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As this issue of AIRSOFT ACTION goes live the new DANIEL DEFENSE models from ICS via their EMG licence collaboration should soon be on show at IWA and starting to hit the stores too, so it’s 100% time that we tell you all about the models we’ve had on and off the range for a while now; Bill tells all about the new AEGs and their performance so far!
16 ARMOURY: KWA ATP-Z GBB
KWA are best known for their superb recoil-system platforms, along with some absolutely spot-on GBBRs and we’ve had the great pleasure to work with both systems extensively! However, more and more they have concentrated on “airsoft-for-training”, and now Dan takes a very close look at their latest handgun, what KWA call “The Ultimate Training Companion”, the ATP-Z!
26 ARMOURY: SPECNA ARMS SA-J02 EDGE ASTER V3
Specna Arms have been rolling out AR-style AEGs at one hell of a pace both historically and indeed more recently, and we’ve been very impressed with all the technology they’ve baked-in as an integral part of this program! Our resident “AK Geek”, Bill, has been putting one of the new models, the SA-J02 EDGE ASTER V3 through its paces!
Furtive phone calls in the dead of night, secretive meetings in the rafters above the hub-bub of MOA 2024, high quality cutting edge components provided for review from people who want to keep a low profile despite their high quality product? What’s been going on with Stewbacca during November and December 2024?
36 ARMOURY: PROJECT 132
Everyone that writes for Airsoft Action is an airsofter in one way or another, but one of our most active player-contributors is Ben, and like many of you he always has a “project” on the go that will help him enjoy his airsoft adventures just a little more! One such project relates to his minigun, and as this nears completion he finally agreed to spill the beans on “PROJECT 132”!
50 RED CELL: THE FINAL YEAR
So, we’re into the FINAL YEAR of the RED CELL program, and what a time we’ve had testing a cornucopia of AEGs, GBBs, and even humble springers over the last four years! But it’s time to start making our final cut to what we’ve had in-game and on the range, and to get this rolling we’ll come back to our G-SERIES category!
62 KIT & GEAR: VICTOPTICS
We all like to accessorise our AEGs and GBBs don’t we, and increasingly there are a wide range of “bolt-ons” that make our platforms look cool… but one thing that we add can actually increase the in-game effectiveness of our primary or secondary significantly, and that’s a good optic. Miguel tells all about what he’s been using recently to good effect!
68
KIT & GEAR: UPDATING YOUR LOADOUT!
“New Year, New Gear”… we hear this phrase right about now each and every year at AAHQ as we start to prepare ourselves for games, events, and training days ahead, but it does set the scene for the fact that you should keep on top of your clothing and gear as you face another twelve months of airsoft-life! Bill looks to his own setup, and decides it’s time for him to invest in something new…
74
INSIDE AIRSOFT: 4UAD SMART AIRSOFT
Our man in Taiwan finally made good on a long held promise (or threat!) to visit an increasingly prominent group of like minds who are building a niche for themselves in the airsoft and wider shooting related hobby space! The folks of 4UAD Smart Airsoft have recently moved into a new office space and continue their expansion efforts. Stewbacca found out what’s going down!
82
AA LEGION EVENT REPORT: BAKURETSU-SAI
As well as flitting around MaruiFest 2024 in Akihabara our man in Japan, Tama, was once again pulling double-duty like last year to ensure he also captured the happenings at the Bakuretsu-Sai; the ‘Explosive Festival’ over in Ikebukuro, Tokyo!
92 AA LEGION EVENT REPORT: SHOT SHOW 2025!
Show season is fully upon us for another year, and after Stewbacca’s superb coverage from MOA the gauntlet had been well and truly laid down as Boycie, Li’l Stu and Steve boarded the “big freedom bird” across the pond to Las Vegas to report on SHOT SHOW 2025… and to find out exactly what happened in Vegas, read on…
6
SMALLER ROUND BIGGER PUNCH
• SSS.III E-trigger system (SSS only)
• Smart Trigger & Pre-cocking Function (SSS only)
• MASTER Upgraded Internals (SSS only)
• Komodo M-LOK Handguard
• Pistol Caliber Style Magazine
• ICS Split Gearbox
• QD Spring Guide Design
• 20°-Vertical Pistol Grip Facebook
AS THIS ISSUE OF AIRSOFT ACTION GOES LIVE THE NEW DANIEL DEFENSE MODELS FROM ICS VIA THEIR EMG LICENCE COLLABORATION SHOULD SOON BE ON SHOW AT IWA AND STARTING TO HIT THE STORES TOO, SO IT’S 100% TIME THAT WE TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE MODELS WE’VE HAD ON AND OFF THE RANGE FOR A WHILE NOW; BILL TELLS ALL ABOUT THE NEW AEGS AND THEIR PERFORMANCE SO FAR!
Further rangetime has proved that my initial assessment was totally correct, and in truth after several thousand BBs have now been put through original Mk18, if anything it’s better than it was when it first arrived with me, and it’s been my platform of choice when I’ve run out in my multicam gear!
When I first looked at the original MK18 from ICS back in ISSUE 141 (available in Back Issues on the AA website) I was in the extremely privileged position of having a pre-release sample for initial review and full testing, and since it arrived with us I’ve been giving it some serious abuse personally, and making sure that other members of the AA Legion also got a chance to give it a go too!
To recap though, my comment in closing for the review of the EMG-licenced ICS Mk18 was:
“I have to commend ICS for once again for creating something that sings to me in every way possible, and if the need for “NavSpecWarGru” is strong with you, then this is one AEG that you will most definitely want to own. If you’re in the market for a new AEG generally though, then I would certainly take a very good look at the ICS DD MK18; if this is the shape of things to come from ICS in the future then I’m superexcited to see what they come up with next!”
I’ve been playing around with different weight BBs to see what the hop can handle, and after trying .20, .23, .25, .28, and even .30g BBs I’ve reached the conclusion that .28g is the perfect weight for this AEG set to UK spec, as using this weight gives a fabulous combination of range and accuracy. I had almost settled on .25g being “the thing” until I took the Mk18 out in high winds and driving rain, and found that at this weight the BBs were straying somewhat; just an incremental weight change took them back to the trajectory I’d already come to expect on .25g in fair conditions, so I believe I’ll continue with .28g as the standard fodder from now on.
In terms of power, the Mk18 initially went through the chrono at 0.92 Joule/315fps, which is obviously perfectly site friendly, on the my usual RZR .20g BBs, and I’m pleased to report that now everything is settled, this power level has remained consistent, with a fluctuation of just 3-5 fps over extended testing strings. This bodes well for the longevity of the Mk18, but I’ll continue to check this at regular intervals in the future. I would note that I have also tried the Mk18 with many different brands of AR-style magazine now, both Mids and His, and most brands will fit in the well securely, and the Mk18 appears to feed well from anything you put into it… a real win for team “mag sharing” scenarios!
IN WITH THE NEW!
Now that’s all well and good, and the original ICS
“FURTHER RANGETIME HAS PROVED THAT MY INITIAL ASSESSMENT WAS TOTALLY CORRECT, AND IN TRUTH AFTER SEVERAL THOUSAND BBS HAVE NOW BEEN PUT THROUGH ORIGINAL MK18, IF ANYTHING IT’S BETTER THAN IT WAS WHEN IT FIRST ARRIVED WITH ME, AND IT’S BEEN MY PLATFORM OF CHOICE WHEN I’VE RUN OUT IN MY MULTICAM GEAR!”
Mk18 is one rocking bit of kit that not only looks great, but performs superbly… but I’ll return to that statement I made back in my initial review, “ to come from ICS in the future then I’m super-excited to see what they come up with next!
And my excitement has definitely paid off now with ICS introducing TWO new DANIEL DEFENSE AEGs to their line, the EMG X DANIEL DEFENSE LICENSED DD4 MK18 RIII S3 and the DDM4 PDW S3!
Now the real DD4 RIII comes in several different configurations with different lengths of the new RIS III rail, one that has been modelled after their revolutionary RIS II two-piece handguard developed for USSOCOM, which features an M-LOK attachment system for lighter weight and greater versatility. But of course the one we’re interested in here is the DD4 MK18 RIII SBR, and Daniel Defense tell me on their website that...
“The rest is all MK18, including a 10.3-inch Cold Hammer Forged barrel, the same length found in the MK18 upper most commonly used for CQB operations. An independently ambidextrous GRIPN-RIP Charging Handle accommodates left- and right-handed shooters, and the rifle comes with our ergonomic Daniel Defense Buttstock and Pistol Grip.”
And from what I can see ICS have got this 100% right, as the new AEG looks amazing! What you get with the new MK18 “RIS III” is an EMG-Licensed Daniel Defense DD4 MK18 RIII 9.55” Handguard, EMG-Licensed Daniel Defense DD4 MK18 RIII Body Lettering, and the EMG ZETA Grip/Stock combo which faithfully replicates the unique Daniel Defense buttstock and pistol grip… the DD4 MK18 AEG really does look a million dollars, and EMG/Daniel Defense must be extremely happy and satisfied that the “real” has been so faithfully replicated in airsoft-form.
But what of the DDM4 PDW S3? Well, this little handful of joy is quite the ticket! Many moons ago I tried to recreate a super-short AR platform called the
“THE DD4 MK18 AEG REALLY DOES LOOK A MILLION DOLLARS, AND EMG/ DANIEL DEFENSE MUST BE EXTREMELY HAPPY AND SATISFIED THAT THE “REAL” HAS BEEN SO FAITHFULLY REPLICATED IN AIRSOFT-FORM”
footprint” is absolutely minimal; if you’re a CQB-beast, then you will love the PDW as much
KEEPING THINGS
(on both models), the tested ICS SSS-System and Trigger work flawlessly. In Full-Auto mode, you’ll fire continuously in fullauto if the trigger is held down, and the DD’s will fire three round bursts on semi if you give it a single tap once you have it set up. The Unique SSS Trigger system offers you the choice of four firing modes between Safe – Semi/3 Round Burst, and Full Auto through the fire selector and is controlled by a microchip in the trigger system. The Short Stroke Trigger that works with the pre-cocking feature of the SSS E-trigger effectively reduces the trigger travel distance, increases the rate of fire, and greatly enhances
And this is most definitely something that the team and I have commented on before when it comes to ICS AEGs, that the trigger is light yet crisp; everyone to have tried the DDs thus far has commented both on the feel of the trigger, and indeed on the quietness of the AEG overall when in operation. The motor sounds as if it is perfectly set and balanced, with no whine or “drag”, and the gearbox is whisper-quiet indicating that everything is mated properly and
“WITH THE DDM4 AEG YOU GET AN ICS PDW STOCK RATHER THAN THE MAXIM ONE… BUT THAT’S A GOOD THING AS THE ICS STOCK LOOKS SPOT-ON, WORKS BRILLIANTLY, HOLDS A GOOD SIZE LIPO THAT’S EASY TO CHANGE OUT IN THE WILD, AND IS ACTUALLY LONG ENOUGH FOR ME WHEN FULLY DEPLOYED!”
And once again ICS have in no way scrimped on the other internals in the two new AEGs as they come “pre-upgraded” (the new ICS “normal” so it would seem!) with a QD spring guide, one-piece metal hop chamber, MASTER MODS reinforced full-metaltoothed piston, MASTER MODS AL6061 cylinder head, piston head, and nozzle, and a MASTER MODS hop tensioner nub. Everything is driven along by their excellent high-torque motor, and I have to tell you it all works seamlessly together!
DOWNRANGE
Both the new models come into the aim surprisingly easily, and with a quick “click” it’s safety off and onto the target. Both models chrono’d in at a very respectable, consistent and sight-friendly 1.03 Joule/334fps using .20g BBs and once the hop was set it was accurate enough for me! Switching up to full auto gives a crisp response from that excellent trigger and sends the bolt cover, the electronic blowback component (also neatly marked with the Daniel Defense logo) clattering happily back and forth.
Neither the DD4 MK18 or the DDM4 PDW come with iron sights fitted, so this is something you may wish to add yourself; I personally always like to cowitness irons with any optic. In this case I fitted a holo sight to the Mk18 and put a T1-style onto the PDW for testing, and at 10m both AEGs created groupings that were tighty-tight, whilst at 30m I was happily hitting my sandbags; the BB trajectory was pleasingly flat, with .20g just spinning off at around the 50m mark. This was easily rectified by moving up to .28g BBs and re-setting the hop, which results in a clean “flat to fifty” BB-flight.
A couple of months into testing, and with several thousand BBs downrange, my respect for what ICS continue to create has grown even further, and that’s saying something as I’ll admit I’m a long-term fan of the brand! As I’ve said many times before I do like an ICS AEG, especially the Mk18 variants but the new PDW has really, REALLY grown on me; it’s light, ergonomic, perfectly balanced, has great controls and easy-to-use-features, and thus far it’s proved internally superb. It’s also accurate, with a range on a .28g BB easily in excess of my metre woods range, and has a
“THE TRIGGER IS LIGHT YET CRISP; EVERYONE TO HAVE TRIED THE DD’S THUS FAR HAS COMMENTED BOTH ON THE FEEL OF THE TRIGGER, AND INDEED ON THE QUIETNESS OF THE AEG OVERALL WHEN IN OPERATION. THE MOTOR SOUNDS AS IF IT IS PERFECTLY SET AND BALANCED”
great ROF on an 11.1 LiPo for those moments when you need a lot of BBs downrange fast to suppress.
In conclusion, in my opinion ICS have got everything 100% right with these new models, and there’s already a couple of members in the Red Cell crew that have placed the DD4 MK18 RIII S3 on their wishlist for “modern opr8r duty”. All I can suggest to you is that if you’re in the market for a thoroughly up-to-the-minute, beautifully-replicated Mk18 you get down to your local store as soon as you see them in stock and try one for yourself… trust me though, you WILL be buying one if you do! If you’re an out-and out CQB monster then the PDW will undoubtedly be the one for you, but with the two new models I truly believe that you’ll be spoiled for choice!
Once again, my sincere thanks go to ICS Airsoft for kindly providing early test models for us; please do be sure to visit www.icsbb.com and their social media channels to get the very latest on the release of the EMG X DANIEL DEFENSE models, and much, much more! AA
“IN MY OPINION ICS HAVE GOT EVERYTHING 100% RIGHT WITH THESE NEW MODELS, AND THERE’S ALREADY A COUPLE OF MEMBERS IN THE RED CELL CREW THAT HAVE PLACED THE DD4
NEXT LEVEL KWA!
KWA ARE BEST KNOWN FOR THEIR SUPERB RECOIL-SYSTEM PLATFORMS, ALONG WITH SOME ABSOLUTELY SPOT-ON GBBRS AND WE’VE HAD THE GREAT PLEASURE TO WORK WITH BOTH SYSTEMS EXTENSIVELY! HOWEVER, MORE AND MORE THEY HAVE CONCENTRATED ON “AIRSOFT-FORTRAINING”, AND NOW DAN TAKES A VERY CLOSE LOOK AT THEIR LATEST HANDGUN, WHAT KWA CALL “THE ULTIMATE TRAINING COMPANION”, THE ATP-Z!
Well Airsoft Action readers, it’s certainly been a hot minute since we’ve been graced with a new GBB pistol release from KWA Performance Industries!
KWA’s hugely popular ATP series, which featured the venerable NS2 system has been an established staple for many an airsoft player for years now. But, never one to rest on their laurels for long, KWA has been quietly cooking behind the scenes on an update to NS2 system. It was in fact during SHOT 2024 that we received our first real look at this new system in the form of the ATP-GT and ATP-Z, both being built around the newly christened NS3 system. At long last, production has kicked into high gear and the newly revamped ATP series has begun to find its way into players hands!
Keen as I was to check out the ATP-GT, which itself is essentially a product-improved version of the original ATP and still very much containing some of that Glock-DNA in its architecture, I was keener still on examining the ATP-Z more. This is an entirely new design from KWA, albeit still very much based on an existing real steel model; in this case the SIG M17/320 series of polymer-framed semi-auto pistols.
Much like its real steel counterpart, the ATP-Z features a full metal slide, outer barrel, and OpticsReady (OR) mounting interface paired to a polymer frame, all of which is designed around the same principle of modular components; we’ll of course get into that modularity part a little later. Like the M17, the ATP-Z is a hammerless design, with simple ambidextrous controls consisting of a manual thumb safety, slide release lever and a reversible magazine release button.
The frame itself is crafted from the same polymer blend KWA uses in the KO:EVE series, which is to say it’s both impeccably finished and very durable. A
standard 1913 rail rides on the front for mounting your flashlight or LAM units, while a removable rear panel for the back of the grip is present. At this stage, there are not any plans for different thicknesses of grip panel, but it’s something that might happen in the future. As on the real M17, the magazine well has a nice bit of flaring to help guide the magazine home.
The magazine boasts an impressive 30 BB capacity and has the classic KWA follower catch that locks the follower down to allow for easier loading of the magazine.
The ATP-Z’s grip is something that must be talked about here...
I have handled many a pistol over my lifetime, but few have pointed so naturally in the hand as the ATP-Z does. The grip appears to retain the same shallow 16° degree grip angle the SIG M17 has but suffice it to say, when you bring the ATP-Z up to your eyes, the entire ensemble sits flat and level with the sights just lining up with nary a grip correction or adjustment. The ATP-Z points so naturally that it feels almost supernatural, like an extension of your arm, even.
In conventional terms, you might describe this as a large-frame handgun, certainly existing firmly in the realm of duty / service sized semi-auto’s and not among the smaller compacts or concealable pistols. No doubt this is attributable to the higher bore-axis, full-length slide and extended magazine. Ergonomically speaking, it is however, very comfortable to hold and handle and it does not feel overly massive in the hands. I would feel confident in saying this pistol should find appeal with the vast majority of shooters and it will also feel comfortable to a wide range of hand sizes.
Moving back to other exterior details; the slide has both the standard rear serrations as well as similar up front. I somewhat wish for slightly more aggressive
“THE FRAME IS CRAFTED FROM THE SAME POLYMER BLEND KWA USES IN THE KO:EVE SERIES, WHICH IS TO SAY IT’S BOTH IMPECCABLY FINISHED AND VERY DURABLE. A STANDARD 1913 RAIL RIDES ON THE FRONT FOR MOUNTING YOUR FLASHLIGHT OR LAM UNITS, WHILE A REMOVABLE REAR PANEL FOR THE BACK OF THE GRIP IS PRESENT”
a blacked out rear, but this isn’t
department than past designs. Most will remember past KWA iterations have always used plastic outer barrels, but here the ATP-Z surprises us with a full metal outer barrel. The anodized orange tip is removable with a bit of heat to break the thread locker loose. KWA has confirmed they plan to release black tips at a later date.
As mentioned, this is an Optics-Ready (OR) slide, which has a cover plate installed out of the box. KWA includes a universal adapter plate which will accommodate the vast majority of red dot optics out there. And finally, a simple 3-dot style iron sight arrangement finishes it out. I generally prefer just a
optics, I was unfortunately not able to mount an optic
users would likely do too. I am well familiar with the performance and expectations for KWA’s previous GBB pistol entries, so I had some ‘expectations’ going forward. For many years I rocked a KWA USP Tactical, then its more modern sister, the HK45. Both proved themselves to be tanks, albeit maybe not the most accurate or efficient pistols out there, but dead-on reliable nonetheless, so I was quite curious to see how the ATP-Z and more specifically, the NS3 system stacks up.
After gassing up the magazine with propane and filling it with some .20g’s I took it to the chrono where it registered an average of 0.82 Joule/298 FPS
“WHEN YOU BRING THE ATP-Z UP TO YOUR EYES, THE ENTIRE ENSEMBLE SITS FLAT AND LEVEL WITH THE SIGHTS JUST LINING UP WITH NARY A GRIP CORRECTION OR ADJUSTMENT. THE ATP-Z POINTS SO NATURALLY THAT IT FEELS ALMOST SUPERNATURAL, LIKE AN EXTENSION OF YOUR ARM”
dot front and
obtrusive
with around a 5 - 8~ FPS spread. It was during chrono testing that I was noticing a bit of an issue with the trigger; it felt kind of gritty. Maybe it just needed to be broken in though; I cycled it by hand and dry fired it some, which seemed to help a little, but not completely improve it. I resolved to look into a little deeper after I finished with the rest of the test firing cycle.
and crisper than what I remember of my HK45 and USP Tactical. Efficiency-wise, I had no issues running to solid slide-lock on a single fill of propane and all 30 BBs. This also cycled without hiccups despite the colder 34°F temps we’re currently experiencing this winter.
run through my sidearms and took it to the range next. Now, and to the delight of KWA GBB pistol owners everywhere, it should be noted that the NS3 system’s hopup design is entirely toolless! Technically you can adjust the hopup through the ejection port area if the magazine is removed, but I found it a little easier to simply remove the slide and adjust the hopup wheel where I had more room to get my fingers on it. The slide itself is removable by simply rotating the takedown lever until it hits its stop and pulling the slide straight off. Quick and easy.
found the bucking and bore wet with silicone oil.
After a little test/adjustment, I had it dialed in with the .30g’s in short stead and it was (surprisingly!) effectively slinging them out there to the end of my 80 yard testing range. I was experiencing a wee bit of ‘wobble’ and variance with trajectory, but it was most assuredly capable of far more range than I’ve ever experienced with previous KWA pistols. I had a suspicion that there was probably silicone oil
At this point I elected to fully disassemble the chamber, clean it all up and rebuild it. I was pleasantly surprised to note that this is an entirely new hopup design from KWA; unlike their old versions which used the rotary drum and tiny ball bearing (plus the infamous tool that always seemed to go MIA) to adjust hop, this new design is essentially a TDC - or Top Down Center - design, applying vertical pressure against a conventional AEG style nub.
After wiping out all of the lube, resetting the bucking and barrel and putting it all back together,
“FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS REVIEW, I ELECTED TO SHOOT THE ATP-Z AS IT CAME STRAIGHT FROM THE BOX, AND AS MOST USERS WOULD LIKELY DO TOO. I AM WELL FAMILIAR WITH THE PERFORMANCE AND EXPECTATIONS FOR KWA’S PREVIOUS
GBB PISTOL ENTRIES, SO I HAD SOME ‘EXPECTATIONS’ GOING FORWARD”
I couldn’t help but observe how easily the hopup adjustment wheel was able to move. Maybe I was being overly cautious, but I like a little bit of tension on the hopup wheel to prevent unintentional movement. It turned out that a 0.2mm AEG shim fits perfectly on the bottom of the wheel and this provided just the right amount of tension I was looking for to ease my nervous qualms.
Since I had it open, I took at glance at the trigger assembly to see if I could note anything amiss with the gritty trigger I was feeling. After some careful inspection I determined the issue emanated specifically from up front where the trigger pivots and engages the trigger bar. I sprayed it out with some cleaner, let it air dry and then applied some ALG Go-Juice to the moving parts. This proved to do the trick and the previous gritty feeling had completely evaporated. The trigger felt markedly improved and quite nice now.
With it all cleaned up, I think the honest assessment of the trigger is that there’s about a 1/8” of takeup to “the wall” followed by an easy 3.5 lbs crisp break. I took it back out to the range and this time was happy to see the groups had tightened up considerably and I was no longer experiencing any weird BB trajectories. Just a classic case of overlubrication!
I was curious to see what kind of BB weights the hopup would handle and subsequently ran both .40g’s and .48g’s through it without running out of hopup adjustment. I suspect even .50g’s wouldn’t be a problem for this hopup, but I had none on hand to try. All that to say: this is without question one of the most accurate and farthest shooting bone stock GBB pistols I’ve had the pleasure of using. It is unquestionably leaps above the old KWA hopup design and should be the baseline metric they use moving forward.
INTERNALLY COOL
So what’s at the heart of the NS3 system?
Aside from the new chamber and hopup design, this also takes a firm whack at evolving the blowback unit design. This is designed to come out as a complete self-contained unit, so there’s no fiddly springs to go flying into the ether. Unlike traditional
“RECOIL-WISE,
THIS
FEELS LIKE IT KICKS A LITTLE HARDER
AND CRISPER THAN WHAT I REMEMBER OF MY HK45 AND USP TACTICAL. EFFICIENCY-WISE, I HAD NO ISSUES RUNNING TO SOLID SLIDE-LOCK ON A SINGLE FILL OF PROPANE AND ALL 30 BBS. THIS ALSO CYCLED WITHOUT HICCUPS DESPITE THE COLDER 34°F TEMPS WE’RE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING THIS WINTER”
blowback units, the NS3 setup reverses the mounting of the piston lid, which is now mounted to the back of the nozzle unit itself.
There’s a single beefy nozzle return spring that rides right through the center of the piston lid, underneath which is another O-ring that helps seal the interior cavity of the nozzle. I’m actually quite pleased to see this nozzle spring revision as several previous KWA designs have used some incredibly tiny nozzle springs that were known to be fragile. The rocket valve is still machined from billet aluminum and looks to be pretty similar to past iterations. The nozzle walls are considerably thicker than most GBB nozzles are, and the overall design appears to be quite robust.
On the underside, there’s a nicely fenced square gas
by simply pulling out the takedown lever and pulling the entire FCU straight out of the frame. This allows not just for greatly streamlined disassembly, but also the ability to transfer the FCU over to the ATP-Z Carbine Kit, which I will talk about shortly. The components look to be well-made and finished out to a higher degree of refinement than past examples. This modular trigger design would seem to invite possibility of different types of trigger modules too… say, a full auto FCU for the carbine kit, perhaps? Time will tell what the market delivers, of course.
CARBINE READY
The carbine kit is a conversion option available for both the ATP-Z and the GT models
support hand, while a standard 1913 rail interface is found just in front. The spare magazine can be discharged via an ambidextrous magazine release that will feel eminently familiar to anyone who runs an M4 platform.
There is a metal insert that functions as sort of a counterbalance weight, but is also threaded for 11mm threaded adapters. So one could easily attach a tracer unit or mock-suppressor and take the strain off the actual barrel of the pistol itself. Being that it’s a simple unit screwed to the chassis, you can also remove it entirely if wanting to shave a little more weight.
The rear of the chassis sports a single-position sliding stock. This has a nice little cutout for clearing your hand when the stock is fully collapsed. Provided you are a righty, you can comfortably fire this with the stock collapsed; even offhand if one wishes. Lefties will sadly have to adapt their dominant hand or run it extended for the most part. To extend the stock, simply pull it straight out until it latches in place. The stock is remarkably stable despite its thin appearance.
Just above this area is a section of the chassis that wraps over the top of the pistol slide to form another 1913 rail for mounting an optic. There are a pair of QD sling swivel sockets bolted up here too, both blessedly made of steel. I found the Magpul MS1 with the QD sling swivel to be a perfect complimentary sling to this package. The entire affair is relatively compact and weighs only 2.6 lbs without magazine(s). I feel this would make for an excellent PDWtype concept where one might want a little more firepower, stability and accuracy than what solely a pistol might provide.
Unlike some chassis kits, there are no provisions for a cocking knob or charging handle to be fitted to the slide. Instead, one simply makes use of the forward slide serrations to accomplish the same purpose, gripping it ‘caveman’ style with a c-clamp grip and driving it rearward. Simple and effective.
I think if I were to reach for any “gripes” it might be that I would’ve wished for the optics rail to be a bolt on component. This would’ve allowed the end user to continue to run their RDO on the slide, whereas when you have the slide fitted to the carbine kit you will have to remove your optic and mount something else to the carbine kit via a picatinny
interface. That being said, you could of course leave an optic slaved to the carbine kit full time and it will always be zeroed to the chassis.
The only other change I might’ve made would be to bevel the leading edges of the stock rails instead of the hard 90° edges presently there. When collapsing the stock in, that forward edge can rake across the top of your hand a bit. This would probably be of no real concern when wearing gloves, however.
Overall, I rate the carbine kit as a fantastic accessory for the ATP-Z, which adds even more versatility to an already versatile system.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Summarizing the ATP-Z into a final few words here, I find it to be an exemplary GBB pistol. It is more than capable of turning in class-leading performance, while boasting a plethora of smart features and clever design. With the ability to transfer the FCU from the pistol frame to the carbine kit, you conceivably have an airsoft sidearm for all seasons and occasions. I am seriously hoping that the aftermarket does not sleep on this pistol as they have with so many past KWA designs because there is a lot of untapped future potential here for different upgrades.
I am looking forward to fielding the ATP-Z in a more intensive capacity this upcoming year and putting some hard mileage on it to see how it holds up. For this article review, I put just over 1,000 BBs through it, running straight propane, and without a hiccup in both standalone mode and fitted to the carbine kit. While not a huge amount of fire in the grand scheme of things, I feel I can confidently provide my positive endorsement based on its reliability, accuracy and performance.
For anyone considering an upgrade from their existing sidearm or looking to get into a new one, I’d wholeheartedly recommend the ATP-Z as one to keep on your radar!
I purchased the ATP-Z and Carbine Kit from my own funds for the purpose of this review, and nothing was arranged or furnished for review on KWA’s behalf, although if you’d like to know more direct from them then you’ll find the ATP-Z featured on https://store. kwausa.com. AA
“ONE ASPECT OF THE ATP-Z I CAN REALLY APPRECIATE IS THE MODULAR FIRE CONTROL UNIT. THE ENTIRE APPARATUS - SLIDE RAILS, TRIGGER, FIRING ASSEMBLY, SAFETY, ETC. - COMES OUT AS A SINGLE SELF-CONTAINED UNIT. ALL OF THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED
BY SIMPLY PULLING OUT THE TAKEDOWN LEVER AND PULLING THE ENTIRE FCU STRAIGHT OUT OF THE FRAME”
“SUMMARIZING THE ATP-Z INTO A FINAL FEW WORDS HERE, I FIND IT TO BE AN EXEMPLARY GBB PISTOL. IT IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF TURNING IN CLASS-LEADING PERFORMANCE, WHILE BOASTING A PLETHORA OF SMART FEATURES AND CLEVER DESIGN”
THE OPFOR EDGE
SPECNA ARMS HAVE BEEN ROLLING OUT AR-STYLE AEGS AT ONE HELL OF A PACE BOTH HISTORICALLY AND INDEED MORE RECENTLY, AND WE’VE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH ALL THE TECHNOLOGY THEY’VE BAKED-IN AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS PROGRAM! HOWEVER, THE AKINSPIRED “J-SERIES” AEGS HAVE NOW ALSO HAD SOME LOVE, AND OUR RESIDENT “AK GEEK” BILL HAS BEEN PUTTING ONE OF THE NEW MODELS, THE SA-J02 EDGE ASTER V3 THROUGH ITS PACES!
Specna Arms have really been making the moves in the last year, and are aggressively pushing things forward in both their offering of airsoft platforms, and in how they get them to us too! Being based in the UK it has become a little more difficult for us to access many mainland-European brands, especially the smaller ones, but when you’re the size that Specna Arms are now (and they’re STILL growing!) you can actually do something about making sure that your products get to where
they should be, and the recent opening of a UK Warehouse means that they are 100% committed to players here, as they seem to be to players everywhere!
However, watching them spread their wings across the world has been truly fascinating and inspirational, and the recent release of the latest PRIME AEG models that we’ve covered solidly here in AA has wow’d players globally all over again. Specna Arms are never a brand that have stood still,
but the way in which they’re enervating the market internationally right now is something that we’re watching very closely indeed.
It’s got to be said that Specna Arms AEGs are just getting better and better, with levels of personalization and performance that even a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have believed possible in an AEG! As much as I have slight concerns that we are all getting just a little TOO fixated and reliant on all the “shiny electrical wizard shizzle” and gizmos that go inside our favourite AEG platforms, Specna Arms continue to impress even the most seasoned of players, including a number of the Airsoft Action Crew, with their current external build-quality and what is included in the package with internals as standard, featuring state-of-the-industry components along with their ESA quick-change-spring function.
But it’s not just the “AR” platforms that have been getting some love from Specna Arms over the last year; I’m certainly VERY pleased to see that they’ve given their AK-style platforms a bit of attention too, making some tweaks to their existing J-SERIES (I never knew why they didn’t call it K-SERIES but there you go!) models that I looked at first way back in ISSUE 113 to bring even greater performance, along with providing even better value and making our hardearned “airsoft buck” go further!
Although the focus for most airsoft brands is firmly in “AR-territory”, and we can all understand why this is, some of us, especially those that play OPFOR regularly, still have an abiding passion for those old “Eastern Bloc” rifles, carbines, and SMGs, and it’s great to see that although Specna Arms have invested heavily in making their AR-styles as good as they can be, they haven’t forgotten about “us others”.
One area initially that had been missing from their early-days offering was the not-so-humble-any-more Kalashnikov, but I was overjoyed when they addressed this with the launch of their “J-SERIES”; with an initial eight variants/models that brought a little warm glow to my otherwise stony old heart, they pulled this back to a tight series of core models that have continued to perform well both in-game and in the marketplace. Now I love firearms of all kinds, and have done pretty much all my life. When I was 14 or 15 I wanted to be a gunsmith, and I even looked at
apprenticeships until my family convinced me that going onto higher education was a better idea; nearly 45 years on, and here I am writing about… firearms, albeit replicas rather than real! Bottom line, what is meant to be, will be, but when it comes to playing airsoft, even with many of the stunning firearm models around the world, both military and civilian, now available in airsoft-form my OPFOR-heart belongs to “Comrade Mikhail”!
Ever since I first laid my hands on a real AK-47 many, many years ago in Africa I’ve been sold, the “Joy of AK” transcending even my boyhood love for the SMLE, L1A1, and FN FAL. Of course, I have an armoury of ARs like we all do, but whenever I see a new “AK” hit the market I’m super-drooly-keen to get my OPFOR mitts on it… and thanks to Specna Arms I now have their all new SA-J02 EDGE ASTER V3 (classic AK-74 to my fellow gun-bunnies!) to talk about!
MODERN CLASSIC
To this day the AK/AKS-74 is still used by most countries of the former Soviet Union; licensed copies were, and are, also produced in Bulgaria (AK-74, AKS74 and AKS-74U), and East Germany (MPi-AK-74N, MPi-AKS-74N, MPi-AKS-74NK), and of course these have found their way into the hands of soldiers and fighters worldwide, so it’s a very important replica to my mind!
Of course, Specna Arms released their “AK-74” a while ago as the SA-J02 EDGE, and along with the J04 (AKS-74) and the J08 (AKS 105-style) models (of which I already own the two “folders”!), they gave us OPFOR player some very well-priced, solidlyperforming AEGs to get in-game with.
When I received the first Specna Arms J04 replica “AKS-74”from my friends at Gunfire, one of the very first things I noted was the overall “feel” of the rifle, as it had, at 3,400g, a really good weight to it. All the parts that should be were metal, and indeed steel parts included the receiver, top cover, outer barrel, trigger guard, magazine latch, fire mode selector plate, gas block, muzzle brake, sling loop and plate on the stock, rear sight, cleaning rod, stock latch, stock, and pins and rivets. Even where steel was not used, all parts were alloy with a special coating used
“IT’S GOT TO BE SAID THAT SPECNA ARMS AEGS ARE JUST GETTING BETTER AND BETTER, WITH LEVELS OF PERSONALIZATION AND PERFORMANCE THAT EVEN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO I WOULDN’T HAVE BELIEVED POSSIBLE IN AN AEG!”
in the finishing process which gave a very realistic appearance overall.
There was a black polymer pistol grip, and the wood handguards were a much better colour than some of the “orange” versions that we still see all too often on AKs with a keen pricepoint, as on the J04 they were a very rich brown, almost “chestnut”, hue. To sum things up externally the finish of the rifle was very good throughout to be honest, and it is still absolutely solid as a rock with not a wobble or a creak apparent anywhere.
Internally, Specna Arms have generally had a great reputation for using quality parts and the V3 ORION in the J04 has largely proved to be a sound unit. I had high hopes for the longevity of the V3, and along with a reinforced, steel-toothed polymer piston, an aluminium double air-sealed cylinder head, aluminium double air-sealed piston head with bearings, 7mm bearings and steel gears, the internals of both the J04 and J08 have stood the test of time and abuse!
As I said at the time though, “all of these ARE tried and tested components so you’re on pretty solid ground with them. One of the things that is absent from the J-Series is the GATE Mosfet, but could Specna Arms be holding this back for some reason? Only time will tell…” - and it appears that I’ve been proved right as new technology has moved ever onwards, and Specna Arms have embraced it!
When I met with Trent (who is now looking after all things “Specna” in the UK these days) just after Christmas, he presented me with the latest in the J-SERIES, the SA-J02 EDGE ASTER V3, and this model (along with the other new J-SERIES) moves things up a considerable notch! Although the new J02 still benefits from the excellent ESA quick-springreplacement system, it also comes now with a preinstalled GATE ASTER V3 system and a reinforced ORION V3 Gearbox to provide even more options and reliability!
We’ve already spoken a lot about the GATE ASTER V3 and what you can achieve with it, but along with the updated ORION V3 this really is an outstanding package now!
Marrying up great externals with cutting-edge internals, in my opinion, puts the J-SERIES right up there where it should be, and the best news is that
“ALTHOUGH
even with the improvements the new J02 is pretty much the same mid-range price as the original one!
DOWNRANGE
The new J02 comes as usual with a pair of solid “S-MAG” mid-cap logo’d magazines which are finished in a nice matt colour rather than the brighter hue you sometimes find with AK-feeders.
The inclusion of two mags to me suggests, as does the keen pricepoint, that the J02 is aimed at the entry-level OPFOR player, or the player who wants a “second” or OPFOR platform and doesn’t want to break the bank. I’m pleased to report though, that all my AK mags from different brands fit and function well. I often find that, other than steel versions, AK middies feel a little insubstantial and even “flimsy”, but the Specna Arms versions are solid and feel good in the hand, and they fit and feed well. One associated feature I really like though, is one that you may easily miss, and that’s the little locating plate in the magwell that lets you easily rock-in and seat your magazine… plus points here Specna Arms, as this will really help new AK users!
The full-butt, 3,545g J02 has standard AK-74 iron (steel) sights, but if you fancy fitting an optic then one additional feature that comes as standard is an AK sight mount on the left hand side of the lower (you’ll need to buy the correct sight rail to clamp to this though).
On the range AK-74s have always given me very respectable performance, and given the 460mm inner barrel, the J02 shows pretty solid range and accuracy too.
First I ran the J02 through the chrono on .20g BBs and recorded a consistent 1.11 Joule/347fps. Moving up to .28g BBs, easily resetting the sliding hop adjustment and using just the iron sights (the rear of which is also easily adjustable), I was able to hit sandbag targets at the extent of the 30m woods range and group reasonably on paper too.
A stick LiPo battery fits easily via a DEANS connector under the top cover of the J02, and if you’re judicious you can squeeze in an 11.1V pack which brings up the ROF quite seriously!
My only quibble with the original J-SERIES was
THE NEW J02 STILL BENEFITS FROM THE EXCELLENT ESA QUICK-SPRINGREPLACEMENT SYSTEM, IT ALSO COMES NOW WITH A PRE-INSTALLED GATE ASTER V3 SYSTEM AND A REINFORCED ORION V3 GEARBOX TO PROVIDE EVEN MORE OPTIONS AND RELIABILITY”
“THE SPECNA ARMS J-SERIES AEGS THOUGH HAVE ALWAYS HAD SOLID PERFORMANCE OUT OF THE BOX, ACCESSORIES YOU NEED ARE MINIMAL AND RELATIVELY CHEAP, AND AK MAGS ARE A DIME A DOZEN SHOULD YOU NEED MORE. THE NEW JO2 IS STILL BUILT LIKE A TANK (AS AN AK SHOULD BE!) IS BEAUTIFULLY FINISHED”
the top-cover latch, which seemed a little “short”; I noted at the time that even though I was able to lock the top-cover closed, once I’d fitted a battery it felt like the catch itself needed to be a couple of millimetres
itself, and although it uses a different grenade from the US-version-replicas, to me it really finishes off the platform… it just looks menacing!
These launchers, along with spare grenades, are pretty easy to find these days, and mine came by way of iWHOLESALES here in the UK… I do warn you though, as the “Bonfire” comes in at a hefty, full-metal, 1,100g it does add significant weight to the front end of an AK!
“prouder” to ensure a solid lock, and this most certainly appears to have been rectified in the new J02. Top marks again here Specna Arms for taking note, and making the appropriate change!
AN AK FTW!
Many airsofters, especially those just starting out, try to find a replica model that will work for a variety of loadouts and themes, and the J-SERIES variants certainly tick all the boxes in this respect. If you look at timeframes the AK-74 was used way back in Afghanistan (the first time round!) so you’re good for a “Cold War” loadout, and it is still being used today so that’s “modern/OPFOR” and everything in between cracked too; if you favour the ever-popular “contractor” look then the J02 will work for that perfectly.
My original J04 and J08 are still running soundly, and if you want to add something to give your “74” an even cooler look, then the Double Bell “GP-25” grenade launcher fits superbly onto my J04.
Dating back to the 1970s (introduced into service around 1978 I believe if my memory serves…), the “Russian 40 mil” is still seen attached to 74s to this day, and if you add the recoil butt-pad then it is most definitely a “statement of intent”!
The GP-25 “Bonfire” replica is a thing of beauty in
The Specna Arms J-SERIES AEGs have always had solid performance out of the box, accessories you need are minimal and relatively cheap, and AK mags are a dime a dozen should you need more. The new JO2 is still built like a tank (as an AK should be!) is beautifully finished, and along with the updates to the “OS” it is a real contender all over again!
I truly believe that you must have been living, not only under a rock, but beneath one that has been located at the back of a very deep, dark cave if you haven’t seen the airsoft-goodness that Specna Arms have created in their now-comprehensive AR series of AEGs, and I have to say that their J-SERIES AKs are moving very much in the same joyous direction!
Specna Arms have forged some fabulous strategic alliances, not only within the airsoft industry, but with real firearms manufacturers too! Add to that the fact that they are constantly designing and innovating “in house” as well, and I believe that Specna Arms will be with us for the foreseeable future, bringing value and excellence to players worldwide!
With a sensible pricepoint given all that you get, the latest iteration of the J-SERIES brings it right up to date, so it’s a great bit of kit and if you’re in the market for something other than the “M4”, then I’d really suggest you take a good long look at the latest “AK” models from Specna Arms; as I said before, I’m just keen to see exactly where they take “Project J” next!
Thanks to Trent at Specna Arms UK for supplying the test/review sample. Please visit https://specnaarms. com to check out this model and the comprehensive range of Specna Arms models on offer! AA
“SPECNA ARMS HAVE FORGED SOME FABULOUS STRATEGIC ALLIANCES NOT ONLY WITHIN THE AIRSOFT INDUSTRY, BUT WITH REAL FIREARMS MANUFACTURERS TOO… THEY ARE CONSTANTLY DESIGNING AND INNOVATING “IN HOUSE” AS WELL, AND I BELIEVE THAT SPECNA ARMS WILL BE WITH US FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, BRINGING VALUE AND EXCELLENCE TO PLAYERS WORLDWIDE!”
Airsoft
“ WHAT IF” there was an alternative?
WHAT IF...
You could use your gas blowback system all year round
Winter and Summer, the same way? Imagine consistent performance regardless of the weather, no more struggling in the cold or worrying about performance dropping in the heat of battle.
You will not have cool down effect and can shoot full auto at the same fire rate?
Sustained fire rates without performance degradation would be a game-changer, especially in scenarios requiring rapid engagement.
You could shoot at any angle, even upside down?
Shooting at any angle, even upside down, adds a new level of tactical flexibility and dynamic gameplay possibilities.
Your mags will be lighter weight?
Reduced weight would decrease fatigue and improve handling, especially during extended games.
You will have multiple ways to fill your mags?
More convenient filling options would increase efficiency, and reduce cost, making it a more accessible, viable solution.
Temperature will not impact your gun's performance, same output?
This translates to reliable power across all conditions, meaning more accurate shots and consistent groupings, improving gameplay significantly.
FULL BATTLE MONSTER!
Photo
EVERYONE THAT WRITES FOR AIRSOFT ACTION IS AN AIRSOFTER IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, BUT ONE OF OUR MOST ACTIVE PLAYER-CONTRIBUTORS IS BEN, AND LIKE MANY OF YOU HE ALWAYS HAS A “PROJECT” ON THE GO THAT WILL HELP HIM ENJOY HIS AIRSOFT ADVENTURES JUST A LITTLE MORE! ONE SUCH PROJECT RELATES TO HIS MINIGUN, AND AS THIS COMPLETION HE FINALLY AGREED TO SPILL THE BEANS ON “PROJECT 132”!
Ah, my beloved Classic Army M132 microminigun, what more can anyone say other than...”that’s a DAMN minigun!” and I actually hear that every time I take it out!
To start with I never thought I’d come across one in-game, let alone own one myself, but once I got the pleasure to shoot (and be shot!) by one I was hooked; I told myself there and then I would get one and I knew from the get-go that I wanted to run it on HPA-power for consistency, efficiency, reliability and straight up awesomeness!
Now you can’t really own a minigun until you look the part as well… c’mon, were airsofters… and only when you have the right loadout can you truly say... “I OWN a minigun!”
I knew what I wanted to get out of being in the small but growing ownership group, and that I wanted to bring some fun for other players when running it; it’s very important that not only do I get my kicks out of running and gunning with it but other players also feel they are part of the fun that comes with miniguns.
Getting others involved meant I had to think about where’s the fun in going against the dreaded minigun? Well the scare factor obviously, and this fitted well with the path of “okay, I want to play a different style to my everyday normal” lightbulb moment… so JUGGERNAUTS!!!
Now, my friends (being “friends”) decided to come up with their own nickname for me given my size, so very soon I became “Juggernugget”… thank you guys, I know you love me really!
But I thought okay, I would still like to have a typical “Juggernaut” armoured look, but not overly done so I could stay agile and flexible to cater for playing different sites and environments, but I also wanted to bring something a bit more “themed game” into
“COMING ROUND A CORNER AND SEEING ME... THEY TUCK TAIL AND RUN THINKING “F**K THAT!” IT HAS PUT THE BIGGEST OF SMILES AND LAUGHS ON MY FACE, AND IF YOU DON’T MIND BEING A BB MAGNET THEN I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GIVE BEING A “JUGGERNAUT” A GO AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR AIRSOFT “LIFE””
recommend you give being a “Juggernaut” a go at least once in your “airsoft life”!
CREATING A MONSTER
So, getting down to the nitty-gritty of my M132 minigun, what I’ve done so far with it, and what’s left for me to do later on.
I brought it as it comes, standard out the box, 38 BBs a second (that’s 2,280 RPM.. ) running on an 11.1 LiPo battery and the as-recommended-by-Classic Army HPA-setup for more efficiency to power your shots. I then ordered directly from Classic Army the upgraded motor that bumps the ROF output to 48/50 a second (3000 RPM!) which by itself is quite a noticeable difference.
It really is perfectly fine just doing that, and if you want a budget-friendly way to upgrade your own minigun this is enough; me, however…. I need that “MORE than enough”! I really wanted to bring that sh*t your pants moments to the game, even when players just hear my minigun go off, so I also treated it to a bigger 14.8 LiPo battery that’s not really recommended… but it works, pushing the ROF to somewhere between 60/70 per second. It’s actually hard to get an accurate ROF read on the chrono as sometimes the last few rounds drop out a little slower whilst the barrels slow down and the air stops feeding, but it’s roughly 4,000+ RPM (yeah baby!), which is absolutely mental considering the prop minigun used in both the Predator and Terminator 2 films was shooting at 1,200 RPM… that’s 20 rounds a second, and it was deliberately slowed down so you can see the barrels spin to look good on camera!
I then wanted to be able to run tracer BBs to add to the effect for videos and fun on the field.
Unfortunately Classic Army didn’t do any aftermarket stuff regarding the tracer unit side of things, but with some hard digging I found a 3D print file of a flash hider that looked similar to the vehicle kit that Classic Army do for the M132. It was just the overall look but didn’t have the threads needed for the tracer units to fit, so deeper down the rabbithole I went and found a 3D printing company called SmithsCustomsParts who did exactly what I needed for the base part with threads.
I got in contact with them and described what my mind’s eye could see, sent over the file I had of the outer shroud/flash hider, and together we created a crucial piece of my monster!
Due to not having a full on workshop and tools setup myself I handed the project to our everresourceful Dr Jimmy Frankenstein; I gave him my monster-puzzle to put together, and thankfully, as always, he did an absolutely beautiful job of things! I didn’t even have to tell him how I wanted the end result to look and work, he just knew and finally... It was alive, ALIVE I tell you!
However, this was not the end of the shenanigans I had to tackle; I now faced resetting the hops and with the M132 that’s not the easiest of tasks as there’s no way of knowing which barrels hop is set perfectly or not, unlike the newer M133 electric minigun where you can individually check each barrel/shot by manually turning the barrels to fire one BB.
But now that I had the flash-hider tracer adapter I had the ingenious idea of putting one tracer unit on a thread and kept test firing until I had that barrel’s hop set to where I wanted it using the tracer BBs as my guidance! Another three barrels later and a voilà, it’s firing on all four cylinders!
Slowly but surely my little monster came to life, and now I just love it when it roars! If you stand in the right place it does sound somewhat like the A10 Warthog attack plane and, as Mary Poppins would say, it’s “practically perfect in every way!” As for what’s left to do with upgrading, there’s still tightbore barrels and flat or R hopping the hops to do, but these are of less importance to me as it will only garner a minor change in overall performance. I’ve seen a couple of these done and was happy to leave them as my last, if ever, “to do” to create a truly, fully upgraded M132 micro minigun!
For now my monster is good to go, and I hope to keep dishing out the “shooty-funtimes” (as Stewbacca would say) when the scenario calls for it.
In the right setting, and with careful control, “PROJECT 132” brings a lot of fun to a game, and I hope I’ll be able to keep providing a lot of laughs for my fellow players for some considerable time to come, whilst enjoying it myself every step of the way! AA
“IT’S ACTUALLY HARD TO GET AN ACCURATE ROF READ ON THE CHRONO AS SOMETIMES THE LAST FEW ROUNDS DROP OUT A LITTLE SLOWER WHILST THE BARRELS SLOW DOWN AND THE AIR STOPS FEEDING, BUT IT’S ROUGHLY 4000+ RPM (YEAH BABY!), WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY MENTAL!”
“I HANDED THE PROJECT TO OUR EVER-RESOURCEFUL DR JIMMY FRANKENSTEIN; I GAVE HIM MY MONSTER-PUZZLE TO PUT TOGETHER, AND THANKFULLY, AS ALWAYS, HE DID AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL JOB OF THINGS! I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO TELL HIM HOW I WANTED THE END RESULT TO LOOK AND WORK, HE JUST KNEW AND FINALLY... IT WAS ALIVE, ALIVE I TELL YOU!”
ROSETINTED GLACIS
FURTIVE PHONE CALLS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT, SECRETIVE MEETINGS IN THE RAFTERS ABOVE THE HUB-BUB OF MOA 2024, HIGH QUALITY CUTTING EDGE COMPONENTS PROVIDED FOR REVIEW FROM PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KEEP A LOW PROFILE DESPITE THEIR HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT? WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON WITH STEWBACCA DURING NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2024?
Iam well aware, my fellow shooters, that I am, very often it seems, somewhat spoilt out here in Taiwan!
Many seem to envy the somewhat unique niche I have managed to carve myself into as a standalone airsoft player, competitive shooter, industrial-designtype-dude as well as all the work and industry relationships I’ve developed since arriving here in 2017, both before and since joining the crew here at Airsoft Action as part of their Legion and Red Cell test outfits and, in more recent years, taking the reins of Deputy Editor for this part of the world.
I get to learn about products, often long before they are publicised (let alone released to market), as well as test things out. I get free samples, or discounted products for personal use as well as longer test and evaluation, which seems to make me the envy of many of my peers… Not that I haven’t and don’t continue to work hard to get to this point and keep up the content creation. That said, my abilities as a shooter, designer, writer and to keep my mouth shut when required do make it easy for many people to approach me with new products.
While I was doing my final preparations for MOA 2024 I was sent a short flurry of messages late at night, followed by a phone call from a mysterious old friend in the community - one who wants to stay in the shadows themselves but has allowed me to shine a light on their product which is already on the market in limited volume and available for Action Airsoft in Taiwan.
Meeting me at MOA (but away from the usual crowds and prying eyes), I was handed a completed prototype slide kit fitted to an existing VFC Glock 45 for me to handle and peruse in person, before then being gifted the G17 variant and being promised a personalised G34 variant to arrive shortly after by courier… All very mysterious and cold war era, no?
I was immediately impressed by the Tril Tactical slide kits. Albeit not being officially licensed, they are without a doubt the nicest incarnation of the Taran
Tactical Innovations ‘Combat Master’ series of highly customised pistols, famed in the hands of John Wick throughout everyone’s favourite shoot-em-up series of movies.
The G17-compatible kit drops straight onto a stock VFC Glock 17 Gen 5 with ease, aside from customisation of the flat competition-style trigger which does require some fettling, but more on that later…
It provides a simply stunning appearance, with a burnt bronze-cum-rose-gold lustre to the CNC machined then double dip anodised aluminium, resulting in a two-tone effect to the overall finish that highlights the machined slide serrations and contours excellently. This is coupled with the additional funnel magazine well adaptor, magazine bumper base plate and adjustable flat trigger, as well as a replacement outer barrel with cross pin retained compensator block on the front end, replacement suppressor height front and rear sights, carbon fibre rear slide plate and blanking plate for the RMR cut top rear face of the slide. The Glock 34 kit that arrived shortly after is also essentially the same, however the outer barrel is longer (as is the slide itself) and as a result, there is no separate compensator hanging off the front end of the outer barrel.
NO TIME FOR REST
I had a lot to get through admin-wise with friends and visitors in country post-MOA, so it took me a week or two to actually get around to opening up both kits properly and going to work on fitting them.
As a note, you will also need to get a replacement 117mm long inner barrel to make use of the G34 kit when starting with a standard VFC Glock 17 Gen 5, so I decided to pick up Unicorn Airsoft replacement tightbore barrels and HOP rubbers for both pistols, seeing as I want to do some coverage on their products in the coming year anyway.
“WHILE I WAS DOING MY FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR MOA 2024 I WAS SENT A SHORT FLURRY OF MESSAGES LATE NIGHT FOLLOWED BY A PHONE CALL FROM A MYSTERIOUS OLD FRIEND IN THE COMMUNITY, ONE WHO WANTS TO STAY IN THE SHADOWS THEMSELVES, BUT HAS ALLOWED ME TO SHINE A LIGHT ON THEIR PRODUCT”
The magazine well simply snaps on over the flared lip of the standard Gen 5 frame and magazine well, with the chunky grub screw threading into it through the hole in the lower backstrap face to lock it in place, while the bumper baseplate simply slides onto the magazines in place of the standard version.
They won’t fit on Krytac Glock/Maxim 9 magazines due to their slightly different bottom lip geometry, which is unfortunate because they have the added benefit of top-rear gas fill valves, while the standard VFC Glock magazines (aside from Glock 19 versions) still have base fill valves while their SIG replicas
When fitting the blowback retention system you’ll need to replace the original VFC plastic block with the two plates provided by Tril Tactical, which interface in a ‘T’ shape with the replacement rear plate (that has the carbon fibre finish and TTI logo emblazoned on it), sliding into the back opening of the top slide with its corresponding internal retention plate being screwed onto the replacement rear sight once it has been slid into the corresponding dovetail slot in the slide.
You’ll also need to remove the barrel components, not only to replace them but also get access to the screw retaining the front sight post which also needs
“I WAS IMMEDIATELY IMPRESSED BY THE TRIL TACTICAL SLIDE KITS; ALBEIT NOT BEING OFFICIALLY LICENSED, THEY ARE WITHOUT A DOUBT THE NICEST INCARNATION OF THE TARAN TACTICAL
INNOVATIONS ‘COMBAT MASTER’ SERIES OF HIGHLY CUSTOMISED PISTOLS FAMED IN THE HANDS OF JOHN WICK THROUGHOUT EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE SHOOT-EM-UP SERIES OF MOVIES”
replacing with the supplied tall front post - this will furthermore require the collimating fibre optic cutting
adhesive adding to it as well, then the whole assembly being pressed into the front sight post slot - it’s a tight
aggressive, slightly spiralled external fluting on the front end, as well as the compensator cut and related retainer cross pin retaining cutout, plus indentations in
barrel extension that locks into the ejection port, and the Tril Tactical does, of course, preclude the use of the guide HOP adjustment feature by virtue of blocking off access to the front end of the recoil spring assembly, a small inconvenience in reality to my mind; once I set the
The G34 kit has a much more standard, plain-style outer barrel with the typical proof marks, calibre and
face. The top and side porting cutouts of the slide are elongated to account for the slightly longer barrel and slide, and the long chamfer on the lower front face of the slide does allow you continued access to the recoil spring guide rod and its guide HOP adjustment feature at least.
TRIGGER FETTLING!
The main difficulty in installing the kit is definitely the custom triggers; these are excellent and have a really crisp break as well as a length of pull/resting reset position adjustment grub screw and a retaining cross
grub screw which prevents this ‘walking’ under recoil during use.
As they arrived with me, the reset point was so far rearward that there was basically no slack between the sear interaction ‘bent’ on the trigger bar resetting and trigger’s forward most position. This meant the trigger was exceptionally crisp, but did mean I had to file a millimetre off that trigger bar bent to get it to reliably reset, as the shortened overall trigger throw meant that the trigger bar was not reliably dropping and resetting after every shot for the first few sessions of IPSC I ran it at - resulting in some rushed disassembly and filing of the Glock 17 kit during a practice session(!), which I then transposed the modifications of to the other newer Glock 17 when it came time to install the G34 slide kit.
These swearing inducing misadventures aside, the adjustment range in the trigger does allow it to be reliably positioned, while still allowing for a greatly reduced overall travel and more rearward reset point which is closer to the break point or resting right on it for extremely crisp and responsive trigger control once you have it tuned until it’s running reliably. It’s not exactly a difficult operation, just requires some fettling and patience. I made sure I put plenty of swearing back into the Glocks as I was working on them!
Removing the slide retention slider and its housing allows you to just run the trigger and slide stop/ release lever on their cross pin and adjust the trigger more readily without having to remove the rear fire control group unit… I found this out *after* pulling that whole assembly in and out in a hurry during the training session I was trying to fix it on the fly in, losing the valve striker reset spring on a few occasions, and eventually getting a bunch of replacements from VPSC after I ran out of stand-ins!
Suffice to say, once I had things set up properly the trigger pull and black flat-faced metal trigger with the burnt bronze trigger safety bar in its centre looked and felt outstanding, allowing me to hammer the hell out of the slide kits on the VFC frames, running drills quickly and snappily at IPSC, as well as taking on OpFor during the skirmishes I ran them at.
In every case, the immaculate appearance of them immediately drew my teammate’s attention and (as always) people were queuing up to have a look At
“THE MAJORITY OF THE INSTALLATION IS EASY AND UTTERLY PAINLESS FOR ANYONE WITH EVEN A BASIC TOOLKIT AND
UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR G-SERIES GBB PISTOL; JUST REMOVE AND TRANSPOSE THE BLOWBACK UNIT OF THE STANDARD VFC GLOCK INTO THE CORRESPONDING BAY INSIDE THE SLIDE OF THE TRIL TACTICAL CNC SLIDE”
and take some shots with it (as usual) with approving noises in tow.
RMR READY
The RMR mounting is also a great advantage with the G-SERIES family being one of the slower airsoft guns to adopt the ability it seems. VFC still do not have any stock/OEM options to my knowledge, and many of the existing examples on the market I’ve encountered are problematic at times.
The problem with G-SERIES variants is the very thin cross section of material above the blowback unit and nozzle, and removing this to place a red dot mount into that space sometimes causes the nozzle to fishtail or ride up over the rounds in the magazine and misfeed, or not feed them at all (in my experience of designing and testing them in the past). Not so with the Tril Tactical setup!
The RMR footprint allows the standard version, or in my case, my preferred SRO clones, to be directly mounted onto the slide in place of the carbon fibre blanking plate. But just be aware that you might need some shorter countersunk screws than usual to fit them tightly due to the reduced threaded portion of the top slide over other slide styles, but once installed everything cycles brilliantly and reliably.
I haven’t had any feed issues as a result of using the slide kits, and the SROs mounted on each slide haven’t caused any issues in terms of slide cycling or excess weight, with the CNC aluminium no doubt reducing the slide mass over the standard thus mitigating such concerns anyway.
The tall replacement iron sights also allow you to low co-witness the red dot with them, which helps a great deal if you are new to red dot, use or just need to get used to drawing and presenting with these particular gun types with a dot fitted. Once I had mine all tuned-up and dialled-in I was merrily stacking alphas and running between bays and windows on IPSC practise stages, as well as getting a few eliminations with them in skirmishes once I’d exhausted my primary guns, or closed to shorter ranges where our team rules insist on the use of pistols out of courtesy.
They look right, they shoot right, and they turn
heads wherever I have one on my hip, it seems. I’ve had very few complaints besides the initial setup and getting the triggers dialled in; these things just handle as nicely as their stellar appearance would suggest, and they certainly make you want to get into that central axis relock grip and stalk through narrow darkened corridors looking for bad people to drill with them!
POWER POINTS TO NOTE!
One failure I did have was not the fault of the design or manufacture of the kits, but rather the use of the prototype, integrally-regulated CO2 Glock magazines I’ve been testing from Max TACT.
The recoil impulse and velocity resulting from these magazines is noticeably higher, as you would expect, even with the resulting muzzle velocity being lower than typical CO2 guns, the nature of the gas compared to green gas just seems to make the guns run faster and harder! As a result, having beaten the G17 TTI RMR slide kit for a few weeks exclusively on the CO2 magazines, I eventually fractured the top
“THE RMR MOUNTING IS ALSO A GREAT ADVANTAGE WITH THE G-SERIES FAMILY BEING ONE OF THE SLOWER AIRSOFT GUNS TO ADOPT THE ABILITY IT SEEMS; VFC STILL DO NOT HAVE ANY STOCK/OEM OPTIONS TO MY KNOWLEDGE, AND MANY OF THE EXISTING EXAMPLES ON THE MARKET I’VE ENCOUNTERED ARE PROBLEMATIC AT TIMES”
edges of the slide in front of the barrel extension. This was designed to be as thin and snug fitting as possible for aesthetic reasons but as a result of this, coupled with the compensator block retarding the rearward motion of the barrel and stalling its ability to drop down due to the flat face of the front of the slide keeping it parallel until it recoils slightly, as well as the slide pounding into it on return stroke, all of these actions ended up hammering the barrel extension forwards and upwards against the top section of the slide, to the point where it workhardened and brittle-fractured after a few weeks, peeling up the top section slightly.
Again I have to re-iterate, this is NOT a fault in the product, but the end user and having immediately sent photos and an explanation to the folks at Tril Tactical, they were very apologetic for not warning me about avoiding the use of CO2 magazines, as their initial products weren’t designed around them, with them being less prevalent in Taiwan (we, at present, are not permitted to skirmish with standard CO2 magazines due to power limit concerns). However, they will be sending me a replacement and look to reengineer future products with this experience in mind.
Using green gas, and even to some extent the same CO2 magazines, I haven’t had any issues with the G34 kit, so I imagine the compensator and its interaction with the barrel and slide, coupled with the much higher forces of the CO2 operating is what caused the issues (#IBreakShitSoYouDontHaveTo).
I include this information largely for transparency’s sake, but again it’s a “me problem”, not a productrelated issue! The magazines I’ve been testing aren’t even finalised or released on the market yet, so there’s no way they could have known about them or worked around them, but they were nonetheless very understanding and thankful for the feedback which they will be acting upon in order to better idiot-proof future product variants!
Aside from that hiccup, the Tril Tactical TTI G17 and G34 Glock slide kits have been outstanding! Whether I would shell out for them myself, given the fact they cost about as much as a VFC rifle per kit, I’m not sure, but they are clearly worth the price tag to a decent number of collectors or players as they are already sold out of some variants on Action Airsoft
and the folks at Tril Tactical are working hard to bring out further batches and developing other products to expand their product line.
If you are the kind of player who loves the highest end kits or components to trick out that ‘one gun’ you always run, it probably makes a lot more sense to you to invest in something of this quality level. For me, I have such an array of pistols that I struggle to justify making them all optic-mounted to begin with, let alone investing my own money in such high-ticket items. But again, if I had to do the old pare it down to ‘just one gun’ I’d be sorely tempted to make the VFC Glock 17 Gen 5 with the Tril Tactical Glock 34 TTI kit coupled with the Unicorn Airsoft inner barrel I have. I took out three people with it this weekend just gone, out to surprising ranges when my FAL and FNC had been run dry in various game rounds!
Many thanks to Tril Tactical for entrusting me to review their products knowing what a power user and blunt instrument I am ( especially given the beating and breakages I imparted as a result!)! I’m looking forward to seeing what else they’re going to bring us in future. AA
“THE TRIL TACTICAL TTI G17 AND G34 GLOCK SLIDE KITS HAVE BEEN OUTSTANDING; WHETHER I WOULD SHELL OUT FOR THEM MYSELF GIVEN THE FACT THEY COST ABOUT AS MUCH AS A VFC RIFLE PER KIT, I’M NOT SURE, BUT THEY ARE CLEARLY WORTH THE PRICE TAG TO A DECENT NUMBER OF COLLECTORS OR PLAYERS AS THEY ARE ALREADY SOLD OUT OF SOME VARIANTS!”
RED CELL G-SERIES GOODNESS!
SO, WE’RE INTO THE FINAL YEAR OF THE RED CELL PROGRAM, AND WHAT A TIME WE’VE HAD TESTING A CORNUCOPIA OF AEGS, GBBS, AND EVEN HUMBLE SPRINGERS OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS! BUT IT’S TIME TO START MAKING OUR FINAL CUT TO WHAT WE’VE HAD IN-GAME AND ON THE RANGE, AND TO GET THIS ROLLING WE’LL COME BACK TO OUR G-SERIES CATEGORY!
Oh my, what a time we’ve had over the last for years of RED CELL both collectively and individually, and what a mass of data we’ve gathered on all types of airsoft platforms during that time! Whilst we’ve often shot the “pool guns” individually (especially during the Covid years, remember those???) there have been regular gatherings of the UK-based crew to simply enjoy shooting together, and combined with much-valued input from our overseas members we’ve really got to grips with the operating systems and intricacies of what there is out there for us airsofters to spend our money on!
That was really the initial aim of the RED CELL program, to find out what works, and most importantly (with regular maintenance!) what KEEPS WORKING! All of us only have so much money we can spend on our personal airsoft armoury, although over time, like me (and now Stewbacca without doubt!) those armouries can grow quite considerably!
As I’ve often noted, if you only bought one airsoft replica a year… well, I’ve been playing airsoft for just over thirty years, and I have not been so disciplined as to only buy one model every twelve months… You can do the sums for yourself! We kicked off right at the very beginning with G-SERIES pistols, and although the number of models tested since we started is considerably larger than the
fifteen models show here, what we’ve boiled things down to is the models that we use the most, the ones that have seen the most action during the testing period, and the ones that have lasted with consistent performance.
All of the models listed have now had at least one full service, along with regular general cleaning and maintenance, lubing, and where necessary replacement of seals and o-rings; we don’t view any of these things as “failures” in any way whatsoever, as keeping on top of all the “working parts” of our AEGS and GBBs should be baked into any airsofters regime! I’m pleased to tell you though that when it comes to the G-SERIES pool we’ve had zero “catastrophic failures”, even with some of the more “budget models”. Of course things have loosened up over time, and it would be remiss of me not to tell you that some of the models are a little more “rattly” than others now, but the fact is… THEY ALL STILL SHOOT A BB when you need them to. With that in mind I’ll hand things over to the AA crew to tell us more…
TEAM TALK
Dan: I am most definitely a fan of the Gen 5 VFC Glocks; Whether it’s the 17, 45, or 19, I like them all and would be a little hard pressed to pick a specific model out of the lot. VFC has made a marked
“ALL OF THE MODELS LISTED HAVE NOW HAD AT LEAST ONE FULL SERVICE, ALONG WITH REGULAR GENERAL CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE… WE DON’T VIEW ANY OF THESE THINGS AS “FAILURES” IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER, AS KEEPING ON TOP OF ALL THE “WORKING PARTS” OF OUR AEGS AND GBBS SHOULD BE BAKED INTO ANY AIRSOFTERS REGIME!”
have ‘best in class’ recoil.
The GEN 4 iterations at least saw the introduction of the extended magazine release buttons which are much more comfortable and accessible to operate for a variety of hand sizes; I use all of my various Glocks as simple go-to training pistols for our Civil Defence basic skill at arms awareness classes due to their ease of use and ubiquity on the world stage in police and
Of course I have replicas of the domestically used service arms as well for familiarity purposes, but for magazine and layout commonality makes it easier to manage initial training and Glocks have minimal controls or differences in terms of operation between
The GEN 4 of course introduced the changed surface with the ‘Rough Textured Frame’ (RTF) which was carried over into the replicas nicely as well as finding its way onto my CZ P10C; a very good surface finish that allows comfortable grip with less inherent abrasion compared with the GEN 3 skateboard-finish panels which you could likely strike a match off! Again using gloves or bare hands seem to work better with the RTF whereas the older texture seems to work better with bare hands to my mind.
But as Dan points out, the GEN 5s are really where the VFC offerings take off; they definitely feel noticeably punchier out of the box on green gas even with the same magazines as the older models, although there are cosmetic differences such as the baseplate shape to match the integral flared magazine
But perhaps more importantly, the VFC’s are eminently more accessible to us here in the USA too, both with availability of models to select from, and more crucially, parts support too. For us tuners, there is also a nice level of aftermarket support that’s only continuing to grow as time goes on, so tuning these up and customizing them is truly only limited by your budget and your imagination! Stewbacca: I would certainly echo Dan’s assessment of the intergenerational improvements of the Umarex licensed VFC OEM Glock GBB pistols; I have the earlier Gen 3 Glock 18C with the old school finger channels moulded into the grips (does anyone like those?) and they seem to be a major point of contention in the real steel and airsoft world alike! My larger hands and fingers don’t seem to align all that perfectly as it happens… As well as a Gen 4 Glock that still retained them, all of these as a result the aforementioned finger grooves and more particularly their lands dig into the inside of my knuckles making handling and control
“VFC HAS MADE A MARKED IMPROVEMENT OVER THE ORIGINAL GEN 3S THAT FIRST RELEASED UNDER THE GLOCK LICENSE, AND THE CURRENT GEN 5 SERIES ARE MUCH MORE REFINED AND RELIABLE; STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX YOU HAVE A SOLID, WELL-PERFORMING SIDEARM THAT WILL SERVE YOU WELL”
wells on the base of the pistol grips, and I know that VFC have certainly released upgraded fire control groups as these are common between the PPQ M2/ NPA series and the Glocks.
I had my PPQ and teammate’s Glock 19X FCGs replaced as they both cracked on the top left of the unitised system, with the slide rail on the left near the valve striker reset unit breaking in the same place on both, which were replaced at VPSC and immediately resolved the internal hammer light striking issues as well as improving the recoil performance noticeably. I imagine stronger hammer springs are being used in later releases giving you a better gas delivery…
As with his experiences, to my mind the VFCs far outperform the alternatives; I’ve owned Marui, KSC/ KWA and WE Glocks in myriad sizes and models in the past, and just default to VFC/Umarex now not just for range of models available and the officially licenced reasons.
I’ve avoided, like most of the AA Crew, the GHK offering although I have one to hand that my Australian teammate leaves with me when he’s out of country. The novel, but not necessarily effective, trigger system still doesn’t seem to have been worked out fully yet even with him getting a later release compared to the early release a friend let me try years back which reminded me of pulling the trigger on a Marui with the under-barrel safety engaged!
The general handling and comfort of the VFCs also feel improved, especially for larger hands, as the flared magazine well rests nicely just under your little finger and channels the whole hand into the grip nicely, rather than trying to put individual fingers in place badly.
The addition of forward grip serrations
helps with manipulations especially if you are using a red dot on a rear sight replacement plate; unfortunately the one drawback of the VFCs is a lack of OEM released RMR/SRO/general red dot compatible slide compared with other vendors, but having CADmodelled and experimented with making one myself for another aftermarket organisation as part of my side gig out here I know how problematic doing so can be for the stability of the gas nozzle underneath the exact point you want to put your red dot footprint.
It takes a lot of fettling and a lot of aftermarket options appear problematic and rely on the user swapping out for a reduced height Glock 18C blowback unit which already had to be redesigned internally to accommodate the select fire system and the indents on top of the slide… all of which means such kits are sometimes not directly interchangeable anyway and require a whole new blowback unit at the least!
I have three of the GEN 5 Glock 17s as well as a G45, two of the former being used as donor guns for the Tril Tactical TTI Glock 17/34 CNC RMR ready slide kits mentioned elsewhere in this issue. There are again some changes even within the same external generation; with earlier Glock 17 GEN 2s (like two
“AS DAN POINTS OUT, THE GEN 5S ARE REALLY WHERE THE VFC OFFERINGS TAKE OFF; THEY DEFINITELY FEEL NOTICEABLY PUNCHIER OUT OF THE BOX ON GREEN GAS EVEN WITH THE SAME MAGAZINES AS THE OLDER MODELS, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE COSMETIC DIFFERENCES”
TOKYO MARUI G17 GEN 4
Price: iro £150.00
Age: Four Years
Weight: 709g
Length: 202 mm
Magazine Capacity: 25+1
Cold Chrono:0.83 Joule/300fps
Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: No Available From: www.fire-support.co.uk
RAVEN EU17
Price: iro £85.00
Age: Five Years
Weight: 700g
Length: 200mm
Magazine Capacity: 24+1
Cold Chrono: 0.75 Joule/285fps
Hot Chrono: 0.75 Joule/285fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.rvnairsoft.com
VORSK EU18 VENTED
Price: iro
£145.00
Age: Five Years
Weight: 550g
Length: 220mm
Magazine Capacity: 22+1
Cold Chrono: 0.98 Joule/325fps
Hot Chrono: 0.98 Joule/325fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatability: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good, Adaptor fitted as standard Available From: www.vorskairsoft.com
WE G19 GEN5 MOS/RMR
Price: iro £145.00
Age: One Year
Weight: 720g
Length: 185mm
Magazine Capacity: 25+1
Cold Chrono: 0.78 Joule/291fps
Hot Chrono: 0.83 Joule/299fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good Supplied By: www.iwholesales.biz
SPECNA ARMS SAI BLU
Price: iro
£220.00
Age: Two Years
Weight: 930g
Length: 215mm
Magazine Capacity: 23 + 1
Cold Chrono: 0.93 Joule/317fps
Hot Chrono: 1.02 Joule/333fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.gunfire.com
of the ones I have) having the extractor as a separate piece, which again can be important for aftermarket kit compatibility as I found with the Tril Tactical setups, while the latest iterations change it to an integral part of the cast alloy slide’s mould, as well as adding front slide serrations which weren’t present on the earlier iteration GEN 5 G17’s, but of course were always present on the G45s and G19Xs.
The 19X is a favourite among my teammates as a standard sidearm in its “peanut butter” configuration, alongside increasing numbers of PPQs and M18s. The shorter slide but full grip seems to be a winning combination for many as it does noticeably improve your unholstering ability despite only being a minor slide length reduction.
The other difference being on the front edge of the magazine wells; the G17 GEN 5s have the annoying crescent cutout that I have personally found causing issues with reloading under stress, as the feed lips end up catching on the crescent and causing a jam of the magazine as you try to funnel it in at times when inserting from a slightly rearward angle.
Again, this is something real steel shooters have likewise complained about, and this feature is removed on the G45, and adding a larger funnel aftermarket magazine wells as on the Tril Tactical kits mitigates the issue in my experience.
Trigger-pull-wise the later GEN 4 & 5s average around the 1.5 - 1.75kg (around 3-4 lbs) pull, while my older GEN 3 18C has a much weaker break at one kilo or just over; the experience in general feels more realistic all-round the later model you acquire, and personally the GEN 5 G17 and G45 are likely the best picks in my opinion in terms of handling, reliability, recoil and accuracy out of the box.
In terms of other ‘NotGlocks’ I have the Double Bell G34 TTI which I bought a few years back intending to use it in IPSC Action Air only to find its slide is too long for production division, and also had some accidental discharge issues when inserting magazines during drills, as well as the sears quickly wearing down and leading to doubling or even full auto bursts at times, relegating it to a bit of a wall hanger - the trigger is also extremely light, sometimes I use it for training classes as it is easier for some to use given the light trigger, but heavy use for competition or
“I
skirmishing is just off the cards now for it, and now I have the Tril Tactical TTI G34 I will likely sell it off cheap to free up room.
One final note would be the full auto functionality, or ‘full giggle’ as our official vocab guidelines have now decreed it be called!
My GEN 3 G18C was a second hand swap-out for a drum magazine with a teammate that’s barely seen any use, and I originally wanted to use it in my Archwick B&T USW-G carbine kit; however it always seemed to go full auto even when I would rather it didn’t during its use fitted in the kit, and never really worked that reliably when used installed with it. To be honest, I wouldn’t bother with the select fire variants, you rarely get a chance to use them in full chat mode anyway, and the selector adds complexity, causes
HAVE THREE OF THE GEN 5 GLOCK 17S AS WELL AS A G45, TWO OF THE FORMER BEING USED AS DONOR GUNS FOR THE TRIL TACTICAL TTI GLOCK 17/34 CNC RMR READY SLIDE KITS MENTIONED ELSEWHERE IN THIS ISSUE. THERE ARE AGAIN SOME CHANGES EVEN WITHIN THE SAME EXTERNAL GENERATION…”
UMAREX GLOCK 17 GEN 4
Price: iro £160.00
Age: Four Years
Weight: 659g
Length: 210mm
Magazine Capacity: 24+1
Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps
Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: No
Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com
ARMY ARMAMENT R17 V3
Price: iro £50.00
Age: Four Years
Weight: 700g
Length: 200mm
Magazine Capacity: 25+1
Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps
Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: No
Available From: www.allagesairsoft.com
WE G17 GEN 5 MOS
Price: iro £120.00
Age: Four Years
Weight: 770g
Length: 186mm
Magazine Capacity: 25+1
Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps
Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: No
Available From: www.weairsoft.com
UMAREX GLOCK 19X
Price: iro £185.00
Age: Four Years
Weight: 641grams
Length: 185mm
Magazine Capacity: 20 + 1
Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps
Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: No
Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com
WE G19 X
Price: iro £120.00
Age: Four Years
Weight: 690g
Length: 180mm
Magazine Capacity: 24 + 1
Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps
Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good
Available From: www.weairsoft.com
issues with holstering options and carbine kits etc, and as mentioned before the G18C innards are different and have a smaller volume in terms of the blowback unit and nozzle being undersized by comparison.
Another final note would be the benefit of the ‘guide HOP’ system, which does make it a lot easier to adjust the HOP setting by inserting an allen key down the core of the recoil spring guide. This system does make it a little harder to remove the slide for other maintenance at times if you don’t adjust it to a particular minimal setting.
But, of course, now I have to mention again the VFC Glock 17 Gen 5, but with the Tril Tactical G34 CNC red dot ready slide conversion kit that I’ve covered off in this issue.
It’s been basically my go to sidearm since I set it up, with a slightly longer tightbore barrel from Unicorn builds on the already solid action of the VFC Glock system.
Jase: So, during my time in airsoft I can count on one hand my pistol collection, and by far the longest serving and mostused pistol is my WE G17 GEN 4. Over the many years I have had it, it’s worked very well; user error meant a new bucking and nub but for nearly TEN years use, I’d say that isn’t too bad going.
The WE G17 GEN 4 is a popular airsoft pistol, and its realistic design and performance are some of its strong points. Here are a few more positive aspects from my view; first up, a combination of metal and polymer gives it a solid feel while keeping it lightweight. The weight distribution mimics that of a real firearm, enhancing the overall
user experience.
The gas blowback system provides realistic recoil and firing experience, closely mimicking the feel of a real handgun. The G17 is compatible with a range of accessories, including holsters, sights, and tactical lights, allowing for customisation based on personal preferences. The mag holds a decent amount ammo, meaning you really only need two mags in a loadout.
Overall, the WE G17 GEN 4 is a solid choice for airsoft players who value realism, performance, reliability and last but not least, value; it’s an amazing pistol, giving bang for buck!
Miguel: I have always admitted I am not a “pistol guy” like some of the others here, but oh boy, when it comes to the SPECNA ARMS SAI BLU, what a beauty!
I think around 60% to 70% of the body is stippled or serrated, giving you not only a comfortable grip, but it also makes it easier to rack the slide without any slips, even with heavier gloves. I also love the stippling done in the finger rest area, as it gives me some extra security when holstering the SAI BLU, since I really like to know where my finger is!
And are you a fan of trademarks? Then they have you covered as this model comes with a lot of trademarks ...and I do mean a lot! You will find SAI markings in the barrel, grip, trigger, mag release, ejection port cover, along the upper slide, the base of the mag, the red dot mounts and maybe even in other hidden spots! I’ve never seen so many, it’s just crazy!
I really like the paint finish on both the frame and the slide, although they are made with different
“I HAVE ALWAYS ADMITTED I AM NOT A “PISTOL GUY” LIKE SOME OF THE OTHERS HERE, BUT OH BOY, WHEN IT COMES TO THE SPECNA ARMS SAI BLU, WHAT A BEAUTY… ALL IN ALL, THE SAI BLU IS A MODEL THAT WILL CATCH THE EYE OF MANY, MANY PLAYERS”
UMAREX G17 GEN 5
Price: iro £145.00
Age: Two Years
Weight: 637g
Length: 200mm
Magazine Capacity: 14 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.80 Joule/295fps
Hot Chrono: 0.84 Joule/301fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: No
Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com
EVOLUTION EO17 WARRIOR
Price: iro £145.00
Age: Four Years
Weight: 776g
Length: 180mm
Magazine Capacity: 23 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.76 Joule/286fps
Hot Chrono: 0.76 Joule/286fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good Supplied By: www.evolutioninternational.it
HUNTSMAN H-17
Price: iro
£80.00
Age: Three Years
Weight: 690g
Length: 198m
Magazine Capacity: 25 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps
Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.bespokeairsoft.co.uk
ARMORER WORKS CUSTOM VX9100
Price: iro £110.00
Age: Two Years
Weight: 670g
Length: 180mm
Magazine Capacity: 22 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.86 Joule/305fps
Hot Chrono: 0.88 Joule/309fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.bespokeairsoft.co.uk
RWA AGENCY ARMS EXA
Price: iro £160.00
Age: One Year
Weight: 672g
Length: 195mm
Magazine Capacity: 23 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.78 Joule/290fps
Hot Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good
Available From: www.redwolfairsoft.com
materials (the slide is lightweight aluminium and the frame is polymer), it’s hard to see the difference in both, unless you touch them, and when you do, it’s easy to understand why this is called a premium pistol, or in this case a “Tier One”; it has a rock solid build, and there are several little touches that show how much work it was put into it, and the bronze and gold give it a special touch.
All in all, the SAI BLU is a model that will catch the eye of many, many players. I’m really curious to see what Specna Arms has in development for their pistol program in the future, but they have certainly set the bar high with this cooperation.
Bill: I have to say that I’m not a huge fan of G-SERIES-based fanciness, leaving that more to the Hi Capa world, although I know and understand why some of you out there are! Fact is that models such as the SPECNA ARMS SAI BLU, VORSK EU18 Vented, Evolution EO17 Warrior, Armorer Works Custom VX9100, and the RWA AGENCY ARMS EXA have all performed brilliantly and impeccably during testing, so if this is your direction then none of the models listed are going to disappoint you!
But I’m going to draw things to a close now with my thoughts on some of the “glock-alikes”, although I will tell you that my “go-to-glocks” are an older Tokyo Marui G17 GEN 4 and my trusted Umarex 17 GEN 4…
Yeah, I know, all the guys tell me that I should really update to a GEN 5, but the fact is that I know the GEN 4s so very well now, know exactly how they perform, know how well they fit into my holsters even with a taclite, and ultimately KNOW that they will not let me down when I most need them!
However, we’ve seen some serious budget models enter the “G-fray” over recent years and I have to say that for under UK£100 these are fine in-game pistols if you’re on a limited budget. Not only that though, as models like the Raven EU17, Army Armament R17 V3, and especially the HUNTSMAN H-17 are actually very good, durable, and most importantly reliable airsoft secondaries if you keep on top the maintenance!
Okay, I’m not going to be competing at a high level with any of these, but if you just want a good, soild “fightin’ iron” then they will most certainly do the job, and this impresses me a lot!
Bottom line is that there’s a G-SERIES model for you out there, and more to come undoubtedly, as I’m looking forward to seeing the DELTA ARMORY “PO” models at IWA! However, whatever style of airsoft you enjoy, there’s a “Glock” for YOU!
We’ll be drawing everything to a close at the end of this year with a full round-up of ALL the G-SERIES
models we’ve had under evaluation, along with everything else… exciting times indeed! AA
Red Cell is supported by:
CLEAR VISION
WE ALL LIKE TO ACCESSORISE OUR AEGS AND GBBS DON’T WE, AND INCREASINGLY THERE ARE A WIDE RANGE OF “BOLT-ONS” THAT MAKE OUR PLATFORMS LOOK COOL… BUT ONE THING THAT WE ADD CAN ACTUALLY INCREASE THE IN-GAME EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR PRIMARY OR SECONDARY SIGNIFICANTLY, AND THAT’S A GOOD OPTIC. MIGUEL TELLS ALL ABOUT WHAT HE’S BEEN USING RECENTLY TO GOOD EFFECT!
If we think about an accessory that we see on almost every replica, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Well, for me, it’s sights, particularly red dots and scopes. There are models for every taste, from T1s to ACOGs, 552 to LPVO and everything in between. And it’s easy to understand why they are so commonly used; I remember when I started playing, almost 17 years ago, and even then sights were already used everywhere.
We can all agree that having a well-adjusted red dot or a scope with a good clear lens makes an absolute difference in any game; I know we can just see the BBs flying and adjust it on the fly, but there’s nothing like hitting with that first shot, even before the enemy has a chance to react.
I’m sure many of you have heard, tested or even have sights from Vector Optics or Victoptics, as the brands have been around for a few years, and now they are almost everywhere! But today I’m going to focus on two specific sights from Victoptics; I know that the main brand, Vector Optics, has some top tier sights, but the prices are also a bit out of reach of many players, so I want to stay a bit budget friendly.
The two sights in question are the S6 LPVO 1-6×24 and the SRD 1×20 Red Dot, which I’ve been using for a few months now. My goal was to test out their pros and cons in different game settings, and to get a feel as to what they are best suited for.
REACHING OUT
Let’s start the LPVO... This style of scope rose to popularity really fast, it doesn’t matter if you are a fan of military movies/series or if you like to play FPS games, the LPVO is everywhere.
A low profile, low magnification scope, which is easy to use and with a modern design which, in my opinion, looks superb. In my case, I’m a fan of Arma 3 and Escape from Tarkov (among other more tactical FPS), and a lot of times, the LPVO is my go-to sight! Unfortunately, the prices for these models are not for everyone, that’s why Victopics launched this S6 model with a more friendly price. It’s still a bit pricey, but now it’s available to more players.
The second that I had it in my hands, even before testing it out, my first impression was how well built it is, and the weight. It’s surprisingly light for its size, which is a positive point for me, because in bigger games, having a heavier replica will won’t help at all. But now, on to the field-testing.
First, having a 1x zoom enables you to use the S6 almost as a red dot. I say “almost” because, even while it does offer a faster target acquisition, it’s not as instinctive as a normal red dot. This means that it will take a bit of getting used to, but, it’s quite easy, even for someone like me who has been using red dots for over a decade and a half!
The zoom then goes up to 6x, with an amazing crystal clear image, but for me, I’ll go up to 4x when shooting, I think it’s the best zoom for the ranges that we reach in airsoft. Above that, I’ll use it mostly for recon and identifying contacts, especially if it’s friend or foe!
“WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT HAVING A WELL-ADJUSTED RED DOT OR A SCOPE WITH A GOOD CLEAR LENS MAKES AN ABSOLUTE DIFFERENCE IN ANY GAME; I KNOW WE CAN JUST SEE THE BBS FLYING AND ADJUST IT ON THE FLY, BUT THERE’S NOTHING LIKE HITTING WITH THAT FIRST SHOT, EVEN BEFORE THE ENEMY HAS A CHANCE TO REACT”
getting some details on the S6. It’s an adjustment meant for people with myopia or hyperopia, where you only need to turn the wheel close to where we place our eye. Offering a +2 to -2 focus level. Pretty neat, and something that always evaded my attention.
Like many scopes of the same family, the S6 also comes with an illuminated dot, with five levels of green and red, but to be honest, I never really use it.
I know that with the 1x it’s possible to use it like red dot, but the original reticle works perfectly. I know there are some valid points to use it, but I never really felt the need. But, if you like it, it’s there!
One point that was a minus for me are the delta rings that come in the box. While they are certainly good quality, these are not the best suited mounts for an LPVO, it’s much better to use an integrated dovetail mount, like the one I’ve been using. Having a higher mount will help aim, especially if you are using ear-pro headsets.
Another positive aspect, and maybe the best one, of the S6, is the eye relief; with a 101mm ocular lens, aiming is simple and instinctive. But, the position of the mount in the replica rail is important, it needs to be in the right spot.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Moving on to the SRD red dot review then!
The SRD is a small and compact red dot, with a light but quite sturdy build. It has a coating which will not only protect it from scratches, but it also eliminates reflection, a good thing when you want to stay stealthy!
Adjustments can be done with no tools; the cap covering the turrets can be perfectly used to turn the windage or elevation adjustments. It’s a nice little detail, and it helps not to lose the damn caps! It’s just a little rant, since every time one falls... It’s a headache to find it…
To finish, the system to calibrate the reticle was also well thought out; there is no need for tools, you only need to pull the cap and rotate it to adjust. Then, when you are set, just push the cap in and it will lock, and while adjusting you will hear the classic click for each mil dot.
Overall it’s a superb scope, not only in functionality but in design as well. It’s easier to use than most classic scopes, and it’s more appropriate for Airsoft.
Like many red dots, the SRD, comes with some brightness intensity levels, eight in this case, which is enough. And it’s all powered by the usual CR 2032 batteries. The QD mount, one of my favourite points, also has a negative side. While it does help to assemble the sight with no tools, it’s important to have it tight; if it’s too loose it will easily mess up any zeroing. So be sure to tighten the screw located on the other side of the QD lock. Something that I used to ignore a bit when it came to red dots were the lens covers, but since the SRD comes with a couple that are easy to use, I kinda left them on while testing. And, at least, during transportation, I always close the cover, adding some extra protection to the lens.
So, for all who are looking for a more “modern” T1 style red dot, with a low profile and that doesn’t add too much weight to a replica, the SRD from Victoptics is a good option with a good price. I’m interested to see what Victoptics do next for the airsoft market, and I’ll keep things updated as they do! AA
“THE SRD IS A SMALL AND COMPACT RED DOT, WITH A LIGHT BUT QUITE STURDY BUILD. IT HAS A COATING WHICH WILL NOT ONLY PROTECT IT FROM SCRATCHES, BUT IT ALSO ELIMINATES REFLECTION, A GOOD THING WHEN YOU WANT TO STAY STEALTHY!”
“I’M INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT VICTOPTICS DO NEXT FOR THE AIRSOFT MARKET, AND I’LL KEEP THINGS UPDATED AS THEY DO!”
NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR!
“NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR”… WE HEAR THIS PHRASE RIGHT ABOUT NOW EACH AND EVERY YEAR AT AAHQ AS WE START TO PREPARE OURSELVES FOR GAMES, EVENTS, AND TRAINING DAYS AHEAD, BUT IT DOES SET THE SCENE FOR THE FACT THAT YOU SHOULD KEEP ON TOP OF YOUR CLOTHING AND GEAR AS YOU FACE ANOTHER TWELVE MONTHS OF AIRSOFT-LIFE! BILL LOOKS TO HIS OWN SETUP, AND DECIDES IT’S TIME FOR HIM TO INVEST IN SOMETHING NEW…
Yup, it’s THAT time of year again that we need to be checking our gear and making sure everything is ready for another year of airsoft adventures, and I’ve been doing a little shopping myself at www.military1st.co.uk.
As fellow award-winners and stockists of many of my go-to brands (plus the fact they offer free shipping in the UK!) they’re my first stop when I go to look for something, and sadly this year I need to replace and update a few key items of gear… kit takes a proper bashing with the AA Crew and I, that’s for certain!
I’ll preface my look at gear this month though by looking at things in a wider context, and as we’ve all started to head out to the first games of 2025 whether or not you believe that there is a benefit for “airsoft training” the fact of the matter is that many of us should attend a training day, or
indeed a multi-day training course, and your gear needs to be not only “game ready” but training
As I’ve said before, as good as we may think we are one thing that a thankfully long life has taught me is to never stop learning! We can become entrenched in doctrine (right or wrong, but is there actually a “wrong” if it’s safe practice?), and fall into habits (good or bad) that actually end up restricting our development as players. If we only ever play on one team, or only play one style of airsoft at a handful of sites, then frankly I believe that we’re missing out.
In my opinion if you have the opportunity to attend a good training course or try a different airsoft discipline then grasp it eagerly with both hands, not once, but often!
You’ll learn new wrinkles on tactics and gear from the Instructors/DS, but you’ll also learn from the other
“IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO BE OUT ON A TRAINING EVENT OR JUST “IN-GAME” AS USUAL, THEN ANOTHER THING YOU NEED TO BE IS 100% ON TOP OF YOUR GEAR! OVER TIME EVEN THE VERY BEST KIT WILL SUFFER “FAIR WEAR AND TEAR”, AND THE SAD FACT IS THAT THINGS DO WEAR OUT… EVEN THE BITS THAT YOU LOVE WITH A VENGEANCE…”
guys that are shooting with you.
Before I even get into gear and “prep for ‘25” the one single thing that I would advise you take to an airsoft training course is open ears and an open mind, as there will always be something that you can learn!
UPDATES, REPLACEMENTS, AND UPGRADES!
Whether you’re looking to be out on a training event or just “in-game” as usual, then another thing you need to be is 100% on top of your gear! Over time even the very best kit will suffer “fair wear and tear”, and the sad fact is that things do wear out… even the bits that you love with a vengeance…
Most of us are eternally searching for the perfect combination of clothing and kit, and it has become a bit of an obsession for me (and not just for me!) over the years. I know what I like and what I need, and I know how I like to carry my gear, but another thing I have learnt from my “airsoft career” is that things change, they move on, and just like the way we shoot and play it’s all too easy to fall back on that “entrenched doctrine” in relation to gear too and just keep using the same thing game-in and gameout!
Also as I’ve got older I find that my in-game enjoyment can be adversely affected if I don’t have the right clothing for the climate and environment, or indeed I carry too much kit for a simple skirmish day! I got stuck going down the plate carrier route a long time ago, and it’s taken me a long time to work my way back to running much lighter… and faster, even as an old boi! In a MilSim environment there are times when you do need to get a shift on without doubt, but your role there is far different to zapping about on a skirmish day, and your gearchoice should reflect this.
For a while I forgot my own rule, that of using kit appropriate for the specific game I was playing, and just rolled out in much the same loadout for any day of airsoft… which often meant that although I felt I looked cool, my effectiveness in-game was actually hampered by my choice of gear in certain situations. As you’ll have seen in our article about going back to basics Ben and I recently ran out in just what we REALLY needed to play a skirmish day, and the lighter nature of my loadout really helped me to enjoy the day thoroughly without being overloaded… with this in mind I’ve revisited a couple of specific items of gear for my MC/MTP/V-CAM loadout.
Although my VIPER V-CAM clothing is still going strong, my “multicam” equipment has given great service now for many moons so I thought it was time to replace a couple of bits to fit more with a “fast and light” ethos! I upgraded my belt kit late last year with a multicam-wrapped Ooni Universal Kydex Holster from Kydex Customs on one of their Laser Cut Mid Ride Mounts which I love (and allows me to easily run different models of secondary, a real bonus for a reviewer!), but my Chest Rig and Small Patrol/Sustainment Pack were “well used and well abused” to say the least, so I did as bit of searching around on the Military 1st website and made my choices for new 2025 models!
HELIKON TRAINING
MINI RIG – Everyone needs a Chest Rig and this excellent “one size fits most” minimalist model, designed specifically to work along with just a small backpack and belt kit, offers the most effective way of carrying your in-game essentials; it comes with PALS webbing straps around the rig for additional MOLLE attachments, multiple loop patches for ID, morale patches or tags, and four flapped single pistol and four easily accessible-from-
“I GOT STUCK GOING DOWN THE PLATE CARRIER ROUTE A LONG TIME AGO, AND IT’S TAKEN ME A LONG TIME TO WORK MY WAY BACK TO RUNNING MUCH LIGHTER… AND FASTER, EVEN AS AN OLD BOI! IN A MILSIM ENVIRONMENT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU DO NEED TO GET A SHIFT ON WITHOUT DOUBT, BUT YOUR ROLE THERE IS FAR DIFFERENT TO ZAPPING ABOUT ON A SKIRMISH DAY”
the-top rifle ammo pouches. The pistol ammo pockets include adjustable hook-andloop openings with pull tabs and position markers, while the standard rifle pouches for AK/AR are equipped with quick release bungee retainers for added safety.
The whole rig is fully adjustable and adaptable to any height and chest size; it features a waist strap and crossback shoulder straps, both with quick release buckles and multiple loops for wiring, antennas, krabs or hydration tubes. Also, there is one sizeable built-in utility pouch at the front equipped with a two-way YKK zipper opening, and multiple loops, slots and a zippered mesh pocket; there’s also a second MOLLE detachable pouch at the bottom with a two-way zipper opening and inner loop patches for hook-and-loop inserts.
This comfortable and sturdy rig from Helikon will accommodate a basic load of magazines, some additional ammunition, a multi-tool, flashlight, and other essential game-day items, which makes it an ideal choice for people who spend a lot of time at the shooting range or in-game.
DIRECT ACTION DUST MKII – Regular readers of AA will know that in a “past life” I worked within the outdoor pursuits industry, indeed with one of the very best pack makers in the world at the time, so I’m VERY particular about what I choose for a “gear lugger”, even a small sustainment pack! Weighing in at just 1300g and giving 20L overall of load space, this upgraded version of Dust Backpack from Direct Action is undoubtedly an answer to the load carrying needs of airsofters and has all features expected from new generation EDC hydration packs.
The main compartment of Dust Mk2 features an internal padded sleeve secured with a hook-and-
loop elasticated tab that can be used for a hydration bladder (or it can be used to carry a laptop up to 13” in size safely), with an external port for a hydration tube. The smaller front compartment has a clear vinyl pocket for maps and documents, and an internal organiser for notepads, GPS, writing utensils and other essentials. The pack also has a nifty paracord carrying handle, adjustable in length and ergonomically designed padded shoulder straps, as well as a removable waist system, which helps to distribute weight evenly throughout the upper body and ensures comfortable carry even for longer periods.
An innovative Combat Vent System (CVS), made of contoured foam profiles with multiple air channels, ensures comfort and keeps the pack off the back which enhances air circulation preventing heat build-up and sweating, ideal if you’re wearing a waterproof jacket or it’s belting hot! Multiple quickrelease buckles allow the pack to be quickly dropped when required, and compression straps allow it to be adapted to the size of carried kit and prevent it from shifting inside. The pack design also means you can attach additional equipment through robust D-Rings and numerous PALS points all-round. A laser-cut MOLLE system, which absorbs less water than traditional webbing, makes the pack not only fully modular but also helps it maintain a low-profile; to save weight; the pack is made of the 500D Cordura fabric, which allows for a lighter weight, and thanks to the shape, the pack has an overall lower height and width than other packs with similar capacity.
All the features of Direct Action
Dust Mk2 Backpack for high level of flexibility, quick and provide maximum comfort, fit and ventilation for
“REGULAR READERS OF AA WILL KNOW THAT IN A “PAST LIFE” I WORKED WITHIN THE OUTDOOR PURSUITS INDUSTRY, INDEED WITH ONE OF THE VERY BEST PACK MAKERS IN THE WORLD AT THE TIME, SO I’M VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT WHAT I CHOOSE FOR A “GEAR LUGGER”, EVEN A SMALL SUSTAINMENT PACK!”
the user, which makes this lightweight and durable backpack perfect for EDC or must-have equipment for players.
GO LITE, LO-DRAG!
Moving onto clothing in more detail my old tan waterproof has been a standby for many games (and got worn daily too when needed!) but it’s reached a stage where the time has come to replace it… I wanted something super-light and packable, perhaps with a lightweight insulated layer as a backup, and I ended up looking at PENTAGON again! These guys have really impressed me with their design and choice of fabrics in recent years, and both the quality and the utility of their garments is first rate… I’m really looking forward to seeing what they have new at IWA!
So, Coyote Tan… what did I go for?
PENTAGON MONLITE SHELL JACKET - The Monlite Shell Jacket has already been with me most of this winter and has proved to be exceptional in use, with just the right amount of features and no more! It has a fully waterproof, breathable outer layer made with 94% Polyester and 6% Spandex for durability and flexibility, featuring TPU laminated waterproof fabric (8,000mm), three-layer taped seams, and a DWR coating, so it provides excellent protection against the elements. With a three-point adjustable hood (this could do with a little more volume for use with a helmet), underarm ventilation, and large hand pockets, it offers comfort and functionality. YKK zips and wrist adjusters ensure a secure fit and really snug things down…. this awesome, minimalist, well-priced outer layer comes with my highest recommendation!
PENTAGON GERAKI JACKET
Although my VIPER Frontier is doing very well, one area where I want to up the ante a little is insulation, and having been so impressed with the Monlite Jacket also have to tell you that I recommend another jacket in the Pentagon range in this respect… lightweight and practical, the Geraki Jacket is a model that’s been in Pentagon’s line and that I have owned for a while
now, and I have to say that it is one of my favourites, but the old one after many moons is looking pretty tired! The Geraki is a warm and ultra-lightweight down liner jacket with 550 fill duck down insulation, super-soft Nylon Taslon Rip-Stop patches and genuine YKK zipper hardware. The jacket keeps warmth inside and offers superb protection against really cold and windy weather. With multiple YKK zipped pockets, elasticated cuffs and adjustable bottom hem, the Geraki Jacket is ideal to carry in your DUST pack for those chilly moments in the Safe Zone Zone or for extra, immediate warmth if you’re stuck on a cold, windswept range; a “little industry bird” tells me that we may well see a new Geraki Gen II coming in the foreseeable future, so if like me you have a Gen I and love it, then now may well be the time to pick a new one up!
So, that’s me pretty much set up for a game day again, and for a whole new year of airsoft! As I said at the outset, you may not believe in the efficacy of formal training for airsoft, but from my experience you WILL learn something and take away perhaps the very skill that you need when it comes to being effective on your next game-day. If you add to that open mind to choose the “right gear for the job”, and don’t get stuck as I did going down one particular gear-path because “it looks cool”, the combination of good gear and a mind open to new techniques and tactics will stand you in good stead, not just for 2025, but for many, MANY years to come!
My thanks as always go to Lukas and the guys at www.military1st.co.uk for answering all my questions and for their continued help, and you can find all of the items listed in this article on their website… along with much, MUCH more! AA
“I WANTED SOMETHING SUPER-LIGHT AND PACKABLE, PERHAPS WITH A LIGHTWEIGHT INSULATED LAYER AS A BACKUP, AND I ENDED UP LOOKING AT PENTAGON AGAIN! THESE GUYS HAVE REALLY IMPRESSED ME WITH THEIR DESIGN AND CHOICE OF FABRICS IN RECENT YEARS, AND BOTH THE QUALITY AND THE UTILITY OF THEIR GARMENTS IS FIRST RATE”
S4UAD GOALS!
WHILE HE WAS ALREADY IN THE TAICHUNG AREA COVERING THE TAIWAN SPEEDQB FINALE IN MIDDECEMBER LAST YEAR (WE’LL HAVE A REPORT ON THIS NEXT MONTH!) OUR MAN IN TAIWAN FINALLY MADE GOOD ON A LONG HELD PROMISE (OR THREAT!) TO VISIT AN INCREASINGLY PROMINENT GROUP OF LIKE MINDS WHO ARE BUILDING A NICHE FOR THEMSELVES IN THE AIRSOFT AND WIDER SHOOTING RELATED HOBBY SPACE! THE FOLKS OF 4UAD SMART AIRSOFT HAVE RECENTLY MOVED INTO A NEW OFFICE SPACE AND CONTINUE THEIR EXPANSION EFFORTS. STEWBACCA FOUND OUT WHAT’S GOING DOWN!
More years ago than I care to mention, not long after I arrived in Taiwan, I was hanging around KUI Zhubei one evening (as I was wont to do, typically heading there after every Wednesday’s final lesson to dump ammunition and my work related stresses downrange on their in-store practise electronic range) when I happened upon a fellow anglophone player who had just popped in to the shop to pick up some supplies and eye up the latest kit on sale.
That early 2018 happenstance saw my first introduction to Andrew Lai, a longer term player like myself who had returned to Taiwan after studying in the US and moved from the bicycle design industry into working in R&D for one of the better known names on the island for airsoft.
In the intervening years Andrew has assembled a solid core group of compatriots into a team that many of you will now be aware of as they have not only taken on the mantle of in-depth-nerdery and ‘gun science’ in the airsoft space, dispelling myths and misconceptions and explaining to the typical player how systems work and how best to leverage their advantages, but more recently begun fielding an ever growing range of their
own specialist products all in the guise of 4UAD Smart Airsoft.
So, where did it all begin, and how did Andrew go about building the S4UAD to what it is today?
Casting his mind back to his earlier years, Andrew recounted how during his elementary school years
“IN THE INTERVENING YEARS ANDREW HAS ASSEMBLED A SOLID CORE GROUP OF COMPATRIOTS INTO A TEAM THAT MANY OF YOU WILL NOW BE AWARE OF AS THEY HAVE NOT ONLY TAKEN ON THE MANTLE OF IN-DEPTH-NERDERY AND ‘GUN SCIENCE’ IN THE AIRSOFT SPACE, DISPELLING MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS”
replica guns were actually sold in book shops and he got interested in the usual low intensity ‘BB wars’ I’m sure many of us old salts recklessly engaged in. Much like that hilarious South Park-esque meme video doing the rounds recounting one American guy’s first forays into eye-protectionless unsanctioned street battles and subsequent run in with the law that browntrousered him and all his friends, suffice to say, despite a somewhat protracted hiatus, he returned to the fold on a more serious (and no doubt safety conscious note!) in his second year of studying at college in Arizona, becoming aware of the early Evike website and ordering a G&G Combat machine AR AEG and a WE Glock GBB and getting to work playing within the US community as it was in the late 2000s.
His early experiences in the US saw him somewhat confounded by the range and reach of the more senior players; constantly finding himself out-gunned by their more highly-tuned platforms, he threw his engineering mindset into studying the underlying principles and available upgrade components and how they worked, playing most weekends and developing his knowledge base significantly during his time in country.
BRINGING IT HOME
As 2009 rolled around and graduation came, Andrew returned to his native land to fulfil his national service requirement in the Republic of China armed forces, developing an awareness of ‘real steel’ firearms and tactics, as well as building his skills. Following this he decided to embark on a career in design, working with a household name here in Taiwan (if not the world!) for bicycles, Giant, for over three years before eventually tiring of the somewhat limited and generic nature of such efforts given the limitations on what can be made different with bikes.
Thus he pivoted towards the airsoft scene once again, this time spending a further three years in a household name for airsoft gun manufacture, our friends down in the north of Taichung, I Chih Shivan, better known to you all no doubt as ICS Airsoft.
As a project specialist sitting at the nexus of various departments and their requirements, and given the space and resources to grow and develop products and technologies under their R&D umbrella, Andrew
“HIS
EARLY EXPERIENCES IN THE US
SAW
had the time and ability to really get into the nuts and bolts of what makes airsoft guns tick (or rather clack) and how to design and manufacture products to last and deliver consistent performance, working on their own nascent HiCapa derivative program and getting to set up and test banks of existing market leader products, cut them up and see their insides, experiment at length and help to push ICS’ gas blowback pistol technology ahead, while still maintaining compatibility with Marui’s components to suit the demands of the after-market-upgrade-user crowd.
Despite remembering his time there fondly and being genuinely thankful for the opportunities afforded him, the nature of commercial sensitivity to a lot of his work made it harder to share some of the ideas more openly at times, and he began working alongside his kindergarten friend, Brendan, who is a similarly adept technical mind working in the electronics industry Taiwan is so famous for. However,
HIM SOMEWHAT CONFOUNDED BY THE RANGE AND REACH OF THE MORE SENIOR PLAYERS; CONSTANTLY FINDING HIMSELF OUT-GUNNED BY THEIR MORE HIGHLY-TUNED PLATFORMS, HE THREW HIS ENGINEERING MINDSET INTO STUDYING THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES”
interest in airsoft himself per se, but together they co-founded 4UAD Smart Airsoft and leveraged their combined talents and differing skills and perspectives to deliver scientific content and assessments of existing products and technologies in the market, working with their ‘grading system’ to assess the consistency and performance of an array of airsoft guns in their own collections, or sent their way for consideration by a host of manufacturers interested to see how their products stack up and showcase their performance to a more technically-minded audience.
After a time of developing these efforts it became clear that Andrew could no longer effectively balance working full-time for ICS and trying to plan and produce 4UAD’s content to bring his knowledge and insights to the wider community. Leading a double life can really take it out of you and his stress levels ended up nearly costing him his left eye which put him out of action while he dealt with the condition, but also gave him the necessary reality check and time to consider his path and what was most important to him.
As a result, in early 2022 he decided to take the plunge and make 4UAD Smart Airsoft his full time
career focus and source of income. No small feat, especially when you have other people in your life to consider! But, 4UAD and Andrew were on a new more intense path now, and it’s a lot harder for him to quit when it’s his own company as such.
DOING IT RIGHT
With the release of simple but effective smaller scale product solutions, like their growing range of 4UANTUM pens (which I’ve made extensive use of personally in my own maintenance efforts in their various guises), different lubricants, gas magazine sealants and adhesives or thread lockers of various intensities, 4UAD managed to keep the lights on and the revenue coming in long enough to set about developing a wider range of more intentful, innovative and useful products for the end user as well as focusing more of their time on product reviews, technical content and
“THE POSITIVE WORKING CULTURE ALSO HELPS ENSURE MOTIVATION AMONG THE WIDER TEAM, ALLOWING MORE FLEXIBILITY TO FIT AROUND FAMILY LIFE AND ACTIVITIES THAN MANY EMPLOYERS WOULD IN TAIWAN; THE FOCUS IS ON ACHIEVING DELIVERABLES AND GETTING THE JOB DONE”
base alike.
Throughout the early year or so of going full time Andrew was also going it alone, having to maintain the discipline to keep churning through content planning, filming, editing and curating while also focusing on gameplay and outdoor testing or review and event efforts alongside growing the range of aforementioned maintenance products! It soon became clear he would need to have someone else working full time to share the load and be a ‘man in the chair’ when Andrew had to be in front of the camera or focused elsewhere.
Thus, his ICS colleague Jess also decided to take the big step of trusting in the brand and its efforts, and joined full time as a cameraman and working on editing and other aspects of filming alongside Andrew, with the pair of them having worked the floor at various trade and industry shows since, including a visit to SHOT SHOW in Vegas, alongside more local efforts in Taiwan and Japan since.
The next major step was the 4UANTUM industries HOP bucking (something which was no small feat in itself!) requiring at least a year of intensive research and development and leaning on Brendon’s technical and quality control background. As well as his nonairsofter point of view providing a litmus test for explaining its benefits to the potential lay person or less technically minded airsofters, extensive practical tests were performed at ranges between 10-50 metres and a variety of BB weights with numerous iterations of the internal friction imparting geometry of the bucking until a consistent solution was arrived at and developed further to a mass-producible result.
As a result of this product focus, the first year or so meant the focus had to shift away from the very production intensive grading system videos which have had to take a back seat, while product development in the background as well as less intensive product reviews and introduction videos have helped maintain the output of content, without keeping the demand on the team’s time so high.
Andrew is also quick to point out that it is very much a team effort and everyone’s support and input
not only what keeps the team themselves and 4UAD as a company alive, but also the perspectives from the likes of Brendan and the wives and girlfriends of the team help to maintain and outsider’s perspective that ensures they don’t overlook explaining aspects of the products and technologies they might see as obvious given their expertise.
The positive working culture also helps ensure motivation among the wider team, allowing more flexibility to fit around family life and activities than many employers would in Taiwan; the focus is on achieving deliverables and getting the job done, rather than being in the office for a fixed amount of hours, something I find extremely appealing given my own experiences on-island and the work culture here thus far! This approach helps to maintain the direction of 4UAD and their 4UANTUM product line’s development.
FUTURE PLANS
What of the future? Andrew told me that ideally they’d like to secure their own testing facility and indoor range aside from the decent warehouse space
“FURTHER DOWN THE LINE THEIR RANGE IS INTENDED TO EXPAND INTO VARIOUS APFG MODELS SUCH AS THE
VFC INTERNALS-COMPATIBLE SIG LINE OF MCX TYPE SYSTEMS,
AS WELL
AS PISTOL VERSIONS OF THE SYSTEM TO SIMILARLY ALLEVIATE THE NEED FOR DISASSEMBLY”
they been allowed to use thanks to Luis’ and his family’s involvement with it and the team to give a more controlled space where things can be left setup and ready for use on a longer term basis to ease content creation and experimentation.
In terms of products themselves, the next step is producing HOP buckings specifically aimed at lighterweight BB use for the wider market, and in particular Japan, which has much lower BB weight restrictions and power levels as a product of their regulations and laws, so a sub 1 joule setup running 0.2g or 0.25g BBs in essence will be their focus.
Their Magnus Pro HOP UP Chamber is now making its way to the market; they were good enough to furnish me with a sample for my own testing and review purposes, so keep an eye out for that content coming from me, along with other usage of their products.
This initial release is compatible with both VFC and GHK Armalite pattern GBBRs and offering much greater consistency and convenience of adjustment with its air seal promoting structure and whole rear face adjustment outer wheel making it much simpler to access and turn the arms on face of the HOP with a variety of tools just by holding open the bolt, instead of needing to get inside handguards or having to dismantle them or other parts of the gun… Which, from personal experience can be a pain, especially in the field!
Further down the line their range is intended to expand into various APFG models such as the VFC internals-compatible SIG line of MCX-type systems, as well as pistol versions of the system
to similarly alleviate the need for disassembly or other work around solutions to ease HOP adjustment and improve consistency, while the more distant future will see them looking to develop their own performance inner barrels with a lot of research and development towards materials used and production techniques as before they release anything they want to ensure it’s as optimised as it can be for the end user.
So, lots to look forward to from the guys and girls behind 4UAD Smart Airsoft and their line of 4UANTUM industries product!
With the popularity and positivity they’re garnering from the end users and industry, they’re looking to continue expanding and bring more of the group on as full time employees!
Luis was a somewhat happenstance addition having met the guys at a shoot in Taichung and getting interested in co-operating and helping out their efforts, opening up the opportunity for their current testing space in the warehouse which made things a lot more convenient, as well as looking to be on camera and take on a more customer and industryfacing role in their video content, while Kevin, their IT support guy, keeps working away behind the spotlight to ensure everything works smoothly.
So watch this space, fellow shooters… and many thanks to Andrew and Jess, plus the wider team, for their time! AA
“SO, LOTS TO LOOK FORWARD TO FROM THE GUYS AND GIRLS BEHIND 4UAD SMART AIRSOFT AND THEIR LINE OF 4UANTUM INDUSTRIES PRODUCT; WITH THE POPULARITY AND POSITIVITY THEY’RE GARNERING FROM THE END USERS AND INDUSTRY THEY’RE LOOKING TO CONTINUE EXPANDING”
EXPLOSIVE FESTIVAL VIBES
AS WELL AS FLITTING AROUND MARUIFEST 2024 IN AKIHABARA OUR MAN IN JAPAN, TAMA, WAS ONCE AGAIN PULLING DOUBLE-DUTY LIKE LAST YEAR TO ENSURE HE ALSO CAPTURED THE HAPPENINGS AT THE BAKURETSU-SAI; THE ‘EXPLOSIVE FESTIVAL’ OVER IN
Hey, it’s your man Tama back again with news from the land of the Rising Sun, the Mecca of Airsoft, Japan!
I’m back with this year’s Bakuretsu-Sai report, or if you translate it to English, the ‘Explosive Festival’. This year was their 16th event, and I couldn’t wait to see what this year has for us and you, our readers!
To remind you of what Bakuretsu-Sai is; the Bakuretsu-sai airsoft expo is a prominent annual event in Japan dedicated to airsoft enthusiasts and military hobbyists. It provides a platform for showcasing the latest advancements in airsoft guns, tactical gear, and accessories, attracting major exhibitors such as LayLax, Novritsch, G&G Japan, and many others.
Carbon8 is also like Baton; a retailer for CO2 guns, but unlike BATON, they specifically only deal with Pistol GBB replicas;- last year they had the Steyr L9A2, which is in my opinion not really a good gun, and they we’re not really popular even within the Otaku world
Hosted in the Ikebukuro Sunshine City Exhibition Hall C (池袋・サンシャインシティ・文化会館ホールC） , located on the 3rd floor of the Sunshine City mall（サ ンシャインシティ池袋) in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, the mall itself is a 15 minute walk from Ikebukuro station, one of the hub stations in Tokyo; there’s also an underground walkway from the station straight to the mall, so it’s
IKEBUKURO, TOKYO!
very easy to get to the venue.
The event features custom equipment, unique patches, and other military-themed items, blending commerce with culture; while the expo encourages cosplay as part of the community engagement, strict guidelines ensure appropriateness, prohibiting outfits like World War II uniforms or overly realistic replicas. Admission is ¥1,000, and minors must be accompanied by a guardian.
This gathering fosters connections among airsoft players and hobbyists, offering not only product exhibitions but also a chance to immerse in Japan’s vibrant airsoft culture, especially this year as there were 117 stands from both Japan and overseas, with the event being hosted on the 24th of November and starting at 10:30 and continuing through until 17:00.
So, what was new for this year’s Bakuretsu-Sai?
Unlike last year, where there were more Taiwanese or European manufacturers and airsoft influencers joining the Japanese creators, this year in terms of the overall size it was a little smaller, with fewer manufacturers or participants from outside of the country.
There were some retailers that introduced products from outside of Japan, like Novritsch, VFC, and EMG but it still wasn’t as much as last year, with a focus
“THERE WERE SOME RETAILERS THAT INTRODUCED PRODUCTS FROM OUTSIDE OF JAPAN, LIKE NOVRITSCH, VFC, AND EMG BUT IT STILL WASN’T AS MUCH AS LAST YEAR, WITH A FOCUS ON LOCAL PRODUCERS MORE, ESPECIALLY “MADE IN THE BACKYARD” SMALL SCALE CUSTOM OUTFITS”
on local producers more, especially “Made in the Backyard” small scale custom outfits.
We are seeing a lot of household makers, with a lot of 3D printed guns being introduced in the festival, where last year it was usually only parts of replicas being made and sold in the show, at most a conversion kit. Whereas this year they stepped up their 3D printing game, with outof-this-world conversion kits and straight up replicas being made from scratch; this year is where Japanese amateur replica makers are on the rise in the Bakuretsu-Sai, and they’re making a statement that the Japanese airsoft industry is moving towards the new way of industry.
And as your friendly neighborhood Japanese (Indonesian) man, I’m going to report to you from top to bottom on what’s happening in the airsoft Mecca! However, this year I wasn’t alone, joined by my good friend and your neighbourhood Captain America (Filipino), Carlos! I call him Captain America because he always dresses like Cap, but he is from the Philippines, and he has a Latino name. But before we get to the backyard gunslingers, let’s start from the big boys.
LAYLAX - Let’s start with the homegrown big bois, Laylax; as usual they were pairing up with Krytac, but not only them as this year they also cooperated with two gear companies, Danner and Mechanix.
But let’s start with Krytac... Last year they announced their first GBB replicas like the Vector, but this year they announced the resurgence of their classic Vector AEG, with the very creatively named Kriss Vector SMG GEN 2 AEG replica!
So what’s new from the Kriss Vector SMG GEN 2?
Well the upper receiver now lacks a collapsible stock unlike the OG Vector, they now use an AR buffer tube, allowing you to fit any AR stock you prefer, even though you can’t fold the stock which defeats the whole truck gun aspect, it does help with the comfort of shooting and compatibility with AR parts. Also it makes it much easier to change the spring of the gun, because of the buffer tube now you can access it from the back of the gun. Internally they
a micro switch trigger and ECU for the gun to make the performance much better than the OG Vector replica.
Krytac also refurbished their AR lineup, the Trident family. Out with the weird handguards, now they focus on practicality and versatility with M-LOK handguards for their new Trident AR lineups. And they now come as standard with micro switch triggers, ECU, and Krytac’s Neodymium motors. Also if you want more performance for your brand-new Trident replicas, they come in standard with Krytac’s Ver.2 Nautilus mech box that is made to fit with GATE TITANs, which make it much easier to level up your guns.
“KRYTAC ALSO REFURBISHED THEIR AR LINEUP, THE TRIDENT FAMILY; OUT WITH THE WEIRD HANDGUARDS, NOW THEY FOCUS ON PRACTICALITY AND VERSATILITY WITH M-LOK HANDGUARDS FOR THEIR NEW TRIDENT AR LINEUPS”
Now away with the guns and to looking sigma in airsoft games; with Laylax working together with Danner and Mechanix, they are making some Japanonly models!
Starting with Mechanix, the king of Mil-Spec gloves, loved by the military as well as civilians,
airsofters would buy Mechanix’s glove but also Anime lovers because they’re doing a collaboration with Evangelion, based off their best-selling multipurpose model. They spice it up with the Evangelion’s Unit 01 (Test-Type Unit) theme onto their glove. They will only be selling it in limited numbers and for Japan, so if you guys are looking for brand new gloves and are a fan of the Evangelion series, this might be the glove for you.
Meanwhile, Danner introduced their lightweight ATA-MIL shoes; made for light hiking, where it’s designed to be very light, easy to use, and durable, it’s a perfect shoe for the very competitive Japanese UAB players, and because it’s Danner, it’s famous for durability and quality, proven by the US Military. This might be the perfect fit for people who live life in the fast lane!
one and only mechanical pre-cocking AEG! They’re made to be very easy to modify, versatile, easy to use, and capable of being used at any game that players be facing. But a lot of CAT users will know that the CAT doesn’t look like any of their real steel counterparts, it’s because they’re made specifically for players who prefer their gun’s performance over aesthetics. But don’t worry, in Bakuretsu-Sai this year, they introduced a brand new CAT Mk18 Mod. 1 AEG airsoft replica; it’s made out of aluminium and unlike the original CAT replicas that have interchangeable stocks and magwells, this one uses the original AR lower receiver and upper receivers, and because it’s made out of aluminium it’s a very robust and cool looking replica. Very good news for MilSim players who want the performance of the kind a mechanical pre-cocking sector gear CAT replica provides, but also want the AR aesthetic to be used in Milsim games.
Airsoft 97 (CAT) - Next up is the homegrown unicorn, the CAT AEG replica.
Airsoft 97 (Combat Artisan) is the designer of the
but they’re making it in limited numbers. During the festival they were selling what’s left of their stock, so for Milsimmers who wants the CAT, be quick or you’ll miss out the opportunity for one of a kind guns.
“A LOT OF CAT USERS WILL KNOW THAT THE CAT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE ANY OF THEIR REAL STEEL COUNTERPARTS, IT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR PLAYERS WHO PREFER THEIR GUN’S PERFORMANCE OVER AESTHETICS. ”
Also, Airsoft 97 showed us their prototype of the CAT Versatile-8 SMG AEG replica. So what’s different from their already existing CAT versatile family? The soon to be released Versatile-8 now houses a 9mm magwell for MP5 magazines, and on the back it uses an arm brace to make it much more compact. Not just that, but the internals of the gun have also made sure that the performance is much better, as it’s going to be fitted with their custom INAZUMA motors, which are designed for quick response and high cycle rate. They haven’t announced the release date and the price, but expect it to be in the range of 40,000 to 60,000 yen (around 261 USD to 350 USD or 249 to 300 EUR) so also for small 9mm SBR lovers, CAT have you covered.
HOLOSUN - Holosun, just like last year, never stops surprising us!
Last year they revealed the magical DRS lineup to Japan straight after they revealed it in the US SHOT SHOW. Even though there were no new things from Holosun, they surprised the Japanese market with their whole lineup of red dot sights in Bakuretsu-sai, from the top of the line DRS lineup to their bestselling HS403B.
This year they were in Bakuretsu-Sai in full force and making a statement that they’re
be the King of the Hill of the Japanese red dot sight market, and oddly because their main competitors in Japan are Novel Arms and Sightron (also the owner of Sightmark) were nowhere to be seen. Holosun is capturing all of the spotlight especially when last year they didn’t have the DRS-NV in Japan; this year they finally have it for sale and they’re in the spotlight of this year Bakuretsu-Sai. They also displayed their brand new FDE lineup, which is basically their normal models presented in FDE colors which looks cool for people who like FDE guns; other than that you could call Holosun as the king of red dot sights in this year’s Bakuretsu-Sai.
E&L and Arcturus - E&L surprised us with their friendliness in last year’s V-Show, with them announcing a lot of stuff they’re bringing to Japan. But this year I guess they weren’t so lucky, because there wasn’t a lot of stuff they’re bringing to Japan this year, except one replica, the infamous GBB unicorn, the E&L QBZ-191/T191 GBB rifle replica
Finally they’re bringing the Japanese version to our shores; I guess I don’t need to review it cause others have already done a couple of reviews before, the only difference is that the Japanese variant is concentrated on the CO2 model, because Japan doesn’t allow Green-Gas-charged replica GBBs in games, they only allow CO2.
But the T191 is a bit of a grey area, because its labelled as an HPA GBB gun, and in some places they don’t allow CO2 HPA guns, and because it hasn’t yet gotten the green light from the Japanese regulators (the JASG) so for us who live in Japan, we won’t be seeing the T191 in fields anytime soon. Oh yeah, they also brought a CO2 Nerf gun; yep, you heard me right, a CO2 powered Nerf gun! I had a dryfire test with it, even for a guy whose doing airsoft for years and normally being shot at with BBs weekly, I don’t want to be on the receiving end!
Toxicant - Now for some big news! You’ll be 100% mistaken that APFG had a booth at BakuretsuSai; but you’d be completely wrong because it’s from Toxicant, APFG’s
rival in terms of next-gen SIG Sauer GBB replica manufacturers. And they kept the competition at bay with the biggest reveal of this year’s Bakuretsu-Sai.
THE BRAND NEW TOXICANT SIG SAUER MCX-SPEAR 6.8x51 GBB REPLICA. Yep you heard it right, Toxicant is entering the next-generation calibre race!
Toxicant was displaying their prototype MCXSPEAR, and the thing is freaking awesome; just like any other of their GBB replicas, they’ll be using the MWS based system, but with some modification to house it in the MCX-SPEAR system, especially with the hop-up system. They changed from the old MWS chamber hop-up system to the front, they moved it to the gas block, so you can change the hop-up with the gas regulator, to make it slightly more realistic. They also not only redesigned, but made the magazine straight from scratch, and they’re planning on making not only gas magazines, but also CO2 mags at the same time.
The MCX-SPEAR is going to be CO2 compatible straight out of the box, and they’ll be using a mix of steel and aluminium parts for the inside and outside, so you won’t need to worry about durability and performance. This is big ...especially when the new VFC based MCX-SPEAR was announced earlier in the MOA Taiwan and Toxicant picked the Japanese Bakuretsu-Sai because they know where the MWS based market is, especially with the Japanese regulations are strict. They wanted the their MCXSPEAR to be used in the Mecca of airsoft so they announced it in Japan. They haven’t announced the release date and price, but because it’s Toxicant they do put a super-premium price on their stuff; the prototype replica they put in the festival was an almost working replica, the only thing they haven’t finished is the magazines. They do plan on selling the MCX-SPEAR to be fully ready for games. You’re not only going to be buying a replica GBB and one mag, but they’ll sell it with four mags straight from factory, and you can choose, either normal gas magazines or CO2 magazines, so if you want a
supreme CO2 MCX-SPEAR GBB replica, you need to keep a good eye on Toxicant.
But they’re not stopping there!
Toxicant is releasing a lot more stuff, not only are they making more for their MCX lineup, like the SPEAR LT, they are also reaching out to the OG AR replicas, they’re selling the replica for Daniel Defense Mk18 RIS MOD III, basically the good old Mk18 with a brand new Daniel Defense M-LOK handguard. And every single gun they’re making will be CO2 compatible, heck they’re going to restart their production on their MWS based CO2 magazines, NEXT MONTH. Yes you won’t need to wait that long for CO2 magazines, anymore because Toxicant have got you covered - they’re the saviour for MWS users all over the world.
BATON - The CO2 news doesn’t stop here, there’s also our good old friend BATON, the retailers for Taiwanese made CO2 guns in Japan. Last year we had the opportunity to see their first CO2 rifle, the BGPCC CO2 GBB replica, which is their variant of an AR CO2 GBB replica rifle that uses their already existing CO2 Glock magazines. And Baton never ceases to impresses the airsofting world, this year of BakuretsuSai they announced two replicas, the brand new
“NOW FOR SOME BIG NEWS! YOU’LL BE 100% MISTAKEN THAT APFG HAD A BOOTH AT BAKURETSU-SAI; BUT YOU’D BE COMPLETELY WRONG BECAUSE IT’S FROM TOXICANT, APFG’S RIVAL IN TERMS OF NEXT-GEN SIG SAUER GBB REPLICA MANUFACTURERS… TOXICANT WAS DISPLAYING THEIR PROTOTYPE MCX-SPEAR, AND THE THING IS FREAKING AWESOME!”
MOS CO2 GBB pistol replica and the new AR-based CO2 GBB, the BG-PCC LITE CO2 GBB replica rifle. They’re all based on their earlier models, just made much more compact. So for the Glock 19,
it on the field!
Carbon8 - Carbon8 is also like Baton; a retailer for CO2 guns, but unlike BATON, they specifically only deal with Pistol GBB replicas.
and the BG-PCC LITE, as the name it’s lite, and like the Glock 19, they made it smaller, or rather shorter which makes it looks much more fitting, knowing that it uses a Glock mags.
Not only were Baton showing their other new rifle, earlier this year Baton surprised the Japanese market that they can make a rifle replica that is not based on a 9mm magazine, the Baton G36 CO2 GBB rifle replica! This was revolutionary, because it shows that Japanese market can have a CO2 GBB rifle permitted by the Japanese regulators. Not only that it also uses a very unique magazine system, it uses a double CO2 canister magazine, which ensures more gas capacity and much more power for the gun. But Baton let us dry fire the gun, and woo wee it was a pleasure to shoot. The gun was super light and easy to handle because the Germans made it out of plastic, and the double canister made the blowback super strong and firm. It’s an amazing gun to shoot, I would love to try
Last year they had the Steyr L9A2, which is in my opinion not really a good gun, and they we’re not really popular even within the Otaku world. But this year they finally brought the long awaited pistol made by ASG. Lo and behold, the CZ Shadow 2 CO2 GBB pistol replica, finally not another Glock or a 1911 replica, we finally get a unicorn gun from Eastern Europe.
Carbon8 will be bringing it to Japan with CO2 compatibility, which is very helpful during winter. They will also sell the modification parts from ASG, like the magwell, custom grips and the custom trigger… finally we can have nice things in Japan!
Jagd und Leder - Jagd und Leder (or, in English, hunting and leather), is a pretty new retailer in Japan that is mainly selling hunting scopes and sights that are from Europe and the USA, even though they mainly do real steel business for hunting in Japan. But they decided to introduce the stuff they’re bringing to Japan, especially for sniper airsofters.
Meet the DoRaSight, nope it’s not a Latino girl with a talking monkey and a talking map (that thing still haunts me to this day), but this thing is a work of art!
It’s a red dot sight with a built-in rangefinder that can range out to 800 meters. 800 METERS! That’s not a range for airsoft replicas, heck not even some real steel guns can reach that range, but this thing is magic, because this thing is made for real steel firearms, 800Gs to be exact, you don’t need to worry about your GBB replica blurring the zero.
The DoRa can be used either as a standalone red dot sight or you can attach it to your scope to be a mobile range finder/short to mid-range sight. They’re being sold for \59,800 Yen, (195.57 USD or 374.49 EUR) for it, so either you are a hunter or an airsoft player. This might be a good new attachment for your toys.
Other than the aforementioned manufacturers,
“BATON NEVER CEASES TO IMPRESSES THE AIRSOFTING WORLD, THIS YEAR OF BAKURETSUSAI THEY ANNOUNCED TWO REPLICAS, THE BRAND NEW GLOCK 19 GEN 5 MOS CO2 GBB PISTOL REPLICA AND THE NEW AR-BASED CO2 GBB, THE BG-PCC LITE CO2 GBB REPLICA RIFLE”
like Novritsch, G&G, and such were displaying their newest collections, although they’re the collections that we have already seen most of, we’ll get to the backyard gun-makers.
The Backyard Gunslingers - As I was saying about the backyard gun-makers, they were really out in force for this year’s Bakuretsu-Sai, and that is very surprising for me.
I’ve been playing airsoft for almost half a decade in Japan, so DIY airsofting wasn’t really a new thing. I saw NGRS being made into a HPA replicas and Saigas made into SMGs before the Saiga SBS was even a thing, and gas-cocking replicas are very popular. But they can’t get it into the commercial market, some parts did, but not a whole replica or even a conversion kit. Because Japanese regulators don’t like people messing with stuff already in existence, and making something in your garage and selling it is especially a no-go. Japanese regulators either want a Tokyo Marui replica, or an outside replica, but made specifically for Japan only markets. That’s why in Japan we have outside replicas being termed as JDMs, like cars. But this year they’re making a statement that you can’t stop a Youtube-educated engineer from making their dream gun from WW2 stop!
KM Sekkei 3DP - A small-time company started by a pair that wants some of the unique firearms of this world - and they sure have amazing taste! I’m talking about AR-18 AEG replicas, Jericho 941 pistols, Bren Ten pistols, and the Glock 17L!
These are wonderful, yet very rare piece of arts, you can’t even find a Bren Ten replica anywhere in the market, heck even the real steel it’s a rarity. Because of their passion for making things that are either rare or don’t even exist, they are making them. They’re also using the latest technology to make this happen; in the form of 3D printing, they’re making it out of hardened plastics but using the platforms of KSC or Tokyo Marui to realise their dreams.
They are also not just selling only conversion kits, they sell already working, modified, and ready for battle replicas, which is revolutionary and helpful for people who don’t know how to convert a frame that is technically not for the original purpose. The owner also has a big sense of humour; when I say “big” it’s literally “big
and long”.
Meet the Glock G17XXXXXXL, a name I made up for it! Because this thing is super long, it’s even very hard to get it into the frame of the picture, and yet this thing is operational, it does blowback. I don’t know if a BB would come out the other end of it, but who cares if it shoots BBs or not when you have a replica GBB with a slide longer than your whole body!
Barry’s Custom Pew Pew Gun Shop - That name is pretty long and mouthful, but I’ll call them Barry’s Gun Shop.
From the name you might think that they make custom ARs for tactical dudes, but you’d be very wrong, because they make some of the weirdest and rarest replicas out there. Their most famous creation is the SKS AEG replica. Yup, finally someone is making the SKS for the market, and they’re doing it properly!
Most of the parts are like other backyard gunmakers in the market using a 3D printer are producing, but they want it far better, because they’re doing their own metal moulding and wood carving; they’re doing stuff that even some established manufacturers aren’t even doing! They also made their replicas to be functional, with magazines produced from ground up, mock charging handles, especially making a quality SKS AEG replica.
Not only the SKS, they made some of the stuff that not even half of the world
“THE OWNER ALSO HAS A BIG SENSE OF HUMOUR; WHEN I SAY BIG IT’S LITERALLY BIG AND LONG. MEET
THE GLOCK G17XXXXXXL, A NAME I MADE UP FOR IT! I DON’T KNOW IF A BB WOULD COME OUT THE OTHER END OF IT, BUT WHO CARES IF IT SHOOTS BB’S OR NOT WHEN YOU HAVE A REPLICA GBB WITH A SLIDE LONGER THAN YOUR WHOLE BODY!”
knows its existence, they made two GBB SMG replica that is based off the Maruzen Vz. 61, and they turned it into a Japanese Imperial army Experimental Model 2 Submachine gun (試製二型機関銃) and the Chinese Type 64 Submachine gun (1964年式衝鋒槍). Honestly speaking, as a gun-head I never even knew this gun existed, heck it’s because of Barry’s Gun Shop that I now know the existence of these two SMGs!
Custom Shop - And of course it’s not Bakuretsu-Sai if you’re not talking about the many custom shops, where they modify store bought replicas or your own replica to your liking.
One of the impressive ones is a company called Good Island; they specialise in high-end modifications, DSG, pre-cocking, high-torque motors, you name it. But they also have a very interesting tool, the ToolkitRC, it’s a tool that indicates the FPS, battery life, shooting rate, and all the information of the replica involving the performance of it; it’s basically a speedometer but for your replica!
You do have to modify your replica to make the thing work, but if you did the modification you just need to attach it and you can tune your replica on the fly. Not only that, they displayed a very interesting replica, an old Tokyo Marui CAR-15 AEG replica; it did look like an innocent little grandpa, but looks are really deceiving, because this thing is modified to kingdom come!
It’s got a CNC EON V2 Gearbox rev.2, GATE ASTER II, SHS’s DSG gears, and Warhead BASE 35K motor inside it. This thing is properly what you call a “sleeper gun”, because it’s based on an AEG made two decades ago, and made to silence the new speedy bois!
And if you want your replica to look bling bling on the field, we also had from Saoreane Airsoft (who’s a big influencer and a model), a Kriss Vector AEG replica with leather on it, very classy and cool looking.
Not only AEG replicas were being modified to kingdom come, you also get the good old GBB replicas. Especially when you’re in Japan, everybody uses an MWS, where you get conversion kits for anything you want, especially as you can turn your
replica! Nobody has made one yet, and now you can have it with a very proven system.
Not only some serious stuff, but meme stuff as well, so in Japan we call airsoft ‘Sa-ba-ge’ a shortening for Survival game, but its name is very close to a name of a fish called saba which is Japanese for mackerel, so that why don’t you have a saba for your sa-ba-ge, you get it. No? I’m sorry it’s harder to do it word to word… but with 3D printing and the passion of the Akhiabara hearts, anything could happen.
And MUCH More - And there was much more backyard or just plain outlandish new stuff in Bakuretsu-Sai, but there is too much to cover! You get homemade plate carriers, gun-bags that can turn into a high-school bag, a fully carbon frame that is lighter than a smartphone, hybrid hop-up buckings, and MUCH more.
But to summarise, this year Bakuretsu-Sai also left a bit to be desired, especially from the big companies, especially the homegrown makers like KSC, SYSTEMA, Sightron, Novel Arms, and the like.
This year, instead, the community itself showed to everyone that they can be the next Tokyo Marui, and it was super fun and a very good experience… Now please excuse me, I’m gonna have fun with the G17XXXXXL! This is Tama reporting from Japan signing out! AA
“TO SUMMARISE, THIS YEAR BAKURETSU-SAI ALSO LEFT A BIT TO BE DESIRED, ESPECIALLY FROM THE BIG COMPANIES, ESPECIALLY THE HOMEGROWN MAKERS LIKE KSC, SYSTEMA, SIGHTRON, NOVEL ARMS, AND THE LIKE. THIS YEAR INSTEAD THE COMMUNITY ITSELF SHOWED TO EVERYONE THAT THEY CAN BE THE NEXT TOKYO MARUI, AND IT WAS SUPER FUN AND A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE!”
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS…
SHOW SEASON IS FULLY UPON US FOR ANOTHER YEAR, AND AFTER STEWBACCA’S SUPERB COVERAGE FROM MOA THE GAUNTLET HAD BEEN WELL AND TRULY LAID DOWN AS BOYCIE, LI’L STU AND STEVE BOARDED THE “BIG FREEDOM BIRD” ACROSS THE POND TO LAS VEGAS TO REPORT ON SHOT SHOW 2025… AND TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS, READ ON…
Here we go again! At 05:45 the alarm sounded at Casa Boycie, signalling it was time to get up and complete preparations for the long trip over to Las Vegas, Nevada for Shot Show ‘25. If you’ve not heard of Shot Show before this is about the largest show in the US for firearms, hunting, manufacturing and accessories. Having been
to the British Shooting Show and IWA in Germany, the scale of Shot Show would just blow your mind; for a rough guide, a single F-18 Hornet fighter is approximately 17 metres long and has a wingspan of 12.3 metres… now what does this have to do with Shot Show you may ask? Well, on the entire floor area of Shot Show you could fit a huge 547
“ON THE ENTIRE FLOOR AREA OF SHOT SHOW YOU COULD FIT A HUGE 547 F-18S! IT’S ALSO SAID THAT IF YOU WALKED TO EVERY BOOTH/STAND AND SPENT 30 SECS AT EACH IT WOULD TAKE AROUND SEVEN DAYS TO COMPLETE!”
F-18s! It’s also said that if you walked to every booth/ stand and spent 30 secs at each it would take around SEVEN days to complete!
Steve got to my house at around 06:45 and we then set off to meet up with L’il Stu in Worcestershire, where we would park up and then hop on the train to take us to Paddington Station. We arrived at Paddington and we had around 10 minutes to get across the station and to the Heathrow Express to take us to the airport. We got to Heathrow T3 at 12:30 and went straight to check in our bags and head through security.
I almost expected that one of us would be selected for ‘extra checks’ and as is becoming a regular thing when we fly together, L’il Stu was selected! I knew there would be nothing to worry about and Stu soon came back over to meet Steve and I. We headed over to the Number 1 Lounge where Steve had booked us in so we could relax before heading to our gate to board the plane at around 15:30 with a planned take off at 16:40; we had a slight delay before take-off but then we got wheels up and began the almost 11 hour flight to Harry Reid International in Las Vegas.
We arrived into our hotel at around 19:00 (PST), some eight hours behind GMT and got our rooms sorted, dropped off our bags and headed downstairs for some food and a beverage. Not long after we hit the sack as we’d been awake for a little over 24 hours and the plane seats didn’t allow for much sleep!
DAY 1 – WHEELS DOWN!
On the morning of Day 1, we had a lazy morning before getting sorted and heading down to the “Coffee Shop” in the hotel for breakfast and, as is now the tradition on the first morning, we had an 8oz New York Steak, Eggs and Hash Brown (nothing like a UK hash brown)! After brunch we awaited the arrival of our good friends John “The King of Kydex” Phillips and Trampas Swanson, the man behind the Armed Lifestyle magazine, and an old friend to all of us at AA.
We spent some of the day planning what we would do over the course of the week; Trampas and John arrived, squared away their admin and in the evening we adjourned to the Sports Bar for beer & Burgers.
DAY 2 – FAMILY ASSEMBLE!
Day 2 brought a bright and shiny, albeit chilly morning. We again had a leisurely morning before breakfast with the group. With L’il Stu feeling a L’il under the weather, Steve, John and I headed over to Discount Firearms for a meeting with Josh and took the opportunity to try out a number of firearms whilst we were there, “Well, it’s rude not to...!” Steve said, something we all totally agreed with, so we ended up trying out S&W M&P 2.0, M4, MP5, AK, 1911, Ruger GP100 and the mighty Barrett Light 50.
Later in the afternoon we headed over to the Venetian Exhibition Centre to collect our press passes
“ON THE MORNING OF DAY 1, WE HAD A LAZY MORNING BEFORE GETTING SORTED AND HEADING DOWN TO THE “COFFEE SHOP” IN THE HOTEL FOR BREAKFAST; AS IS NOW THE TRADITION ON THE FIRST MORNING WE HAD AN 8OZ NEW YORK STEAK, EGGS AND HASH BROWN (NOTHING LIKE A UK HASH BROWN)!”
for the week. As is the norm for Shot Show, we all then met up for the “Family Dinner” in the evening before the fun really starts. This is where the whole reporting team for both Airsoft Action and Armed Lifestyle Magazine, along with other friends meet up and have a fun evening and catch up with each other. A relatively early night was had as we prepared head out on the big “Industry Day at The Range”.
DAY 3 – INDUSTRY DAY AT THE RANGE
We RV’d in the lobby at 07:30 to then call in at Starbucks just outside the hotel where we got our morning coffee; there wasn’t time to go for breakfast so the coffee was a good start to the day!
We met up with our Armed Lifestyle Magazine colleagues, then fuelled by caffeine and enthusiasm we had a brisk walk over to the Venetian Exhibition Centre and to the RV point for the coach that would take us to Boulder City Rifle and Pistol Club, the hosts for Industry Day at the Range.
dressed appropriately, and as we passed through the entry gate we collected a complimentary set of Razor ear defenders and safety glasses sponsored by Walkers.
The group got prepared and we decided to start at the top of the range, just by the entry gate. Our first stand was Sim-X Ammunition. This was of great interest to Steve and I given the range of lead free ammunition on offer… more to come on this in a future issue. The group then spilt up to enable the team to cover more ground. Our friend John Phillips from Survivor Creek Tactical had chosen to stick with myself, L’il Stu and Steve and joined our team for the duration of the show.
The trip to the range, about 30 miles away, took around 45 minutes; as we got off the coach we were greeted by a chilly morning, which was made to feel even colder by a strong wind of about 25 mph blowing straight into our faces! With the four of us now being veteran Shot Show attendees we were
Next we headed to the joint Bushmaster and Franklin Armory stand; whilst waiting in the queue to experience the Bushmaster Firearms we got chatting to one of the team called Skye, whom we’d met last year and who had given me a Bushmaster Poker Chip. Skye was mainly at the stand to load the magazines, a task which was hampered by the biting wind and as she wasn’t able to wear gloves her fingers were numb. I showed her that I still had the Bushmaster Poker Chip from the previous year which she thought was really cool. We first went on to the Franklin Armory table, and here we got our hands on the SCAR 15S. The rifle itself was universally liked, however the jury is out on the binary trigger that was fitted. We then crossed over the Bushmaster side of the range and tried out their .300 AAC Blk suppressed M4 which we rocked on “full giggle”. This term seems now to be adopted as how we refer to “full auto”.
After this we decided to head down to the coffee stand as we felt the need to top up the caffeine levels and warm our hands on a cup of coffee. Whilst here we saw the LWRC stand and subsequently spent quite some time discussing and testing almost every firearm they had, as well as some long chats about the
firearms and their future plans.
We all liked the .350 Legend rifle and I mentioned to the guys on the stand that this is quite rare round in the UK at the minute, but I am seeing more rifles in that calibre appearing.
Our next stop was at the Traditions Firearms where we were taken aback at the .50 cal muzzle loading rifle. This used a plastic skirted projectile at 290 grains in weight, but a quite unique powder charge system which Steve said resembled a 20 bore shotgun cartridge. This cartridge was a plastic case, pre-filled with black powder and initiated by a shotgun primer. We all found it a pleasure to shoot and liked how simple it was to clean after use.
The lure of the pistol range then became too strong, but before we headed down there John P had a look at Zenith who had a roller locked .300 AAC Blk fitted with a Boss Chairman suppressor. He commented on how smooooth it felt to fire and how quiet the report was, akin to that of a PCP air rifle.
Next on to the lower range where there were a lot of pistols which we were looking forward to testing, along with some other rifles. We had the opportunity to fire around 30 pistols ranging from 9mm up to .45 ACP along with some 20 rifles!
After boarding the coach back to the hotel, we grabbed a quick drink and headed back to the room to sit, chat and write the daily report so that we could send it to Bill. The reason we jump on this straight away at the end of the day is that with the time difference, we can send our report in at around 10:00 (PST) and then soon after Bill gets it published on the website and in the early morning here in Las Vegas the news is already around the world. Today we had each covered around 7,500 steps covering 6km; we couldn’t believe how dusty we all were so after writing the report, we headed to our rooms for a shower before going down to find our dinner and partake in an adult beverage ...or two!
DAY 4 – SHOT SHOW PROPER!
Today began a long four days of walking the halls and aisles of Shot Show. As is the norm when we get to this point, we met up with our colleagues from Armed Lifestyle Magazine and then headed over to the Venetian Exhibition Centre and up to our breakfast in the Press Room. This is where all the media who are reporting on the show can meet and partake in a breakfast of hot drinks, fruit juice, fruit, muffins and pastries which is a great start to the day and fuels us up until lunchtime.
“NEXT ON TO THE LOWER RANGE WHERE THERE WERE A LOT OF PISTOLS WHICH WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO TESTING ALONG WITH SOME OTHER RIFLES. WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIRE AROUND 30 PISTOLS RANGING FROM 9MM UP TO .45 ACP ALONG WITH SOME 20 RIFLES!”
There is so much we can write about, but to keep things simple we decided to go with our favourite item of the day. John P lead off with “I have to say that the O Sight booth really grabbed my attention. Holosun had lead the market with reasonably priced optics, until recently it seems that Holosun have started to climb into the higher dollar bracket. O Sight promises a new perspective with cutting edge features and a price point that you can’t ignore.”
Steve followed with the Brik (Bleed Resource Individual Kit) Micro from Sunshine Safety First Aid. “This little ouch pouch measures a meagre 3.5 * 3 * 1.8” and weighs in at not much more than a thought. However, this “Brik” is so well thought out, packing everything you could ever need on the range or even out and about such as hiking. Carried on a belt, it would hardly be noticeable - even with a TQ - and priced at $70 for the Essentials version and $160 for the Pro, its great value.”
L’il Stu, ever on the lookout for interesting things picked the ASG CZ TS 2. “I was really impressed with the fit, finish and balance of the TS2. The blade trigger is a joy to use, the take up was really smooth and had a clean break. It runs both CO2 or Green Gas mags without problem. With all the aftermarket upgrades which are appearing for the CZ Shadow range by Airsoft Action’s good friend, Clarence Lai, this can only get even better.” The TS 2 is due to land in the UK around late March 25.
I rounded off Day One’s picks with the Arcturus Vanguard 4.3. Based around the ubiquitous Hi Capa it was just the look of the pistol which immediately drew me to the booth. The whole look of this GBB is just fantastic, with the 4.3 slide married to a compensator and topped with a red dot sight, I was really amazed by the estimated resale price as well.
If you want to know more about it then you have to wait a little while as we were going back to Arcturus on Thursday for a meeting where we’d be taken through SIX new products coming to market in the first half of 2025!
We covered over 10 km each with about 12,900 steps so it was time for our aching bones to recover but first we took the time for dinner with the team before retiring to our rooms for a restful sleep, as we’d do it all again tomorrow.
DAY 5 – SHOT SHOW DAY 2
Well what an exhausting day! The usual 0800 RV for breakfast prior to hitting the floor for day 2 of Shot Show, and we spent a good part of the day over in the Caesar’s part of the show.
As with yesterday we spent most of our time travelling the halls looking for people to go back and see again. Someone once told me (probably fellow show-veteran Bill), that “time spent in recce is seldom wasted” and this is why we spend time walking round to find the new innovations and also to arrange extra meetings so we can get more information on products.
This morning started with a trip to Fedex! Strange you may think but I went to ship out a package to our good friend ‘Bingo’ who couldn’t make the trip this year. We usually bring some small gifts for our US team members and as Bingo couldn’t be here I wasn’t going to let him miss out on his care package. Just as we were heading out of Fedex our first meeting of the day, Sarah from Amarok messaged me to ask if we could shift our meeting to 09:00 instead of the 11:00 slot. This wasn’t a problem for us and so we headed off to meet up with her. The meeting was really good and we discussed several <REDACTED> products. Yes guys, sorry to say we cannot give any info on those products yet but keep an eye out in a future issue of Airsoft Action where we’ll talk in more detail about Amarok and all will become clear!
As we were walking over to the Sky Bridge between the Venetian and Ceasars we visited Timber Creek who were giving out free AR pistol grips. These are designed for real steel but will also fit airsoft GBBR, so it was well worth getting and is likely to be fitted to a future build. I left the guys at the Timber Creek booth and headed over to see Mani at Tacticon Armament. Mani, last year, gave both Steve and myself a fully equipped trauma med pack and mine has proved very useful a couple of times already. Whilst there I spotted a couple of guys creating some video content and as the presenter turned round I realised that it was Doug Marcaida of “Forged in Fire” fame. I bided my time until they had finished and asked Doug if he minded having a picture with me which he graciously granted. Before we went our own ways I gave Doug a small bag of the chocolate and ‘candy’ that we’d brought to give away. He seemed
“I
ROUNDED OFF DAY ONE’S PICKS WITH THE ARCTURUS VANGUARD 4.3. BASED AROUND THE UBIQUITOUS HI CAPA IT WAS JUST THE LOOK OF THE PISTOL WHICH IMMEDIATELY DREW ME TO THE BOOTH. THE WHOLE LOOK OF THIS GBB
IS JUST FANTASTIC”
really pleased to receive it and I walked away to enjoy my fanboi moment.
Next was the trip over to the Caesar’s Forum and a lot of walking the aisles to find the booths we wanted to visit in more detail tomorrow and on Friday.
We found a few booths we will be heading back to, including KWA. As we walked around I took the opportunity to talk with the guys at Axon who make the Taser products and was really pleased to be invited to deploy a Taser using their training cartridges. Now this wouldn’t be legal in the UK but I jumped at the offer as in the US Tasers are available to civilians in many states and I could enjoy that freedom here in the US.
It was not long after this that I had to break off from the team and go to meet with Charlie Cook, of “Riding Shotgun with Charlie”, for an interview... bit strange for me as I was the interviewee not the interviewer. Around two hours later I got back to the Venetian Centre having been for a drive up and down the Las Vegas Strip and we also stopped at the world famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign for a photo opportunity. Then I again linked up with the guys for a final half hour ending up at the Hogue booth where we had a long chat with Josh about airsoft.
On to our picks of the day... I chose , not a product but my meeting with Doug Marcaida. Being a huge fan of the Forged in Fire TV show, I really hadn’t expected to bump into Doug. Getting to shake his hand and get a selfie with him was great and is a highlight of my trip to Shot Show 25.
For Steve’s pick he picked a real steel product.
“After having had the pleasure of running their K11 on the range at Industry day, I was keen to visit the Kimber stand. Today was that day and I was not disappointed: the Rapide Dawn LCI really caught my eye! My kind of pistol - classic with that little bit of something else, but not ostentatious. The gold match grade barrel is a beautiful contrast against the stainless frame and slide, finished with a grey/black laminate grip. If only they would make a 6mm...”
John P’s choice today was the Spyderco booth. “It’s always been incredible to me that there are so many knives around that look the same but David from Spyderco took some considerable time to tell me about the various corrosion protection levels and materials in their range. Those which looked like
the same knife but with different metallurgy and treatment could have a price point ranging from $75 up to $400. He also explained to me why some materials are used to give better edge retention, or durability when the end user may sometimes use the knife for something other than its normal intended use, i.e. for prying open a box or tin.”
L’il Stu rounds off the day with his pick and when I asked him what it was he just said “The Kimber stand, the whole Kimber stand and nothing but the Kimber stand”. Quite understandable as he really enjoyed firing the Kimber 2K11 on the Industry Day at the Range…
Today we achieved a step count of around 14,000 each and we’re still nowhere near seeing it all… Oh well, let’s see what DAY 3 brings!
DAY 6 – SHOT SHOW DAY 3
Another long day of travelling the aisles of Shot Show; our legs and feet are crying out for mercy now so we’re sitting with our feet up whilst writing this report. For some reason the halls felt a lot warmer today so we made it a priority to remain hydrated which also gave us chance to have a seat for 10 minutes to rest here and there… again to quote Bill, “Shows are a marathon, not a sprint!”
Today’s walking the floors began with us in one of the side halls for a visit to EoTech. I was interested to see some of their ‘short dot’ scopes and also had been asked to gather some info for our friend Rob. As we left EoTech we collected a special Poker Chip and decal which I’ll send to Rob this week. We then moved further round the hall where we met up again with Skye from Bushmaster Firearms. Skye was the lady loading all the mags in bitter wind chill during the Industry Day at The Range. Myself and L’il Stu asked if her hands had thawed out and she said “Thankfully, they have!” Stu and I then received a special Bushmaster Firearms cap each and we gave Skye some of the British chocolate we had brought over from home. Bidding her farewell, we then made our way downstairs to the Level 1 hall, where we rejoined Steve and John.
We had been asked by our Deputy Editor USA, Dan, to see if we had time to go and seek out Stingray Airsoft. Dan had said that they had some quite unique
“THE MEETING WAS REALLY GOOD AND WE DISCUSSED SEVERAL <REDACTED> PRODUCTS. YES GUYS, SORRY TO SAY WE CANNOT GIVE ANY INFO ON THOSE PRODUCTS YET BUT KEEP AN EYE OUT IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF AIRSOFT ACTION WHERE WE’LL TALK IN MORE DETAIL ABOUT AMAROK AND ALL WILL BECOME CLEAR!”
innovations on show. We located the stand and were greeted by the staff, who then introduced us to the CEO of Stingray Airsoft, who showed us around their Airsoft AT-4 launcher system.
The unit is a replica of the military AT-4 anti-tank weapon which fires a pre-packaged foam projectile via a compressed air charge. It loads a complete round through the back and once fired you take out the empty cartridge and reload prior to firing again. There’s a lot of components to the system which will be covered in a later issue of Airsoft Action, which include an airsoft claymore and sensor units. By the time we said thank you to the team we had been at the booth for around half an hour. Keep an eye out for a feature on this in the coming months, it really looks like a cool and fun piece of equipment to use!
We then made our way to the upper hall, which is located on the second main floor of the show where companies like Smith & Wesson, Mossberg, Glock, Staccato and other major manufacturers have their booths. We were on the lookout for more booths to return to and look at products in more depth. By just before midday we were all getting ready for lunch and Steve suggested that we try the BBQ area, sponsored by Daniel Defense, located outside of Hall 2 and near the bridge to Ceasar’s. It was a great call as we all had a burger and drink which refuelled us ready for the afternoon session!
We walked back in to Hall 2 and spent some time looking first at the new Mantis training pistol. This is a full-sized replica of, at the minute, Glocks but soon to be SIGs and other pistols.
Inside the body of the pistol is the same Mantis 10 unit and allied to a weighted Glock style magazine it makes a really good training aid. Moving further round the hall we reached the Umarex booth and had a look around. Some of the products we were hoping to look at were behind people having meetings with Umarex staff so we decided to carry on walking the aisles as we made our way to the Evike stand where we were meeting Ronald Meeuwissen and Derick Moose from Titan.
Derick took us through the new innovations from Titan, one of which was the improved 7.4v stick battery. The current version has a 3000mAh capacity but in the new version they have managed to not only cram in another 1000mAh of capacity, but also made
the wiring connections much tougher than the older models; all this and for exactly the same price as the 3000mAh unit!
The second new product was the charger. This now sports a new display window and also the ability to use a USB-C cable to provide the power rather than a cumbersome big cable, easy to charge from a power bank if your field/site has limited power facilities. Lastly there was the new 18650 cell which is ideal for those who use real steel illuminators etc. The Titan 18650 not only is rechargeable but provides on average double the duration of use over that of other cells, thanks mainly to it’s 4000mAh capacity. I know Bill and Jase are looking forward to linking up with Ronald and the Titan EU team when they attend IWA in Germany in March and see the products we had first eyes on.
I lead off with my top choice of the day and for the second day running I chose not one but two major fanboi moments! I’d already bumped into Jerry Miculek yesterday and today I met with his daughter Lena on the Mossberg stand, where I received an autographed photo and had the opportunity for a photo with Lena. Then, whilst waiting at the Staccato stand I found I was standing next to none other than Chris Costa, so I waited until he was finished looking at the pistols and asked if he’d mind a quick photo. He agreed and we had a quick photo before I shook his hand and thanked him for his time.
John P told me, “A friend from back home asked me to look up a company named Miller Precision Firearms while I was here. It turns out the company is right in my own backyard... just a couple hours away in Sarasota, Florida. He said they were supposed to be releasing a new pew, so I looked them up this morning and went to see what they had to offer. To many people, what they showed us - The Ranger 9 - would’ve just seemed like just another 2011. However, after taking a closer look and being given a tour of the pistol by the guys at Miller, it became evident that they’ve really solved many of the issues shooters run into with that platform. In fact, they have 3 patents pending for the design of different features of the firearm. They spoke of how they really wanted to be able to offer custom builds without having to charge more than some of the mainstream high volume offerings (Staccato). Looking at the different
“WE HAD BEEN ASKED BY OUR DEPUTY EDITOR USA, DAN, TO SEE IF WE HAD TIME TO GO AND SEEK OUT STINGRAY AIRSOFT. DAN HAD SAID THAT THEY HAD SOME QUITE UNIQUE INNOVATIONS ON SHOW. WE LOCATED THE STAND AND WERE GREETED BY THE STAFF, WHO THEN INTRODUCED US TO THE CEO OF STINGRAY AIRSOFT, WHO SHOWED US AROUND THEIR AIRSOFT AT-4 LAUNCHER SYSTEM”
grip, barrel and slide options it looks like they’re poised to put smiles on the faces of a lot of shooters!
Bravo Miller Precision Firearms!”
On to Steve’s choice... “The call out for me today was the new Titan X training pistol from Mantis. The model used today is based on Glock 45 and felt every bit the same as the real steel version. The magazine are weighted and can be adjusted to fit the user’s specification. The pistol is linked to a free app that allows you to run multiple different drills to improve your skills and then provides feedback to further perfect them. The best bit, the retail is $200. Such a great bit of kit for the money that has applications across multiple disciplines, with other models of pistol to come later this year.”
Rounding off the day L’il Stu chose his bed! “I can’t really think of anything other than the Stingray Airsoft AT-4 and that’s already been covered so I’ll choose my bed as it’s been another long day.” I hoped that we hadn’t broken L’il Stu as there was still one more day of Shot Show to go and we still have a few booths visit...
Today’s average step count was just over 12,000 each so around 45,000 so far from Monday to today!
DAY 7 – THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!
Today we had the usual start in the Media Room and after 20 minutes our friend Franz, the owner of PTS Barricade, messaged me to say he had arrived and was in the lobby.
As Trampas was in a meeting, I decided to head down to greet Franz and bring him up to the Media Room. Franz had made it to Shot Show for the first time in three years and he was only able to join us for the final day. What was really impressive, was that he had flown in from his home in Jamaica just to attend Shot Show and was flying home on Saturday!
After breakfast, Trampas, Nora and Tyler headed off to a morning of meetings and myself, Steve, L’il Stu and John P took Franz under our wing and said that we’d show him around the booths and halls. We first headed for Altama’s booth so that he could try on their slip on boots. Franz was really impressed with the feel of the boots and is looking to purchase his own pair soon after the show. Heather, the lady on the stand handed us the patch of the day and thus we
completed the set.
We then walked to the Arcturus booth where we had a meeting with Daniel. Steve spent around half an hour being shown around the new products (more to come in a future issue!) whilst Franz and I had a look at the neighbouring booth being that of Operator XR. This is a VR training unit which features a VR headset and modified gas blow back replica firearm.
Each member of the team who had been taken through scenarios commented that it was really good as a training tool. When we asked for a cost of the unit they told us that for a set up including two replicas, VR headsets, laptop, tablet and operating system would cost around $50,000 over three years!
The system can support up to twelve users at one time and would allow someone in law enforcement to be able to carry replica items from their duty belt to enable them to cuff a suspect in the virtual world. Also it can be set up to allow the user to ‘deploy’ either a Taser or non-lethal spray on the virtual suspect. When you consider the cost or running the system it worked out at 0.05 cents per shot.
We then sat and had a coffee break and discussed the plan for the next few hours; Steve, L’il Stu and John P split off and I took Franz through the upper main hall, with the initial plan to go to visit Mossberg and see if Lena Miculek was there. Unfortunately she was not around, so we decided to head round the corner to look at the Glocks. We were looking at the pistols when we recognised Katherine Glock and asked booth staff if we could say hello. Within a few minutes Katherine greeted us and we had a few minutes chat before being given one of the Glock patches and having some photos. As we said thank you and prepared to leave the stand, Katherine gave us a hug! We then picked up our bags and waved goodbye.
We crossed over to the Staccato booth in the hope to meet Michelle Viscusi but she was not at the stand. We asked Xenia, who was at the counter, if she knew when Michelle may be back on the stand, but unfortunately she didn’t know at the time so Franz and myself had a good chat and explained some of the differences in firearms before collecting some stickers and having photos. Then we walked over to the Sky Bridge where we were met Steve, L’il Stu and John P for lunch at the Daniel Defense BBQ again.
“DERICK TOOK US THROUGH THE NEW INNOVATIONS FROM TITAN, ONE OF WHICH WAS THE IMPROVED 7.4V STICK BATTERY. THE CURRENT VERSION HAS A 3000MAH CAPACITY BUT IN THE NEW VERSION THEY HAVE MANAGED TO NOT ONLY CRAM IN ANOTHER 1000MAH OF CAPACITY BUT ALSO MADE THE WIRING CONNECTIONS MUCH TOUGHER THAN THE OLDER MODELS”
After lunch we made our way over to the Ceasars Centre and headed first for the KWA booth where we introduced Franz to the world of airsoft/6mm training replicas. Needless to say he was impressed with the recoil impulse on both the gas blow back and ERG platforms. We also got to see and dry fire the new TAC-9 GBB SMG (expected to be out in retailer’s stores somewhere around the middle of 2025), this looks like it will be a popular item in the KWA stable. Just before we left the KWA booth I spotted friends Callum and Connors from Magload in the UK. Magload produce a large range of competition accessories in the UK for shotgun and firearms, so I grabbed a quick photo before letting them get on their way for another load of meetings.
After KWA we went back to the Axon booth where we looked at the various options of Taser that they offered. The Taser Master Instructor explained about the latest options in the Taser range. It was after leaving the Axon booth that Franz and I broke off from the main group and we headed off on a whistle stop tour of the Ceasars Halls, collecting a few patches, stickers and other cool swag as we made our way around.
We got the opportunity to sit in the door gunner’s seat on the fuselage of a UH-1 Huey on the Ohio Gunworks booth and have a few photos taken. At the other side of the OGW booth was a stripped down vehicle which bristled with machine guns, so of course we had to have photos in that too! I went up to stand in the top gunner/cover position and Franz took the drivers seat.
By now it was almost 14:30 and only having around 90 minutes left of Shot Show we made our way back to Hall 2 where we saw Rebecca on the main Mantis booth. Franz was really taken with the new and soon to be released Mantis Titan X training pistol, as we mentioned on day 6. This really is a great bit of kit.
We then went over to the Evike booth in the hopes of linking up with Alek and Piotr from Specna Arms, who were very busy boys it seems! Unfortunately I couldn’t find them to have a chat about new products. I’d been trying to link up with them for a couple of days but always seemed to manage to have missed them. Not to worry as I know Bill and Jase will be seeing them at IWA… Maybe next year gents… Rounding off the day, we made our way down to
“FRANZ
the Lower Hall in the Venetian Centre where I wanted to show Franz a couple of booths, namely the O Light and O Sight ones. I showed Franz the innovative way that O Light and O Sight charge their products, along with the performance from such small units. As we headed back to the hotel, we stopped off at Walgreens store for a few needed supplies, and it was as we approached the tills that Franz realised his wallet was missing!
Not panicking, we decided to retrace our steps back to the last couple of places we knew that he had had the wallet in his possession. Just as we got to an escalator to head back to the Venetian Centre, Franz received a text saying that someone had handed in his wallet and that it was at the Security desk. Relieved, Franz and I made our way back to the Venetian and re-claimed it! As it was now past 16:00 and Shot Show was closed we walked back to the hotel and met up again with L’il Stu, Steve and John P to enjoy a much needed and well-earned adult beverage before heading back to our room to write the daily report.
DAY 8 – HOMEWARD BOUND
After a good night’s sleep, we had a leisurely morning before going down to “The Coffee Shop” for our usual “Adios” breakfast with those members of the team who hadn’t already departed for their home locations.
This morning we had Steve, L’il Stu, Boycie, John P and Franz at the table. We sat around, enjoying a good breakfast and chatting about our week. Soon after breakfast both John P and Franz said their goodbyes and made their way off to the airport. The AA team made their way up to our room and after getting the first draft of this report written, we grabbed a nap as our flight wasn’t until 22:30 that night.
Mid-afternoon we decided to go for a walk down “The Strip” and get a snack before finally collecting our bags and making our way to Harry Reid International Airport and leg one of our return to our homes. After almost flying through security we made our way to the Lounge that Steve had managed to arrange for us whilst we waited for our boarding call. Whilst we were in the lounge we met up with Andy Norris, Sales Manager for Viking Arms; I know
HAD MADE IT TO SHOT SHOW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS AND HE WAS ONLY ABLE TO JOIN US FOR THE FINAL DAY; WHAT WAS IMPRESSIVE IS THAT HE HAD FLOWN IN FROM HIS HOME IN JAMAICA JUST TO ATTEND SHOT SHOW AND WAS FLYING HOME ON SATURDAY”
Andy through my day job and we discussed what we thought about Shot Show this year.
We boarded the flight home and with a large tail wind we made it to Heathrow around an hour ahead of when we had planned to be back. Again, a quick trip through security and then the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then from there back into Pershore, where I had parked my car. After bidding L’il Stu adieu, Steve and I got back on the road for the final leg back up to Yorkshire and our homes.
The AA Team would like to thank everyone we met and spent time with, for the explanations of their products, the giveaways (swag) and their interest in Airsoft Action Magazine
A special mention to Shot Show Official as they had asked if they could use our photos in their social media feeds, which we later found out they had done when L’il Stu popped up in one of the End of Shot Show montages!
Next, a huge thank you to the guys on the Altama booth as they had found Franz’s wallet and got it to the Security Desk; hopefully we’re back again next year to say thank you in person.
Thank you once again to Trampas for allowing us to be part of the family of writers covering Shot Show for both Armed Lifestyle Magazine and especially to
Bill for allowing us to represent Airsoft Action at this prestigious event all those miles away from home.
My thanks as well must go to Steve and L’il Stu; this was Steve’s second Shot Show and L’il Stu’s third with me. Without their support and hard work I would find it a lot harder to provide as much coverage as we do. The team covered around 78,000 steps or about 30 plus miles around the show to bring the coverage this year, and this report is the largest one ever written from Shot Show and even though it’s around 6,500 words, we could easily double or triple it and still have things to tell you!
Thank you Las Vegas and Shot Show for another awesome experience… we hope to see you next year… and oh yeah, I did bring the hat home! AA
