewhat “problematical” for a TM (it really didn’t like other-brand magazines at all!), right up to the latest versions from JG and CYMA, with the likes of Classic Army and G&P in between!

There’s a LOT of history behind the M16, and for any airsofter having an early model in the collection really does encompass many eras and conflicts. The U.S. Army began to issue the XM16E1, as it was first designated, in 1965 with most of them going to the newly-raised and experimental Airmobile Divisions, the 1st Air Cavalry Division in particular. After many trials and tribulations the Army finally standardised an upgrade of the XM16E1 as the M16A1 in 1967 and the Model 603/M16A1 remained the primary infantry rifle of U.S. forces in Vietnam until the end of direct U.S. ground involvement. It also became the standard service rifle for all U.S. military ground forces after it fully replaced the M14 service rifle in 1970. The little known Eugene Stoner soon became as famous in the firearms world as his Soviet counterpart Mikhail Kalashnikov, and the M16 and AK47 are still meeting on the battlefield to this day!

So, with a long “service life” my first pick is the old G&P Colt Model 602 Recoil; I’ve always been a fan of the historical airsoft replicas made by G&P! Their attention to detail was second to none when it comes to Vietnam-War-era American rifles and carbines and I own two XM177s, A Colt Model 607, a Remington 870 shotgun and even a Stoner LMG from their range so you could say I’m a bit of a fanboi when it comes to their products!

The Colt Model 602 had some pretty unique features which were only changed at a later date when the rifle finally became the M16/A1. Firstly the lower receiver of the 602 was what is known as “slabside” in that it carried no protective “fence” around the magazine release. The upper receiver had yet to have the forward assist feature added. The flash hider was still of the three-prong style, not yet upgraded to the “birdcage”, and the slip ring was flat rather than the conical shape we see today. The butt pad was a simple rubber affair although the distinctive triangular handguard was already in place. The G&P follows this entire feature set down to the

“I TRADED IN MY ORIGINAL FIRST AEG (A MARUI G36C) TO PICK UP A TM M14 ALONG WITH SOME OF MY TEAMMATES AT THE TIME AS WE WERE MAKING INROADS INTO THE NAMSOFT ARENA AND ALL OF THE FINANCIALLY CRIPPLING EXPENDITURE OF REPRO M56 AND BDUS OF THE ERA”

VFC M16A1 GBBR

Price: iro UK£600.00

Weight: 2520g

Length: 990mm

Magazine Capacity: 20 BBs Short (30 BB available)

Cold Chrono: 1.03 Joule/339fps

Hot Chrono: 1.21 Joule/362fps

Supplied By: www.vegaforce.com

CLASSIC ARMY M16 VN AEG

Price: iro UK£250.00

Weight: 2810g

Length: 1010mm

Magazine Capacity: 190 BB Short (Mids/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

G&P M16A1 RECOIL AEG

Price: iro UK£325.00

Weight: 2950g

Length: 987mm

Magazine Capacity: 110 BBs Short (His/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.00 Joule/329fps

Hot Chrono: 1.03 Joule/334fps

Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

CYMA CM.009C (M16) AEG

Price: iro UK £260.00

Weight: 2640g

Length: 998mm

Magazine Capacity:

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Available From: www.iwholesales.biz

JG M-16A AEG

Price: iro UK£160.00

Weight: 2885g

Length: 1001mm

Magazine Capacity: 300 BBs Short (Mids/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

smallest detail; it truly is a work of art and no little research went into getting everything completely right. The replica 602 is fully made of high-grade alloy, with the pistol grip, butt, and handguard being made of a very high-quality matt black plastic, and the trademarks are utterly correct, even down to the Model 02 nomenclature(licenced, probably not which is a shame…).

Internally things are no less impressive; the hop-up adjustment is exactly where you would expect it to be, behind the fake bolt/cover which is accessed by pulling back the charging handle. This is an excellent unit that once set stays steadfastly in place. The motor is G&Ps M140 high torque model and the gearbox is their 8mm bearing “Free float Recoil System” design. This gearbox was specifically designed to take the extra stresses generated by having to move the counterweights for the recoil system back and forth in the buffer tube.

In a nutshell this is a re-enactor-level replica in terms of look, feel and finish, and it works perfectly. You get everything that G&P have always been great at with the added bonus of a perfectly functioning, rear-wired recoil system. The G&P “M16” Model 602 had a retail price of UK£325.00 which for what you were getting was massively good value for money; if you can still find one, then go for it!

Moving onto the newer models out there, the CYMA CM.009C rather pleasingly follows an originalish feature set too; it truly is very cool and no little research has gone into getting things right, and at a great price too! The CM.009C is fully made of good quality alloy, with only the pistol grip, butt, and handguard being made of matt black plastic. The metal parts, rather than just being a shoddily painted black are a deep black and grey mix. There are absolutely no trademarks so it’s a blank canvas for the re-enactor.

Internally things are solid, with a good hop-up unit, accessed as usual but now benefitting from the nowcommon “hold back” function that means the cover stays to the rear until you hit the bolt release which can be fun in game! The hop itself is a solid metal unit, and once set stays in place well. The rifle also benefits from CYMA’s new E-EDITION configuration that can handle higher-strength springs, and also

ensures a super-snappy trigger response; this has been achieved thanks to the new, more durable gearbox parts such as a V2 gearbox with quick spring change system, a steel gear set with 8mm steel bushings and bearing spring guide, married up neatly to a high torque neodymium motor and processor unit with built-in MOSFET system. This really is an impressive rifle, not just for the money as it’s a steal in my opinion and even on a 7.4V though it really does crack away, and the trigger is crisp and responsive. The metal 160 BB magazine is the short type first issued and feeds well.

Many moons ago my mates in the USA and I started searching for a viable alternative to the Classic Army M16 (which was truly excellent but expensive at the time) and came across the first run of the JG Works M16A1 that my friends at Airsoft GI had in stock, and we ordered twenty of them for the team! Whilst it had many glaring historical errors, it did at least resemble an “A1” right down to the old-style 3-prong “duckbill” flash hider. Although far from 100% historically accurate the JG “A1s” looked “good enough”, came with a short hi-cap magazine, and were actually insanely accurate from the box! “Mr Colts Best Girl” soon became for most in the gang their favourite choice of replica!

Having done some collaboration in the past with the guys at Taiwangun over in Poland I’d been impressed with some of their more budget-oriented AEGs; I was trawling through their website one day when I came across not one but two JG “Naminspired” models, an “M16A” updated version of the “A1” that I’d owned in Florida, and also quite a tidy looking “XM”, somewhat bizarrely classed as the “M4A”. What I received from Taiwangun really piqued my interest as both the M16A1 rifle and the XM177E2 carbine were of full metal construction, and whilst they were not truly accurate “replicas” they both looked bloody good, and they were both priced at under UK£150 at the time! For anyone looking to get into NamSoft airsoft they looked just the ticket.

Both the JG M16 and the XM basically follow the “Nam Feature Set” in enough ways that even a purist like me can live the things that aren’t quite correct; apart from receiver anomalies which may be easily overlooked, the butt and the slip/delta ring on the

“THERE ARE MANY ASPECTS ABOUT THE GR14 THAT I LIKE BETTER THAN THE TM VERSION, STARTING WITH THE GEARBOX ITSELF. THIS DOES NOT CLONE THE CLASSIC V7 DESIGN, SUCH AS THAT WHICH TM AND CYMA USE. G&G’S GEARBOX BENEFITS FROM BEING A NEWER DESIGN, WITH A HEAVILY REINFORCED SHELL AND MASSIVELY SIMPLIFIED DISASSEMBLY PROCESS”

VFC XM177E2 GBBR

Price: iro UK£540.00

Weight: 2770g

Length: 760mm/830mm

Magazine Capacity: 20 BBs Short (30 BB available)

Cold Chrono: 1.09 Joule/344fps

Hot Chrono: 1.12 Joule/348fps

Supplied By: www.vegaforce.com

CLASSIC ARMY XM177E2 AEG

Price: iro UK£275.00

Weight: 2420g

Length: 765mm/840mm

Magazine Capacity: 160 BBs (Mids/Real available)

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

CYMA CM.009F XM177E2 AEG

Price: iro UK£230.00

Weight: 2367g

Length: 760mm/850mm

Magazine Capacity: 300 BBs Long (Mids/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.00 Joule/329fps

Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/331fps

Available From: www.davescustomairsoft.co.uk

M629 (XM177E2) DOUBLE BELL AEG

Price: iro UK£170.00

Weight: 2366g

Length: 750mm/840mm

Magazine Capacity: 150 BBs Short

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/330fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/335fps

Available From: www.iwholesales.biz

JG M4-A AEG

Price: iro UK£220.00

Weight: 2420g

Length: 760mm/850mm

Magazine Capacity: 150 BBs Short (Mids/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

M16 are not period-correct, and the singlepoint sling point and oversized oval handguards on the XM glare out, and it’s a shame that just a couple of simple fixes could have made both models spot-on, at least from a distance; Sadly I hear myself saying this on many occasions...

Both replicas though are sturdily made of alloy, with only the pistol grip, butt/stock, and handguards being made of matt black plastic. The metal parts, rather than just being a shoddily painted black are a rich matt black, and although there are absolutely no trades, finishing touches like the “duckbill” on the M16 and the distinctive moderator on the XM are nice to have; I do wish though that manufacturers would stop just chucking on a “duckbill” and calling it a “VN”, as the final Model 603/ M16A1 that was issued featured a simple “birdcage”...

Internally things are bombproof, as with both models you get a reinforced gearbox shell with steel ball bearings 8mm, reinforced spring guide with bearings, • steel gears, reinforced piston with reinforced directional piston head and a reinforced brass cylinder head, along with a tried and tested long type motor. There’s nothing here that’s going to excite you greatly, but all of the components are solid and work efficiently together.

Truthfully neither of these AEGs are “Living History standard” replicas, but in terms of look, feel and finish, they will both work perfectly for “Namsoft” unless you’re a real stickler, and most certainly they will look a million times better than a railed M4 wrapped in hessian! With that retail price of under UK£150 what you’re getting is extremely good value for money, and I’d be happy to see either of these at any NamSoft game!

I’ve covered off the JG M16 and XM in one fellswoop there, and I could do the same for the CYMA XM as internally things are much of a muchness, and the latest Double Bell models that are featured earlier also fit into this same mould. My “go-to XM” though is STILL my original Classic Army, and this has to be one of the oldest AEGs in my personal armoury! Whilst somewhat dated now when it comes to “internals”, the externals were excellent to start with, and these have help up superbly well; after a couple of professional services it is still rockin’ and rollin’ with

the very best of them, At the time it was an expensive purchase; originally configured as an E2, the outer and inner barrels got chopped down to E1 length, and oh my, it has paid for itself a thousand times over with all the joy and scalpings it’s brought me in-game!

Stewbacca: Moving things on to support guns, and not so much during our NamSoft era, during Copehill games Handsome Dave’s brother Damian would join our team on MilSim and drag along his M60VN monster for us to use as a squad weapon, and we had many a good time sharing it around the team during events as something a bit different. It definitely turned heads on our team, and kept the opponents’ down, but of course it was a bit of a beast to lug around manually hence the turn taking between everyone’s AK or AR alternatives!

When I got on the BritTac dune buggy with it during one of the events it really came into its own being used to hose allied occupied buildings as I did “God mode” runs with Charlie driving and both of us getting utterly hosed by everyone and sundry; I ended up covered in welts aside from where my plate carrier was covering, but loved every minute of it!

The only downside was the reliability of the electromechanical feed for the huge multi-thousand round box mag and the spring-wrapped feed-hose which tended to crap out every so often and result in a lot of loud dry fire. It certainly looked the part, and felt it when you were lugging “the pig” around to everyone else’s delight, at least…

“QUITE HONESTLY IF YOU‘RE GOING TO “GO GRUNT” THEN ONLY AN M16 WILL DO, AND IF YOU’RE HEADING DOWN THE MORE “SF ROUTE” THEN IT HAS TO BE AN XM, IT JUST HAS TO BE! OVER THE YEARS THE XM HAS BECOME BY FAR MY GAME-CHOICE, BUT I NOW HAVE OWNED A WHOLE HEAP OF M16 AEGS”

DOUBLE BELL M607 AEG

Price: iro UK£200.00

Weight: 2600g

Length: 695mm/755mm

Magazine Capacity: 150 BBs Short (Mids/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.0 Joule/329fps

Hot Chrono: 1.03 Joule/334fps

Available From: www.iwholesales.biz

G&P M607 AEG

Price: iro UK£360.00

Weight: 2640g

Length: 685mm/745mm

Magazine Capacity: 110 BBs (His/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.00 Joule/329fps

Hot Chrono: 1.03 Joule/334fps

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

G&P MK23 STONER AEG

Price: iro UK£650.00

Weight: 4620g

Length: 930mm

Magazine Capacity: 1200 BBs Box

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps

Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

A&K M60 VN AEG

Price: iro UK£625.00

Weight: 7500g

Length: 1080mm

Magazine Capacity: 3500 BBs Box

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/339fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/346fps

Available From: www.davescustomairsoft.co.uk

KING ARMS M79

Price: iro UK£375.00

Weight: 2000g

Length: 720mm

Magazine Capacity: N/A MOSCART/TAG

Cold Chrono: Shell Dependant

Hot Chrono: Shell Dependant

Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

Dan: Much like the early M16, the Stoner 63 was another design beset by a myriad of teething problems in its initial stages. Nevertheless, it found some favour with SEAL teams deployed to Vietnam, and saw limited action there. It was valued for its high ammunition capacity and lightweight design… especially compared to “The Pig”, AKA the M60.

G&P’s Stoner 63 rendition is rated quite highly, being amongst one of G&P’s best AEG designs ever executed. It’s beautifully made from stamped steel constructions with a polymer stock, grip and forearm. Owing to their popularity, prices on these have risen quite a bit over the year, driven especially by the relatively limited numbers being produced. As LMG platforms go, these are quite lightweight, with much the same handling characteristics of a carbine, but boasting a robust 1200 round capacity magazine. The fixed stock can house a substantial battery and has a similar length-of-pull to an AKM, which makes it quick to shoulder. While bipods do exist for the 63, these were generally eschewed for keeping the gun light and manouverable; this is truly an “assaulters LMG” concept more than something designed for stationary emplacement use.

Internally we have a traditional V2 gearbox, which uniquely allows for both full auto and semi-auto firing modes. While not as “bomb proof” as the shells featured in the M249 / M60 / PKM series, the G&P shells are certainly up to the task of handling the higher velocity limits allowed LMG’s at most fields.

These also use a pretty nice rotary hop up chamber design that’s configured for direct-feeding from the box magazine. Properly configured, these do not take much to be set up as a full-auto-laser-beam. Owing to the many favourable attributes the Stoner 63 enjoys, these have become a cult-favourite amongst enterprising LMG-modders who do a lot to shave even more weight and length off the gun. Ironically, these same advantages have also been a point of contention amongst many of the premier MilSim event companies too, some of whom have gone as far as to axe the Stoner 63 from the LMG role entirely…

And talking of things unique, you can’t talk about Vietnam-war-themed kit without at least making mention of the M79, a 40mm grenade-launching icon, AKA “The Thumper” or “Blooper”’! The M79 was a launcher design that preceded the Colt XM148 (VFC now make a nice one of these!) and M203 as a standalone single-shot launcher system designed to be fired off the shoulder. During the Vietnam War, the US military developed a whole suite of specialized rounds, load carriage gear and more around this system. To this day, you can still find plenty of surplus grenadier vests and bandoliers on the second-hand market.

The King Arms replica is fairly lightweight and portable, being made from a mixture of CNC aluminium, castings and soft-wood. These work much like a break-action shotgun, where pressing a lever hinges open the tube. Simply insert a fresh 40mm cartridge, aim and pull. There is a ladder-style sighting system intended to be flipped up and adjusted for the range at which you will be firing at, but much like many GI’s did in the fields of Vietnam, a lot of airsofters do not use this or remove it entirely, and just “git gud” at learning their Kentucky windage. Once you’ve spent some time behind it you pick it up quick! Overall, I would say the construction of King Arms M79 is decent. The ladder sight is a little fragile as are some of the smaller cast parts. The wood itself is pretty soft, but has a finer grain than pine, so I’m not sure what type of wood it is exactly. But suffice it to say it will accrue its share of battle scars quickly. The only other functional M79 I’ve seen up close is the Craft Apple Works version, and sadly they

“FINISHING TOUCHES LIKE THE “DUCKBILL” ON THE

M16

AND THE DISTINCTIVE

MODERATOR ON THE XM ARE NICE TO HAVE; I DO WISH THOUGH THAT MANUFACTURERS WOULD STOP JUST CHUCKING ON A “DUCKBILL” AND CALLING IT A “VN”, AS THE FINAL MODEL 603/ M16A1 THAT WAS ISSUED FEATURED A SIMPLE “BIRDCAGE”...”

TM 1911A1 GBB

Price: iro UK£145.00

Weight: 798g

Length: 217 mm

Magazine Capacity: 26 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.53 Joule/239fps

Hot Chrono: 0.55 Joule/244fps

Available From: www.iwholesales.biz

WE 1911A1 GBB

Price: iro UK£110.00

Weight: 1200g

Length: 200mm

Magazine Capacity: 15 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.71 Joule/277fps

Hot Chrono: 0.74 Joule/283fps

Available From: www.iwholesales.biz

CYBERGUN COLT 1911 100TH ANNIVERSARY GBB

Price: iro £110.00

Weight: 962g

Length: 220mm

Magazine Capacity: 24 BBs

Cold Chrono: 1.04 Joule/328fps

Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/3333fps

Available From: www. evike-europe.com

WE (TOKAREV) TT33 GBB

Price: iro UK£140.00

Weight: 684g

Length: 194mm

Magazine Capacity: 15 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.83 Joule/299fps

Hot Chrono: 0.84 Joule/302fps

Available From: www.iwholesales.biz

ICS BLE PM2 (MAKAROV) GNBB (WITH SILENCER)

Price: iro UK£120.00

Weight: 720g

Length: 160mm

Magazine Capacity: 13 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps (w/o silencer)

Hot Chrono: 1.08 Joule/342fps (w silencer)

Supplied By: www.icsbb.com

seem to be long defunct. It otherwise seemed to be on the same build level as King Arms.

Generally most are using these with TAGinn 40mm rounds as those are more practical and in line with the role of grenade launchers intended use. While you can use the old “BB shower” shells, they are not especially effective unless you had something like a massed group of OPFOR twiddling their fingers at 10 yards, or you use the cut-down version in an ambush or “break contact”. With the TAGinn rounds, I have seen a number of incredible long-range shots taken with these from well-practiced hands.

Locally we also allow the M79 to be used as antitank and bunker buster weapons for most MilSim events, and sometimes these will be distributed by the field owner between the respective teams to give them some extra firepower for tougher encounters. Few things get your pulse racing like trying to work an angle on a technical with an LMG hammering at you! Overall, I rate the the M79 pretty high on the fun factor, and it’s certainly one of those replica’s that also turns a lot of heads with its unique appearance.

BELT GRABBERS!

Bill: www.historynet.com will tell you all about “grabbing the enemy by the belt”; staying close to or “hugging” American units in battle was a tactic the Viet Minh employed in the First Indochina War, and was a very effective tactic to mitigate the firepower the allied forces had at their command, and the weapon choices of the NLF guerrilla fighters especially reflected this… none more so than the AK or “Type 56” copy!

Although there are (and have been!) some really fabulous “AK47s” like the drop-dead gorgeous Real Sword Type 56 (more on this separately!) and these days the TM NEXT-GEN RECOIL AK47 (TYPE 3), I actually use an AKM or AKMS for my NLF (“VC”) or PAVN (“NVA”) loadouts with the muzzle device changed out; yes, I know this is “incorrect” and the “stitchies” will tear me a new one for saying this, but there’s such a choice of truly oustanding AKM replicas now…

Whilst the TM AK47 is a real peach, and functions just like any TM should, at over UK£400 it’s an investment, and that’s before you come to adding a “ChiCom’s-worth” of AK-47 Gen 3 magazines! That said it does feature the TM bolt-stop function where you have to manually work the bolt in order to get the AK to cycle again, and this does add a nice touch of extra realism. The externals are also very solid up on this model in comparison to TM AK AEGs that we’ve seen before, and everything is rock-solid internally and externally; if you’re a TM fanboi then this will undoubtedly be the AEG for you… unless you want to go the GBBR route, then only the TM AKM will do!

Okay, it’s an AKM and not a “Type 56”, but from the get go externally the GBBR looks great! It’s full metal and there’s no wobble anywhere; the stock and handguards are all plastic but you wouldn’t know it at first, as TM have really done a great job at colouring the “woodwork” to look like real wood, and in fact it’s beautiful!

When you come to stripping the AKM it’s simple and just like the real thing; all that you need to do is hold the gun, press the rear catch that’s on the back of the dust cover and lift that back and off; this gives you access to the recoil spring assembly and the bolt assembly, so you just push the recoil assembly forward and off the lower receiver (it’s a captive spring and very similar to the real thing) and then all you have to do is pull the bolt to the rear and out, then you can flip the gas tube catch up and remove the gas tube… that’s it, it really is like the real thing!

The bolt itself is beautifully crafted, metal again with the gas piston being a separate piece fixed in place and made from a shiny piece of aluminium. The whole thing is very well made and houses the blowback unit that is the heart of the Marui gas

“G&P’S STONER 63 RENDITION IS RATED QUITE HIGHLY, BEING AMONGST ONE OF G&P’S BEST AEG DESIGNS EVER EXECUTED. IT’S BEAUTIFULLY MADE FROM STAMPED STEEL CONSTRUCTIONS WITH A POLYMER STOCK, GRIP AND FOREARM”

TM AKM GBBR

Price: iro UK£500.00

Weight: 3550g

Length: 890mm

Magazine Capacity: 35 BBs

Cold Chrono: 1.12 Joule/348fps

Hot Chrono: 1.12 Joule/348fps

Supplied By: www.allagesairsoft.com

TM NEXT-GEN RECOIL AK47 (TYPE 3) AEG

Price: iro UK£400.00

Weight: 2800g

Length: 875mm

Magazine Capacity: 90 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.82 Joule/298fps

Hot Chrono: 0.84 Joule/301fps

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

E&L AKM AEG PLATINUM AEG

Price: iro UK£375.00

Weight: 3485g

Length: 916mm

Magazine Capacity: 120 BBs (His/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.00 Joule/329fps

Hot Chrono: 1.00 Joule/329fps

Available From: www.nuprol.com

LCT LCKMS (AKMS) AEG

Price: iro UK£415.00

Weight: 3520g

Length: 670mm/920mm

Magazine Capacity: 130 BBs (Hi/Reals available)

Cold Chrono: 1.01 Joule/331.8fps

Hot Chrono: 1.03 Joule/334fps

Available From: www.nuprol.com

LCT RPD AEG

Price: iro UK£1200.00

Weight: 4520g

Length: 1060mm

Magazine Capacity: 2800 BBs Drum

Cold Chrono: 0.99 Joule/328fps

Hot Chrono: 1.02 Joule/333fps

Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

blowback system. The lower receiver houses the trigger, hammer, safety, and fire control components as well as the hop unit which is neatly housed in the left hand side, a small wheel adjuster type that can be easily reached when the magazine is removed.

And the AKM handles really, really well too! The grip feels good in the hand, and the recoil impulse is good and strong. It’s a joy to shoot and the price makes it very competitive in the GBBR-stakes as it retails at around the UK£500 mark and the extra magazines are around UK£50; do make sure you buy some extra mags at the same time as the gun though, as these have proved hard to get, although no doubt this will change in time… or possibly not knowing TM! This is most definitely a GBBR to love and cherish, with all the looks, quality and performance we take for granted from Tokyo Marui these days.

Dan: E&L was a hot newcomer to the AK market in the mid-00’s, making quite the splash with their line-up of stamped steel and wood AK pattern AEG’s. E&L’s full name is EMEI & Landarms, with EMEI being a real steel manufacturer who subcontracts for Norinco and Landarms being the Airsoft/Airgun side. Unlike Real Sword, E&L does not actually use real steel components modified for airsoft use, but rather has parts manufactured explicitly for Airsoft by EMEI & Landarms. EMEI does not actually produce Russianpatterned AK platforms (which is what E&L’s are styled after), so the parts used for E&L’s are not the same as the real steel versions, nor in many cases are they actually 1:1 either.

I purchased a Gen2 E&L AKM as soon as they came to the states and was eagerly looking forward to seeing how it stacked up against Real Sword and LCT’s offerings both of which I also owned several examples of. Unfortunately, my particular E&L AKM turned out to be rather disappointing, being completely unusable from the box. The inner barrel was heavily scored, with a massive chunk of brass protruding into the interior, therefore rendering completely unable to pass BB’s. That it had apparently “passed” two independent quality control checks (with purported FPS readings to boot!) at E&L and JAG Precision seemed like a bad joke. After replacing the barrel, I found a myriad of other problems inside the gearbox awaiting me and it required quite a bit of

sorting to get into an operable state. That being said, the construction of the body itself was quite good, with a solid stamped steel body and real laminated wood stock, so if anything, I counselled myself that it made a good base to work with.

Fast forward many years and E&L have subsequently released several updates and revisions to their lineup, with the Essential series filling in the less-expensive entry side, and the Platinum series being the higher end versions fitted with Gate ASTER’s and better internal components. From having worked on many of both since, I will say E&L have done a good about-face and improved their quality control tremendously. These are a solid contender for a harduse AK platform that you can feel confident in taking whatever abuse you throw it. In addition to the Gate ASTER ETU, the current Platinum versions feature 13:1 CNC’d gearsets paired to a 21 TPA Neodymium motor, quick-change spring guides and upgraded compression parts set. These have snappier semi-auto performance and a higher full auto ROF compared to many competitor brands which are still rocking “old school” internals. All of which showcases that E&L continues to evolve and is keenly interested in equipping players with more modern standards. Bill: I do like an “under-folder”, and LCT offer products that are not only cost effective but also reliable in performance and solid in build quality; in fact the under-folding stock of my LCKMS (AKMS) is pretty industrial in operation, and “solid” is somewhat of an understatement! Overall the LCKMS features the same high-quality external build expected of LCT products which will give good, reliable long-term performance.

The features are excellent with a full steel receiver and barrel assembly, beautifully achieved wooden fore-end, correctly coloured pistol grip and a rocksolid folding stock. Enhanced by high quality externals, scrupulously achieved internals and extreme attention to detail, the LCKMS is a strong, reliable rifle for those that love the AK platform and want a viable alternative to gas for the depth of winter.

The LCKMS chrono’s really consistently so if you like your classic gear, are a regular OPFOR player, or just want something different then the LCKMS could be the right AEG for you. It has all the benefits of a

“YOU CAN’T TALK ABOUT VIETNAM-WAR-THEMED KIT WITHOUT AT LEAST MAKING MENTION OF THE M79, A 40MM GRENADE-LAUNCHING ICON, AKA “THE THUMPER” OR “BLOOPER”! THE M79 WAS A LAUNCHER DESIGN THAT PRECEDED THE M203 AND IS A STANDALONE SINGLE-SHOT LAUNCHER SYSTEM DESIGNED TO BE FIRED OFF THE SHOULDER”

full-stocked variant with the added versatility of the under-folding stock, and is a top-quality AEG, so you really can’t go wrong with this one!

Sticking with LCT, one model that I was lucky enough to test a while back, but sadly could not pluck up to courage to actually buy (although I really, REALLY wanted to!) was the RPD! As a player who very much enjoys OPFOR, Eastern Bloc replicas have become a bit of a passion, so you can imagine my excitement when LCT first started showing “prototype” images of a new RPD support gun! I’ve had RPKs (and these also work well in a NamSoft setting if there’s a little leeway) in the past, but there’s just something about the RPD with that big drum magazine that screams out to me as “The One”.

LCT have made a true 1:1 replica of the RPD with stamped steel and wood, the same way the original guns were made during the day! The RPD just absolutely oozes quality with absolutely impeccable steel (NOT alloy or “monkey metal”) metalwork and superb, highly burnished woodwork. The attention to detail is utterly staggering wherever you look; muzzle? Absolutely spot on! Folding steel bipod? Yup! Three position gas regulator? Yup again! Nowhere and nothing on the RPD looks as if it has been rushed or bodged and I’d go as far as saying that it’s probably better made than the real thing ever was.

Internally things are equally impressive as the RPD benefits from an all-new 9mm bearing Gearbox, a High-Strength Polycarbonate Piston, CNC Aluminium Hop-Up chamber, Steel Gear set, Quick Change Spring and a MOSFET wire assembly design for lower resistance, saving power for the 23,000 rpm motor! Overall at 1043mm/41 inches long and weighing in at 7040g/15.5lbs this is no lightweight to be casually hooned around your local skirmish site! The LCT RPD has been painstakingly designed as I see it with a very specific user in mind, and that user will undoubtedly understand the role that it has been created for, that of laying down suppressive fire when they want to , where they want to, with laser-like precision and a lightning-quick trigger response.

If like me you like your “NamSoft” or OPFOR airsoft then I have to truly say that you WILL want an LCT RPD. Yes, it’s big, it’s heavy, and it is indeed expensive, but oh my goodness, this thing just looks fabulous

and it performs like a beast; LCT really created something quite beautiful here… and I STILL want one!

Stewbacca: The TM M1911, as with the M14, was a natural acquisition to suit my NamSoft theme, complete with the leather shoulder-holster and an M56 double mag pouch for three mags on me at all times.

As with basically all single-stack 1911s, gas capacity and finishing a full mag always seemed to be a bit of a problem, but the finish and feel of the Marui was nonetheless nice in the hand and the holster, although I damn near lost magazines on more than one occasion (thankfully stumbling on them on the way out of games or them dropping on my feet) because the soft leather holster would allow the mag release to be actuated inadvertently all too easily, loosing your loaded mag on whatever lay in front of you.

It was overall a great looking piece and not too shabby on the cycling and consistency fronts once you broke it in, but again it went out with the rest of the NamSoft gear once we moved on, and I swapped it with a friend for a Glock 18C when we went more Police / Modern mil in our loadouts. I haven’t had a 1911 of any sort since in all honesty, and while I guess everyone ought to have one I just haven’t made it a priority for the last decade and a half.

Bill: I’ve spoken at length about my WE 1911A1, but suffice to say it’s a brilliant GBB pistol that still delights anyone that shoots it… there it is, nuff said! But I’ll stick with WE for a moment, again for the OPFOR side with the TT33, and although this is a little underpowered it’s still a fun pistol to own, and likewise is the WE “PM”.

“ALTHOUGH THERE ARE (AND HAVE BEEN!) SOME REALLY FABULOUS “AK47S” LIKE THE DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS REAL SWORD TYPE 56 (MORE ON THIS SEPARATELY!) AND THESE DAYS THE TM NEXT-GEN RECOIL AK47 (TYPE 3), I ACTUALLY USE AN AKM OR AKMS FOR MY NLF (“VC”) OR PAVN (“NVA”) LOADOUTS WITH THE MUZZLE DEVICE CHANGED OUT”

Whilst not in the main list, the WE Makarov features a really strong gas blowback action, and is constructed almost entirely from high quality alloy, with a full metal frame and slide with neat black polymer pistol grips. It features a slide lock safety as well as a lanyard point for securing it to you securely, and a bottom clip-held magazine release with a double stack 16 round magazine. In its basic form the Makarov will chuck a BB downrange at a friendly 270fps using .20g BBs which makes it great for close range encounters. The pistol though features an impressive barrel extension mechanism, where to increase the length of the inner barrel and increase the power you can simply screw in the supplied barrel extension using the threading in situ. Over this screws on the fake suppressor which hides the barrel extension entirely! Without the barrel extension fitted the Makarov is only 160mm long, and this rises to 265mm with the suppressor in place, adding an impressive 115mm to the inner barrel; the weight though is not an issue as without the extension the Makarov comes in at 633g and with at 736g. With the extension you’ll get another 20+fps from the pistol, but the accuracy, whilst good in the basic form, becomes pretty exceptional once you’ve got the hop dialled in!

The reason this is not featured in the list is a) we really only have so much space, and b), I actually think that the ICS BLE PM-2 is actually the better “Makarov” when it comes to games. When it comes to handgun models for US and allied forces of course virtually every airsoft pistol manufacturer has a classic M1911 in their range, and the sheer variety of accessories, everything from real wood handgrips to leather holsters are easily accessed from numerous online retailers and at shows. Up until now though the choice for those who choose to play the part of VC, PAVN, Cold War Soviets, or indeed any generic modern OPFOR role has been a lot more limited… Okay, for NamSoft OPFOR you could go with just about any WW2-vintage revolver out there or a “salvaged” 1911, but when you can have an ICS PM-2, why would you? I know that there are already Makarovs out there, and I own a number of the existing models in my OPFOR collection; they are all lovely in their own way (even the humble springer version that I bought for a tenner!) but ICS, who seemingly out of the blue, released a production PM2, have indeed literally “changed the game” here.

Oh boy, did ICS really pull out a flanker with this model or what? Whilst said “other” replicas are very nice the choice of not one but TWO proper “PB” looking suppressors that are available as accessories

really nails the deal for me, and the ICS take as a non-blowback CO2 model made almost entirely from high quality alloy features a full metal “frame and slide” with neat black “Soviet Star” polymer pistol grips, and the pistol is correctly sized to fit in almost any era model-specific holster. It features a base CO2 magazine release with a single stack “column” 13 BB magazine, and in its basic form the Makarov will chuck a BB downrange at a friendly 300-305fps using .20g BBs.

Whether you are interested in the historical side of things, want something for OPFOR “business” that’s going to do the job, or you just want a pistol model that is a little different than most you’ll find at your local skirmish site, then this super model from ICS is thoroughly worth a look. If like me you fancy owning something to turn the tide on those pesky GI’s then the PM-2 is essentially a “must-have”!

We hope that you’ve enjoyed our NamSoft “picks”, and once again this list of far from exhaustive being just the models that we have directly used, or had experience with in the workshop, or testing and evaluation. That said, all of them are fully field-able AEGs and GBBRs from the box, and the majority most definitely come under the heading of “tried, tested, and downright abused”!

If you’re thinking of heading “in country” to try a bit of NamSoft, then any of the models listed will serve you well, and the only thing I can add to conclude is…. GET SUM! AA

Red Cell is supported by:

RED CELL EXTRA! HONOURABLE OPFOR MENTIONS

ALTHOUGH THE REAL SWORD TYPE 56 AND THE ARES VZ58 DIDN’T APPEAR IN THE MAIN RED CELL LIST THIS MONTH, IT WOULD BE REMISS OF US NOT TO GIVE BOTH MODELS A MENTION AS THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT FOR NAMSOFT OPFOR USE!

It’s not often that we miss out “obvious contenders” in a RED CELL report, but for a couple of reasons we’ve decided to focus on the Real Sword Type 56 and the ARES VZ58 separately. In respect of the Type 56, although the Real Sword AEGs have somewhat of a legendary status among NamSofters the sad fact is that they are somewhat hard to get hold of; we keep hearing rumbles from Real Sword that they are going to re-enter the market, and we hope that this will indeed be the case, but having spoken to them this re-emergence is still in the “possibly, maybe” stage…

The VZ58 is far easier to get hold of, and there’s a huge aftermarket parts choice, and a large worldwide airsoft community that loves this little AEG! However, for some reason it’s not the AEG that a lot of NamSoft OPFOR players pick up as their first choice, although as you’ll see, it is a GREAT choice!

For now though we’ll hand things over to Dan and Rich to give the lowdown…

THE ORIGINAL CLONE!

Among the 1.9 million firearms China supplied to North Vietnam during the course of the war, a statistically significant percentage of those were “AK clone” Type 56 rifles, and this would go on to become one of the most ubiquitous AK-pattern rifles fielded. Thus, honourable mention must go out to Real Sword for their unique Type 56 series replicas!

Real Sword’s place in airsoft history is particularly notable in that these are the most authentic AK style replicas ever made, being in fact made from many real steel components manufactured by

Norinco. They are truly 1:1 in all facets, save for the motor grip which has to be made slightly larger to accommodate the motor. These are authentic down to the expertly replicated blued finish and “L” and “D” markings on the receiver. Translated, L is Lián, or “full”, with D representing Dán, or

Externally, we have a true 1:1 receiver set, made from stamped steel to the same thickness as the genuine article. The front sight tower, gas tube, and more are repurposed from real steel components, clad with the distinctive Chu stock, grip and forearm. Even the magazines themselves (now highly sought after) were made from genuine Chinese AK magazine bodies that were converted for airsoft use. Remarkably, these still stand as the only Airsoft AK magazine that featured steel locking lugs.

Real Sword made several variants on the Type 56, which encompass the original Type 56 with fixed stock and folding bayonet, the 56-1 which omitted the bayonet and used an under-folding stock, and the slightly more modern 56-2 which also eschewed the bayonet and used polymer furniture and a sidefolding stock assembly. All of these

otherwise use the same internal parts inside.

To make an airsoft gearbox fit within the smaller dimensions of a true 1:1 receiver, Real Sword had to design a whole new gearbox designated the “T2” series. This is in principle a truncated version of a Version 3 design, being made shorter in the rear. Despite being shorter, this does not mean it has a reduction in cylinder length, nor does it mean it uses proprietary gears either. Rather cleverly, Real Sword designed it so that the rear of the piston actually dovetails neatly into back of the gearbox at full compression. One can make aftermarket pistons work by modifying the rear of the piston to have the same shape as Real Swords design.

That being said, Real Swords internal parts were truly ahead of their time, being made of much higher quality than what was then being typically offered in that era. While considered somewhat “dated” now, these were nevertheless veritable tanks. In the mid00’s, I remember these were priced barely 100 USD over an all-plastic Tokyo Marui AK. They were even cheaper second-hand, where I was able to score several examples in the US$200-250 region. Truly a fantastic bargain for the quality one received!

Unfortunately, with the passage of time and political hullabaloo, Real Sword’s presence on the airsoft market has effectively dwindled to

fond memory now. After imports (and seemingly operations altogether) ceased for many years, collectors snapped up what they could and prices on the second-hand market rose stratospherically as available inventory vanished. There is a bright light on the horizon, however, as recently Real Sword appears to have resumed business, and many are keen to see if they have truly re-emerged.

I have personally owned and used pretty much every model produced under Real Swords catalogue, from the Dragunov SVD and Type 56-2, which I still presently own, to several each of the 56, 56-1 and the Type 97 and 97B. I have particular fondness for the 56-1 under-folder model, which was among the first airsoft replicas I purchased, and one I’ve put a lot of time on. These have always been fantastic hardwearing shooters out of the box, deftly harnessing the AK platforms intrinsic accuracy. Compared to modern fare, the stock internals are a little “yesteryear” to what we have available now, but to this day, you still simply cannot beat the exquisite externals Real Sword provided, making it true king among kings.

CZECH MATE – RICH

Although it’s not commonly seen in images of the Vietnam War, it is believed that the first easternbloc-supplied VZ58’s were delivered to North Vietnam around 1965, 1500 rifles for testing in a before-unimagined jungle environment. Although the production of the VZ58 “officially” ended in 1963, the rifle proved effective in the new setting and was allegedly much-liked due to its lighter weight and slightly smaller size than the Type 56; “limited” production was re-started in 1968! Again it is believed that from 1969 North Vietnam got thousands of VZ58 rifles every year until the end of Vietnam War, and it is estimated that

“AMONG THE 1.9 MILLION FIREARMS CHINA SUPPLIED TO NORTH VIETNAM DURING THE COURSE OF THE WAR, A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF THOSE WERE “AK CLONE” TYPE 56 RIFLES, AND THIS WOULD GO ON TO BECOME ONE OF THE MOST UBIQUITOUS AK-PATTERN RIFLES FIELDED”

it’s an extremely useable platform able to sling BBs with ease.

The selector is on the right hand side and, while not ambidextrous, is easy to use once you get used to it. Safe is straight down and your finger will feel it, turn it towards the rear and you have semi auto, push it to the front and you have full auto. The fire modes are programmable though using the ARES

unit is easy to work on. To change the nub you just lock the bolt back, remove the top and change the nub. No need to dismantle the whole thing at all. The gearbox is proprietary with the Mosfet board being fixed to the outside of the box, and all the wiring is outside the box so no danger of any wires getting chewed up by the gears. The only real problem with this AEG is the EFCS board being weak and to be honest you’ll struggle to find one in the UK so I order direct from ARES. The AK style mags don’t feed well so most people tend to fit the M4 magwell adapter to run AR-style mags.

Externally they look the part with an aluminium receiver, folddown stock and polymer foregrip, though with a bit of filing you can fit real-steel wood furniture which does look great if you make the effort! One of mine has the real steel Beaverbarf stock and foregrip though the real steel stock/receiver adapter won’t fit the airsoft receiver so you’ll need a different adapter.

I like this AEG not just because its good straight from the box or that it’s easy to work on. I like it because it’s different, it’s not an AR or AK variant and it certainly gets a lot of looks and questions! AA

“IT IS BELIEVED THAT FROM 1969 NORTH VIETNAM GOT THOUSANDS OF VZ58 RIFLES EVERY YEAR UNTIL THE END OF VIETNAM WAR, AND IT IS ESTIMATED THAT NORTH VIETNAMESE FORCES USED SOME 90,000 OF THESE RIFLES… NOT SO UNCOMMON AFTER ALL!”

GETTING “IN COUNTRY”... WHAT TO EXPECT!

IF YOU’VE BEEN SKIRMISHING FOR A WHILE NOW, OR YOU JUST FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN YOUR “AIRSOFT LIFE” BUT THE THOUGHT OF A THEMED GAME WITH UNIFORM AND “WEAPON” REQUIREMENTS FILLS YOU WITH TREPIDATION THEN DON’T DESPAIR, AS WE ALL START SOMEWHERE! SO WHAT WILL YOU NEED FOR A NAMSOFT GAME, AND WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT WHEN YOU ATTEND ONE? BILL GOT TOGETHER WITH JOSH, FROM GUNMAN AIRSOFT HERE IN THE UK, TO FIND OUT…

Yes, I have run NamSoft Games myself in the past, both on my own and with my old mate Jay and the support of our “OC16 Tan Hat Crew”, and had an absolute blast doing so; this is especially true of my time running games in Florida where the natural terrain very much worked in our favour in terms of “NamSoft” game immersion, and where we could visit the local Army/ Navy store to scour the “dollar bins” for cheap little nuggets of LBE as I mentioned in our loadout article! M16/M14 AEGs were increasingly easy and pretty cheap to find. Frank C, then at AIRSOFT GI, once sorted me a group order of TWENTY JG M16s, although the sheer breadth of weapons used in Vietnam provided many AEG choices too! Whilst most didn’t go the whole Nam hog, they certainly put a bit of an effort into their loadouts, and in the mangroves and palmetto’s of backwoods Florida “Tiger Stripe” was a BIG favourite!

We were also lucky enough to have a bunch of

guys that REALLY enjoyed the OPFOR role (big shout out to Generallissimo Matticus and the PLA!), and ran classic AKs as a matter of choice in all games, so prepping them as NLF/ LASV or in some cases “main force NVA” or PAVN was a joy; they embraced the role fully and did sterling service, even going as far as including a bit of “acting” and a bugle in their kit-list to launch attacks! Many outlandish tales can I tell of our “Nam OPFOR”, but hit me up when you see me at a game or event for these, preferably by the campfire with an adult beverage in hand…

Bottom line is that it’s all too easy to put a NamSoft game together in terms of the kit and “the look” if you have some committed players, but what of the scenario, how will the game differ from the norm, and most-importantly, what makes it special?

I could go into this myself with some anecdotes from some of the absolutely spectacular NamSoft games that I’ve played myself over many years (another big shout to Mr Clancy and the

“YES, I HAVE RUN NAMSOFT GAMES MYSELF IN THE PAST… AND HAD AN ABSOLUTE BLAST DOING SO; THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OF MY TIME RUNNING GAMES IN FLORIDA WHERE THE NATURAL TERRAIN VERY MUCH WORKED IN OUR FAVOUR IN TERMS OF “NAMSOFT” GAME IMMERSION”

Dorking crew for possibly the VERY BEST “napalm strike” I’ve EVER seen in a game!), but I thought I’d dig a bit deeper and get some input from a long-standing NamSoft (among other themes!) game-runner that I respect hugely for doing things differently, and I approached Josh from GUNMAN AIRSOFT here in the UK with some questions; this is what he had to tell me…

AA: So, Josh, first off thanks for being involved in out “Summer Special 2024”! Please could you introduce yourself, and to set the scene please tell everyone about what you do at GUNMAN in more general terms.

GA: Hi Bill, thanks for including us. So, I’ve been running events since 1994, and all have been very story-driven, role-play enthused and hopefully fun for all. Gunman was born in 2002, made limited in

2003 and has been an incredible journey. We are a professional airsoft company that strives to encourage the best game-play we can. We run every aspect and theme of airsoft from your humble skirmish game to all the Sims, FilmSim being our theme-events style.

AA: Moving things onto our theme for this issue, please could you explain what excited you about running your ongoing series of NamSoft games specifically? What motivated you to kick things off?

GA: Well, honestly, Nam is utterly steered by the guys that want to play it. People watch Nam movies, or come from a historical element or just love the kit and all bring it to the field. It’s a very pretty game, with some photo’s actually mistaken for historical ones. With FIlmSim, we want guys to try to transport themselves and everyone else to the theme being played, and we use the FilmSim ideology to achieve this; if it’s good enough for a movie, its good enough for us. That way, it makes things more accessible to guys that don’t have Nam specific loadouts. We are quite strict on the guns, with no modern RIS systems, but to get the bums on seats and make a game viable, you do need to try and help out, so we offer a ton of FREE loan kit and period rental guns!

AA: Probably one of the most important questions for players transitioning from regular skirmish days to NamSoft is indeed “What kit will I need?”; as a game-runner what are your expectations when it comes to uniforms and equipment?

GA: I can’t speak for the other Nam-game organisers, but we do have that ton of free loan kit. Players need to look the part to help with the immersion of the scenario, so no one can just turn up in modern kit to play, so we help put with that. Army and Navy/surplus shops are still full of old green trousers and shirts; you can buy kit from many sources and if you really want to you can go for the full load out via the re-enactment retailers.

AA: We’ve given a selection of AEGs and GBBs that are suitable for NamSoft throughout this issue, so same question really, do you want players to attend with “period-correct weapons”, and are there alternatives that are appropriate?

GA: They do need something that doesn’t break the immersion; a standard M4A1 would be ok if

“I THOUGHT I’D DIG A BIT DEEPER AND GET SOME INPUT FROM A LONG-STANDING NAMSOFT (AMONG OTHER THEMES!) GAME-RUNNER THAT I RESPECT HUGELY FOR DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY, AND I APPROACHED JOSH FROM GUNMAN AIRSOFT HERE IN THE UK WITH SOME QUESTIONS”

“HONESTLY, NAM IS UTTERLY STEERED BY THE GUYS THAT WANT TO PLAY IT. PEOPLE WATCH NAM MOVIES, OR COME FROM A HISTORICAL ELEMENT OR JUST LOVE THE KIT AND ALL BRING IT TO THE FIELD. IT’S A VERY PRETTY GAME, WITH SOME PHOTO’S ACTUALLY MISTAKEN FOR HISTORICAL ONES”

that’s what you have, as long as all the “tacticool” elements are removed, and we do allow AK74Us if guys have them, as long as they aren’t the more modern versions. It’s another reason we haul a ton of M16s and AK47s around with us for guys to rent, but if you’re into Nam, you buy Nam in the end.

AA: So, I’ve put together a basic set of “grunt kit”, I’ve bought myself a CYMA M16 and a bunch of shorty mags, and I’m ready to hit a NamSoft game; what should I expect? A day? A weekend? A structured scenario?

GA: We run weekend games with socials in the evening and camping over both nights if required. We do have very limited day-only tickets, as guys travel a long way to play theme games and if everyone buggers off Saturday, the Sunday game is affected. They are always heavily themed and structured to that theme with objectives in keeping with the game.

AA: I’ve done a few full-day BattleSims, will I need a different “mindset” for NamSoft games?

GA: No idea, I’ve never played a BattleSim, haha, although if that’s a game that’s all day, with objectives and a loadout requirements for the teams, medic rules and command structure, not a lot. We do ask guys to try to be a bit more role-play in the game though, to think out of the box as the story can change with consequences to decisions made. The games best reward is in moments you are watching as much as ones you’re in.

AA: That is SO true! What of the NamSoft Community? Will I be able to get support from other like-minded players to move things forward for me? Are there places I can find out more about kit and weapons, online groups perhaps that will help me and not get all “stitch-bitch” on my ass?

GA: The community is a bit all over the place at the moment to be honest; the loss of the annual “In Country” event has been a blow, as many guys went there to catch up and talk “The Nam”. Now it’s all over the different social media platforms. It’s sad that forums don’t get used much anymore as they were a very good way to communicate stuff going on in my opinion; I would love to see a new influx of players join us in the tall grass and get their Nam on though!

AA: Josh, thanks so much for being a part of this Special “Nam” Issue, and I hope that the information

provided here will help many players wanting to take the jump into something a bit more “themed and historical”… it is a jump, but if players understand that the requirements are actually minimal and the storylines can be much more immersive (and FUN!) it may just be that we see this area of airsoft growing again… offering free loan kit also goes a long way to helping players get involved in something a little different!

Before we wrap up completely I have one final question for you; where do you see NamSoft, and indeed themed-games as a whole heading in the future?

GA: Themed games have always been niche, with the biggest games being around the 120-player mark. It’s still a very loved game and the smaller numbers in the 70s are still amazing (in fact better in some ways). Themed airsoft just needs more exposure, but it will always be smaller than other game styles. With support like this and the continued running of events by the few themed-game companies still operating, there will always be somewhere for guys to play silly bugger in the woods dressed in period kit… AMEN TO THAT!!!

Amen indeed! Once again, my sincere thanks to Josh for stepping up and taking the time to talk about an area of airsoft that I know we both love, and my sincere thanks to Oz Plummer and the members of the GUNMAN NAM Facebook group for images!

If you’re interested in finding out about NamSoft Games with GUNMAN then be sure to keep an eye on their social media pages, and head on over to https:// gunmanairsoft.co.uk for even more information! AA

“WITH

SUPPORT LIKE THIS AND THE CONTINUED RUNNING OF EVENTS BY THE FEW THEMED-GAME COMPANIES STILL OPERATING, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEWHERE FOR GUYS TO PLAY SILLY BUGGER IN THE WOODS DRESSED IN PERIOD KIT… AMEN TO THAT!!!”

EARNING THEIR STRIPES

IN KEEPING WITH THIS ISSUE’S NAM-THEME, AS WELL AS THAT OF STEWBACCA’S ONGOING “INDUSTRY INSIDER” LILT OF ARTICLES TOWARDS THE FACES AND NAMES BEHIND PRODUCTS, AND ALSO IN AN EFFORT TO RAISE AWARENESS OF SMALLER FAMILY COMPANIES WORKING HARD TO MAKE THEIR NAMES KNOWN IN AN EVER-GROWING INDUSTRY THAT CAN DROWN OUT THEIR EFFORTS GIVEN SOME OF THE INDUSTRY LEVIATHANS IN PLAY, HE FINALLY GOT AROUND TO SITTING DOWN WITH THE FOLKS BEHIND “HIMALAYA WORKS TAIWAN”, A SMALL FAMILY RUN TEXTILES COMPANY THAT’S BEEN A THING IN TAIWAN AS LONG AS HE HAS!

If you follow my exploits on my own social media you’ll no doubt be aware of my opinion that “‘Tigerstripe is a perpetual drip” as the youth would phrase it these days! There’s just something timelessly cool about the way a boonie, ball cap, jacket or even full BDUs look emblazoned with the dark and light strokes of the pattern synonymous with the Vietnam War and ARVN advisors and translators, as well as some of the really sharp end of the spear guys of the deployed US forces themselves. Bottom line... it just looks badass!

For the last few years I’ve been aware of Himalaya Works Taiwan, a small but increasingly popular literal “mom n pop OP”’ working out of their facilities in the plains of Taoyuan just southwest of Taiwan’s major airport.

Encircled by verdant farmland and small reservoirs, my trip out to them in mid-May certainly echoed that “welcome to the rice-fields” vibe I initially got when first landing in Taiwan back in summer 2017, coincidentally around the same time they were setting up shop under their own business name and logo that now adorns the roller shutter of their front entrance and the main wall inside their workshop.

Hien Nguyen is a lady of fastidious workmanship and obvious skill and diligence; originally hailing from Vietnam herself and moving to Taiwan around twenty-four years ago, she studied seamstressing and textiles under a master of the craft who just so happened to be a tailoring provider and advisor to those very same aforementioned US and allied forces stationed in Vietnam during the 1960s-1970s and whose clothing now draws our interest.

Her husband, Chia Chin ‘Uzi’ Chiang, happens to

be a talented artist who makes use of his great hand drawings to produce advertisements, instruction manuals or sizing guides for many of the couple’s increasingly varied products, as well as being a fellow former contributor to the now sadly defunct “Combat King Monthly” magazine like myself, and “Target” magazine of Japan. Myriad copies of both fill his personal library along with numerous other reference material.

“CHIA CHIN ‘UZI’ CHIANG, HAPPENS TO BE A TALENTED ARTIST WHO MAKES USE OF HIS GREAT HAND DRAWINGS TO PRODUCE ADVERTISEMENTS, INSTRUCTION MANUALS OR SIZING GUIDES FOR MANY OF THE COUPLE’S INCREASINGLY VARIED PRODUCTS”

Uzi’s “airsoft ‘career” has taken him overseas numerous times to report on military or airsoft activities in various far flung corners of Asia and even further afield.

Adorning his upstairs study, the inner sanctum apparently very few get invited up to see, is one of a number of framed certificates, extolling his completion of the 3rd International Parachuter March Competition.

Back in September 2005 he was clambering through the hills of Austria with their infantry school and a smorgasbord of other international participants from military units all over Europe and further afield, joining in with the military and cultural exchange as well as the movements through challenging terrain encumbered by tactical gear, sharing lots of stories and ideas with his compatriots and taking numerous photos of their exploits to report in greater depth for CKM at the time.

As it happens, he did his own National Service as frontline infantry on the PengHu islands in the Taiwan strait of “Spy Game” fame and my own previous exploits visiting PAF Airsoft at their older HQ there, as well as MilSim activities that have gone on there and will follow later in the year.

Apparently, something caught his eye and stuck with him during his Austrian exploits: the Edelweiss flower.

Much like the lore of “Batman Begins”, this flower only grows at pretty extreme altitudes and also has medicinal properties, and only those who venture to the most rugged environments are likely to encounter it. The Edelweiss is not only Switzerland’s national flower, but also grows on the legendary tallest peaks of Taiwan’s stark central mountains, so it kind of makes for an ideal logo that encompasses not only Uzi’s personal accomplishments, but the link between them and the company ethos of striving to reach a pinnacle of sorts, and now it’s literally woven into a number of their products ...and their story.

DETAIL IS EVERYTHING

While I visited their workshop Hien was busying herself not only with being an excellent hostess, but assembling one of their very popular boonie hats, an effort which took her the majority of my stay, the space of but a few precious hours, from initially pinning and cutting the base material using her pattern table and the appropriate pattern sheets from an apparently ever-growing library of products, she took it from raw Tigerstripe material to finished reversible boonie hat with almost robotic precision!

If you care to look at the stitching on all their products, you’ll no doubt see her signature diligence. Uzi related to me that one of the reasons their products are noticeably more expensive than mass-produced equivalents is as a result of Hien’s perfectionist approach! If stitching goes awry she will likely scrap the whole piece, as even if you unpick a garment or hat, the sewing machine will have marred the material with the now-emptied stitch holes being put through it.

Thankfully, it seems she has her

“THE EDELWEISS IS ...AN IDEAL LOGO THAT ENCOMPASSES NOT ONLY UZI’S PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT THE LINK BETWEEN THEM AND THE COMPANY ETHOS OF STRIVING TO REACH A PINNACLE OF SORTS”

craft somewhat perfected so hopefully the scrap-rate is ever-decreasing; nonetheless they said it’s difficult to keep track of exact figures of their output given the sheer volume of different materials or particular camouflage styles as well as the growing range of different products they apply them too.

Uzi proudly showed me the ‘bible’ he’d managed to acquire (one which Bill noticed in my photos as a familiar, and not particularly cheap, purchase he had also made!), “Tiger Patterns - A guide to the Vietnam War’s Tigerstripe Combat Fatigue Patterns and Uniforms” by Sgt Richard Denis Johnson. While Hien was busy diligently assembling her work in progress we poured over the illustrations and discussed the sheer variety of patterns from

different regions or eras in the country and conflict, as well as the ever-developing physical patterns and cuts of BDUs made for functional reasons depending on new body armour or flak vests and load bearing gear which might inhibit the use of pockets or features in previous designs.

Clearly, Uzi is a man possessed when it comes to the artisanal representation of these uniforms from quite distant eras.

Their workshop covers three floors and there are stacks of raw materials in various patterns as well as finished products for display and awaiting delivery to their local distributors or overseas partners. Some of our own crew have also relayed to me in the past how it can be difficult to source Tigerstripe

“HIEN WAS BUSYING HERSELF NOT ONLY WITH BEING AN EXCELLENT HOSTESS, BUT ASSEMBLING ONE OF THEIR VERY POPULAR BOONIE HATS, AN EFFORT WHICH TOOK HER THE MAJORITY OF MY STAY, THE SPACE OF BUT A FEW PRECIOUS HOURS, FROM INITIALLY PINNING AND CUTTING THE BASE… TO FINISHED REVERSIBLE BOONIE HAT”

garments or materials, and Uzi echoed this; while his personal collection of genuine garments and gear adorns his upstairs storage rooms and office, getting the material produced locally required some effort dealing with OEM pattern printing manufacturers. Taking sample original garments, or working from intheatre photographs from the war, Uzi used his artistic skills to hand draw the patterns at scale for printing and production, then the resulting product is further tested with rough handling and repeated machinewashing to ensure the fabrics are appropriately manufactured and protected from colour-seepage which can happen on cheaper raw materials and ruin the camouflage patterns as a result.

Once the raw fabric is delivered as one of the numerous rolls propped up in corners or laid out where space permits, Hien gets to work reverse engineering the original source garment, being

very adept at not only relaying the original pattern but modifying it appropriately for the various sizing options they will offer them in, typically from small to XXL, with all her calculated dimensions nicely presented in posters on the walls beneath Uzi’s hand drawn impressions of the garments or products in question.

SMALL YET INFLUENTIAL

It’s not just hats, jackets or full BDU’s on offer though; baseball caps, umbrellas, shopping tote bags, drinks carriers, wash-kit bags, camping chairs and equipment as well as canopies and other such utilitarian products all adding ample ability to customise your entry to the Tigerstripe craze!

Similarly there are a variety of colour schemes with standard, darker, blue and ‘gold’ style pattern materials available along with the aforementioned reversible options in some cases adding to the visual appeal and utility of their all-hand-made range of products. I’d already purchased some of my own volition previously, favouring their baseball cap and very comfortable short Tigerstripe zip-front jacket with OD lining at TMC Taipei who along with OTT Gear (where I used to live opposite and sourced my 5.11 gear and long serving laptop bag when I arrived here), represent their northern storefront stockists, along with ‘Lost Bird’, a Japanese outlet in Shinjuku station which sells military themed products.

Further afield, they’ve sent their products to the US, the UK, France, and elsewhere in Europe, although for now the vast majority of their business is still from Taiwan, with online shopping available through their Facebook page and Shopee portal, a popular online shopping app in Taiwan. They also provide uniforms and regalia for events and cooperate with the likes of our good friends at VFC and QRF Magazine, recently equipping a not insignificant number of airsofters and re-enactors for the “Chien dich Nha Trang - Operation Nam Trang Huy Part II”, a great gathering of local enthusiasts which was part MilSim/part baptism of fire and advertising opportunity for VFC’s growing retro AR range of GBBRs such as their excellent M16A1 which resides on the cover of this very issue and takes pride of place on my own gun wall, along with their

“STORYTELLING ITSELF IS ALSO JUST AS IMPORTANT TO HIMALAYA WORKS TAIWAN; WITH HIEN’S ORIGINS IN VIETNAM AND UZI’S LOVE OF THE LORE AND HISTORY THEY HAVE MADE NUMEROUS TRIPS TO FIRING RANGES, MILITARIA STORES AND MUSEUMS “IN COUNTRY””

XM148 grenade launcher offering and XM177E2!

Many of my local friends were sharing the excellent photographs taken over the course of the event and afterwards, and throughout it all Himalaya Works Taiwan’s excellent gear was sharing the spotlight with all the guys and guns.

Storytelling itself is also just as important to Himalaya Works Taiwan; with Hien’s origins in Vietnam and Uzi’s love of the lore and history they have made numerous trips to firing ranges, militaria stores and museums “in country”, and they tend to select new products not only based upon customer feedback or requests, but also in consideration of pertinent pop culture trends or movie and video game influences of the time, as well as striving to pay due homage to the original camouflages and those who wore them and turn out a long lasting and quality product.

More recently, around three years ago, Hien also made a purchase of a very swish looking ‘Brother’ digital embroidery machine; I’ve been fortunate enough to use something similar when I was studying the textiles module of my rotation through my highly technical secondary school, and which alongside the CNC machinery, graphic design, woodwork and metal working that put me on my own career path, so naturally I got to geek out over their latest cool toy addition!

Hien now offers digital embroidery not only to personalise their militaria garments, but also as additional revenue stream providing corporate wear in the form of putting text or logos into polo shirts, shirts, jackets and the like for custom company uniforms; evidently they’re not resting on their laurels, or should I say their Edelweiss!?

Further adding to the feathers in their cap, Uzi is a keen bow hunter and an outdoorsman raised in the mountains from an early age, which also makes him a very keen fan of knives and he hand-makes numerous examples as well as extensively engraving them and carving out appropriate scabbards inscribed with Chinese characters and available in belt loop formats for those who want something handy to take into Taiwan’s sometimes unforgiving jungles. He showed me a vast array of his hand-made blades from fruit knives all the way up to full-blown tree-clearing machetes; many of my friends here have uploaded

photos and videos of Hien and Uzi’s mountain retreat with his own forge on site that many of our fellow industry friends have also hand made their own knives at as part of the classes on forging that he provides up there.

With a much better appreciation for their backstory and company ethos I was ready to depart, and they were kind enough to drive me all the way back to TMC Taipei where they were making a delivery run, as well as leaving me there with a dinner for myself and the shop staff of homemade glass noodles and veg; I wasn’t allowed to leave empty stomach, or empty handed for that matter! Hien had been sizing me up as soon as I arrived and I was gifted a very nice tiger stripe shirt along with tote bag, baseball cap and even one of the umbrellas I’d been eyeing up for a while at TMC. I guess, like their good selves, I have also earned my stripes!

Many thanks to Hien and Uzi for their hospitality, kind gifts and inviting me into their workshop to tell their story in more depth; I’m sure I can make good use of their gear in upcoming efforts!

You can find Himalaya Works Taiwan at: Himalaya Works Taiwan量身訂製虎斑迷彩服裝[客 製]Brother電腦刺繡, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/128494541160713/ or on Shopee: https:// shopee.tw/hwtaiwan. AA

“IT’S

NOT JUST HATS, JACKETS OR FULL BDU’S ON OFFER THOUGH; BASEBALL CAPS, UMBRELLAS, SHOPPING TOTE BAGS, DRINKS CARRIERS, WASH-KIT BAGS, CAMPING CHAIRS AND EQUIPMENT AS WELL AS CANOPIES AND OTHER SUCH UTILITARIAN PRODUCTS ...ALL ADDING TO THE TIGERSTRIPE CRAZE!”

DARK EMERGENCY: LCT AIRSOFT IN GERMANY!

AS WE TRANSITION FROM THE PAST BACK TO THE PRESENT DAY IN THE AA LEGION SECTION THIS MONTH, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN “EAST MEETS WEST”, IN THIS CASE WHEN OUR OLD MATES FROM LCT AIRSOFT IN TAIWAN LANDED IN GERMANY TO ATTEND THE BIGGEST AIRSOFT EVENT THERE, TAKING PART IN THE BEHEMOTH THAT IS “DARK EMERGENCY”? STEWBACCA GOT TOGETHER WITH THEM FOLLOWING THE EVENT TO GET THE STORY…

In early May 2024, thousands of airsoft players and representatives of the airsoft industry descended upon Mahlwinkel in the northern outskirts of Magdeburg, east of Berlin to take part in “Dark Emergency”, the largest airsoft event in Germany, and arguably one of the largest in Europe and the world! Similar to the UK’s “National Airsoft Festival” it’s a huge camping weekender/MilSim with large team actions, vehicles, and a party atmosphere, all organised by Airsoft Helden.

Our good friends from LCT AIRSOFT were in attendance and also took some time travel in the country following the event, so we thought we’d ask them about their experiences of the event and of Germany in general, and what happened when Taiwan airsoft met the German and mainlandeuropean player community! Stewbacca took up the challenge to bring together the story of when “East met West” with the help of LCT, and now relays their experiences!

AA: What drew you to attend Dark Emergency in particular? Was it a case of invitation/sponsorship of the event? How did you find out about the event and was it a cooperative effort with the organisers?

LCT: Our thanks go to Airsoft2go for their

invitation and strong recommendation at the beginning of the year during IWA.

Airsoft2go has been setting up booths at Dark Emergency for many years, and they have witnessed the success of Dark Emergency events. In order to continue providing quality products to users, LCT places great emphasis on player feedback, so therefore, the company decided to personally participate in events through its team for such purposes. This not only allows for a direct understanding of user product experiences but also provides opportunities for interaction with various event organisers.

AA: Who did you have representing LCT Airsoft at the event, and how did you find the journey from Taiwan to Germany? How was the travel compared to your previous journeys to attend IWA in the South?

LCT: Our Boss, Kevin, attaches great importance to this event; he personally led the core members of the marketing team to attend. Kevin’s friends are very familiar with the event, and with their guidance, the itinerary went relatively smoothly. IWA is located in one of the major cities, Nuremberg, with convenient public transportation near the

exhibition centre, in the Messe. On the other hand, Dark Emergency is situated on a former East German airbase, where transportation convenience may not rival that of Nuremberg! However, this allowed our team the opportunity to experience true German “Autobahn” driving, adding to our immersion in the local culture.

AA: How did you feel when you arrived at the event, what was the atmosphere like? Were you camping out with the players or staying off site during your stay? How many people or teams from different countries did you get to interact with?

LCT: This time, our team stayed in a small town near the event roughly twenty minutes away by car. On the way to the event, there were only a few small villages, with the rest being vast stretches of wilderness or farmland. The Dark Emergency event could be described as an oasis in the wilderness, resembling a large outdoor camping carnival in the forest. At the event site, besides showcasing highly professional venue-planning such as large stages, lighting, sound systems, performances, catering, washing facilities, accommodation, and equipment sales and repairs, it successfully integrated the atmosphere of a carnival and party. This attracted not

only airsoft players but also many people who came to enjoy a vacation. In addition to seeing fully armed teams discussing tactics and shouting slogans, there were also exciting performances, which were very exhilarating!

During most of the event, we were at the Airsoft 2go booth, collaborating on our joint activities. They also planned an LCT exhibition area where we had good interaction with many players, whether they were there to purchase LCT products or not. Most of the participants at Dark Emergency came from Germany and neighbouring countries, but one of the most special meet ups was with a team from Dubai, who were very enthusiastic about interacting with our team! According to information from the organisers, there were over 3000 participants at the event this year, with the majority choosing to camp on-site.

AA: What was the most memorable or exciting aspect of the event and your involvement with it?

LCT: Experiencing first-hand the “luxury” of largescale MilSim game events, receiving direct feedback from players in the field, and witnessing players carrying those products which had been built by the LCT team; this outdoor reality experience is very different from the exhibition events we have attended

“IN ORDER TO CONTINUE PROVIDING QUALITY PRODUCTS TO USERS, LCT PLACES GREAT EMPHASIS ON PLAYER FEEDBACK, SO THEREFORE, THE COMPANY DECIDED TO PERSONALLY PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS THROUGH ITS TEAM FOR SUCH PURPOSES”

in the past, and through this event, we have gained clearer insights into our future brand positioning, marketing, and promotional strategies.

AA: How did you find the reception from the players and community? What was your favourite aspect of meeting the end users and seeing your products in use?

LCT: First of all, we are extremely grateful to Airsoft2go for their excellent promotion of our products and for collaborating with us on brainstorming brand marketing strategies. They also consistently deployed Airsoft2go team members in front of the LCT booth to answer players’ questions. They play an important role to us, not only as partners but also as excellent communicators between players and LCT. Listening to players who own LCT products, they agree on their durability and robustness, so observing the enthusiasm of players encountering the LCT brand for the first time, and witnessing players holding LCT products in real-life scenarios… these are the greatest motivations and sources of pride that drive our team to keep pushing forward!

AA: Did you get any feedback or ideas from the community while you were at the event?

Are LCT’s products strongly presented at the event, and were lots of people using them and interested in sharing their experiences or learning more about them?

LCT: At the event, we met many players who support LCT products and saw numerous LCT fans. Everyone was eager to share their firsthand experiences with us and provided many ideas about how we can combine different technologies, innovate, and meet

various milestones in the future.

AA: Did you have any giveaways or interact with the community otherwise?

LCT: Before the event, Airsoft2go and the LCT team collaborated to discuss the “LCT good 2 go” booth activity, which allowed us to engage with more loyal LCT players and potential customers through this in-booth activity. Additionally, LCT provided prizes for Dark Emergency with Kevin personally drawing the LC-3 and LCKMS winners on the main stage! The audience’s reaction and the atmosphere during the raffle were extremely enthusiastic, immersing everyone present in the excitement of the moment.

AA: Did any of your team get actively involved in the game or otherwise get a chance to observe the action across the larger playing site during your visit?

LCT: We’re very grateful to the event organizers, AS Helden, for arranging an in-game vehicle tour for us. We, along with all the media, were transported into the mission area on military trucks. The venue setup was truly professional, resembling scenes from a movie. Players could immerse themselves in the game scenarios more deeply, and from the meticulous details, one could feel the passion and professionalism

“PLAYERS COULD IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN THE GAME SCENARIOS MORE DEEPLY, AND FROM THE METICULOUS DETAILS, ONE COULD FEEL THE PASSION AND PROFESSIONALISM OF THE ORGANISERS AND COLLABORATING TEAMS (VOLUNTEERS). IT WAS INDEED A RARE AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE”

of the organisers and collaborating teams (volunteers). It was indeed a rare and memorable experience.

AA: Would you recommend the event to other international players? What was the best part of the whole experience for you all?

LCT: We definitely recommend this event as it offers a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a completely different holiday (and airsoft) experience with family and friends through gaming. Although it presents challenges for players outside of Europe, such as transportation, language, accommodation, and even equipment logistics, we believe that for airsoft enthusiasts, this event will be an extraordinary spectacle. Overall, the experience was impressive; the event was not only large-scale but also meticulously planned with professionalism evident in every detail. Despite the participation of thousands of people, there was no sense of chaos, everything was well-organised and orderly. Even as first-time attendees, we felt safe and comfortable throughout the event.

AA: What did your team get up to after the event itself? Did you have the chance for further travel within Germany or elsewhere? How have your experiences been of Germany in general in the past; are there any difficulties or language barrier issues, how easy is it for Taiwanese to get by there with the language, cultural, and food differences?

LCT: After the event, the boss gave the team an opportunity to tour Berlin. We visited famous landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie. Following this, we returned the rental car and took a train to Prague to await our flight back to Taiwan the next day, ending a journey of transit lasting 20 hours. Regarding food, there were meals and drinks available at Dark

“THE DARK EMERGENCY EVENT COULD BE DESCRIBED AS AN OASIS IN THE WILDERNESS, RESEMBLING A LARGE OUTDOOR CAMPING CARNIVAL IN THE FOREST. AT THE EVENT SITE… IT SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATED THE ATMOSPHERE OF A CARNIVAL AND PARTY”

Emergency, and the European-style breakfast provided at the accommodation was quite good! However, as individuals with Taiwanese tastes, we couldn’t resist having a bowl of hot instant noodles for a midnight snack (if you know, you know haha!). The kind owner of the café next to our hotel had already closed up shop, but generously allowed us to fill a large pot with hot water from his coffee machine for our noodles, which was very heartwarming! Overall, we were very satisfied with this trip.

AA: Are you planning on attending Dark Emergency again, or any other international events?

LCT: Our goal is to actively participate in various airsoft events and promote the LCT brand to a wider audience. It’s not just about exhibitions like IWA in Germany; if there’s an opportunity in the future to transition more people from “SEEING” LCT to

“LOVING” LCT, we will definitely work hard towards that goal!

Many thanks, as always to our good friends at LCT for giving us their insight into their experiences overseas enjoying a change of scenery and out seeing the people behind their products in the field, Stewbacca has yet more tales of interest regarding his ongoing LCK74MN modularity experiences to follow shortly in another upcoming issue, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

If “Dark Emergency” sounds like something you would like to attend, then you can keep an eye on www.airsofthelden.com or their social media pages.

For updates on LCT products please check out www.lctairsoft.com or follow their facebook page which is updated regularly… or just read Airsoft Action …simples! AA

“OVERALL, THE EXPERIENCE WAS IMPRESSIVE; THE EVENT WAS NOT ONLY LARGE-SCALE BUT ALSO METICULOUSLY PLANNED WITH PROFESSIONALISM EVIDENT IN EVERY DETAIL. DESPITE THE PARTICIPATION OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, THERE WAS NO SENSE OF CHAOS, EVERYTHING WAS WELL-ORGANISED AND ORDERLY”

RIFTSHIFTING UP ANOTHER GEAR!

AT THE BACK END OF MAY 2024 THE UK SAW AGAIN ONE OF ITS BIGGEST, AND STILL-GROWING, AIRSOFT EVENTS, ONE THAT IS CONTINUING TO DELIGHT THE PLAYER COMMUNITY AS IT FLOURISHES! SO, WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU ADD VEHICLES, JUST OVER 70 ACRES OF VARIED GAME SITE AND AN EXTREMELY FRIENDLY AND WELCOMING FAMILY TYPE ATMOSPHERE? YOU GET RIFT AIRSOFT’S “SHIFT YOUR RIFTS” (SYR), AND OUR NEWEST UK-BASED “LEGIONNAIRE”, RICH P, WAS THERE TO EXPERIENCE IT FIRST-HAND!

RIFT Airsoft was created by Tony Whitmarsh in 2012 with Coms-3 near Banbury; they then went on to run games at The Ridge, The Bombdump, The Battery and Redcon-2. RIFT Airsoft is very much a family-run business with Tony’s wife Hazel and their children all making sure the game days run smoothly.

Redcon-2 near Abingdon is situated at the MoD airfield Dalton Barracks and comprises of over 70 acres of varying types of terrain from open grass

to woods with features such as a Lynx helicopter, derelict tanks known as the Tank Graveyard, Container City and Echo Base which is set up as a CQB area. Redcon-2 is also the home of the two-day “Shift Your Rifts” event that’s grown in popularity and size in the four years it’s been run, with this year being the largest to date with 588 players on the Saturday who were joined by another 66 on the Sunday.

The weekend is a combination of airsoft games and car-boot sale where you can sell your unwanted airsoft gear. In addition to the car-boot there were a number of retailers present including Viper Tactical, Empire Airsoft, Flash bang smoke, twofourdeltasurplus and others. White Sphere Tactical, ably run by Steve and Jake, were onsite too and you could find a plethora of different RIFS and other essential supplies there. BBs, pyro and battery charging were supplied by Tony and the team in the onsite shop.

We arrived at the site on the Friday evening and were met by a marshal who directed us to the payment tent after giving us a quick safety talk. We then went to the desks set up for filling out the waivers, which we took to Hazel who took payment for the weekend and handed us a bag that included safety brief sheet and various goodies from some of the traders attending. After obtaining our weekend wristband we were then directed to the camping area. There were some car-boot sellers already set up so we had a stroll around those and some of the traders that were open.

There was no food available on site Friday evening and due to the MOD rules there were no flames of any kind allowed unless you were in a campervan or caravan, so no BBQ! But you could order takeaway that was delivered to the gate… with regards to drinking at “Shift Your Rifts”, it’s not discouraged once the games are over but you are asked to be sensible in your partaking and keep noise to sensible levels!

SATURDAY – GAME ON!

Saturday morning saw us up bright and breezy and walking down to the main Safezone for breakfast; there were bacon rolls on offer as well as various offerings from Greggs (bakers for our non-UK readers!) and hot drinks in the form of tea and coffee. The chrono opened promptly, and this is where getting in on the Friday comes into its own; we weren’t rushing around trying to get tents set up and sort our gear in a short space of time!

Once our AEGs and GBBs were chrono’d and tagged with a coloured cable tie, it was on to the Safety Brief. Now I’m sure Tony will admit his safety briefs are famous for being, shall we say, thorough,

and there are even patches on sale that say “I Survived Tony’s Brief”… and quite a few people even brought chairs to sit on for the brief! Tony was kind to us on this event though, with the

a sheet that was included in the goodie bag that you were encouraged to read, and Tony’s spoken part was more along the lines of the non-standard elements of the event such as the Juggernaut and safety around the vehicles.

What followed after the Brief was “Total War”! One game up to lunchtime and then the reverse of that game after; this allowed a more relaxed type of gameplay in my opinion as you were able to play as much or as little airsoft as you wanted. You could come out of the Gamezone as you wanted to grab

“RIFT AIRSOFT WAS CREATED BY TONY WHITMARSH IN 2012 WITH COMS-3 NEAR BANBURY; THEY THEN WENT ON TO RUN GAMES AT THE RIDGE, THE BOMBDUMP, THE BATTERY AND REDCON-2. RIFT AIRSOFT IS VERY MUCH A FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS WITH TONY’S WIFE HAZEL AND THEIR CHILDREN ALL MAKING SURE THE GAME DAYS RUN SMOOTHLY”

some food or browse the traders and car-booters, though if too many from one team went out to browse this became obvious with the team imbalances that occurred later in the morning.

The Juggernaut was this year played by Matt from Warhound Media; he was carrying a support gun and was of no team and both teams at the same time. If you were able to get a shot on one of the stainless steel bowls, the only shots he would acknowledge, on his front and rear he would drop to a knee for 30 seconds; you had to get to him, put your hand on his shoulder and say you’re a Blue now and send him off to shoot the Reds. If after 30 seconds no-one got to him then he’d just blast away at any team colour… it certainly added an element of fear to the game!

There were two convoys of vehicles on site that weekend and the Safety Brief around them was possibly the most important part; you were able to get a ride in the back of the vehicles but the most important rule around them was, if the engine is running you must stay 5 meters or more away. The vehicles included four armoured Snatch Land Rovers, a six-wheeled Pinzgauer Vector, as well as a CVRT Spartan and a CVRT Sultan named Ethel! There were vehicles assigned to both teams, one team’s vehicles had to drive to waypoints and set up a mortar at each point. This needed to be defended as there was a flag for the enemy to drop as a timed point as well as series of objects to steal from the backs of the vehicles.

The other teams vehicles were there as troop transport, frequently picking up people from the respawn point and ferrying them forwards. Each team had a main respawn point which couldn’t be attacked and because the site is so big there were four more capturable respawn points that could be fought over. The other team had to defend the intel in the form of laptops dotted around the site.

The morning’s game started with everyone deciding what they wanted to go for, and once game-on was called all the younger players ran ahead while us older folk preferred more of a “tactical bimble” towards the action, although at one point we Blues had pushed the Reds nearly back to their main respawn. At that point the marshals stepped in and got everyone back their main respawns and reset the game to give the

Reds a chance! In my opinion that was a good call as it gave everyone a chance of a good game. The morning was undoubtedly the Blue’s game with the strong pushes. At around 13:00 ENDEX was called and everyone went back to the Safezone for lunch, which saw hot dogs and chilli dogs added to the menu!

After lunch we gathered for the afternoon Game Brief and the marshals went about balancing the teams by swapping people around and, to be honest, this made the afternoon game much better. The roles were reversed and we Blues didn’t have it as easy in the afternoon as it was a much more

“THE WEEKEND IS A COMBINATION OF AIRSOFT GAMES AND CAR-BOOT SALE WHERE YOU CAN SELL YOUR UNWANTED AIRSOFT GEAR. IN ADDITION TO THE CAR-BOOT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF RETAILERS PRESENT INCLUDING VIPER TACTICAL, EMPIRE AIRSOFT, FLASH BANG SMOKE, TWOFOURDELTASURPLUS AND OTHERS…”

That’s one of the things I like about RIFT Airsoft, they like a good, balanced game and if that means swapping players about then fair play.

After ENDEX was called we all went back to our tents, dropped our kit off then headed back up to the Safezone for food and a couple of beverages. Food was burgers or sausages in a bun cooked by the MOD and very reasonably priced. RIFT Airsoft even laid on a licenced bar in the evening, though you were asked to be sensible once again. To that end they also asked for a 24:00 bed time, which wasn’t a bad call in my opinion…

SUNDAY

- RINSE, REPEAT!

Sunday saw us once again at the chrono as they test

each day with a different colour tag added. The only real difference to Sundays Safety Bief was that those who attended the Saturday brief and had the weekend wristband didn’t have to sit through Sundays affair too, which meant that there was only 66 players in attendance with the other 588 turning up at 10:15. Sunday’s games were pretty much a carbon-copy of Saturday’s but given the size of the site, you could spend one day in one half of the site and the other day somewhere else and not get bored. As well as the main field games there were other activities you could participate into; there was a 4v4 team knockout tournament which was won by Discord Admins team and their name is now on a trophy for achieving first place. There was also an Attacksense room-clearance

“THE VEHICLES INCLUDED FOUR ARMOURED SNATCH LAND ROVERS, A SIX-WHEELED PINZGAUER VECTOR, AS WELL AS A CVRT SPARTAN AND A CVRT SULTAN NAMED ETHEL! THERE WERE VEHICLES ASSIGNED TO BOTH TEAMS, ONE TEAM’S VEHICLES HAD TO DRIVE TO WAYPOINTS AND SET UP A MORTAR AT EACH POINT”

time-trial at which my son and I had great fun competing against each other. And there was also a Pro Shoot experience set up inside the bunker; I didn’t get to try that but by all accounts it was a fun activity.

In my opinion Tony and RIFT Airsoft have created a great event that has something for everyone, be it full on airsoft, taking part in the other activities or just chilling out socialising in “Traders Alley”. It’s an event that has a relaxed vibe about it and one that I’ll certainly be visiting again next year.

I asked a few people if they could send me their thoughts on the event and here’s what they said;

the biggest and best yet, for us at WST as the lead retailer onsite this is our biggest event of the year and as expected a bigger event provides a bigger challenge though I believe all of us at RIFT made sure everyone had a smile on their face all weekend. We managed to raise £2000 for Cancer Research and NHS Blood Donation and thank you to all that donated as this is very close to our hearts. Thank you to everyone who came to see us this year at SYR. Same time next year?”

Stefano Proietti - “This year, as with other years, was a good event though it would have been good to have the car-booters nearer the traders as it would have created a really busy vibe to it, but as a whole I felt it was a well-managed event and it was good to see new traders there too and the facilities were great for all to use. I didn’t get to play this year but from previous experience it’s a good playing area and for me being a wheelchair user I could use 80% of the gaming zones.”

Jake, White Sphere Tactical - “SYR2024 has been

Ratty, Viper Tactical - “I have to say that this year was the best yet. Having been here the last three years it’s been fantastic to see how the event has grown. From a players perspective with everything there is to do its one to put in your diary. Tony and the crew know how to put on an event and this event will grow and

And the last words go to Tony Whitmarsh, RIFT Airsoft himself - “When we created Shift Your Rifts we wanted to do something a bit different where people could sell their unwanted kit at a boot-sale alongside a big event. The numbers of players we had here this weekend are about right for the event, I prefer quality over quantity. I’m humbled and proud and blown away by the whole thing and I can’t thank everyone enough, the RIFT team for all the hard work they’ve put in and the players for being awesome!”

Thanks to all who kindly contributed comments for this report, and to Josh and the team at www. kriosphotography.com for additional pictures!

If you like the sound of “Shift Your Rifts” then you can keep an eye for updates on the 2025 event by Following RIFT Airsoft Ltd on FB and the socials, as well as tuning in to the regularly-updated NEWS section at www.riftairsoft.com... It’s a great event that deserves our support, and who knows, perhaps you’ll see even more of the AA Crew there next year! AA

“IN MY OPINION TONY AND RIFT AIRSOFT HAVE CREATED A GREAT EVENT THAT HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, BE IT FULL ON AIRSOFT, TAKING PART IN THE OTHER ACTIVITIES OR JUST CHILLING OUT SOCIALISING IN “TRADERS ALLEY”. IT’S AN EVENT THAT HAS A RELAXED VIBE ABOUT IT AND ONE THAT I’LL CERTAINLY BE VISITING AGAIN NEXT YEAR”

BIRTHDAY SURPRISES - OP 1&6!

SO, ANOTHER YEAR HAS PASSED BY FOR MIGUEL AND HIS FELLOW GHOSTS, AND IT WAS TIME TO ORGANISE THEIR TRADITIONAL BIRTHDAY EVENT! SIXTEEN YEARS OF AIRSOFT AS A TEAM IS A MASSIVE ACHIEVEMENT; THE NUMBER OF GAMES, ADVENTURES, MEETING NEW TEAMS AND PEOPLE, SEEING NEW FIELDS, YOU NAME IT, IT’S BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR THEM, ONE THAT CONTINUES AS MIGUEL TELLS US ALL ABOUT THEIR “BIRTHDAY GAME”, OP 1&6!

As always when planning a game there is a lot of work to be done! The preparation of the game started in January, with a few teasers, setting the date of the event and contacting possible sponsors (it’s not a birthday event without good “presents” i.e. giveaways, now it it?), and as time moved on, the event gained shape; we defined a module (scenario), rules and slowly released some information to the community. Meanwhile, we contacted the teams from a list that we created; the first phase of registrations would only encompass the invited teams, then, we would fill out the remaining slots after opening the event to the public.

The game module itself resembled an RTS game; two factions would fight for the control of several resource points and “mine” them. With the collected resources, the faction commander could advance a tech-tree and choose different technologies, some were mandatory in order to reach the end game, and others were optional.

The mandatory technologies would allow the faction to acquire other resources, which were unavailable at the start of the game, and later in the game, the ability to research and purchase the endgame “device”. The secondary tech-tree gave the commander several defensive or offensive options, like the use of EMPs to disable the enemy Ares Alpha

App, a Drone to know the position of the enemy, artillery shots and a couple of others. With these, the commanders could design their tactics around different technologies, while helping the faction’s players or hindering the enemy.

Although the game was on the Sunday, our field work started Saturday. We placed most of the objectives in their respective places, checked the Ares Alpha points of interest, and, of course, welcomed the teams who came from far away, and were going to spend the night, with a good old BBQ! It’s always great to socialize with teams from other parts of the country, trade ideas, experiences and tell tall tales of the games we have attended lately.

Sunday morning we arrived early to the field, there were preparations to be made, so it was time to get to work; set up the check in, HQs with water, chairs and table, respawns and other important points. Soon after the players started to arrive, everyone was eager for another game and as tradition dictates I went from group to group to talk with the players, see how they were doing and, of course, goof around a bit. It’s always a great moment in these games, when we welcome those who travelled to be present, see their expectations and tease some parts of what’s to come. As the players geared up and got ready, they passed by the “Team Photo” area and

then moved towards the briefing area. Everything was going within schedule, so we hurried those who were still in the parking lot, since the briefing was going to start at 0900, with or without them!

Now, it’s important to mention that the game was already “ongoing”, since both factions had a mission to complete during the week before. The mission was to choose a faction commander, and if they completed it within a certain time, their faction would start the game with extra money. They had

two ways to complete this mission, either choosing someone from the teams that were part of the faction, or invite someone from outside just to lead. Both factions ended up choosing someone from the participating teams, in a quite funny process to be honest, and the both chosen were first time commanders. In the Basilisk Enterprise faction (Red Team) the commander was Primeira Dama from the F.O.E. team, and in the Star Wolf Industries (Blue Team) we had Caçador from Wildskulls.

GETTING ROLLING

At 09:00 the briefing started, since the teams already had the game rules explained in their respective WhatsApp groups and the commanders were briefed via video call, the briefing was mostly focused on safety and just the overall game.

In this game, both factions were fighting for three different minerals, with which the faction commander could develop different technologies, and the main objective was to reach the “end-game technology”. At the same time, several secondary missions were also available, which would reward the faction with money that could be used to buy minerals in a market, but at the same time, was needed for the “end-game technology” as well. This meant that the faction commanders had to decide how to manage the available resources.

At 09:30 sharp, the game started, and the teams entered the field. Both commanders had slightly different tactics, the Blue commander had divided his faction in three groups, one focused on the mines and transporting the minerals back to the HQ, one in completing the secondary missions and a small group controlling the area around a mineral that was going to be available only later on. The Red commander only had two groups working, a large group to control mines and a smaller one completing the secondary missions.

This time the mines were controlled by programmable boxes created by one of our members; in this game they were programmed to beep for one minute at designated times, and during that minute the players had to use an RFID chip, and when reading the correct RFID the mine would drop the respective mineral. It was the perfect way to control the game, everything was on schedule; if the players missed the timing they had to wait, and they couldn’t use the RFID from one mineral type in another (there was a total of three mineral types remember); this not only freed staff to control other areas, but it also reduced the chance of cheating or genuine player mistakes to almost zero.

Both factions advanced neck-and-neck, the minerals were “flowing” and with those the faction commanders started to develop the technologies they needed for the “end-game”, and others to support

the players in the field; one of the technologies both factions purchased as soon as possible was the advanced respawn, which offered the players a secondary spot to Respawn closer to the action!

The secondary missions were released every thirty minutes; the commanders had to pick from a series of envelopes and see what the mission was. Each one was a retrieve mission, but the place and quantity of the items to retrieve was different from the previous one.

RUNNING TO THE END-GAME!

As we reached the last third of the game, the factions’ focused turned to the rarest of the minerals, which only had one mine available. As soon as the commanders developed the required technology to mine said resource they ordered groups to control the area, but the Blue faction already had a group in the area, as it was part of his strategy. The Red faction struggled to attack the mine, since it was located in a dense woodland area, where the defenders only had to wait for the attackers to move and show up in their sights.

With this obstacle, the Red commander decided to develop the artillery technology and used the first available shot to clear out the area around the mine! As soon as their enemy was rooted out, the Reds advanced to control the area and were able to mine the much-needed mineral, but it wasn’t for long. The Blue commander decided to counter-attack with an artillery strike of his own as soon as his forced respawned and regrouped; they were able to turn the table on their enemy, and got control of the mine again!

By this time the game was reaching the end, and both factions were trying to get as many minerals and as much money as they could. The “end- game technology” was a device that they had to defend until the clock ran out, all that remained was to see who was going to purchase it. This was decided by who had more money after developing the required technology (using minerals). As soon as we reached the designated time, both commanders acquired the technology and the staff counted the money they had; in the end it was the Blue faction, the Star Wolf Industries, who had more money and purchased the

“THE

SECONDARY TECH-TREE GAVE THE COMMANDER SEVERAL DEFENSIVE OR OFFENSIVE OPTIONS, LIKE THE USE OF EMPS TO DISABLE THE ENEMY ARES ALPHA APP, A DRONE TO KNOW THE POSITION OF THE ENEMY, ARTILLERY SHOTS AND A COUPLE OF OTHERS”

With this the final mission started, although the device was the “end-game” objective, there was a last ditch attempt by the Red faction to attack the enemy HQ and stop the clock in the device. It would be anticlimactic to end the game with just the purchase of the device, so we planned this last confrontation and let the players shoot a few more BBs! We knew that it was almost impossible for the Red faction to breach the enemy defences, and in the end the Blue faction held on to the device until the clock ran down…

With the game ending, it was time for some more BBQ! Some of my guys were already getting everything prepared, so the players didn’t have to wait long, and, as always, it was great to get feedback from the players, talk with both commanders and share a few cold ones with those present.

Like always, we like to end our events with some good giveaways. For this, we have the guys at VIPER Tactical and Specna Arms for once again sponsoring our birthday event with great gifts for some lucky ones. Our thanks to all who attended, and of course, those who sponsored the event!

Until next year… AA

“LIKE ALWAYS, WE LIKE TO END OUR EVENTS WITH SOME GOOD GIVEAWAYS. FOR THIS, WE HAVE THE GUYS AT VIPER TACTICAL AND SPECNA ARMS FOR ONCE AGAIN SPONSORING OUR BIRTHDAY EVENT WITH GREAT GIFTS FOR SOME LUCKY ONES. ” device.