Airsoft Action - December 2023

WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

ISSUE 156 - DECEMBER 2023 ISSN 2634-9515

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CONTENTS 8 ARMOURY: ARCTURUS PP-19-01 PE Z-TAC SP1 We devote space to show reports because this is where we get a first taste of new models. At SHOT ’23 the AA Crew got their first look at the new PP-19-01 PE from Arcturus, and now Dan lands his report on an exciting development that other manufacturers might want to take note of!

WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

ISSUE 156 - DECEMBER 2023 ISSN 2634-9515

20 ARMOURY: SPECNA ARMS SA-FX01 FLEX AR-styled “9mm” are nothing new to the airsoft world, but when one gets dropped into the market from a manufacturer that constantly pushes the boundaries it’s something that we take note of, and although SPECNA ARMS have created “PDW” models before the SA-FX01 FLEX has promised to be more than a sum of its parts!

Editorial Director: Bill Thomas Deputy Editor (Asia): Stu Mortimer Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing Ad Design: Deadshot Design Publisher: Calibre Publishing

Web: www.airsoftaction.net ©Calibre Publishing Limited 2023 All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the publisher in writing. The opinion of the writers do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions prior to publication.

28 ARMOURY: CYMA CM106A PLATINUM RAPID STRIKE The world of the Pistol Calibre Carbine (PCC) continues to expand, and as we continue our “9mm” theme for this issue Bill’s been on the range with the latest model from industry-giants CYMA and finds their new RAPID STRIKE very much to his liking for a number of very good reasons!

FIND US ON…

LETTER , IDEA OR QUESTION? Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article or article idea?

Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the Editorial Director: bill@airsoft-action.co.uk, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

36 KIT & GEAR: EDGE TACTICAL EYEWEAR Eye protection (eyepro or shooting glasses to you and I) is one of the most important aspects of safety no matter what you shoot, and Bill has been testing three models from EDGE EYEWEAR for a while now, a company that provides “eyepro” offering the highest levels of performance and protection!

Contents ISSUE 156 - DECEMBER 2023

40 THE CAGE: AOR As we continue to delve into the loadout and camo options used by the guys of the AA LEGION there’s one that is sought after by many, but sometimes hard to find in “big boi” sizes, and that’s AOR! Bill and Stewbacca dig into their personal gear lockers to look and the 1 and 2 variants and find that when it comes to finding “SEAL” camo days are in fact getting easier…

66 AA LEGION: PORTUGAL As fellow players we all love to hear about how airsoft is played around the world, and this month we’re pleased to share with you the AAR from arguably one of Portugal’s largest and most unique events, SALAMANDRA, as Miguel takes us inside the action again!

Salamandra has become one of Portugal’s staple Airsoft events and it combines most aspects of airsoft; missions for milsim, skirmish, roleplay and of course a great get together with players from all over the country, and many other countries as well!

46 RED CELL: MP5 UPDATE It’s time for Red Cell to return to one of the most iconic firearm models out there, one that continues to be a firm favourite with airsofters old and new, and that’s the H&K MASCHINENPISTOLE 5, or more simply the MP5! This is a platform that many of us at AA love for very different reasons, bit now we look at how some of the test pool are faring after, in some cases, extended hard use!

Any way you look at it, there’s a good few members of the RED CELL and wider AA LEGION crew that just “love the Koch” in all its myriad forms, and H&K platforms form a part in some way or another of all our personal armouries!

60 AA LEGION: GETTING PERSONAL Having already introduced ‘Military Anny’ Wu in Issue 148, and Marck West in Issue 150, Stewbacca got to sit down in person with NZ-based Norah, AKA “Nonocat” and of course her man in the chair Romain “Thunderspear”, those behind the Nonocat Airsoft channel during their visit to Taiwan during late October and early November for the G&G World Cup CQB Championship and share some thoughts on how and why she does what she does (with Romain’s help!) within the airsoft community.

74 AA LEGION: TAIWAN With 2023 nearing its latter quarter, it’s been the best part of a whole year since Stewbacca had anything to report on his continuing journey through the realm of competitive shooting in Taiwan, but finally in the calm wake of a somewhat destructive typhoon he travelled South with team SPPT to take part in a level 1 competition in Tainan, the second most Southerly major city on the main island.

86 AA LEGION EVENT REPORT: G&G CQB WORLD CUP 2023 We talk a LOT about the global airsoft community in Airsoft Action, and at the back end of last month Bill was given the opportunity to travel to Taiwan and pay witness to this in its very best form! Along with Stewbacca and Anny he attended the 2023 G&G CQB World Cup in Taipei, and now the team share their thoughts on a truly unique and fabulous airsoft event!

We often refer in-house these days to Taiwan as being “Airsoft Central” as so many of the very best manufacturers are now based on this wonderful island, so when G&G ARMAMENT invited Bill to attend their CQB World Cup event you can bet your sweet one that he was on it like a shot!

ARMOURY ARCTURUS PP-19-01 PE Z-TAC SP1

EASTERN PROMISE FULFILLED! 8

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ARMOURY ARCTURUS PP-19-01 PE Z-TAC SP1

WE’RE OFTEN ASKED WHY THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION MAKE SUCH A BIG DEAL ABOUT ATTENDING THE BIG SHOWS IN THE USA, EUROPE, AND TAIWAN EACH YEAR, AND WHY WE DEVOTE AS MUCH SPACE AS WE DO TO SHOW REPORTS… THE FACT IS THAT THIS IS WHERE WE GET A FIRST TASTE OF NEW MODELS AND LINE UP OUR REVIEW SCHEDULE TO A DEGREE. AT SHOT ’23 THE AA CREW GOT THEIR FIRST LOOK AT THE NEW PP19-01 PE FROM ARCTURUS, AND NOW DAN LANDS HIS REPORT ON AN EXCITING DEVELOPMENT THAT OTHER MANUFACTURERS MIGHT WANT TO TAKE NOTE OF!

B

ack in late January Boycie, L’il Stu and I made an impromptu visit to the MOS Manufacturing booth at SHOT ‘23. Nestled amongst the impressive booth display was an equally impressive array of hardware from Arcturus and E&L, but the item that most conspicuously caught my eye was the pair of Vityaz PP-19-01’s dressed in Zenitco livery resting on the wall. Up until now, the only other example of this “9mm AK” replica we had to choose from was the LCT version, which has held firm command of this corner of the market for a number of years now. It didn’t take more than a second glance to realize the Arcturus version was uniquely different however.

Zenitco furniture aside, the most notable standout feature was the more accurate dimensional footprint; the magazine was the correct curvature and size,

and the receiver was smaller and true-to-form. Based off data I have collected, this is in fact the truest 1:1 Vityaz variant to date. Since SHOT 23’, Arcturus has now released several variants of the Vityaz to the market. There is of course the traditional version fitted with the triangular steel folding stock and polymer forearm. Then we have one that is nearly identical, save for being fitted with the polymer folding stock as found on the AK-12 series. And finally, we have our two “tacticool” examples fitted in full Zenitco kit, which come in both a shortbarreled CQB and the longer carbine length. These particular models are also a special edition release, and therefore they have been limited to just 500 examples of each version worldwide. The model covered specifically in this article is the PP-19-01 PE Vityaz Z-TAC SP1, or simply the “CQB” version if you wish to spare yourself the alphanumeric soup!

As equipped from Arcturus, these platforms share essentially the same parts configuration, save for

“AND FINALLY, WE HAVE OUR TWO “TACTICOOL” EXAMPLES FITTED IN FULL ZENITCO KIT, WHICH COME IN BOTH A SHORT-BARRELED CQB AND THE LONGER CARBINE LENGTH. THESE PARTICULAR MODELS ARE ALSO A SPECIAL EDITION RELEASE, AND THEREFORE THEY HAVE BEEN LIMITED TO JUST 500 EXAMPLES OF EACH VERSION WORLDWIDE” www.airsoftaction.net

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the barrel length and associated difference in rail systems. The included accessories package is also the same between the two. Players who prefer a little more room on their guns will enjoy the longer carbine version, whereas if you like things nice and tight, then the CQB will feel right at home.

Regardless of length, I have

the top of the dust cover too.

Finishing out the

found both variants are exceptionally well balanced, lightweight and comfortable to handle. The CQB version has been retailing for around US$550, with the carbine version coming in a little higher at US$600. You might find some pricing differences with some retailers cheesing MAP a bit.

furniture is the RK-3 motor grip, an RP-2 charging handle knob, and the current iteration of the famous PT-1 folding stock. As clones of Zenitco stuff go these are excellent examples in the fit and finish department. Purists might be a little dismayed to note they do not replicate Zenitco trades exactly; “Arcturus Tactical” features amongst the Cyrillic text. But it more than passes the 3-yard test.

Arcturus have also provided a small bevy of accessories to go along with these rifles, which include a DTK-2B muzzle brake and a replica of the SV Saiga 9 shot stabilizer, which is basically a linear compensator and flash suppressor, not an actual suppressor. Interested parties will be happy to note this can be disassembled to house a tracer unit. The Acetech AT2000 will fit with a wrap or two of tape to space it out. I found the harder choice to actually be deciding which muzzle device to run on the gun!

Finishing out the accessories are a couple of “BASIS” rail sections for attaching picatinnycompatible accessories to the handguard and a magazine-well funnel. These come additional screws and backers for various ways to attach and place the

GOODBYE CHEESE GRATER, HELLO “BASIS”!

There are a lot of details packed into this AEG, so lets dive in and see what we have, starting with the externals first! Lest we neglect the aforementioned alphanumeric soup, the CQB comes outfitted with replicas of the latest modernization kit from Zenitco; namely this would be the “Sport” series handguard, which consists of the B-21L lower handguard and B-19N railed gas tube cover. This is a substantially lighter rail assembly than the old style Zenitco “cheese graters”, which is to say: full picatinny rails.

If it helps, one can think of these slimline rails as “Russian MLOK”, though it is formally known as the “BASIS” system. A B-22 optical mount is also fitted to the handguard. This allows for shooting through the irons underneath and is removable if the end-user elects not to use it. Incidentally, if you mount something along the lines of an Aimpoint T2, Holosun, or similar on top of the B-22, this puts the optic at the perfect height for passive aiming through night vision. Your tube(s) will easily clear

“THE CQB COMES OUTFITTED WITH REPLICAS OF THE LATEST MODERNIZATION KIT FROM ZENITCO; NAMELY THIS WOULD BE THE “SPORT” SERIES HANDGUARD, WHICH CONSISTS OF THE B-21L LOWER HANDGUARD AND B-19N RAILED GAS TUBE COVER… IF IT HELPS, ONE CAN THINK OF THESE SLIMLINE RAILS AS “RUSSIAN MLOK”, THOUGH IT IS FORMALLY KNOWN AS THE “BASIS” SYSTEM” 10

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ARMOURY ARCTURUS PP-19-01 ASG PE STEYR Z-TAC L9-A2 SP1

rails in your desired location. Lastly a polymer RL-2 handstop rounds things out.

I was quite pleased with the quality of all the items supplied, save for the magazine funnel. This piece unfortunately does not securely attach to the gun.

Being that it is made of plastic I also noticed it splays apart when the

two set screws are tightened. Even in the tightened state, the funnel can be too easily bumped off the magwell by simply depressing the magazine release. Ultimately I feel like this component should have been made from CNC’d aluminum like the real thing and it wouldn’t have the same issues of flexing apart.

I do suspect this is likely compatible with real steel magazine funnels, so I will probably order one up for testing. Aside from that is the inclusion of some swag items, such as a sticker sheet, a limited edition patch and more.

There are two magazines supplied with the platform which are switchable from 30 to 95 BB capacities and have the last-round style followers, so every BB is fed upwards. These are true-to-size and feature the Izhevsk arsenal stamp. Contrary to what some sites are posting, LCT magazines are not compatible with the Arcturus Vityaz, however. Extra magazines are sold individually or in 5-packs, which

works out to around US$14 apiece.

On the subject of magazines, this is probably my only real complaint with this package. The magazines do tend to ‘run out of gas’ if fired on full auto towards the end of the magazine. They are absolutely capable of keeping up 100% in semi-auto, but in full auto mode, if one is attempting to do magazine dumps, you will note the misstep as you reach the end of the magazine. I did take the opportunity to take one

apart and noted the springs are possibly a bit short, which would create reduced spring tension.

Fortunately they are standard sized magazine springs though.

Upgrading these with Maple Superfeed or PTS EPM magazine springs would likely solve the issue entirely.

Moving onto the body itself, we have a full stamped steel receiver mated to a 9.4” barrel with standard 14mm CCW threads. The barrel itself is one of the few parts that are aluminum, the other notable part being the rail riveted to the dust cover.

While steel might have been more authentic, this does help with keeping the front end feeling livelier.

Aside from that, steel (be it stamped, milled or cast) is found in all the places that actually matter. Arcturus has advertised that the body is QPQ finished, which is a specialized type of nitrocarburizing case hardening that is better known through commercial brands, such as Tenifer or Melonite. This type of finish is billeted to protect against corrosion and wear better than hard chrome or nickel plating, even. This SMG does not feature the side rail for mounting optics such as is found on the LCT version. The receiver markings appear to be accurate to the current Vityaz produced

“THERE ARE TWO MAGAZINES SUPPLIED WITH THE PLATFORM WHICH ARE SWITCHABLE FROM 30 TO 95 BB CAPACITIES AND HAVE THE LAST-ROUND STYLE FOLLOWERS, SO EVERY BB IS FED UPWARDS. THESE ARE TRUE-TO-SIZE AND FEATURE THE IZHEVSK ARSENAL STAMP”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY ARCTURUS PP-19-01 PE Z-TAC SP1

by Kalashnikov Concern.

The selector switch is perhaps not accurate to the military versions of the Vityaz as the design harkens to the famous Krebs Custom selector switch.

This features a wide ledge that allows for it to be manipulated without taking ones hand off the firing grip. It would have been nice if this had also had a notch for locking the bolt to the rear when adjusting the hop up chamber, but this is a minor quibble.

The indexing into the selector grooves is nice and positive, and the switch isn’t easily bumped out of position as it might be on some of the cheaper AK Airsoft variants. The charging handle is a solid one-piece design that operates smoothly and has an appropriate distance of travel. The RP-2 charging

handle knob is removable, which reveals the traditional curved style hook most are familiar with.

I really like the feel of the bigger knob, so I plan to keep it affixed.

As on the real version, the magazine well is made from polymer and dovetails neatly into the receiver.

The trigger guard and magazine-well support is realistically riveted to the receiver, as opposed to using hex screws as is more commonly found on AK pattern stuff. There is also an insert inside the magazine well that prevents magazines from being over-inserted. At the 12 o’clock, we have a capturedstyle dust cover, similar to that found on the 74U series, albeit this one is equipped with an optical rail.

My example was fairly rigid and stable, though it’s

“THE CHARGING HANDLE IS A SOLID ONE-PIECE DESIGN THAT OPERATES SMOOTHLY AND HAS AN APPROPRIATE DISTANCE OF TRAVEL. THE RP-2 CHARGING HANDLE KNOB IS REMOVABLE, WHICH REVEALS THE TRADITIONAL CURVED STYLE HOOK MOST ARE FAMILIAR WITH”

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not going to be as rigid as the Zenitco B-33 railed dust cover, if one is familiar. For true optical zero, I would suggest using either the B-22 mount that’s included or the B-19N gas tube rail. The PT-1 stock is quite comfortable and features massive length of pull adjustment as well as cheek riser height. Even the buttplate can be adjusted up or down to better fit the shooter. Much like any modern AK variant, this also folds to the side for more compact storage.

Overall, this is an absolutely solid set of externals that not only looks the part, but also feels amazing to boot. With all the accessories and upgraded furniture installed, one might be thinking this is a heavy setup. On the contrary – modern Zenitco (and its Airsoft analogs) are quite lightweight. The entire

package with the magazine installed clocks in at 6.7 lbs. / 3.03 kg.

LIFTING THE VEIL ON THE PE GEARBOX

So what’s at the heart of this little beast? With the smaller receiver dimensions, Arcturus has adopted the same tactic as Real Sword by developing a unique truncated gearbox design. This is still technically V3-based, but for all intents and purposes the shell itself should be considered proprietary.

Powering the gun is a short-type 21 TPA ANT21 Neodymium motor, which is rated at 25K RPM. If given opportunity to handle one of these in person, you might have noticed the grip is slightly slimmer than most aftermarket RK-3 designs. Initially this

“WITH THE SMALLER RECEIVER DIMENSIONS, ARCTURUS HAS ADOPTED THE SAME TACTIC AS REAL SWORD BY DEVELOPING A UNIQUE TRUNCATED GEARBOX DESIGN. THIS IS STILL TECHNICALLY V3-BASED, BUT FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES THE SHELL ITSELF SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PROPRIETARY”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY ARCTURUS PP-19-01 PE Z-TAC SP1

made me concerned this was using a slim type motor, which have been somewhat problematic.

Fortunately my fears were allayed, and this slimmer profile is accomplished by using a G36-style motor cage to house a conventionally-sized motor.

Inside the gearbox we find a set of CNC’d 13:1 gears which have been short-stroked 2-teeth. I am pretty certain these are OEM’d by SHS/Rocket themselves. The appearance and design certainly matches up, in any case. I am estimating the main spring to be a M120 strength, so any risk of PME damage from the higher ROF is being eliminated through this short-stroking technique. Shimming was well done and mostly on-point, albeit a hair loose on the bevel gear side. The gears and piston were not

overly lubricated with a massive slathering of grease such as one finds in a CYMA. The piston has a full metal rack with the second to last tooth removed and it has near perfect Angle-ofEngagement with the sector gear. The piston body, piston head and cylinder are constructed of black polycarbonate. A POM air nozzle with inner O-ring is a nice touch. Upon checking the air compression, I found this to be excellent, with no blow-by or leaks.

The crowning jewel here is of course the installation of the well-regarded Perun V3 ETU. I believe these are a collaborative version with Perun, but am unsure if there is any distinct difference from the standard Perun aside from pre-configured wiring. These ETU’s use a combination of optical

“THE PISTON HAS A FULL METAL RACK WITH THE SECOND TO LAST TOOTH REMOVED AND IT HAS NEAR PERFECT ANGLE-OF-ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SECTOR GEAR. THE PISTON BODY, PISTON HEAD AND CYLINDER ARE CONSTRUCTED OF BLACK POLYCARBONATE. A POM AIR NOZZLE WITH INNER O-RING IS A NICE TOUCH”

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ARMOURY ARCTURUS PP-19-01 PE Z-TAC SP1

and magnetic sensors to detect gear cycle, selector position and trigger pulls. Additionally, there is userconfigurable active braking, pre-cocking, optional fire control modes and more. Somewhat unique here is the inclusion of a tune-able trigger stop that allows one to adjust the length of travel on the trigger. As it comes from Arcturus, this is set to approximately 4–5mm and has a lightweight trigger spring. Both of these features allows for rather rapid operation of the trigger compared to a traditional AK setup. My ‘feathering’ skills are a little rusty from my Paintball days, but I was able to ghost it along with a little practice!

Last but not least is a stainless-steel ball-bearing spring guide. This is easily accessed through the

back of the receiver when the stock is folded, so it is indeed a quick-change spring guide assembly. I am always eternally grateful when it is not necessary to yank a gearbox free to perform something as mundane as a spring swap to meet site limits.

SET TO STUN!

On the performance metrics, I can summarize it as this: this gun absolutely stuns with the out of the box performance. Out of the box, my example arrived shooting exactly 398 FPS/1.47J with an amazing consistency of 0.5–1 FPS between shots. This was actually a little higher than the published specs on the quality control sheet that came with the gun.

Fitted with an 11.1v 1200mah stick LiPo, a rate of

“ON THE PERFORMANCE METRICS, I CAN SUMMARIZE IT AS THIS: THIS GUN ABSOLUTELY STUNS WITH THE OUT OF THE BOX PERFORMANCE. OUT OF THE BOX, MY EXAMPLE ARRIVED SHOOTING EXACTLY 398 FPS/1.47J WITH AN AMAZING CONSISTENCY OF 0.5–1 FPS BETWEEN SHOTS”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY ARCTURUS PP-19-01 PE Z-TAC SP1

fire of 25 RPS was achieved. Aside from opening the gearbox for inspection and the purposes of this review, I elected not to change anything (well, almost… we’ll get to that in a minute) until the gun was given a thorough shakedown first.

At the time of SHOT Show, Chris Yue of MOS Manufacturing had informed me the hop up chamber on the display examples would be changed to a new type with a top-down-center design. This is reflected here in the production version, and I can say without hesitation that the new chamber design is phenomenal and probably stands amongst one of the very best AK hop up chamber designs to date!

Simply put, this gun is a laser beam and will have no qualms about reaching out and touching someone across the field. Arcturus uses a nicely

finished steel 6.02 diameter inner barrel paired with their 60 degree split-style bucking. I would be very confident in running this setup as it comes save for maybe changing the nub out so it will lift heavier BB’s. As it is, one should not experience any issues running anything up to a .28g. That being said, I did run into a very minor issue with the chamber tapping out with .30g’s at maximum hop up adjustment.

After changing the nub for a slightly firmer one I was able to easily lift the .30g’s and the slightly heavier .32g I normally use. So full disclosure: this was the only thing I changed.

Having now run several thousand BBs through the PE, and sneaking in a small private game or two, trying to push it hard all the while, it hasn’t let up a beat. I do still experience some issues with the

“CHRIS YUE ...INFORMED ME THE HOP UP CHAMBER ON THE DISPLAY EXAMPLES WOULD BE CHANGED TO A NEW TYPE WITH A TOP-DOWN-CENTER DESIGN. THIS IS REFLECTED HERE IN THE PRODUCTION VERSION, AND I CAN SAY WITHOUT HESITATION THAT THE NEW CHAMBER DESIGN IS PHENOMENAL AND PROBABLY STANDS AMONGST ONE OF THE VERY BEST AK HOP UP CHAMBER DESIGNS TO DATE!” 18

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magazines struggling to keep up on full-auto when they reach the end, but I will rectify that shortly with some new springs. As previously mentioned, they do not present an issue when shooting in semi-auto mode, which is how I normally run the gun. Overall, I am very pleased with the reliability and performance here. It’s just a damn solid build.

One of the things that struck me most when visiting the MOS Manufacturing/Arcturus booth was that they were absolutely keen on listening to customer feedback and were themselves embracing and well-informed of the technical aspects of their models. This was quite refreshing to see and stood in stark contrast to some of the other airsoft booths where little was seemingly known about the models on display. That same attention to detail and care is clearly reflected here with the PP-19-01 PE Vityaz Z-TAC SP1. As a full-time Airsoft Tech who’s had his grease-laden fingers inside countless guns now, very few factory builds manage to impress me with their out of the box performance. Arcturus has assuredly presented us with something special here, true to the

“Special Edition” nomenclature and I daresay even a market disruptor when held up against competing models.

To build from scratch to an equivalent spec (or as close as is possible with off-the-shelf components), you would be looking at spending at least US$850+ and it would still be missing some of the components and accessories that are included with the Arcturus.

So in my opinion, this is a premium platform being sold at a mid-range price point… which makes it a fantastic value for everything contained herein.

In closing, this is in this author’s opinion the best PP-19-01 on the market today and will surely satisfy newcomers and fans alike of this unique easternflavored SMG. Many thanks goes out to Art and Jackie Bigelow of Nomad Airsoft (https://www.facebook.com/ NomadAirsoftSupply) for ensuring I was able to snag one of these for this review. This was not a paid, solicited or endorsed review and was wholly purchased with my own funds for my own personal use. AA

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT SPECNA ARMS SA-FX01 BRSS SCAR-SC FLEX

TACTICALLY FLEX-IBLE! 20

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT SPECNA ARMS BRSS SA-FX01 SCAR-SC FLEX

AR-STYLED “9MM” ARE NOTHING NEW TO THE AIRSOFT WORLD, BUT WHEN ONE GETS DROPPED INTO THE MARKET FROM A MANUFACTURER THAT CONSTANTLY PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE NOTE OF, AND ALTHOUGH SPECNA ARMS HAVE CREATED “PDW” MODELS BEFORE THE SA-FX01 FLEX HAS PROMISED TO BE MORE THAN A SUM OF ITS PARTS! BILL SETS THE SCENE AND MIGUEL TELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCE WITH THE PLATFORM SO FAR…

S

pecna arms have been a little quiet of late, and certainly not up to the tempo of their first few years, but every manufacturer needs a little time to step back, take stock, and then move forward again, and when I think hard they’ve been an AEG manufacturer that has consistently released many cool models and variants in a relatively short space of time! Specna Arms have been become a tried and tested partner for many airsoft players and cemented their place in our world, and now it seems that they are poised to move on yet again!

I remember seeing the brand appear on the Gunfire stand at IWA some years back (and if I remember correctly we spelled the name wrong at that time!) with a small range of “AR-inspired” models, but now they seem to cover off so much more, with an ever-growing range of platformstyles along with a superb range of accessories to go with them, and whether you’re new to airsoft or veteran player like me there is 100% something in their range that will appeal to you. Specna Arms have become an “airsoft household name”, with a wide range of retail stockists throughout Europe, and as I suspected and commented on some time ago, further designs on expansion worldwide as their move into the US-market has now shown.

And as I also said some time ago, the fact is that Specna Arms have the structure as a company to back all this up, and they continue to innovate and inspire with new models to suit any, and every, airsoft player out there with AEG, gas and spring platforms that are well-built, well-priced, and that perform from the box. I also said “this, ultimately is what we,

the players, truly want if we’re honest, as although we are bombarded with words, pictures, and videos from folk telling us to “fettle, change, and upgrade” our AEGs and GBBs what most of REALLY want is to get out and play a game with an AEG that, you know… works”, and the fact is that Specna Arms AEGS and accessories do work, and work well… with each new model and each airsoft thing they create they seem to move one step further forward, and I love ‘em for it!

We continue to see the “business model” of airsoft changing, but also as I have said before we are seeing airsoft manufacturers going their own way to pursue design concepts of their own, and turn those concepts into reality. With many new players coming into airsoft, especially after the pandemic, there’s always going to be a need for entry level models and the FLEX series from Specna Arms has been designed purposely to fill that slot!

I had the pleasure of reviewing one of the very first FLEX AEGs, the SA-F01 FLEX, back in May ‘22 (Issue 139) and my comment at the time was “The SA-F01/F02 FLEX models are certainly most worthy of your consideration, as they are both great looking replicas (even better when you add a few accessories!), available in both black and black/ tan, are solid as a rock, shoot straight and far, and are indeed priced to entice… what’s not to love?” and I stick by that initial assessment as the sample I received back then has entered the long-term test pool and has continued to perform very well indeed... and the pool AEGs do not live an easy life with us.

“AND AS I ALSO SAID SOME TIME AGO, THE FACT IS THAT SPECNA ARMS HAVE THE STRUCTURE AS A COMPANY TO BACK ALL THIS UP, AND THEY CONTINUE TO INNOVATE AND INSPIRE WITH NEW MODELS TO SUIT ANY, AND EVERY, AIRSOFT PLAYER OUT THERE WITH AEG AND SPRING PLATFORMS THAT ARE WELL-BUILT, WELLPRICED, AND THAT PERFORM FROM THE BOX” www.airsoftaction.net

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New players will always need their very first AEG, right and everyone that’s been playing airsoft for a while knows what a money pit it can be; for those just starting the outlay can be daunting, not just in relation to their AEG but in terms of accessories and gear! And this is where the FLEX series comes in as the models are priced VERY keenly and are always both attractive in their styling and durable too! So, if you are looking for a lightweight and reliable AEG to get you rolling then the FLEX series of AEGs have been designed just for you; although the FLEX models are well-priced (and that should make any airsofter happy!) that’s not to say that they are slouches when it comes to doing their job…

But of course I haven’t yet had one of the new models to try, and as such as much as I respect Specna Arms as a brand I can’t really tell you how it performs in-game, but simply set the scene… so I’ll hand over to Miguel to move this review onwards! He was lucky enough to get one of the very first SA-FX01 FLEX “9mm” models recently, and has been using it… hard!

USER PERSPECTIVE

Last month, Specna Arms’ newest release hit the airsoft world in a strong way. A lot of us saw ambassadors for the brand and other influencers sharing the news about the replica, many unboxing videos and pretty photos, but there are also a couple of real reviews if you really want to know more about the replica. Of course, as an ambassador, I also got my hands on a FX01 and had the chance of not only taking it to the field, but to test it in some extreme conditions.

“A LOT OF US SAW ...INFLUENCERS SHARING THE NEWS ABOUT THE REPLICA, MANY UNBOXING VIDEOS AND PRETTY PHOTOS, BUT THERE ARE ALSO A COUPLE OF REAL REVIEWS IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE REPLICA. OF COURSE, AS AN AMBASSADOR, I ALSO GOT MY HANDS ON A FX01 AND HAD THE CHANCE OF NOT ONLY TAKING IT TO THE FIELD, BUT TO TEST IT IN SOME EXTREME CONDITIONS.” 22

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ARMOURY SPECNA ARMS SA-FX01 FLEX

So what is the FX01? It’s Specna Arms’ newest “9mm carbine” addition to the brand’s FLEX range, which is an entry level series aimed to those starting to play or looking for a back-up replica. It’s unbelievably light, since it’s built mostly with polymer reinforced with nylon fiber, which according to the brand makes it more resistant than other polymer replicas. In the field it as so far proved to be quite sturdy, I’ve used it in several games, and even in a couple of bigger and harsher ones. No issues in being carried around for many hours, getting in and off vehicles in a rush, tumbling around in thick woodland areas and even some CQB fights. Not only that, but it never failed me with extreme heat (37C max) or even rain. Sure, even

if it doesn’t have the performance of the higher-end ranges within Specna Arms, but it’s great to have a light replica during big events, and it certainly fulfils the role it was built for.

But, how is the performance of the FX01? For its price it’s pretty good, there is no other way to describe it! Sure, it doesn’t have the range with the same precision of, for example, an EDGE 2.0, but it did surprise not only me, but all those who had the chance of testing it first-hand. You can easily hit a human-size target at 40-45m, but at 50m there will be some dispersion, and this while using .25g BBs. It’s hard to ask for more.

I also had the chance of testing it with .28g and

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ARMOURY SPECNA ARMS SA-FX01 FLEX

.30g BBs, and the maximum range does drop, but you do get less dispersion in those longer shots. I found it to be a good option in CQB or urban scenarios.

Furthermore, I’m guessing that changing the hop rubber and/or the inner barrel will offer some better performance, but since I like to test it stock, I haven’t made any internal changes yet. In fact, the only change I did was replacing the Tamiya connector for a Deans one as they are better and take up less space in the buffer tube.

To be honest, I was never much a fan of the “9mm carbine”; I know that there are a bunch of them

around, but they never caught my eye. Even Specna Arms has a model (the X01) in the EDGE 2.0 series, with I’ve been told that they are great, but I’ve never used it. I was a bit sceptical about the FX01, but it has been growing on me. I really like the Light Ops Stock, as even with face protection it’s easy to use a red dot, of course it’s important to keep in mind that the battery space is limited, since you can only use the buffer tube to place a battery. It does come with the ESA system that Specna Arms already uses in other ranges (like the CORE range) and it even has a working bolt catch!

I did find a frustrating issue with the midcaps that you can get for the replica; the little BB retainer is a bit too “sensitive”, and it has happened to me more than once, having my BBs ejecting from the mag when placing it in my vest or even the drop pouch. So, heads up!

So, to finish, the FX01 is a great option if you are looking to start airsoft, looking for a reliable back up replica that doesn’t take much space in a gun bag or case, or even if you want to try out these “9mm carbine” replicas for the first time, like was my case. It’s quite probably one of the best replicas that you can find in the price range.

CLOSING IT OUT

My thanks go to Miguel for his user-review, and there we have it! It looks to us that Specna Arms have once again delivered with an exciting and attractive AEG that will entice players, especially those who favour some CQB-action, down the PDW/PCC route.

From my knowledge of Specna Arms, and from Miguel’s reporting as a user the SA-FX01 FLEX looks like another winner to us, one that will fill an AEG slot for players old and new alike, and we look forward to seeing what they release next as “show season” approaches! We already know that they’re going to be present at MOA, SHOT and IWA too so watch this space as our coverage of all the major shows starts soon! AA

“THE FX01 IS A GREAT OPTION IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO START AIRSOFT, LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE BACK UP REPLICA THAT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH SPACE IN A GUN BAG OR CASE, OR EVEN IF YOU WANT TO TRY OUT THESE “9MM CARBINE” REPLICAS FOR THE FIRST TIME… IT’S QUITE PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST REPLICAS THAT YOU CAN FIND IN THE PRICE RANGE” 24

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ARMOURY SPECNA ARMS SA-FX01 FLEX

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT CYMA CM106A PLATINUM BRSS SCAR-SC RAPID STRIKE

STRIKING BACK 28

DECEMBER 2023

ARMOURY CYMA CM106A CYBERGUN/BOLT PLATINUM BRSS RAPIDSCAR-SC STRIKE

THE WORLD OF THE PISTOL CALIBRE CARBINE (PCC) CONTINUES TO EXPAND, AND AS WE CONTINUE OUR “9MM” THEME FOR THIS ISSUE BILL’S BEEN ON THE RANGE WITH THE LATEST MODEL FROM INDUSTRY-GIANTS CYMA AND FINDS THEIR NEW RAPID STRIKE VERY MUCH TO HIS LIKING FOR A NUMBER OF VERY GOOD REASONS!

I

’ve made no secret about how impressed I, and we collectively, have been in relation to CYMA in the last couple of years, and the introduction of their E-EDITION and PLATINUM AR series AEGs has been particularly noteworthy as they offer solid performance from the box, and with a few very minor tweaks can be absolutely first rate. A number of the AA Crew own 097 and 098 AR variants, and these have proved to be extremely durable with great levels of performance from the get-go!

As you’ll also see in RED CELL this month CYMA continue to update their MP5 range and these are well-liked by us too; quite frankly I believe that there’s a model for everyone in the mix if the “5” is your thing. We’ll continue to beast these models as a matter of course and report back over time, but thus far the CYMA “5s” are literally going “great guns”…

But the rise of the “AR-style” Pistol Calibre Carbine (PCC) AEG continues apace, and new models appear regularly in the marketplace. I’ve always loved really short ARs for specific scenarios like those where I’m running a CP detail from vehicles, but as I’ve often said, as good as they are the models with PDW-style sliding stocks are largely not for me… sadly being a big lad with ape-like arms this style of stock is just too short and I can’t shoulder the platforms to my liking.

I was therefore very happy indeed when I first saw the new RAPID STRIKE models from CYMA as they appeared to have all the features I like most, but in addition to the CM106 that has a PDW-slider there was also the CM106A with a proper buffer tube and AR-style stock as well… WIN! This is important to me as a) it allows me to have a stock that I can set to the length of pull I like, and b) allows me to take properly aimed shots from the shoulder! I know this may seem an odd thing to say, but it honesty, how many of us just learn to follow the string of BBs leaving our AEGs to get on target when if full-auto mode? I know that I’ve been guilty of this myself when I’m being a bit lazy, and especially in night games when I’ve been using a tracer…

However, as my personal style of play has changed over the years so has the importance of taking properly-aimed semi-auto shots that will actually… you know… hit the intended target each time!

Using mid-cap or real-cap magazines has not exactly forced me to return to taking aimed shots as every BB needs to count, but it has made me realise that all of us can fall into a groove that removes reliance on well-practiced skills, drills and accurate shooting to a dependence on ROF and “spray and pray”, which of course in-game can lead to overshooting and very unhappy opponents!

So, straight away the short and sweet CM106A sings to me and in some ways the smaller “SOPMOD” six-position stock that comes fitted to the buffer tube of the AEG reminds me in a weird way of one of my favourite historical models, the

“I WAS THEREFORE VERY HAPPY INDEED WHEN I FIRST SAW THE NEW RAPID STRIKE MODELS FROM CYMA AS THEY APPEARED TO HAVE ALL THE FEATURES I LIKE MOST, BUT IN ADDITION TO THE CM106 THAT HAS A PDW-SLIDER THERE WAS ALSO THE CM106A WITH A PROPER BUFFER TUBE AND AR-STYLE STOCK AS WELL… WIN!”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY CYMA CM106A PLATINUM RAPID STRIKE

COLT Mod 607. But that’s where the similarity ends as the “106” is a thoroughly up-to-the-minute design that has all of the features we’ve come to love in CYMA AR-style variants, but this time with a “9mm” magazine!

SOLID OUTSIDE AND IN!

When it comes to the design of the CM106A first up you get a “billet-style CNC alloy receiver set that’s made with a high degree of precision and offers lots of durability; trust me, you’re not going to break this receiver set any time soon, and the satin-black finish is impeccable! This receiver set is matched superbly to a CNC-machined alloy M-LOK handguard, that whilst super-short (only two slots) manages to squeeze in a QD sling-stud point on both sides! Of course this means that you can have fun with attaching grips, lights, and other tactical accessories, and run a decent sling too!

The top rail runs the entire length of the upper receiver and handguard and comes pre-fitted with flip-up front and rear sights, lo-profile versions that fit the overall design aesthetic perfectly. One feature I particularly like is the ejection port; now I know that this is a really small thing but CYMA have actually gone to the trouble of ensuring that the port is “9mm” rather than just a standard “556” version and this speaks of great attention to detail!

Other than that short stock, other furniture as standard from the box includes a comfortable ergonomic polymer pistol grip, and an M-LOK-mountable vertical foregrip/handstop

combo which enhances comfort of use and control; personally I’d change this out for something like an M-LOK STRIKE INDUSTRIES AVG/S to keep things supercompact, but that’s just a matter of choice as the pre-fitted one is perfectly serviceable.

You also get a unique “blastdeflector-style” muzzle device which looks great, and a singlepoint sling plate fitted as standard, again providing more sling options.

The lower I have to say is a small work of art, and there are some attractive and notable things here too.

Firstly the lower has obviously been purpose-designed for a “9mm” magazine (you get two 130 BB middys in the box), and it looks great. Whilst the mag release only sits on the RHS as standard, fire controls are both ambidextrous and 45-degree “short throw” for fast and slick operation; this is a first I believe on a CYMA AEG, and interestingly they use a very HK-like “bullet pictogram” for the selector, and somehow this looks and feels absolutely right for the platform.

“STRAIGHT AWAY THE SHORT AND SWEET CM106A SINGS TO ME AND IN SOME WAYS THE SMALLER “SOPMOD” SIX-POSITION STOCK THAT COMES FITTED TO THE BUFFER TUBE OF THE AEG REMINDS ME IN A WEIRD WAY OF ONE OF MY FAVOURITE HISTORICAL MODELS, THE COLT MOD 607. BUT THAT’S WHERE THE SIMILARITY ENDS AS THE “106” IS A THOROUGHLY UP-TO-THE-MINUTE DESIGN” 30

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ARMOURY CYMA CM106A PLATINUM RAPID STRIKE

Internally everything is easy to work on as the “106” features a V2 Gearbox with MOSFET which offers great performance with super responsiveness.

Also in the mix are a metal hop chamber with precise wheel-adjustment, a reinforced gearbox with a CNC-machined steel gear set (13:1) and 8mm bearings, full steel-tooth polycarbonate piston, CNCmachined aluminium silent cylinder and piston head set (bearing piston head, double o-ring cylinder head), a bearing spring guide, and they’re all driven along by a longtype high-speed motor!

Add to this a Quick Change Spring System which allows you to adapt to varying field conditions effortlessly without complex disassembly and you’ve got a pretty righteous mix!

DOWNRANGE

At 548mm (629mm with the stock fully extended) and

weighing in at just an absolute dream my testing was on

2320g the “106” is to run, and although the 30m woods range I can tell that this

would be perfect in tight spaces as it’s super-easy to manipulate, and extremely pointable!

Now in terms of performance I was pretty confident of what to expect straight from the box, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got onto the range. Using my usual 11.1 stick LiPo in the buffer tube (another plus for a proper stock!) and on .20g BBs the model I received chrono’d in at 1.04 Joule/335fps and this remained pretty constant throughout testing. As I’m a now pretty much exclusively a midcap-user in AEGs these days I was delighted with the two 130BB models (one straight and one “MP5 Bullet Mag” curved) as standard, and both fed flawlessly; I’m also thinking that the “106” would look awesome with a shorter MP5-style mag in a CP setting…

CYMA claim that the “106” is compatible with Tokyo Marui, and other MOD5/MP5 series AEG magazines and I’m pleased to report that other MP5 mags I already have fed perfectly too. Although this little AEG only has a 155mm, 6.03 inner barrel it was easy to get shots on target at 10, 20, and 30m, and in terms of groupings at 30m prone using the flipsights things were more than acceptable, and I’m certain this will improve further once the “106” has had time to bed in properly. As I prefer to shoot on semi-auto the ROF, although apparently exactly where claimed, was of little interest to me, but the response

“AT 548MM (629MM WITH THE STOCK FULLY EXTENDED) AND WEIGHING IN AT JUST 2320G THE “106” IS AN ABSOLUTE DREAM TO RUN, AND ALTHOUGH MY TESTING WAS ON THE 30M WOODS RANGE I CAN TELL THAT THIS WOULD BE PERFECT IN TIGHT SPACES AS IT’S SUPER-EASY TO MANIPULATE, AND EXTREMELY POINTABLE!”

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ARMOURY CYMA CM106A PLATINUM RAPID STRIKE

from the skeletonized trigger is indeed super-crisp and responsive.

Now let’s face it, CYMA have been with us in our “airsoft world” for a long old time now, and these days their products are again exactly where they claim, where “durability and performance meets affordability”. It just goes to prove that we really do need to put the past behind us and look at what is in the here and now, as the CYMA AEG platforms of today are a million miles away from those creaky rentals that many of us used when we first started playing, although sadly I do see prices sneaking up.

That said, from what I’m seeing this is acceptable to me as the player is getting exactly what they are asking for; at the end of the day this is a PCC that you can currently buy for a touch under UK£300 that looks utterly superb, feels so solid that you could use it to hammer nails, and is more (way more!) than adequate in terms of performance. If you’re in need of a cheeky new PCC then the CYMA CM106 models are most definitely worth a look, and if you hanker after a PCC then grab a “106” and get out and play airsoft with it... you’ll be glad that you did!

My thanks go to www.iwholesales.biz for providing the test sample, and please do go and check out what they have available, which is A LOT! AA

“AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS IS A PCC THAT YOU CAN CURRENTLY BUY FOR A TOUCH UNDER UK£300 THAT LOOKS UTTERLY SUPERB, FEELS SO SOLID THAT YOU COULD USE IT TO HAMMER NAILS, AND IS MORE (WAY MORE!) THAN ADEQUATE IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE”

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DECEMBER 2023

TAP/CLICK IMAGES TO VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO

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KIT & GEAR EDGE TACTICAL EYEWEAR

VISION-ARY! EYE PROTECTION (EYEPRO OR SHOOTING GLASSES TO YOU AND I) IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF SAFETY NO MATTER WHAT YOU SHOOT, AND BILL HAS BEEN TESTING THREE MODELS FROM EDGE EYEWEAR FOR A WHILE NOW, A COMPANY THAT PROVIDES “EYEPRO” OFFERING THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE AND PROTECTION!

I

’ve said it before and I’ll say it time and again, cheap eye protection is a false economy in virtually every respect I can think of. Luckily these days we have a wealth of manufacturers to choose from when it comes to protecting those all-important “Eyes and Ears”, and testing for such products is amongst the most stringent out there.

Over the years this has continued to be something that’s massively important to me, and it should be to you as well. Each and every manufacturer makes the claim that “their eyepro” is the best on the market, offering huge levels of protection, won’t fog, and will be comfortable to wear all day long, but in reality anyone that has worn eyepro will know that it’s a bit of a crapshoot as we all have different shaped heads and faces and different metabolisms, and what fits well and performs flawlessly for one person doesn’t work at all for another!

One thing we can investigate closely though is the ratings that govern safety levels for our eyepro, and a while back I got into this in some detail with our old mate “Posh”; and we concluded that it’s a minefield when you look at ratings; now I have

used this text before, but it’s still to me one of the clearest explanations I’ve yet come across, so I’ll use it again unashamedly, especially as I’m looking at EDGE, a manufacturer that conforms to ANSI Z87 testing!

The ANSI rating system is similar to our EN 166 ratings system, but with a few extra tests. First up they drop a 1” diameter steel ball from 50” onto the eyepro. To pass this test the lenses AND frames must stay in one piece. If so, it gets an ANSI Z87 rating.

To qualify for the better ANSI Z87+ rating the testing continues. Test 2 is the High Mass Test. They drop a 500g POINTED weight from 50” onto a mounted head form. To pass this lens-retention test, no pieces from the frames or lenses may break free or fracture. The high-mass test is a good indicator of a product’s strength and is meant to simulate an impact like a slipping tool that falls onto a worker’s face or a lens collision with a stationary object. Ok, sounds good, what’s the last test?

Test 3 is the high velocity test; the same as our EN test a 1/4” steel ball is fired at TWENTY locations on the eyepro at 103mph.... speedy right? Not really it’s 46 m/s or 151 fps, same as the EN ones! The pass/ fail criteria for the high-velocity test is the same as the high mass test with the added criterion that the “eye” on

the head form can’t encounter the lens in any way when it’s struck. This test is meant to simulate particles that workers could be exposed

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DECEMBER 2023

KIT & GEAR EDGE TACTICAL EYEWEAR

to when performing job functions such as grinding, chipping or machining.

However, remember that these are lab conditions not the variable-riddled skirmish site we all play in. No BB carries its speed/ energy over its flight path, it loses it. It’s exactly why we have high fps for snipers but a minimum engagement distance.

Energy is lost in that MED so risk of injury is reduced. In the case of Eyepro, they’re not taking a full force impact unless the lens is at the end of the RIFs barrel.

So as an utter minimum we should be looking for EN166 and should be happy and confident if they’re ANSI Z87+ ? That’s about the size of it. There is the more costly option of Milspec lenses. MIL-PRF-31013 (clause 3.5.1.1 for those who wish to geek out) are as good as you’ll get in glasses…

GETTING THE EDGE

For more than 25 years, EDGE have questioned everything about safety eyewear and designed protective glasses that their customers want to wear; they’ve designed stylish frame styles, pioneered lens technologies and rigorously ensured safety compliance to make sure you can rely on EDGE when you need them most! EDGE’s lineup of shooting glasses offer complete ANSI Z87.1+ high-velocity protection, bold styles and available interchangeable lenses; simply put, their shooting glasses and ballistic eyewear provide total peace of mind, and won’t break the bank.

But where have EDGE come from? Back in 1998 EDGE took a stance that sets them apart in an industry that even when it comes to tactical models sees form as important as function; EDGE are different and they say: “When we began in 1998, safety glasses weren’t necessarily “easy on the eyes.” They certainly weren’t designed to be comfortable. And they didn’t come available with vision-enhancing technologies, such as polarized lenses, anti-slip details or anti-fog coatings.

“We questioned everything about protective eyewear and created safety glasses that felt good to wear, looked better and exceeded the performance of any other on the market. We’ve never been content with the status quo. And we’ve never strayed from

our habit of disrupting the safety eyewear industry.”

This is a pretty bold statement, but EDGE back it up all the time. If you take a close look at the technologies they have at the core of their products you can’t help but be impressed! Firstly EDGE make all their products with durability in mind; they make their frames from a virtually indestructible nylon composite, and the frames provide more durability than virtually any other glasses on the market. All of their lenses are made of shatter-resistant polycarbonate; this material is lightweight, blocks 99.9% of UV radiation and defends against projectiles or blunt forces with its natural strength. EDGE lenses are always designed with the strict safety standards of ANSI, or the stringent MCEPS military requirements Secondly, EDGE have been pioneering when it comes to an exclusive anti-fog technology (called Vapor Shield) that lasts longer and performs better than other options on the market. This military grade anti-fog means your lenses won’t fog up even in the most intense conditions. Whether it is hot, cold, or transitioning weather and/or moisture conditions, Edge Vapor Shield technology simply works; permanently and baked into the lenses, the anti-fog technology provides lasting performance. And EDGE were the first to put polarized lenses in a pair of safety glasses, a lens technology that limits glare and improves clarity better than other lenses…

And thirdly, some so-called “safety glasses” aren’t that safe; that’s because some brands simply stamp “Z87” on their frames without testing them for ANSI’s Z87 requirements as detailed in the intro of this

“FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, EDGE HAVE QUESTIONED EVERYTHING ABOUT SAFETY EYEWEAR AND DESIGNED PROTECTIVE GLASSES THAT THEIR CUSTOMERS WANT TO WEAR; THEY’VE DESIGNED STYLISH FRAME STYLES, PIONEERED LENS TECHNOLOGIES AND RIGOROUSLY ENSURED SAFETY COMPLIANCE”

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KIT & GEAR EDGE TACTICAL EYEWEAR

review. EDGE always test their safety glasses with a third-party lab to make sure your eyes are protected when it matters most, and will continue to be protected over a long-service life!

It’s a great story, and the core values that are apparent with EDGE sing to me; innovation, pioneering technology, comfort, and above all-else safety of the user. When I’m personally shopping for new eyepro I first and foremost look at the safety rating beyond doubt, but after that I look to the manufacturer themselves to check out their longevity and values. I like to know that they test rigorously, and if a third-party tester is involved, so much the better; it’s a case of “don’t listen to what we say, listen to what others say about us” and I love that.

glasses into the Sharp Edge. Each of the Sharp Edge’s lenses block 99.9% of UVA, UVB and UVC rays for crystal-clear optics in any condition, and the lowprofile temples integrate comfortably with helmets or hearing protection, and work perfectly under my NOTCH ballcap. The Sharp Edge is as comfortable as it is protective, and lenses are interchangeable! The Sharp Edge kit I received for testing came with clear, Tiger’s Eye and G-15 lenses, so you’re sure to have the eye protection that fits your AO. (Rated MIL-PRF 32432-A / ANSI Z87.1+ / EN166 / UKCA / CSA Z94.3).

The HAMEL model delivers ANSI Z87.1+ highimpact ballistic protection in an uncompromising package, and these shooting glasses have big features at a relatively small price. From the anti-scratch coating to permanent anti-fog technology (Vapor

EDGE MODELS

I’ve been looking closely at three models since I met the guys representing EDGE in the UK at the NAF this summer, and thus far they’ve performed brilliantly on both airsoft and real-steel ranges.

The SHARP EDGE are the most “classic” shooter style of the three, and don’t sacrifice features, ANSI Z87.1+ high-velocity ballistic-rated protection or function for price. Their permanent anti-fog technology (Vapor Shield), thermoplastic rubber (TPR) nosepiece, scratch-resistant lenses and durable frames

suggest anything but “entry-level” shooting glasses, and EDGE have packed the features and benefits you’d expect to find in much more expensive shooting

Shield again!), the Hamel is a cool-looking pair of sunglasses with an ANSI Z87.1+ ballistic rating that won’t disappoint. With comfortable frames (made of a flexible and equally durable nylon composite) to the G-15 lenses, the Hamel is made to protect your eyesight when most at risk–all while delivering everyday performance. The lenses block 99.9% of UVA, UVB and UVC rays, the thin temples mean comfort when wearing them with ear protection or helmets, and thermoplastic rubber (TPR) details on the nosepiece help them stay on your face when lesser glasses might slip. For shooting glasses that you can waer ever day, and look cool doing so, the Hamel model is well worth a look! (Rated MIL-PRF 32432-A /

“EDGE’S LINEUP OF SHOOTING GLASSES OFFER COMPLETE ANSI Z87.1+ HIGH-VELOCITY PROTECTION, BOLD STYLES AND AVAILABLE INTERCHANGEABLE LENSES; SIMPLY PUT, THEIR SHOOTING GLASSES AND BALLISTIC EYEWEAR PROVIDE TOTAL PEACE OF MIND, AND WON’T BREAK THE BANK”

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KIT & GEAR EDGE TACTICAL EYEWEAR

ANSI Z87.1+ / EN166 / UKCA / CSA Z94.3).

If however you want glasses that are “lo-profile, lo-drag” then the FASTLINK model could be for you! Super-light and VERY affordable, the blade-style Fastlink model has design that provides complete coverage and eye protection. Its flexible and durable matte black frame is equipped with a soft thermoplastic rubber nosepiece and temple tips to create a comfortable, nonslip fit, and the single-piece lens has no lower frame to obstruct sight, making it great for clear, unobstructed line of sight.

Available individually, three lens options are available: Vapor Shield Clear - 85% of light passes through this lens blocking 99.9% of VA/UVB/UVC rays.

Vapor Shield Tiger’s Eye (Orange) - 50% of light passes through this lens and blocks 99.9% of UVA/ UVB/UVC rays.

Vapor Shield G-15 (Smoked) - 15% of light passes through this lens blocks 99.9% of UVA/UVB/ UVC rays.

The Tiger’s Eye lenses worked perfectly for me; these are engineered to be the ideal shooting lens as they increase contrast and depth perception in overcast, lower-light (I’m in the UK, it’s autumn!) conditions and feature a blue light filter that reduces eyestrain and fatigue. The addition of the Vapor Shield military grade anti-fog technology keeps these lenses resistant to fogging, even in even when you’re runnin’ and gunnin’ hard! (Rated ANSI Z87.1+/ MCEPS GL-PD 10-12) So, three pairs, three styles, and all equally as good as one another in terms of protection! I have to say that the SHARP EDGE model with interchangeable lenses best suits my needs as a shooter given that I can easily change the lenses to cope with differing light conditions, and they are both light and comfortable to wear, although they are of a style that obviously marks them out as shooting glasses.

However, the HAMEL’s I REALLY like as these are also very comfortable and totally protective, but don’t immediately scream out “shooter”! The model I received for testing was the Matte Gray Frame /G15 Vapor Shield Lens variant (these are available in multiple colours with multiple options for configuring lenses!) which go pretty well with my usual grey/black range gear… okay, that makes me sound Gucci AF,

but hey… I just really like these, and I have to say that they served me well both as shooters and sunnys on my adventures in Taiwan!

So, do I feel that the models I’ve been testing from EDGE live up to the claims that they make?

Yup, I most certainly do as they offer serious levels of protection at some seriously sensible prices!

If you’re in the market for new eyepro I see that EDGE is really making in-roads with stores all over the world, so I’d recommend that this is a brand you should check out for yourself; if the fit is good then there’s going to be something in their lineup for you, with protection levels guaranteed!

My sincere thanks go to the guys at Country Sports Wholesale for supplying the test models; although EDGE EYEWEAR is already in most good airsoft stores, please do check out www.CountrySportsWholesale. co.uk for more information and more models in the EDGE range. AA

HAMEL

FASTLINK

SHARP EDGE

“THE HAMEL’S I REALLY LIKE AS THESE ARE ALSO VERY COMFORTABLE AND TOTALLY PROTECTIVE, BUT DON’T IMMEDIATELY SCREAM OUT “SHOOTER”! THE MODEL I RECEIVED FOR TESTING WAS THE MATTE GRAY FRAME /G-15 VAPOR SHIELD LENS VARIANT… WHICH GO PRETTY WELL WITH MY USUAL GREY/BLACK RANGE GEAR… OKAY, THAT MAKES ME SOUND GUCCI AF, BUT HEY…” www.airsoftaction.net

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THE CAGE AOR

THE CAGE: AREAS OF INTEREST

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DECEMBER 2023

THE CAGE AOR

AS WE CONTINUE TO DELVE INTO THE LOADOUT AND CAMO OPTIONS USED BY THE GUYS OF THE AA LEGION THERE’S ONE THAT IS SOUGHT AFTER BY MANY, BUT SOMETIMES HARD TO FIND IN “BIG BOI” SIZES, AND THAT’S AOR! BILL AND STEWBACCA DIG INTO THEIR PERSONAL GEAR LOCKERS TO LOOK AND THE 1 AND 2 VARIANTS AND FIND THAT WHEN IT COMES TO FINDING “SEAL” CAMO DAYS ARE IN FACT GETTING EASIER…

I

n 2012 “Act of Valour (AoV)” brought us a story of USN SEALs racing around the world to combat the bad guys; real operators starring in their very own movie with some seriously righteous kit to play with. Roll on to “Zero Dark Thirty” where the AOR1 clad “Team 6” finally took down Bin Laden; this brought things fully up to date with the first view for many of us of the GPNVG18, along with Ops Core helmets, FN SCARs and MK18 Mod 1s.

SEALTEAM and SIX moved things on in 2017 and both featured some righteous kit for the geardos among us; sadly SIX only lasted a couple of seasons (allegedly due to an “overcrowded marketplace for military shows”) but SEAL TEAM continues to delight as it heads for Series 7 which will hopefully be starting to air by the time you read this! Whilst SIX portrayed the SEALs in largely multicam gear, SEAL TEAM really moved things forward with some properly cool “mixymatchy” kit, MC and MCBLK, and of course AOR… and long may it continue!

One of the best things though is because of the popularity of this loadout numerous manufacturers have released both real deal and reproduction items in both AOR1 and AOR2. Basically “AOR” stands for “Area of Responsibility” with AOR1 being for desert or arid regions and AOR2 for temperate/forested areas. Initially many thought it was just an updated

version of MARPAT, and indeed it does share some of the pixellated patterns of the USMC uniform pattern, although the tonality of the AOR patterns in quite uniquely different if viewed side by side to it.

There are also numerous websites dedicated to the SEAL teams, and one of our personal favourites is “Silent Professional” although this sadly doesn’t appear to have been updated for some time; if you have an interest in anything SEAL though and you haven’t yet found it then get yourself onto www. silentpro.wordpress.com without wasting any time!

“Silent Pro” was, and still is a repository of literally everything and anything that is pertinent to “The Teams”, and it looks in the most minute detail at every single bit of kit used from boots to bandanas and everything in between. The library of reference pictures is absolutely stunning, and there are links to manufacturers both real and repro.

BILL: I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that like many I got seriously caught up in the whole AOR1 “thing” after AoV! Luckily for me a number of manufacturers - both real and repro - were getting on board to ride this particular train so even going back a while I was able to start putting my updated loadout together. For the basis of the loadout I needed to find a CRYE combat shirt and pant in AOR1; searching online I found a number of genuine articles but a) I’m a tall lad and finding them in my size was a challenge, and b) what I did find required a bank loan to finance the purchase!

A number of friends were also pursuing similar loadout ideas and had bought reproduction sets from the likes of Emerson and TMC but the colours of the

“ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THOUGH IS BECAUSE OF THE POPULARITY OF THIS LOADOUT NUMEROUS MANUFACTURERS HAVE RELEASED BOTH REAL DEAL AND REPRODUCTION ITEMS IN BOTH AOR1 AND AOR2. BASICALLY “AOR” STANDS FOR “AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY” WITH AOR1 BEING FOR DESERT OR ARID REGIONS AND AOR2 FOR TEMPERATE/FORESTED AREAS.” www.airsoftaction.net

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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 42

DECEMBER 2023

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

THE CAGE AOR

“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” www.airsoftaction.net

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TOKYO MARUI

L119A2 CUSTOM BUILD

NEXT GEN RECOIL SHOCK CONTACT US FOR DETAILS

THE L119A2 IS JUST ONE POPULAR EXAMPLE OF OUR CURRENT RECOIL MODELS, BASED ON TOKYO MARUI’S FANTASTIC SYSTEM - FITTED WITH THE ANGRY GUN RAIL SYSTEM AND REAL STEEL MAGPUL FURNITURE

RED CELL MP5 UPDATE

Image copyright Heckler & Koch GMBH

RED CELL

VETERAN PERFORMERS 46

DECEMBER 2023

RED CELL MP5 UPDATE

IT’S TIME FOR RED CELL TO RETURN TO ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC FIREARM MODELS OUT THERE, ONE THAT CONTINUES TO BE A FIRM FAVOURITE WITH AIRSOFTERS OLD AND NEW, AND THAT’S THE H&K MASCHINENPISTOLE 5, OR MORE SIMPLY THE MP5! THIS IS A PLATFORM THAT MANY OF US AT AA LOVE FOR VERY DIFFERENT REASONS, BIT NOW WE LOOK AT HOW SOME OF THE TEST POOL ARE FARING AFTER, IN SOME CASES, EXTENDED HARD USE!

www.airsoftaction.net

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RED CELL MP5 UPDATE

A

ny way you look at it, there’s a good few members of the RED CELL and wider AA LEGION crew that just “love the Koch” in all its myriad forms, and H&K platforms form a part in some way or another of all our personal armouries! Whilst there’s been an influx of new H&K (both licensed and not) models in recent years though, in my mind the MP5 is still “king of the hill”, and I’m not alone in thinking that!

Personally I have owned early plastic versions, sold them, moved up to full metal versions, and there are still a couple of classic sliding-stock versions lurking at the back of the “man cave”, one old JG AEG and one Umarex GBB, although these have now been joined by one of the newerstyle CYMA versions.

They rarely come out to play these days but those two original MP5s have been with me an awfully long time now, and have been involved in some awesome

game-time and delivered some fabulous airsoft memories.

As I’ve mused before, what makes this little SMG such a “must have” for any airsofter? The simple reason as I’ve said many times before is that the MP5 has been used by military and police forces worldwide, has appeared in the hands of most screen “action heroes” and of course was the firearm carried by the SAS on that fateful day on May 5th 1980 when they stormed the Iranian Embassy. It’s been used by the SAS, by the USN SEAL Teams, GSG-9 and virtually every special operations unit in the western world, and even today we still see the MP5 in the hands of our UK firearms-trained police officers. Whatever your style of airsoft loadout may be, the MP5 fits it.

Still regarded of as one of the most reliable and effective submachine guns in the world many years of service has seen the MP5 become the choice of the worlds’ most famous elite anti-terrorist, special operations and special law enforcement organisations, so once again, especially with “modernised” versions like some of those here in the Test Pool, the MP5 ticks a lot of boxes. Returning to our test models I asked the more technicallyminded members of RED CELL about their own experiences past and present when it comes to the MP5, and I believe what we offer here can certainly help you choose the right variant for your own armoury.

As usual we’ll carry on looking at specific models in depth as we dig ever deeper and discover new things about them, and once again, all of the models shown here are either in our main Test Pool, are owned by individual team members, or have been worked on by our techs… one thing

“THE MP5 HAS BEEN USED BY MILITARY AND POLICE FORCES WORLDWIDE, HAS APPEARED IN THE HANDS OF MOST SCREEN “ACTION HEROES” AND OF COURSE WAS THE FIREARM CARRIED BY THE SAS ON THAT FATEFUL DAY ON MAY 5TH 1980 WHEN THEY STORMED THE IRANIAN EMBASSY”

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that they have in common though is that all of these models have seen a LOT of field-time, so although you’ll be potentially looking at buying new, I hope our continued experiences will aid you in your own choice if you decide an MP5 is for you!

Stewbacca: For me the MP5 is perhaps the definitive submachine gun; of course there were earlier contenders within the world wars and intervening years when the concept was initially developed and the Thompson is also a favourite and classic firearm in its own right. However, Heckler & Koch’s mid-1960s 9mm derivative of their already popular G3 full tilt battle rifle system’s roller-delayed action is perhaps the culmination of all the important features in terms of both a highly functional, reliable and controllable action, ease of mass manufacture with the more modern stamped steel. The Germans pioneered and use of polymer for furniture, as well as the early modularity concept of the whole system, but of course all of these benefits being delivered in the platform’s sheer aesthetically appealing, ergonomic and now immediately recognisable profile; clearly they got the marketing mix right as even to this day it retains its popularity and is still the yardstick by which most new contenders are measured, including HK’s own subsequent simplified designs that were intended to be more economical and allow HK to somewhat phase out the comparatively more expensive to make classic MP5s. The people evidently still want them.

With saturation in media, typically being used as ‘good guy guns’ and their large prevalence in law enforcement as well as military, paramilitary and security forces, they’re timeless and applicable to so many scenarios, not just for cosplaying as your favourite action star.

VFC HK MP5k (+PDW stock): Since completing my initial review of the at-time-of writing-latest MP5 variant released from VFC

(Their SD2/3 models should be out soon as well hopefully!) I’ve been using this as a great backpack/ backup gun for skirmishing, particularly if I’m using a long rifle and want to take a spare just in case but don’t want to be too weighed down with it; it’s perfect for bunging in a bag with a few mags to make sure you still have something reasonably effective to fight with if there’s a problem with anyone’s primary long guns.

I also purchased the side folding triangular PDW stock separately in order to replicate the Tom Cruise Mission Impossible III setup; I’m not a fan of the original MP5k PDW protruding muzzle for the silencer, I prefer to have it as a flush front end for easy movement in tight spaces without anything sticking out in front of my support hand to clunk on things, the recoil remains a lot punchier than the WE models and in general it’s been running basically flawlessly thus far, the shoulder stock definitely improves both your experience of the recoil and the obvious ability to aim more consistently than my initial ‘push out against the sling’ SAS-stylee efforts.

I’ve also taken to running it every so often at ISPC/ SPPT training sessions as it does work very well on

“I’M NOT A FAN OF THE ORIGINAL MP5K PDW PROTRUDING MUZZLE FOR THE SILENCER, I PREFER TO HAVE IT AS A FLUSH FRONT END FOR EASY MOVEMENT IN TIGHT SPACES WITHOUT ANYTHING STICKING OUT IN FRONT OF MY SUPPORT HAND TO CLUNK ON THINGS”

www.airsoftaction.net

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RED CELL MP5 UPDATE

JG MP5 JG069 J

Price: iro UK£140.00 Age: Current Model Weight: 1725g Length: 550-735mm Magazine Capacity: 240 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.99 Joule/328fps Hot Chrono: 0.99 Joule/328fps Taclite Compatibility: No Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

TOKYO MARUI MP5 NGRS Price: iro UK£520.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 3100g Length: 500-660mm Magazine Capacity: 72 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.72 Joule/280fps Hot Chrono: 0.76 Joule/287fps Taclite Compatibility: No Supplied By: www.allagesairsoft.com

WE MP5A3 APACHE GBBR Price: iro UK£300.00 Age: Four Years Weight: 3240 g Length: 500-660mm Magazine Capacity: 45 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.49 Joule/401fps Hot Chrono: 1.49 Joule/401fps Taclite Compatibility: No Supplied By: www.weairsoft.com

VFC (UMAREX) MP5A3 GBBR Price: iro UK£330.00 Age: Six Years Weight: 2820g Length: 495-660mm Magazine Capacity: 30 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.03 Joule/334fps Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/341fps Taclite Compatibility: No Available from: www.jdairsoft.net

WE MP5K PDW GBBR Price: iro UK£350.00 Age: Four Years Weight: 3200g Length: 330mm/629mm Magazine Capacity: 30 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps Hot Chrono: 0.87 Joule/306fps Taclite Compatibility: No Supplied By: www.weairsoft.com

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RED CELL MP5 UPDATE

stages now the stock has been added although the sights are still a tad low for my liking at closer ranges so you have to aim a little lower to compensate, but in most cases it works excellently. Definitely a fun gun, but has also claimed its fair share of eliminations in skirmishes already as a surprisingly utilitarian piece of kit with a reasonable range and consistency, again much more so than the WE counterpart although that thing is second-hand and beaten up like my wallet after this airsoft habit, so perhaps not the fairest comparison.

In general I’ve been fielding the HK53 a lot and using it on stages as well, planning to use it at the next Kaohsiung level 3 TSMOC rifle competition after Christmas just to be a little different but not at a disadvantage like I was with the FAL. Maybe I like that more than the MP5 series now? Controversial...

WE Apache MP5A4/A5: This was third-hand from a teammate if memory serves and is still going strong thanks to some upgrades he did before offloading it on me; the improved internal barrel makes it a fairly straight shooter and last time I ran it at CQB as a backup gun/alternate choice to the FAL I managed to post rounds through windows consistently and take out people at a surprising range! The recoil is somewhat softened as a result of the upgrades, although I can interchange the bolts between this and my WE Apache MP5k PDW easily enough as that one’s has a lot more kick to it, although I think part of that is as much to do with the shorter receiver and slightly different recoil spring system tuning as well.

At present it’s on loan to some foreign friends who won’t be around long enough to justify buying their own guns, and they thoroughly enjoyed emptying all the magazines on their first outing with us a few weeks back. At least it’s still running and gunning with fun factor.

My teammate Kevin’s however not so much; he brought his out to our new airport-side site while he was visiting from his new home in Canada and tying up loose ends back here, and managed to completely shear the somewhat pot-metal bolt carrier in his in a quite spectacular fashion after only a few shots! It was admittedly particularly hot that day, and the gun hadn’t been used in maybe a year or more, but the failure certainly screamed “ooh look data point” to

me and the photo I took really illustrated the scale of the breakage... the bottom half of his bolt stayed rearward, the top half went back into battery. Sad times.

In general it’s continuing to serve me thus far but I will probably try and offload it and the other WE guns over time to replace them with upcoming or already released VFC alternatives as they are both licenced and clearly better quality with their continual product improvements over recent years since I came here.

WE Apache MP5k PDW: This has definitely seen a lot of service being something I acquired second-hand years back as maybe my second or third GBB SMG, it was already a bit worn at the time but I invested in more magazines as well as tooling it up with a red dot sight and mount and it worked very well throughout its use at Action Bunker as a relatively low-powered alternative to my KWA MP7 which always danced around the site power limit depending on the temperature that time of year. The WE MP5s tend to throw out around 85-90 m/s as standsrd so can basically be used like pistols in terms of power output in most instances, but obviously afford you some more range, magazine capacity (45 BBs in the double stack open-fronted versions I have) and obviously the stock and sighting options.

This has definitely been beaten on by me during its time though, breaking a fire control unit mainspring strut from sheer use and hammer which caused a catastrophic stoppage in game, as well as the somewhat fragile barrel retention threads snapping off the front trunnion halves that form the HOP unit clamshell too during a range session where the whole front end of the barrel and vertical grip rather comically slid off forwards and left the exposed inner barrel and a bemused expression on my face.

Since VFC’s release of their Version 2 MP5 system this has definitely taken a back seat as although it isn’t lacking in recoil it tends to be a lot sharper and louder in terms of really ringing the receiver and spring system with its curt bark rather than heaving the bolt like the VFC system; I wonder if this perhaps counterproductive ferocity is what caused the failure of the bolt in Kevin’s WE MP5A5, the VFC at least has a largely steel construction by comparison.

For now like it’s larger sibling it is still functional

“THE IMPROVED INTERNAL BARREL MAKES IT A FAIRLY STRAIGHT SHOOTER AND LAST TIME I RAN IT AT CQB AS A BACKUP GUN/ALTERNATE CHOICE TO THE FAL I MANAGED TO POST ROUNDS THROUGH WINDOWS CONSISTENTLY AND TAKE OUT PEOPLE AT A SURPRISING RANGE!”

www.airsoftaction.net

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RED CELL MP5 UPDATE

TOKYO MARUI MP5K

Price: iro UK£200.00 (High Cycle Version iro UK£260.00) Age: Seven Years Weight: 1490g Length: 345mm Magazine Capacity: 220 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.49 Joule/230fps Hot Chrono: 0.52 Joule/237fps Taclite Compatibility: No Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

ICS CES SD6

Price: iro UK£300.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 2300g Length: 600-741mm Magazine Capacity: 230 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Taclite Compatibility: No Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

BOLT SWAT SD6 SHORT

Price: iro UK£380.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 3000g Length: 550-700mm Magazine Capacity: 200 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.0 Joule/329fps Hot Chrono: 1.04 Joule/335fps Taclite Compatibility: Yes, on Lower Rail Supplied By: www.nuprol.com

KING ARMS PDW SBR (MP5-BASED) Price: iro UK£200.00 Age: New Weight: 1750g Length: 530/630mm Magazine Capacity: 100 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps Hot Chrono: 0.93 Joule/317fps Taclite Compatibility: Railed Supplied By: www.kingarms.com

VFC MP5K GBBR

Price: iro UK£ Age: New Weight: 3120g Length: 403/638mm (with stock) Magazine Capacity: 30 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.0 Joule/329fps Hot Chrono: 1.04 Joule/335fps Taclite Compatibility: N/A Supplied By: www.vegaforce.com

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but something I’m looking to pass on to a teammate to free up gun wall space - both of the WEs have been languishing in my underbed storage since newer equivalents have come along. If you can still find them, they’re economical great fun, but it seems they’re increasingly rare these days and out of production, and the licensed VFC offerings are worth stretching your budget for more in my opinion.

Personally, aside from my earlier use of JG’s MP5J (Japanese police variant), MP5A4 (solid stock) and the Galaxy MP5k PDW (short, folding triangular stock) variants, all of which served me very well for personal use and loaning out to numerous guest players; I recently ran the MP5’s again at Linkou CQB having neglected them for a good while due to all the other new guns getting in the way, and I had forgotten just how much I loved running them.

Bill: I also love the classic MP5, and like Stewbacca I also love the GBB models! Mine though was developed by VegaForceCompany under the H&K licence held by Umarex, and I am going to come straight out and say that their GBB take on the classic MP5 is probably the best I’ve ever seen, and that’s why I still own it!

The UMAREX MP5A3 GBB shows the result of all the labours put into creating a first rate replica as it is simply stunning. Everything, and I do mean the lot, is truly 1:1 scale and it weighs in at 2.59kg unloaded, just 0.4g heavier than the real thing! Unlike any battery powered electric replica there is no heavy motor and gearbox adding weight to the design but just a cleverly designed bolt which relies purely on the gas in the magazine for operation; if you weren’t told that this is a replica I believe you’d be hard pushed to know this wasn’t the real deal; in fact you can field strip it for cleaning as you would the original firearm.

The entire upper assembly is of a pressed metal finish just like a real MP5. In addition to the enforced fibre frame which incorporates the pistol grip and the removable handguard, everything is finished to an extremely high standard. Going right down to the legend “Kal.9mmx19” on the left hand side above the magwell and an individual serial number this replica looks extremely real with just a small “6mm BB” notation appearing on the top of the receiver.

In operation the MP5A3 is very straightforward and

intuitive. Safe, Semi, and Full Auto modes are clearly indicated by the traditional H&K “bullet pictograms” on either side of the body, and the safety catch is fully ambidextrous. Sights are simple too with an enclosed post at the sharp end and a fully adjustable dioptre at the rear. The sliding stock is essentially a one position affair, either open or closed but this is true of the real thing as well so you can’t knock the replica in this respect.

There’s a couple of models that “make the cut” for our list of noteworthy MP5 models, and we covered off the TM NGRS version back in Issue 131, and you can find that full review in the Back Issues section on www.airsoftaction.net. However, Dan has had “some experience” now with this newer platform…

Dan: The TOKYO MARUI MP5 NGRS series is perhaps TM’s best recoil shock effort to date; without question, it also stands as the most exquisitely detailed and replicated version of the legendary MP5 we have seen in my opinion. From the perfect finish, fake welds and weight, and nary a creak, wobble or flex in sight, It’s almost indistinguishable from the real MP5 save for the absence of H&K trademarks. Currently these are available in two configurations, the standard A5 version and the SD6 with its iconic integrally suppressed barrel. Both versions come equipped with the classic A3 retractable stock and Navy style grip frames with 4-position selector switches offering safe / semi / burst / auto. Speaking of the selector switch; this is by far the best feeling, most crisp and durable MP5 selector made as it follows the design of the real version in form and function. Interestingly, the grip frames and forearm appear to be made from a nylonfibre blend as opposed to TM’s usual ABS plastic. On the SD6 version, the tubular handguard covering is made of an aggressive rubbery texture which greatly enhances its feel.

As with the real version, one must operate the cocking handle after inserting a fresh magazine to fire the replica. Similarly, when the magazine is empty, the gun will stop firing. After reloading it with a fresh magazine you can rack the cocking handle again to resume firing. This has been advertised as being durable enough for the famous “HK slap” that often shears handles off many lesser airsoft MP5’s, but I have some doubts as to the long term durability of the

“THE UMAREX MP5A3 GBB SHOWS THE RESULT OF ALL THE LABOURS PUT INTO CREATING A FIRST RATE REPLICA AS IT IS SIMPLY STUNNING. EVERYTHING, AND I DO MEAN THE LOT, IS TRULY 1:1 SCALE AND IT WEIGHS IN AT 2.59KG UNLOADED, JUST 0.4G HEAVIER THAN THE REAL THING!”

www.airsoftaction.net

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CYMA CM.041H SWAT UPGRADED VERSION (MP5) Price: iro UK£350.00 Age: One Year Weight: 3280g Length: 550-710mm Magazine Capacity: 130 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.06 Joule/338fps Hot Chrono: 1.09 Joule/343fps Taclite Compatibility: Yes, M-LOK Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

CYMA CM.041L UPGRADED VERSION (MP5K) Price: iro UK£320.00 Age: One Year Weight: 2700g Length: 556mm Magazine Capacity: 130 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.83 Joule/299fps Hot Chrono: 0.87 Joule/306fps Taclite Compatibility: Yes, M-LOK Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

CYMA CM041J HIGH-SPEED Age: One Year Weight: 2950g Length: 550/720mm Magazine Capacity: 130 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.06 Joule/338fps Hot Chrono: 1.09 Joule/343fps Taclite Compatibility: No Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

CYMA CM041K BLUE EDITION Price: iro UK£200.00 Age: One Year Weight: 2145g Length: 407mm Magazine Capacity: 65/200 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.0 Joule/329fps Hot Chrono: 1.02 Joule/332fps Taclite Compatibility: No Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

CYMA CM041G UPGRADED (PDW STOCK) Price: iro UK£390.00 Age: One Year Weight: 3400g Length: 640/710 mm Magazine Capacity: 130 BBs Cold Chrono: 1.0 Joule/329fps Hot Chrono: 1.02 Joule/332fps Taclite Compatibility: Yes, M-LOK Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

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cocking handle if doing this extensively. Time will tell, of course.

In true Marui form, these are exceptionally accurate AEG’s. TM lately has been departing from the norm a bit with some of their newer recoil shock releases and has been dabbling with AEP cut barrels and buckings.

On the MP5, you will find this same adoption here, which have been fitted to a rotary style hop up chamber. Fortunately the AEP bucking and barrel market is quite replete with options, and with a few choice parts selections you can truly set this gun to “sail” mode. Of any NGRS model made, I find the MP5 the most simplistic and quickest to disassemble.

While a lot of parts contained therein are proprietary, some of the critical components can be upgraded with existing solutions, namely the nozzle, piston head, piston, gears, bushings, spring guide, spring, etc. Thusly, it’s not a hurdle to set these up for higher field limits where permissible.

Firing operation is controlled through TM’s proprietary ETU. While this does work quite well if used strictly within its operating parameters - namely running 7.4v LiPo’s only - it is also the weakest link in an otherwise robust system here. This ETU is harshly unforgiving of mistakes; be those shorts, reversed polarity, or 11.1v’s. It’s also practically unobtanium should you happen to wreck it, with repair costs settling somewhere between “extortion” and well... “extortion.” This is a platform that is just begging for a large scale ETU manufacturer such as Gate or Perun to come in with a better option.

Moving over to one of the other key features (the recoil!), I would say this is not going to be the main selling feature, personally. The recoil is more of a lightweight patter, as opposed to the more positive impulse produced by the M4 series, and it certainly falls far short of that produced by KWA or BOLT. I’d say it’s more of a complimentary effect to the reciprocating mock bolt which makes a satisfying clack when firing. Undoubtedly there were design constraints that limited what is possible here. There is a rack and pinion style setup that the recoil weight travels over which has proven to be a bit of a mixed bag in the durability department. The rack specifically has been known to shear, even on stock guns that have not otherwise been upgraded to higher

velocities. A CNC’d aluminium rack (and maybe a pinion?) would solve this for good, I believe. In the meanwhile, users have had success getting their broken racks repaired by jewellers who can perform laser welding.

Aside from this, the only other things I have observed have been screws backing out from the vibration produced by the recoil assembly. It would be a good idea to periodically check these and use loctite or VC3 Vibra-tite where appropriate on some of these.

There is a long screw deep inside the cocking tube that holds this area together that should be thread locked straight away. Once it works free it will result in one being able to flex the front end of the gun.

Otherwise, I have observed these to be fairly robust guns as long as they are not abused or configured in a manner ill-befitting a recoil shock series. These are not a platform you can DSG or turn into a high ROF build, as an example.

Admittedly I am not a NGRS fanboy, but I have found the Marui MP5 NGRS to hit that H&K fanboi itch in all the right spots, and it’s in my opinion the finest NGRS product to date. You can tell TM put forth a lot of effort and attention to detail when developing this AEG. It requires a bit more care and attentiveness than competitor AEG’s, but it’s simply beautiful to behold, especially the SD6 version which you can find listed in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary under the definition of “sexy!”

Bill: The other model (make that models, plural!) which I personally believe need a mention in this update are the latest AEG takes from CYMA as this brings things right up to the modern day, and I feel gives the venerable MP5 a new lease of life!

Given that the MP5 has SUCH a strong heritage and pedigree I thought it would only be a matter of time before someone gave the platform a bit of love, and although there have been some stabs at it, I have to admit I didn’t think it would be CYMA that actually went the whole hog and did the job properly, but in the past couple of years the elusive brand has been doing some downright righteous things when it comes to AEGs, so why not “update” the MP5?

Now of course the CYMA takes (yes, multiple!) look like MP5s but are rightly unbranded as there is no licence agreement here; again, I know I say this

“IT REQUIRES A BIT MORE CARE AND ATTENTIVENESS THAN COMPETITOR AEG’S, BUT IT’S SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL TO BEHOLD, ESPECIALLY THE SD6 VERSION WHICH YOU CAN FIND LISTED IN MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY UNDER THE DEFINITION OF “SEXY!””

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RED CELL MP5 UPDATE

Image by Corporal Pete Brown © Crown copyright 2017; UK Ministry of Defence © Crown copyright 2017

every time, but if there’s no licence then don’t use trademarks, and what CYMA have done is to take the “principle” of an MP5 and enhance it in a way that has no real-world equivalent. This I can live with, and the sheer range of models from classic to 100% righteous, right-on-the-money for today means that CYMA can have you covered whatever the timeperiod you’re looking for!

And it’s what CYMA has done internally and externally that matters here; the CM.041L (5 inch Barrel, 3 inch M-LOK) is basically a railed “K” with a PDW stock, the G is standard 5-length (9 inch Barrel, 6.3 inch M-LOK) with the same stock, and the H replaces the PDW-stock of the G with a buffer tube and sliding carbine stock, but they all come from the new PLATINIUM series, created as a cooperation again between CYMA and TAIWANGUN.COM (TWG).

The metal body and outer barrel marry up with a nylon pistol grip like the real deal, and the compact design with different adjustable stocks makes all three models ideal for CQB/CQC. Internally things look good as you get a reinforced V2 gearbox frame, full steel tooth polycarbonate piston, CNC machined steel gear set (ratio: 13:1), CNC machined aluminium silent cylinder and piston head set (ball bearing piston head, double o-ring cylinder head), all of which is powered along by a high-speed motor, and benefits from a processor unit with built-in MOSFET system. All three variants are what CYMA call their E-EDITION & HIGH-SPEED models, and set up like they are come in with a power around 350-360fps on a .20g and, in combination with a LiPo battery a very good trigger response and OOTB ROF around 25rps! The test models have thus far performed admirably which just goes to show how far CYMA have come in recent years, and with a sensible price-tag what’s not to love?

Boycie: I’d hate to think how many MP5s I’ve owned over the years. My first was the old TM SD6 with non-adjustable hop. Then around the turn of the century I had a TM MP5A5 as part of my kit in a Stargate-based team. This was a great AEG and eventually was passed between two other team members. Back in those days it was spray everything and we estimated that by the time the piston needed to be replaced it had fired around 1,000,000 BB’s. It

“THIS WAS A GREAT AEG AND EVENTUALLY WAS PASSED BETWEEN TWO OTHER TEAM MEMBERS. BACK IN THOSE DAYS IT WAS SPRAY EVERYTHING AND WE ESTIMATED THAT BY THE TIME THE PISTON NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IT HAD FIRED AROUND 1,000,000 BB’S”

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was run on 8.4v batteries, the standard EG700 motor and left as stick, firing around 280 fps. The next one that stands out to me was the Classic Army B&T A5.

I particularly liked this one as the metal body and weight felt much more like the real ones I also got to shoot. The upgrade for this was running a 9.6v battery and the standard motor. This ran like dream and was left almost unchanged by modern standards.

My only foray into GBB MP5 was the WE Apache which was ok but didn’t impress me and was soon sold on and I bought a Cyma MP5A5. Despite Cyma, back then, being regarded as a cheap option this again was rather good and after a few years I gave it to a friend who was starting out in airsoft and I think he may still have it after having it for over 12 years!

Tech-wise, I’ve always liked the MP5 AEGs; simple to work on, and on several occasions I ended up sitting in the safe zone, fixing other players’ AEGs during games.

As we come up to Christmas, talking about the MP5 brings me to thinking about the ultimate Christmas Movie franchise and watching “Hans baby” free falling of the Nakatomi Tower… Yippee Kay Aye!

Bill: So, to conclude, there’s still a LOT to be had from an MP5, and although the real-deal original model is now somewhat “long in the tooth”, the classic airsoft variants are all still great airsoft performers both as AEGs and GBBs, and new directions in accessory options and internals have brought the old warhorse fully up to date. With more and more “9mm” models available on the market every day it would seem, I believe that an MP5 of some description should still be in EVERY airsofters armoury, and with the choices out there now, there’s absolutely no reason NOT to own at least one! AA Red Cell is supported by:

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GETTING PERSONAL NONOCAT

COOL FOR CATS! 60

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GETTING PERSONAL NONOCAT

HAVING INTRODUCED ‘MILITARY ANNY’ WU IN ISSUE 148 AND MARCK WEST IN ISSUE 150, STEWBACCA GOT TO SIT DOWN IN PERSON WITH NZ-BASED NORAH, AKA “NONOCAT” AND OF COURSE HER MAN IN THE CHAIR ROMAIN “THUNDERSPEAR”, THOSE BEHIND THE NONOCAT AIRSOFT CHANNEL DURING THEIR VISIT TO TAIWAN DURING LATE OCTOBER AND EARLY NOVEMBER FOR THE G&G WORLD CUP CQB CHAMPIONSHIP AND SHARE SOME THOUGHTS ON HOW AND WHY SHE DOES WHAT SHE DOES (WITH ROMAIN’S HELP!) WITHIN THE AIRSOFT COMMUNITY.

A

s a part of my role in the Airsoft Action crew it’s my privilege to seek out the stories behind the scenes in the industry, and to bring those stories to you, fellow shooters! Anyone that follows airsoft online will have come across Nonocat and her airsoft channel, and I’m pleased to say that having met now on a couple of occasions, and having followed her content for some time, I’m a fan of what she and Romain do!

With that simply stated it was a joy to be able to sit down with them when they visited Taiwan for the G&G shoot, and to spend some time chatting about our shared experiences. It struck me that this was an opportunity to grill “Nono” as we know her, and get to the bottom of how she got into airsoft, and where she sees her place within our global community.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

AA: So, Norah, what got you interested in guns/ airsoft/militaria?

NONOCAT: Hilariously, it’s video games and movies that got me interested in the whole overall gun culture thing, starting with Counter Strike back in the day!

However, airsoft was a different matter; around a decade ago I was actually around at a friend’s checking out DB dolls (ball-jointed poseable character models) and he was showing us his collection when I caught sight of boxes with pictures of guns on them in the corner of his room! So I took an immediate interest in those, and it turns out he was a collector of guns and dolls, so I asked how to source the guns myself and then got into airsoft myself as a result.

AA: What were your experiences as a female player earlier on and more recently?

NONOCAT: For the most part it’s just you general misogynist remarks or attitude towards dealing with a woman behind the counter or on the field; usually some guys might try to claim to know more about equipment or gear than I do, but they rarely actually do due to my personal level and interest in the subject matter.

AA: How do your friends and family react to your involvement?

NONOCAT: My mum was against the idea from the outset, while my dad was okay with things to begin with until I began posing in uniforms and with guns online; he didn’t like the idea of the image

“I WAS ACTUALLY AROUND AT A FRIEND’S CHECKING OUT DB DOLLS (BALL-JOINTED POSEABLE CHARACTER MODELS) AND HE WAS SHOWING US HIS COLLECTION WHEN I CAUGHT SIGHT OF BOXES WITH PICTURES OF GUNS ON THEM IN THE CORNER OF HIS ROOM!”

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it portrayed to the rest of my family, so I deleted facebook to avoid family drama at the time, but then Thunderspear suggested Instagram as an alternative.

AA: Have you encountered working in

any difficulties the industry (and in particular as a woman?)

NONOCAT: Absolutely not! Due to my focus or deep interest in the subject matter I tend to develop a stronger knowledge and therefore don’t encounter too many issues.

AA: Who have you worked with within the industry, and in what capacity?

NONOCAT: I started working in the ASGC almost as soon as I began shooting; I was noticed by the owners as someone who was dedicated to the hobby and a quick and adept learner, and Triggersafe, Krytac, Redwolf, Twin Falcons, Pew Tactical, High Ready Systems, TTI Airsoft, Laylax, Acetech, Northeast Airsoft, and Archwick have all very supportive in terms of enthusiastically enjoying our video content themselves and providing product samples for us to test and review on their behalf.

AA: Why do you do what you do; what do you enjoy most about it and what motivates you?

NONOCAT: We felt that some of the existing review content we were aware of was lacking in some aspects, such as omitted details or features of products, or region-specific issues such as power output limitations that weren’t applicable to our own market and stock and caused confusion for local players.

Others still took a long time to get the information across and could be potentially dry or un-engaging.

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So we decided to do our own take on content creation and began with one minute reviews in an attempt to condense information and make things more accessible; however this turned out to be too short to get enough useful information across, so we eventually went back towards longer format content with ten to fifteen minute videos of two types. These are either in depth reviews which might compare a new product to existing market alternatives and weigh it against them, or just product overviews for the likes of unique products and just giving information about their key features and benefits.

Furthermore it allowed Thunderspear to overlap interests in terms of photography, videography and applying them to airsoft as well as further develop his skills and abilities in them while creating the content to share the information to the community.

As challenging as all this may be, there are always rewards in the end; we get to see new products before everyone else in our country in many cases, as well as meet new and old friends in the industry during events, for us it’s difficult to let go of those opportunities. We managed to meet a lot of the people we looked up to and enjoyed the content of when we were first starting out, and meeting the great people behind or within the industry is one of the most rewarding aspects of it all.

AA: What have you achieved so far in the industry and as an individual shooter?

NONOCAT: Financial insecurity, but with a weird sense of achievement!

AA:How did you get involved in real steel competitive shooting?

NONOCAT: I met people through airsoft who are also involved in real steel shooting; my mentor was an airsofter who also happened to compete at a very high level and he deliberately takes an approach of using a stock Glock and training to an insane degree to effectively outcompete the usual 1911 style crowd.

AA: What’s the scene like in New Zealand for both airsoft and real steel shooting, and how has the legal landscape shifted over the years to affect it?

NONOCAT: Airsoft is a niche activity in New Zealand, and while it’s still growing it hasn’t yet reached the level of public acceptance. While it’s larger than paintball now I wouldn’t say it’s a big community; it’s difficult to gauge an exact number of players due to

GETTING PERSONAL NONOCAT

the dispersed clubs and structures and the lack of a national register or similar system that the UK would require.

It was quite permissive until 2019 when the Christchurch Mosque Massacre prompted the authorities to tighten restrictions on new sales of airsoft guns much the same as the UK system, rather than focusing on ownership as such, however luckily they didn’t focus much on airsoft due to their focus on the banning of real steel semi-automatic weapons in the aftermath of the tragedy.

AA: How community and industry integrate more women in a positive manner?

can the

AA: What’s your favourite aspect of working within the airsoft community?

NONOCAT: When you meet like-minded and passionate people or players who make you feel a shared sense of community and belonging as well as motivate or support your own efforts.

AA: Have you had any major challenges to overcome during your time or ever felt like moving away from it all at any point?

NONOCAT: Usually the moments of crisis come as a result of people who show little or no respect to other players, hobbyists or content creators with their toxic or inappropriate behaviours towards others, either not playing honourably, or having insulting opinions towards people that they are all too happy to share at the expense of others and to no real benefit to the community.

AA: What are your plans or goals for the future?

NONOCAT: Escape the city life, open a coffee shop/ firing range with lots of cats and guns!

AA: How do you feel about other women viewing you as a role model?

NONOCAT: I don’t see myself as a role model as such; we do our content in our own way, and I’d rather people didn’t see me as a role model but find their own way of making their mark.

NONOCAT: Women interested in shooting are already a slim minority as things are in most corners of the world; the general trends towards misogynist behaviours towards new or interested female players certainly don’t help, ‘mansplaining’ of concepts or lauding themselves over women who want to learn but are then put off by this environment.

This means that only a very dedicated and determined sliver of the already small minority make it through. In Japan I observed a much more respectful and balanced approach from the male players who welcomed in and helped inform female players, coupled with the sensible power limits it makes for a much more conducive environment to grow the female player base.

As for closing remarks; airsoft is just a hobby, don’t take it all too seriously, just have fun with it!

AA: Many thanks to Norah for sharing with us, and as much as she doesn’t want to be a role model I think you’ll agree that she is a very positive one!

I hope that in the future Norah and Romain will share more of their adventures in airsoft with us, and if they do I’ll be sure to bring it to your attention! AA

“IN JAPAN I OBSERVED A MUCH MORE RESPECTFUL AND BALANCED APPROACH FROM THE MALE PLAYERS WHO WELCOMED IN AND HELPED INFORM FEMALE PLAYERS, COUPLED WITH THE SENSIBLE POWER LIMITS IT MAKES FOR A MUCH MORE CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT TO GROW THE FEMALE PLAYER BASE”

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TAP/CLICK IMAGES TO VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO

AA LEGION PORTUGAL

OPERATION SALAMANDRA 2

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AS FELLOW PLAYERS WE ALL LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW AIRSOFT IS PLAYED AROUND THE WORLD, AND THIS MONTH WE’RE PLEASED TO SHARE WITH YOU THE AAR FROM ARGUABLY ONE OF PORTUGAL’S LARGEST AND MOST UNIQUE EVENTS, SALAMANDRA, AS MIGUEL TAKES US INSIDE THE ACTION AGAIN!

S

alamandra has become one of Portugal’s staple Airsoft events and it combines most aspects of airsoft; missions for milsim, skirmish, roleplay and of course a great get together with players from all over the country, and in this edition from many countries as well! At the start of the year when the ANA association releases their event calendar, players look at the date for the Salamandra event, and next year it won’t be different!

The event starts many days before, at least for the players, for the organization it starts months before!

Preparing gear, attending the online briefing (which is very important) and planning trips are all a, part of it. Just like last year, we knew we were up against a tough weekend, with temperatures reaching 37C and harsh areas of operations, but this time we were

better prepared, especially having better conditions to rest between AOs and more appropriate gear.

Our journey started Friday, and fortunately we only had around a 1 hour trip, since this time the game area was even closer to us, so we had that in our favour. We reached the FOB, the name for the parking and camping area, around 2000 and started setting up our caravan and tents. It was then time to mingle, drink a few beers and get some dinner. The FOB was a great improvement from last year; the cars were parked closer, there were a lot of trees for shade, we had toilets and there was even a TV for people to watch the football! After a get together with many teams and players, it was time to turn in and get some sleep.

“WE KNEW WE WERE UP AGAINST A TOUGH WEEKEND, WITH TEMPERATURES REACHING 37C AND HARSH AREAS OF OPERATIONS, BUT THIS TIME WE WERE BETTER PREPARED, ESPECIALLY HAVING BETTER CONDITIONS TO REST BETWEEN AOS AND MORE APPROPRIATE GEAR”

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GAME ON!

The game started in the early hours of Saturday for those who were part of the Recon and Kommando; these were the players looking for a more milsim experience, and through the whole game they would have specific missions to do. We got up early Saturday, picked up our replicas before anything and lined up for the chrono a few minutes before they opened up; we wanted to avoid long lines, so we could then eat our breakfast and gear up with no rush. Around 0800 the organization called the players for the opening ceremony, and then it was time to get in the helibus and head towards the first AO. Unlike last year, this time the first AO was known to us; it’s a huge field with part of a dam in it.

We have played there sometimes in the past, in games organized by the Hostile Ops Team, so we were mentally ready because we knew that it was a hard field, and with the heat rising it would be even harder. After leaving the helibus we headed to our command post to be assigned our first mission. The main mission for this AO was securing the three different “chemical extraction” positions controlled by an Ares Alpha Tactical Box (ATB), and when these positions were under a faction’s control you could see in Ares Alpha who was controlling it in real time, and for every minute under control, your faction scored points which you could also see in real time in the app. In fact, all the missions in the game were controlled by Ares Alpha, and the score was always updated for the players to see. The guys and I were part of Section Bravo, together with the guys from USAC and GOAT (teams that we have known for years) and our first mission was to hold the ATB in

Area 3 until new orders arrived.

We got into position with no resistance along the way, since the Marine faction was still moving into the field. We established a perimeter around the top of the hill after activating the ATB to our faction and waited while resting (every bit of rest is important in a game like this!). Soon, reports of enemy attacks in the other two ATB started arriving, the Marines were starting to attack in large waves, taking advantage that the Salamandras were divided while defending

three separate locations. Not long after, our position started getting contacts closing in and soon after a huge confrontation began, not only were the Marines attacking in force, but we were also getting reinforcements from Salamandras from the other ATB locations that were apparently lost. At the time, we also got a contact from our faction leader, Pestawari, warning us of an upcoming mission for Section Bravo, but since our location was hot, we decided to meet Pestawari after a trip to respawn.

KOMMANDO SUPPORT

Our upcoming mission was to support our Kommando Charlie in finding some lost explosives and blow

“THE MAIN MISSION FOR THIS AO WAS SECURING THE THREE DIFFERENT “CHEMICAL EXTRACTION” POSITIONS CONTROLLED BY AN ARES ALPHA TACTICAL BOX (ATB), AND WHEN THESE POSITIONS WERE UNDER A FACTION’S CONTROL YOU COULD SEE IN ARES ALPHA WHO WAS CONTROLLING IT IN REAL TIME”

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up the dam to stop the Marines from advancing.

Knowing the terrain and collaborating with the other team leaders we charted our course and headed toward the mission location, avoiding the areas with the most confrontations. Along the way, the guys and I, who were on the left flank of our formation, spotted a jeep moving closer and stopping; we quickly identified it as the jeep used by the leader of the Marines, so we moved in as fast as possible and successfully captured them, getting more points for our faction in the process. Even further ahead, we found the location of the enemy command centre, but for some reason it wasn’t an objective, so no points gained (buuuhhh), we photographed everything and moved on…

Soon after, we spotted the dam wall and moved into covering positions while our Kommando Charlie advanced to retrieve the explosives; although there was some resistance in the area, we were able to complete the mission, and that was the end for our morning AO. We got into the helibus and headed toward the second AO, and this time it was an urban scenario.

Our main mission was to produce “Anthrax” using the chemicals extracted in the previous AO, but first we had to establish a laboratory where Pestawari would start working on the production, then every package produced had to be delivered to a drop point.

Unfortunately, that was pretty much it, and soon after the AO became a huge stalemate with no faction able to move in the field. Maybe it was because the field wasn’t big enough for the number of players and the game staff had to be divided because the Marine Airborne group was also doing another mission away from this AO. The situation left many players with little will to go on, and many Salamandras even complained about the use of pyrotechnics (illegal here) from the Marine side. Not wanting to lose control of the situation, the organization ended this AO, and knowing that some players were already tired and kind of demotivated, they offered two options; those who wanted to go onto the last mission would get into one helibus, and those who wanted to get back to the FOB would get into the other. Since Section Bravo was still going strong, we headed towards this new mission.

In the helibus full of players willing to fight for

the Salamandras, Pestawari briefed us about our objective. The Airborne Marines were being dropped and were on the way to buy Pestawari’s “Anthrax” formula from traitors within our faction, so our goal was to stop them. When we reached the new AO, we joined with the Drone Crew (a group in charge of recording the game via drone) and with their help we were able to recon the mission area. Luckily for us, the Airborne Marines were still regrouping, so we moved in fast and set up defensive positions. Not long after, we got our first contacts, but the enemy had no chance against our entrenched positions. So mission completed; time to head back to the FOB and get some well-deserved rest.

Back in the FOB, we got some grub, mingled a bit more and went to rest. Just like last year, there was an optional night mission, but this year we found the mission a bit too penalizing to the Salamandras, so we decided to rest.

“WE ESTABLISHED A PERIMETER AROUND THE TOP OF THE HILL AFTER ACTIVATING THE ATB TO OUR FACTION AND WAITED WHILE RESTING (EVERY BIT OF REST IS IMPORTANT IN A GAME LIKE THIS!). SOON, REPORTS OF ENEMY ATTACKS IN THE OTHER TWO ATB STARTED ARRIVING”

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RESET, GO AGAIN!

Sunday morning we got the briefing for the last AO, after getting some breakfast and gearing up. Our main mission was to take the “Anthrax” produced and deliver it to three specific drop sites, so we could then sell it to the buyer who was on the way via hydroplane. Not long after we started to move, we

found Marine forces attempting to block our way, but with some quick fence jumps we were able to get away from the Marines and moved towards our first drop site. After completing the objective in Site B we moved to Site A, but with no enemy contact this time we completed the mission with ease. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to reach Site C, but one of my guys decided to make use of his trail experience and just ran toward the objective, and he reached it in time. In the meantime, we positioned in the middle of the AO, just in case some mission appeared in the area, but it didn’t, so we watched our Kommandos, in kayaks, reach the island in the middle of the dam’s lake, where the buyer and his hydroplane were, to sell the “Anthrax”; with the hydroplane taking to the air, the game was over, and another Salamandra completed.

The players retreated to the FOB, took a bath in the dam’s water or with the help from a firetruck that the organization also arranged (it was so good and refreshing!). After that, we ate something in the FOB’s bar (BifANAS), attended the giveaways and said our goodbyes. Time to head home!

And as always, here are some words from the organization.

“Salamandra was back, and we tried once again to create an event aimed to be a festival of airsoft, to bring players together to celebrate all types of airsoft and lifestyles within the sport! The need for relocation and the new set of new combat scenarios brought also a new set of challenges.

But the core formula of Salamandra was there. We browse through a narrative, across different type of airsoft scenarios, where the choices and performance of each faction dictates the next step of the story.

This year we pushed, once again, the boundaries

“WE WATCHED OUR KOMMANDOS, IN KAYAKS, REACH THE ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAM’S LAKE, WHERE THE BUYER AND HIS HYDROPLANE WERE, TO SELL THE “ANTHRAX”; WITH THE HYDROPLANE TAKING TO THE AIR, THE GAME WAS OVER, AND ANOTHER SALAMANDRA COMPLETED”

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of what can be presented to a player that buys a ticket. A very committed and organized staff, an amazing safezone base where all commodities could been found on the area. This neutral zone had food trucks, energy, a concert stage, toilets, so much more, but most importantly: an amazing site to camp and celebrate a cool airsoft weekend.

But, we were all there to play airsoft, and we aimed to deliver an explosive game, across several areas.

We had scenarios where vehicles had their moment to shine, we had CQB scenarios, pure long Milsim missions for teams who selected to participate in the 36 hour non-stop activities, and small skirmish actions for players who are still not confident enough to be challenged to a longer game.

And of course, we had our usual experiences in game. Kayaks were once again part of the action, and as it is a tradition in Salamandra we had airplanes engaged in game with several flybys on the battlefield, and direct engagement with the Long Patrol Teams that took the challenge of the 36 hour game. Oh, did I already tell you that we once again brought players parachuting into the battlefield?

No?.. Well, we did. 36 new airsoft players who were upgraded to AIRBORNE AIRSOFT OPERATORS and got the exclusive patch to prove it! Only players who had jumped in an Airsoft Match can get them. And the ones who jumped again, after last year’s Salamandra,

got an even exclusive parachute patch. The Silver one! Let’s see who will be the first to capture the gold patch next year...

This event kicked of our “Amigarine” Projet. A responsible social initiative aimed to gather donations to a specific person in need. Players contributed a good amount of money, through patch selling, merch or donations to be shared with Martim, a kid connected to airsoft by his father, who is battling a cancer. We hope that this small action can have an impact, and we hope to have Martim soon with us on the battlefield.

We always aim to perfection. We do try to place available all the tools for the players to have fun and experience something new in airsoft... every time we go out to deliver a new event. But we also know it is virtually impossible to everything to be loved by all.

We are proud to have an amazing community that gets closer and closer to us and provides feedback to us with their ideas and thoughts on how Salamandra 3 can be the best airsoft event ever! And we listened, and we took notes. Next Salamandra, will be, for sure, the best Salamandra ever!”

Our sincere thanks go to the ASSOCIAÇÃO NACIONAL DE AIRSOFT (ANA) for allowing us to share images of the event; please do check out https:// anairsoft.com to find out more about the great work that they do! AA

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PISTOLS AT DUSK 74

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AA LEGION TAIWAN

WITH 2023 NEARING ITS LATTER QUARTER, IT’S BEEN THE BEST PART OF A WHOLE YEAR SINCE STEWBACCA HAD ANYTHING TO REPORT ON HIS CONTINUING JOURNEY THROUGH THE REALM OF COMPETITIVE SHOOTING IN TAIWAN, BUT FINALLY IN THE CALM WAKE OF A SOMEWHAT DESTRUCTIVE TYPHOON HE TRAVELLED SOUTH WITH TEAM SPPT TO TAKE PART IN A LEVEL 1 COMPETITION IN TAINAN, THE SECOND MOST SOUTHERLY MAJOR CITY ON THE MAIN ISLAND.

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t’s been a while, fellow shooters, as last you’ll recall I was doing a two-day-long 20-stage shootout extravaganza in the lashing rain of 2022’s Kaohsiung Level 3 pistol and rifle competition just before Christmas last year; it’s been somewhat of a disrupted couple of years in the circuit over here in Taiwan, with COVID wiping out a lot of competitions and even thinning out a lot of the teams and competitors as a result of restrictions on training class sizes and venues being unable to open.

This year it’s been a case of the previous leading venues in Taipei unfortunately closing down; Action Bunker where I first cut my teeth in the skirmish realm here before joining team Taiji and being able to get transport from teammates to go further afield more habitually closed permanently due to issues with the building itself, having otherwise managed to claw its way through the pandemic restrictions. This and the reduced ability to open for training sessions somewhat sunk the otherwise largest team in the north, Taipei Focus Action Shooters (TFAS) but apparently some of their core group still train occasionally at other venues, but we’ve barely seen much of them since and some of them split off to form smaller teams such as Yamars to enable training to continue in more closed groups and spaces.

Furthermore, the Shooter’s Shooting Centre in Sanchong closed earlier this year meaning that the usual three heats of their ‘shooters cup’ ceased to be a thing; these factors together have somewhat sunk the Taipei competition scene for now (aside from the Ding Ding Cup Steel Challenge ‘Military’ Anny Wu and myself covered back in October’s Issue 154), along with many of the teams either shifting over to the arguably more accessible and continually growing Taiwan IDPA or dabbling in both it and IPSC, and most of the teams in the North now having to travel further afield to other regions for what few

competitions there have been this year. I unfortunately missed out on the excitement of travelling to the PengHu islands again earlier in summer due to being unable to get the required time off work, but team SPPT otherwise did very well in my absence at least.

Thankfully we’ve been keeping up our training regimen thanks to our team leader ‘Mars’ Liu deciding at the end of last year to escape the rat race and become a business operator full time, renting out a roughly ten metre square air-conditioned basement in Wanhua just over the river from our homes in Sanchong, and setting up his own training centre that he now rents out to other competitive or tactical training teams as his full time occupation. With team SPPT keeping up our usual Tuesday/Friday night training session schedule and continuing the upkeep of our handgun skills we’ve been training a lot more with carbines and rifles in our new home field and training space.

TAINAN BOUND

With a couple of long weekends coming up for ‘Moon Festival’ and Taiwan’s National Day celebration, we managed to squeeze in some final training sessions and then travelled down to Tainan on the Saturday at the start of the most recent long weekend at the start

of October. I actually had to work as usual so jumped on the HSR straight after work from Taipei down to

“THIS YEAR IT’S BEEN A CASE OF THE PREVIOUS LEADING VENUES IN TAIPEI UNFORTUNATELY CLOSING DOWN; ACTION BUNKER… CLOSED PERMANENTLY DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE BUILDING ITSELF… THE SHOOTER’S SHOOTING CENTRE IN SANCHONG CLOSED EARLIER THIS YEAR MEANING THAT THE USUAL THREE HEATS OF THEIR ‘SHOOTERS CUP’ CEASED TO BE A THING…” 76

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Chiayi then taking a bus from the station there that thankfully happened to drive straight past the motel the rest of my compatriots had already checked into having driven down earlier in the day.

Sunday morning quickly rolled around and we awoke reasonably early to shovel the included breakfast down our gullets and get outbound for the drive out to the Liuying Shooting range up in the foothills east of Tainan city in the main central mountain range that travels the length of Taiwan’s central region… we’re never short of somewhere picturesque to shoot out here, at least!

Being a Level 1 competition made things a simpler affair at least, with two mediumlength courses in the morning and afternoon being set aside each other on the grassy area that forms one of the Liuying shooting range’s multi stand shotgun skeet platforms, and at least the covered seating area was a nice change to our

typical standing around in cramped conditions affair!

Thankfully the predicted rain was nowhere to be seen and we managed to compete in the admittedly still slightly sweaty and sunny southern weather.

Split into two squads, our team ended up in Squad 2, taking on Stage 2 first, to the right of the main covered area, a funnel shaped enclosed pathway with two poppers and two paper targets over the low wall to the left, and three reclining papers and a lone popper on the right side, which then opened out into a wall with two openings allowing access to the two left and right bays beyond, with somewhat similar arrays of a low popper, reclining paper, and two high paper targets, one of which with a noshoot obstruction present in both of the side by side bays and the finishing plate in the rear and accessible from both shooting windows in the barricade. So, eleven papers, two with no shoots, five poppers and the ending plate, twenty-eight BBs total basically mandating at least one reload for everybody, although I ended up using all four of my magazines and being short one BB right at the end meaning that I got slapped with a DNF (Did Not Finish) on my first stage.

My storied long-term abuse of my KJWorks Shadow 2 had come back to haunt me and despite catching and fixing a ripped main piston seal just before the weekend at the previous training session, and swapping out the main spring grip spine unit for the one from my less worn Shadow SP01, the gun

“SPLIT INTO TWO SQUADS, OUR TEAM ENDED UP IN SQUAD 2, TAKING ON STAGE 2 FIRST, TO THE RIGHT OF THE MAIN COVERED AREA… ELEVEN PAPERS, TWO WITH NO SHOOTS, FIVE POPPERS AND THE ENDING PLATE, TWENTY-EIGHT BBS TOTAL BASICALLY MANDATING AT LEAST ONE RELOAD FOR EVERYBODY”

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once again got through the test firing and final HOP adjustment and zero tweaking without a hitch, but then decided to (if you’ll excuse my French) ‘Shit the bed’ as soon as it came to a live stage and the buzzer going off! For whatever reason the CO2 capsule magazines produced too much pressure or resistance to normal operation and the BBs were flying out with barely enough energy to pierce the paper properly, let alone knock over the poppers. I frustratingly emptied whole magazines into each of the four bays presented and just ran out as I got to the final shot on the ending plate. Not the most auspicious start, but at least thanks to Clarence Lai’s support I’m not running out of parts to replace on the cursed thing, but evidently it still needs a little more attention to overcome its issues.

Thankfully, having foreseen such shortcomings I had packed my new VFC Sig Sauer M18 pistol, and thankfully being only a Level 1 competition, there was no issue with me switching out pistol as long as it qualified for the same division, production, in my case, as always… on to Stage 1 in the left bay nearer the seating area. This was a wider affair with the shooter bound in a large rectangular fault-line box, presented with three ‘V’ shaped barricades in front that obscured targets meaning the shooter had to move the other front left and right extremities of the fault

line box to get a firing solution on the target arrays presented in the gaps between the barricades and flanking their far sides. With six papers in total, the central two of which had no-shoot obstructions, five poppers at the rear corners of the ‘V’ barricades and the ending plate at the far rear. Eighteen BBs total, again another required reload for me, but a much better performance at least with the M18.

Drawing from holstered Condition 1, magazine in and BB chambered I got to work on the left side of the target arrays first as I moved to the front left corner to swing right and get the targets otherwise obscured by the barricades, before reloading on the move to the right and swinging left to clean up the remaining presentations. 21.22 seconds, 13 Alphas, 4 Charlies and 1 Delta, far preferable to a DNF, and no no-shoots or penalties; the fastest shooter managed it in 10.91 with only two Charlies.

LUNCH, SHOOT REAL, AND RESET

That signalled the end of the first session while people broke for lunch and the Range Officers and organisers reorganised the barricades into the afternoon’s stages 3 & 4. What to do with a reasonably long lunch break given the somewhat shorter stages and lower turnout you ask? Well, the sounds of live firing from the shooting ranges further up the hill had

“DRAWING FROM HOLSTERED CONDITION 1, MAGAZINE IN AND BB CHAMBERED I GOT TO WORK ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TARGET ARRAYS FIRST AS I MOVED TO THE FRONT LEFT CORNER TO SWING RIGHT AND GET THE TARGETS OTHERWISE OBSCURED BY THE BARRICADES, BEFORE RELOADING ON THE MOVE”

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not gone unnoticed, and in fact a large proportion of us decided to make use of the facilities seeing as we were there anyway! I’d been itching to visit this firing range for a while in truth, it’s just somewhat inaccessible without your own transport, so figured I’d make the best of the opportunity, with all four of team SPPT present going for 20 rounds, two magazine loads, of .22LR pistol on the 25m range, my first live

fire pistol experience, as it happens!

I’ve had plenty of opportunities to throw rounds down behind a .22R No.8 bolt-action Lee Enfield, as well as the L98/L85/L86 5.56 systems half a lifetime ago in my RAF cadet days, and also had full-auto funtimes with an M16A1 and AKM in Cambodia back in 2015, but in Taiwan you’re pretty much limited to shotguns unless you travel down to this range.

I managed to get the highest score of our team with 83/100 points, and second highest of everyone who did live pistol shooting which somewhat made up for my DNF on the first stage, and I enjoyed the long overdue return to the sweet smell of spent gunpowder… smiles all round.

Back at it following the typical Taiwanese lunchbox and some drinks to maintain hydration, we got on with Stage 3; this comprised again of a bounding box of fault-lines (a smaller square this time) with mirrored ‘L’ barricades as well as a low horizontal one beyond

them forcing the shooter to acquire a lone popper over it at the front end of the fault line box. Each of the front side bays had a lone high paper obstructed by a no shoot, with a further reclining low paper each side behind the ‘L’ barricades forcing you to engage both side in front and beyond the side barricades, as well as over the low one to the rear, before shooting the ending plate at the rear. A fairly quick stage, 4 papers, 2 no shoots, one popper, one ending plate; we did however have to start in Condition 3, holstered with no magazine fitted or round chambered, forcing us to spend some time loading after the draw…- 7.83 seconds, 9 Alphas, 1 Charlie, the fastest shooter doing it in 5.76 with an additional Charlie.

Stage 4 was a much more open range affair; again a wide rectangular fault-line box, with more distant target arrays and ‘V’ shaped barricades to both sides pointed tips toward each other, a low popper and high paper behind the left side, and two low poppers behind the right side, with three widely spaced unobstructed high papers at the rear of the bay with the end plate in the middle. Twelve BBs all told, three poppers four papers and the end plate; I did end up reloading on the long run from the left to right front corners of the fault-line box just to make sure I had plenty of BBs, as well as firing on the move fairly effectively at the three rear paper targets prior to the reload… 12.61 seconds, 9 Alphas, 2 Charlies, 1 Delta, with the fastest shooter doing it in 9.44 seconds with just 3 Charlies.

And now for something completely different! To

“WHAT TO DO WITH A REASONABLY LONG LUNCH BREAK GIVEN THE SOMEWHAT SHORTER STAGES AND LOWER TURNOUT YOU ASK? WELL, THE SOUNDS OF LIVE FIRING FROM THE SHOOTING RANGES FURTHER UP THE HILL HAD NOT GONE UNNOTICED…”

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round off the shooting festivities we made a departure from the typical fifth stage most of our Level 1 competitions would entail, and instead each division saw its competitors paired off by virtue of handing in their shooter number cards and having them drawn from a ballot box. Each pair would then undertake a duel, engaging identical target arrays of 6 distant poppers with a mandatory reload somewhere of their choosing between first and last engagement, with the final poppers being arranged at an angle so that whoever engaged it first would have their popper fall beneath their opponent’s signifying their win.

This was a really enjoyable aspect of a more direct one on one competition and everybody was in great spirits as the pairs were called up to engage the targets with the winners of each heat progressing to the semi, quarter and final rounds playing off against each other until the final champion was arrived at. I was drawn against team Spring Rain’s Guo WeiPeng, and we seemed to have one of the most exciting face-offs, reloading in near unison and eliminating the poppers almost simultaneously with his final popper being struck at apparently exactly the same time as mine but just sneaking under mine as they

fell! A most exhilarating aspect of the competition compared to the post-match stats based scoring related time-trials where you don’t get the same sense of comparison as you are shooting, and something I’d like to see more of in future as it certainly adds to the excitement and spectacle of the proceedings.

All told I ended up placing eighth out of ten competitors in the production division, with 44% of the winning score; I thought the DNF start would totally have scuppered my efforts. Lai YuChen of Team Spring Rain took first place in the production division, with Zhou YuTing of Team Yamars taking second place and Zheng YangShou taking third place. Standard division was championed by our own leading lady Ou YiChing, Lin GuanLiang taking second place, and Guo ShiMing taking third place… the man behind the organisation of the event. Open division saw Team Yamars’ ‘Jacky’ Hou BoXian taking first place, our own Team leader ‘Mars’ Liu HanLin taking second place and Team Spring Rain’s ‘Bear’ Zhan DengXiong taking third place.

Every champion of each division was then also provided with a box of 50 rounds of Eley .22LR live ammunition to distribute as they pleased within their

“EACH PAIR WOULD THEN UNDERTAKE A DUEL, ENGAGING IDENTICAL TARGET ARRAYS OF 6 DISTANT POPPERS WITH A MANDATORY RELOAD SOMEWHERE OF THEIR CHOOSING BETWEEN FIRST AND LAST ENGAGEMENT, WITH THE FINAL POPPERS BEING ARRANGED AT AN ANGLE SO THAT WHOEVER ENGAGED IT FIRST WOULD HAVE THEIR POPPER FALL BENEATH THEIR OPPONENT’S SIGNIFYING THEIR WIN!” 80

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groups, so once again we made our way up to the live firing range and all of team SPPT got to shoot for groups on paper targets. This time I printed a much tighter fist-sized group, but I shot a little lower so unfortunately my score was a slightly lower at 79 but I was much happier with the much tighter group despite this… not bad for the first time on a live gun since 2015 (besides shotguns) and the first time ever using a live pistol!

Many congratulations as always to the champions and runners up, and thanks to the RO’s and organisers

who make these events happen, as well as the competitors; the people make it what it is, as always!

With all the announcements and presentations completed, and with our target papers in hand we made good our escape northwards again, stopping for a feeding at the service stations along the way, and eventually arriving home around 11pm, just in time to unpack and repack for the Monday and Tuesday Civil Defence training event I was travelling back down the west coast to cover… but that’s a story for another time! AA

“MANY CONGRATULATIONS AS ALWAYS TO THE CHAMPIONS AND RUNNERS UP, AND THANKS TO THE RO’S AND ORGANISERS WHO MAKE THESE EVENTS HAPPEN, AS WELL AS THE COMPETITORS; THE PEOPLE MAKE IT WHAT IT IS, AS ALWAYS!”

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WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE GLOBAL AIRSOFT COMMUNITY IN AIRSOFT ACTION, AND AT THE BACK END OF LAST MONTH BILL WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL TO TAIWAN AND PAY WITNESS TO THIS IN ITS VERY BEST FORM! ALONG WITH STEWBACCA AND ANNY HE ATTENDED THE 2023 G&G CQB WORLD CUP IN TAIPEI, AND NOW THE TEAM SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON A TRULY UNIQUE AND FABULOUS AIRSOFT EVENT!

W

e often refer in-house these days to Taiwan as being “Airsoft Central” as so many of the very best manufacturers are now based on this wonderful island, so when G&G ARMAMENT invited me to attend their CQB World Cup event you can bet your sweet one that I was on it like a shot!

Of course Airsoft Action now has our resident “Man In Taiwan” Stewbacca reporting direct on a monthly basis, and thankfully he’s now been joined by the awesome “Military Anny” to give even more insight into industry and community developments there; as an already highly-accomplished media professional in her own right she brings something unique and fresh to what we do in both our “local” relationships and our content creation. This is a great position for getting in early on new products and really getting to know the manufacturers “at source”, which means that Airsoft Action can bring you more news, even earlier, pretty much direct from the factory floors.

But having a team, even as good as the one we have, in place is only a part of getting to know how things move on the ground, so when G&G invited

me to Taiwan it was too good an opportunity to miss.

The mainstream media would have us believe that Taiwan is an island under constant threat from their neighbours just a few miles away on the mainland, and of course this is true, but Taiwan is an island far from having a “siege mentality” and as life goes on, and the population is obviously thriving yet fiercely independent with a shared belief in a free and prosperous future.

From the moment I arrived (after a seriously long-ass flight!) I was immediately seduced by the friendliness and abundant energy of the Taiwanese people, by the sheer generous and good nature of everyone I encountered, and although this is obviously very much a country that is constantly “on the move”, people just simply make time to ensure that visitors are treated with great care and respect, and that they are made to feel welcome at every opportunity.

Having a team “in country” also made things very easy for me, as Stewbacca met me at the airport, and along with others arriving at the same time, airsofters from all over the world, ensured that everyone knew where they needed to head to get to the Grand Hotel,

“STEWBACCA MET ME AT THE AIRPORT, AND ALONG WITH OTHERS ARRIVING AT THE SAME TIME, AIRSOFTERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, ENSURED THAT EVERYONE KNEW WHERE THEY NEEDED TO HEAD TO GET TO THEIR GRAND HOTEL, OUR HOME FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS... AND “GRAND” IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT AS THIS FABULOUS HOTEL THAT OVERLOOKS TAIPEI CITY IS A WONDER THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED!” 88

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our home for the next few days... And “Grand” is an understatement as this fabulous hotel that overlooks Taipei city is a wonder that really needs to be seen to be believed!

With luggage dropped off it was time to head into Taipei and start our shared experience; our good friend Matt from NUPROL had travelled on the same flight as me so Stewbacca kindly shepherd’d us into town to chill out with a cool drink under the banyan trees in a small city square... sitting quietly in front of a small yet beautiful temple with three elderly ladies on the stone table next to us shelling beanshoots made it very obvious that we were now somewhere different and very special indeed...

As the day progressed we were joined by Anny to complete our crew for covering the event, and more and more friends started arriving from our big shared world of airsoft; for me personally it was a huge pleasure to reconnect with my old friends from G&G and especially mate-of-many-years John “Lionclaws” Lu from the USA... thankfully, and unsurprisingly, John, with his ever-present enthusiasm and sheer good nature fitted seamlessly into the extended group of media and industry people that formed over the next few days.

SHOOTERS READY!

Kicking off on Friday morning bright and early under the inspiring shadow of the Taipei 101 tower (the tallest building in Taiwan and the eleventh tallest building in the world!) at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC), the 68 shooters from 26 countries began their odyssey that would see one team of two become World Champions! G&G had done an amazing job of creating a competition and exhibition space worthy of the event, and as the shooters were checked in and issued their GPM1911CP pistols and

ARP 556 2.0 AEGs (everyone used the same platforms for fairness) there was a real buzz about the place!

On Friday it was “sort out and practice day” and all the shooters made the most of their time, dialling in their platforms and honing their kit. Along with some displays from the Taiwanese military and a booth showcasing training with airsoft courtesy of the awesome Charles Joh from TriCell USA (who later gave a superb “main stage” video presentation on the same topic) multiple ranges featuring the latest G&G Wireless Electronic Target System (the system to be used on all competition stages for the entire

event) were running hot all day! That that meant that we could also try some of the very latest G&G platforms as well (more of this on the AA web news!), and standing among some of the most committed

“IT WAS A HUGE PLEASURE TO RECONNECT WITH MY OLD FRIENDS FROM G&G AND ESPECIALLY MATE-OF-MANY-YEARS JOHN “LIONCLAWS” LU FROM THE USA... THANKFULLY, AND UNSURPRISINGLY, JOHN, WITH HIS EVER-PRESENT ENTHUSIASM AND SHEER GOOD NATURE FITTED SEAMLESSLY INTO THE EXTENDED GROUP OF MEDIA AND INDUSTRY PEOPLE THAT FORMED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS” www.airsoftaction.net

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airsoft shooters in the world of course we couldn’t resist a little personal competition between us on the head-to-head Quick Draw Pistol booths which saw Stu beating me, me beating Matt, and Matt beating Stu… all good really…

After a long, full day of shooting and prep everyone retired back to the opulent Grand Hotel for the G&G Gala Dinner which was a splendid affair with speeches and music, but even though there were some high spirits during the live music most of the shooters were away to bed at a sensible time as the next day would see them getting their “game heads” on in earnest.

With 68 competitors from 26 different countries competing in one or two pair teams representing their home nations, all making use of standardised and serialised G&G AEG carbines and GBB pistols alongside their own personalised tactical gear solutions to try and ensure a level playing field for all participants, of course there are always technical difficulties with so many moving parts at play! Some competitors had problems with the 5x5 target systems not registering that their final shot was complete and the counter continued increasing after completion, while others still had misfeeds in their magazines

Back at the TWTC sharp on Saturday morning things started off with a resplendent Opening Ceremony before the shooters got to work; as I’ve said before, I’m no competition shooter, so I’ll pass things over now to Stewbacca…

or guns causing issues during stages thereby necessitating re-shoots which may not have rendered the same results as initial runs that went unqualified.

External factors such as photographers or range officers inadvertently getting in the line of sight of some players trying to achieve firing solutions on more distant targets also caused problems and some frustration due to their final scores being inadvertently affected outside of their own control or performances.

Perhaps having more extensive gantries above the action for range officers as well as photographers or even spectators to observe from might improve matters in future, or perhaps enclosed ‘hides’ or standard positions for photographers to safely sit

GAME ON!

From a technical perspective and with my own experiences of competitive shooting, as well as having observed the competitor’s stage runs and talked through many of their experiences, the 2023 G&G World Cup CQB was largely a very successfully executed activity all told, given the sheer number of people, languages, equipment and actions!

“HAVING OBSERVED THE COMPETITOR’S STAGE RUNS AND TALKED THROUGH MANY OF THEIR EXPERIENCES, THE 2023 G&G WORLD CUP CQB WAS LARGELY A VERY SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED ACTIVITY ALL TOLD, GIVEN THE SHEER NUMBER OF PEOPLE, LANGUAGES, EQUIPMENT AND ACTIONS!”

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in below the line of sight of some of the targets for both their own safety and to avoid such issues and reactions in future, yet still achieve their own goals of capturing the action.

Similarly some method of streaming the action or making use of multiple GoPros on the stages themselves, or even each competitor (many already had their own setups in action for their own content creation purposes) would help to capture the excitement and allow for either future content creation and aggregation, or even live streaming of individual competitors runs to avoid the need for crowded viewing platforms over the stages themselves.

One of the main issues with running standardised stages for multiple competitors is the question over the true randomisation of some of the systems; some teams seemingly ‘got lucky’ with a lot of targets being presented in close proximity sequentially in one region of the stage 2 ‘Search and Destroy’ game, with the Japanese team particularly clearing it very quickly with a lot of the targets on both sides lighting up in close succession at one end, allowing them to clear half the stage very rapidly, it seemed. With my experiences of IPSC and similar, the practitioners all get the same presentation of the same targets and just have to plan the most

efficient stage run for themselves and take into account ammunition limitations, but just have to do their run as rapidly as possible on the same targets as they choose to.

The difference with the CQB Cup is the electronic nature of the targets, particularly with the ‘Search and Destroy’ Stage 2; more extensive prior practise had been available to some of the teams (depending on whether they had both the sufficient space and accessibility of target systems to train with before qualifying heats in local national competitions) with the order of the targets lighting up being ostensibly random, players had to be prepared to hear or see the cues and react accordingly, while being tied to their teammate at the waist with a belt system.

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Perhaps if the exact sequence was fixed, but the start point within the order varied, it would be more fair in avoiding some teams having more advantageous presentations, but also prevent people learning the sequence too much by rote to give an advantage from that standpoint… such things are always difficult to administer and plan for!

Ensuring that the rules are clearly stated, translated and disseminated or presented is also a difficulty which arose, with some queries being answered and further clarifications being missed by the non-English speaking teams to their confusion or detriment due to conflicting ideas from other teams or decisions being made after difficulties arose; again, planning for all eventualities is a near impossibility, but simpler rules which are more readily relayed in the various languages present are of clear importance.

This year there were only the three active stages involved, the 5x5 Target System Stage 1 with a shuttle run required beforehand to raise exertion levels and thus test the practitioner’s marksmanship under stress, the Search and Destroy Stage 2 comprising 30 total targets along all sides of a large rectangular arena with various obstructions inside forcing the players to move and shoot around them, and finally the Multi-Compartment maze-like Stage 3 with various shooting and obstacle challenges which had to be dealt with sequentially and emphasised effective planning, teamwork and communication as much as

the marksmanship aspect. This was all very exciting to watch and allowed more focus than perhaps past iterations which had as many as five different Stages to deal with.

Some competitors felt that fewer stages and thus moving parts or competition requirements was an advantage allowing for greater concentration spread over fewer challenges; however, some also pointed out that a single bad run on any one stage constituted more of a failing or negative outcome in your overall score by proportion… fewer stages makes it easier to administer, but also brings final scores closer together and presents challenges in dealing with discrepancies, reshoot requirements or penalties as any variance makes a larger impact to final tallies of each team’s overall performances.

Similarly the concept of players being able to observe other team’s stages prior to making their own attempts could be seen to cause some issues, with the later-picked teams having a lot more opportunity to learn from other players mistakes or successes; how to strike the balance between everyone being able to enjoy and support each other’s performances, without giving unfair advantages to those who are selected to compete later in the order? Answers on a postcard please!

Regardless of all the challenges and issues which arose, the sportsmanship, camaraderie and genuine friendship and support shown by the competitors

“REGARDLESS OF ALL THE CHALLENGES AND ISSUES WHICH AROSE, THE SPORTSMANSHIP, CAMARADERIE AND GENUINE FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT SHOWN BY THE COMPETITORS AMONG THEMSELVES REALLY CEMENTED THE BEST ASPECTS OF OUR BELOVED GAME”

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among themselves really cemented the best aspects of our beloved game; bringing so many like- minded people from such varied corners of the world and home cultures really made for a great overall feeling of international community and love of shooting in general through the safe and effective completion of all the challenges.

Some of the shooters in particular demonstrated exceptional skill with raucous applause from the crowds; Carlos from Mexico managed a long string of single-shot, single-hit presentations with the GBB pistol during the Search and Destroy Stage which was really impressive and he only had to reload and use a few rounds out of the second magazine to finish his proportion of the shooting while his partner Jose had both magazines for the AEG to take care of his half of the effort! One of Taiwan’s teams followed the same format with Zheng JiaHui (who regularly cleans up at our local IPSC Production class stages) using only the pistol and both magazines assigned to the team, with his partner Yan ShengHong favouring the AEG with both of their magazines as well.

Norah (Nonocat) of Team New Zealand really showed off her marksmanship and looked almost robotic at times throwing the AEG into her shoulder and immediately sighting in and making effective single shots on targets before sharply switching stances with her footwork, as well as moving well with Romain when they were tied together in the Search and Destroy Stage.

The Japanese team of Watanabe Takumi and Kondo Yuma were also particularly noteworthy with their excellent movement in tandem and communication during the Search and Destroy, moving very fluidly and effectively; it was great to see them working so well together during all their stages, as well as being typically humble and excellent sportsmen and enthusiastic participants throughout.

Of course I would be remiss to not mention the winning combination of Dionne Reugebrink and David Meuken, who were not only playing out of their skins on the field, working excellently as a team and throwing down with their athleticism and antics, but obviously garnered a lot of positive attention with their approachability and friendly and outgoing nature towards everyon; it was a real pleasure to see them

play as well as share their company!

Throughout the whole event, practically everyone I encountered was in high spirits, talkative and supportive of each other and everyone’s efforts working towards the successful execution of the competition, again something I am already familiar with from my own competitive exploits here in Taiwan; having everyone present representing an even wider global family of highly passionate and skilled lovers of various shooting disciplines really made it all truly enjoyable experience overall.

Many thanks to G&G for putting in the clearly massive effort to organise such an event and bring people to Taiwan from around the world to compete, as well as giving us an opportunity to see and experience their latest or upcoming product releases… we all have a lot to look forward to, fellow shooters!

WORTHY CHAMPIONS

After an energetic closing ceremony, the event was a wrap, and worthy new World Champions were crowned, but as Stewbacca has said, the shooters from all countries acquitted themselves incredibly well, and the shooting skills on show were first rate; frankly I wouldn’t want to go up against any of the shooters on a regular game-day as opponents, that’s for sure!

Although as Stewbacca pointed out there were some minor things that may need to be rectified in the future (which I am certain will be addressed in fullness), the overall event was MAGNIFICENT! G&G once again pulled something off that I’m not certain that any other manufacturer in the world could do, and did it with grace, professionalism, and their usual flair!

Big Airsoft Action congratulations go of course to our old friends Dionne and David from Team Netherlands for their victory, but I have to say that every single shooter that took part in the 2023 G&G CQB World Cup illustrated to me the very best in global airsoft… they played hard, they played fair, and they played with honour at all times. They showed massive amounts of shooting skill, and their friendliness and enthusiasm for airsoft was apparent every moment of every day. Each and every shooter was an absolute credit both to the game we love, and to the countries they represented.

“BIG AIRSOFT ACTION CONGRATULATIONS GO OF COURSE TO OUR OLD FRIENDS DIONNE AND DAVID FROM TEAM NETHERLANDS FOR THEIR VICTORY, BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT EVERY SINGLE SHOOTER THAT TOOK PART IN THE 2023 G&G CQB WORLD CUP ILLUSTRATED TO ME THE VERY BEST IN GLOBAL AIRSOFT… THEY PLAYED HARD, THEY PLAYED FAIR, AND THEY PLAYED WITH HONOUR AT ALL TIMES” www.airsoftaction.net

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It was also an event that showed just how a major airsoft tournament should be run, and my sincere thanks go to Apple at G&G for her personal help and attention in helping me to arrange my travel to the event, and my wider stay in Taiwan. My thanks also go to Mr Liao and his gracious family, to my old mates Rick and Ryan, and to all the wonderful staff from G&G ARMAMENT who made everyone feel so welcome, and made this event the huge success it undoubtedly was.

unceasingly to ensure that every single moment of the event was documented in photographs and video! I’ve spent a long time finding good people to represent Airsoft Action around the world in recent years, and although totally different in character both these worthy individuals have set a “gold standard” for the future in my mind!

Of course the G&G CQB World Cup is due to return for 2024, and I am certain it will be even bigger and better than before if that is possible! If CQB is your

And of course I have to give a huge shout out to Stewbacca for all his support as AA’s “Man in Taiwan”, and to “Military” Anny who proved herself an absolute dynamo of professionalism and worked

thing then I’d recommend that you get yourself to one of the qualifiers in your own country and who knows, maybe then the Airsoft Action Crew will see you in Taipei next year! AA

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