Airsoft Action - 10th Anniversary Edition

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY 

ISSUE 130 - OCTOBER 2021 

ISSN 2634-9515

CLICK/TAP ANY IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION 

CLICK/TAP ANY IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTENTS 

8 ARMOURY: TOYKO MARUI AKM GBBR 

As it’s our 10th Anniversary we thought it only apt to have 

something just a little bit special to open with this month and, 

thanks to Red Cell member Marcus, we’ve been able to get handson 

the very latest GBBR AKM model from Tokyo Marui! 

ISSUE 129 - SEPTEMBER 2021 


ISSN 2634-9515 

Editor: Nigel Streeter 

Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing 

Ad Design: Deadshot Design 

Publisher: Nigel Streeter 

16 ARMOURY: SOPMOD 

To celebrate our 10th Anniversary though, Bill brings in a special 

report that looks both back - and forward - to talk about the 

SOPMOD program that has turned the basic M4A1 into a weapons 

system for the elite warfighter! 

Wyche Innovation Centre, 

Walwyn Road, 

Upper Colwall, 

Malvern, 

Worcestershire, 

WR13 6PL, UK. 

Tel: +44 (0) 1684 878 003 

Web: www.airsoftaction.net 

©Calibre Publishing Limited 2021 

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be 

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted 

in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, 

photocopying, recording or otherwise without the 

express permission of the publisher in writing. The 

opinion of the writers do not necessarily reflect those 

of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit 

submissions prior to publication. 

FIND US ON… 

28 EVENT: NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL 2021 

TEN years ago Nige headed down to “The National Airsoft Event” 

to launch a new magazine called “Airsoft Action”. Now the AA 

crew head down to the UK’s New Forest to check in at the National 

Airsoft Festival. After the last year there was a lot to talk about! 

80 FEATURE: CLARENCE LAI - NEW BEGINNINGS 

Clarence Lai, aka Airsoft Surgeon, Is a close friend of Airsoft 

Action, so when he moved away from Hong Kong to settle in 

Taiwan, we asked our man on the ground, Stewbacca, to catch up 

with the man himself and find out what he’s been up to. 

IMAGE FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN SOURCE 

LETTER, IDEA OR 

QUESTION? 

Got something to say? A question for our 

experts? An article or article idea? 

Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the 

Editor: nige@airsoft-action.co.uk, write to us at the 

Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to us on 

Twitter or Facebook. 

86 FEATURE: THE NEED FOR SPEED PTII 

After a great introduction from Boycie last month, this time one of 

our newest Legion members from the USA moves things forward 

as to how you can get the very best performance from your new 

AEG! Dan picks up the story…

AA_001_Cover_Rev1.indd 1 17/8/11 20:38:49 

Contents 

OCTOBER 2021 

Airsoft Action OCTOBER 2011 

RIFLES 

PISTOLS 

YOUNG GUNS 

GROUND 

ZERO 

WEEKENDER 

LAUNCH EDITION 

THE Airsoft Magazine 

OCTOBER 2011 - £3.95 

ACTION 

MASADA UPDATE 

SITE REVIEWS 

BIG BOYZ TOYZ 

WIN 

£500 

of G1098 kit 

top Tactical tips ■ special operations ■ essential kit ■ game reports ■ dangerous stuff! 

WELCOME TO THE 10TH 

ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF 

AIRSOFT ACTION! 

Believe it or not, Airsoft Action is ten years old! 

Yep, this issue is our 10th Anniversary Issue and to 

celebrate 10 years of continual publication, Nige 

brings us a whole bunch of photos from the last 

129 issues! 

When we started this journey 129 issues ago, we 

didn’t dare to dream it would be as successful as it 

has become, going from (as it was then) the “new 

kid on the block”, to the largest global airsoft 

magazine available today! 


ISSUE 129 - SEPTEMBER 2021 

ISSN 2634-9515 

34 FEATURE: FAVORITE LOADOUTS 

As this is a “special issue” to talk 

about our love for airsoft over the 

past ten years, we got together with 

The Legion and asked them about 

their favourite airsoft loadout, and 

were surprised to hear their answers 

(given that these days it seems to be 

all about the Multicam)! 

70 ARMOURY: VORSK VP26X 

Gas blowback pistols have come a 

LONG way in the last few years, with 

increased functionality and efficiency, 

plus some very cool design aesthetics. 

At the head of the pack is VORSK, so 

Bill takes a look at the VP26X, which 

takes their already unique designs in 

a totally new and exciting direction! 

40 THE CAGE: BEST KIT 

Carrying on the theme of this issue, 

this month Bill got together with 

the members of the Airsoft Action 

Legion and Red Cell and asked them 

all about their favourite gear and, for 

THE CAGE, it’s all about a single item 

that has really made a difference! 

74 RELOADED: STONER 

The argument of the benefit of a 

support gun over a standard AEG 

will undoubtedly go on and on, but 

when it comes to one specific model 

there’s some very good reasons why 

there are FOUR G&P Stoner M63A1s 

owned by the members of the AA 

Legion - and Bill will tell you why! 

58 TECHNICAL: GBBR 

It’s commonly perceived that gas 

rifles are expensive, tricky to maintain 

and coax the best performance from 

and offer limited ammo capacity, so 

why on earth would you want to run 

one as your primary? Bill takes up 

the argument for why a gas rifle can 

actually be “king of the hill”! 

90 FEATURE: THINGS GO WRONG 

Even the very best of us can get 

it very badly wrong from time to 

time …we’re only human after all! 

Recently, Jase attended a MilSim 

event with a lot of new kit to test 

- and things certainly didn’t go 

smoothly! Red Cell member, Jase, 

humbly tells his tale of woe… 

62 TECHNICAL: AEG 

With Bill singing the praises of gas 

platforms, it’s right and proper that 

we have a counterpoint for the joys 

of the AEG! Without doubt it’s the 

“Electric Gun” that has powered 

airsoft forward, so Jimmy picks up 

the challenge as to why you should 

REALLY own an AEG… 

96 SHOP DROP 

With word from stores, distributors 

and manufacturers all confirming 

that they are experiencing nigh-on 

record levels of sales at the moment, 

it appears that airsoft at least has 

shaken of the darkness of the past 

months and is absolutely thriving! 

66 KIT & GEAR: MAROM-X 

Jon has been setting up and working 

with a pre-production MAROM-X 

Elite Night Vision Camera and, thus 

far, it’s a bit of kit that may look quite 

unassuming but one that offers a 

whole range of advanced functionality 

that many airsofters are going to truly 

love! 

IMAGE FROM DUTCH THE HOOLIGAN 

100 LAST POST 

With the proliferation of (anti?)-social 

media videos purporting to show 

airsoft players cheating, as a longtime 

player and site operator, Frenchie 

asks: “Should players be banned for 

posting cheat videos from the site?”

ULTIMA 

JACKET 

BLACK / DARK COYOTE / GREEN 

/ SRP: £89.95

armoury 

TOYKO MARUI AKM GBBR 

IS IT REAL... 

8 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 


AS IT’S THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF AIRSOFT ACTION, WE THOUGHT IT ONLY APT TO HAVE 

SOMETHING JUST A LITTLE BIT SPECIAL TO OPEN WITH THIS MONTH AND, THANKS TO RED CELL 

MEMBER MARCUS, WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO GET HANDS-ON THE VERY LATEST GBBR AKM MODEL 

FROM TOKYO MARUI! SO, SIT BACK AND LET HIM TELL YOU ALL ABOUT HIS BESTEST AND MOST 

FAVOURITEST KALASHNIKOV! 

OR IS IT TM? 

www.airsoftaction.net 9

armoury 


Amongst the Red Cell group there are a number 

of AKM (and indeed, Kalashnikov as a whole) 

fans but, until recently, I have been very much 

open-minded about the platform amongst many that 

are exemplary. As a real firearms shooter in the past, I 

do appreciate everything that a Kalashnikov brings to 

the party (pun intended!) and although I’ve worked 

on and tried many, many airsoft AKs, there hasn’t 

been one that’s really taken my eye …until now! 

To really understand just how good the new TM 

AKM GBBR really is, I need to kick off by telling you 

about the real one, as it would appear to me that TM 

may well have had a peek inside the Izhmash or Tula 

factories to get the lowdown on how they should go 

about making their replica… 

The AKM (Avtomát Kalášnikova modernizírovannyj, 

or “Kalashnikov’s Automatic Rifle Modernised”) is an 

assault rifle that has been used in countless conflicts, 

past and present, all over the globe! Presented in 

service way back in 1959, it was chambered in 

the 7.62x39mm Soviet intermediate cartridge, 

a selective fire rifle, gas operated with a 

rotating bolt, firing in either 

the AKM as the 6P1 assault rifle. Compared with 

the AK-47, the AKM featured detail improvements 

and enhancements that optimised the rifle for 

mass production; some parts and assemblies were 

conceived using simplified manufacturing methods. 

Notably, the AK-47’s milled steel receiver was replaced 

by a U-shaped steel stamping. As a result of these 

modifications, the AKM’s weight was reduced by 

about 1kg (2.2 lb), the accuracy during automatic 

fire was increased and several reliability issues were 

addressed. The AK-47’s chrome-lined barrel was 

retained, a common feature of Soviet weapons which 

resists wear and corrosion particularly under harsh 

field conditions and near-universal Eastern Bloc use of 

corrosively primed ammunition! 

The AKM’s receiver was stamped from a smooth 

1.0 mm (0.04 in) sheet of steel, 

compared with the AK-47 where 

it was 

semiautomatic 

or fully 

automatic modes, with a cyclic rate 

of fire of around 600 rounds per minute (RPM). 

The gas-operated action was a large bolt carrier with a 

permanently attached long stroke gas piston and the 

gas chamber was located above the barrel. The bolt 

carrier rode on two rails, formed on the side of the 

receiver, with a significant space between the moving 

and stationary parts. Despite being replaced in the 

late 1970s by the AK-74, the AKM is still in service 

in some Russian Army reserve and second-line units 

and several east European countries and you’ll still see 

them regularly pictured in current conflict zones, such 

is it’s longevity! 

The GRAU (a department of the Russian (ex- 

Soviet) Ministry of Defense) officially designated 

machined 

from heavier 

gauge steel. A rear 

stock trunnion and forward 

barrel trunnion were fastened 

to the U-shaped receiver using 

rivets The receiver housing also 

featured a rigid tubular cross-section 

support that adds structural strength. 

Guide rails that assisted the bolt carrier’s 

movement that also incorporated the ejector 

were installed inside the receiver through spot 

welding. As a weight-saving measure, the stamped 

receiver cover was of thinner gauge metal than 

that of the AK-47. In order to maintain strength 

and durability it employed both longitudinal and 

10 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 


latitudinal reinforcing ribs, plus there were many more 

modifications including a chrome lined barrel bolt and 

bolt carrier mods and a new under-folding stock. 

And this legendary rifle was amongst the most 

widely produced firearms in the world to date, being 

used all over the world by solders and freedom 

fighters alike! I it has to be one of the most instantly 

recognisable firearms to date and it has even 

appeared on one country’s national flag! 

REPLICATING THE CLASSIC! 

Now, we do expect great things of Tokyo Marui but 

you wouldn’t know it from the box this time! The 

new gas AKM comes in a rather plain box that is 

made to look like a packing box, with the usual TM 

beautiful! The lower receiver is a steel stamping just 

like the real thing, and the front and rear trunnions 

have been riveted in; the finish of all the metal work 

is superb! The pistol grip is made to look just like the 

real thing and looks just like the Russian equivalent of 

Bakelite and it even has the factory code on the top 

left hand side which is fabulous attention to detail, 

but then we expect no less from the mighty TM! The 

dust cover is a steel stamping and looks really good 

with the reinforcing ribs pressed into it and the rear 

site is well-made, graduated properly and again looks 

great. The front trunnion is also well-made and 

finished and the piston 

tube catch is 

neat and moves freely 

with just 

minor resistance 

The piston tube 

looks just 

right with the plastic 

woodwork 

markings and AKM 

in big letters with “avtomat 

kalashnikov modernizirovannyi”, the Russian name 

next to it with (in smaller writing under it) the specs of 

the real AKM, and a serial number in the bottom right 

hand corner; although all the boxes I’ve seen so far 

have the same number on them, it’s still a nice touch. 

However, when you take the lid off you will 

find the AKM nesting beautifully in a burlap-typematerial 

with the magazine; this can be used to 

wrap the rifle up in and has instructions on how to 

do it! There’s also a box that looks like a box of 20 

7.62x39mm cartridges; it has this written on the 

box and underneath actually says it is 6mm BB.. and 

beneath that (a lot of info in a small space!) it has the 

usual writing about the muzzle cap and accessories, 

and again in the bottom right-hand corner there is 

another number that would be a lot number for the 

ammunition. This box contains a muzzle cap, a small 

bag of TM BBs (probably 0.20g but unspecified) and a 

front sight adjustment tool. 

Right, now to the fun part and from the getgo, 

externally the gun looks great! It is full metal 

and there’s no wobble anywhere; the stock and 

handguards are all plastic but you wouldn’t know it at 

first, as TM have really done a great job at colouring 

the stock work to look like real wood. In fact, it’s 

cover and the main tube is a again a steel stamping. 

The main outer barrel is all steel and the attention to 

detail is wonderful; the gas block correct and the front 

sight is elevation-adjustable with the tool I mentioned 

earlier. The distinctive, angled muzzle brake is correct 

for the gun and is angled; on the real thing its there 

to reduce the muzzle climb! The cleaning rod can be 

removed but does not have a threaded end that the 

real thing would have had to screw on a barrel brush 

onto it but, in all fairness, most airsofters wouldn’t 

use it anyway! The stock is a lovely piece and looks 

perfect; it has a sling mount on the lower left hand 

side and is screwed in place with the buttplate being 

another steel stamping; this has a sprung lid in it 

where on the real thing would be some pieces of 

cleaning kit . 

TAKEDOWN 

When you come to stripping the AKM it’s simple and 

just like the real thing! All that you need to do is hold 

the gun, press the rear catch that’s on the back of 

the dust cover and lift that back and off. This gives 

you access to the recoil spring assembly and the bolt 

assembly, so you just push the recoil assembly forward 

and off the lower receiver (it’s a captive spring and 

very similar to the real thing) and then all you have to 

do is pull the bolt to the rear and out. Then you can 


armoury 


flip the gas tube catch up and remove the gas tube… 

and that’s it, just like the real thing! 

The bolt itself is beautifully crafted, metal again 

with the gas piston being a separate piece fixed in 

place and made from a shiny piece of aluminium. 

The whole thing is very well made and houses the 

blowback unit that is the heart of the Marui gas 

blowback system. The lower receiver houses the 

trigger, hammer, safety and fire control components 

as well as the hop unit, which is neatly housed in the 

left hand side, a small wheel adjuster type, that can be 

easily reached when the magazine is removed. 

On the right hand side, the opposite side to the 

hop unit, there is a useful catch that allows you 

to “dry” fire the AKM without BBs loaded in the 

magazine. You simply use one of your fingers in the 

right hand side front of the magazine well and pull 

the catch and down, you can then fire it as much as 

you like without the gun stopping shooting because 

you’ve run out of BBs. You can deactivate this feature 

by pulling the catch back and pushing it back up; this 

is a bit fiddly but it actually works very well. 

DOWNRANGE 

Right, onto my shooting impressions! Loading the 

magazine is straightforward; first put gas in it just like 

any other GBB and then you can use the loading tool 

that is in the box to bomb up. It’s pretty small so you’ll 

need to fill it three times, then insert the magazine 

front first and rock it back to lock it in place. Safety 

off, first click down is full auto, the second is semiauto 

(which still taxes poor Jimmy!), then pull back 

the bolt handle, release it and you’re ready to go! Put 

the sights on target and pull the trigger you will get 

a very satisfying sound and a sweet little push in your 

shoulder from the recoil - and on full auto the recoil 

and the fun just keeps on coming! The dedicated 

magazine feeds smoothly and chrono’ing at 1.12 

Joule/348fps on a .20g BB it’s got some of that old 

TM magic - and shoots straight as a die! 

The overall feel of the AKM is such that there’s 

no wobble at all and all the fake woodwork is well 

fitted and is strong enough to cope with long-term 

gameplay; the only thing is that the plastic woodwork 

is just TOO nice, it’s actually TOO smooth! It’s too nice 

it really needs to be a bit rougher to make it just that 

bit better but you can’t really fault TM for making 

something TOO nice, now can you? 

The AKM handles really, really well! The grip feels 

good in the hand, although a bit small for me. The 

recoil impulse is good and strong and I had three full 

mags of BBs out of one fill of gas, which is great, 

typical Marui efficiency. It’s the same gas system they 

use in their “M4” series of GBBR that works so well, 

so no surprises there! It’s a joy to shoot and the price 

makes it very competitive as it retails at around the 

UK£500 mark and the extra magazines will be around 

UK£50. Do make sure you buys some extra mags 

at the same time as the gun though, as these have 

proved hard to get at the time of release (although no 

doubt this will change in time). 

When it comes to accessories, any standard 14mm 

CCW suppressor or tracer unit would fit (although if 

you fit one you’ll want undoubtedly want the correct 

PBS-1!) and I’m sure soon someone will release a 

full real wood kit that would make it an even more 

beautiful piece of kit! Any AK sling will fit and will set 

it off nicely too. When it comes to optics there’s no 

mount fitted so you would have to get a side mount 

post-purchase. This would need to be either riveted or 

screwed in place just like the real thing, or you could 

remove the rear sight and fit a small mount in the 

recess, but other than that you’re pretty limited on the 

sight front. However, as it’s an absolutely beautiful, 

classic AKM, why would you want a modern optic 

anyway? 

This is most definitely a GBBR to love and cherish, 

with all the looks, quality and performance we take 

for granted from Tokyo Marui these days! I’ve bought 

this particular one, so it’s all mine and, apart from 

loaning it to Bill for some additional test firing and 

photos, it’ll take pride of place on the wall at All Ages 

Airsoft in Dover… Who knows, if you come and visit I 

may even let you fire it yourself! AA 

12 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 



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armoury 

SOPMOD 

PROGRAM-BASED 

E 

R 

FECTIO 

N 

OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS AIRSOFT ACTION HAS COVERED SOME OF THE BEST AEG 

AND GBBR RELEASES TO HAVE ARRIVED ON THE MARKET, BUT IT IS BEYOND DOUBT 

THAT THE “AR/M4-STYLE” IS THE BIGGEST WINNER AMONGST PLAYERS. TO CELEBRATE 

OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY THOUGH, BILL BRINGS IN A SPECIAL REPORT THAT LOOKS 

BOTH BACK - AND FORWARD - TO TALK ABOUT THE SOPMOD PROGRAM THAT HAS 

TURNED THE BASIC M4A1 INTO A WEAPONS SYSTEM FOR THE ELITE WARFIGHTER! 

16 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 

SOPMOD 

For more than ten years my job has been airsoft - and I live and 

breathe it every day! In that time I’ve written reviews on new 

AEGs and GBBs every month and EVERY SINGLE MONTH I seem 

to see a new “M4” hit the market! Now, in truth, the M4A1 is a very 

specific beast and although there are now some very good replicas 

of the military carbine, most “M4s” that I see are actually not, they 

are models based on the “AR” system. Yes, most have been amazing 

AEGs and GBBRs but they are NOT an M4A1! 

However, virtually every airsoft manufacturer on the planet 

produces a “replica” based on the Colt carbine - and some are 

actually very accurate replications. If you take a look at some airsoft 

manufacturers, not only do they offer one “M4 style” but, in some 

cases, they have an entire range of them. It’s no wonder then, that 

if you visit any airsoft site anywhere in the world you’ll find the 

majority of players using some kind of “M4”, even if it is an “AR” 

rather than a true M4. Indeed, my very first replica was a “springer 

M4”, which was consigned to the great armourer in the sky many, 

many moons ago! 

I’ve personally always been into replicas of different and unusual 

models of firearm but, even so, there have been “M4s” that have 

come and gone within my armoury. For specific loadouts the M4 is 

the only carbine which is appropriate, but I have to admit that having 

fired the real 5.56mm M4 and its .223 semi-auto civilian siblings (on 

many occasions), it’s often been a replica that I have shied away from 

as the AEG versions have left me wanting more. 

With gas itself becoming more stable and efficient though, many 

manufacturers have been looking more seriously at gas blowback 

replicas, with a number of different “open bolt” gas-powered rifles 

and carbines available and, these days, reliable. This year I’ve been 

taking a very close look at these models and have come away being 

very impressed with just how far the gas replicas have moved on 

since I first encountered them; gone are the magazines that vent as 

soon as the temperature drops a degree or two and in have come 

features that make them as close to the “real deal” as they can 

possibly be. However, to put things in perspective (before I get into 

“SOPMOD”), we first need to look at why the M4 has become so 

popular. 

Following the adoption of the M16 rifle during the Vietnam War, 

it soon became apparent that a shorter, carbine length version would 

be useful for vehicle and helicopter crews, and for special operations 

units. Although there were forerunners, the Colt Model 607 was the 

first attempt to produce a proper carbine which had both a reduced 

barrel length and, in this case, a somewhat intricate collapsible stock. 

However, these carbines had design issues; as the barrel length was 

drastically reduced so too was range and accuracy. The short barrel 

also led to a massive muzzle flash and blast, so that an oversized 

flash suppressor had to be fitted. 

The Mod 607 was the very first “Colt Commando”, although it 

was very quickly followed by the improved Model 609 (the Model 

608 was a specifically designed survival carbine for aviators) or 

“XM177E1” to give it the correct military designation. The Model 

609 went into production in late 1966 and continued production 

until early 1967. The 10-inch barrel on the Model 609 would prove 

to have reliability and accuracy problems too and it was later phased 


armoury 

SOPMOD 

Image from public domain 

out and replaced by the Colt Model 629 (XM177E2). 

This was basically the same carbine with an 11.5 inch 

barrel and an improved flash hider, which would allow 

a grenade launcher or “Masterkey” shotgun package 

to be installed (possibly the earliest incarnation of 

a modular system of accessories for a basic military 

carbine… more on that later!). 

This 1960s’ veteran stayed in service with special 

units of the US military for a considerable time and 

in fact, if you look at some of the images of the guys 

in the Personal Security Detail for General “Stormin” 

Norman Schwarzkopf during “Desert Shield” and 

“Desert Storm”, you’ll see that they still carry XMs’! 

By 1988 Colt had already begun work on a new 

carbine design called the XM4, combining the best 

features of the Colt Commando and M16A2 rifles. 

The XM4 was given a longer 14.5-inch barrel with 

the M16A2’s 1:7inch rifle twist in order to use the 

heavier 62-grain M855 rounds. The extended barrel 

improved the XM4’s ballistics and reduced muzzle 

blast even further. The XM4 was also given the 

M16A2’s improved rear sight and cartridge deflector. 

In 1994 the U.S. military officially accepted the XM4 

into service as the M4 carbine, to replace M16A2s in 

certain roles. M4s were fielded by troops in positions 

where a full-length rifle would be too bulky, including 

vehicle operators and squad leaders. 

Designed specifically for lightweight mobility, 

speed of target acquisition and potent firepower 

capability, the M4 delivered on all counts. It could 

be comfortably carried yet be instantly available to 

provide the level of firepower, dependability and 

accuracy of a 5.56mm rifle. Proven in military combat 

operations all over the world, it is in a class by itself 

as a first-rate combat weapon system. The Colt M4 

Carbine serves as the United States Armed Forces’ 

weapon of choice and the weapon of the 21st century 

warfighter worldwide. 

In April 2012, the U.S. Army announced its 

intention to buy over 120,000 M4A1 carbines in 

addition to their initial order of 37,000, to start reequipping 

frontline units from the original M4 to the 

new, even further improved M4A1 version. In October 

2015, Commandant Robert Neller formally approved 

of making the M4 carbine the primary weapon for 

all infantry battalions, security forces and supporting 

schools in the U.S. Marine Corps. The switch began in 

early 2016 and today the M4 is used by the entire US 

Armed Forces! 

SOPMOD 

By the time those original M4 carbines started being 

issued to regular line units, of course it had been in 

the hands of the “Spec Ops” community for FAR 

longer! You can easily find most of the information 

online these days in open source but if you’re looking 

at the M4 specifically, then the Special Operations 

Peculiar MODification (SOPMOD) program to provide 

the elite warfighter with a truly modular weapons 

platform “dates back to September 1989, when 

the Special Operations Special Technology (SOST) 

Modular Close Combat Carbine Project was founded. 

The Material Need Statement (MNS) was signed on 

May 1992, and by September 1993, the Operational 

Requirements Document (ORD) for the program was 

validated. Responsibility for the program was then 

assigned to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane 

Division.” 

For those that know only of the “SOPMOD or 

CRANE” stock fitted to many AEGS, it may interest 

you to know that the Naval Support Activity Crane 

(NSA Crane) is, amongst other things, the home of 

the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). NSA Crane 

was originally established in 1941 under the Bureau 

of Ordnance as the Naval Ammunition Depot for 

production, testing, and storage of ordnance under 

the first supplemental Defense Appropriation Act. 

The base is actually the third largest naval installation 

in the world by geographic area and employs 

approximately 3,300 people! 

Whilst personnel at NSA Crane do a lot of 

“interesting jobs”, it’s the work done there on the 

SOPMOD program that most interests me - and us - as 

Crane produced (what would essentially become) the 

“blueprint” for what we now refer to as the “Blocks”: 

1, 2, and now 3 (or I, II, and III if you prefer)! In 

original documents now in the public domain that 

date back to the early 2000’s, it is clearly stated by 

those clever people at Crane that: 

“The SOPMOD Program Management Office 

(PMO) at NSWC Crane, IN, will provide standardized, 

versatile weapons accessories to meet needs across 

SOF mission scenarios. These accessories will increase 

operator survivability and lethality by enhanced 

“…THE M4A1 IS A VERY SPECIFIC BEAST AND ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NOW SOME VERY 

GOOD REPLICAS OF THE MILITARY CARBINE, MOST “M4S” THAT I SEE ARE ACTUALLY 

NOT, THEY ARE MODELS BASED ON THE “AR” SYSTEM. YES, MOST HAVE BEEN 

AMAZING AEGS AND GBBRS BUT THEY ARE NOT AN M4A1!” 

18 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 

SOPMOD 

weapon performance, target acquisition, signature 

suppression, and fire control. SOPMOD PMO will 

provide these accessories when they are operationally 

suitable, affordable, sustainable, and funded.” 

Under “SOPMOD ORD 5 - Core Small Arms” it was 

stated that the main program core recipients would 

be the M4A1 and the M203 grenade launcher but 

it went on to encompass (as “annexes”) models 

such as the SCAR, CQBR (Mark 18), MK46 LMG/ 

M249 SAW Machineguns, MK48/ M240-N/M240/ 

M240-B Machineguns, M14 and Mark 14 Enhanced 

Battle Rifle, Mk-19 40mm Launcher, M2-HB .50 Cal 

Machinegun, M72 LAAW, AT4-CS, MAAWS, MK11, 

MK12, MK13, & MK15 Sniper Rifles, M-24 Sniper 

Rifle - and even the AK-47/AK74 Series Assault Rifle! 

BLOCK 1 

Crane analysed the “capabilities” needed, especially 

those required by dedicated Special Operations and 

Special Forces units operating in small teams and 

documented that these “capabilities” needed to 

encompass a family of modular weapons accessories 

that could be added to the basic M4 and M4A1 and 

would enable even a small team of highly trained 

operators to REALLY punch above their weight! 

To achieve this, the first “BLOCK” or group of 

modular enhancements to the basic infantry “M4” 

was born, with the stated aim of creating “Platform 

Mods and Phased Replacements”. The components 

for this (the list is now also easily available in the 

public domain if you look for it!) included all of the 

following: 

• Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) Rail 

Interface System (RIS) forearm 

• KAC’s vertical foregrip 

• KAC’s backup iron sight (BUIS) 

• Trijicon’s Model TA01NSN 4x32mm Advanced 

Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) 

• ECOS-N optical sight (a variant of the Aimpoint 

CompM2) 

• Tactical Ordnance and Equipment Improved 

combat sling which allows for secure cross 

body/patrol carry. 

• PRI Bracket mount for AN/PVS-14 night vision 

• In addition to these elements the “BLOCK 1 

KIT” also included (in limited issue numbers): 

• Insight Technology’s AN/PEQ-2 Infrared Target 

Pointer/Illuminator/Aiming Laser (ITPIAL) 

• Insight Technology’s Visible Light Illuminator 

(VLI) 

• Trijicon’s Model RX01M4A1 reflex sight 

• KAC’s quick-detach sound suppressor (QDSS) 

• KAC’s quick-attach M203 

grenade launcher mount 

• Quick-attach sight for use with 

the M203 

• M203 with a 9-inch barrel 

• Insight Technology’s AN/PEQ-5 

visible laser sight 

• AN/PVS-17A mini-night vision 

sight 

• AN/PSQ-18A M203 night 

sight 

Although this provides a great 

list to work from if you want 

to create a really good “early 

model SOPMOD M4”, it is by 

no means exhaustive. As an 

ongoing program, even within 

the “BLOCK 1” auspices, there 

have been numerous changes, 

additions and enhancements seen 

in the wild, such as the EoTech 

551 and 552 optics, the Crane 

(Sloping Cheekweld) Stock , the 

M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun 

System and the M320 grenade 

launcher (remember 

what 

I said 

about 

that Nam era 

“Masterkey”!). 

Basically, the 

SOPMOD kit 

allows 

for the 

attachment 

of any 

rail-compatible 

accessory so, within reason, 

anything goes but for a 

proper “BLOCK1” build 

I’d stick reasonably 

closely to the list 

above! 


armoury 

SOPMOD 

20 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 

SOPMOD 

BLOCK “1.5” and 2 

Staying with the Crane documentation, the next 

part of the program entered new territory and could 

be described as “BLOCK 1.5” (as they were really 

a continuation of the original) or, as Crane puts it, 

“Block II - New and Combined Capabilities”. These 

continuations and “phased replacements” included 

upgrades and modifications that, for the first time, 

saw the program deviate from “drop-in” rail solutions 

in favour of the Daniel Defense M4A1 RIS II and 

RIS II FSP, full-length handguards using a gas block 

without a front sight. They also included the Insight 

Technology M3X Tactical Illuminator (SU-233/PVS), 

Insight Technology M6X Tactical Laser Illuminator (SU- 

238/PVS), EOTech 553 HOLO Weapon Sight (SU-231/ 

PVS), Trijicon ACOG TA01 ECOS 4x Scope (SU-237/ 

PVS), AN/PVS-17 Product Improvement Kit and BUIS 

II “irons”. 

As things moved forward to full-blown 

“BLOCK 2”, then once again a pretty 

definitive list became apparent and once 

again this is easily found online but I’ll 

add it here for ease. 

• The “BLOCK 2” kit includes: 

• Insight Technology LA-5/PEQ 

• Insight Technology 

CNVD-T Thermal Sight 

(SU-232/PAS) 

• L3- 

EOTech 

553 

(SU- 

231/ 

PEQ) 

• L3- 

EOTech 

XPS3-0 (FDE) 

Holographic Sight 

• L3-EOTech G33 

(Tan Anodized/FDE) 

Magnifier 

• Raytheon Company 

Elcan SpecterDR 1-4x Scope 

(SU-230/PVS) 

• Trijicon ACOG + Docter RDS 

(SU-237/PVS Sight Unit) 

• AN/PVS-24 Night Vision Device 

• Daniel Defense RIS II Series (FSP/Non 

FSP/GL, FDE) 

• Insight M3X Light (SU-233/PVS Gun Light) 

• Insight WMX200 Gun Light 

• WSC (Weapon shot counter) 

• LMT® SOPMOD Gen 1/2 Stock (The Gen1 

buttstock does not have the QD sling 

connector, so slings were attached through 

the slats in the back and tied on; Later, LMT 

introduced the Gen 2 stock that had the 

connector.) 

• KAC Front Sight 

• KAC Micro Rear BUIS 

• Tango Down VFG 

• KAC “Broomhandle” VFG 

“I’VE BEEN… …VERY 

IMPRESSED WITH JUST HOW 

FAR THE GAS REPLICAS HAVE 

MOVED ON SINCE I FIRST 

ENCOUNTERED THEM; GONE 

ARE THE MAGAZINES THAT VENT 

AS SOON AS THE TEMPERATURE 

DROPS A DEGREE OR TWO AND IN HAVE COME 

FEATURES THAT MAKE THEM AS CLOSE TO THE “REAL 

DEAL” AS THEY CAN POSSIBLY BE.” 


armoury 

SOPMOD 

The “Weapons Shot Counter” is an 

interesting development in this list, as 

this actually dates back to the Crane 

“overview” of 2006. This pistol-griplocated-device 

enables unit armourers to 

determine the number of rounds fired 

through an individual platform which, in 

turn, minimizes catastrophic parts failures 

and malfunctions in combat, leading 

to greater reliability… or as Crane so 

delicately put it: 

“If His (the operators) Gun Fails in 

Combat, He and His Companions May 

Die or Lose the Fight. Worst Failure 

is a Catastrophic Breakage of Parts 

That Could Have Been Replaced, 

such as a Bolt, Leading to a 

Jammed Weapon That Is 

Not Repairable During 

a Firefight. Second 

Worse Failure Is a 

Burned Out 

Barrel, Making 

a Hit on 

His Enemy 

Unlikely” 

Of course, 

this last is 

not really 

very useful 

for airsoft 

purposes but 

it certainly 

gives an 

insight into 

what efforts 

are made to 

keep a real 

operator’s 

personal 

weapon fit 

for the fight! 

You could 

go into 

gathering 

all the parts 

you need to 

build a “BLOCK 

2” model for airsoft 

but the fact is that you 

can now buy something VERY 

similar straight off the shelf at 

your local store, and one great 

22 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 

SOPMOD 

example of this is the BOLT B4 SOPMOD Block 2. 

This model, from one of my favourite AEG 

manufacturers, is based off their excellent MK18 

platform but with the 12” rail system and is built to 

an exceptionally high standard that really captures the 

essence of an “operator’s rifle”. Externally everything 

looks fabulous with the outer barrel, rail system, 

receivers, buffer tube and controls put together using 

a combo of high-grade alloys and steel which gives a 

great weight and “heft”. Nylon Fibre has been used 

where you’d find 

polymer 

the very highest standard with first rate materials, 

but with the tried and tested BRSS recoil system gives 

you a nice bit of “felt recoil” too! If this is something 

that you like without following the GBBR route, then 

the BOLT is going to really tick all your boxes when it 

comes to a great looking “BLOCK 2 AR” that’s good 

to go from the box, plus, as BOLT collaborate with 

EMG in U.S.A. to obtain the authorization for the 

original Daniel Defense body and rail, you even get all 

the cool “trades”… totally legit! 

MK18 BLOCKS 

I’d be remiss here if I didn’t 

look at the Mk18 as 

this too is really a part 

of the 

Crane 

on 

the 

real 

deal, 

namely the 

pistol 

grip and sliding 

stock 

and this is also of 

great quality, adding to the overall “feel” of the 

replica. 

Internally things are rear-wired but, as the 

BRSS recoil system takes up most of the buffer 

tube space, the battery needs to sit alongside 

in the stock itself and I’ve found that a stick LiPo 

works best for this; no more trying to juggle bloody 

wires with a “Crane Nunchuk Battery” these days! 

To fit a battery all you need to do is pull backwards 

on the stock pad until it comes out and push it back 

into place when your battery is fitted. The tidy VLTOR 

Style Stock also features a QD socket for a quick 

release sling and a sling plate is included as standard. 

Underneath the steel flash hider is a 14mm CCW 

thread so you can easily fit a nice Surefire suppressor 

should you wish. 

This is a cracking replica which is not only built to 

Program of “M4 

enhancements”. I’ve said 

it before, but I believe 

the Mk18 was, and is, 

the “unsung hero” of the 

Naval Special Warfare program! 

Even shorter-barrelled than the M4A1 

SOPMOD carbines with a 10.3 in 

(262 mm) barrel, the upper receiver 

was designated the Close Quarters 

Battle Receiver (CQBR), while the entire 

weapon system was designated the Mk 18 

by the United States Navy and became a common 

sight amongst the USN VBSS units, NCIS, and USN 

SEALs. 

The purpose of the original Mod 0 CQBR was to 

provide operators with a weapon of compact size, but 

one still capable of firing a rifle cartridge, intended for 

urban warfare and other close quarters battle (CQB) 

situations. However, as one of two proposed “special 

mission receivers” that were planned for inclusion into 

the SOPMOD Block II kit, the CQBR proved incredibly 

popular amongst its users. The CQBR has been pretty 

much owned by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, 

Crane Division following the CQBR’s removal from the 

SOPMOD program and the complete CQBR-equipped 

carbine was type-classified as the “M4A1 CQB/R Block 

II”. 

The Mk18 Mod 1 differs from the earlier Mk 18 

Mod 0, in that it again utilizes the Daniel Defense 

RIS II free-float rail system, often with a low-profile 

gas block. As with the M4/M4A1 Block II, the Mark 


armoury 

SOPMOD 

Image from public domain 

18 Mod 1 was a product of the SOPMOD Block II 

program which had its own parts list and again I 

quote from information in the public domain: 

• Insight Technology LA-5/PEQ, L3-EOTech 553 

(SU-231/PEQ) 

• L3-EOTech XPS3-0 (FDE) Holographic Sight 

• L3-EOTech G33 (Tan Anodized/FDE) Magnifier 

• Raytheon Company Elcan SpecterDR 1-4x Scope 

(SU-230/PVS) 

• Trijicon Acog + Docter RDS (SU-237/PVS Sight 

Unit) 

• AN/PVS-24 Night Vision Device 

• Insight M3X Light (SU-233/PVS Gun Light) 

• Insight WMX200 Gun Light 

• LMT SOPMOD Gen 1/2 Stock 

• KAC Front and rear sights 

• Tango Down and KAC Foregrips 

There’s a little confusion though, as, for some 

reason, Daniel Defense also made the decision to call 

the RIS II the “Mk18”! It’s beyond doubt that the RIS 

II was designed at the request of the United States 

Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for the 

Block II program, as they had a specific requirement 

for a free float M203 solution and Daniel Defense 

responded, designing a revolutionary product to meet 

the government’s and user’s need. However, this does 

cloud the entire “Mk18” story a little and that’s why 

I’ve spent some time here explaining things! 

If you fancy an “off the shelf” Mk18 then, as I’ve 

covered relatively recently, you’ve got GREAT choices 

for both AEG and GBBR. If you love the gas route, 

then go no further than the VFC Mk18 MOD1 GBBR, 

as it’s a fabulous thing! Essentially the VFC is as close 

to the real deal as you’ll find in airsoft form and 

everything is nailed down to look and feel exactly as 

it would on the real thing, including the operating 

system. Internally the gun runs the latest VFC GBBR 

system, making it extremely efficient, while the 

internal construction also ensures added durability 

as well, providing a recoil impulse that is solid and 

consistent, which makes the shooting experience fun 

and immersive. Like my SR-16, it has a full-travel “bolt 

carrier group (BCG)” and this replicates exactly the 

operation of the military carbine, so your drills need to 

be 100% the same. For instance, the VFC magazines 

only hold 30 BBs, so your reloads need to be on 

point. In relation to magazines, the grey STANAG style 

provided is also the latest version from VFC, with no 

visible valve on the base, which adds to the “real feel” 

overall. This version is even more reliable and will go 

through more BBs with less cooldown if you do decide 

to go crazy in full auto - this is a “gasser” where you 

can actually do that without the 

whole deal venting! 

Bottom line, I guess, is that I 

bought a VFC Mk18 GBBR myself 

as I already own their SR-16 GBBR, 

and yup, you better believe I 

have, as the Mk18 is “of its time 

and place” and quite apart from 

that, it’s a darn fine airsoft gun! 

Although my days of hard charging 

“Zero Dark Thirty” style play may 

be on the decline, I still love an AR 

with a “soul” and the Mk18 GBBR 

has a very big soul. Add to this 

that it’s also a fine training tool, it’s 

reliable and accurate, and you have 

a package that’s sure to delight you 

every time you pick it up, and that’s 

a more-than-good enough reason 

to own one! 

“I BOUGHT A VFC MK18 GBBR MYSELF AS I ALREADY OWN THEIR SR-16 GBBR, AND 

YUP, YOU BETTER BELIEVE I HAVE, AS THE MK18 IS “OF ITS TIME AND PLACE” AND 

QUITE APART FROM THAT, IT’S A DARN FINE AIRSOFT GUN! ALTHOUGH MY DAYS OF 

HARD CHARGING “ZERO DARK THIRTY” STYLE PLAY MAY BE ON THE DECLINE, I STILL 

LOVE AN AR WITH A “SOUL” AND THE MK18 GBBR HAS A VERY BIG SOUL.” 

24 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 

SOPMOD 

However, if AEG is your preferred choice, then 

the Daniel Defense Mk18 SA-E19 EDGE that’s being 

offered to us by Specna Arms is a great model to look 

at! This has been in the Red Cell Test Pool for a while 

now and still continues to delight us. Running stock 

from the box it’s yet to let me down in any way. There 

are no frills, no bells and no whistles, just a solidly 

made short AR AEG that’s immediately ready to BB-up 

and get out onto the field with. 

The Mk18 has been manufactured in cooperation 

with EMG Arms in the USA and every part of it 

appears to have been made and fitted with the 

utmost care and attention to detail. Internally the 

Mk18 is what I have come to expect from Specna 

Arms and for a “stock gun” that’s top notch! Inside 

you get a precision 6.03 inner barrel that provides 

accuracy from the get-go, both on first and followup 

shots; this barrel works in tandem with the rotary 

Hop-Up that allows for very precise adjustment of 

the BB spin. The carbine also features a factory-fitted 

X-ASR GATE Mosfet and the ORION gearbox which 

is rated to work with springs up M140. As well as 

the gearbox itself, you’ll find a reinforced polymer 

piston with steel teeth, aluminium air-sealed nozzle, 

aluminium double air-sealed cylinder head, aluminium 

double air-sealed piston head with bearings, a set of 

steel gears and 8.mm bearings. 

I have to say that the Mk18 AEG has definitely 

rekindled my love for all things NSW in ANY game. It 

looks great, feels great and shoots excellently. So as 

far as I can see, Specna Arms and EMG have got this 

very, very right and I look forward to seeing what they 

do with that Daniel Defense licence next, although 

with very little effort I believe the Mk18 will make a 

superb base for very passable “Team Six” carbine! 

BLOCK 3 

Heading back again to that very informative briefing 

document from Crane, “BLOCK 3” is, as they say, 

all about “Emerging Capabilities” and a big part of 

this is the Upper Receiver Group, Improved (URG-I). 

Whilst not having so much fanfare with all the addon 

goodies, the “BLOCK 3” setup appears to be as 

follows: 

• Colt M4 Receiver 

• Daniel Defense 14.5” CHF barrel with midlength 

gas system, also available in 10.3” with 

carbine length gas system 

• Daniel Defense pinned gas block 

• Geissele Mk16 Super Modular Handguard in 

Desert Dirt Camo 

• Geissele Airborne charging handle in Desert Dirt 

Camo 

• Colt M16 BCG 

• Surefire 4-prong flash hider 

The Upper Receiver Group, 

Improved or URG-I initiative was 

launched by the United States 

military to refresh rifles used 

by some of its units that had 

been using similar platforms 

from the “Block program”. The 

URG-I is designed to upgrade 

the current Mk18 and SOPMOD 

Block 2 versions of the M4 and 

boasts improvements over its 

predecessors, such as an updated 

M-LOK handguard, charging 

handles, a suppressor-compatible 

flash hider and new barrel. 

Available with both 14.5” and 

10.3” rail systems, the URG-I has 

been designed to provide users 

with a lightened upper 

receiver 

which 

provides increased 

parts life whilst 

maintaining 

modularity 

with 

accessories previously 

provided as part of 

the overall SOPMOD 

program. Though 

primarily issued to 

USASOC personnel, 

the URG-I has now 

been spotted in 

the wild with 

a number of 

USSOCOM 

elements. 


armoury 

SOPMOD 

Now you may think that as the “BLOCK 

3” is still not so commonly seen, that it 

would be difficult to replicate in airsoft 

form but the fact is you can already have 

one, in both lengths from VFC in AEG or 

GBBR form, or as an NGRS AEG from Tokyo 

Marui! However, much as I do love my VFCs, 

I was recently given the opportunity to try a 

GHK M4 URG-I GBBR and I have to say it’s as 

awesome as their AKs! 

This lovely 10.3” short-barrelled “M4” 

has really taken my fancy as it has authorized 

COLT engraving (via Cybergun this time) on 

the receiver and some super Geiselle trades on 

the Super Modular Rail (SMR)! It feels great, 

weighing in at 2980g, and the overall length of 

715mm-800mm suits me perfectly for a CQBtool. 

If you are more of a regular carbine than a 

shorty-soul though, there’s also a 14.5” version 

at a similar weight that comes in at 820mm- 

905mm. 

“NOW YOU MAY THINK THAT AS 

THE “BLOCK 3” IS STILL NOT SO 

COMMONLY SEEN, THAT IT WOULD 

BE DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE IN 

AIRSOFT FORM BUT THE FACT IS 

YOU CAN ALREADY HAVE ONE, IN 

BOTH LENGTHS FROM VFC IN AEG OR 

GBBR FORM, OR AS AN NGRS AEG 

FROM TOKYO MARUI! ” 

26 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 

SOPMOD 

Everywhere you look there is attention to detail; 

the M-LOK system is beautifully finished and apart 

from the trades and the low-profile gas block inside 

it, the colour is a very close mimic to the new “Desert 

Dirt” colour of the real deal. This is a far more muted 

tone than FDE and I have to say I rather like it. The 

“Geissele Airborne” charging handle is also fabulously 

replicated and is finished “Desert Dirt” too. Overall it 

is simply stunning - from the “Crane Stock” right up 

to the four-prong flash hider at the sharp end. Inside 

I’m told that the URG-I benefits from a CNC heattreated 

V2 all-steel bolt carrier, along with a V2 new 

magnetic bolt lock set improve the system stability 

The URG-I comes with a thirty-six BB “polymerstyle” 

magazine and a speedloader with which to fill 

it, and it’s solid and heavy as obviously there’s a lot 

going on with the gas valves and the like. The open 

bolt system in this carbine makes the operation pretty 

much identical to the real thing, in that you must cock 

the rifle before you fire. Once the magazine has been 

emptied the bolt locks to the rear and when you insert 

a fresh, fully loaded magazine you need to hit the bolt 

release to let it slam forward again - just like the “real 

deal”. Please note that, once again like the real world 

counterpart, you cannot engage the safety until the 

carbine is cocked; trying to force the fire selector into 

the safe position with an un-cocked rifle could lead to 

damage! 

In operation the GHK is an absolute cracker and 

if you’re buying it as a training tool then you’ll need 

to do absolutely nothing to it, other than charge the 

magazines with green gas and load up your BBs. I 

tested using .20g BBs and Vorsk V8 gas and got an 

average of 1.07 Joule/341fps which is more than 

enough for me! 

The GHK URG-I retails for UK£430 and I have to 

say that it’s absolutely amazing value for an up-tothe-minute 

spec ops-style GBBR. If you’re looking 

for a training tool to keep your skills and drills up to 

date then it works perfectly for that. If you’re in need 

of a base gun for a full SOPMOD build that’s fully 

compatible with “real steel” accessories, it’s a real 

contender. For skirmishing I’d say that it is absolutely 

in prime “MilSim” territory, although (given the 

accuracy) I’d also say that you could definitely hold 

your own at a general weekend skirmish game if 

you’re doing things right. I think it’s a complete gem 

of an airsoft replica and certainly one of the closest 

I’ve ever come across to the real thing! 

To round things off, I would just say that I hope 

that you find the information included in this article 

informative and useful. Whilst most of the details, 

especially the “Parts Lists”, are easy enough to find 

these days, I hope that including them here makes this 

a bit of a “one stop shop” if you’re thinking of really 

building a really great SOPMOD M4 replica. 

If you’re into UKSF then you’re of course wanting 

to get yourself an Archwick L119A2 or create one 

yourself, but if you’re into “SEALs or DELTA”, or a 

reasonable facsimile thereof, then you’re going to 

want a SOPMOD M4. Whether you choose to buy an 

“off the shelf” model such as those mentioned here 

or collect the parts and build a “custom”, I wish you 

the very best of luck. I sincerely hope that yours will 

last you just as long as my old “BLOCK 1” has lasted 

me, and that the airsoft adventures you have with it 

are as memorable as mine! 

It only remains for me to say a big “THANK YOU!” 

to all of you for sticking with Airsoft Action over 

the last 10 YEARS and we’ll just have to wait and 

see what happens next with the SOPMOD program; 

perhaps I’ll update this in another ten years and see 

where we’ve got to! 

If you’d like to REALLY get under the skin of 

some righteous airsoft SOPMOD builds, then I’d 

thoroughly recommend that your check out https:// 

thereptilehouseblog.com as this is a real fount of all 

things “SF”! 

My sincere thanks though go to everyone that’s 

been involved with helping me create this article; 

thanks to Tom at www.nuprol.com for the loan of 

the BOLT B4 SOPMOD Block 2 AEG, to Danny at 

www.uk.redwolfairsoft.com and my main man, 

Ray, at www.vegaforce.com for access to the VFC 

Mk18 GBBR and the VFC URG-I AEG, Pawel at www. 

gunfire.com for supplying the Daniel Defense Mk18 

SA-E19 EDGE and to Tim at www.iwholesales.co.uk 

for providing access to the GHK M4 URG-I GBBR. It’s 

been a pleasure working with all of you in the last few 

years, and I look forward to MANY more to come! AA 


FEATURE 

NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL 2021 

NATIONAL 

AIRSOFT 

FESTIVAL 

2021 

TEN YEARS AGO NIGE HEADED DOWN TO “THE NATIONAL 

AIRSOFT EVENT” TO LAUNCH A NEW MAGAZINE CALLED 

“AIRSOFT ACTION” AND NOW THE AA CREW HEAD ON DOWN TO 

THE UK’S NEW FOREST TO CHECK IN AT THE NATIONAL AIRSOFT 

FESTIVAL EACH YEAR, TO FIND OUT WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING 

WITH FRIENDS OLD AND NEW AT A THOROUGHLY CONVIVIAL 

EVENT THAT’S ALL ABOUT THE AIRSOFT ...AND AFTER THE LAST 

YEAR, THERE WAS A LOT TO TALK ABOUT! 

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRIOS PHOTOGRAPHY 

With player numbers traditionally in the thousands, 

The National Airsoft Festival is the UK’s largest airsoft 

event and this year’s gathering was even more highly 

anticipated as it was the first big game “post-lockdown”. However, 

its significance for us at the magazine was even greater, as it was 

here ten years ago that we launched Airsoft Action! 

When he wrote his review of the event back in Issue 2, Nige 

said: “If the sound of 1,600 voices shouting “Hurrah!”, followed by 

1,600 guns firing into the air doesn’t make the hairs on the back 

of your neck stand up, I suggest you check that you still have a 

pulse!” 

28 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 


Since then, Airsoft Action has been present at all but one event and we have seen (what was then called) The 

National Airsoft Event become de-rigueur for airsofters Europe-wide, with players travelling from across the 

continent to enjoy not only the wide-ranging gameplay, but also the incredible social atmosphere created when 

thousands of airsofters get together! Of course, this year’s event was tempered by the travel restrictions still 

in place due to C-19 and the fact that the event itself was in doubt until the middle of July (when restrictions 

were thankfully lifted in the UK) but for those 1800-plus players who did make it this year, we were treated to a 

fabulous weekend – both on and off the field of play! 

Over the years I have reported from the NAF we have seen it grow into more than “just another game of 

airsoft” …into something really special. Yes, the gameplay is great fun and, given the sheer size and scale of 

the Ground Zero Airsoft site (where the event is held), wide-ranging and as challenging as you choose to make 

it, but there is just something “special” about it that raises it to a whole new level. From the moment players 

start arriving on Friday morning to check in and get their player number and wristband, the atmosphere starts 


FEATURE 


to build as groups of players form and merge and, 

following loads of “high-fives” and “man-hugs”, the 

inevitable “airsoft banter” begins! 

Right alongside the event, the campsite rapidly 

fills with motorhomes and tents of all shapes 

and sizes and in previous years, 

has been home to 

multiple team 

“swimming pools” and “bars” 

– although there is also a “quiet area” for 

those who prefer to sleep! 

This year, the Airsoft Action crew, made up of 

myself and Nige and ably supported by PMCI’s Andy 

Nightingale, plus guest visitors, Jon, Ray and Vika, 

were looking forwards to another hugely entertaining 

event …and that is exactly what we got! 

Before last year I would have been amongst the 

many UK airsoft players that said “Yeah, the National 

Airsoft Festival, what about that?” but after a totally 

entertaining and illuminating event in 2019 I was 

really, really looking forward to heading on down 

to Ground Zero to attend an event that I’ve done 

a total about face on! It’s one weekend that we all 

get to hang out together so that in itself makes the 

trip 100% worthwhile, and this year was especially 

poignant given the restrictions that we all faced 

during 2020 that meant “no NAF” for that year. 

For those that are still oblivious to the event 

though, the National Airsoft Festival (formerly the 

National Airsoft Event) takes place every August Bank 

Holiday down at the Ground Zero site in the depths of 

the New Forest. The NAF/NAE has been running since 

2007, when Ground Zero/Zero One made history by 

hosting what was at that time the largest airsoft event 

ever held in in the UK (and probably still is!), bringing 

in players from all over the UK and Europe. 

At a time when we are a little bewildered as to 

what will happen in regards to our relationship with 

the rest of the world and travelling around it, in the 

month ahead I will say that amongst UK airsofters we 

frankly appear (although we are happy and willing 

to face some restrictions for the safety of all) to still 

get our game on! Many personal friends come to the 

NAF every year, and it’s a time when I can actually 

get together with them face to face, which I love. 

Things may change again in the months and years to 

come (who knows?) but one thing I do know is that 

these guys will always be my friends and it’s always a 

pleasure to see them! 

The fact is that the NAF is just one HUGE 

celebration of airsoft, not just for UK players, but 

usually for players from much further afield, although 

of course this year the numbers were down 

due to ongoing 

international 

travel restrictions. 

The thought 

of a massive 

airsoft game 

involving quite 

literally thousands 

of players is my 

personal worst 

scenario though; 

we all know that 

sadly you get the 

odd “cheater” 

at even the 

very best 

game, and the 

chance of that 

happening 

with so many 

players in 

one place 

at one time 

means that this is magnified. 

Many players, even good ones that are always 

willing to give the benefit of the doubt decide not to 

attend the NAF for this reason and, having now been 

twice, I think they are truly missing out on a great 

airsoft experience - even if they don’t play a minute! 

Even though the travel restrictions meant that certain 

friends were missing this time (Stef and the crew from 

the Netherlands, you WERE missed!) the Event still 

maintained the warm, friendly “Festival feel” and I for 

one needed a bit of that! 

In the past the NAF appeared to be growing year 

on year, not perhaps in the number of active players, 

but in the volume of folk who turn up to camp for 

the weekend, see mates, bask in the sun with an ice 

cream or a cold beverage and shoot the breeze about 

30 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 


their favourite 6mm pastime. Many will say “don’t 

bother!” but when it comes to the NAF, pay the 

“naysayers” no heed! Okay, this year the numbers 

were down, but 1800 airsofters in one place is a 

goodly amount by anyone’s reckoning! 

Upon arrival at the Ground Zero site you’ll be 

immediately impressed with the sheer size of the 

field and the diversity of terrain and that is just 

as you drive in! Ground Zero is situated about 

a mile from the nearest road on the private 

grounds of Somerley Estate in Ringwood 

Hampshire, and boasts some 175 acres of 

playable terrain, with a massive 50 acres of 

Safe Zone. Now you may find that latter 

number “overkill”, but I’m going to tell you 

that with nigh on 2,000 bodies and all the varied 

entertainment/logistics staff on site 50 acres soon 

becomes very, very small and intimate. 

The main Safe Zone is split away from the camping 

area and is almost a self-contained “festival village” in 

its own right. There are numerous gear-sellers around 

the village, with Jo from www.flecktarn.co.uk and 

the Enola Gaye team, Ian and Dave (Ratty and Rocky 

to their friends!) with the VIPER stand (who made 

a couple of players VERY happy with their “locked 

crate” gear giveaway!) and the guys from BRAVO 

TWO TWO with their excellent t-shirts, newcomers 

Spartan Precision Equipment with their superb bipod 

system (more on that in “SHOP DROP” this issue!), 

Neil and Rob from AttackSense Targets (more on them 

later…), our good friend Taig from Kydex Customs 

(who is REALLY pushing along with his range and even 

tempted me with a rather nice MC holster for my 

G17!), and you could even have your photographic 

portrait done by Josh from Krios Photography! Then 

there’s a whole plethora of stands that make 

up the “food court”. If you 

wanted an ice 

cream 

or a bacon bap, 

then it was there for the having, 

and if you didn’t want to cook over the weekend 

then you had a choice of very well-priced Greek food 

(absolutely stunning kebabs!), Thai red or green curry 

with rice, burger and chips, good old fish n’ chips, 

wood-fired pizza and even fresh coffee and donuts! 

The licensed bar marquee this year was put up with 

safety in mind, being fully open on one side, and the 

usual outdoor table area was wider-spaced than usual 

for the same reason; in fact, the Ground Zero team 

did an excellent job of making sure that they did the 

best possible for player’s safety. 

And I’m still not finished with what was on offer in 

“The Village”, as Zero One had their own Site Shop, 

stocking the essentials, again this year with an online 

ordering system that allowed you to order from their 

warehouse and have your goods delivered to site for 

collection the same day. Personally I was again a little 

disappointed to see their “HUGE SHOP” not there 

again this year, and I know others that were of the 

same opinion, but it was more comprehensive than 

2019 in fairness. I understand it’s an enormous job 

for Zero One to put this together but I honestly 

believe that they probably lose sales to those, like 

me, who can’t resist an “impulse buy”, especially 

at a festival! I hope that they did okay, I’m sure 

they did, but I missed the old “big top shop”. 

GAME ON! 

As per past years I was able to watch all the 

proceedings as players arrived and booked in, 

and this was again done very efficiently with 

an absolute lack of fuss. The queue dispersed 

surprisingly fast though, with each player 

coming away with a “goodie bag” and their 

player armbands, Green for “Delta”, Orange for 


FEATURE 


“Bravo”, and “Blue” for the “Others”. Whilst the 

players booked in a multi-chrono station and zeroing 

range was run next door within the “Saloon” 

building, and once again I saw very little in the way 

of long lines forming. In fact the “range” stayed 

open late into the evening, and was in use the whole 

time. Across from this you could also try out the 

AttackSense target system that we’ve been raving on 

about and use for our Red Cell Test Days, and this was 

busy the entire time, and proved especially popular (to 

say the least!) with the very competitive fellows from 

the British Army display stand! 

After a relatively swift and to the point safety 

brief (Team Briefs had happened well before this) it 

was time for “Game On” and players headed out 

to their respective start points. After a rousing brief 

from the team I/C the game started properly with a 

pyro barrage, and it was time to get your fight on. 

Although the site is HUGE it’s also broken down into 

smaller “game zones” that are eminently playable 

in their own right, and that on a regular “skirmish 

day” would delight anyone. There’s a small village, a 

“prison”, outposts, guard towers, trench systems and 

numerous other structures to play through. Of course, 

for the weekend EVERYTHING is in play at the same 

time, and wherever you went there was the sound of 

a firefight taking place. All three teams had objectives 

to achieve and points to be earned from them and 

from what I saw every objective was hard-earned by 

the eventual victors. Play continued throughout the 

day, with some hardy souls lasting the duration, whilst 

others returned to the camping grounds and “The 

Village” for much needed R&R as this year it was yet 

again hot, darn hot, REAL HOT and the ice cream van 

did outrageous business! 

As Day One wound down, the evening “action” 

started with the raffle, and the now usual “banter” 

from Marshal Rich; this has become something of 

a legend, but if you’re of a gentle disposition it’s 

best to stay away, especially if you’re ginger, skinny, 

or a Russian it would seem! The main “action” for 

Saturday night appeared to be once again centred 

on the camping grounds where many groups had 

BBQs lit and their party heads on! This was where the 

real “festival spirit” took over, and in “The Village” 

the bar rocked thanks to a live band that played a 

real old mixture of classic tunes, but it seemed that 

the heat of the day had sapped everyone and the 

only ones dancing were numerous fancy-dressed 

‘softers - and a player in a rather floppy inflatable pink 

pig! Beers went down in a sociable and thoroughly 

chilled out atmosphere, with groups from all the 

teams exchanging their “war stories” from the day 

and having a genuinely good laugh. As the evening 

progressed though many players moved on outside, 

standing by roaring fire pits and shenanigans 

continued… what happens at NAF stays at NAF 

though! 

You need to make sure you have sufficient sun 

cream to last you the weekend at the festival, and 

this year you really needed it as players needed to 

contend with heat and the sun blazing down on them 

without mercy! The teams obviously felt there was 

still more to play for though, and on Sunday morning 

they headed back to the game, and they just kept on 

playing, gaining objectives and points whilst having 

a thoroughly good time. Reports are that there were 

actually very few heat-induced incidents, although by 

early afternoon a few players were heading back in as 

tempers wore thin. Again I believe that this was in the 

minority though, as most players were having a great 

time of it! 

My final thoughts on the National Airsoft Festival 

2021? The site is superb and the organisation 

impeccable, especially with new restrictions to 

contend with! The facilities on site were first rate, 

and the scheduling spot-on. Once again I’ll echo my 

thoughts of past years, as the play that I saw was 

hard, fast, and in the main fair, with hits taken and 

compliments given where they were due. The “after 

game” was as much fun and as lively as I’ve seen, and 

the bottom line is that everyone seemed to be having 

a thoroughly bang-on time whether they played for 

the duration, for a few hours, or not at all! 

Whatever your style of play may be, the National 

Airsoft festival has something to offer you. The 

Festival is first and foremost just that, a joyful event 

that celebrates airsoft in all its diverse and wonderful 

forms; a festival that just happens to be set on an 

awesome site that has an enormous game going on 

at the same time… and long may it continue! 

For further information for the 2022 National 

Airsoft Festival please keep an eye on www. 

groundzeroairsoft.com/nae, and I look forward to 

seeing you there - you don’t need an inflatable pink 

piggy suit to impress us …but it does help!! 

A huge thanks to Josh at Krios Photography for 

letting us use his awesome photos. If you want to see 

all his photos from the event (and maybe buy some of 

your favourites), head over to https://bit.ly/3jLfSGW 

32 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 



FEATURE 

FAVOURITE LOADOUTS 

FAVOURITE 

LOADOUTS 

AS THIS IS A “SPECIAL ISSUE” TO TALK ABOUT OUR 

LOVE FOR AIRSOFT OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS, 

WE GOT TOGETHER WITH THE LEGION AND ASKED 

THEM ABOUT THEIR FAVOURITE AIRSOFT LOADOUT, 

AND WERE SURPRISED TO HEAR THEIR ANSWERS 

(GIVEN THAT THESE DAYS IT SEEMS TO BE ALL 

ABOUT THE MULTICAM)! BILL SETS THE SCENE… 

Okay, I’ve been playing airsoft on and off now 

for years, and in fact it’s over 27 years since 

I picked up my first-ever springer! In that 

time I’ve see a major shift in what folk wear to play, 

from the early days of jeans and DPM to the current 

“mil-spec” standard that we all see every time we 

play. Over the years - and especially over the last 10 

since Airsoft Action kicked off - the internet and easy 

e-commerce has really opened up new doors for us 

to step through when it comes to our personal kit, 

and nowadays we can order direct from source if we 

want something specific. 

Dedicated airsoft gear companies have also come 

into being as airsoft itself has grown and matured, 

and these appear to be flourishing! This means 

that we can have gear that otherwise would not be 

available to us given ITAR and other restrictions, and 

although they are often not made from the same 

MilSpec fabrics and components of the “real”, they 

look pretty darn close! 

Many tactical clothing and gear companies have 

also embraced the fact that airsoft is now a major 

potential source of income and have sent their 

respective sales pitches our way at last, and when 

“MY PERSONAL COLLECTION RANGES FROM WWII “PACIFIC USMC”, THROUGH AN ENTIRE 

“NAM” ERA COLLECTION THAT’S BIG ENOUGH ON ITS OWN, 1980S BRITISH COLD WAR, AND 

INTO MODERN DAY! THERE’S COMPLETE A-TACS AU AND FG LOADOUTS, ATP AND MTP, TRI- 

COLOUR AND MULTICAM, DPM AND DDPM ALL TUCKED AWAY - AND THAT’S BEFORE I GET 

ONTO MY “CONTRACTOR” AND OPFOR GEAR…” 

34 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 


you roll it all together it means that we have greater 

choice, at better prices, with quality gear designed 

for airsoft use! Although there are items of clothing 

and gear where “only real will do” for some, the 

fact is that we can have pretty much anything our 

hearts desire if we search hard enough; from boots to 

helmets, gloves to socks, UBACS and combat pants, 

TDUs, plate carriers and comms… you name it and it 

can be had if you know where to look! 

And of course, that’s BEFORE we even get to 

“historic airsoft” where the growth in availability of 

an understatement, but then I have had the benefit 

of time! My personal collection ranges from WWII 

“Pacific USMC”, through an entire “Nam” era 

collection that’s big enough on its own, 1980s British 

Cold War, and into modern day! There’s complete 

A-TACS AU and FG loadouts, ATP and MTP, Tri-colour 

and Multicam, DPM and DDPM all tucked away - and 

that’s before I get onto my “contractor” and OPFOR 

gear… what is my favourite you may ask, and I would 

answer my simple OPFOR setup! 

A simple yet decent chest rig and a minimal set of 

belt order with a holster is my basic requirement for 

this, along with a good pack if ‘m going 

to be out longer. Some good eyepro 

(in my case the Australian 

brand BLUEYE), black 

First tactical combat 

pants, a decent 

gear for the re-enactor market has opened up further 

different directions for airsoft loadouts… 

I am known as a bit of a “gear magpie” and 

having played on numerous teams over the years, 

with numerous different loadout requirements, to 

say that I’ve built up a sizeable collection would be 

set of boots, First Tactical gloves, and of course my 

favourite “Team Three Stripe” Adidas tops! 

Coming back to this simplicity again I found it 

immediately more comfortable and, in turn, I can 

be more “switched on” when I start playing. I’ve 

spent time discussing this with friends locally and it 


FEATURE 


has become eminently clear to me that I’m not the 

only one moving away from the “operator” look to 

something altogether more streamlined, as you’ll see 

from the rest of the Legionnaires! 

If I’m going “full rattle” though, then it’s most 

definitely my GreeZone gear; PenCott GreenZone is 

sadly still not the easiest pattern to create a “top to 

toe” loadout in, and you’ll have to search a bit to 

complete your gear setup. Having said that, more and 

more manufacturers are taking the pattern up, and 

I’m certain that this trend will continue! 

But what of The Legion? What do they have to say 

about their favourites? 

Jon: “Oooh... I sit on the fence! I love the grey man 

and wish I’d brought those trousers here with me. In 

general I like the layout, comfort and practicalities of 

the South African Assault Vest, although I ended up 

building my own similar setup from the FLYYE EDC 

hydration pack and clipped on PLB padded belts with 

setups for each main gun that could be interchanged 

to suit, I found that much more comfortable and 

modular than the non-PALS setup of older SAAVs.” 

Miguel: “Well, being part of an “organized” team, 

we follow specific uniform rules and guidelines. All 

our accessories are in OD (vests, belts, kneed pads, 

etc.) and right now we use three different uniforms: 

M81 Woodland, ATACS-AU and full OD green. We do 

approach; jeans, t-shirt and shirt, with a low profile 

chest rig in a bag, topped off with a baseball cap and 

my trusty Wiley X Nash glasses. If I’m going camo, you 

better believe it’s PenCott GreenZone and WildWood, 

specifically the UFPro Striker XT Gen 2 Shirt and 

Pants, Gen 2 Boonie, Helikon Windrunner in Pencott 

Wildwood and for now Viper Kinetixx Gloves and 

Speero Alcor boots. Eye Pro is still Wiley X.” 

Stewbacca: “OpFor all the way! My final trip 

to Copehill was probably my favourite loadout in 

general. I finally worked out most of the kinks in 

things, getting a genuinely comfortable loadout down 

which kept me warm or cool enough as and when, 

and we all had the same OD jackets and 6094 style 

Plate Carriers as a team, and made use of a mixed 

bag of guns and trousers. I quite like the M81 pattern 

a few combos among them, like ATACS-AU pants + 

OD top, but my favourite is still the M81 Woodland, 

combat pants and combat shirt for hot weather or 

normal top for colder weather. As you know, most of 

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OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 


my gear is from Viper Tactical, I use the Gen 2 M81 

Elite Trousers, Technical Harness (just the belt), Gen 

2 VX Plate Carrier w/ Ready Rig, Charger Pack and 

Scrote Pouch, Venom Boots, OD Fast Helmet or M81 

Boonie, VX Gun Sling, gloves from Armored Claw and 

ESS eye pro.” 

Boycie: “I really don’t think I can say I have one 

particular favourite loadout. I tend to move between 

several different combinations. It really just depends 

on the site, game day and who I’m going with so the 

decision it usually only made in the week that runs up 

to the event. I have enjoyed putting together some 

law enforcement loadouts over the years, one in 

particular was a Police SFO one. This wasn’t based on 

MTP back in the day to the Viper Gen 1 and now 

Gen 2 combats trousers, but always rocking an MTP 

UBACS. Having a young family I could never justify 

buying lots of different outfits but in the last three 

months I have bought some AOR1 clothing for that 

“SEAL Team” look. I have always loved the digital 

camo and am chuffed with my new acquisition. I 

did run a PMC look back in past but that was on the 

very odd occasion, but I always end up running my 

Multicam loadout.” 

Chris P: “Some may have thought it’s my Aussie 

Navy kit that would be my choice, but it’s actually 

my Navy SEAL Stoner Gunner loadout is certainly 

my favourite. It’s been improved and changed over a 

period of 15 years (when I found a new bit of research 

material), and as simple as it looks it’s easy to get 

wrong. Now it’s 99.9% correct, the jeans are modern 

as vintage Red Label Levi’s are well out of my price 

range! Sadly, it doesn’t get used as much as I may like 

to use it but it’s always there in my heart as a labour 

of love.” 

Hana: “My Multicam loadout is the one I wear the 

most, as it works on any terrain, but today I’d like 

to share my personal favourite clothing from O.P.S, 

the A-TACS camo suit, comfortable and reliable, A 

friend in Hong Kong recommended it to me, for 

wear in CQB and outdoor games. It provides great 

concealment and flexibility in the wild! I like the Cobra 

any specific force area but with the weight of the vest, 

clothing and equipment, carrying out some “training” 

on a hot day it certainly gave me a bigger appreciation 

of the job that Police do in all weathers. Currently I am 

really finding it fun to just wear my Clawgear tactical 

jeans, First Tactical Boots and Invader Gear “Red 

Cell” red plaid UBACS. When I go to sites, I usually 

get some good comments about where people can 

buy the shirt and “What are your patches?”, which I 

explain are the Airsoft Action Legion Red Cell group 

patches. This sometimes results in a conversation 

about what we, in the Red Cell, do. Also currently my 

armour carrier is the Templar Gear TPC which sports 

the Airsoft Action Legion patch.” 

Jase: “My favourite loadout...that’s a tough one 

when you don’t have a lot of kit, hahaha! Pretty much 

in the twelve years I’ve been in the game I have only 

ever run a Multicam loadout, but then MilSims are 

more my thing. From a pair of RAF issue trousers in 

buckle hard-belt like I used in training and play to 

provide stability and loading pouches, but because it’s 

a wide belt is always too big for me as standard!” 


FEATURE 


Robbie: “My absolute favorite kit is a combined 

100% cotton DPM and Smersh. hands down my most 

comfortable, baggy, good-camo-tac; the Smersh as 

a belt set carries awesomely and my AK supplies I 

like in the butt pack. Sadly, I’ve recently sold some of 

my airsoft gear due to my impending house-move; 

in fact some of the only things I actually kept of my 

airsoft stuff are two GBB AKs, a pair of Glocks, the 

Smersh, and my full set of DPM. Yeah, definitely my 

favourite!” 

Bjorn: “I love my “game inspired” loadouts, 

and my latest is the “Nomad” kit from the famous 

game Ghost Recon made by Ubisoft, in this case the 

“Breakpoint” version ( I have done the “Wildlands” 

setup before and I have actually played some airsoft 

games wearing that kit too, but that’s another story!). 

The Breakpoint kit is based upon or around the 5.11 

Tac Tec PC and holds several pouches from High 

Speed Gear, such as three AR mag pouches, one pistol 

pouch, one grenade pouch and an M249 mag pouch 

that also is used as waterbottle pouch, or to stock 

more AR mags. My setup also includes real steel plates 

for the right feel. On the chest you’ll also see five 

extra shotgun shells ready for those close encounters! 

To the setup there is also a 5.11 AMP 24 backpack 

holding everything you need for a shorter mission plus 

extra guns/ shotguns on the sides and an extra utility 

pouch from High Speed Gear. 

“At the waist you find an Octa Versipack by 

Maxpedition that can hold your phone, radio, 

lightsticks, bandage or maybe some extra pistol mags. 

Pants are in MC for this setup , and these come from 

OPS (by UR Tactical) as they were the most similar 

ones to the character. Boots had to be my LOWA 

mids as the ones for the character were a PITA to get 

hold of as they had gone out of production a long 

time ago! There’s a Dropleg holster holding a Glock 

as I couldn’t get hold of a two tone (black and tan) 

Sig Sauer M17. The other leg holds the classic Ka-Bar 

knife! Kneepad(s) from Hatch. Glove(s) from Oakley. 

Glasses from Wiley X. Watch from Suunto. Cap is 

made from own design produced by a local company. 

Primary gun is one of the Ghost guns from Evolution 

International. 

“This setup works just as fine as any of my other 

setups I have ready in my airsoft wardrobe, and that’s 

what makes it even cooler. I will admit that carrying 

guns on the side of the backpack isn’t that workable 

but I have tried it. Carrying four guns at the field 

doesn’t make you fast to say the least.... So dropping 

the backpack at the field is the best way to go. Only 

thing I missed out in the field was a Camelbak but 

that could be sorted out by carrying the backpack and 

put the bladder in that, so you can actually transfer 

some gear setups straight to the field! And hey, who 

doesn’t wanna look like a cool game character in the 

field?” 

Of course, though there’s always someone 

TOTALLY organised with their gear (happy to say it’s 

not just me!) and in this case it’s one of our newest 

Legionnaires, Dan in the USA, so I’ll round up by 

showing his “kit list” in full: 

Primary LBE: 

• Tactical Tailor Fight Light one-piece MAV 

(modded) 

• Tactical Tailor Fight Light X-Harness 

• G-Code Softshell Scorpion magazine pouches 

(4x) 

• HSGI dual-pistol magazine TACO 

• Milwaukee Custom Kydex RACC 

• Tactical Tailor smoke / flashbang pouch 

• Milwaukee Custom Kydex Raven M12 carrier 

• Warrior Assault Systems 1.5L hydration pouch 

• Camelback 1.5L hydration carrier 

• Ferro Concepts PTT retainer 

Subload: 

• Ronin Tactics Shuto belt 

• G-Code RTI optimal drop platform 

• Milwaukee Custom Kydex Airsoft Elite holster 

• Haley Strategic “Anything Hook” 

Comms: 

• Disco32 amplified U-94 PTT 

• SRS Tactical Avengers 

• Baofeng UV5R w/extended battery pack and 

Nagoya NA-701 antenna 

Clothing: 

• Oakley SI stretch-fit hat 

• Blackhawk SOLAG fingerless gloves 

• Crye G3 M81 Combat shirt and pants 

• Lowa Zephyr’s 

Misc: 

• Moondog Industries flexible unjamming rod 

• Dark Angel Medical trauma shears 

• 3M electrical tape 

• Nikon Fog Eliminator dry wipe cloth 

• Leatherman WAVE 

• ESS ICE eye-pro 

• Extra Ramset .22 cartridges 

Gats and Noisy Things: 

• Custom LCT AK104 

• Custom RWA Agency NOC 

• 4x AK-74 magazines (+1 on the gun) 

• 2x G17 magazines (+1 on the gun) 

• Odin M12 Speedloader 

• Airtech Studios Odin adapter 

• Airsoft Innovations Bang 22 Xtreme 

38 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 



THE CAGE 

BEST KIT 

THE CAGE: 

BEST KIT 

CARRYING ON THE THEME OF THIS ISSUE, THIS MONTH BILL GOT TOGETHER WITH THE MEMBERS 

OF THE AIRSOFT ACTION LEGION AND RED CELL AND ASKED THEM ALL ABOUT THEIR FAVOURITE 

GEAR AND, FOR THE CAGE, IT’S ALL ABOUT A SINGLE ITEM THAT HAS REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE! 

Lucky rabbit’s foot? Favourite rubber chicken? Old, 

dented coffee mug? What is it that you value 

most when you head out to an airsoft game? 

What is that one single item that you never leave 

home without and what does it mean to you? 

Over the years I’ve been privileged to work with 

some of the very best gear manufacturers out there 

and I’m lucky enough that I continue to do so! With 

that in mind I’ve been able to try a million and one 

things that should, could, maybe make my “airsoft 

life” just that little bit sweeter! Some, like a solar 

charger for my electrics, have been mind-blowingly 

good, but others have just left me thinking “WTF”! 

C’mon, we’ve all done it, haven’t we? Seen that 

“thing” online and mentally gone “I MUST have 

one of those or my life will be incomplete!” only to 

shudder in apt dismay and utter disappointment when 

the UPS guy arrives and you find you’ve bought a 

complete lemon… Yup, me too! 

But sometimes there is genuinely something that 

you find that makes ALL the difference, something 

that is insanely useful and effective, or simply 

something that you just love with all your heart and 

can’t be without. It’s that one thing that brings you 

joy in some unfathomable way when you head out 

to play airsoft, or that makes being out in harsh 

conditions just that little bit easier. It’s the thing that 

helps you keep going either physically or mentally 

when you just want to give up, and it’s a VERY 

personal thing that others may not even begin to 

understand as much as you try to explain it to them. 

Okay, I have an old notebook that’s been with 

me for years and has notes from games and events 

scribbled in it until the pages feel like soft fabric, so 

much have they been written on! It’s covered with 

GreenZone and it’s been in my hands at every trade 

show I’ve been to in the last five years and it sat 

beside me in the darkest days following my surgery. 

It’s full of things I want to remember about the best 

days of airsoft, notes and jokes with friends, plans 

for future articles that are now long in the past, and 

just… memories of airsoft! It’s a treasured possession 

and always gets stuck somewhere in my kit bag to this 

day! 

On a more practical level the one bit of kit I never 

head out without is a 

3L hydration bladder, 

and I learned hard 

and fast when playing 

in Florida during the 

really “hot and humid 

months” that this 

could quite literally 

be a lifesaver! The 

number of times 

over the years that 

I’ve seen players fall 

by the wayside due 

to poor hydration 

is uncountable, 

and I’ve seen some 

pretty horrific sights 

when this leads to 

real dehydration and 

40 

OCTOBER 2021

THE CAGE 

BEST KIT 

heat exhaustion. My Camelbak, and more recently 

SOURCE, hydration systems are ALWAYS in a pack on 

my back, or that pack is within easy reach. 

I was once told by one of the guys behind the 

invention of the hydration system that “if you feel 

thirsty, you’re already entering the first stage of 

dehydration”, and that has always stuck with me, 

so yes, if you ask me on a purely practical level what 

my single “must have” would be, it’s that hydration 

system on my back! 

TEAM TALK 

BUT… what of The Legion? I asked them “In all your 

time playing airsoft what is the one thing you have 

bought or been given that’s become a “must have” 

item when you head off to play?” and this is what 

they had to say! 

Robbie: “My must-have that I was given... a 

premium midcap speed loader. Somehow someone 

bought me a blue speed loader that never jammed, 

was easy to use, and, well it never jammed. It was-is 

amazing. Funny that something so simple but wow it 

makes a difference!” 

Jase: “My one stand-out bit of kit I was given has 

to be the Viper lid Bill gave me when we did a photo 

shoot for Viper back in 2015, I still wear it to this day, 

tried and tested!” 

Jimmy: “Without a doubt, it has to be my 

Heroshark Mako hex-mesh goggles which are in fact 

made using Bolle Tracker frames. The best eye pro I 

have found, and I’ve tried so many different pairs, and 

while all will offer you the protection needed there is 

no real way of beating the dreaded fog. That’s where 

the hex-mesh holds its own, guaranteed 

to never fog up. The 

hexmesh 

has 

been designed to not 

only give 

you exceptional protection from BB impact but they 

also give the user a great field of vision as opposed to 

other mesh which really can limit your sight, especially 

in dark surroundings. After a little while wearing them 

your eyes adjust and you forget you’re wearing mesh. 

There are some days I’m able to wear lenses but the 

conditions have to be just right, whereas mesh, it is 

four season friendly. It also depends on my headgear 

for that particular day as to what I use. As long as 

Heroshark keep producing the Mako I’ll keep wearing 

them in the knowledge my mince pies will be safe!” 

Hana: “The one of the “must have” I think will be 

full mask. I think protecting our face is an important 

part of what women care about, haha…” 

Dan: “That’s going to be hard one to choose. There 

are a lot of specific items that are “essentials” such 

as eye-pro, hydration, etc. and these selections have 

stayed relatively static for years and years now. But I 

guess the one piece that really made a difference (in 

comfort and usability) for me was changing up the 

way I carried my sidearm. 

“About a year ago now, I switched from a vest 

mounted holster to a Ronin Tactics Shuto belt, which 

is a 2-piece affair that has an inner and outer belt. 

This provides an extremely stable platform for 

my G-Code optimal drop platform which runs a 

Milwaukee Custom Kydex holster with RTI mount for 

my RWA Agency NOC. This is a nice bit of kit that can 

be scaled up or stripped down as needed. For pistol 

only games, I can ditch my vest and just run the belt 

and a few spare mags in Kydex carriers that can be 

quickly mounted via Tek-Lok attachments. This setup 

also does double duty for my real steel as the RTI 

system makes swapping holsters out a breeze!” 

Miguel: “I would say gloves; here the woodland is 

really dry and spiky, so having good protection for the 

hands is important.” 

Stewbacca: “I’d probably go for my FLYYE EDC 

Hydration pouch as it formed the very useful basis of 

that custom SAAV style loadout I moved towards over 

my latter years before finishing up with TMC 6094 

plate carriers and then leaving the UK.” 

Bill W-R: “The one piece of kit I cannot live without 

would have to be my dump pouch which doubles as a 

tactical Haribo carrier!” 

Iggy: “It sounds silly, but for me it’s a hat or 

headgear of some sort. Eyepro is a given but a hat 

I can’t leave without! It all stems from when, as a 

youngster, we used to roam the fields and forest 

outside our town with various single-shot BB guns, 

shooting each other until we literally couldn’t take 

being shot anymore. That all changed when Tokyo 

Marui introduced the AEG (Airsoft Electric Gun) that 


CLICK/TAP IMAGES FOR MORE INFORMATION

Airsoft & MilSim News Blog 

THE CAGE 

BEST KIT 

had fully automatic! 

I wasn’t wearing 

any head gear 

and I hid 

under a 

advancement of modern materials, @AMNBOfficial boots are lighter, 

breathable and most importantly, comfortable. I still 

have my leather Lowa Elites in the arsenal but these 

Airsoft & MilSim News Blog 

days it’s folks at AKU, Under Armour, Lowa (synthetic 

versions) and more recently with my fishing boot find, 

Speero that make @airsoftmilsimnewsblog 

a difference. 

“Eyepro is another; I’m now a do or die Wiley X 

fanboy. My Nash’ and Vapor go EVERYWHERE with 

me!” 

small cliff to try and flank. I ended up being shot all 

across the top of my head in full auto from the top of 

the cliff - which was only 3 meters up! 

Blood streamed into my eyes under my goggles. 

Since then I wear a ball cap, bush hat, helmet, 

anything to soften the blow! Ohhh, then thankfully 

game rules were introduced such as one hit by a BB So, a lot less silly then you probably thought it 

AWARD WINNER 

and you’re out… Hurrah for civilisation!” 

would be, but what the guys talk about sings to me 

Jon: “I think the single most important piece of as it’s pretty much all about personal safety, about 

kit change-up that was literally game-changing was making sure that you’re ready to get your game on 

going from a cheap pair of surplus boots, to a more and continue to do so for some considerable time! 

modern type of “sneaker boot”. 

I still think I may be adding an extra dump-pouch to 

“There was a time that waterproof WWW.AIRSOFT-MILSIM-NEWS.COM 

meant 

my belt-kit for those Haribo though… good tip that 

heavy, stiff and uncomfortable leather. With the Bill W-R!! AA 

If you have any old kit or gear tucked away in a 

cupboard, garage or shed that you have thought about 

sticking on eBay, or a forum to get rid of it, then why 

not donate it to the Pilgrim Bandits instead and Tez will 

make sure any money raised from its sale will go 

towards helping even more people – and you can be 

sure of the undying gratitude and thanks of those who it 

helps to live again. 

Please contact Tez on either his mobile: 07748 800 981 

or email: terry.arnett@pilgrimbandits.org 


SPECIAL FEATURE 

AIRSOFT ACTION 10TH ANNIVERSARY 

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN... 

ISSUE 1 

OCTOBER 2011 

When we started this journey 129 issues 

ago, we didn’t dare to dream it would be 

as successful as it has become, going from 

(as it was then) the “new kid on the block”, to the 

largest global airsoft magazine available today! 

Let me say right up front, a MASSIVE thank you to 

our readers and the companies that have supported 

us over the years; without you we would not be 

where we are now. I would also like to offer my 

sincere thanks and appreciation to the many writers, 

photographers and industry professionals who have 

contributed to Airsoft Action because without them, 

quite literally, we would not have a magazine! 

From the beginning we determined to be different 

by maintaining editorial independence and, while 

we understood the need for commercial, as well as 

editorial success, that we would not be led by it. To 

us, the most important thing was to give our readers 

honest, professional, un-biased content that was 

relevant, well-researched and written by people who 

knew what they were talking about …experienced 

airsoft players, not “desk jockeys” or “keyboard 

warriors”! 

From day one we stated that Airsoft Action would 

be all-inclusive and cover every genre of the game, 

rather than focus on just the “Gucci”, ego-tickling 

bits and coined the phrase “If its in airsoft, its in 

Airsoft Action!” – something that is as true today as 

it has always been. 

Sure, there have been some “bumps” along the 

way and even challenges to the very survival of 

airsoft, such as when new regulations threatened 

to shut the game down throughout the EU and 

although we would never claim to be solely 

responsible, we are extremely proud to have been in 

the position to offer help, advice and assistance. 

I guess the biggest “bump” has been the last 20 

months or so, as Covid-19 ran riot around the globe, 

shutting down not just airsoft but life in general. 

Thankfully, as I write this, things are slowly returning 

to some semblance of normality and, like a huge 

bear shaking off enforced hibernation, airsoft is 

roaring back to life again! 

Over the last 10 years airsoft has not 

fundamentally changed. Of course, there has been 

loads of innovation, masses of new kit and hundreds 

of new guns but when it comes down to it, the 

game is still the same, played with honour, integrity 

and respect - and we hope that we have reflected 

that on the pages in Airsoft Action. 

To celebrate our ten years of continual publication, 

we thought we’d dig back into our archives and 

re-publish a selection of articles from the thousands 

we have on file – but that left us with a HUGE 

problem… With so much to choose from, we found 

it impossible to decide not what to include, but what 

to leave out! So, instead we decided to ditch the 

text and just run with as many pictures of the last 10 

years that we can fit onto 10 pages …a sort of “Ten 

Years in Ten Pages”. 

For some this will be a “patrol down memory 

lane”, for others an exploration of what came before 

but no matter how long you have been playing we 

hope you enjoy the pictures - and don’t forget, if 

you want to read any issue (or even all of them), 

our entire archive is available free of charge via the 

Airsoft Action website. 

All that remains is for me to say, on behalf of the 

entire Airsoft Action team, thank you once again, the 

last ten years have been an absolute blast and we 

cannot wait to see what the future holds. 

Play well, play hard, play with honour! 

See you out there, 

Nige. AA 

44 

OCTOBER 2021






46 

OCTOBER 2021






48 

OCTOBER 2021






50 

OCTOBER 2021






52 

OCTOBER 2021




THI 

TAK 

WE 

YEA 

WE 

TO O 

FOR 

PHO 

HEAD 

OUR 



54 

OCTOBER 2021



S IS JUST A VERY SMALL SELECTION 

EN FROM THE THOUSANDS OF IMAGES 

HAVE COLLECTED OVER THE LAST TEN 

RS BUT WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR 

“TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE”. 

WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANKS 

UR GLOBAL LEGION OF CONTRIBUTORS 

SUPPLYING MANY OF THESE GREAT 

TOGRAPHS AND FOR CONTINUING TO 

OUT IN ALL WEATHERS TO KEEP YOU, 

READERS, INFORMED, EXCITED AND 

ENTERTAINED. 

BRING ON THE NEXT TEN YEARS! 


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TECHNICAL 

WHY GAS IS BEST 

LIVING THE 

GAS LIFE! 

IN AN AIRSOFT WORLD DOMINATED BY THE AEGS, IT’S COMMONLY PERCEIVED THAT GAS RIFLES AND 

CARBINES ARE EXPENSIVE, TRICKY TO MAINTAIN AND COAX THE BEST PERFORMANCE FROM AND OFFER 

LIMITED AMMO CAPACITY, SO WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO RUN ONE AS YOUR PRIMARY? BILL 

(WITH INPUT FROM SOME OF THE LEGION) TAKES UP THE ARGUMENT FOR WHY A GAS RIFLE CAN ACTUALLY 

BE “KING OF THE HILL” IF YOU TREAT - AND USE - IT RIGHT! 

Okay, I’m going to come out and say it… Who 

in their right mind would head to a skirmish 

day with a gas rifle??? Surely you’re going to 

be SERIOUSLY outgunned by all those with even a 

box-magged MP5, as you’ll only have 30-50 BBs in a 

magazine whilst they have literally thousands! You’re 

only going to be carrying a “combat load” of perhaps 

five or six 30BB mags, whilst the hi-cap-heroes have 

more than your total ammo count in one mag, so 

you’ll be toast shortly after “game on” sounds… 

right? 

However, I’d say an unequivocal WRONG! Indeed, 

as far as I’m concerned there are some instances 

where the not-so-humble-any-longer GBBR can 

positively thrive, but it does take an utter change in 

mind-set to reach that point and there are those of us 

that have been saying that for a LONG time! 

Most times when I speak to players (and not 

necessarily new players at that) about “Living the Gas 

Life”, I’ll undoubtedly be met with a collective shaking 

of heads and I’m certain that many must think “the 

old boy has finally lost it”, but it’s an agenda I come 

back to time and again. Many players I speak to that 

have been in airsoft for a while get a bit jaded and, 

all too often, I hear the words “I want more realism, 

more immersion in my game”, but still they refuse to 

look at gas platforms as the way forward, citing all the 

old tropes that GBBRs are expensive, that they’re hard 

to get any real performance from and that they don’t 

perform when the temperatures plummet. 

Once upon a time I may have agreed with them, as 

the old systems that were first available certainly had 

their “moments”! Let’s not forget that once upon a 

time “gas guns” and springers were IT though and 

if you’ve been involved as long as I have, you will 

remember the name “Nagata” and models of the 80’s 

and early 90’s from the likes of JAC, Maurzen, Asahi, 

MGC (OMG, who didn’t want an MGC Calico or an 

Asahi Sterling!), Kokusai, Escort and Sun Project! 

These were the days of the intricate “bullet valve” 

(and even bellows!) and they were totally different 

from what we would now class as a “gas gun” and 

totally a million miles from an AEG! Many required 

and external bottle and hose setup (mmm, HPA 

anyone?) to drive them along, and that put a lot of 

people off, including me, until in the 1990s along 

came Tokyo Marui with their commercial electric 

gearbox, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

THE RISE OF GBB 

At the time that TM were dominating the electric 

gun market (and rightly so), at the same time we saw 

the rise of the GBB pistol and as we came into the 

2000’s, “GBBs” were in everyone’s holster worldwide 

and generally reliable. Yes, mags were a pain and if 

you didn’t look after them they would vent in a huge 

cloud of gas the moment you looked at them, and 

58 

OCTOBER 2021

TECHNICAL 


they would definitely do it the moment you REALLY 

needed your pistol! Alongside this was the fact that 

the gas used was not what we are used to today; 

you bought your can o’ gas but honestly had no 

idea what was in it and to be frank, most of the gas 

manufacturers didn’t have a clue either! 

However, time moves on and with it we have 

become more questioning of EXACTLY what goes 

into the “mix” when we buy a can of gas, and we 

understand more why certain components are more 

important than others when it comes to optimal 

efficiency of a gas platform - and this moves me 

neatly onto debunking MYTH #1, that gas rifles are 

inefficient and hard to get the best from! The fact 

is that airsoft gases have become better and more 

consistent over the years as the best producers have 

looked into what needs to be added to the base 

gas, how pressure affects the gas/mix in the bottle 

and even the shape of the bottle itself! GBBRs are 

also arriving from source at the right power level 

direct from the manufacturers (it’s really just a case 

of engineering from the outset and getting the right 

nozzle sizing!), so we’re not having to immediately 

fettle them to get them within legal and site-friendly 

limits any more - although I will be the first to say 

that when many gasses are heated you will get an 

upswing in power, but this can be mitigated against 

and managed. 

Stu: “I find gas far more enjoyable. Limited ammo, 

no spammage of the trigger, makes you approach the 

game differently as you need to be more selective. 

The ‘realism’ of inserting a mag, racking the charging 

handle and BOOM! And as I’m mad enough to run 

WA SVIs, then that’s always great fun too! I ran the 

WAs on propane, other stuff wouldn’t shift ‘em, or 

when it did, performance was dire. The KWA AR 

GBBRs seem very happy on Nuprol 3!” 

GBBR hops too were once the very bane of my 

existence and, like many others, I fabricated weird 

and wonderful tools of my own in order to adjust 

the hop of my earliest gas rifles. If you look back 

at some designs it was almost impossible to adjust 

the hop without first cranking the upper and, in 

some cases, removing the BCG, which was massively 

frustrating when you were trying to get the best and 

most consistent trajectory for your BBs! Again, this 

is starting to be meaningfully addressed by the likes 

of VFC with their “Guide Hop” and I would simply 

point you towards the G&G SMC-9’s muzzle hop 

adjustment when it comes to ease of fine tuning (I’m 

really interested to see what G&G come up with when 

their MGCR finally becomes a reality!). 

So, are they really that hard to get the best 

performance from then? I’d have to say no and, if 

anything, they’re easier to get running well and KEEP 

running well these days than most AEGs, as there are 

genuinely fewer parts involved, no fancy electronics 

and no gearboxes with gears and piston-teeth to 

shred! 

MAGGED UP! 

So, onto MYTH #2 - “ammo capacity” - and the 

fact that most GBBRs run on “realcaps” of 30 BBs, 

although a handful of manufacturers have upped 

that to 50 (and now indeed beyond if you’re looking 

at a gas SMG!). Does this REALLY put you at a 

disadvantage? 

There are two things to look at and consider here 

and the first is that more and more sites are opening 

for CQB/CQC, where full-auto play is prohibited! 

Therefore, if you are playing on semi-only does a huge 

magazine capacity really benefit you? I’d again say 

not and in fact, when you’re trying to be uber-sneaky 

and quiet, a rattly old Hi-Cap can be the difference 

between mission success or failure! 

Stewbacca: “A standard loadout for all my guns 

is four mags total, either individually or clipped/taped 

together in pairs, usually around 100-150 BBs total, 

plus a pistol with the same again of four mags mags 

and around 100 ish BBs.” 

“But what of a skirmish situation?”, I hear you ask, 

surely you’ll be massively at a disadvantage there? Let 

me put it another way… 

Were DELTA at a massive disadvantage in 

Mogadishu? Yes, they most certainly were! They 

were massively outgunned and their ammo was not 

“Hollywood endless”, but many SF units KNOW they 

will be at a disadvantage and have a plan to get past 

this… They SHOOT ACCURATELY and TRAIN HARD 

so that their “skills and drills” are immediate and 

just downright BETTER than those that they’re going 

to get into a gunfight with. Add to this the “force 

multipliers” they (should!) have on hand and the 

situation equalizes just a bit… 

Now I’m not for a moment suggesting that any of 

us are anywhere close to “SF Level”, as that’s patently 

ridiculous but WE CAN train with our chosen platform 

to take aimed shots effectively and I’ve found that 

with a number of my gas rifles I am able to actually 

USE an optic to get on target! I go to the range twice 

a week on average to test new models, and when I 

do, I always take a bit of time at the end of a session 

to shoot and train with my AKM or SR16. 

Add to this that any “SF” unit is going to train 


TECHNICAL 


ability to communicate clear target information (in 

the UK we call it GRIT and CLAP, look it up!) 

suddenly 

becomes of paramount 

together, 

as a UNIT, 

and their effectiveness will 

rise considerably when they 

are shooting and running 

contact drills as one cohesive 

whole to “win the firefight”. 

Suddenly one magazine of 

30 BBs becomes four, 30 

BBs immediately becoming 

120 (and so on) and the 

importance… “guy behind the 

tree in multicam” really ain’t gonna 

cut it! 

So, to paraphrase, you REALLY 

need to look at running a GBBR not as 

an individual, lone-wolf choice (although many “gas 

snipers” will do so, but that’s another story entirely!), 

but truly as a team one, and you REALLY need to pay 

attention to cover and concealment, along with your 

fieldcraft, skills and drills, accuracy and, above all, 

teamwork! Yes, you CAN run a GBBR on your own 

given their range and consistency once dialled in, 

but it’s going to be a whole lot more fun if you do it 

as a team that has trained hard together and is truly 

cohesive and effective in game! 

But for many that’s what airsoft is all about, right, 

and who doesn’t love that moment in a game when 

ammo runs low and you need to pull something 

amazing? Just remember to make sure that your team 

magazines are compatible… just sayin’… 

Robbie: “From a realistic (and RBT) use point of 

view I got rid of all my AEGs and only kept GBBRs and 

GBB pistols. Since we run only low-loaded mid-caps, 

run semi only, and love the ambush-style of gameplay, 

it doesn’t change game play much but it did take the 

training to its next level. Love my GBBR!” 

Boycie: “I love a GBBR much for the same reason 

as Rob. I enjoy mixing it up by only using GBBR/ 

GSMG/GBBP as it makes me think more before I 

take a shot. Also, by having the restricted amount 

of ammo in a mag, compared to mid-caps, it does 

actually change how I play. I usually only run 80-120 

rounds in an AEG mag, depending on the platform, 

so 30-40 is a lot of fun. I also tend to only run the 

same amount of mags (4 to 5 +1) with whatever I am 

using.” 

Stewbacca: “I love using them almost exclusively 

since I moved to Taiwan. Basically, unless I’m 

evaluating an AEG for articles, I really enjoy the 

general realism, tactile and manual of arms and the 

way it forces you to work as a team more, time your 

reloads or cover each other and perform fire and 

manoeuvre more realistically, especially in CQB which I 

prefer anyway!” 

60 

OCTOBER 2021

TECHNICAL 


TREAT IT RIGHT! 

So, consistent performance can be up there with an 

AEG these days, and lower mag capacities can be 

offset by really working as a team but there’s still that 

question, MYTH #3, about maintenance isn’t there? 

Bottom line, in my opinion a GBBR is actually a whole 

heap easier to maintain than an AEG! 

A GBBR, specifically an open, full-travel bolt model, 

is basically as close as you can get to a real firearm in 

terms of operation. There’s a big old bolt carrier group 

(BCG) that moves back and forth in the upper receiver, 

whilst the lower houses a trigger group, fire controls 

and a magwell… and that’s all she wrote (okay, a 

simplification, but you get my drift…)! When it comes 

to the cleaning I learned a LOT from Robbie and his 

“top tips” are: 

“After break-in period or parts have been properly 

tuned-polished, clean your rifle! Degrease all parts 

(dash of dawn dish soap in hot water, clean cloth wipe 

away all grease and dirt, then remove any residue 

with rubbing alcohol (90%), especially barrels and any 

hop buckings after every use. Touch up, then remove 

excess; treat all seals with a cotton swab dipped in 

pure silicone and Teflon (Dupont is my fave) but don’t 

allow this on buckings (always degrease buckings!) 

or use it in barrels as it will affect consistency and 

accuracy big big!”. 

So, in a nutshell what do you need to be doing 

in terms of maintaining a GBBR - and ultimately it’s 

pretty much the same as working with a real firearm 

- you need to keep your barrel clean and the working 

parts lubricated. You need to clean the platform after 

each use (not strictly necessary but it’s a good routine 

to get into!) and keep the outer parts lightly oiled, 

especially with steel models! You need to keep on top 

of your magazine maintenance and make sure that 

seals, valves and o-rings are all in good shape and 

make sure that you don’t overgas your mags in the 

first place. 

Overgassing, just like with a GBB pistol, can be the 

downfall of many a user! All too often I see people 

just holding the gas can down onto the fill valve and 

giving it a LONG old punch of gas, but remember now 

what I said about different “gas mixes”? A constant 

stream of gas can not only chill things down and 

cause the mag to vent but can now also result in not 

getting the best “balanced mix” inside, so take your 

time and feed the gas in using smaller squirts with a 

“settling gap” between squirts! Also, whilst heating a 

magazine may seem like an obvious move to get more 

performance, the very dynamics of gas mean that if 

you re-gas a warm mag you may not get a complete 

fill, so be wary of that too! 

Ryan: “In Japan or say Taiwan, GBBR-only is 

perfectly viable. I’ve recently changed to GBBR-only 

and as an ex-AEG tech, it’s a million times less of a 

headache, and being rough with my equipment is 

less of an issue. Plus, I do enjoy the added challenge 

against AEG players as a skill-building exercise. With 

the advent of magazine warmed pouches here, you 

can GBB year-round even on duster gas. GBB LIFE!” 

So, with all that said, what’s to stop you “Living the 

Gas Life”? I would say very little! 

In terms of safety, with a GBBR nothing happens 

until you load a magazine and charge the platform 

and indeed nothing CAN happen once your magazine 

is out, so even if there is a recalcitrant BB in the 

“chamber” there’s no way it can leave the barrel until 

you insert the mag again. Gas magazines though are 

really still the prohibiting cost factor these days when 

it comes to owning and running a gas rifle, carbine 

or SMG, as the price of the actual platform appears 

to be coming down and down! Sure, you’ll still pay a 

pretty penny for as platforms from WE, VFC, GHK, TM 

and Umarex but largely these days you get what you 

pay for, and that’s a gas platform that is ready to roll 

from the box! S&T have come in with gas models sub- 

UK£200, but these appear to still need some fettling 

to get right and are basically just a re-worked Western 

Arms system in a fancy frock. The same can be said 

for Golden Eagle but the latest models seem to be 

“good to go” from the box, which is encouraging! 

Ultimately “Living the Gas Life” is all about how 

you approach your airsoft and there most definitely 

will need to be a positive “attitude adjustment” if you 

want to live it fully. If you’re prepared to take that step 

and join those of us that love a gas platform, trust me, 

you’ll have an absolute blast when you do! 

Steve T: “On days when I’m looking for the 

experience, rather than the win, then a GBBR adds to 

the sensation of gunplay. Everything from the physical 

jolt of firing down to the lower mag capacity is that 

bit more involving, challenging and satisfying. And 

here’s a question for you: most people that try an AEP 

think, “How bland - where’s my gas pistol?” And yet 

AEGs continue to dominate the field. Why is that?” AA 

EVERYTHING FROM THE PHYSICAL JOLT OF FIRING DOWN TO THE LOWER MAG CAPACITY IS 

THAT BIT MORE INVOLVING, CHALLENGING AND SATISFYING. AND HERE’S A QUESTION FOR 

YOU: MOST PEOPLE THAT TRY AN AEP THINK, “HOW BLAND - WHERE’S MY GAS PISTOL?” 

AND YET AEGS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE FIELD. WHY IS THAT?” 


TECHNICAL 

WHY AEG IS BEST 

LIVING THE 

AEG LIFE! 

WITH BILL SINGING THE PRAISES OF GAS PLATFORMS, IT’S RIGHT AND PROPER THAT WE HAVE A 

COUNTERPOINT FOR THE JOYS OF THE AEG! WITHOUT DOUBT IT’S THE “ELECTRIC GUN” THAT HAS POWERED 

AIRSOFT FORWARD AND THE AEG CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST-USED PLATFORM BY AIRSOFTERS AROUND 

THE GLOBE, SO JIMMY PICKS UP THE CHALLENGE AS TO WHY, IF YOU DON’T ALREADY, YOU SHOULD REALLY 

OWN AN AEG… 

It is a given that a vast majority of airsofters own an 

AEG of some description and, as it stands today, 

they are the most commonly used system in airsoft 

across the globe - but that hasn’t always been the 

case! 

Back in the 1970’s most of the world had no clue 

that airsoft even existed. Airsoft originated from 

Japan in the early 1970s, when photographer Ichiro 

Nagata, an avid shooting enthusiast himself, thought 

about making model guns that shoot real projectiles 

that could not kill. These “guns” were trademarked 

as “soft air gun”, tailoring to the needs of shooting 

enthusiasts while still conforming to Japan’s strict gun 

control legislation. It wasn’t until the late 1980’s that 

airsoft had spread into the UK, where they would be 

sold in separate pieces and would require a level of 

construction in order for them to be able to shoot! 

Shortly after this time airsoft guns became available 

to the rest of Europe and north America and gained 

massive popularity across the globe. Airsoft guns 

generally fall into one of three categories of operating 

principle, spring, electric or a gas of some form but 

there’s only one that really interests me and that’s the 

electric type, or widely known as the AEG (automatic 

electric gun). So, if I were to say buy an AEG “just 

because”… would you? 

I’m going to try and convince you as to why an 

AEG is the best platform for airsoft. 

An AEG is for me the best, most user-friendly 

platform for any player and the market is so vast they 

cater for everyone, from the newest of players right 

up to the most battle-hardened veterans and they 

come in many wonderful and differing forms. Buying 

an AEG is like buying sweets; when standing at the 

counter looking at the veritable selection you just 

don’t know what to buy; then comes the decision 

“do I buy the small cheaper bar of chocolate, or do 

I buy the bigger more expensive bar?” Seriously the 

selection of AEGs is staggering and is forever growing, 

which brings new brands on the scene more and 

more, each with their own ideas and designs. 

I feel lucky to have entered into airsoft at a time 

where most equipment is actually bloody good 

and works when it is supposed to. But what is it I 

love about electrically-driven airsoft, you may be 

wondering and well, I’d say there are many reasons I 

would choose an AEG over a springer or a gasser, and 

I feel the pros far outweigh the cons. 

For starters, you can pick up a very respectable 

and reliable gun reasonably cheaply and out of the 

box you can have endless amounts of fun with it. 

Manufacturers have really upped their game and 

certain brands who were once considered cheap 

and nasty are now thought to be great contenders, 

offering performance and quality at respectable prices 

meaning some of the bigger market leaders have got 

to be on their toes the whole time. I’m not here to be 

promoting any single brand but as an example, take 

62 

OCTOBER 2021

TECHNICAL 


Double Eagle. My first airsoft gun was a Double Eagle 

many years ago, specifically an M85 (best known as a 

G36) and quite frankly it was pants! But compare it to 

their new range of full metal rifles with the Falcon Fire 

Control and they are worlds apart! 

There have been some serious changes and Double 

Eagle have climbed from the bottom rung, putting 

them on my list among many others as a good sub- 

UK£200 gun for either a new player or someone 

looking for a cheaply priced platform to use as 

something they can upgrade or customise. I think 

where airsoft is at the moment, to go out and spend 

UK£600-UK£1,500 on an AEG is ludicrous, and that 

player is out to boost an ego and seeks validation 

that their overly expensive gun is the dogs b@##$%s! 

There is no need to be going that mad - and this is 

coming from someone who loves aftermarket parts 

and customisation! 

Which brings me to my next point: AEGs have 

become a product where the internet has led people 

to believe that, in order for that AEG to be good you 

need to throw a further £600 at it and adorn it with 

all the shiny parts from all the top-rated brands which, 

in my eyes, isn’t the way to do it. The beauty of AEGs 

is the amount of manufacturers who are constantly 

bringing us great aftermarket parts for the price of 

peanuts (peanuts of course being an analogy as you 

can’t really buy stuff with peanuts… maybe monkey 

nuts though, who knows lol!). Most AEGs can (and 

will) benefit from these parts and you’ll be amazed at 

how little they cost. 

For example, you buy a UK£200 gun and it will 

work fine out of the box but there will come that 

time where you require a little more performance, 

so for a further UK£35 we can squeeze out some 

great range and accuracy by way of replacing the 

standard brass barrel and standard hop rubber. I can 

pretty much guarantee it will be shooting further and 

straighter than most out of the box UK£400 guns! 

There is so much to choose from these days regarding 

aftermarket upgrades and there really is no limit other 

than your budget and just how far down that rabbit 

hole do you want to go! 

Other reasons I like AEGs are things like magazine 

capacity. Don’t talk to me about 30rd mags, I’m really 

not that interested in mid-caps either if I’m honest. I 

am known for being frivolous with ammo and I like 

nothing more than a large capacity mag and drum 

mags. I don’t play to tiptoe around and choose my 

shots, I want to quite literally shoot everything and I 

will spam on that trigger all day long! Drum mags… 

because reloading is stupid! Joking aside though, 

having to reload puts you at a disadvantage against 

those that don’t, and AEGs suit this style of play and 

generally give a higher ROF. 

One thing an AEG will never suffer from is cold 

fatigue, or the dreaded “gas dump of death”! You 

know the one I mean, that moment you pull the 

trigger and due to cold all you get is a click followed 

by a big cloud of disappointment, then the humiliation 

of being taken out by a guy wielding an AEG with a 

whacking drum mag! AEGs tend to handle the colder 

weather much better. 

Maintenance is a thing and while I’m able to 

maintain all my own rifles with an AEG, maintenance 

intervals are much further apart. Play with it, put 

it away, take it out play with it again and unless 

something breaks there’s no need to do anything 

really, other than maybe a barrel clean every few 

weeks. I tend to service mine once a year, if, however, 

I was using one gun every weekend I would be doing 

that every six months but I jump between guns and 

even on game days I’ll take two, sometimes three 

guns and alternate between them. 

Certain AEGs are very picky when it comes to 

battery space, which can be annoying especially as 

you need to buy yet another battery (that is one of the 

cons with them). As your collection grows so will your 

selection of batteries. This is why I favour the M4/ 

AR style, due to the battery space being much more 

forgiving than some I have battled with. Trying to 

cram a battery and all the wiring into a place that has 

been designed for nothing bigger than a fairy sneeze 

is a tad frustrating! 

Here are a few thoughts from some of the guys 

from the Legion; these are experienced guys who have 

been part of airsoft for far longer than I. 

Robbie: “Back when I used and worked on 

AEGs, low cost #1, and the ability to be tuned and 

upgraded.” 

Johnathan: “I love the military look and was was 

never into fitting stupid accessories!! Or speed soft 

colours either! I only used accessories that I would use 

or was useful!! Functional and lasting is what I’m after 

and an AEG provides this.” 

Bill: “I do like a licenced AEG when it’s done 

properly but most of all I look for durability, as I know 

it’s going to take a hammering! I use mine mostly 

with midcaps and on semi-auto, so the internals need 

to be able to handle that. I’m happy using most AEGs 

“stock” from the box but overall I would say that 

the benefit of an AEG to me is that you can “tune 

it” for a specific task and use it in all conditions year 

round. I do love my gassers but in the past they have 


TECHNICAL 


needed a lot of love when 

the temperature plummets, 

although this is improving with 

better, more stable gasses, and I’ve 

used an AEGs in sub-zero conditions 

with a blizzard going on (which is 

GREAT fun FYI!)!” 

Jon: “They’re easy... That’s it. They’re 

for all. They’re not difficult to operate 

and work well in all temps. For me it’s 

been a journey. I’ve had entry level rifles 

that massively out-performed highend 

ones and vice versa. I listen to 

recommendations, experience and those 

who have used a certain system a fair 

amount. Looks-wise, I’m a Tacticool kinda 

guy. Guts-wise I prefer a basic system, I’m 

not a fan of chip controlled kit but I can 

appreciate it too. Features = Failures. If I 

had to pick a platform, I’d have to say AR 

followed very closely by AK.” 

Chris: “Consistency. They just work. Rain, 

snow, shine - no faffing needed!” 

Dan: “I buy them solely on the basis of 

how good the external body quality is, with 

the intention of largely gutting them and 

configuring it to my own liking. So, to me, the 

stock externals matter more than the internals - 

provided it’s nothing that’s highly proprietary and 

will be otherwise prohibitive to being upgraded. 

Which is why I avoid certain brands… These days, 

I’ve placed more emphasis on standardizing my 

collection and trimming off the fat and items 

I don’t really use. I always fall back on using 

just one or two of them consistently, so most 

everything else either has sentimental value or 

is there as a backup gun. I’ve kind of come 

full circle back to the beginning with falling 

in love with AKs again, so that’s where my 

interests are sitting presently.” 

So why buy an AEG? They are fun, 

reliable, affordable, highly customisable, 

high quality, durable, easy to work on, easy 

to maintain, and have generally great parts 

availability. AEG will always be my choice 

and I will stand by them being the best 

platform for use by any player. 

And you really don’t need a reason to 

buy another… AA 

64 

OCTOBER 2021

KIT & GEAR 

MAROM-X OPFOR OPERATOR 

IN ISSUE 128 WE INTRODUCED TO SOME FABULOUS PEOPLE WE’VE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO WORK WITH 

AND WE’RE VERY PROUD TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WRITE ABOUT AND SHOW THE MAROM-X ELITE NIGHT 

VISION CAMERA! WE’VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A PRE-PRODUCTION MODEL THAT JON HAS BEEN 

SETTING UP AND WORKING WITH, AND THUS FAR IT’S A BIT OF KIT THAT MAY LOOK QUITE UNASSUMING 

BUT ONE THAT OFFERS A WHOLE RANGE OF ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITY THAT SOME AIRSOFTERS ARE 

GOING TO TRULY LOVE! 

So, we’ve really started to get into testing the 

pre-production model of the MAROM-X Elite 

Night Vision Camera now and, well, it’s a 

swanky bit of kit. 

To reiterate the facts and “rationale” behind 

MAROM-X… Photography has a number of 

advantages or capabilities in the tactical sense; 

photography can collect data in areas usually 

inaccessible to the average infantryman when 

collected by recce and special operations assets and 

can provide high resolution images to identify objects 

in more detail. With simple formulas aerial imagery 

can be used to measure objects on the ground, and 

film provides a permanent record which can be used 

later to detect change in a target area. However, 

images and even video don’t provide all the answers 

and missions prove most successful when they 

encompass all 

intelligence 

assets 

such as physical CTR, and of course many of 

the same limitations (enemy defences, weather, 

darkness, and terrain masking) need to be taken 

in account. The key limitation in that list to me 

though, is something we can mitigate against with 

technology… darkness. That’s where the MAROM-X 

system begins to sing to me loud and clear. 

MAROM-X is the company’s commercially 

available night vision camera developed for 

consumer use. This revolutionary camera is 

specifically tailored for the tactical user and has 

been developed and designed by engineers and 

professionals from two of Israel’s award-winning 

companies. One will be instantly recognisable to 

gear-lovers, as Marom Dolphin was founded in 1993 

as a manufacturing company for textile products. 

Over the years, the company has expanded its 

fields of activity and established itself as one of 

the leading companies in the tactical textile/ 

technology field. 

The other partner is NVISOL, which has 

been around since 2014 as a company 

providing soldier-oriented solutions, 

integration, and system engineering. The 

company’s main goal is to find innovative 

solutions for tactical forces challenges 

while considering the end-users needs. The 

engineers and designers that have developed 

MAROM-X bring their experience of years of 

service in the military and stay connected to the 

field to stay updated with the evolving battlefield, 

fighting equipment, and soldiers’ needs. With their 

extensive long-term knowledge and experience, 

they aim to deliver innovative tactical cameras to 

their customers, which allow them to fight stronger, 

longer, and more efficiently! 

66 

OCTOBER 2021

KIT & GEAR 

OPFOR OPERATOR MAROM-X 

As Bill said in his opener about this new piece of 

technology: 

“To me any piece of new “tech” must serve a 

purpose, and there must be a darn good reason why 

I will add it to my personal load in game. I have my 

primary which spits BBs, and I have my secondary 

which does the same but at closer range, and I 

add an optic for specific reasons. I have my loadbearing 

kit, either plate carrier for CQB or chest rig 

for woodland and those carry my spare magazines, 

comms, and sustainment gear. Other than comms 

there is very little that is in any way “tech” about my 

gear, although I might throw on a stock or wristmounted 

GPS if I’m at a Milsim where the AO is 

large and I don’t know it well.” 

He went on to conclude: 

“Let’s face it, cameras are part of our daily lives 

now, and within airsoft they can be used for good 

or not so good! Discounting the “not so good” I 

can see that something once seen as “sci-fi”, just 

like personal comms, will only prove massively 

beneficial for many players, especially in a Milsim 

scenario! Personal camera systems will become part 

of the “future soldiers” load and are certainly an 

integral part of those development programs, and as 

airsofters we’ll soon be able to benefit from similar 

technology thanks to MAROM-X! Coming back to 

my opening comments I can totally see the benefit 

of adding a MAROM-X camera to my load in the 

future, and those extra grammes will undoubtedly 

pay dividends in game and give an extra level of 

immersion to review at my leisure!” 

TESTING! 

As previously mentioned, cameras, love em’ or 

hate em’, have come a long way in recent years. 

Obviously, we all know the major players in action 

cameras with offerings from GoPro or DJI (we love 

their drones btw) but there’s one thing they really 

lack and that’s their ability to function well in the 

dark. When I say dark, I don’t mean ambient light 

that you find on the street, I mean complete, can’tsee-your-hand-six-inches-from-your-face, 

dark! 

This is where the MAROM-X Elite shines… Literally. 

The MAROM-X boasts a whole host of features, 

the most interesting being its automatic transition 

from day to night vision. It’s not your green “tubed” 

NV, it’s monochrome footage and is supported by 

some very nifty built in IR Illuminators. 

As you can see from the video stills, the illuminator 

casts out approximately ten meters which is more 

than enough for “evidence” footage. 

The new camera has another neat trick where, via 

a WiFi or 4G connection it can cast real time footage 

to a nearby device such as a phone, tablet or laptop. 

It won’t take up your device storage space either as 

it records directly to the camera SD card. It also has a 

GPS function, which watermarks onto the footage. 

This feature didn’t seem to work for me but I had a 

pre- production model and I expect this to work on 

the final piece, which our man “Smooth” Jase will be 

taking to a MilSim in September. 

Speaking of recording, it has several recording and 

streaming modes. It can record 1440p at 30 frames 

per second, stream at 720p at 30 frames per second 

and take pictures up to 40 MegaPixels (even while 

filming). It runs H.264 and H.265 Codec so there’s 

an awful lot of data compressed into the files. To 

support these functions the MAROM-X Elite boasts 

a NINE-hour battery life. Take that GoPro with your 

puny 1.5 hours! 

The unit itself is of a sturdy construction, with 

a simple 3 button user interface. It boasts an IP65 

Water and Dust resistance rating and has a 1.5 

meter drop rating too, just perfect for us more 

heavy handed folks. The top has an LCD display, 

showing the functions, modes and settings menu, 

which can be turned off in “covert” mode. Another 

feature that I like is the “vibrate” on button press. 

Basically, this means you get a single “brrrr” for 

no and two “brrrrs” for yes. While it might seem 

like an unnecessary feature, when it’s mounted 

to your helmet, it suddenly becomes a godsend. 

As previously mentioned, it comes with built in IR 

illuminators and a built in white light torch which 

works well. 

MAROM-X offer full support on their website 

with links to the drivers and software that you’ll 

need to operate and customise the camera in a bit 

more detail. They also have Youtube Videos for each 

operational section, which is a nice touch for those 

“IT CAN RECORD 1440P AT 30 FRAMES PER SECOND, STREAM AT 720P AT 30 FRAMES PER 

SECOND AND TAKE PICTURES UP TO 40 MEGAPIXELS (EVEN WHILE FILMING). IT RUNS H.264 

AND H.265 CODEC SO THERE’S AN AWFUL LOT OF DATA COMPRESSED INTO THE FILES. TO 

SUPPORT THESE FUNCTIONS THE MAROM-X ELITE BOASTS A NINE-HOUR BATTERY LIFE. 

TAKE THAT GOPRO WITH YOUR PUNY 1.5 HOURS!” 


DESIGNED FOR 

PROFESSIONALS 

maromx.com

KIT & GEAR 

OPFOR OPERATOR MAROM-X 

who can’t read or prefer visual guidance. 

In the box you get the Camera Unit, a 32GB 

SD Card, Camera Dock, USB lead and mounting 

hardware for rifle and helmet. 

I like this unit a lot but there’s one thing, in my 

opinion, that is off and that’s the price. It sits at a 

hefty UK£510. That’s not pocket change and for 

that you could buy a GoPro Hero 9 bundle but, and 

it’s a HUGE BUT, you will not be anywhere close to 

getting the quality of night footage, nor do you get 

the mounting hardware, battery life, built in torch 

and IR illumination, GPS or 4G that you get with the 

MAROM-X Elite Camera. 

And THAT’S a HUGE difference in performance 

that if you’re using it right may well be worth the 

money! 

Tech Specs: 

• Codec H.264 & H.265 

Recording Resolutions 

• 2560x1440 @30fps 

• 2304x1296 @30fps 

• 1920x1080 @30/60fps 

• 1280x720 @30/60fps 

• 848x480 @30/60fps 

Streaming Resolutions 

• 1280x720 @15/30fps 

• 848x480 @15/30fps 

• 640x350 @15/30fps 

• 320x240 @15/30fps 

Photo Resolution 

• 5,12,20,25,30 & 40 MegaPixels. 

If you’d like to have a look at how to set up the 

MAROM-X and check out some of the features 

then it’s simple, just head on over to their website 

https://maromx.com and head on into the “Support” 

section where it’ll link you to their Youtube channel 

MAROM-X. On their channel you’ll find even more 

to do with testing, plus a complete step-by-step 

rundown on setup and operation! 

With the initial testing now complete and the 

full production version of the MAROM-X now in 

our hands I’m passing the torch (quite literally in 

this instance!) over to Jase who’ll be looking at it 

from the MilSim perspective, so we can see how the 

camera can REALLY perform in the field and he’ll be 

reporting back soon! AA 


armoury 

VORSK VP26X 

LIKE AEGS, GAS BLOWBACK PISTOLS HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS AND THEY 

JUST KEEP ON DEVELOPING FORWARD, WITH INCREASED FUNCTIONALITY AND EFFICIENCY, PLUS 

SOME VERY COOL DESIGN AESTHETICS AND AT THE HEAD OF THE PACK RIGHT NOW IS VORSK! BILL 

TAKES A LOOK AT THE VP26X, WHICH TAKES THEIR ALREADY UNIQUE DESIGNS IN A TOTALLY NEW 

AND EXCITING DIRECTION! 

70 

OCTOBER 2021

armoury 

VORSK VP26X 

You might say that I’m a bit of a “Vorsk-aholic”, 

as I say I can give them up any time but 

just keep on adding more to my collection! 

Whilst I do love a pistol that is based on a real model, 

especially when fully licenced with all the markings 

and trades in place, I’m also a lover of cool, clean, 

futuristic design and over the past couple of years 

working directly with the guys at VORSK, they have 

persuaded me that a pistol can not only look startling 

and unique but can function even better than before 

too! 

Working with them remotely and (I’m pleased to 

say!) spending more time with them again now that 

C-19 restrictions have lifted somewhat, I’m massively 

lucky to have an inside track on what’s in the pipeline 

and let me tell you right now that the “development 

program” shows no sign of slowing up! If anything, 

it’s just about to kick into a higher gear… However, 

not only am I a loyal friend, but I’ve also signed a very 

business-like NDA with them which prohibits me from 

talking about future plans… but oh, how I want to 

scream them from the rooftops! 

With the release of their EU and Hi Capa pistols 

VORSK moved things forward sensibly and slowly 

but surely added to the line. We’ve now had some 

superb “legacy” pistols, like the Agency VX-9, the 

VP-X and the CS-Defender (all of which I absolutely, 

100% adore!), along with more performance-oriented 

models like the Hi Capa Split Slide and the Vengeance, 

which are showing exactly how much efficiency you 

can get from a pistol platform if you know what 

you’re doing and design it correctly from the ground 

up. 

Not only have they looked at the pistols themselves 

but also the BBs that we fire from them, plus the 

“fuel” that drives them, offering as complete a 

package as possible, one that is designed to work 

in complete harmony from the outset to ensure 

unadulterated performance. 

Returning to my comment on the uniqueness 

of their design though, up until now VORSK have 

rightly stuck to their wonderful version of tried and 

tested 1911, Hi Capa, and EU styles and although 

they certainly look VERY different, it’s been a while 

since they really stepped “outside the box” again 

and did something that they’ve not ever done before 

(although in fairness they do new variations almost 

constantly). But now they have with the VP26X! 

ALTERED ALLOY 

Okay, I’ll stop with the nods to William Gibson and 

Richard Morgan (I love “Johnny Mnemonic” and 

“Altered Carbon” remains one of my favourite books, 

the TV series not so much…) and move on, although 

there’s a reason why I use these as my “hooks”, given 

that the VP26X looks like it could have leapt fullyformed 

from a visualisation of their imaginations. 

In fact it looks like it could easily have been seen in 

the hand of Takeshi Kovacs in a cyberpunk dystopian 

setting, especially the Brushed Aluminium version that 

I chose for myself! 

Okay, underneath the VP26X (I’ll just call it the 

“X” from here as that sounds cooler…) it’s pretty 

obvious that there’s a “226” base and in terms of the 

operation this is so, as I’ve tried it with other brand 

226 mags and its works perfectly on most of them. 

However, this is FAR from “all she wrote” as the pistol 

seems to scream like a woken fury (sorry, couldn’t help 

myself!) that it’s different, and as much as the internal 

mechanisms have been fine-tuned and optimised 

with a little of that VORSK attention to detail, it’s the 

externals that really make it even more special. 

Fitted with a frame-mounted “Breacher” muzzle 

device which extends both the pistol and barrel length 

(as well as bringing the 20mm front rail flush with the 

muzzle), the VP26X’s side profile is quite unique and 

pretty intimidating! The slide has been pared back a 

little to bring the weight down (and therefore increase 

the ease of cycling) with the addition of three forward 

twin-vent ports as well as deep engravings on the rear 

slide grips. This is a “look” that VORSK have really 

made their own, and it really is a very clever piece 

of subliminal branding as well as being genuinely 

performance enhancing. 

The reduced weight slide also enhances the recoil 

effect, which is heightened by the “Breacher”; most 

GBB pistols rely entirely on the locking pin to stop the 

forward momentum of the slide, but here the muzzle 

device provides a second point of contact that really 

amplifies this sensation. On first glance, and a number 

of people have commented on this, the “Breacher” 

looks as it’s been wrongly fitted as there’s an obvious 

gap between it and the forward top edge of the slide 

but this is actually done for a reason to avoid damage 

as the slide slams forward with each and every shot… 

If it were impacting the “Breacher” every time it 

would eventually lead to spring fatigue over time, 

potential damage to the metalwork and most certainly 

a loss in overall “zing”! It’s a case here of finding out 

the true story behind the design, not just making an 

“ass-umption”. 

The “must-be-a-VORSK” touches continue to be 

apparent on the bespoke half-solid, half-wireframe 

hammer as well as the high-stippled polymer grip. 

This is brilliant, as not only does it look outrageously 

aggressive but it means you can keep it in your hand 


armoury 

VORSK VP26X 

in even atrocious weather so it won’t be lost in time, 

like tears in rain… SORRY, Roy Batty crept up on me! 

The chamfered trigger is extremely positive; this 

is a double-action design, meaning that pulling the 

trigger will cock the hammer without working the 

slide and will fire the pistol, which is great for a sticky 

moment when you need to deploy your pistol and get 

a shot away fast because, you know, replicants are 

fast! There is also a smoothly-functioning de-cocking 

lever in front and slightly lower than the slide release 

that lets you safely and in a controlled manner set the 

hammer back to its neutral position, which will let you 

holster it in “Condition 1”, again for a fast shot from 

the draw if you need it…because… well… replicants 

again… 

The “X” is full metal (alloy) construction and this 

follows through to the 20 BB magazine that benefits 

from a bumper on the base. VORSKs experience with 

other GBB models ensures first-class gas efficiency, 

easily emptying the standard magazine when 

putting BBs downrange. The 20mm rail on the lower 

“business end” allows for the attachment of a range 

of accessories and the NX 300 series of pistol lights 

mates perfectly to this and screams out for one of the 

NX LAMs… C’mon, every wetworker needs a laser! 

On my daily sessions on the short range at home 

I’ve been using the “X” a lot, so I’ve now been able 

to spend some quality time with it. It’s been out with 

me in all weather conditions, in good weather, driving 

rain and now in super dusty, hot conditions as I took it 

with me to the NAF. I managed to snag an extra 20BB 

magazine for the pistol, so one of my belts is now all 

set up, and my Warrior Universal holster is mounted 

just as I like it. The “X” fits this setup and holsters 

perfectly and thus far has been a joy to work with, 

although if you want a dedicated holster solution 

you’ll need to get one custom made right now (I 

“might” have already given Kydex Customs a bit of a 

nod on this… “might have”…). 

Sight options include either fibre optic iron sights, 

or Dot-Sight options, Black, Grey or Tan; the range 

includes NINETEEN variants in total with a choice 

of colours and sight options. If you want a more 

“tacticool” finish, Black, Grey and Tan are in the mix 

but you can also choose from two metallic, Silver or 

Brushed Aluminium (YES! SHINY!), and if you’re just 

starting out there’s even a Dual Tone blue option! 

The package also includes a 12mm CW/14 mm 

CCW thread adapter for you to fit your own barrel 

attachments or suppressor and side-loading CO2 

Magazines are available as a spare item. 

TAKING IT DOWNTOWN, SECTOR B5 

I’ve been running the “X” on VORSK V8 gas, using 

.20g VORSK BBs for testing and the chrono settles 

consistently at 0.96 Joule/323fps on that weight, 

with little variance from new. The pistol has now had 

about 25 mags worth down the barrel (a mix of .20 

and .25g VORSKs) and to date I’ve experienced no 

issues at all. Accuracy is actually getting better the 

more I run it, and at 10m I’m now down to some tight 

groupings when I try; consistently at 10m it’s a breeze 

hitting steels (targets, not a euphemism for androids!) 

each and every time, even when I’m on the move! 

I’ve been close to the “X” project since its 

inception, and I have to say that I’m truly thrilled 

with the look, feel, quality, and performance of the 

finished product; this is absolutely no fallen angel… 

my apologies, I just can’t help myself! It looks like 

the VORSK crew have done it again, and it feels like 

each and every one of their releases just moves things 

forward another step! 

The pistol has hit stores already, so if you’re 

anything like me you’ll be grabbing your grey gear 

and gearing up for a Shadowrun (hah, crowbarred 

that in too!) of your own, as the VP26X could well 

be the perfect choombah if you’re swapping meat 

for chrome and chippin’ in for some neo-corporate 

wetwork! 

For more information please visit www.vorskairsoft. 

com or keep an eye on their Facebook page for 

regular updates. AA 


RELOADED 

G&P STONER M63A1 

STONER 

SUPPORT! 

THE ARGUMENT OF THE BENEFIT OF A SUPPORT GUN OVER A STANDARD AEG WILL UNDOUBTEDLY 

GO ON AND ON, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ONE SPECIFIC MODEL THERE’S SOME VERY GOOD REASONS 

WHY THERE ARE FOUR G&P STONER M63A1S OWNED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION - AND 

BILL WILL TELL YOU WHY! 

Whether to bother with a support gun is an 

argument that I hear all too often as, in 

AEG form, the only single benefit that I can 

see is in the size of magazine/box/drum that can be 

carried! Whilst I am more of a Mid/Lo Cap player, used 

correctly a good support gun can be worthy of the 

increased weight and size IF it’s used as it should be 

- and that is as a SUPPORT tool for laying down large 

volumes of suppressive fire. 

More and more I see even basic skirmish sites 

putting up restrictions for the use of standard AEGs 

that are used as “support guns” by simply adding a 

“C-Clip” or drum mag. Bluntly put, the average Hi- 

Cap mag carries 450+ BBs and if that ain’t enough 

then in my world something has gone a bit awry! 

If you’re going to be a true support gunner, then 

shoulder that pig and do it right! 

But there is one model that (for many of us at AA) 

really ticks all the boxes when it comes to having 

a true support gun in every way, that’s also easy to 

manipulate, can be carried all day long and can switch 

ultra-efficiently from semi for close-in work to fullauto 

(which gives a tremendous suppressive effect) 

and that’s the Stoner M63A1 from G&P. 

There are FOUR of these splendid AEGs on the 

team, owned by myself (I believe I still had the first 

in the UK thanks to Fire Support!), Chris P for his 

superb “NAM SEAL” impressions, Marcus for general 

skirmishing and specialist contributor Scott from Land 

Warrior Airsoft, who swears by one at the very best 

MilSim events! It just goes to show that this excellent 

AEG really is a “jack of all trades and eras”, even if 

Chris and I do get a bit “stitch bitch” about the railed 

version! 

Amongst the “Nam Airsoft” community these are 

prized possessions and I’ve seen various mods done 

superbly to provide both the longer-barrelled variant, 

plus that with the drum rather than box mag. That 

said, the railed version has brought the M63A1 fully 

up to date, so I can totally see why Scott and the 

MilSim fraternity love them so much too! In fact, 

“Stoner Owners” seem to cherish these remarkable 

AEGs as much as we do and, as time goes on and 

these become even rarer than they are now, I can see 

that they’ll be going second-hand for a VERY good 

price - and they weren’t cheap in the first place! 

But what sets the Stoner apart from any other 

support gun you may ask, and what has made it such 

an icon? To answer this I need, as usual, to delve back 

in time to put things in context… 

“BLUNTLY PUT, THE AVERAGE HI-CAP MAG CARRIES 450+ BBS AND IF THAT AIN’T 

ENOUGH THEN IN MY WORLD SOMETHING HAS GONE A BIT AWRY! IF YOU’RE GOING 

TO BE A TRUE SUPPORT GUNNER, THEN SHOULDER THAT PIG AND DO IT RIGHT!” 

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BIRTH OF A LEGEND 

When Eugene Stoner, designer of the AR-15/M-16 

series of combat rifles, left Armalite Corporation in the 

early 1960s, he decided to design a unique weapons 

platform that used a common receiver to transform 

one base into a rifle, carbine or light machine gun 

without using special tools, and would be inexpensive 

and simple enough for mass production. To see the 

project through, Stoner convinced Cadillac Gage, a 

U.S. military contractor, to provide financial aid to 

establish a new small arms development branch of the 

company. 

Initially chambered and tested in the 7.62×51 

mm round used by the M-14, a subsequent design 

incorporated a change to the increasingly popular 

5.56x45mm .223 cartridge of his M-16 rifle and 

was designated the “Stoner 63”, with the first ones 

produced in early 1963. Like the M-16, the Stoner 

used plastics instead of wood when necessary but, 

unlike the M-16, it used a gas piston instead of the 

direct impingement method for operation. 

The “Spec Ops” website tells me more of the story: 

“…after months of unit trials it was decided that the 

Stoner 63 was too unreliable for general issue and 

recommendations were made for improvements. 

These included ejection port dust covers, modifications 

to the feed mechanism, a stainless steel gas cylinder, a 

different fire selector and improved safety. Stoner met 

these changes and the new weapons produced were 

given the designation Stoner 63A, which didn’t reach 

production until 1966. Even so, they were hurriedly 

deployed to South Vietnam in small numbers, and in 

some of the most appalling conditions imaginable, the 

Stoner began to forge a reputation for itself not with 

the average G.I. or Marine, but with the Navy SEALs 

who used the preferred version, the LMG, with deadly 

efficiency.” 

Using box or drum magazines the Stoner provided 

valuable fire support to the small SEAL teams 

operating in the swamps and jungles of the Mekong 

Delta when engaging enemy forces at close range. 

The Stoner was smaller and weighed much less than 

the M60, which also required belts of ammunition 

to be slung over shoulders because it did not have 

a magazine. Unlike the units that encountered the 

Stoner in the trials, reliability remained excellent 

thanks to constant maintenance by the everscrupulous 

SEALs, even in the harshest of conditions. 

The Stoner became their “emblem” in Vietnam almost 

as much as the coveted “Budweiser” and everywhere 

the “men with the green faces” went, the Stoner 

went with them. If you have any doubt about the 

use of the Stoner “In Country” then I’d thoroughly 

recommend that you get yourself a copy of “The 

Element of Surprise” by Darryl Young as it’s a cracking 

read about the US Navy SEALs whose job in Vietnam 

was to perform “silent recon” and capture enemy 

soldiers for “intel” …bringing them back alive was of 

course not that easy! 

In 1970, the U.S. Army trialled an “improved” LMG 

variant of the Stoner (XM207, with improvements 

again by Cadillac Gage) and this was issued it to 

a number of Special Forces units for evaluation. 

However, due to its complexity and high maintenance 

requirements (along with the fact that the war in 

Vietnam was drawing to a close) the project was 

canned in 1971. That same year Cadillac Gage 

ceased all production of the Stoner 63; it is believed 

that around 4,000 63 and 63A units were built in 

total. The SEALs continued to use the Stoner 63 and 

had officially adopted the Commando version (as 

replicated by G&P) as the Mark 23 Mod 0 but, by the 

late 1980s, the Stoner was completely phased out 

as the then-new M249 SAW came into service and 

sadly most of the remaining guns were destroyed! It 

is believed though, that a couple of complete Cadillac 

Gage “Stoner Systems” (at a reputed $15,000 a pop 

back in the ‘60s!) still exist in the armoury of a certain 

US Police Department but this could be just another 

“ghost in the machine” fable… I for one hope that 

this is fact rather than fiction! 

But this was not the complete end of the “Stoner 

Story” as, before he passed away in 1997, Stoner 

continued to develop and evolve the Stoner Light 

Machine Gun concept and the subsequent LAMG 

(Light Assault Machine Gun) was manufactured by 

Knight’s Armament Company (KAC). This thoroughly 

modern platform can directly trace its lineage back to 

the Stoner 63 and although there are no military users 

of the KAC LAMG/AMG system, it is highly regarded 

within the firearms industry as the latest evolution of 

the light machine gun. 

It is though, the “Stoner 63” that will be forever 

remembered by firearms aficionados worldwide as the 

most unique - and best - thing that Eugene Stoner 

ever designed after the AR15/M16 …and that is a 

remarkable legacy! 

6MM COOL 

The ‘63 is a fabulous replica of Eugene Stoner’s unique 

“Nam Era” LMG design, one that most definitely 

bridges the gap between a traditional support gun 

and carbine/rifle AEG. Put together almost entirely 

from steel and high-grade alloy, with an absolutely 

beautiful and uniform finish, the Stoner comes in 

at a very user-friendly and manageable 4,620g and 


RELOADED 


with an overall length of 930mm (but still with a 

440mm inner barrel!), it’s not much longer than most 

mid-length AR carbines! Due to the design, with a 

very modern-looking pistol grip, full butt and sizable 

forestock, the Stoner actually handles superbly well 

and is as easy to manipulate as any rifle, even with the 

clever 1200 BB box-mag fitted. The butt, stock and 

pistol grip are made of a very durable polycarbonate/ 

glass-fibre mix, although some of the early models 

were reported to have a weak point of failure at 

the point where the butt met the receiver group. As 

someone who has done a full somersault and landed 

HARD with a G&P Stoner in hand, I can tell you that 

this initial weak point was most definitely rectified 

as production went on! The G&P is thankfully also 

rear-wired into the butt, so there’s a huge battery 

compartment but G&P recommended no more than a 

7.4V LiPo for this AEG and even a small one will keep 

you effective for hours. 

The big thing that we all love about the Stoner is 

that it’s a select-fire model, just like your regular AR, 

so its fully happy in both full-automatic and semiautomatic 

modes and it’s equally excellent in both, as 

I mentioned earlier! This is a support gun that you can 

sweep the street with one minute and then happily 

and confidently switch to semi as you step indoors the 

next; it really is versatile, and it’s as accurate as many 

DMRs when you have it on semi! 

The Stoner is driven along by a V2 gearbox with 

8mm Bearings, so no problems there. It’s nothing 

fancy, it just works and keeps on working but of 

course is very easy to work on and will accept most 

off-the-shelf upgrade parts, so you can upgrade the 

gearbox if you so desire. Why you’d want to though 

is beyond me to be honest, as the AEG “stock” 

works pretty much perfectly. The Stoner also comes 

with an M120 High Speed, Long Type motor and 

high-speed setup out of the box, which is brilliant 

for a support gun where you want it to lay lots of 

BBs down quickly and this has proved to be not only 

highly efficient, but also massively durable. The 1200 

BB box mag is another piece of “airsoft art” that runs 

from a separate battery inside (there’s a neat little 

compartment for this!) and automatically feeds BBs 

as you fire due to some rather wonderful electronic 

wizardry, and there’s even a little hatch so that you 

can bomb-up on the move without disconnecting the 

box first! 

Overall, it’s a stunning piece of work! 

The Stoner can be shot comfortably from the 

shoulder, offers pinpoint accuracy and superb range 

and what you have is still more than enough ammo 

for support use, as a trip to a number of “In Country” 

weekenders proved to me beyond doubt. The Stoner 

runs beautifully on that 7.4V LiPo, and although some 

of the original models came it pretty hot, mine was 

down-powered to 1.07 Joule/340fps on a .20g BB 

when it came in and has remained there ever since! 

And this is why we love it! 

To conclude though, I’ll pass the “Stoner Flame” 

over to Scott who, as both a player AND an airsoft 

retailer at the highest level, knows exactly what he’s 

looking for from an AEG… 

“THE ABILITY TO RUN A “MILSIM” SPEC RIFLE WITH A BOX MAG AND SINGLE SHOT 

FOR INDOOR USE WAS A DREAM COME TRUE. A FEW GUYS IN STRATEGIC POSITION 

WHO COULD LAY DOWN ACCURATE FIRE WITHOUT HAVING TO MOVE AROUND 

RELOADING EVERY 100 ROUNDS ABSOLUTELY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, UNLIKE MANY 

SUPPORT WEAPONS.” 

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SCOTT’S TAKE! 

As the 10th anniversary of Airsoft Action coincides 

with one of my favourite all time rifle releases from 

G&P, we decided to take a look at why it’s just so 

damned good! 

Vietnam saw weapon development on a scale not 

seen since WW2, we saw a transition away from 

wooden rifles and into the plastic and polymer era 

and from 7.62mm down to 5.56 which weighed half 

as much. The Navy SEALs (who were pretty badass 

back then wearing Levi’s in the jungle) started using 

the M63 Stoner, which had a lot of similar features 

to the recently developed M16, probably because a 

lot of the same people were involved. The Stoner was 

used right up until the 80’s before it was replaced by 

the M249, which is a fairly decent run for a belt fed 

platform that was a radical design. 

G&P back in the late naughties were the kings of 

airsoft, they had the best finishes, the best externals 

and the true replica names in droves. We could 

literally spec our own rifles as we needed them as a 

store to sell. The gearboxes were basic but it meant 

you could throw great upgrades in there and see huge 

performance increases for not a lot of money. 

The M63A1 seemed to be “coming soon” for a 

long time from G&P; I remember being in HK and 

seeing some prototype parts and it felt like years 

before I saw a complete rifle. However, come it 

eventually did and I’ve personally run one of these 

AEGs for many years and after a few England vs 

Scotland victories we saw the Stirling Airsoft guys 

buying them slowly, yet surely too. The ability to run 

a “milsim” spec rifle with a box mag and single shot 

for indoor use was a dream come true. A few guys in 

strategic position who could lay down accurate fire 

without having to move around reloading every 100 

rounds absolutely makes a difference, unlike many 

support weapons. Where it wins over the M249, M60 

or, God forbid, the M240/GPMG, is the slightly more 

compact box magazine, as in the M240/GPMG case 

of the box hanging exactly where your arm needs to 

go, it causes all types of crazy C-clamping to hold the 

gun in the supported position! 

Externally they couldn’t be much sweeter, a nice 

matt black throughout, although like any long rifle 

they’re prone to cracking the main receiver if landed 

on (which is a little pricey to replace). Internally they 

are basic as they were 10 years ago but with the likes 

of GATE Titans and other electronic triggers around 

now, you’d be laughed at for caring about a standard 

gearbox these days. The full stock can take any of the 

big batteries including the chunkier Titan Power types 

(which last forever and a day), meaning you don’t 

have to sweat it if you’re going the whole 9 yards 

against the enemy that day. 

It’s still a bit long and a little bit heavy for a longerduration 

event but letting rip in a MilSim type setting 

always proves that the Stoner is today, as it was 50 

years ago, a force multiplier! AA 


COVERT 

BOOT 

BLACK / BROWN / TITANIUM 

/ SRP: £49.95

FEATURE 

CLARENCE LAI 

CLARENCE 

LAI : NEW 

BEGINNINGS 

CLARENCE LAI, AKA AIRSOFT SURGEON, HAS BEEN A CLOSE FRIEND OF AIRSOFT ACTION FOR MOST OF 

OUR TEN YEARS IN PUBLICATION, SO WHEN HE MOVED AWAY FROM HONG KONG TO SETTLE IN TAIWAN 

WE ASKED OUR MAN ON THE GROUND, STEWBACCA, TO CATCH UP WITH THE MAN HIMSELF AND GET THE 

LOWDOWN ON WHAT HE’S BEEN UP TO - AND WHY THE MOVE. 

Following the easing of our three-month, quasilockdown 

in Taiwan, which kicked off just as 

I was on the PengHu islands reporting on PAF 

Airsoft back in July’s Airsoft Action issue 127, I finally 

got out and about again and began slowly regaining 

my sanity. Although granted, I’m sure many of you all 

suffered for far longer elsewhere, the walls close in 

very quickly for me when things get in the way of my 

burning desire to get on with things. 

So it was that I got around to a meet up that 

had been in the works for a while, but had been 

hampered by restrictions and my shifting teaching 

timetable, resulting from a gradual return to normality 

(which is still in progress as I write this atop the bar 

of one of my favourite craft beer establishments in 

central Taipei!). 

Clarence Lai is, without doubt, a household name 

for many and needs no introduction! Arguably the 

godfather of action air in general and a renowned 

and respected figure and brand all his own within 

the wider airsoft community, word on our internal 

grapevine came down that the good man himself - 

along with his lovely partner in crime Katherine - had 

relocated to Taipei from Hong Kong in mid-April 

2021, just prior to restrictions tightening. With just 

enough time beforehand to settle themselves into 

a comfortable new abode to endure the isolation 

within, they were also quick to share their love of 

the convenience of life in Taiwan with me and “Ms. 

Stewbacca” when we recently visited them at their 

new digs in the very South of Taipei, near one of my 

regular workplaces during my day job. 

Having finally organised a face to face meeting with 

restrictions loosening (and me being lucky enough to 

be further ahead in the queue for vaccination thanks 

again to the day job), we settled in to an evening 

of pizza, pasta and beer - although the latter being 

more of an accommodation towards myself, given our 

gracious host’s perusal of my Facebook feed and my 

evident love of a drink in good company! 

Adorning Clarence and Katherine’s apartment is a 

veritable “kid in a candy shop” selection of custom 

gas pistols flanking the TV, including the cheerful 

couple’s own competition Infinity race gun blowback 

pistols with SHIELD sights on cantilever mounts, plus 

an array of other CL marked projects Clarence has 

been working on since his departure from his longstanding 

Airsoft Surgeon brand (which he will now 

use only as an organising body for action air events, 

rather than anything related to tangible products in 

future). 

80 

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FEATURE 

CLARENCE LAI 


FEATURE 

CLARENCE LAI 

So why the move and the change? 

Clarence related to us that Taiwan is becoming 

increasingly attractive as a powerhouse of highly 

experienced and qualified machining operations 

and production facilities, encompassing all manner 

of surface treatment and other material processing 

specialists. As Bill relayed all those issues back when I 

first began when I first began contributing to Airsoft 

Action, Taiwan really is becoming “airsoft central”, 

with an ever-growing array of domestic manufacturers 

and other names who have moved here from Hong 

Kong to improve their production capabilities and 

volumes. 

WHAT’S IN A NAME? 

While “Airsoft Surgeon” is synonymous with 

Clarence’s persona and past efforts in turning out 

truly unique high-end offerings to order, last year he 

decided to make a step change in his direction and 

goals for his presence within the airsoft community at 

large. “Clarence Lai Project Design”, his new venture, 

has aimed its sights squarely on a wider market and 

the ability to make a name better satisfying a wider 

user base with equally well-considered designs, 

but with more attainable volume and pricing. Thus 

ensuring that everyone can share in his experience 

and attention to detail, rather than just those who 

have the highest means and passion for all things 

bespoke-designed. 

This new outlook towards consumer focused design 

and manufacture has already borne fruit, with many 

of his existing product lines being produced in bulk, 

to the order of hundreds (or thousands) of units. 

Already the positive feedback and calls for more 

stock and further designs are being well received, as 

is his presence within the community here in Taiwan, 

making progress towards collaborations with more 

established names. This will bring his experience and 

personal touch to the wider market with the help 

of larger manufacturers, as well as his own efforts 

in prototyping and assessing new components and 

considerations. 

While many existing brands will look towards 

existing products in the market and derive their own 

equivalents following wider trends, Clarence seeks to 

draw extensively from his own experience - not only 

as a gunsmith, but as a competitor as well - focusing 

on the minutiae of each individual component he 

turns his skills to; considering the user experience and 

quality of the product, rather than merely focusing on 

aesthetic factors. 

Having handled the gamete of guns flanking his 

TV on the very nicely backlit presentation shelves 

and stands, it definitely shows! Not just the typical 

smoothing of trigger and cycling function in his 

custom internals, ensuring excellent response and 

crisp breaking of the action, but also in just how 

naturally the gun fits in the hand – even, in my case, 

with my larger bear paws. With consideration given 

to providing “fencing” on his custom 1911 platform 

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CLARENCE LAI 

ambidextrous safety levers - vertical protrusions that 

the user can rest their thumbs against, as well as the 

lateral surfaces used to drive the gun down under 

recoil - these additions alleviate any worries of nipping 

the thumbs when the slide cycles, or inadvertently 

inhibiting it in doing so. This really allows you to 

drive the gun forwards intuitively, aligning the sights 

and controlling any kick upon firing, while the rear 

surfaces are carefully contoured by experimentation 

by the man himself, to ensure you barely know 

the controls are there in terms of no unpleasant or 

uncomfortable edges being left unattended to. 

At present, Clarence’s design process is 

predominantly focused still toward his true passion - 

all things 1911 and HiCapa based, with a side order 

of Glocks. The custom trigger jobs I got to try out 

on his own models definitely make me rethink their 

usefulness in competitive environments, with short, 

soft and clean breaks rather than the spongy reaching 

pulls of factory models! As he progresses through 

different models and assesses them for weaknesses 

or potential upgrade components, he decides upon 

single items or families of matching sets which 

improve the handling and performance of a particular 

gun, while also carefully considering the end user. 

The likes of his latest custom ambidextrous 1911 

safeties and slide release replacement “gas pedals” 

are painstakingly crafted to ensure not only perfect 

fit and function on the gun, but also in competition 

test boxes. This allows shooters to field his high-end 

components even on standard division guns, rather 

than focusing purely on the highest end race guns of 

open division - something which speaks to me, given 

my penchant for production class. 

In the longer term, Clarence intends to turn his 

attention to other more diverse platforms, indeed he 

was very interested to hear my own thoughts and 

experiences regarding the weaknesses of the KJ Works 

CZ75 SP01 and Shadow 2 (while I was giving his own 

optics-ready, all black Shadow 2 a good handling and 

appreciation). I could certainly see myself getting one 

of his mounts and running a second Shadow in an 

open configuration with a compensator and all the 

usual trimmings! 

In the near future he also plans to bring to market 

a complete 1911-style pistol completely of his own 

design, to provide an alternative to the market and 

which will no doubt be pre-upgraded out of the 

box to give great performance and features. He’s no 

longer just focused on the competition circuit either; 

the ever-growing range of his option parts for pistols 

and rifles, plus planned whole gun offerings to boot, 

will satisfy skirmishers, SpeedQB players, collectors 


FEATURE 

CLARENCE LAI 

and competition gunners in equal measure, with a much more “something for everyone” philosophy behind 

his new venture and direction. 

Building on his widely known and trusted name, Clarence, through CL Product Design, is also looking 

to bring to market his own premium level range of BB ammunition, in the 0.2g - 0.4g range, with exacting 

standards and tolerances that will ensure the best consistency and performance out of any gun graced with 

them. 

With a focus on “plug and play” parts and simplicity of installation and use, CLPD aims to provide premium 

quality products in both their design and manufacture, but at a more reasonable price point to suit the greater 

market in comparison to the past efforts he is already best known for. With an attention to the development 

cycle that ensures even simple components, such as his custom ambidextrous safeties, go through months of 

design, development, prototyping, testing and reiteration before they reach the end user. 

Having uprooted from Hong Kong and moved all of his existing stock - and his extensive collection of airsoft 

and real steel publications that cover an entire wall of bookcases - Clarence will now fulfil all manufacturing 

84 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 

CLARENCE LAI 

and distribution from his Taiwan operations, reaching out to the wider airsoft community through selected 

distributors he already has long existing ties and trust in, across Asia, Europe and the US; from the Philippines, 

Indonesia and Hong Kong to the UK, wider EU and North Americas. While he has dabbled in lifestyle 

goods, such as his widely sought after MP5A3 and AR tote bags, his focus has recently been firmly on gun 

components, so the stocks of such side projects are mostly diminished aside from a few distributors you might 

strike lucky with. Hopefully there will be more to come on that front, but for now he’s a very busy man with 

a headful of ideas he can’t bring to fruition quickly enough for his own liking and there are plenty of exciting 

new products and collaborative projects with household names in the industry yet to be revealed to look 

forward to being announced shortly - truly, something for everyone. 

I’d like to extend my thanks once again to Clarence and Katherine for their hospitality and welcome them to 

Taiwan, I’m sure we’ll see plenty of each other and have a lot more to talk about and share with our readers, 

especially as there are now there are two Airsoft Action Legionnaire contributors in such close quarters, in 

airsoft central. AA 


FEATURE 

THE NEED FOR SPEED: PART 2 

“I FEEL THE 

NEED... THE NEED 

FOR SPEED!” 

AFTER A GREAT INTRODUCTION FROM BOYCIE LAST MONTH, THIS TIME ONE OF OUR NEWEST LEGION 

MEMBERS FROM THE USA MOVES THINGS FORWARD AS TO HOW YOU CAN GET THE 

VERY BEST PERFORMANCE FROM YOUR NEW AEG! DAN PICKS UP THE STORY… 

As a full time Airsoft 

Tech who’s full time 

“day job” consists 

of “teching” day in and day 

out, I tend to view any airsoft 

gun through that prism, 

which undoubtedly influences 

my perception of what a gun 

“should” be out of the box. 

Having had my fingers in 

the innards of innumerable 

gearboxes now, you develop 

a pretty good idea of what 

constitutes a good design from a bad; quality parts 

from poor - and mind you, there are a lot of poorquality 

airsoft guns out there! Fortunately, within the 

last few years or so, many of the mid-to-high range 

manufacturers have started putting more emphasis 

on improving material and design quality of their 

components. “It’s Friday at the factory!” aside, these 

guns do not often abruptly die when an 11.1v LiPo is 

hooked 

up like 

they were 

prone to in the early days, 

and you can get plenty of 

good service life out of 

them without touching a 

thing. 

That being said, I 

do agree with John, in 

that 

players with a shiny 

new 

gun – especially new 

players 

to the hobby – should 

at least 

field it a few times before 

deciding 

the course of upgrades they might want to 

pursue. And truthfully, I’ll often recommend that new 

players run the gun up until it breaks, then pursue 

upgrades. By then, you will have probably formed 

“…LONG-TIME VETERANS TO AIRSOFT REPLICA OWNERSHIP LIKELY ALREADY KNOW WHAT 

THEY WANT OUT OF THEIR NEW RIFLE AND, IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, YOU OFTEN WON’T EVER 

FIELD OR FIRE THE GUN WHEN FRESH FROM THE BOX - EXCEPT MAYBE TO ESTABLISH A 

BASELINE TO MEASURE AGAINST.” 

86 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 


experience and opinions on what you might want to 

improve. 

On the inverse side, long-time veterans to airsoft 

replica ownership likely already know what they want 

out of their new rifle and, if you’re like me, you often 

won’t ever field or fire the gun when fresh from the 

box - except maybe to establish a baseline to measure 

against. In a way, they’ve developed a “standard” 

in their head of what the gun should be capable of 

doing, as if built that way from the very beginning at 

the factory. 

Speaking personally, I am ashamed to admit I write 

myself a blank check when it comes to upgrades! 

For me, every gun would have an electronic trigger 

fitted, such as a Gate TITAN, an upgraded inner barrel 

with an R-Hop, a quality Neodymium or brushless 

motor and a full suite of improved compression 

parts, in addition to the usual foundational 

work: reshimming, relube, new o-rings, AOE 

correction, compression and other 

tuning aspects. 

to what constitutes a good build, and what is based 

on patently bad information. Much like any industry 

there have been advances in methodology, techniques 

and application of parts used. If you’re looking to do 

the upgrades yourself, it’s a good idea to read and 

watch as much material on the subject as possible – 

but also seek out current information from well vetted 

sources, as much of what is out there is often dated 

or mired in long disproven mythologies. There’s also 

no substitute for hands on experience. Getting your 

fingers dirty is the best way to learn. 

BE REALISTIC! 

Similarly, be realistic …both with your expectations 

and with what you are going to spend. If you are 

expecting miracles with a US$50 budget, you should 

expect some heartache and maybe a jibe or two. 

Using the services of a professional (emphasis on 

“professional”, as that’s a subject unto itself) tech can 

be expensive, but also well worthwhile as they will 

have years of experience 

and know the best parts 

Point of fact: 

every rifle in my 

inventory has these 

things done. These 

are “standards” 

I’ve developed for 

myself and using anything less will 

often feel like a handicap penalty has 

been applied. 

But for a new player who’s had 

a few games under their belt and 

maybe started to feel like their rifle 

is not competing as well against 

the tuners and hot rods out 

there, it can be a bit daunting 

to figure out where to start on 

the upgrade path. It’s also one 

thing to say you want to fill 

out all the various checkboxes on 

your dream list, but not understand that 

some aspects of upgrading are not conducive 

selections and have 

a good understanding 

of how to tailor a build for the player’s preferences. 

Attempting to do the job yourself can sometimes be 

cheaper, as you’re not paying for labour or service 

charges …but it can also often be the inverse due to 

lack of experience, mistakes or frustration occurring 

when you hit the inevitable brick wall. 

We’re all familiar with the story of the guy who 

goes to change the oil on his car and unknowingly 

drains the transmission fluid and tops it back up with 

motor oil! These incidences happen more often than 

most realize and sometimes they’re even worse off 

than when they started 

Often, the number one complaint of any new gun 

is that “the range and/or accuracy are insufficient 

for the task”. This is especially echoed by real-steel 

shooters or servicemen, who may be wondering 

why their AEG is not hitting anything at 400m and 

for whom the concept of “dialling in the hop up” 

is steeped in mysticism. I can’t tell you how many 

shooters I’ve seen doing mag dumps on targets well 

outside the range of any airsoft gun and seemingly 


FEATURE 


never realize they’re only shooting 

BBs and haven’t even adjusted 

their hop up to boot! Humorous 

anecdotes aside, one of the 

best and simplest upgrades you 

can do to your rifle is to shoot 

heavier ammo. No, that’s not 

really an upgrade, but you would 

be surprised at how much more 

accurate your gun is when using 

anything heavier than a basic 

.20g. 

Following up on that, is a 

real upgrade: changing out the 

bucking. I also feel this one is a 

sort of prerequisite for any new 

airsoft gun, as the stock buckings are usually little 

better than acting as placeholders. More advanced 

setups would consist of a high-quality aftermarket 

barrel and an R-Hop installation. Do not get hung up 

on questions of length beyond what is appropriate 

for your current build. Bore quality and internal finish/ 

level of precision matters far more than length. 

TRIGGER TIME 

After accuracy woes, the other most requested 

upgrade is to make the gun run faster – or have 

better “trigger response”. Trigger response is an 

often-misappropriated term, but distilled down to 

the basics, should be considered as the time it takes 

to physically fire a BB from the moment the trigger 

is pulled. Gamers and real steel shooters with fast 

trigger fingers can easily outrun a stock gun, which is 

often a point of consternation as this can contribute 

to seizing up a gearbox via inadvertent short-stroking 

of the trigger. So, when someone requests “faster 

trigger response” they typically mean they want to 

reduce the time it takes to fire a BB from when they 

pull the trigger. 

Aside from the hop up upgrade, the single 

biggest improvement that will net you a physically 

felt difference is an aftermarket motor. In many 

ways, this is the beating heart of your gun. A quality 

Neodymium or brushless motor can significantly 

increase your rate-of- fire and make your gun feel 

more responsive and quick on the trigger. This is, of 

course, just one aspect of obtaining responsiveness. 

Further refinement via gear ratios and electronic 

trigger units/MOSFET’s and 

things such as pre-cocking, 

short stroking, etc. also play 

a role in responsiveness. It 

is also possible to set up a 

build to be better oriented 

for semi-auto use or high 

ROF style builds. Long story 

short, these are all things 

that can make a physically 

measurable difference on felt 

responsiveness. Generally, 

when getting any Airsoft gun 

upgraded, you should strongly 

consider taking care of all the 

basic foundational work too. 

The most critical of this also 

being the one many struggle 

with doing well: shimming. 

A well-shimmed set of gears 

will not only sound smoother 

and cleaner, it will also have 

88 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 


“IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO DO THE UPGRADES YOURSELF, IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO READ AND 

WATCH AS MUCH MATERIAL ON THE SUBJECT AS POSSIBLE – BUT ALSO SEEK OUT CURRENT 

INFORMATION FROM WELL VETTED SOURCES, AS MUCH OF WHAT IS OUT THERE IS OFTEN 

DATED OR MIRED IN LONG DISPROVEN MYTHOLOGIES.” 

less resistance and improve the overall efficiency and 

health of your gearbox. Running a basic compression 

test can weed out issues arising from poor air seal 

or bad o-rings, which are often the leading cause of 

FPS loss in an AEG. Poor air seal can also contribute 

to poor accuracy, which are typically reflected as wild 

FPS fluctuations on the chronograph. Correcting the 

Angle of Engagement (AOE) on the piston rack will 

help improve its lifespan, as will ensuring the rack is 

epoxied in place and the piston head screw thread 

locked to prevent separation during operation. Adding 

sorbo or an AirPad is often done in conjunction to 

AOE correction and has the benefit of helping to 

mitigate some of the shock transfer to the gearbox 

shell when the piston assembly is released. Similarly, 

and on gearboxes that allow for it, radiusing the 

cylinder window corners will help prevent frontend 

cracks from forming and can greatly extend the 

lifespan of even the lowest quality gearboxes. 

These are all basic foundational things that are 

considered “best practice” when it comes to tuning 

and upgrading any AEG. After this, you have the 

“icing on the cake” upgrades, which aren’t really 

necessary but might be “nice to have” if you have a 

copious budget to work with, or really want to make 

it your own. This could be anything from changing up 

external aspects, such as rail systems, grips, stocks, 

or even custom refinishing with Cerakote, to CNC 

machined gearboxes with quick-change spring guides. 

In a way, higher end Electronic Trigger Units have 

some overlap with this category as you can get away 

with a set of bone stock trigger contacts for quite 

some time, so are more of a luxury than an absolute 

necessity. 

As with anything, there is a point where you start 

approaching the point of diminishing returns. Just as 

with real steel, you can spend a substantial amount 

of money trying to make the gun lighter and faster, 

with it increasing incrementally in cost the lighter you 

try and go. And just as there exists copious amounts 

of snake oil products in real steel, so too does it exist 

for airsoft; you can easily consume whatever budget 

you wish to throw at it and scarcely miss a beat. A 

solid understanding of what it is you want out of the 

rifle – preferably based on real field experience - and a 

cost-to-benefit analysis is always a good place to start 

before setting out to buy upgrades. 

Lastly, don’t fall into the trap of triumphing gear 

over skill. Skill and gear do tend to go hand in hand; 

whereas you can be a highly skilled player hampered 

by low quality gear, or a poorly skilled player with topend 

gear and unable to properly coax any advantage 

out of it. In an ideal world, you progress both things 

simultaneously and in harmony.. AA 


FEATURE 

WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG! 

WHEN IT 

ALL GOES 

WRONG! 

YOU MAY THINK THAT BECAUSE WE WORK WITH AEGS, GBBS AND GEAR ALL THE TIME, THAT WE ALWAYS 

GET THINGS RIGHT - BUT EVEN THE VERY BEST OF US CAN GET IT VERY BADLY WRONG FROM TIME TO 

TIME …WE’RE ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL! RECENTLY, JASE ATTENDED A MILSIM EVENT WITH A LOT OF 

NEW KIT TO TEST AND THINGS CERTAINLY DIDN’T GO SMOOTHLY! IT TAKES A BIG MAN TO ADMIT THEIR 

SHORTCOMINGS BUT JASE HUMBLY TELLS HIS TALE OF WOE… 

With “Op Black Rock 2” fast approaching 

I packed, checked and re-packed my 

kit. Primaries, secondary, ammo, bangs, 

smokes, batteries, battle gear, NV, sleep kit, food 

and water. I was sure I was pretty well set. Or so I 

thought... 

You would have hopefully read my write up of the 

amazing “Operation Black Rock 2”, where I played 

with Bravo team. Normally I’m a well-set guy and 

like to think that the 6 Ps are firmly covered. As it 

so happened, it all went wrong, like a soggy biscuit 

falling into your fresh brew!! This article touches 

on what went wrong for me and reminds me that 

humility comes to all! 

On the Saturday morning in question, I was up 

early as I had to drop my beautiful daughters off at 

their mother’s so I was free to get to the Op. This 

is where part of my well laid plan went bad. The 

kids were dragging their heels and old father time 

ticked by. Once they were dropped off it was time 

to pack up the car at home. I’m very lucky that I 

have a driveway and am able to cart my kit down 

the garden to the car without any hassle, instead of 

lugging down a street or such. As I was conscious of 

the time, I tried to quicken my pace. Kids car seats 

were hauled out and Plate Carriers and my bergan 

replaced them. Next came my gun case; as I had 

not taken this particular case out with me before, I 

realised I had to drop the seat to put it in the car, so 

out came the Plate Carriers and down went the seat. 

With everything now packed into the car, off I set to 

Imperium’s site and, not having lost too much time, I 

was due to arrive on time….ish! Then came the road 

closure that I wasn’t expecting which, all in all, put 

“AS I REINSERTED THE MAG I REALISED THAT THE MAGAZINE WAS VERY LOOSE IN THE 

MAGWELL, NOT SOMETHING I HAD COME ACROSS IN MY HASTE IN GETTING INTO THE APC, 

OR HAD CHECKED BEFORE I HAD LEFT HOME. ROOKIE MISTAKE!” 

90 

OCTOBER 2021

FEATURE 


me back 30 minutes and by the time I arrived I had 

just missed the Brief, which put me in a bit of a tizz. 

Once I had met up with my Welsh Wingman 

“Spencer”, we quickly set up camp with the tent and 

unloaded the car. Having pre-loaded my mags and 

set up my Platatac PC I was ready to roll out with 

Bravo. Things were finally on the up …or were they? 

My primary for this part of the event was the 

Specna Arms SA-H12. This is a lovely bit of kit, solid 

and looks amazing and has had a strong following 

since it was first reviewed in April 2021’s magazine. 

Being part of the test pool at the hallowed 

“Warehouse 51”, I felt it my duty to take out this 

prime specimen and give it some hell, which is what 

the Red Cell is all about. 

With Bravo all geared up and in the back of one 

of the APCs we set off to rescue a downed pilot. 

Upon arrival, we jumped out and formed a perimeter 

around our APC while the various elements secured 

the helo. 

It was at this point that Spencer gave me a gentle 

tap on my shoulder and handed me the magazine 

that had been in my H12. Alarm bells started to ring! 

Why had this happened? As I reinserted the mag 

I realised that the magazine was very loose in the 

magwell, not something I had come across in my 

haste in getting into the APC, or had checked before 

I had left home. Rookie mistake! The magazines I 

had with me for this rifle were a set of Magpul PTS 

120-rounders. Thankfully, I managed to swap over 

three mags with Spencer so as to continue with the 

battle that was occurring. At this point I jumped on 

an LMG to conserve my (now low) ammo count. 

What shots I did fire over the next few hours were 

straight and true out of the H12 and I was happy 

with its performance, bar the magazine issues. The 

magazines that had been lent to me by Spencer did 

work but sometimes came loose in the magwell to 

the point where a stoppage occurred; hoodwinked 

into thinking all was well, the rifle started to not 

perform with its shots. Thankfully we were then 

given the order to RTB. 

Once back at the tent and with a possible couple 

of hours downtime, I took it upon myself to strip 

the H12 to see what was causing the firing issues. In 

the haste of the final battle I was in, it was apparent 

“…THE FIRST 20 OR SO ROUNDS WHERE FINE UNTIL A VERY HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAK AND 

ALL PRESSURE FROM THE JET NOZZLE WAS LOST! THE BEAST WAS DEAD AND NO FIELD 

STRIPPING WAS GOING TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS, SO IT WAS PUT BACK IN THE CASE.” 


FEATURE 


that the loose mag and my growing frustration had 

caused a double feed, to a point where BBs had split 

and had cut the bucking, which resulted in loss of 

accuracy. This was all on my head, operator error and 

had nothing to do with the actual rifle. (Once home I 

replaced the bucking with a Maple Leaf green 50’ and 

it is singing once again!). 

CHANGING PLATFORMS 

Not too downbeat and with a warm brew in my hand 

thanks to my Welsh Wingman, it was time to set up 

my second rig and my new build, an MP5 SD that 

you will read about in a future article. I had been in 

talks with VIPER, one of AA’s “good friends”, about 

a lightweight Plate Carrier that would work with 

the MP5 build and all geared around lightness and 

versatility. Again, you will be able to read about this 

fully in a future article, along with the MP5. 

So, I pulled out all my MP5 mags, loaded them 

with BBs and started to set up the new Viper VX PC. 

I’d pre-set this up at home to run the MP5 mags and 

“Ready Rig”. Slim and light weight, I was feeling very 

comfortable to get back out into the thick of it. With 

the PC all set it was time to test fire the MP5 to make 

sure I hadn’t missed anything and finally show off my 

new pride and joy to Spencer. With my 7.4v battery 

plugged in and on Imperium’s test range I set out to 

fire the beast; the first 20 or so rounds where fine 

until a very high-pitched squeak and all pressure from 

the jet nozzle was lost! The beast was dead and no 

field stripping was going to answer my questions, so it 

was put back in the case. You can safely say my heart 

had dropped. 

I thought all was not lost because the versatility 

of the VX PC is that it’s very interchangeable and 

the good people at VIPER had previously talked me 

through the AR platform add-ons, which meant I 

could change the VX MP5 pouches out to the AR 

Magazine ones they had sent me. Maybe all was not 

lost. As dusk was now well and truly setting in, my 

night rifle would be out to play hardball, my trusted 

KWA RM4. As I started to strip down the VX PC to 

ready it for the AR mags I realised something was 

missing for my kit, a clear plastic bag that held all of 

the VX AR mag add-ons - it had gone MIA! I searched 

high and low, in the car, out the car and even phoning 

my neighbour to check I hadn’t left them on my 

driveway but, sadly, they had vanished without a 

trace. 

I sat back and took a minute to work out my next 

move. All my future articles had now been thrown 

into the air and what was I to do? I am a chap who 

believes in his morals and after all the help that Viper 

had given me, I didn’t want to let them down. So, in 

my next write up article I will go through all my kit 

that I took and used and all the kit that I didn’t get to 

use, along with its pro’s and con’s! 

And for all of you that were wondering 

what happened to the clear bag with all the VX 

attachments went… well… it was in my car the whole 

time! When I lifted out the PCs to fold the seat down, 

it had slipped out from between the VX PC and I just 

hadn’t noticed it as I dropped the seat down in my 

haste. 

Plenty of lessons were learned that OP can tell you! 

“AS DUSK WAS NOW WELL AND TRULY SETTING IN, MY NIGHT RIFLE WOULD BE OUT TO PLAY 

HARDBALL, MY TRUSTED KWA RM4. AS I STARTED TO STRIP DOWN THE VX PC TO READY 

IT FOR THE AR MAGS I REALISED SOMETHING WAS MISSING FOR MY KIT, A CLEAR PLASTIC 

BAG THAT HELD ALL OF THE VX AR MAG ADD-ONS - IT HAD GONE MIA!” 


KIT & GEAR 

WATCH STRAPS 

TIME TO 

STRAP 

ON! 

OVER THE YEARS, FRENCHIE HAS WRITTEN A COUPLE OF PIECES ABOUT WATCHES AND AIRSOFT - MAINLY 

BECAUSE WATCHES ARE ONE OF HIS PASSIONS, SO ANY EXCUSE! NOW HE LOOKS AT WHAT KEEPS THEM 

FIRMLY IN PLACE ON YOUR WRIST… 

There are plenty of watches with solid military 

provenance if that’s your thing, but the days 

of generally-issued timepieces are now solidly 

behind us. By 2018, the UK’s Ministry of Defence 

was only buying a small selection of watches in 

numbers of a few thousand per year, these were 

mostly specialist items and most soldiers, especially 

those actually in the field, opt for; things like the 

Casio G-Shocks which combine functionality along 

with an almost indestructible build quality. 

That isn’t what this article is about, however, as 

the demise of the issued watch has inevitably led 

to the demise of the issued watch strap. I accept 

that for many normal people, giving any thought to 

watch straps is at best an occasional pleasure, but 

there are some of us who spend an unreasonable 

amount of time considering these things! There is 

also a genuine crossover with airsoft, insofar as the 

aim of military watch straps is to ensure that your 

watch doesn’t go AWOL whilst being worn and to a 

lesser extent, ensure that it stays in one position on 

your wrist during periods of physical exertion. 

The Ministry of Defence was responsible for one 

of the most enduring watch strap designs in order to 

meet these requirements and I’ll spend a bit of time 

discussing the history and use of the “NATO” strap. 

I’ll also introduce you to a French alternative which, 

in my opinion, is a much better option. 

Firstly, that name, “NATO”. No, it’s not a NATO 

strap, it’s British and strictly should be referred to 

as the “G10”. This name seems to be a contraction 

of G1098, the form which had to be submitted 

to request one from stores. It’s probable that the 

“NATO” moniker arose as the strap was issued with 

a NATO Stock Number (NSN) and the term has stuck. 

The specification for the G10 originated in 1973 

as the “Strap, Wrist Watch” in the Ministry of 

Defence Standard Def Stan 66-15, (Part 1) Issue 1 

– Strap (Nylon). As is normal with such documents, 

the specification was quite specific: the strap was to 

be made of nylon, would be 20mm wide and should 

have chrome-plated brass buckle and keepers. 

There was also a second, shorter strap attached 

at the buckle. Issued straps were only available in 

“Admiralty Grey”. 

The function of the second strap seems to be 

frequently misunderstood. It is often assumed that 

it plays a key role in preventing the watch being lost 

should one of the strap bars fail. This isn’t the case. 

As was common at the time, military watches had 

fixed strap bars rather than the more common spring 

bars found these days. A pass-through strap such as 

the G10 was sufficient to ensure that the failure of 

one bar wouldn’t lead to the loss of the watch. 

The second strap has arguably two functions; to 

minimise movement of the watch on the wearer’s 

94 

OCTOBER 2021

KIT & GEAR 

WATCH STRAPS 

wrist and, at a time 

when the strap 

came in one size 

but watch lugs in 

many, to prevent 

the watch sliding off 

the strap when it 

wasn’t being worn. 

Originally produced 

with a width of 20mm, 

this has since been 

reduced to 18mm to 

accommodate the 

watches that the MOD 

is currently sourcing. 

The genuine G10 has 

been made in the UK 

Phoenix for the last 

30 years. As an aside, 

the RAF version of this 

strap lacks the loop 

to prevent the watch 

moving on the strap 

and is a simple, singlepass 

version. 

WHY USE ONE? 

They’re cheap, 

generally around 

£10.00 GBP, widely 

available (everyone 

and their dog makes 

a version of this) and 

brilliantly functional. 

Their length, 

around 270mm will 

accommodate all 

wrists, they keep your 

watch secure, they 

don’t rot, can be run 

through the washing 

machine to bring them back to their best, and get 

better with age. They also have solid military roots 

should that matter and they are easy to change 

without tools. It goes without saying that I have a 

few… 

Downsides are few: I sometimes find them a 

bit unyielding depending on the watch and the 

manufacturer of the strap. I often remove the keeper 

loop as it adds a second layer of nylon under the 

watch and with heavy watches that can make them 

a bit unbalanced. I personally don’t like wearing my 

watches too tight, so getting the balance right can 

take a bit of juggling but there is no getting away 

from the fact that they are cool as… 

Final aside… The Royal Navy divers wore their 

Rolexes and Omegas on these straps, so if you’re 

lucky enough to own something like that, the G10 is 

still right at home! 

And that, rather neatly brings us to the Maritime 

Nationale NCD strap. Yup, that’s the French Navy to 

you and me. The story of the G10 is one of standards 

and specifications, the NDC (Nageur de Combat 

- naval divers or combat swimmers, if you like) 

couldn’t be further from that. 

In the 1960s, after a period of testing and 

evaluation, the French Navy adopted the Tudor 9401 

“submariner” for issue to its divers. These watches 

were supplied without the normal metal bracelet 

and were worn on braided nylon straps or, more 

iconically, on elastic straps fashioned by the divers 

themselves from parachute straps and fittings. It is 

this second strap that has become famous as the 

“NDC” and is truly unique. 

NDC SIMPLICITY 

The NDC is astonishingly simple; a length of 21mm 

elastic, folded in half and with a flat steel hook 

stitched in place at the fold. The elastic would be 

threaded through the bars on the watch and then 

a flat steel loop was slipped over the loose ends of 

the strap. The hook was attached to this loop and 

the excess elastic tucked round the wrist. This made 

a strap that was hugely adjustable, flexible and held 

the watch exactly where the wearer wanted it. 

Unlike the G10, this was never an issued strap, so 

there is no way of knowing how many were used, 

since they were being made by the users of the 

watch themselves. Versions of the NDC are becoming 

more readily available, however the design has been 

tweaked, I suspect to make them more acceptable 

to modern watch wearers. It’s this combination of 

military provenance combined with sheer functional 

effectiveness and comfort that for me makes the 

NDC a better option than the G10. Even with a 

heavy watch on this strap, you genuinely forget it’s 

there because there is no slop or movement thanks 

to the elastic, no matter how vigorously you move 

your arm (quiet at the back there!). 

If you want a watch strap that is in keeping with 

all your airsoft gear and which actually does the job 

it’s meant to, either the G10 or the NDC will do the 

job, but for my money, the somewhat more obscure 

French offering wins hands down..AA 


KIT & GEAR 

SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP 

SHOP ‘TIL 

YOU DROP!! 

AIRSOFT IS TRULY BACK UP AND RUNNING! WITH WORD FROM STORES, DISTRIBUTORS AND 

MANUFACTURERS ALL CONFIRMING THAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING NIGH-ON RECORD LEVELS OF SALES AT 

THE MOMENT, IT APPEARS THAT AIRSOFT AT LEAST HAS SHAKEN OF THE DARKNESS OF THE PAST MONTHS 

AND IS ABSOLUTELY THRIVING! IT WOULD ALSO SEEM THAT A LOT OF THOSE IN THE INDUSTRY WHO HAVE 

BEEN SITTING ON “PROJECTS” ARE FINALLY BRINGING THESE TO FRUITION! 

Okay, we did say 

last month that 

we’d be talking 

more about clothing 

and gear this month, 

but there’s a couple 

of things that we’d be 

massively remiss not to 

draw to your attention, 

and the first of these is very exciting, not in relation to 

the product itself per se (although it does look great 

“on paper”!), but more in terms of what it means to 

the legitimacy of airsoft amongst the wider world of 

shooting sports in terms of firearms training! 

UMAREX/GHK G17 

The long-awaited release of the Umarex/GHK 

collaboration on the latest licenced GLOCK 17 is here 

at last! Now we have to admit that is looks awesome 

and, knowing GHK as well as we do, it should be an 

ass-kicker - the specs are certainly impressive! 

• Power Source: Gas 

• Magazine capacity: 20 BBs 

• Trigger : Single Action 

• Safety: Automatic Trigger Safety 

• Energy: < 1,0 J 

• Velocity: 100 m/s (328 fps) 

• Hop-Up: Yes, adjustable 

• Length: 204 mm 

• Weight: 660g 

Why is this Glock 

17 so outstanding? 

Umarex told us in their 

Press Release that: 

“Top-quality materials 

are one big reason. 

The most striking feature 

is the matt black CNCmachined 

steel slide with 

original markings. Thanks 

to optimized distribution of 

the propellant gas, this pistol 

delivers a particularly strong blowback effect. Players 

feel a stronger, more realistic recoil with every shot. 

The Glock 17 is also superior when it comes to 

precision. The pistol is suitable for high-pressure gas 

up to 150 PSI and delivers constant performance 

96 

OCTOBER 2021

KIT & GEAR 


with a maximum energy of 1 joule. Players have the 

advantage of an adjustable sight that is compatible 

with original accessories. The trigger’s let-off point can 

be clearly felt at 2.8 kg, and the hop-up is adjustable. 

With its weight of 660 g and authentic dimensions, 

the Glock 17 is a perfect counterpart to the real steel 

original and fits securely in all standard holsters. 

Also for realism, the black body of the 20-round 

magazine has a dummy loaded chamber indicator 

that is modeled on the original pistol. A speedloader is 

included.” 

BUT… Oh WOW! This is not cheap!!! 

We’re seeing prices from US$499 (the same price 

as a REAL 9mm G17!) and have managed to track 

one down at UK£360, but that’s still a whole pile 

of moolah compared to existing prices! However, 

we believe there’s a bit of a giveaway in the Umarex 

description that may give an indication of why the 

price is as it is …and that is: 

“the Glock 17 is a perfect counterpart to the real 

steel original…” 

We’ve long been of the mind that the big firearms 

companies are slowly but surely realising that there 

is a BIG market for their “replica 6mm” products as 

training tools and, as we’ve already seen SIG take 

ownership of their 6mm offering and successfully have 

it adopted by government agencies as a “trainer”, 

it’s really no surprise that the mighty Glock may be 

following suit and have had a product developed to 

start filling that niche themselves. So, the price may 

be indicative of this… only time will tell! GHK certainly 

have a LOT resting on the new pistol and we’re 

hoping that the new G17 will indeed be something 

rather special! 

TOKYO MARUI MP5 

Also long-awaited is the latest NGRS model from 

Tokyo Marui, their MP5! Having now had our hands 

on one we can tell you that the weight and feel are 

incredible, and the quality is every bit what we’ve 

come to expect from our friends in Japan! It has to be 

said that as a number of the AA crew are UK-based 

that we have somewhat of a love for the MP5 (given 

its history with certain UKSF units) and, as always, 

we’re thrilled when a new model hits the market! The 

recent crop of tactical models have really given some 

impetus to the “Rise of the Five”, and it’s great to see 

the little “Maschinenpistole” again as a firm skirmish 

favourite! 

Like many of you, we’ve been waiting for more 

news on the release of the very latest take on the 

MP5 from Tokyo Marui and having had hands on their 

GBB AKM over the weekend (FABULOUS!) we’re now 

keen to get the MP5 in our grubby little 

mitts! 

Good news is that we’ve now seen 

that the release has moved outside 

the Far East market and Land 

Warrior Airsoft (LWA) have been 

in touch to let us know that they 

are now accepting pre-orders for 

October ’21 delivery! They told us: 

“One of the biggest releases of 

2021 to date, and one that has 

been highly anticipated for a long 

time; the Tokyo Marui 

MP5, featuring their 

iconic Next 

Generation 

Recoil Shock system! 

With every triggerpull, 

a weight 

of about 300g 

that imitates a 

bolt operates at 

the same time as 

firing, and 

the 

strong 

recoil 

generated 

inside is 

transmitted 

to the whole body. In 

addition, it is equipped with an 

auto-stop system that stops firing 

when the magazine is empty, and a 

bolt release mechanism that releases 

the auto-stop by pulling the bolt 

handle. This RIF has a serious focus on 

realism for both operation and looks!” 

Although full dispersion of the 

new MP5 is still a little time away, 

having had one in our hands thanks 

to a friend, we can tell you that it 

features the new “M-System” which 

has been newly developed so 

that a microcomputer 

(MCU = 

microcontroller unit) 

comprehensively 

monitors and controls FETs, FC (Fire Control), 


KIT & GEAR 


batteries, and motors. There’s also an Ambidextrous 

Fire-Selector that includes a Burst function, improved 

Trigger Response with FET and more! This is yet 

another fine TM AEG, and we are seriously looking 

forward to getting it on the range with hopefully a 

full review to drop in the October Issue of AA! 

GEAR UP! 

Okay, REALLY… onto gear! 

We’ve been having great fun testing some of the 

latest new Autumn/Winter garments from a number 

of our industry friends, and by the time you read 

this some of us will be up in Scotland putting these 

through their paces “in the wild”! What we can tell 

you is that there’s a lot to look forward to from the 

likes of VIPER, Snugpak, Helikon-Tex and Pentagon 

and we’ll provide more information as these new 

models are ready to hit stores. 

Right now though, there’s a couple of garments 

we’d like to give you the “heads-up” on as they’re 

already available - and they’re absolutely ACE! 

HELIKON-TEX 

The first of these is the new RANGE HOODIE from our 

good friends at Helikon-Tex, which is a tactical hoodie 

designed by shooting specialists. Its cut and the 

fabrics used will allow for comfortable use even in bad 

weather conditions. 

An extended cut 

allows the Hoodie 

to be tucked 

into pants, 

whilst an 

anatomically cut hood and a zipped kangaroo pocket 

are the elements that distinguish RANGE HOODIE 

from classic combat shirts or shooting shirts. 

The combination of elastic and tear-resistant 

materials, known from other garments in the shooting 

community has been used throughout, making 

this hoodie suitable for intensive and demanding 

work specifically for, but not restricted to, “range 

work”. Mesh sewn under the armpits provides better 

ventilation during dynamic training, and the small, 

zipped pockets on the upper arms will allow you to 

conveniently carry small items of equipment. The 

RANGE HOODIE® is a great replacement for a range 

polo or combat shirt on cold and rainy days, and in 

combination with Helikon’s LVL 1 thermal underwear 

and HYBRID TACTICAL PANTS® pants, it will allow 

you to work at the shooting range all year round. 

Made of 100% Polyester with 93% Nylon/ 7% 

Elastane inserts (the mesh is 100% Polyester) and 

featuring quality YKK zippers the TANG HOODIE 

stacks up technically, and the cut and fit is indeed 

great for its intended use. This however tell only one 

part of the story, as when you actually wear it, it’s 

genuinely quite remarkable! 

The main body fabric is not a fleece as the 

image might suggest, but a high-performance 

breathable construction that also has a degree of 

wind protection! It’s thin and lightweight, but thus 

far has proved to be warm, comfortable, and very 

durable. The attractive tonal “insets” feel almost 

like high-grade soft shell and offer four-way stretch. 

The arm pockets are way big enough to swallow a 

smartfone or set of range cards and the main, zipped 

“kangaroo” pocket is a great place to stow gloves 

when not in use - there’s even a hanging loop under 

the neckline zip for your shooting glasses! 

When it comes to range gear, Helikon-Tex are 

really pushing things forward, and we look forward 

to seeing just what they add to this line next, but 

we can certainly see the RANGE HOODIE getting 

good use this autumn, and even into winter as an 

additional layering piece in our clothing systems. 

PENTAGON 

Thinking of the coming winter months, we’re 

starting to think about “investment” pieces and 

we’ve seen that www.military1st.co.uk have the 

PENTAGON OLYMPUS JACKET in RAL 7013, and 

as this is one of our favourite “tacticool” colours 

it’s looking good for an early buy in! 

The Olympus jacket is a warm, and lightweight 

outdoor shell with a Storm|Tex windproof coating 

and polyester soft-shell body with 80gsm internal 

98 

OCTOBER 2021

KIT & GEAR 


filing power 

and gives 

protection 

wind. A 

comes 

that insulates 

excellent 

against the 

peaked hood 

with 

an elasticated cord which can be quickly adjusted and 

secured with cord locks. The jacket has a full front 

YKK zip closure with chin guard and internal weatherresistant 

flap for excellent isolation. The tricot-lined 

high collar and hand pockets offer additional warmth 

and comfort. The extra pocket on each arm provides 

storage for other small items , and the internal 

document pocket with zip closure and port for 

headphones provides secure space for documents or a 

smartphone. 

The hook-and-loop cuffs and adjustable bottom 

hem with cords and quick locks provide an excellent 

customisation for a better fit and protection against 

the elements, and the Olympus jacket even comes 

with a compact compression bag in the form of a 

zipped back pocket for fast and convenient storage! 

The Olympus from Pentagon is a perfect choice for 

that extra piece of “Safe Zone Snivel Gear” and is 

REALLY well-priced for what it is. 

games and scenarios. It’s also a great crossover where 

gear that you use in game can also serve you well in 

everyday life… good gear, multiple applications = win 

for our pocket money! One of the pieces of clothing 

we’ve been putting through the ringer is the RIDGE 

PANT from tried and trusted brand 5.11. 

At first glance these pants don’t scream “tactical”, 

but they’re definitely the perfect accompaniment for 

those needing performance in a low key ways they’re 

built with huge functionality, such as a hidden cuff key 

pocket, an IWB flex cuff tunnel, and hidden pockets. 

They offer a high range of motion and are definitely 

the pants you want to be wearing when you need to 

keep things on your person away from prying eyes. 

• Comfort waistband with zipper and logo 

button closure 

• Reinforced belt loops with center back webbing 

loop 

• Back yoke utility pockets 

• Back body patch pockets 

• Cargo pockets with zipper closures and inside 

dividers 

• Articulated knees 

While they’d work perfectly in game, they’re 

ideally suited to those who want to live the “grey 

man life” and we’ll be showing you exactly what 

this means soon. 

However, for this month… watch your six, keep an 

eye out for your buddy and GO PLAY AIRSOFT! AA 

5.11 

One of the projects we’re going to be looking at soon 

is that of the “Grey Man”, and looking in more detail 

at what this means, and where it has a place in airsoft 


last post 

BANNING PLAYERS 

IMAGE FROM DUTCH THE HOOLIGAN 

WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF (ANTI?)-SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS PURPORTING TO SHOW AIRSOFT PLAYERS 

CHEATING, AS A LONG-TIME PLAYER AND SITE OPERATOR, FRENCHIE ASKS: “SHOULD PLAYERS BE BANNED 

FOR POSTING CHEAT VIDEOS FROM THE SITE?” 

Here’s an interesting one… I recently read a 

Facebook post from an Airsoft site, making 

it clear that anyone who shot video on their 

site and then posted it to social media, claiming 

that it showed another player cheating would be 

permanently banned if they had not first submitted 

the video to the site so that they could investigate the 

incident. 

Now, with typical keen journalistic rigour I cannot 

find the post again and therefore cannot credit the 

site involved. 

As someone who ran a site for years, I have a lot 

of sympathy with this stance. The stated reason for 

this approach was that it harmed the reputation of 

the site without ever giving them the opportunity 

to investigate the incident. To be quite clear, the 

proposed ban would only apply where the person 

filming the incident made no attempt to bring it to the 

site’s attention during the game or after, preferring to 

trade resolution for manufactured outrage and likes 

online. 

INDIGNANT BIAS 

Do you detect bias on my part? Damned right you do! 

Cheating is a fact of life in Airsoft; sometimes 

completely deliberate, sometimes wholly accidental 

and often as a result of the shooter simply not being 

aware of their own limitations and the limitations of 

their guns. Pointing a Go-Pro at the alleged incident 

seldom clarifies anything, as a 170-degree field of 

view seldom makes for precise detail, you would get 

better results with a 500mm telephoto lens. Possibly… 

Let me give you a real example: I was marshalling a 

game when a player approached and accused another 

player of not taking hits. I knew the “target” and felt 

that he was a little “flexible” in his playing approach, 

so I crossed the field of play and positioned myself 

where I could see him clearly. He was taking fire 

but he absolutely wasn’t being hit. He’d positioned 

himself prone behind a small earth berm with coarse 

grass on top. Although rounds were passing over him, 

or hitting the berm, none were hitting him as BBs 

simply don’t have the penetrative power required to 

reach him in those circumstances. I went back to the 

complainer and explained the situation and suggested 

a more active flanking approach might be necessary to 

dislodge him. Sorted! 

Now, if that had been filmed and the first I knew 

about it was when it potentially blew up on social 

media, the whole thing would have been a much 

bigger pain in the arse! Firstly, it would have been 

in the past - no chance to investigate in real time. 

Although the player wasn’t being hit, video might 

have prompted a very different view as it most likely 

would have come from the shooter’s point of view. 

“NOW, IF THAT HAD BEEN FILMED AND THE FIRST I KNEW ABOUT IT WAS WHEN IT POTENTIALLY BLEW 

UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THE WHOLE THING WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH BIGGER PAIN IN THE ARSE!” 

100 

OCTOBER 2021

LAST POST 

BANNING PLAYERS 

If you see hundreds of BBs streaming towards a 

target the natural assumption is that some must hit 

the player. Anyone who appreciates the (sometimes 

random) nature of hits and misses knows that’s not 

true. Both the site and me would possibly have looked 

as if we didn’t care - not good for anyone’s reputation 

and finally, there would be absolutely nothing that I 

could have done about it! 

That last point is key. In situations like this, where 

a video is posted, the site is nearly always amongst 

the collateral damage, even if it’s not specifically 

blamed by the poster. They will tell you where it was 

filmed and viewers will almost unconsciously make a 

connection between the site and the incident. 

So, yes, I strongly sympathise with the approach 

the site at the centre of this has taken. It may seem 

draconian but there is also an element of “our site, 

our rules”. As long as all players know that this is 

the case, any who choose to ignore it are solely 

responsible for the consequences. 

No doubt some of you might suspect that the 

site simply wants to control its image online, or to 

suppress any hint of cheating regardless of whether 

or not it is endemic. I mean - you could, but what 

would be the point? Activity like that wouldn’t 

remain a secret for long and would hurt the site’s 

reputation more than trying to deal with the problem 

of cheating, or perceived 

cheating. Ah, sometimes 

you cannot win! 

PRIVACY RULES! 

A further thought… 

Although this wasn’t 

part of the original post; 

privacy, specifically the 

rights of the player 

being accused. Don’t get 

me wrong, if you have 

gun cam footage of a 

player standing ten feet 

away getting rinsed and 

acting as if nothing is 

happening, by all means 

shame the bejeezus out 

of them, they completely 

deserve it! But what if it’s 

simply not that clear cut? What if you call the player 

out by name, or they are easily identifiable in the film? 

And what if you’re wrong in your accusations and 

they have witnesses who can assert that they were 

not dodging hits? What is their right to redress? 

Now, I have met few (if any) airsofters who have 

the sort of money you would need to bring a case for 

defamation but the potential is there, no matter how 

remote. What if they were instead to go directly to 

the platform host, Google for instance in the case of 

YouTube, and notify them of their grievance? A simple 

letter before action might be enough for YouTube to 

simply go - “not worth the grief” and pull not only 

the offending video but the whole channel. Probably 

not the result you were after… Actually, given how 

YouTube has been treating watch channels recently, 

even thinking bad thoughts about a channel seems to 

get it pulled with no warning - but that’s another story 

altogether! 

Although the “no cheat video posting” rule seems 

harsh, from the owner’s perspective it really isn’t. It 

is fundamentally about housekeeping and being in 

control of what happens on, and to, their site. Cheap 

outrage is easy to manufacture online; anyone who 

has run, or marshalled, games will tell you staying 

on top of fast-moving gameplay and being as fair as 

possible to everyone concerned is a good deal harder! 

IMAGE FROM ORANGETIPTACTICAL 

“WHAT IF THEY WERE INSTEAD TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE PLATFORM HOST, GOOGLE FOR INSTANCE 

IN THE CASE OF YOUTUBE, AND NOTIFY THEM OF THEIR GRIEVANCE? A SIMPLE LETTER BEFORE 

ACTION MIGHT BE ENOUGH FOR YOUTUBE TO SIMPLY GO - “NOT WORTH THE GRIEF” AND PULL 

NOT ONLY THE OFFENDING VIDEO BUT THE WHOLE CHANNEL. PROBABLY NOT THE RESULT YOU 

WERE AFTER…” 


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