Airsoft Action - December 2023

THE CAGE
AOR
initial runs were harsh and wrong, although in fairness
they have got way better. Further searching eventually
led me to Dragon Red Airsoft in the Far East who
at the time had the “AOR1 Navy” set of shirt and
trousers from Allwin. I took a chance and ordered
these in, and when they arrived I was overjoyed at the
accuracy of the reproduction. Dragon Red had some
awesome reproductions of “operator kit” but again
sadly they appear to have shut up shop now; the great
news though is that more and more manufacturers
got on board with the AOR patterns so be sure to
check out Emerson, Semapo Gear, Ferro Concepts,
and OPS Tactical, although there are many more too
these days!
When it comes to load carrying then you basically
just need a “slick” plate carrier and a chest rig… win!
London Bridge Trading (LBT) are the real deal; there
are so many reference pictures of members of “The
Teams” using their gear, specifically the LBT 1960
series of chest rigs married up with a 6094 “slick”
plate carrier, so that it seemed for me at the time the
logical way to go. Once again, you can lay your hands
on the real deal in relation to LBT, but if you’re going
for a “re-enactor” level of accuracy then expect to
be looking at some serious triple figure coin! Luckily
a number of manufacturers have started producing
excellent reproductions of both the rig and the carrier,
and I ordered in both from TMC in the Far East,
although when these arrived the colours were also
slightly off, but a dusting of tan matt spray paint soon
had them looking more respectable!
I was pretty happy when I’d completed my basic
AOR1 gear, and I have to admit it’s still one of my
favourite “themed” loadouts for MilSim use. I keep
adding little bits and pieces to it, and updating my
old, much-used-and-abused 416 as well, although
I do fancy one of the
shiny new, full-rail
SCAR-H platforms
now... I’ve moved up to
PVS-15 replicas with a
helmet counterweight
pouch for the NV too,
but for me the “quadeyes”
are still a step too
far!
STEWBACCA: AOR2
is Team TaiJi’s default
team camouflage of
choice, so naturally
I’ve had to acquire
as much it as I could,
being somewhat of
a challenge getting
anything in my size over here in Taiwan, let alone
something increasingly obscure.
That is the very reason for choosing it, it seems,
as it helps differentiate us from the majority of other
teams here, besides the whole half of our numbers
being obviously foreign and mostly English teachers!
The plate carrier I acquired from TMC Taipei along
with the accompanying backpack I fashioned into
a quick release setup has served me very well in
skirmishing and MilSims, providing ample PALS space
for my large radio pouch around the rear left, the
interchangeable front placard setups I have using 3x
STANAG mag pouches plus a further 4 permanently
affixed around the sides or on my belt to allow me to
carry all 8 of my FAL mags if I need all the firepower!
The QD backpack is great for hauling hydration,
additional ammunition and gas, objectives or related
additional carrying solutions where required for
themed games.
It distributes all the weight nicely and doesn’t tend
to move around much or chafe; the whole setup is
very comfortable aside from the obvious sweating
induced in the climate here with having so much of
my upper body covered by it.
Coupled with a boonie hat, lightweight undershirt
and recently acquired trousers (which are admittedly
quite heavy and sweaty without being very
breathable, but, beggars can’t be choosers, it took me
two years to source them here!) it certainly completes
the look and helps me feel part of the team. Along
with RoC military DCCU it’s also a highly effective
digital camo pattern in terrain out here, particularly
jungle sites where it makes it difficult to keep track of
even your own teammates as soon as you shut up and
stop moving! AA
42
DECEMBER 2023