Airsoft Action - February 2024

WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

ISSUE 158 ISSN 2634-9515

CLICK/TAP IMAGES FOR MORE INFORMATION

CLICK/TAP IMAGES FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTENTS 8 ARMOURY: KWA F90 GBBR With a seemingly never-ending stream of AR and M4 variants being released to market, is it possible in 2024 for an airsoft manufacturer to deliver us something entirely, well… different? To quote the iconic poster hanging in Fox Mulder’s basement office Dan says: “I want to believe” as he takes a deep dive into the KWA F90 GBBR…

WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

ISSUE 158 ISSN 2634-9515

18 ARMOURY: AA/APFG MCX RATTLER Keeping a focus on different GBBR styles that are available right now Bill has been having some fun with the AA/APFG MCX Rattler, and believes that he’s finally found a “SIG” that suits him down to the ground! After extensive range testing he now shares his thoughts on a little handful of gas-powered joy!

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: EMG/CYMA NOVESKE N4 GEN III This month we’re looking at GBBRs, many that are perfect for CQB play, and there was one that we wanted to spend a little more time with due to its unique character! Best known for their licenced models, Bill now takes a look at the fully-loaded “NoveskeLicenced” N4 Gen III GBBR from EMG… with a little help from CYMA!

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.

38 TECH: ACETECH ACEHIVE X SPAWNER Bill takes us back to simpler days when the MOSCART was king, and puts a case as to why it still is in certain situations… especially when it’s something quite unique and innovative like the ACEHIVE X SPAWNER!

Contents ISSUE 158 - FEBRUARY 2024

44 THE CAGE: NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS Just like all of you out there setting up for a whole new year of airsoft the members of the AA LEGION are making plans, servicing their AEGS and GBBs, and getting their gear in order!

So what have the team got in their own planning for 2024, and what are their resolutions?

70 AA LEGION: JAPAN Our great friend in Japan, Tama, visited two of the most anticipated airsoft related shows in Tokyo in one weekend, and he had some more stories to share and interesting new products to share his thoughts on!

In the last issue of AA he covered the Tokyo Marui Fest 2023, now he reports in on the ‘Bakuretsu-sai’, or “Explosion Festival” from the same weekend in a different part of Tokyo!

48 RED CELL: GBB AR UPDATE As we move into a whole New Year of testing, in Year 3 of RED CELL we’re beginning to really feel at home with our long-term test pool models, and many of them have had some serious range and game time! And we’re kicking off 2024 by looking back (and forward) with the GBB ARs that are still giving us some very positive vibes with some new additions and some old campaigners too, and as always Bill takes the lead…

80 AA LEGION: PORTUGAL As we continue to round-out 2023 Miguel joins us again to report on another big game in Portugal organised by the ANA (Associação Nacional de Airsoft) that brought together players from all over the country to battle it out in a whole new game-setting, that of DYSTOPIA!

62 ACCESSORIES: LCT HK MODULAR SYSTEM Towards the tail-end of 2023 our good friends at LCT Airsoft offered to fill the gaps in Stewbacca’s HK-themed AEG accessories collection to let him take another look at the modularity of their platform… of course he was more than happy to get some more ‘grown man Lego’ in the mail from Bella to finish off the collection and allow himself to fall into the ‘product matrix’ of components that can be rapidly switched out between base receivers!

88 AA LEGION: TAIWAN As many of you around the world were sitting down to some form of festive feeding and funtimes among friends and family, Taiwan is largely immune to such Western Christmassyness, one of the many pull factors for Stewbacca in fact as he’s a grinch like that… as usual the end of the year meant cramming in a lot of events, the G&G World Cup and MOA, and while he didn’t have time to observe the IDPA nationals again this year, he nonetheless took part and shot the Kaohsiung Level 3 all-weekend IPSC competition with his same Team SPPT squadmates from last year!

ARMOURY KWA F90 GBBR

ANTIPODEAN U G!

WITH A SEEMINGLY NEVER-ENDING STREAM OF AR AND M4 VARIANTS BEING RELEASED TO MARKET, IS IT POSSIBLE IN 2024 FOR AN AIRSOFT MANUFACTURER TO DELIVER US SOMETHING ENTIRELY, WELL… DIFFERENT? TO QUOTE THE ICONIC POSTER HANGING IN FOX MULDER’S BASEMENT OFFICE DAN SAYS: “I WANT TO BELIEVE” AS HE TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO THE KWA F90 GBBR… 8

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLTKWA BRSSF90 SCAR-SC GBBR

A

ppearing on the scene like one of the fantastical UFO’s from the X-Files comes KWA’s Lithgow Arms F90. Perhaps in a bit of derring-do, KWA has elected to replicate a somewhat unusual choice for their latest airsoft release… and in gas blowback format, no less!

For the unfamiliar, the F90 is essentially a significantly improved version of the Australian Defense Forces (ADF) F88 rifle, which is domestically produced by Thales Australia under license with Steyr Mannlicher, whom are better known for their famous retro-futuristic Steyr AUG platform. Thales Australia is a part of the Thales Group, a large French multinational company that develops and manufactures equipment for defense, transportation, aerospace and security. So you might say this particular breed of rifle has a rather interesting mix of flags flying beside it, now to include Taiwan’s as this is where KWA replicas are manufactured.

As used by the ADF, this goes by the EF88 designation, with the “E” representing “Enhanced.”

The F90 is the designation given to the export version for sale to markets outside of Australia, and are essentially modernized versions of the AUG, chambered in standard NATO 5.56x45mm ammunition. The EF88/F90 brought many notable improvements over the older F88 rifle, which had been in service with the ADF since 1985. Among these improvements were a reduction in weight and design alterations to the body of the weapon to improve balance and comfort. A full-length picatinny rail adorns the top of the aluminium receiver, along with some ambidextrous controls and enhancements made to increase reliability. The trigger guard was also updated to allow for fitting of a Steyr SL40 grenade launcher, which is a side-loading launcher expressly designed to fit this platform.

Much like the Steyr AUG, there are several variants of the EF88 / F90 rifle manufactured, including CQB and marksman versions. The version replicated by KWA is the standard length model, which has the 407mm (16”) length barrel. Presently there are two models offered from KWA: the full power field version rated at 1.84J+

(380+ FPS) and a low-velocity model, which utilizes a low-power bolt to reduce velocity to around 1 – 1.14J (330 – 350 FPS). Of interesting note, the development of the KWA F90 arose because they were contracted by Thales / Lithgow to produce the F90 specifically to supply an inexpensive training analogue to the ADF’s EF88 rifles.

NAILING “THE LOOK”

As appearances go, I would say KWA have expertly replicated the look and feel of the F90. The receiver is full metal, with a one-piece outer barrel that is securely affixed inside the receiver in a manner that makes it very rigid. The body is made from a polymer material and is by far the best feeling ‘AUG’ body I have handled to date. There is absolutely zero creak or wobble and the F90 simply feels exquisite when compared to any of the AEG replicas we have available. With magazine, the rifle is clocking in at 3.24kg / 7lbs 15oz. with a point of balance situated where the web of your firing hand would sit. Despite the presence of a long barrel, the overall package is only a mere 114mm / 4.5” longer than a MK18 with the stock fully collapsed. Yet with most of the weight concentrated towards the rear, the F90 maintains the intrinsic ability of all bullpups to be held aloft with one hand with little fatigue.

As mentioned, the main body of this gun is superbly crafted. Even with trying to flex and twist things with my hand, I can’t even so much as produce a single creak of exasperated plastic. The buttplate is made from grippy rubber with raised edges, and it secures against the shoulder better than the smooth buttplate on the classic AUG. Much like the real version, the ejection port cover can be switched from the right to the left side of the gun. KWA has also replicated the removable trigger guard insert for allowing the trigger mechanism of a grenade launcher to pass through. Unfortunately at this time, we do not have any replicas of the SL40 launcher available, but one can hope the aftermarket steps in to provide us one.

While the magazine release is ambidextrous and accessible from either side, the bolt release lever is not. That being said, I did not find it problematic

“AS USED BY THE ADF, THIS GOES BY THE EF88 DESIGNATION, WITH THE “E” REPRESENTING “ENHANCED.” THE F90 IS THE DESIGNATION GIVEN TO THE EXPORT VERSION FOR SALE TO MARKETS OUTSIDE OF AUSTRALIA, AND ARE ESSENTIALLY MODERNIZED VERSIONS OF THE AUG” www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY KWA F90 GBBR

to operate off my weak side; it’s only slightly slower to hit the release if operating the rifle off your left shoulder; you can just reach behind the magazine and toggle the bolt release fairly easily, and users of the Real Sword Type 95 series will understand this concept implicitly. The charging handle cannot be switched to the right side of rifle, so for you lefties out there, I’ve found the easiest way of manipulating it is to rotate the rifle horizontally the right, then racking the handle straight back. This also positions the rifle so the handle is within your immediate visual area, which makes it less likely to be missed or fumbled. You could also do it in the inverse, with the base of the grip rotated horizontally to the right, but you do have to feel around for the charging handle’s location in this position.

Speaking of the charging handle, prospective owners will be pleased to note it has full length of travel and folds upwards when it is allowed to ‘run home’ after drawing it back. True to form, it is also non-reciprocating and can also be locked to the rear too.

Off the right side, there is a picatinny accessory rail, which would be a good space to mount a laser or flashlight. We of course have the full-length picatinny rail on top of the platform here too, which has more than enough space to accommodate any manner of optical arrangement one would desire to use. There’s even space enough to run a PEQ style laser off the 12 o’clock too. Just fore of the trigger guard is a shorter section of picatinny, which takes the place of the folding foregrip one would have on the classic AUG. This is just large enough to accept a vertical foregrip, and as such, one of those feels like a natural addition to this rifle. The old school Knights Armament “broom handle” felt right at home in this space.

The grip itself retains the usual AUG styling and feel, albeit the trigger (grip) guard has some distinctive differences. In lieu of the folding vertical foregrip, the front of the guard will also work as a place to rest your support hand. The safety switch is a simple pushbutton, which is very positive and tactile. As for the trigger, it feels very much how I remember an AUG trigger feeling on the real steel version I’ve fired. It’s a true dual-stage trigger, where a short press will fire the gun in semi-auto, with a longer press switching

it to full auto. There is also a small semi-auto lockout switch in the base of the trigger that can be pulled out to make the gun capable of only firing in semiauto.

Moving a bit further forward, we have a beautiful fluted barrel, which comes with a bayonet lug and standard 14mm CCW threads. The flash hider is actually a two-piece affair, with the base section working like a jam nut in similar fashion to what you find on the CZ 805 Bren. I was curious if KWA opted to design a two-piece barrel that would allow for converting the rifle to the shorter variant, but I cannot find any physical evidence of this or any evidence of it in the parts diagram. As a future accessory, this would be among one of those I’d like to see offered. Owing to how it’s designed, it would be a simple matter to have a machine shop chop and thread it, however.

The magazine that is furnished with the rifle is the “waffle” type unique to the AUG platform. KWA’s version has an interesting design, with the lower portion being encased in metal, whereas the topmost section that inserts into the rifle is made from a polymer. I suspect this was done for strength reasons and to ensure the magazine doesn’t split apart if dropped. These are also “real cap” magazines, in that they hold 30 “rounds”, just like the real thing. There have been some reports of the feed lips cracking with use, but so far my test example has held up fine.

BUSINESSLIKE INSIDE

Disassembly or field stripping of the rifle follows in the same vein as the real version, which means it is sublimely simple. Just fore of the magazine well is a captured cross-block that can be partially pressed out. Once that is shifted to the right, you can slide the entire barrel assembly off the body of the gun in one single unit. This section will contain the hop up chamber and the bolt carrier assembly, which leaves just the trigger mechanism contained within the receiver. The bolt carrier appears to be a fairly robust assembly that rides on a pair of long aluminium tubes, with the tube on the right technically being our faux gas piston, while the left is what the charging handle engages when it is cocked back.

The ease of disassembly continues, as our hop up chamber and inner barrel can be removed from the

“AS APPEARANCES GO, I WOULD SAY KWA HAVE EXPERTLY REPLICATED THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE F90. THE RECEIVER IS FULL METAL, WITH A ONE-PIECE OUTER BARREL THAT IS SECURELY AFFIXED INSIDE THE RECEIVER IN A MANNER THAT MAKES IT VERY RIGID”

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ARMOURY KWA F90 GBBR

“WHILE THE MAGAZINE RELEASE IS AMBIDEXTROUS AND ACCESSIBLE FROM EITHER SIDE, THE BOLT RELEASE LEVER IS NOT. THAT BEING SAID, I DID NOT FIND IT PROBLEMATIC TO OPERATE OFF MY WEAK SIDE; IT’S ONLY SLIGHTLY SLOWER TO HIT THE RELEASE IF OPERATING THE RIFLE OFF YOUR LEFT SHOULDER”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY KWA F90 GBBR

receiver via a single screw, which allows it to be slid out. The hop up chamber is a rotary-style design with a top-down-centre (TDC) nub holder. By now, the merits of both features are without question, and this makes for a superior chamber design from the days of old. KWA has said the bucking is based off the preexisting LM4 design, but I have not had opportunity to try any aftermarket LM4 buckings for fit. It has a split style nub design, similar to KWA’s AEG buckings.

All that being said, my one and only issue I encountered with this gun were actually with the hop up bucking itself. Upon first testing the rifle, I was registering a rather low 0.84J/282 fps with a .20g on the chronograph. It’s not uncommon to need to “reset” a bucking sometimes on a new gun, so I disassembled the chamber and redid the bucking installation. Checking against the chronograph again, I was still getting a low reading and the occasional double feeds. After some closer inspection I determined the bucking lips were too loose and simply weren’t gripping the BB adequately. The fix was fortunately easy; a single wrap of Teflon tape around the bucking gave it just enough lip tension to eliminate the double feeds and also bumped the FPS up to 1.64J /420 fps with .20g’s! This was more of what I was expecting as this was the full power version of the rifle, but it may be a little spicy for some countries so make sure you get the right version for local legal compliance.

After this little fix, I set about to giving it some proper range testing. Accuracy was good and I was able to lift .28g and .32g BBs with ease, still with room to go on the adjustment wheel. My testing range is a full 82 yards deep, and I had no issues getting the gun to reach out to the maximum distance available. I owe this largely to the excellent TDC design applying consistent top-down pressure against the bucking.

One thing to note when needing to adjust the hop up is that you have to partially separate the upper to access the adjustment wheel. You just need to slide it forward just enough so you can rotate the wheel through one of the large ports on the side of the receiver. This is quick to accomplish given the ease of removing the upper from the body of the gun. Once the chamber is properly set to the desired trajectory

for your given BB weight, I found I didn’t have to touch it again. I don’t think it would have been possible to allow for adjusting it through the ejection port area without significant redesign of the internal workings. So while some may consider the manner of adjustment a mild inconvenience, on the plus side I can remark that it doesn’t require any tools at least.

BELIEVE IT!

Throughout my testing, the KWA functioned absolutely flawlessly, locking back on empty every time and with zero malfunctions. The dual-stage trigger takes a bit of getting used to for someone coming from traditional platforms, but locating the ‘break’ or border between the two firing modes is distinctive and easy. I was also pleasantly surprised at how well the gun was functioning despite the cold. As it is the dead of winter here, temperature at time of testing was a brisk 1.1C / 34F. Obviously in warmer temperatures, gas efficiency and performance will enjoy much more favourable conditions, but the F90 certainly proved itself up to the task of some wintertime fun!

I am admittedly not a big GBB guy; I don’t even possess a single GBB rifle in my collection, though I do prefer GBB sidearms to AEP’s because of the added realism. The KWA F90 could just about make me a convert, though. It was a lot of fun to use and I couldn’t help but crack a smile every time I took it out. I appreciate the functional realism it brings to the table and the satisfying clack of the bolt as it runs home. In some ways, it takes me back to my “paint” days when I forced myself to use 30 or 50 round Tac Caps. The limitations (artificial as they were) in capacity forced you to become a better player and evolve your skills and tactics to handle situations where you find yourself up against players with high capacity magazines at their disposal. Sometimes it’s good to give yourself new challenges – reinvent the game, if you will.

As bullpup platforms go, I have always been a fan of the AUG for it’s svelte form factor, handling and history. Amongst its contemporaries that I have used, both real steel and airsoft (the P90, FN2000, Tavor, Type 95, etc) the AUG still takes top billet in my book.

“MOVING A BIT FURTHER FORWARD, WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL FLUTED BARREL, WHICH COMES WITH A BAYONET LUG AND STANDARD 14MM CCW THREADS. THE FLASH HIDER IS ACTUALLY A TWO-PIECE AFFAIR, WITH THE BASE SECTION WORKING LIKE A JAM NUT IN SIMILAR FASHION TO WHAT YOU FIND ON THE CZ 805 BREN”

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ARMOURY KWA F90 GBBR

“THE BOLT CARRIER APPEARS TO BE A FAIRLY ROBUST ASSEMBLY THAT RIDES ON A PAIR OF LONG ALUMINIUM TUBES, WITH THE TUBE ON THE RIGHT TECHNICALLY BEING OUR FAUX GAS PISTON, WHILE THE LEFT IS WHAT THE CHARGING HANDLE ENGAGES WHEN IT IS COCKED BACK”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY KWA F90 GBBR

But relatively few airsoft releases have really scratched the itch for high build quality, and the KWA F90 certainly has this in spades; however, and I must say I am pleased that KWA elected to bring something so unique to close out 2023 with. Personally, I would love to see the F90 followed up with an AEG version incorporating KWA’s VPS system. Which of course

begs the question… will we see an AEG version coming down the pipe? When I asked KWA’s sales director Tony Lin at SHOT 23 this very same question, he remarked... “If the GBB version does well!”

Which means to you fellow players… I want to BELIEVE! AA

“ACCURACY WAS GOOD AND I WAS ABLE TO LIFT .28G AND .32G BBS WITH EASE, STILL WITH ROOM TO GO ON THE ADJUSTMENT WHEEL. MY TESTING RANGE IS A FULL 82 YARDS DEEP, AND I HAD NO ISSUES GETTING THE GUN TO REACH OUT TO THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE AVAILABLE”

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ARMOURY KWA F90 GBBR

“AS BULLPUP PLATFORMS GO, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A FAN OF THE AUG FOR IT’S SVELTE FORM FACTOR, HANDLING AND HISTORY. AMONGST ITS CONTEMPORARIES THAT I HAVE USED, BOTH REAL STEEL AND AIRSOFT, THE AUG STILL TAKES TOP BILLET IN MY BOOK”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT AA/APFG MCX RATTLER BRSS SCAR-SC

IMAGE COURTESY reddit.com/r/GasBlowBack/

BEWARE THE RATTLER!

KEEPING A FOCUS ON DIFFERENT GBBR STYLES THAT ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW BILL HAS BEEN HAVING SOME FUN WITH THE AA/APFG MCX RATTLER, AND BELIEVES THAT HE’S FINALLY FOUND A “SIG” THAT SUITS HIM DOWN TO THE GROUND! AFTER EXTENSIVE RANGE TESTING HE NOW SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON A LITTLE HANDFUL OF GAS-POWERED JOY! 18

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT AA/APFG BRSS MCX RATTLER SCAR-SC

I

’ve said it many times before but although I’m a big guy I do have a bit of a “thing” about short, super-compact “SBR” type platforms, and the first time I saw the MCX Rattler I thought “that’s a bit of me right there”! A number of the guys in the AA Crew and friends already own MCX and MPX platforms and love them, but I’ve stayed away from that particular rabbit-hole up until now, waiting for someone to create the SPEAR (which of course is a totally different platform entirely!)… no good reason why, I just have enough similar carbines and rifles already is all… said no airsofter, ever!

However, when I paid a visit to our friends up at iWholesales back in November ’23 I was introduced to something that had recently arrived in their

warehouse in the form of the MCX Rattler, and I was immediately drooling a little… could this finally be the MCX I had been looking for, the model that would tip me over the edge to adding one to my armoury?

Of course I picked one up there and then, and I’ve been giving it a proper seeing-to over the last couple of months; you may question my sanity here given that we’re pretty much in the coldest part of the year here in the UK, and the Rattler is of course a GBBR, but I say why not test in the most adverse conditions to see how it performs? If it performs at 7 degrees C and below then it’s only going to get better… but more on that later!

Now over the course of the past couple of years

“IN NOVEMBER ’23 I WAS INTRODUCED TO SOMETHING THAT HAD RECENTLY ARRIVED IN THEIR WAREHOUSE IN THE FORM IF THE MCX RATTLER, AND I WAS IMMEDIATELY DROOLING A LITTLE… COULD THIS FINALLY BE THE MCX I HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR, THE MODEL THAT WOULD TIP ME OVER THE EDGE TO ADDING ONE TO MY ARMOURY?”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY AA/APFG MCX RATTLER

we’ve followed the MCX and MPX airsoft models coming onto the market, and both Boycie and Dan have kept things right up to date in this respect; we’ve looked at the stock models, and also at custom builds, so isn’t the MCX Rattler just more of the same… well, yes and no to be honest. In essence it’s still an MCX, albeit the shortest CQB-focused and (in my opinion) punchiest of the bunch so far, there’s a few things going on that make this particular model a little bit special.

If you head on over to Youtube there’s another excellent video from Garand Thumb entitled “US Special Operation’s Smallest Assault Rifle” where he has some serious shooty-times with the real Rattler chambered in .300 BLK, and from his comments and those on the SIG website, this is one fun-sized firearm that really packs a punch: “Featuring a 5.5” PDW barrel, the MCX platform has never been more compact or accessible. Ready to go where-ever it’s needed, the MCX Rattler has a thin, foldable stock for easy concealment and stowage.

This gun was designed from the ground up to be as discrete as possible while retaining all the capabilities of the MCX. Free-floating M-LOK handguards matched with a PDW upper and a PDW Ultra-Thin Folding Aluminium Stock, the MCX Rattler SBR is the ideal choice for fast-moving operators.”

That again sings to me, as do like an SBR, and as Mr Thumb says this is currently “in inventory” with USSOCOM so it actually has some military/MilSim legs which is a complete bonus as far as I’m concerned, and makes this model even more desirable.

COOL OUTSIDE AND IN

Now there does seem to be some confusion as to exactly who AA/APFG are; it’s obvious that they’re based in Taiwan, and the overall build quality and the internal configuration suggests to me that the company behind this particular Rattler know what they’re about when it comes to GBBRs. That narrows the field a bit, but without 100% confirmation I won’t speculate as I believe we may well be into the realm of gun politics and licencing here, a topic best left well alone… Let’s just say for now that the Rattler is very competently replicated in airsoft form by someone who knows their way around gas systems and leave it

there…

With that out of the way, let’s have a very close look at the platform itself, and externally it is impeccable. Put together in high-grade, robust nylon with steel/alloy elements, this Rattler looks great and appears to offer a perfect balance of weight/durability which of course means it will be easy to run with and manipulate and still take a pounding; its compact design, with an overall length will guarantee pinpoint control, even in tight spaces. With an overall length ranging from 400mm to 740mm, the Rattler will provide lots of options in any tactical situation; the inner barrel measures 138mm, providing the accuracy you need in close-quarter engagements, and weighing in at just 2800g, it won’t slow you down either.

The finish to all external parts is first rate, a really deep matte/stain black that oozes quality. With a full length 290mm railed upper there’s space to easily mount your optic of choice, and the two-slot M-LOK rail offers further accessory option-points and 3, 6, and 9. Controls are ambi and suitably “AR” so no issues there at all, and I like the slightly oversized mag release a lot. The M-LOK system at the sharp end also offers QD sling points L and R-side, and these are replicated at the rear in the lower, in a position just forward of the super-neat CNC minimalist folding stock that will be ideal if you choose to run a singlepoint; you do get a single QD sling swivel in the box, so I’m thinking here that a singlepoint would be the thing.

The muzzle device is chunky and aggressive, and actually to me looks far better than that shown on the “real”, and a plus here is that this mates perfectly with the titanium-grey SIG-style can that you get as a part of the airsoft deal; this quick-detach suppressor (really, truly quick-detach!) really enhances the rifle’s aesthetics and is beautifully put together, and it replicates the style originally seen with the MCX perfectly! I have an old SIG-style “training-blue suppressor” from J-TAC that I know was made to the specifications of the real, and the AA/APFG version is true to that, and looks great too. Overall the Rattler is a great little platform, and looking at detail images of the “real” the only thing that screams out to me is the difference in the pistol grip on the AA/APFG take… however, that “could” be an easy fix “of” you could

“IF YOU HEAD ON OVER TO YOUTUBE THERE’S ANOTHER EXCELLENT VIDEO FROM GARAND THUMB ENTITLED “US SPECIAL OPERATION’S SMALLEST ASSAULT RIFLE” WHERE HE HAS SOME SERIOUS SHOOTY-TIMES WITH THE REAL RATTLER CHAMBERED IN .300 BLK, AND FROM HIS COMMENTS AND THOSE ON THE SIG WEBSITE, THIS IS ONE FUN-SIZED FIREARM THAT REALLY PACKS A PUNCH” 20

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ARMOURY AA/APFG MCX RATTLER

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ARMOURY AA/APFG MCX RATTLER

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ARMOURY AA/APFG MCX RATTLER

lay hands on a real SIG grip… if…

Internally things look pretty darn cool too, as the OS is sweet! Running a full-travel BCG and an efficient gas blowback system, the Rattler delivers some excellent results both in terms of gas efficiency and overall operation, even in cold weather. The trigger pack is neat and crisp, with a very positive reset, and operation between Safe, Semi-Auto, and Full Auto is very crisp indeed. The front-end adjustable Hop-Up system is also very crisp and easy to use; adjusted in the “gas block” using a 5mm hex key it’s massively easy to dial in precise BB/shot placement.

The Rattler comes supplied with a 30 BB metal “STANAG” style magazine that’s solidly put together and features a “hidden” rear-high fill valve, something that I’m seeing from some of the best manufacturers in Taiwan that mean that the valve disappears when in use. I did try the Rattler with a couple of different gas mags, and I can confirm that VFC “STANAGS” and standard “BCM” mags will fit and function, but GHK, WE and VFC V-MAGS sadly will not.

DOWNRANGE

Now as you know, when it comes to GBBR CQB platforms my #1 choice is the Mk18, but I have to say that the Rattler may well give that a run for its money! On the face of it everything is going in the

favour of the Rattler; it’s beautifully manufactured, stunningly finished, and features a cool gas OS and some nice components internally, but as always the big question is how does it perform?

I decided to run the Rattler on VORSK V6 initially to gauge performance, and loaded up with .20g BBs it was off to the chrono and the first shot out with the suppressor attached registered at 1.05 Joule/337fps!

That raised my eyebrows a bit as I really didn’t expect that for such a “shorty”, but then I removed the suppressor and things settled to a mean of 0.87 Joule/306fps which is far more where I thought things would be; it does prove however that fitting that awesome suppressor does nudge the power delivery up a bit, so I’d urge you to chrono for game with that in place! Running it on VORSK V8 in the cold keeps that power output pretty steady although it does chuff a bit on full-auto when the temperature really plummets; on semi it seems happy though which is what I’m looking for.

Next up of course was range and accuracy; the Rattler comes with the 30 BB mag mentioned earlier as standard, which charges through the upper rear.

With the “gas block hop” dialled in and the mag loaded with .30g it was onto the range, testing solely using one of my EoTECHs; sadly the Rattler doesn’t come with any kind of iron sights, but a good red dot or holo works perfectly, although some of you

“THE MUZZLE DEVICE IS CHUNKY AND AGGRESSIVE, AND ACTUALLY TO ME LOOKS FAR BETTER THAN THAT SHOWN ON THE “REAL”, AND A PLUS HERE IS THAT THIS MATES PERFECTLY WITH THE TITANIUM-GREY SIG-STYLE CAN THAT YOU GET AS A PART OF THE AIRSOFT DEAL; THIS QUICK-DETACH SUPPRESSOR (REALLY, TRULY QUICK-DETACH!) REALLY ENHANCES THE RIFLE’S AESTHETICS” www.airsoftaction.net

25

ARMOURY AA/APFG MCX RATTLER

might wish to add a riser as the folding stock is quite low. Racking the action produces a solid thump as the bolt slides forward into battery; the fire selector switch is the standard AR style and as with most GBBRs if the selector is in semi-auto, it can only be switched to safe if the charging handle is pulled just like the real deal.

Over the years I’ve come to expect some unusual things accuracy-wise from airsoft platforms with super-short barrels and the Rattler sits on the positive side of that I’m pleased to say; at 10m I was able to clang 300x300mm targets each and every time which is perfect for a CQB-oriented platform, and supported I was able to achieve sub-60mm groups at 10m too. Punching things out to 30m I was getting “centre mass” on some old Fig11-style targets, which is perfectly respectable, and of course with each BB down you get that lovely recoil effect; it’s not quite such a hard kick compared to some of my other higher-powered DMR GBBs but you certainly know it’s there.

So, have AA/APFG brought something tasty to the GBBR table? I’d have to say yes, as the quality of the finish throughout is sublime, everything fits together perfectly, and the internal system works like a dream. My belief is that behind the “AA/APFG” MCX RATTLER is a manufacturer, or even possibly a conglomerate of manufacturing expertise, that we already know, but one that is constrained by “licencing politics” from stepping into the light and taking a well-earned bow in relation to this super little GBBR. At a nudge over the UK£600 mark for the rifle, suppressor, and single mag combo the AA/APFG MCX RATTLER is not a budget option when it comes to a GBBR, but oh my, it is outstanding! Would I have one myself? Yes, actually I would as I love the weight, size, shooting performance and downright utility of it! Would it replace my trusty Mk18 GBBR for “close encounters”? Mmmmm, we’ll have to wait and see; perhaps I need to get them “head to head” but I will say that if you come on the receiving end of one I’d definitely advise you BEWARE THE RATTLER! For more information on the AA/APFG MCX RATTLER and much, much more please pay a visit to www.iwholesales.biz AA

“OVER THE YEARS I’VE COME TO EXPECT SOME UNUSUAL THINGS ACCURACY-WISE FROM AIRSOFT PLATFORMS WITH SUPER-SHORT BARRELS AND THE RATTLER SITS ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THAT I’M PLEASED TO SAY; AT 10M I WAS ABLE TO CLANG 300X300MM TARGETS EACH AND EVERY TIME WHICH IS PERFECT FOR A CQBORIENTED PLATFORM” 26

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ARMOURY AA/APFG MCX RATTLER

“MY BELIEF IS THAT BEHIND THE “AA/APFG” MCX RATTLER IS A MANUFACTURER, OR EVEN POSSIBLY A CONGLOMERATE OF MANUFACTURING EXPERTISE, THAT WE ALREADY KNOW, BUT ONE THAT IS CONSTRAINED BY “GUN POLITICS” FROM STEPPING INTO THE LIGHT AND TAKING A WELL-EARNED BOW”

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN/BOLT EMG/CYMA NOVESKE BRSSN4 SCAR-SC GEN III

NOTABLE NOVESKE! 28

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ARMOURY EMG/CYMA CYBERGUN/BOLT NOVESKE BRSSN4SCAR-SC GEN III

THIS MONTH WE’RE LOOKING AT GBBRS, MANY THAT ARE PERFECT FOR CQB PLAY, AND THERE WAS ONE THAT WE WANTED TO SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME WITH DUE TO ITS UNIQUE CHARACTER! BEST KNOWN FOR THEIR LICENCED MODELS, BILL NOW TAKES A LOOK AT THE FULLY-LOADED “NOVESKE-LICENCED” N4 GEN III GBBR FROM EMG… WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM CYMA!

www.airsoftaction.net

29

ARMOURY EMG/CYMA NOVESKE N4 GEN III

D

uring the past few years the airsoft community has seen more and more real firearm companies join the bandwagon to protect their company’s trademarks by setting up their own airsoft divisions, or teaming up with large airsoft companies to produce their “own” product, be it for use in the 6mm training environment or on the skirmish field.

When it comes to “brand appeal for many of us, you cannot get much more desirable that Noveske in my opinion!

Now I have to admit being somewhat (read MASSIVELY!) envious when Stewbacca got his hands on the RATech version of the Noveske N4, the carbine model that appears to be turning up in the hands of DEVGRU and others in the US Special Operations community if the images coming out are to be

believed! The RATech N4 though really is a cuttingedge, high-performance and top-of-the-tree GBBR and no mistake; Stewbacca’s further comments on

continued use and testing can be found in Red Cell this month, and the more he writes about it, the more I WANT ONE, even with the hefty pricetag!

This is because I’ve long been a vocal “Noveske Fanboi”, right from the day I first set my eyes on the “Diplomat” and thought that it would be an ideal platform for airsoft CQB encounters; if you are a selfconfessed “gun bunny” like me then you will already know the Noveske brand, and when it comes to airsoft, the licensed NSR Rail System and KX3 “Hog” have been on the market for years, and so have some mighty fine AEGs like the “Infidel” and the “Space Invader” just to quote a couple of my more recent favourites.

And those, my fellow airsofters, are both models that have come about under the licence agreement held by Evike Manufacturing Group (EMG) in the USA in collaboration with the likes of APS in the case of the “Infidel”, one of my all-time favourite AR AEGs! Regarded as one of the truly big innovators behind correctly brand-licenced airsoft replicas in the world, I won’t go on too much about their history either as we’ve spoken about them so many times before, but it is a grand one that stretches way, WAY back now.

EMG are constantly striving to push the boundaries in terms of design and production, apparently carrying along a whole host of collaborative partners on the way, and it’s been my great pleasure over recent months to have been able to have a really good look, and much shooting time, with the latest in this lineup which just happens to be Noveskeinspired…another take on the N4 GEN III GBBR that’s driven along by the all-new CYMA GAS SYSTEM!

“NOW I HAVE TO ADMIT BEING SOMEWHAT (READ MASSIVELY!) ENVIOUS WHEN STEWBACCA GOT HIS HANDS ON THE RATECH VERSION OF THE NOVESKE N4, THE CARBINE MODEL THAT APPEARS TO BE TURNING UP IN THE HANDS OF DEVGRU AND OTHERS IN THE US SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMUNITY IF THE IMAGES COMING OUT ARE TO BE BELIEVED” 30

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ARMOURY EMG/CYMA NOVESKE N4 GEN III

WAIT… WHO?

Yup, you heard that right … CYMA… GAS… SYSTEM! Known already simply as the CGS the internals for the latest N4 are pretty sweet, and they’ve essentially been developed in yet another collaboration, this between CYMA and T8 (SP System); I know from “my mates what know” in the Far East that T8 products are “china-made” (no bad thing these days…) and have some G&P heritage (another good thing…), although now they concentrate on extras for the Tokyo Marui MWS among other things. This “new” gas system does draw inspiration from the popular and already heavily field-tested MWS series, so it should be fully crosscompatible with most standard MWS-spec parts so as to serve as an excellent base that can be sensibly and easily upgraded and modified (should you so desire!), and the new model introduces an adjustable trigger pull for enhanced adjustment too!

After picking up the N4 from iWholesales I made my way home for the “unboxing”, but actually there wasn’t a box as this gorgeous carbine arrived as an unboxed early-production sample in one of iWholesales own super rifle-slips! There were also no glossy pamphlets, an owner’s manual, catalogue, or associated paperweight gubbins, just the N4 and a magazine!

As I took the N4 from the slip though my first thoughts were “oh my, this is lush!”. The immediate quality of this RIF was excellent; it felt solid, really solid! Giving it a thoroughly scientific “darn good shake”, the whole platform did not make a noise, not a creak or rattle evident anywhere! I wasn’t expecting this; in all the years I have been a player in the community, and then a reviewer, I have fettled with my fair share of AEG’s and GBBRs from expensive to cheap so I usually expect something to wobble, even if it’s just the stock.

With the N4… nothing, and even when you pop in the magazine there’s only the tiniest amount of movement, so all the tolerances appear to be extremely fine, and to increase the durability and strength of the platform overall CYMA have included in the mix steel parts such as the bolt carrier, complete trigger assembly, hammer, bolt catch, magazine

release, muzzle device, buffer tube nut, rear plate, bolt stop, ejection port cover with latch, and trigger group retaining pin!

The 30BB magazine I’ve discovered is based on the real-deal Lancer Systems L5AWM® 300BLK which has been specifically engineered for use with subsonic .300 Blackout ammunition (200+ grain), the Lancer L5AWM® 300BLK magazine has distinctive .300 Blackout markings and the a contrasting FED floor plate for easy visual identification, and in the case of the gas replica mag this matches toe main colour perfectly too! Although the real AWM is indeed translucent, and this has been carried over to the airsoft version, the obvious card “bullet” insert looks cheap to me, and it’s the only thing on the N4 I would have liked to have seen done differently. That said, with an seriously oversized knocker (is this now a “thing”?) the gas magazine functions perfectly well, so it’s purely a visual “eye-of-the-beholder” thing Being the lucky boy I am, and also being part of Red Cell, I’ve been treated with plenty of well trademarked RIF’s in recent years so I was eager to see how well EMG/CYMA had engraved this N4.

Talk about a good job, from what I can tell this is the spitting image of the real thing, even down to the “300 BLK” legend on the dust cover! The trades and all markings are super-crisp, I’d go as far as to say laser engraved as they look so sweet. When I compared this with photos of the real N4 this is a damn fine Noveske replica.

Finished in a really, really nice and totally even Tan/ FDE colour the EMG/CYMA take on the N4 is a real looker! Every single part is perfectly colour-matched; M-LOK Fore-end, Upper and Lower Receivers, Pistol Grip, Sliding Stock and even BUIS are the same tone giving the N4 a striking “real world” appearance; the silver barrel and black muzzle brake/buffer tube just act as attractive counterpoints to this. Weighing in at a very usable 2700g, and at 725/800mm long this is a platform you could run all day with, and as I see it as a serious MilSim platform that’s absolutely bang-on!

BBs DOWN!

With a watery sun lighting up the winter woods, I ventured out to my homemade range with the N4, my

“AS I TOOK THE N4 FROM THE SLIP THOUGH MY FIRST THOUGHTS WERE “OH MY, THIS IS LUSH!”. THE IMMEDIATE QUALITY OF THIS RIF WAS EXCELLENT; IT FELT SOLID, REALLY SOLID! GIVING IT A THOROUGHLY SCIENTIFIC “DARN GOOD SHAKE”, THE WHOLE PLATFORM DID NOT MAKE A NOISE, NOT A CREAK OR RATTLE EVIDENT ANYWHERE” www.airsoftaction.net

31

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ARMOURY EMG/CYMA NOVESKE N4 GEN III

ready bag and plate carrier. What could be nicer? As some of you now know, I’m a big GBBR fan, mainly because of their “realism”, recoil, mag cut-off and reliability these days, so I was SERIOUSLY looking forward to getting some BBs downrange with the N4, and I wasn’t to be disappointed.

Time to bomb up! Only having one Lancer Systems magazine was going to slow down my test but would give me more time to get a feel for this magazine which holds 30 BBs. The first magazine was used to chrono; power started at a very solid 316fps (0.95 Joule), but the N4 was “box fresh” so I expected some rise in numbers as testing progressed and things settled a little. Magazine two was used to set the hop and after a further two magazines, I was hitting a plate at 30m without issue. Magazine five chrono’d at 320 to 323fps (iro 0.92 Joule), and magazine 10 came in at a solid 323/325 fps (iro 0.98 Joule). At this point I’d started to bang off BBs in semi and full auto, switching between both flawlessly. Rate of fire in both modes is fantastic, and both the trigger and selector switch on the N4 are to my liking, just the right amount of resistance, and in terms of the trigger a very positive break and reset.

By magazine fifteen, I was feeling at one with the N4 and how it fired. I chose not to put any optic on it and get a feel for the “irons”, and once set, I was very happy with sight acquisition. I’m increasingly a fan of M-LOK rails, although I personally still find them a bit on the skinny side, but like my other M-LOKs this light, slender front end really made the N4 feel nimble when transitioning from target to target. As I banged in the twentieth magazine, I ran a few more BBs through the chrono, resulting in 326/328fps (iro 0.99 Joule), so given another 20 magazines, I’d go as far to say you would be getting a very solid 1 Joule/330fps on a .20g, maybe even a tad higher, a perfect power for most skirmish fields and most CQB sites around the globe. In total I fired forty magazines without a hitch throughout the afternoon, moving up to .30g for accuracy testing...

The flip-up sights that come fitted as standard to the N4 are indeed more than adequate, and so the Noveske is ready to roll straight from the box just by adding gas and some BBs! Once the hop

was reset, at 30m unsupported it was easy to get hits on a torso-sized target with each BB flying straight and true. I also took the N4 down to the 10m indoor range where we have the Attack Sense Target System set up, and it performed superbly, again in reality down to the overall light weight and the responsiveness of the superb trigger when the targets were flashing on the highest, fastest setting.

ZERO ISSUES

The EMG/CYMA Noveske N4 really is nice to look at, and equally nice to use, I have zero issues or gripes. The N4 has REALLY made me fall in love with all things Noveske all over again, and I do believe it really gives a massive amount of quality and performance for the money. It looks great, feels great, and shoots like a dream so as far as I can see CYMA and EMG have got this 100% right.

I can simply just recommend this GBBR to you as I believe it is a model that, given proper maintenance, will give you great performance for an extended service life. It’s very much a model of its time, with a fabulous nod to the “real”; so, my conclusion?

After spending quality time with this fine GBBR on the ranges my closing comments would be these.

Here in the UK the EMG/CYMA N4 looks as if it will retail somewhere around the £600 mark, not cheap, but in line with many other fine GBBRs and it is a solid, well-made, beautifully “traded” replica.

I need to try some different magazines in the beast as my own MWS mags have been in for servicing and “should” work (a bonus!), and right now I don’t know the price of the “Lancers”. But would I recommend the EMG/CYMA NOVESKE N4 GEN III? So far, it’s an unqualified YES. If you are looking to step up your playing style, especially for MilSim, then take note as this might well be the GBBR you’re looking for.

Thank you to the guys at iWholesales who supplied the N4 for test, and do be sure to check this model out with your local retailer if, like me, you like a GBBR that’s good to go from the box (or slip as the case may be!), and that has the full-blessing of the “real deal” manufacturer! AA

“I’D STARTED TO BANG OFF BBS IN SEMI AND FULL AUTO, SWITCHING BETWEEN BOTH FLAWLESSLY. RATE OF FIRE IN BOTH MODES IS FANTASTIC, AND BOTH THE TRIGGER AND SELECTOR SWITCH ON THE N4 ARE TO MY LIKING, JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE, AND IN TERMS OF THE TRIGGER A VERY POSITIVE BREAK AND RESET”

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ARMOURY EMG/CYMA NOVESKE N4 GEN III

www.airsoftaction.net

35

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TECHNICAL ACETECH ACEHIVE X SPAWNER

HIVEMINDED

IN THE DAYS OF TAG ROUNDS AS A REGULAR GAME-DAY “FORCE MULTIPLIER” AND WITH VARIOUS AIRSOFT GRENADE-LAUNCHER DESIGNS STILL CAUSING DEBATE AMONGST THE AIRSOFT COMMUNITY WORLDWIDE, BILL TAKES US BACK TO SIMPLER DAYS WHEN THE MOSCART WAS KING, AND PUTS A CASE AS TO WHY IT STILL IS IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS… ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S SOMETHING QUITE UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE LIKE THE ACEHIVE X SPAWNER!

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TECHNICAL ACETECH ACEHIVE X SPAWNER

J

ust before Christmas I was in my local airsoft store, All Ages Airsoft, and having my normal shoot and catchup with owner and some-time contributor Marcus; like me, Marcus has been around airsoft on and off for longer than either of us care to remember, and when we’re shooting we all too often fall into talking about the “old days of airsoft”, and of course about people we knew in common, and some of you among the “old and bold” like us may remember a character we all called “MOSCART Mick”.

Now bear in mind that we’re talking here about the original “40mm” MOSCART grenades like the Mosquito Molds Cartridge that were selling back in the day for about £90 apiece; Mick, as both Marcus and I recall had somewhere in the region of 28+ of them, and wasn’t shy about putting them to use in the field… everyone thought he was slightly mad, but we were also a little jealous if I’m honest!

Of course time moves on, the economies of scale kick in, and prices fall which means that a decent set of MOSCARTs (and I use this here as a generic term) for the launcher of your choice isn’t going to need you to take out a second mortgage, and with better build quality, more reliable performance, and more consistent gas to power them there’s never been a better time to own a launcher and some grenades, although shells can still be hard to “live with” if you’re not 100% on top of the maintenance. It does seem to me though that the humble MOSCART is now playing “second fiddle” to the likes of the TAG family of grenades, but in some situations the gas-powered multi-BB-chucker still has a very, very valid place in anyone’s airsoft armoury as far as I’m concerned.

I still think of any 40mm MOSCART launcher as being essentially the airsoft equivalent of a shotgun; at medium engagement distances they can be devastating. Over the years I’ve tried and tried to run a proper Linear Ambush in a game, and from time to time it’s even worked. Whilst I place a support gun in the “Kill Group” I still like to have at least one of my “Cut Off Group” guys at either end with a launcher. If done right the ambush will trigger and you’ll catch the main body of your targets in the centre and decimate them. Undoubtedly there will be a few stragglers at the back of the target group, or runners that try to make off from the front, and having someone pop

up at either end of the ambush to unleash perhaps a huge cloud of BBs in one “ploomp” usually solves either problem!

I’m not personally keen using MOSCARTs in building clearance though as engagement distances can get very muddled, very fast, but I have seen launchers used to great effect in this scenario too; again, if you’re at a medium engagement distance and use one against the building itself it’s a great deterrent to the other side popping their heads up at inopportune moments…

INSIDE ACETECH

But even the best-maintained MOSCARTs can be a pain as we all know, and if you only own a couple the time it can take to reload and reset them can mean minimal use of quite an expensive bit of kit in-game… until now! When I was in Taiwan with Stewbacca, Nonocat and Romain one of the companies we visited was ACETECH, and very welcoming they were too… I won’t be forgetting the sumptuous lunch they treated us too, or indeed the good company that we shared with them!

Acetk Corp Ltd. (Acetech) is an airsoft accessory manufacturer who specialises in a myriad of oustanding tracer units, chronographs, control systems and even a first-rate auto-target system, one that we all tried at their HQ and enjoyed immensely.

Acetech tracer units are designed for a whole host of different platforms and even to enable users to install them inside suppressors making unique tracer units like some awesome “Surefire” versions that I so drooled over. Using thoroughly professional techniques Acetech also provides the technical consulting services for well-known AEG and GBB manufacturers and assists them design their electronic control systems, giving superb performance and ensuring that all Acetech products are CE and FCC certified.

One of the things that took my eye in their showroom was an odd-looking (to me), see-through grenade with what looked like a coffee cup on top… as I was somewhat fixated on their range of suppressor/tracer units I didn’t pay it much heed… until Marcus put the self-same thing in front of me last month when I visited his shop, and oh boy, the

“IT DOES SEEM TO ME THOUGH THAT THE HUMBLE MOSCART IS NOW PLAYING “SECOND FIDDLE” TO THE LIKES OF THE TAG FAMILY OF GRENADES, BUT IN SOME SITUATIONS THE GAS-POWERED MULTI-BB-CHUCKER STILL HAS A VERY, VERY VALID PLACE IN ANYONE’S AIRSOFT ARMOURY AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED” www.airsoftaction.net

39

TECHNICAL ACETECH ACEHIVE X SPAWNER

ACEHIVE X SPAWNER then REALLY got my attention!

Having popped some of the ACEHIVE 80 BB shells through my “pirate gun”, the cut-down M79 that I love so much, I was seriously impressed both in terms of the spread of shot and the ease of “one second reloading”. I asked Marcus his thoughts on the system as a tech, and he told me: “It’s very rare I find something in airsoft that is truly new and innovative there’s a lot of kit that has been released recently that is just a re-mash of an old piece of kit but with the ACEHIVE I am genuinely impressed!

“ACETECH appear to have found the inherent problems with the old MOSCART shells and designed something that performs excellently. So, what are the main problems we traditionally see with MOSCARTS? Well, number one is they are a pain in the butt to load, and number two is that they weren’t always reliable and of course they were a pain to strip and replace the seals that tended to go all too often.

“Well, as far as I can see ACETECH have sorted out those issues very well; to start with the system comes

screw-on lid and an orange button on the side to unlock the tool and load the shell! Moulded in the bottom there is a section that accepts the “hive” shell, and when it comes to this the whole body is very well made and extremely well thought out .

“The shell itself has an orange machined base with a black aluminium gas chamber with the ACEHIVE emblem in white on the side. Then you have the top part of the shell which is made of clear, completely solid polymer/plastic and has the fill valve at the top

in the middle. Around that is the retention system for holding the BBs, then around the circumference are ten tubes moulded into it each of which holds 10 BBs so the total that the unit holds is 80 BBs. At the base of the shell is the firing plunger, and that’s more or less it. It’s a very well-designed, well-made and attractive shell that together with the “spawner” works insanely well!”

A CLOUD OF BBS! with what ACETECH calls the “spawner” which is the loading tool for the shells that are called the “hive”.

The “spawner” unit (Bill’s “coffee cup”) hold about 300 BBs and is made of tough grey plastic with a

To load a shell all you need to do is unscrew the lid of the “spawner”, fill it with BBs then replace the lid then fill the shell with gas just like you would any GBB mag; the only thing you need to make sure is that the firing plunger is flush with the base plate, and after

“HAVING POPPED SOME OF THE ACEHIVE 80 BB SHELLS THROUGH MY “PIRATE GUN”, THE CUT-DOWN M79 THAT I LOVE SO MUCH, I WAS SERIOUSLY IMPRESSED BOTH IN TERMS OF THE SPREAD OF SHOT AND THE EASE OF “ONE SECOND RELOADING””

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TECHNICAL ACETECH ACEHIVE X SPAWNER

that you can fit the shell in the base of the “spawner” unit.

You need to hold the shell with the “spawner” on top with the orange button facing you, then while holding the shell press the orange button and twist the lower half of the “spawner” to the left and you will see all the tubes in the shell will fill in an instant!

Release the button on the “spawner” and this in turn will allow the “spawner” to reset itself. Then you simply remove the “spawner” and push down hard on the star shaped retention unit on the top of the shell; this will push an o-ring out enough to stop any BBs falling out that’s it… the shell is good to go, put it in the launcher of your choice and have fun… a pull of the trigger will send out a cloud of BBs with a big “crack” that’s sure to turn some heads… and then keep those heads down behind cover!

Once you’ve used the shell all you have to do is check the plunger is flush with the base and then gas and reload, and again, that’s it! The spread you get out of the shell at about five meters distance is about three meters wide, so not too bad for this type of shell; the power will depend on the gas used, but with a gas fill of five seconds with green gas I’d say it would be around 0.37 Joule/200fps in a large shotgun pattern.

In terms of innovation ACETECH have really done a great job! The whole system is very well thought out and extremely well made; I’m looking forward to seeing what ACETECH release this year!

I can only second what Marcus has described; I own about 25 MOSCARTs myself now, and they sadly never really see the light of day as I’m just fed up constantly maintaining and loading the darn things!

With the ACEHIVE though everything is simple, super (lightning!) fast, and the spread a five/ten meters is certainly good enough to carry out the “cut-off” role that I mentioned earlier. Of course the best bit about the ACEHIVE system though is that it’s RELIABLE. Suffice to say having used it on the basement range at the shop I was sold, an early Xmas pressie to self, so well done Marcus for your superlative selling skills!

ACETECH offers a cracking starter pack consisting of THE “spawner” unit and two ACEHIVE gas grenades, and although this isn’t super-cheap I do believe it offers great value for money. You can also buy the shells separately and the “spawner” on its own…

If you’re fed up with the shortcomings old-skool MOSCART shells then go try the ACETECH ACEHIVE X SPAWNER setup for yourself… while your wallet may groan a little, you as player will thank me, and I do believe you’ll have just as much fun with the system as us!

Check them out by visiting www.acetk.com or check with your friendly local shop as the ACETECH ACEHIVE X SPAWNER should now be widely available.

AA

“WITH THE ACEHIVE THOUGH EVERYTHING IS SIMPLE, SUPER (LIGHTNING!) FAST, AND THE SPREAD A FIVE/TEN METERS IS CERTAINLY GOOD ENOUGH TO CARRY OUT THE “CUT-OFF” ROLE THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER. OF COURSE THE BEST BIT ABOUT THE ACEHIVE SYSTEM THOUGH IS THAT IT’S RELIABLE” www.airsoftaction.net

41

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8,0

40 qm

3,0

Wolverine Airsoft

Grepow 12 qm

2-407

2-409

4,0

5,0

3,0

18 qm

6,0

,0

3,0

2-402

DE

LTA A

Novritsch Airsoft

HFC 9,2

10,0

2-306

2-304

14

Air R

3,0

2-4 4,0 00

2-404

5,0

7,0 3,0

2-408

PUFFDINO TRADE

4,0

2-410

Ares Alpha 3,0 12 qm

15 qm

9,0

APS

9,0

27 qm

LANCER TACTICAL

12 qm

REPLICA GUNS

9 qm

2-509a

63 qm

(Altin

3,0 Finances)

2-507 9 qm

Anlieferung Delivery

3,0

Halle / hall 2 Tor / door 1 FM

2-504 00 2-5 11,5 ft ,0 so 10 Air ot ing r o Sh rcou ft Pa irso A en y b e ld H 40

18 qm

2-509

3,0

3,0

6,0

15,0

6,0

2-508

Airsoft Shooting Parcour

by Airsoft Helden

10,0

10,0

60 qm

121,13 qm

qm

9,2 4,0

Uebergang/to Hallen / halls 3C 4,0

2-600

6,0

25,0

100 qm

www.delta-armory.com

10

THE CAGE NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS

THE CAGE:

HITTIN’ ‘24!

JUST LIKE ALL OF YOU OUT THERE SETTING UP FOR A WHOLE NEW YEAR OF AIRSOFT THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION ARE MAKING PLANS, SERVICING THEIR AEGS AND GBBS, AND GETTING THEIR GEAR IN ORDER! SO WHAT HAVE THE TEAM GOT IN THEIR OWN PLANNING FOR 2024, AND WHAT ARE THEIR RESOLUTIONS?

A

t this time of year I always feel a little tingle of excitement; airsoft has been a part (a BIG part!) of my life now for so long that I know that each and every year will bring new challenges, new airsoft adventures, and new experiences with friends both old and new!

So, another year, and it’s another exciting year for, and of, AIRSOFT ACTION too! As we head into YEAR 13 of continuous monthly publication the team, it must be said, is stronger than ever and the levels of commitment shown by everyone to producing the best, most insightful and hopefully entertaining airsoft content has just continued to grow!

As with any group there is a

passionate, hard core of individuals who are committed to making AIRSOFT ACTION truly the #1 monthly airsoft magazine in the world, but that’s not to say that every single contributor doesn’t have this “front and centre” too and we’re aiming to bring in more new recruits this year to report from even more countries! As we’ve reset for the coming year there’s masses to look forward to, and we’ll continue to make new friendships and add new contributors as we move on forward… again.

It’s a new year that kicked off early again with MOA in December, and what a huge amount of goodness we saw in that single show as Stu highlighted in his report just last month! Boycie, L’il Stu and Dan are all set for SHOT Show later this month, and we’ll have coverage of that as it’s happening as usual! Jase and I will be heading again to IWA in March, and again we’ll bring you updates of new directions at the show as we see them!

But for me there’s already a couple of things that are exciting me for this year like the new Gen of the VFC BCM MCMR, and I already KNOW that there will be more from VORSK, LCT, Specna Arms, EMG, ARES, VFC, G&G, ICS, DELTA and a number of our manufacturing friends for 2024 as I’m privileged to be able to know just a little of what’s in their design

“THERE IS A PASSIONATE, HARD CORE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO MAKING AIRSOFT ACTION TRULY THE #1 MONTHLY AIRSOFT MAGAZINE IN THE WORLD, BUT THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT EVERY SINGLE CONTRIBUTOR DOESN’T HAVE THIS “FRONT AND CENTRE” TOO AND WE’RE AIMING TO BRING IN MORE NEW RECRUITS THIS YEAR TO REPORT FROM EVEN MORE COUNTRIES!” 44

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THE CAGE NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS

pipeline, but I’m also curious to see what happens with some of the less well-known names in the industry.

For my own resolutions… simple really, continue to shoot more (MORE!) AEGs and GBBs but this year actually get out and use them more in-game too!

Sadly I’ve had a bit of a kick back in my personal battle with the “BIG C” but that ain’t slowing me down… this time last year I made a resolution to get my fitness back up and I did so, so I’m raring to go again and with OP SCORPIO lining up I’m REALLY looking forward to that!

I also pondered if 2023 might be the year I made it Taiwan, and I did… OH YES! Sadly though I missed “Snackfest” in Portugal again last month with Miguel and Matt B… who knows, perhaps I’ll make this happen with my airsoft buds in 2024…

What I do know is that 2024 is shaping up to be an absolutely cracking year, with more shooting, more games, more events and more airsoft adventures yet to be had… I hope you’ll join the AA Crew and I as we make the leap into the New Year, and I sincerely hope that yours will be as thrilling as ours promises to be!

TEAM TALK

As usual, like a cantankerous relative at Christmas

I’ve said quite enough, so I asked the members of the AA LEGION “WHAT ARE YOUR AIRSOFT NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS, AND WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?” and the overwhelming consensus was to shoot more, and play more, especially on the MilSim side of things.

However, some of the crew went into more detail, and this is what they had to tell me; Stewbacca: More of the same for me, #GetShitDone with ever-increasing intensity. I have a laundry list of new guns to review on the horizon, and some in hand already, along with more long term planning efforts afoot here, exciting times. Also want to try and keep up a more regular ISPC schedule and potentially even start IDPA along with my teammates Ou and Peter who train in both circles. Civil Defence things are also increasing with conferences and more training on the horizon, our skirmish team want to start pushing more of the core group to do TCCC or similar medical training among other tactical things we’re already amidst

doing or planning… getting in better shape is a personal goal, can’t fight off the Marxists when you’re phat!

I have a few visits already done before with Anny to tidy up the articles for and hopefully she will have the opportunity to do more of her own autonomous

“LIKE A CANTANKEROUS RELATIVE AT CHRISTMAS I’VE SAID QUITE ENOUGH, SO I ASKED THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION “WHAT ARE YOUR AIRSOFT NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS, AND WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?” AND THE OVERWHELMING CONSENSUS WAS TO SHOOT MORE, AND PLAY MORE, ESPECIALLY ON THE MILSIM SIDE OF THINGS” www.airsoftaction.net

45

THE CAGE NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS

contributions as before so we can keep working together but also separately to cover more ground and let me focus on gun reviews while she does the people/company-oriented things; lots to be done, fellow shooters.

Dan: I think I say this every year, but I’d like to

attend more events!

Between work, the oldest starting Kindergarten, then having every cold, flu, COVID and whatever stopping by for a cup of coffee and a chat, I only managed to get in three major games last year, so I’m beginning to suffer serious withdrawal symptoms now! Aside from that, I’ve set about doing some deep reorganization and cleaning of the shop, clearing out a lot of old parts and stock that’s just been collecting dust and making the space more efficient and organized has already been paying dividends. I’ve had a lot of requests to start making some video content, so I’ve been idly researching what might be involved with setting that up, while simultaneously wondering where the time will come from to actually do it. Onward and upward as they say... even if it’s a bit of a grinding crawl sometimes…

Jase: My year is already looking good as I’ve just put the final plans in place from our trip to IWA at the end of February; flights are booked and airport parking sorted, and as Bill has already secured us a

gucci AirBnB in the heart of Nuremberg we are 100% good to go! I did

manage to secure a SCAR H in 2023, one of my resolutions this time last year, along with a couple of pistols that I’m looking forward to fielding too! Like many of the crew though my main resolution is a simple one, to get out and play more non-MilSim-based games; let’s wait and see what happens throughout this year!

Chris: Happy New Year chaps! As the others have said, definitely play more airsoft for me; play more, get involved a bit more, and attend a MilSim! The KWA F90 hands down

“BETWEEN WORK, THE OLDEST STARTING KINDERGARTEN, THEN HAVING EVERY COLD, FLU, COVID AND WHATEVER STOPPING BY FOR A CUP OF COFFEE AND A CHAT, I ONLY MANAGED TO GET IN THREE MAJOR GAMES LAST YEAR, SO I’M BEGINNING TO SUFFER SERIOUS WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS NOW!”

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THE CAGE NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS

has got me buzzing for the coming year; I have my own now, and I want to use the hell out of it!

Boycie: Resolutions for me are go to the USA for SHOT Show (tick), shoot even more, and get out and play more too!

of course, carry my weight as a member of the AA Legion!

To my fellow players, remember that airsoft is just airsoft. In the end, we play to have fun and decompress from the stress accumulated during the week. Airsoft lets us play as we want, no one has to please other players or follow random trends. To our industry friends, start looking at the community without “social media lenses”; influencers and pretty pictures come and go, but the communities are still (and always will be) there. AA

Miguel: My airsoft resolutions... I’m already looking at the calendar being filled with airsoft events, and that’s pretty much what I want, to keep airsoft in the field, have fun, attend amazing events and exchange experiences with players from all over. Outside the field, I want to keep my work as ambassador for Viper Tactical and Specna Arms, maintaining my focus on one gear and one replica brand, being close to the community and

“AIRSOFT LETS US PLAY AS WE WANT, NO ONE HAS TO PLEASE OTHER PLAYERS OR FOLLOW RANDOM TRENDS. TO OUR INDUSTRY FRIENDS, START LOOKING AT THE COMMUNITY WITHOUT “SOCIAL MEDIA LENSES”; INFLUENCERS AND PRETTY PICTURES COME AND GO, BUT THE COMMUNITIES ARE STILL (AND ALWAYS WILL BE) THERE.” www.airsoftaction.net

47

RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

IMAGE CURTESY OF KRIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

RED CELL

STILL GASSIN’!

48

ISSUE 158 - FEBRUARY 2024

RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

AS WE MOVE INTO A WHOLE NEW YEAR OF TESTING, IN YEAR 3 OF RED CELL WE’RE BEGINNING TO REALLY FEEL AT HOME WITH OUR LONG-TERM TEST POOL MODELS, AND MANY OF THEM HAVE HAD SOME SERIOUS RANGE AND GAME TIME! AND WE’RE KICKING OFF 2024 BY LOOKING BACK (AND FORWARD) WITH THE GBB ARS THAT ARE STILL GIVING US SOME VERY POSITIVE VIBES WITH SOME NEW ADDITIONS AND SOME OLD CAMPAIGNERS TOO, AND AS ALWAYS BILL TAKES THE LEAD…

www.airsoftaction.net

49

RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

T

hey’re the AR platforms that many love to hate, and a considerable number of spurious tales are told about how they perform year-round, but when it comes to gas-driven carbines and rifles personally I LOVE ‘EM, and it will take an awful lot to dissuade me that in many ways they are the perfect airsoft tool, especially when it comes to the thing that many again say they want…realism.

I’ve written extensively over the years about my passion for “gassers”, and I will always ensure that new models have equal weighting in Airsoft Action when it comes to reviews! However, I will be the first to admit that in order to get the best from a gas carbine or rifle platform you are truly devoting yourself to a style and form of airsoft play that has historically meant you had to have mega-deep pockets and match that up with some serious commitment!

But things move on, don’t they, and they seem to move on right now when it comes to my beloved “gassers” at a pace that I’ve certainly never seen before, and to be honest I’m loving every minute of that too. The good airsoft-times that I’ve experienced with them has completely sold me on gas carbine and rifle platforms, but I continue to search for that “perfect platform” that is close in function to a real firearm but is still reliable enough to actually use ingame on a regular and sustained basis. It has been a long and often frustrating journey that has led me from Western Arms GBBRs, on past VIPERTECH, through KJW and KWA, and onto both WE and VFC, with a smattering of TM, Umarex (I still love their 416) and GHK along the way, but it’s a journey that ultimately here in 2024 I believe is reaching its conclusion.

I have indeed, and I’ll say it again, cried tears of anger and frustration when parts have failed (all too regularly in the past!) or when I’ve simply tried to set the hop (who thought placing a tiny hex-screw OVER the barrel, inside the upper was any kind of good idea???), and the sheer number of insta-vent magazines I’ve had to contend with beggars belief!

But, and it’s a BIG BUT, things have indeed moved on, and these days when I go to test a new GBB AR they all seem to work… and some work pretty darn well too!

There’s a whole host of airsoft companies too that

continue to strive to get the fundamental driving force behind a GBBR, namely the gas itself, as good as it can be, and I have to say that the guys at VORSK have done a cracking job here. Although their “FUEL” itself is slightly more expensive than some, the fact is that VORSK FUEL works in all my GBBRs, and as the gas has become more reliable and stable, so the performance of the platforms themselves has improved in terms of operation and consistency.

Add to this that the base “gun tech” has constantly improved when it comes to something as simple as a nozzle, seal, or hop unit, and things begin to really come together in a totally meaningful way; more and more of us own and use a GBBR, perhaps not in a regular weekend skirmish setting, but certainly when

“I WILL BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT IN ORDER TO GET THE BEST FROM A GAS CARBINE OR RIFLE PLATFORM YOU ARE TRULY DEVOTING YOURSELF TO A STYLE AND FORM OF AIRSOFT PLAY THAT HAS HISTORICALLY MEANT YOU HAD TO HAVE MEGA-DEEP POCKETS AND MATCH THAT UP WITH SOME SERIOUS COMMITMENT!” 50

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RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

it comes to a MilSim, and understand that just like a real firearm a “gasser” needs both love and regular maintenance to get the very best from it, and we’ll touch on this later…

With ammunition prices, especially in the USA, we continue to see the inexorable rise of “6mm Training” in the professional users market too, and as what are essentially airsoft platforms gain greater acceptance for training purposes we are likely to see even greater reliability and durability from our game tools; for this reason we’ve added a couple of “AR PCCs” to the mix.

In my mind, overall the future of the gas AR-style carbine and rifle in airsoft is looking really, REALLY good, and I hope that our update here on some great gas airsoft ARs will give you something to ponder on.

Should you buy a GBBR? Ultimately that is your call, but we’ve carried on testing “head to head” so at least you’ll have a bit of an idea on what to look at, and for, and most importantly, WHY. As always all the models featured here are either held in the AA Long Term Test Pool or are owned by members of “The Cell”; you’ll see that we’ve added a couple of new models recently as we’re really interested to see how these stack up as we hammer each and every one to catch them up on “BB Count”.

All models are power-tested using .20g precision BBs, but range and accuracy testing will of course use something heavier of the users choice.

TEAM TALK

Bill: Unusually for me I’m going to kick things off with Tokyo Marui, as many of you out there think I’m a “hater” when it comes to the venerable Japanese “airsoft daddies”; not so my airsoft friends, not so!

I’m just VERY picky with what I have in my personal armoury and just because a thing comes from a certain brand doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be great!

However, I’ve had an original TM MWS AR in my armoury since 2016, which makes it rather like me… a grand old campaigner! The fact of the matter is that generally TM will only do things when they are ready, and in their hearts truly believe that they have the best product they can possibly offer, and the launch

of their M4A1 MWS GBB in late 2015 was another testament to this.

The thing with Tokyo Marui is that, just as with the introduction of their first AEG, they must have their very own system and the M4A1 MWS, which stands for “Modular Weapons System” just to get that out of the way, is powered by what they call the ZET System.

It took me a while to get to the bottom of this but basically ZET translates as (Z) Final/Ultimate Endurance Technology.

But what does this actually mean? Simply put TM looked at all the existing gas blowback AR technologies out there, and scrutinised what they perceived to be their inherent flaws. With this information in hand away to their inscrutable and secret drawing boards they went, and the ZET System was born. They decided to work on the weakest point, the bolt carrier group, or BCG; they wanted this to be very durable and better than the other existing GBBs that were available and the ZET features a shock absorbing system for durability and a roller system to ensure that the bolt travels smoothly. The new system also employs a larger piston with a diameter of about 19mm, and the bolt operates in conjunction with the cylinder to give superb felt recoil.

Essentially the ZET System was, and is, all about durability by preventing wear and damage to the bolt and catch, utilising piston-absorbers and a frictionrelief bolt roller to reduce the burden on the internal parts during operation. The air nozzle is plastic and stays longer in position than others out there which TM assert gives a more reliable seal to prevent the escape of gas. Working together this ensures the safety and longevity of the BCG; TM originally torturetested the bolt lock for over 10,000 cycles to prove how durable the ZET system is and you can’t really argue with that, can you?

So on the face of it everything looked great for the TM M4A1, and this has indeed proved to be the case over the time I’ve owned it. It’s beautifully manufactured, stunningly finished, and features some more “magic” TM technology internally.

Traditionally TM rifles and carbines as “stock” are a little underpowered given the lower power limits in Japan; yes, they can be upgraded but of course that means even more money thrown at what are normally

“ESSENTIALLY THE ZET SYSTEM WAS, AND IS, ALL ABOUT DURABILITY BY PREVENTING WEAR AND DAMAGE TO THE BOLT AND CATCH, UTILISING PISTONABSORBERS AND A FRICTION-RELIEF BOLT ROLLER TO REDUCE THE BURDEN ON THE INTERNAL PARTS DURING OPERATION.”

www.airsoftaction.net

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RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

VFC BCM MCMR

Price: iro UK£600.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 2142 g Length: 710/790 mm Magazine Capacity: 30 Cold Chrono: 1.28 Joule/372fps Hot Chrono: 1.2 Joule/368fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: uk.redwolfairsoft.com

GHK URGI

Price: iro UK£700.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 2750g Length: 690/770mm Magazine Capacity: 30 Cold Chrono: 1.34 Joule/381fps Hot Chrono: 1.31 Joule/377fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk

VFC SR16

Price: iro UK£360.00 Age: Four Years Weight: 2740g Length: 758/870 mm Magazine Capacity: 30 Cold Chrono: 1.24 Joule/367fps Hot Chrono: 1.18 Joule/358fps Taclite Compatibility: Picatinny Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: uk.redwolfairsoft.com

WE M4A1

Price: iro UK£350.00 Age: Eight Years Weight: 3050g Length: 768/850mm Magazine Capacity: 30 Cold Chrono: 1.16 Joule/354fps Hot Chrono: 1.13 Joule/349fps Taclite Compatibility: Picatinny Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.nuprol.com

KWA LM4

Price: iro UK£450.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 3260g Length: 730/815mm Magazine Capacity: 40 Cold Chrono: 1.17 Joule/356fps Hot Chrono: 1.04 Joule/336fps Taclite Compatibility: Picatinny Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: store.kwausa.com

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RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

not the cheapest of replicas in the first place. TM recommend the use of HFC134A gas so the M4A1 will consistently shoot around .72 Joule/280 fps (below the legal limit in Japan) consistently, but I’ve been running mine recently on VORSK V8 just to see what would happen, and thus far things have gone well… VERT well! Loaded up with .20g it registered initially at 1.06 Joule/339 fps, but things have settled down at a mean of 0.89 Joule/310 fps which of course is perfectly acceptable for pretty much any site (outside Japan that is!). I’ve more recently added my favourite AR platform in the form of the TM Mk18 (yes, ANOTHER Mk18!) and so far I’m loving this too, although TM recommend only low-pressure gas 144a (Nuprol 1.0) with this!

The TM is never going to be the cheapest option when it comes to GBB ARs, but oh my, they actually are outstanding! All I can say is had the MWS been on the market when I bought my first GBBR, like many of you I probably wouldn’t have moved on, and I understand why they’re loved so much by users!

Stewbacca: I’ve had the RATech EMG licensed Noveske N4 Gen 3 10.5” GBBR since June (see my earlier review in Issue 152) and although I haven’t spent as much time behind it since I finished my initial review as I would like to, it has become a standard that I both measure everything else against, as well as something I will lend to some of the new players I’ve been helping recruit to the ranks of Team Taiji.

It may seem a bit excessive handing over an 1100 USD piece of kit to a total noob, but honestly it makes it less of a worrisome day for me, because I know that the RATech gun will just work, be extremely hard-wearing and less prone to breakages, no doubt function flawlessly all day long, and pound BBs out to ridiculous distances, making people’s first experiences awesome and uninhibited by equipment issues. I can focus on my own gameplay and not have to ‘nanny’ the gun as much as I do with some others in my collection, so everyone has a better experience all round, and they see what is possible if you are willing to invest in a single solid platform rather than collecting endless guns like I do!

As a result I now also have the RATech M14 and M4A1 GBBR which our visiting Australian teammate Julius bought direct from their facility in Hualien; off

the strength of my (and his own) experiences with the N4 and my recommendations, while he was visiting us again during summer, he bought them and left them with me for safekeeping while he is back home before his next airsofting holiday, so when I find the opportunity between all the other guns I have lined up for review, I want to compare their performance as well.

The construction quality, out of the box performance and just worry free sewing machine like operation of the RATech line really make you see where the money is well spent and I still have no problem recommending them to people who just want ‘one good gun’ that does everything, and if I were to thin my own collection back at any point like I did in the UK to buy fewer but nicer things just for myself or lending to close friends, you can bet there’d be more of their products among the resulting list!

I’ve used it in competition for the Ding Ding Cup - Steel Challenge match (featured in Issue 154)

“I KNOW THAT THE RATECH GUN WILL JUST WORK, BE EXTREMELY HARD-WEARING AND LESS PRONE TO BREAKAGES, NO DOUBT FUNCTION FLAWLESSLY ALL DAY LONG, AND POUND BBS OUT TO RIDICULOUS DISTANCES, MAKING PEOPLE’S FIRST EXPERIENCES AWESOME AND UNINHIBITED BY EQUIPMENT ISSUES”

www.airsoftaction.net

53

RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

VFC VR16 CQB II (MK18)

Price: iro UK£365.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 2500g Length: 696/777mm Magazine Capacity: 30 Cold Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Taclite Compatibility: 14mm CCW Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: uk.redwolfairsoft.com

GOLDEN EAGLE MC6595M Price: iro UK£170.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 2700g Length: 720/800 mm Magazine Capacity: 50 Cold Chrono: 0.48 Joule/228fps Hot Chrono: 0.43 Joule/216fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.allagesairsoft.com

S&T M4 KEYMOD 13”

Price: iro UK£185.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 2600g Length: 770/850 mm Magazine Capacity:50 Cold Chrono: 0.62 Joule/259fps Hot Chrono: 0.57 Joule/248fps Taclite Compatibility: KeyMod Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.nuprol.com

TOKYO MARUI M4A1 MWS Price: iro UK£420.00 Age: Eight Years Weight: 3470g Length: 777/854 mm Magazine Capacity: 35 Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310 fps Hot Chrono: 1.06 Joule/339 fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail System Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk

VFC VR16 URG-I 14.5”

Price: iro UK£420.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 3050g Length: 823/903 mm Magazine Capacity: 30 Cold Chrono: 1.29 Joule/374fps Hot Chrono: 1.20 Joule/361fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.vegaforce.com

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RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

along with Anny’s awesome photography of it in action, I’ve used it on numerous skirmish sites or let others go ham with it, and taken it as a reliable, lightweight, easy to handle and long range ‘backup’ gun I know I can depend on if whatever else I’m using in preference for gameplay or review reasons gives me any issues, and even after all this time using it and introducing it to others, everyone still comments on the excellent trigger, recoil impulse, accuracy and range and just how much fun it is to shoot.

Besides my own review of the A-Plus CLPD version of the BCM MCMR GBBR I’ve also had hands on with the standard variants, as a few of our core teammates use them as a reliable go-to GBBR AR in team Taiji;

you’re likely to see our team leader sporting his (or his AEG BCM set up in exactly the same way if he isn’t in a gas gun mood) and I’ve been on the receiving end of his well-aimed single shots posted through windows across the tile factory site while I was trying to take him out with the VFC M733 GBBR I had on loan.

In general the BCMs are exceptionally well put together and the more recent internal updates simplify and improve things further for long term use and ease of maintenance, but even the earlier versions I have had experience of haven’t garnered any major complaints and we run everything hot out here in the tropics. They handle really nicely and running the shorter variants of them after time spent lugging a quad rail HK416 or my PSG-1 around really woke me up to just how comfortable and easy to manouever they are with the M-LOK handguards by comparison.

I haven’t gotten hands on with TWS9 besides at MOA where I didn’t get chance to fire it, but I was told there is also a polymer-body version of it on its way which will be a lot more affordable at not that much more than some pistols! It should be around the 8000NT mark (roughly 200GBP), so when that drops you can bet I’ll be interested in throwing my multitude of various Glock magazines through it and going to town on IPSC stages and in the field.

Ben: So, the WE M4 A1 GBBR; I’ve had my gas rifle now for several years and although it is not in the top tier or bottom tier platforms of gas rifles it works rather well; obviously for it to function well the key is to maintain the moving parts (i.e cleaning and lubricating it fairly regularly)… I’ve mostly used my gas rifle for MilSims and drilling manual of arms, and it was slightly modified before it brought it, with a shortened barrel so O turned it into a mk18-styled carbine.

Now WE GBBRs do have a tendency for the trigger box system to have issues with parts wearing out fairly quickly which leads to single shot not working properly… as in you will get burst fire! But this is an easy fix with just a couple of screws to take out the trigger box and replace with new. The real issue with the WE system is the adjustable hop screw, it is set in the most awkward place above the barrel well inside the bolt chamber; I would love to see WE address

“IT IS STILL MY BELIEF THAT EVERY AIRSOFTER NEEDS TO HAVE A GBBR, TO APPRECIATE HOW REALISTIC THESE ARE, AND TO LEARN TO TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT INTO MAINTAINING ONE’S RIFLE PLUS THE SKILL LEVELS WITH TRAINING AND DRILLING TO MAKE YOU MORE EFFICIENT ON THE BATTLEFIELD... PLUS WHO DOESN’T LOVE MORE REALISM!” www.airsoftaction.net

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RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

TOKYO MARUI MK18 MOD1 MWS Price: iro UK£540.00 Age: New Weight: 3210 g Length: 715/790mm Magazine Capacity: 35 Cold Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps Hot Chrono: 0.87 Joule/306fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail System Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.allagesairsoft.com

G&G MGCR 10”

Price: iro UK£TBC Age: New Weight: 3135g Length: 730/773mm Magazine Capacity: 30 Cold Chrono: 1.24 Joule/367fps Hot Chrono: 1.27 Joule/371fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.guay2.com

RATECH NOVESKE N4 10.5” Price: iro UK£750.00 Age: New Weight: 2500g Length: 725/810mm Magazine Capacity: 40 Cold Chrono: 1.5 Joule/403fps Hot Chrono: 1.5 Joule/403fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: http://en.ratech.com.tw

WE M4 PCC

Price: iro UK£3380.00 Age: New Weight: 4000g Length: 768/850mm Magazine Capacity: 45 Cold Chrono: 0.88 Joule/309 fps Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/331fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail System Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.iwholesales.biz

KING ARMS TWS9

Price: iro UK£550.00 Age: New Weight: 2111g Length: 690mm/772mm Magazine Capacity: 30 Cold Chrono: 1.01 Joule/331fps Hot Chrono: 1.06 Joule/ 338fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility:14mm CCW Supplied By: www.airsoftworld.net

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RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

this easy fix with their hop units, and that aside I do love my gas rifle as it has served me well and got me many a good kill! I have plans in future to get some upgrades done, and it is still my belief that every airsofter needs to have a GBBR, to appreciate how realistic these are, and to learn to take the time and effort into maintaining one’s rifle plus the skill levels with training and drilling to make you more efficient on the battlefield... Plus who doesn’t love more realism!

Chris: Historically I’ve had a love/hate with GBBR’s; I love the idea of them but hate how they operate in the UK weather. Yes we have hot summers that help with reliability, but I’d like to be able to use them all year round. When we started testing one truly stood out for me, the then-new BCM by VFC. Not only was the hop design a breath of fresh air for those on the fly adjustments, but the recoil was sharp even on low power gas pointing to good gas efficiency with very little expelled from the ejection port on cycling even when the mag was cooler. The trigger was crisp and positive; the build quality of the receiver was also superb, nice with good, tight fitting parts.

But… WE GBBR’s! I’m rather late to the party with owning GBBR’s and since kicking off my own builds mid-way through 2023 I now own FOUR! Three are WE-based AR’s I picked up in good second hand deals with a mountain of mags. The fourth is the F90 by KWA which I’m delighted to have had delivered earlier this month.

The three second-hand AR’s were in reasonable shape but some new parts were needed to just tweak the reliability. I renewed the trigger pack on two of them, using standard parts; I could have gone full steel and may well do at some point when finances allow, but I feel this isn’t needed just yet. One bolt and a nozzle had to be replaced due to some hamfisted work by one of the previous owners, but the only other addition internally was giving all three new Maple Leaf Hop Bucking’s. They all now shoot to within my preferred parameters.

Bill: We won’t go into huge detail again on some of the platforms in the list as you’ll find in-depth and “over time” analysis of models like the VFC Mk18,SR16, BCM MCMR, and the King Arms TWS9 in RELOADED in the back issues section of the website. I

also won’t personally go into the new G&G MGCR as this only got its first formal review last month, but oh boy, I do love these “gassers” one and all!

However, another gas AR that I truly rate is the GHK M4 URG-I GBBR, and I have to say it’s as awesome as their AKs! This lovely 10.3” shortbarrelled “M4” has really took my fancy as it has authorized COLT engraving (via Cybergun, correctly) on the receiver, and some super Geiselle trades on the Super Modular Rail (SMR)! It feels great, weighing in at 2980g, and the overall length of 715mm-800mm suits me perfectly for a CQB-tool. If you are more of a regular carbine than a shorty-soul though there’s also a 14.5” version at a similar weight that comes in at 820mm-905mm.

Everywhere you look there is attention to detail; the M-LOK system is beautifully finished, and apart from the trades and the low-profile gas block inside it, the colour is a very close mimic to the new “Desert Dirt” colour of the real deal. This is a far more muted tone than FDE, and I have to say I rather like it; the “Geissele Airborne” charging handle is also fabulously replicated and is finished “Desert Dirt” too. Overall it is stunning, from the “Crane Stock” right up to the four-prong flash hider at the sharp end. Inside I’m told that the URG-I benefits from a CNC heat-treated V2 all-steel bolt carrier, along with a V2 new magnetic bolt lock set improve the system stability The URG-I comes with a thirty-six BB “polymerstyle” magazine and a speedloader with which to fill it, and it’s solid and heavy as obviously there’s a lot going on with the gas valves and the like. The open bolt system in this carbine makes the operation pretty much identical to the real thing in that you must cock the rifle before you fire. Once the magazine has been emptied the bolt locks to the rear and when you insert a fresh, fully loaded magazine you need to hit the bolt release to let it slam forward again, just like the “real deal”. Please note that once again like the real world counterpart you cannot engage the safety until the carbine is cocked; trying to force the fire selector into the safe position with an uncocked rifle could lead to damage!

In operation the GHK is an absolute cracker, and if you’re buying it as a training tool then you’ll need to do absolutely nothing to it other than charge the

“EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK THERE IS ATTENTION TO DETAIL; THE M-LOK SYSTEM IS BEAUTIFULLY FINISHED, AND APART FROM THE TRADES AND THE LOW-PROFILE GAS BLOCK INSIDE IT, THE COLOUR IS A VERY CLOSE MIMIC TO THE NEW “DESERT DIRT” COLOUR OF THE REAL DEAL.”

www.airsoftaction.net

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RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

magazines with green gas and load up your BBs. As others have talked about the WE M4A1 then I’ll check in here with another “PCC”; WE’s gas system has really now come into its own, especially since they released their open bolt technology, and the M4 PCC comes with their open bolt system pre-installed. The PCC is a full metal and polymer carbine, and it feels very solid and robust. The build needs to be utterly solid as unlike AEGs the receivers are built to contain the real mechanical forces of a fully functional bolt and are not just there to hold a gearbox. The finish of all parts throughout is very nice indeed; with a mixture of matte black and grey metal and well finished black plastic in the pistol grip and “LE” style sliding stock the carbine really stands out from the crowd.

The particular version of the M4A1 PCC in testing is the “base” model, but it still comes with a two piece outer barrel which means that you can run it with a full length barrel or as a CQB short barrel similar to that original Model 635. The inner barrel however will need cropping and recrowning should

you wish to run it short.

The PCC comes with a completely new, and beautifully manufactured lower receiver that houses a 50 BB “G-style” metal magazine; sadly, contrary to what I’d first heard the PCC is not compatible with any G-Series pistol magazines I own. It’s also NOT compatible with WE “AR” magazines as the new lower is a dedicated version. The 50 BB magazine is solid and heavy as obviously there’s a lot going on with the gas valves and the like, and the profile on the top of the magazine is flat rather than angled like a G-Series pistol mag, and my feeling is that this has been done so that it will work efficiently with the existing “AR” bolt setup.

In operation the PCC it must be said is an absolute cracker, and if you’re buying it as a training or “practical rifle” tool then you’ll need to do absolutely nothing to it other than charge the magazines with gas and load up your BBs. In testing I get an average fps of 0.88 Joule/309fps and that’s including cold days!

I have to say that I really want to love the M4A1 PCC, and if you’re looking for a training tool to keep your skills and drills up to date then it works perfectly for that, BUT I cannot help but think that WE have really missed a trick here… given complementary mags, any airsofter considering moving to “full gas” in their loadout that already owned a G-Series pistol would find a “PCC AR” a cheaper option, and although the superb new lower for the PCC is a piece of “airsoft art”, the fact that proprietary magazines are still needed is, I feel strongly, a real loss for both training-users and potential “gas carbine” skirmishers.

Dan: Bill asked me to wrap things up this month on the care/maintenance side, and the same principles one uses for GBB

“STORE YOUR MAGS WITH A SMALL CHARGE OF GAS TO KEEP THE SEALS FROM DRYING OUT, LUBRICATE YOUR O-RINGS OFTEN, CLEAN YOUR BORE FREQUENTLY, LUBRICATE YOUR SLIDING SURFACES (BOLT CARRIER, HAMMER AXLES, ETC.), AND CLEAN THEM WELL TO PREVENT THE INTRUSION OF FOREIGN OBJECT DEBRIS FROM CAUSING EXCESS WEAR AND DAMAGE” 58

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RED CELL GBB AR UPDATE

Red Cell is supported by: IMAGE CURTESY OF KRIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

pistols largely apply to carbines and rifles as well, and is just as straightforward. Namely, store your mags with a small charge of gas to keep the seals from drying out, lubricate your O-rings often, clean your bore frequently, lubricate your sliding surfaces (bolt carrier, hammer axles, etc.), and clean them well to prevent the intrusion of foreign object debris from causing excess wear and damage.

Your maintenance schedule for your “gasser” will be dictated largely by frequency of use and the environment you use it in. Dry, dusty or sandy climates will require you to invest more care than an indoor CQB site, which is relatively “sanitary” as environments go. With my GBBs, I clean those after every event as we primarily play outdoors and some of the fields can be pretty dusty. Pre-event, I do a quick inspection and ensure that necessary parts are lubricated and the seals on all magazines are holding

gas. That way there are no surprises awaiting me when it’s time to use them.

On a related vein, my experience with GBB magazines has been that they are by and large heavier than AEG mags and much more expensive. They are also a bit more fragile, so you typically want to avoid dumping them on the ground as the exposed plastic feed lips are often damaged through this action. Dumping them in the dirt also exposes them to grime and other contaminants, which if not cleaned off can make its way into the workings of the platform itself.

While I don’t normally work on GBB platforms in my day-to-day, I do quite often repair broken magazines and aside from fixing bad seals, the number one item I am replacing is broken feed lips. Therefore I firmly believe procuring a good dump pouch should also be within the GBB users consideration too.

As with anything Airsoft related, it’s attentiveness, not negligence, that carries the day and ensures your guns and gear stay in top form! AA

www.airsoftaction.net

59

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ACCESSORIES LCT HK MODULAR SYSTEM

BUILD YOUR OWN WEHR! 62

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ACCESSORIES LCT HK MODULAR SYSTEM

TOWARDS THE TAIL-END OF 2023 OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT LCT AIRSOFT OFFERED TO FILL THE GAPS IN STEWBACCA’S HK-THEMED AEG ACCESSORIES COLLECTION TO LET HIM TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE MODULARITY OF THEIR PLATFORM… OF COURSE HE WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO GET SOME MORE ‘GROWN MAN LEGO’ IN THE MAIL FROM BELLA TO FINISH OFF THE COLLECTION AND ALLOW HIMSELF TO FALL INTO THE ‘PRODUCT MATRIX’ OF COMPONENTS THAT CAN BE RAPIDLY SWITCHED OUT BETWEEN BASE RECEIVERS!

L

ife is clearly horrible for me, fellow shooters; our great industry friends just keep throwing highquality replica firearms and accessories at me to see what I make of them and I’m *forced, kicking and screaming* to put time behind things and share my thoughts and experiences for the benefit of the community and for the “GunScience” in general.

LCT Airsoft are no strangers to my, and our, efforts and have been exceptionally generous over the last year or two in sending me their whole HK-themed range of AEGs (as well as the SVDS featured as cover model of issue 155) along with a plethora of different interchangeable components that make up the wider ecosystem that allows the customisation of your LCT platform of choice to best replicate a particular era or unit of its usage should you want to achieve or replicate a specific ‘look’ or deployment of them.

If you cast your minds back even further I already took a look at their LK53 EBB AEG as a standalone unit in Issue 140, as well as the LC3 series full length AEG and its different buttstock and front handguard options in Issue 150 and of course their most recent addition in the guise of the LC3K ‘SAS’ variant in Issue 152. I’ve also had their LK33 which I acquired back at the end of 2022 via a deal with another reviewer along with some other samples, and had since sold it on to my teammate Kevin who then returned it to me when he left Taiwan for Canada… with me having not even had chance to make use of it in the intervening time!

So, I was now presented with the long and short 7.62mm and 5.56mm styled HK platforms, and Bella had been good enough to send me the remaining handguard and magazine options I was previously missing; it was evidently time to get busy! Over the

final handful of shoots with team Taiji in December 2023 I took to fielding the LK53, LK33 and LC3K to take a further look at the more handy HK variants, with some of my teammates also trying them for a few BBs within all of that; a couple of them are interested in testing them out longer term and LCT have already said they’re more than happy for them to do so to help share the load from me… they might as well ‘suffer’ too!

GETTING SOME GAMETIME

The LK001 - slimline LK33/LC3K front handguard, LK003 - picatinny LK33/LC3K triple railed tactical handguard and LK006 longer version 130BB LK33/ LK53 midcap magazine arrived with me on top of basically the whole range of other LC/LK series stocks, magazines and handguards previously supplied and reviewed, and I began musing on what configurations to try out.

The first game I switched out the LK33A2 fixed stock variant to use the LK001 slimline handguard along with the long midcap and immediately we were all drawing parallels to the STG44; the general aesthetic and heritage of the stamped steel assault rifle progenitor really shone through with this configuration and a few of my teammates really took a shine to it, especially when using a raised red dot reflex sight. You can get away with obstructing the iron sights with an over the barrel C-Clamp grip which coupled with the very slender early style handguard made for a superbly-handling rifle profile along with a very useful magazine capacity boost over the shorter midcaps I’d acquired three units of previously.

Kevin had also fitted a custom MOSFET and thirdparty barrel and HOP along with the reflex sight

“LCT AIRSOFT ARE NO STRANGERS TO MY, AND OUR, EFFORTS AND HAVE BEEN EXCEPTIONALLY GENEROUS OVER THE LAST YEAR OR TWO IN SENDING ME THEIR WHOLE HK-THEMED RANGE OF AEGS ALONG WITH A PLETHORA OF DIFFERENT INTERCHANGEABLE COMPONENTS THAT MAKE UP THE WIDER ECOSYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THE CUSTOMISATION OF YOUR LCT PLATFORM” www.airsoftaction.net

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between buying it from me and selling it back, so the whole setup was an absolute laser of a gun on the Xindian field, allowing me to achieve multiple eliminations over the first few rounds before Big Mike insisted on wrestling it from me for a round as he’s been eyeing one up to supplement his own LCT LC3A3 which he was pictured with alongside me in the article covering that platform… I’m sure we would all like to hear his thoughts on the system over the longer term, and I can free up some gun wall space by loaning it to him!

At that point I swapped out to the LK53A3 which I’d fitted the LK013 short picatinny triple rail handguard to, as well as the PK406 horizontal ergonomic grip and battery box, which I then used the long LK006 midcap magazine with; Mike prefers Hi Caps so I slung him my LK005 300BB short 5.56 magazine for use with the LK33A2. In a largely static defensive action I made great use of the long magazine to monopod off when nestled in the

large roots of a huge tree I was using for cover, and managed to sit there quite comfortably for a good while in cover and picked off a couple of the OpFor as they tried to slowly advance on our lines…

I was having a whale of a time not having to hold up the whole damned weight on my back or elbows for once, and throughout the day both platforms were highly effective at cutting through the light brush and planting BBs on hidden opponents.

On the next outing to our flatter but more dense terrain Longtan jungle site I decided to put the LK003 tactical handguard onto the LK33A2 along with a stubby vertical foregrip at arms-length out on the front underside which helped support the whole system and pull it back into my shoulder during moving through the foliage and taking shots through it; again the snappy response and decent barrel length enabling me to land rapid double taps on opponents a few times. My support arm did seem to fatigue a bit as a result of the outstretched pose, so I decided

“OVER THE FINAL HANDFUL OF SHOOTS WITH TEAM TAIJI IN DECEMBER 2023 I TOOK TO FIELDING THE LK53, LK33 AND LC3K TO TAKE A FURTHER LOOK AT THE MORE HANDY HK VARIANTS, WITH SOME OF MY TEAMMATES ALSO TRYING THEM FOR A FEW BBS WITHIN ALL OF THAT”

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to unbolt and reattach the foregrip further back to around the rear third portion of the rail, allowing for control but with less strain. I also found my thumb naturally tended to sit into the space between rails on the upper left diagonal portion when using a C-Clamp style grip with the lower fingers pressed back against the upper end of the vertical foregrip, all of which allowed a lot more comfortable manipulation and shouldering of the whole system as well as allowing the support hand to take more of the load and rest my dominant arm when lying in ambush during a prolonged round where we eliminated all but one opponent and had to slowly fire and manoeuvre to flush him out.

In the later rounds of that game day I also decided to try switching the stocks between the LK33 and LK53; of course the rear-wired fire control group of the LK33 meant I couldn’t use it with the LK009 telescopic stock, but there was nothing stopping me trying the LK008 fixed stock on the LK53, turning it from an A3 to an A2 variant, again with the LK013 tactical rail handguard along with the PK406 to carry the battery. I found the fixed stock is a lot more preferable for decent and comfortable cheek weld that is more repeatable, and despite liking the A3

style collapsible stock variants for storage or saving gun rack space, when I thought about it further, I also realised I could easily interchange the identical fire control groups over too, allowing me to easily switch between front and rear wired as well as AEG/EBB systems… which I later did.

STOCK OPTIONS

There’s also nothing stopping you from unpinning the solid stock and carrying it separated from the main receiver, which I also did to carry it in my backpack when taking the LK53 to SPPT’s training facility for running it in an IPSC training environment using the VTAC barricade I made for the team as well as our usual steel targets, In a more training-oriented environment, I was managing to easily land single shot hits on small poppers and double taps on the c-zone sized targets thanks to the solid stock cheek weld, even when firing through awkward positions or ports on the VTAC. This approach also helps mitigate the biggest bugbear I have with AEGs in general, and the modular systems in particular; where to place the battery and wiring. Now I have both front and rear wired fire control/gearbox and pistol grip groups I realise I can

“THE FIRST GAME I SWITCHED OUT THE LK33A2 FIXED STOCK VARIANT TO USE THE LK001 SLIMLINE HANDGUARD ALONG WITH THE LONG MIDCAP AND IMMEDIATELY WE WERE ALL DRAWING PARALLELS TO THE STG44; THE GENERAL AESTHETIC AND HERITAGE OF THE STAMPED STEEL ASSAULT RIFLE PROGENITOR REALLY SHONE THROUGH WITH THIS CONFIGURATION” www.airsoftaction.net

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easily switch them out to favour telescopic or fixed stock variants, in theory switching them out along with the stock, although you still have to remove the retaining pin as it goes through the trunnion on the rear of the receiver. But, nonetheless this added dimension makes it much easier to carry the decent sized battery in the fixed stock, or route the front wiring loom through the handguard and use the ergonomic battery box grip or an external bag as I did with the LC3 before when running the tactical rail setup.

On the final shoot of the year I decided to field the LC3K along with the LK33, both with the fixed stock variants attached, and with the wide handguard and bipod fitted to the LK33 and the slimline handguard on the LC3K to try it out as it has the same front end configuration as the HK33 and the same rear end as the G3. The LC3K has always seemed the heaviest out of the whole family for some reason, with the hollow plastic fixed stock instead of the metal telescopic variant it was at least a little more wieldy as well as providing a better cheek weld, and again the slimline handguard allowed me to get a much more comfortable grip around it, although I had to use a battery bag as both of my G3 gearbox/ fire control units are front wired.

So, with all that mischief dealt with I’ve managed to develop an even greater appreciation for LCT Airsoft’s modular HK-themed AEG/EBB platforms and

the ecosystem of components that supports it; of course as before with the LC3 there are also an array of other spares and different coloured components available on their website www.lctairsoft.com or through your local stockists, allowing you to truly personalise your chosen LCT HK themed AEG (or indeed wider family of them if you acquire more than one) and build a complete system allowing you to rapidly and conveniently swap out subsystems.

Indeed you could, as I have, acquire AEG or EBB gearboxes, or even have them set up for different power limits and swap the whole unit over readily by dropping out the body pins without ever having to interfere with the quick change spring system; it really opens up possibilities even I hadn’t contemplated much until the whole system was laid out in front of me and I got to work.

Many thanks as always to Bella and the wider LCT Airsoft Team for entrusting me with all their products and the review process, and entertaining my whims in such an accommodating fashion; we have lots more planned for 2024!

Maybe it’s time you also invest in such flexible opportunities, fellow shooters…

Our thanks as always do indeed go to our friends at LCT Airsoft and you can check out the entire “HK Infrastructure” as well as all the other great airsoft models and accessories they offer by visiting www. lctairsoft.com AA

“THE REAR-WIRED FIRE CONTROL GROUP OF THE LK33 MEANT I COULDN’T USE IT WITH THE LK009 TELESCOPIC STOCK, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING STOPPING ME TRYING THE LK008 FIXED STOCK ON THE LK53, TURNING IT FROM AN A3 TO AN A2 VARIANT”

www.airsoftaction.net

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“SO, WITH ALL THAT MISCHIEF DEALT WITH I’VE MANAGED TO DEVELOP AN EVEN GREATER APPRECIATION FOR LCT AIRSOFT’S MODULAR HK-THEMED AEG/EBB PLATFORMS AND THE ECOSYSTEM OF COMPONENTS THAT SUPPORTS IT; OF COURSE AS BEFORE WITH THE LC3 THERE ARE ALSO AN ARRAY OF OTHER SPARES AND DIFFERENT COLOURED COMPONENTS AVAILABLE ON THEIR WEBSITE” 68

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things to see and do 5 days airsoft 4 nights camping Traders & Exhibitors street food & BAR pyrotechnic DISPLAYs Entertainment Day and night games

GAME ZONE WITH MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES AMUSEMENTS/CARNIVAL GAMES SHOOT OUR ARMOURY CAVE ASSAULT faST ROPE/ABSEIL Plus much more…

All of this plus our £100,000 MilSim Style Tournament Tickets from just £75

OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER

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AA LEGION JAPAN

BAKURESTUSAI 2023

OUR GREAT FRIEND IN JAPAN, TAMA, VISITED TWO OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED AIRSOFT RELATED SHOWS IN TOKYO IN ONE WEEKEND, AND HE HAD SOME MORE STORIES TO SHARE AND INTERESTING NEW PRODUCTS TO SHARE HIS THOUGHTS ON! IN THE LAST ISSUE OF AA HE COVERED THE TOKYO MARUI FEST 2023, NOW HE REPORTS IN ON THE ‘BAKURETSU-SAI’, OR “EXPLOSION FESTIVAL” FROM THE SAME WEEKEND IN A DIFFERENT PART OF TOKYO!

H

ey, it’s your man Tama again delivering the news from Japan! In my last report I talked about the Tokyo Marui Festival held on 11th and 12th of November, now I’ll tell you about the other big airsoft festival in Tokyo; the Bakuretsu-Sai, held on the very same day, the 12th of November which was a VERY busy day for airsofters, me being no exception!

So what is Bakuretsu-Sai? To put it simply, it’s an expo of everything airsoft related in Japan besides Tokyo Marui; because they of course already have their own festival, it’s a festival you don’t want to miss on your visit to Japan either, because there’s going to be everything you want from airsoft in Japan, you can get anything you want there, from small Japanese airsoft AEG makers, local distributors of Taiwanesemade AEGs, US-made military-spec airsoft kits, 3D-printed gun prototypes, anime patch makers, and much more!

There’s not only airsoft stuff, however; there are military surplus stores selling international army BDUs, from Ukrainian BDUs to boonie hats from South

Africa, fan art illustrators making their favourite anime girls into tactical waifus, and also a booth that sells weird stuff from communist countries… one of the things that they sold were Xi Jinping’s favourite cigarettes! I was tempted to buy them, but when I touched them I could only imagine kissing Winnie the Pooh, so I decided against them.

The event is held in a convention centre inside a mall called the Sunshine City mall, in Ikebukuro, a district in Tokyo; the mall is located a bit far from the nearest big train station, which is Ikebukuro Station, from which it’s a 14 minute walk. There is a closer station - Higashi-Ikebukuro Station, but the only train that stops there is the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line, so you have two options, the healthy one or the normal person one, pick your poison. But either way it’s still located in the Tokyo Metropolitan area with easy access, there’s also a lot of reasonably priced hotels around, which is another bonus point. The entrance fee is 1000 yen ($6.68 USD or 6.16 EURO) and it’s recommended to come in the morning to get eyes or hands on all of the limited stuff before it gets snapped

“SO WHAT IS BAKURETSU-SAI? TO PUT IT SIMPLY, IT’S AN EXPO OF EVERYTHING AIRSOFT RELATED IN JAPAN BESIDES TOKYO MARUI… YOU CAN GET ANYTHING YOU WANT THERE, FROM SMALL JAPANESE AIRSOFT AEG MAKERS, LOCAL DISTRIBUTORS OF TAIWANESE-MADE AEGS, US-MADE MILITARY-SPEC AIRSOFT KITS, 3D-PRINTED GUN PROTOTYPES, ANIME PATCH MAKERS, AND MUCH MORE!” 70

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up, but there’s gonna be people lining up from the early, early morning! Alternatively if you aren’t set on sourcing anything in particular and just want to enjoy the atmosphere it’s better to come after lunch, when the crowds have hopefully died down a bit; that’s it for the less exciting introduction part of the festival, let’s see the highlights of Bakuretsu-Sai this year!

OUR FRIENDLY AUSTRIAN!

For the first time landing in Japan was our friendly neighbourhood Austrian, Mr. Novritsch! Finally he came to the mecca of all things airsoft and its historical homeland that is Japan. Novristch opened up a booth in Bakuretsu-Sai to showcase his products, it’s not the first time that Novristch’s products have made their way to Japan in the form of his sniper rifle, the SSG10, the very silent and sharp shooting SSX23, and of course his lineup of high performance gas blowback pistols. They have been around in the Japanese market for some time, but to think that Novritsch himself would be here showcasing his own products, made it super special.

The highlight of his booth was his newly developed and very hard to pronounce ghillie suit camo system; the ‘Kreuzotter’, if my pronunciation is correct. Which is the German for Adder (the snake), which is much cooler than the English name in my opinion! As per the name,

the camouflage is formed like a European Adder’s skin and reflects its capability to be hidden within its surrounding environment, only being seen when it chooses to be.

Other than that, the ghillie with the Kreuzotter looks very radicool, especially the fact that the suit is modular and can be modified with bushes or other attributes to your liking. While the Kreuzotter is designed predominantly for the European wilderness (I think during the autumn where there are going to be more brown colours and leaflitter) even if you’re a Japanese ghillie airsofter, this might be a suit to be put onto your wish list, not only as its made by Novritsch, but also that it’s very functional and cool.

NEXT GEN OPTICS

Another rare encounter was a company that is very well known in the real firearms community and loved for its cheap prices but superb performance; Holosun, an American/Chinese optic company synonymous with red dot sights. You could say what’s rare for a red dot sight company opening a booth in an airsoft event?

It’s rare because one, it’s not a Japanese company, usually in Bakuretsu-sai you can find Novel Arms and Sightron’s booth, because both are Japanese companies, but Holosun is an American company,

www.airsoftaction.net

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and secondly, it’s a standalone booth; usually for other optics companies like Sig Sauer, if they wanted to open a booth, they had to rely on sharing their local distributor’s space, which for Sig Sauer is Laylax’s booth, however Holosun had a standalone booth showing their wares.

Holosun came with their state of the art, Holosun DRS series night vision or thermal vision capable red dot sight! In the booth they showcased the DRS-NV, which is the Night Vision version of the DRS family, an optic beyond human understanding! I was blown away with the DRS-NV. They managed to cram the Night Vision or Thermal sight components into a compact closed reflex optic, the size itself feels just like any typical box-shaped red dot sight such as the EOtech or an Elcan, it’s not that big, the scope for the Night Vision probably felt a bit high, but compared to other competitors like the Infiray or Armasight, it feels much more compact.

Also the fact that you don’t need to have anything but a 20mm rail on your gun is big plus in my opinion, unlike normal monocular or dual tube night vision, where you need a good helmet, a mount for it, NV compatible red dot sight, and sometimes you need an additional battery for it, if you think about it, it’s

far cheaper to get the DRS-NV. For milsimmers who play into the night or people who want to enjoy night games, this might be a good choice for you. In Japan they’ll be selling the thermal version which is the DRSTH for 303,237 Yen (2,030.54 USD or 1,867.03 EURO) a rather high price, but in Japan for a good monocular NV, such as the PVS-14, it would cost much more than the DRS-TH, so it might be better to get the DRS-TH I’d certainly do so if I had the pockets deep enough!

KOREAN TYPE 89

In the gun department, one of the highlights of the day was the Korean variation of the Japan SelfDefense Forces main service weapon, the Type 89 rifle, and it’s based on the DAS system. Yes, this year GBLS is releasing their Type 89 DAS; using the same platform as their K1 and K2 series, which is an AR-18 based rifle. They did plan to release it last year, but because the development got postponed, they instead decided they’d release it by the end of this year… and exhibited the completed prototype at Bakuretsu-sai!

My first impression of the gun is that it felt very solid and pretty light knowing that the gun is mostly made out of steel. It felt much better than the Tokyo

“IT’S RECOMMENDED TO COME IN THE MORNING TO GET EYES OR HANDS ON ALL OF THE LIMITED STUFF BEFORE IT GETS SNAPPED UP, BUT THERE’S GONNA BE PEOPLE LINING UP FROM THE EARLY, EARLY MORNING! ALTERNATIVELY IF YOU AREN’T SET ON SOURCING ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR AND JUST WANT TO ENJOY THE ATMOSPHERE IT’S BETTER TO COME AFTER LUNCH” 72

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Marui GBBR replica, the trigger and the blowback also felt amazing, you can feel the trigger has a proper wall and pull weight to it, while the blowback has a good impulse as well, like shooting a steel modified CO2 rifle. It felt more like you weren’t holding an airsoft replica, but a real gun. For DAS fans who want not another M4 and more variety or people who want realism but the performance of an AEG, this is the gun for you; GBLS plan to sell it into Japan for 348,000 Yen (2,325.56 USD or 2,140.03 EURO), so for the people eyeing up this gun, it should easily make it onto your wish list.

Other than Novritsch, DAS, and Holosun, other international airsoft/firearm companies were also making their presence felt in Bakuretsu-sai; with the likes of La Capa a very well-known parts maker in the SpeedQB community, an AAP01 and TM Glock conversion kit maker called YMS Airsoft from Taiwan, and the weird one of the bunch… Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3… yeah, Activision partnered

up with a Japanese company called Kadokawa, and opened a booth in Bakuretsu-Sai, and of course an airsoft replica maker that I’m going to mention.

THE RISE OF CO2 AND GBB

As I’ve seen mentioned in Airsoft Action before, this year of Bakuretsu-sai was the year of Gas Blowbacks, and we could see a lot of companies showcasing their new or prototype blowback replicas; Carbon8, which is the distributor for KJ Works’s CO2 pistols, came out with the Steyr L9A2 and a new variant of their family of 1911 pistols, the Hellcat 4.3.

The Hellcat is basically an all blacked-out 1911, with a super-ribbed-grip, decked-out furniture, and it looks cool, other than that it’s another CO2 1911.

But the L9A2 is very different, like the Steyr AUG its screams uniqueness; it looks like a modern Luger P08, but it feels like holding a Walther PPQ and a Glock at the same time, and has a trigger like an AEG AUG (somewhat mushy and pretty heavy), not to my liking in all honesty.

Baton were also showcasing their love for John Wick with their prototype CO2 BT-Sand Viper, a desert coloured TTI Pit Viper based replica, but with a modified slide so now you can install a Trijicon RMR without needing a converter plate, which is very helpful for those who want to install a real steel RMR; other than the cool factor though, it’s pretty much the Baton Pit-Viper but with a new paint job.

Laylax were also showcasing not one but two GBBs;

“FOR THE FIRST TIME LANDING IN JAPAN WAS OUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD AUSTRIAN, MR. NOVRITSCH! FINALLY HE CAME TO THE MECCA OF ALL THINGS AIRSOFT AND ITS HISTORICAL HOMELAND THAT IS JAPAN. NOVRISTCH OPENED UP A BOOTH IN BAKURETSUSAI TO SHOWCASE HIS PRODUCTS…”

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for those used to fielding the Kriss Vector AEG, you won’t feel much, if any difference.

THE SPEEDY AEG BOIS

the hyped new GBBRs from Krytac, the GBB Kriss Vector and SilencerCo Maxim9 integrally silenced pistol. I was surprised with both because I can see people fielding these two GBB replicas. The Maxim 9 is surprisingly light, and easy to handle, and have a very good cycle, the fact you can put a tracer inside the gun and an RMR red dot sight on out of the box are big plus points (see Stewbacca’s full review of the deployment pack Krytac were good enough to send him back in Issue 151). Even though it has a very big boxy front end, for people who use pistols as a primary weapon, it’s a replica you might want to buy!

As for the GBB Kriss Vector, it felt a lot like its AEG brother, weighing almost the same, with the same furniture and controls, it all felt surprisingly familiar; heck, even the trigger felt almost the same as its AEG counterpart, a slightly heavy but firm pull, the only difference being the hammer drop wall, it’s there, not too heavy but you can feel its presence. The blowback also felt good, it’s a modest blowback, felt very crisp, and cycled pretty well; it’s not at the level of a CO2 platform, but it’s good enough to bring a smile to your face.

Although the magazine made the gun a bit heavier, due to the gas reservoir,

Even though the GBB market had a big presence in Bakuretsu-sai, the AEG department wasn’t giving up ground by any means! G&G were showcasing their new high performance AEGs, their new AR lineups, the TGM R5 ETU and the FAR9. The TGM R5 ETU is basically a high-end AR replica with new furniture; they also have the G&G ETU, which makes it very responsive and rapid-cycling out of the box.

The FAR9 is very compact, not only does it have a foldable stock with a battery compartment in it, but the handguard is also foldable, they managed to make a retractable chamber system that can separate from the mech box and the upper when the handguard is being collapsed, and it retracts back automatically when you put it back together.

That is one very advanced AEG, and with the G&G ETU system, it’s super responsive and runs very fast

“ANOTHER RARE ENCOUNTER WAS A COMPANY THAT IS VERY WELL KNOWN IN THE REAL FIREARMS COMMUNITY AND LOVED FOR ITS CHEAP PRICES BUT SUPERB PERFORMANCE; HOLOSUN, AN AMERICAN/CHINESE OPTIC COMPANY SYNONYMOUS WITH RED DOT SIGHTS”

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straight out of the box. It’s perfect for people who don’t like bringing a huge rifle case to a game, and can travel light and more discreetly (see Bill’s in-depth review of its larger 556 sibling in Issue 153 for further details).

G&G also did a collaboration with a Japanese airsoft Youtuber and an owner of a well-known airsoft field called Osumi-san; he is 50 or so year old airsofter whose really famous in Japan, and he collaborated with G&G to make a special gun in his honour, called the Love Machine No9, an AEG rifle based of the ARP9 3.0 with a modified furniture! Basically they painted some parts with the colour dark pink, and called it a

day… if you’re a fan of him, I guess go ahead and get involved.

Baton also came out with their prototype of the Noveske GEN4 Devgru Ryusoku-AEG; the Baton Ryusoku AEG family is basically a high performance modification of Noveske GEN4 AEG replica by Baton; they installed a 6.10 Ryusoku loose inner barrel, Ryusoku hop-up seal, a sector gear that makes the gun capable of running 11.1v battery out of the box, and a customisable ETU system that allows you to change the firing modes, making the Ryusoku Noveske a high performing gun out of the box!

They also gave the same treatment to the F1 Firearms AEG replica from EMG; they’re going to release the Ryusoku Noveske by the end of this year, for around 54,800 Yen (366.47 USD or 335.61 EURO), so for anyone who wants a high-performance Noveske GEN4 AEG replica in Japan, this might be your best choice.

Next up were Laylax; as Japan’s official Sig Sauer distributor, they showcased the Sportline Sig Sauer MPX-K AEG replica; basically an economical version of the MPX-K AEG replica by Sig Sauer, but unlike the standard version, the Sportline is made out of cheaper plastic, this actually being a slightly weird advantage over the standard version, as a result of its lightness, just 1.53kg to be exact. So for anyone whose tight with their wallet, but wanted the MPX-K, the Sportline is

“BATON WERE ALSO SHOWCASING THEIR LOVE FOR JOHN WICK WITH THEIR PROTOTYPE CO2 BT-SAND VIPER, A DESERT COLOURED TTI PIT VIPER BASED REPLICA, BUT WITH A MODIFIED SLIDE SO NOW YOU CAN INSTALL A TRIJICON RMR WITHOUT NEEDING A CONVERTER PLATE”

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a good choice for you; it’s now being sold in Japan for 38,500 Yen (257.46 USD or 235.85 EURO), with the standard version being sold for 71,500, it’s thus 33,000 yen cheaper, a steal and I would grab one quickly if I were you.

ASG were also present with their much loved and fast-selling CZ Scorpion EVO 3; every time I’ve shot this gun, it never fails to surprise me, the build quality, performance, lightness, ease of use, compactness and overall amazing all around features.

But it was not just the Scorpion on show as they were also showcasing their brand new Hybrid family of AEG, the H-15. The H-15 is the ASG answer to the ever growing competition within the high-performance AEG market, unfortunately it’s going to be based off an AR15, but the H-15 is equipped with all the high end bells and whistles; ASG’s custom handguards, HERA ARMS CCS buttstock, PTS pistol grip, high end trigger, ETU, rotary hop-up, and a quickchange spring, this might be an AEG replica worth eyeing up, unfortunately

we don’t know when it’s going to be released as yet here in Japan, nor its retail price in Japan, most likely it’s going to be retailed in the 40-60,000 yen range, (267.50~401.24 USD or 245.04~367.46 EURO) but do keep an eye out for more news about it other than Boycie’s report last issue.

And finally, an airsoft shop by the name of Airsoft97 was showcasing one of the guns they also helped to develop; the C.A.T AEG replica series (or what I like to call the CAT, without the dots).

The CAT is basically another highend AR-15 based AEG replica, but with skeletonised furniture and body, a 20mm rail on the stock like the Sig MCX rifle, a mech box that can split into two during takedown, and the only AEG replica in the market with a mechanical pre-cocking system; it doesn’t have an ETU or any of that digital stuff inside the gun, it uses a strictly mechanical pre-cocking system, which is somewhat weird and surprising. This gun is a collaboration between Arcturus and Airsoft97 and represents a versatile line up. What’s the difference? Now you can

“THE CAT IS BASICALLY ANOTHER HIGH-END AR-15 BASED AEG REPLICA, BUT WITH SKELETONISED FURNITURE AND BODY, A 20MM RAIL ON THE STOCK LIKE THE SIG MCX RIFLE, A MECH BOX THAT CAN SPLIT INTO TWO DURING TAKEDOWN, AND THE ONLY AEG REPLICA IN THE MARKET WITH A MECHANICAL PRE-COCKING SYSTEM”

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change the magwell, the handguard attachment and the stock with ease! You want to use AK mags? Yes you can! You want to have M-LOK and 20mm rails at the same time? Of course why not! You want an MCX style stock? Oh hell yeah! The word versatility is an understatement with regard to this gun; the limit is just that of your imagination. They also showcased their prototype MP5 magazine magwell for the CAT versatile, so for people who like customising their guns on a daily basis, this CAT might be for you.

THE FUTURE OF AIRSOFT?

In the same booth of the CAT AEG replica, they showcased what might be the future of airsoft; meet the B2I, basically turning airsoft into a laser fight, they turn your airsoft replicas into laser guns through merely attaching a special suppressor and then attaching a related sensor to your body, and its game on!

So how you play this game is you attach the infrared laser-emitting suppressor to your replica, you attach an infrared sensor onto your helmet with a Gopro attachment, attach secondary sensors on your kit, and finally connect to the B2I app on your phone via bluetooth. With the B2I app, you can join games, access your kill ratio, and your achievements. There’s also a server app for organisers, with which they can set up games, balance teams, manage the game, and more. It’s basically laser FPS with airsoft replicas and FPS game nuances, it is a much safer game than

airsoft, so you can play in places that aren’t suitable for BBS to be flying around in!

Inspired by the movie Elysium and futuristic FPS games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops and Battlefield 2024, a small company in Japan with the name of ZER0 (with a red 0), have made a functional BB counter for airsoft replicas. Called the VullCoS it’s a digital display for your airsoft replica that gives you your round count and your kill to death ratio!

The VullCoS is very easy to install, only requiring a 14mm counter-clockwise screw thread and 20mm rail; the VullCoS comes with three parts, the display screen, the sensor, and a cable, the display screen and the sensor is made out of 3D printed plastic.

You attach the sensor to your 14mm screw thread on your muzzle, attach your display to your 20mm rails, connect it with the cable, set up your display, and then you’re done. It’s a fast and simple process.

You can set it to real count or set it up with the same quantity of BBs as your hi-cap magazines, you can also change the display to your liking. They also showcased their AK special prototype called the ES2D, which mimics the AK47 from the movie Elysium minus the HE rounds, so if you want your gun to be futuristic looking and functional, this is the setup for you.

That wraps it up for the highlight of the 14th Bakuretsu-sai, which had a lot of new stuff and some stuff that you might already have heard of, but finally you could see it with your own eyes. But of course the highlight was the International airsoft community that showed their presence in Bakuretsu-sai, with Novritsch, La Capa, Holosun, GBLS, and many more showing what airsoft is like outside of Japan, and Bakuretsusai equally introducing to them what airsoft in within Japan;-it was a very good opportunity to connect with the wider world of airsoft at Bakuretsu-sai!

That’s all from me; it’s been a very busy and very fun one day experience, from Tokyo Marui to Bakuretsu-sai… it was a hell of a day!

This is Tama in Tokyo, Japan, signing out! PEACE! Additional thanks to Victor Chalim (IG hazelx24) for photographic support. AA

“IN THE SAME BOOTH OF THE CAT AEG REPLICA, THEY SHOWCASED WHAT MIGHT BE THE FUTURE OF AIRSOFT; MEET THE B2I, BASICALLY TURNING AIRSOFT INTO A LASER FIGHT, THEY TURN YOUR AIRSOFT REPLICAS INTO LASER GUNS THROUGH MERELY ATTACHING A SPECIAL SUPPRESSOR AND THEN ATTACHING A RELATED SENSOR TO YOUR BODY, AND ITS GAME ON!” www.airsoftaction.net

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DYSTOPIA!

PORTUGAL

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AS WE CONTINUE TO ROUND-OUT 2023 MIGUEL JOINS US AGAIN TO REPORT ON ANOTHER BIG GAME IN PORTUGAL ORGANISED BY THE ANA (ASSOCIAÇÃO NACIONAL DE AIRSOFT) THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO BATTLE IT OUT IN A WHOLE NEW GAME-SETTING, THAT OF DYSTOPIA!

T

his year the national association that my team is a part of, ANA, the Associação Nacional de Airsoft, added a new event to their calendar, called Dystopia. A game with a story around a character called Tech Merch, who the association has been teasing us for a while now, but I’ll get back to him in a bit. Dystopia started as many other events from ANA, with some great marketing work, some

sneak peeks into what was coming, a Telegram group for the players to ask questions, coordinate rides if necessary, among other things, and of course an online briefing about the event itself, rules, indications and preparations.

In my opinion, the national association tries its best so the player arrives at the event knowing what they will find, who they will be playing with, the

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rules and other important aspects that, of course, change from event to event. For some months now, we knew that it was going to take place in the Complex 516 of the Armada Alentejana Team, a field that has gained some fame for being a great scenario setting for urban games.

We departed Saturday early morning toward Sines, the location of the field, with a small coffee break on the way. When we arrived, the gates were still closed, so we mingled a bit and until we were able to enter and park. It was great to see many faces from all over the country once again and share our latest airsoft adventures, game insights and, of course, the game at hand, Dystopia. A bit after 0930 the gates opened, so we queued to enter, got our tickets checked and parked, and then it was time to gear up!

This time, the guys and I were using our ATACSAU uniforms, along with a helmet and face protection, since we were up against mostly urban and close quarters combat, along with my Specna Arms mk18 EDGE 2.0 and my Viper Tactical VX OD Plate Carrier with a Ready Rig. And of course, extra

BBs and spare battery in my Viper Shoulder Bag (since we couldn’t come back to the cars), along with some snacks and an extra pair of eye pro with clear lenses, because the game was going to end around 1800, with very little light available. Time to hit the check-in to get our Joules checked and receive the game’s goodies (patch, meal tickets and so on), and still with some time in our hands we checked the Drone Crew spot, where the teams could get a small clip done by using drones overhead, awesome detail.

ZOMBIE DAWN

A little after, the organization called the players, held a small welcoming briefing, and it was time to get into the field. The guys and I were part of the Yankee Faction, and I was commanding a small group inside the faction, the Alpha group, along with the guys from F.O.E. and Víboras, teams that we have known for years now. Our first stop was a workshop, where we got to meet, in person, for the first time the main villain of the event, Tech Merch, a hacker from the future who got stuck in our timeline due to a botched time leap after stealing crypto coins from the world’s largest crypto bank. But due to his mistake, now the crypto coins that he stole got dispersed and to get them back he’s forcing several groups to find them for him, using a viral weapon as leverage. So we were all infected, and seeing the wandering zombies already around the complex, we could guess our future. With this, we headed towards our HQ in order to get our first missions.

As soon as the game started, we headed towards our first goal, find and retrieve crypto coins in order to unlock the first main story mission. We were up against two other factions, X and Z, and that meant that danger could come from many angles. We started by getting the crypto closest to our HQ, but it didn’t take long before

“AS SOON AS THE GAME STARTED, WE HEADED TOWARDS OUR FIRST GOAL, FIND AND RETRIEVE CRYPTO COINS IN ORDER TO UNLOCK THE FIRST MAIN STORY MISSION. WE WERE UP AGAINST TWO OTHER FACTIONS, X AND Z, AND THAT MEANT THAT DANGER COULD COME FROM MANY ANGLES”

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that good old urban combat chaos kicked in, with enemies popping up in a lot of places, also looking for crypto, BBs flying around and everyone trying to get into positions, pushing or moving towards objectives. With some good effort and coordination, we were able to get the required number of crypto coins to unlock the first mission, so we returned to our HQ to learn more about it.

Our first goal was to meet with the Captain of the Task Force that followed the Tech Merch through the time jump, without his knowledge. Their mission was to stop and capture him, and to do this they needed our help with some missions. He handed two missions to complete, the first was to find and retrieve four disruption goblins, and plant them outside the Tech Merch’s workshop, in order to create a dome that blocked all signals. The second was to plant explosives and destroy the generators to cut the power and scramble the satellite connections.

The Alpha group volunteered to complete the first mission, with our other two groups (Bravo and Delta) would advance through the main part of the complex towards the generators. Since we knew that we were the first faction to unlock the first mission, we decided to rush toward the location of the goblins (the administrative building), and it worked, while the other two factions were still finding crypto or going back to their HQ to get the mission we arrived at our goal with no resistance at all. We searched the building, found the goblins and quickly moved and surrounded the Tech Merch’s workshop, the goblins had to be placed in the four corners of the building and activated. The mission was successfully done with no issue, and now it was time to return to our faction commander to learn about our next steps. On our way back, we found another crypto, since these would “spawn” from time to time in their locations, and as soon as we arrived at our HQ we learned that the other two groups also got their hands on a couple more crypto, so with the one we found we were able to unlock the second mission quite fast!

team (who are known for their Escape Room scenarios). The location for the mission was in the old mess hall of the complex, there we would find one of the members of the Task Force with medical knowledge, able to help us get rid of this infection.

We moved towards our goal as soon as we were ready, the Alpha group would try to approach from the Western flank, while Bravo and Delta would move in from the South. This time we found much more resistance, from both enemy factions, but little by little we were able to gain ground, the other factions were also trying to complete objectives, so there was no point in standing in a location for long.

When we were able to reach the medic, and she told us that in the building there were three keys needed to deactivate the Tech Merch’s viral bomb, but these were guarded by a Juggernaut robot created to protect the device.

VIRAL CURE

We started searching the building, trying to avoid the juggernaut or taking advantage while it was powered down. After finding the keys, we returned to the medic and deactivated the device, but those infected would still need to take the antidote directly.

Since the members of the Task Force were busy with the juggernaut, we advanced toward the old tool shop, where we could find the keys and the box containing the antidotes.

Our next mission had the goal of finding a cure for the viral weapon that the Tech Merch released, this weapon would turn us all to zombies in a matter of hours, and there were already a few in the AO, wandering around, chasing players to kill them, or if they were calmer, they could be used as a mobile respawn, a great touch from the organization, and a great performance from the “Produções Imersivas”

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We found heavy resistance inside the main complex building, which had access to the tool shop, but since time wasn’t on our side we had to push fiercely, even if it meant taking heavy “casualties”.

As we pushed, we were able to create a path for some members of the faction to rush to our goal, find the key and the box with the antidotes! After bringing the box back to our HQ, we found that the antidotes were energy gels for us all to take; it was a good little detail.

buildings, meanwhile Bravo and Delta searched around the main building (the crypto appeared in the Ares Alpha app). Since the other two factions were still doing the previous mission, we had little confrontation while searching for our objectives.

With the crypto in our pocket, we returned to the HQ once again to get information about the mission.

This time we had to meet Tekkie, the third member of the Task Force, who was going to help us cripple the Tech Merch’s systems.

We headed towards a small building annexed to the main complex, there we found the Tekkie, and in another great piece of role-play he gave us two missions. My group was charged with hacking the Tech Merch’s systems, by placing a disk in a device in the old administrative offices, while Bravo and Delta had 15 minutes to place an explosive in the cooling systems, due to the miss activation of the C4 by the Tekkie. Even with some confrontations with the X-Ray faction, our group arrived at the designated area and completed the mission. The Tech Merch wasn’t going anywhere!

There was still a small part of the event to be done, but there was no more confrontation. Each faction would blow the door to the Tech Merch’s work shop, where we would see another great role-play moment, as the Tech Merch, in panic, tried to get the systems to work, and, as a last, resort, detonated a belt of explosives, while the players evacuated the building. And with that the Dystopia game part was done. Now it was time to remover our gear, store our replicas and hit the BifANA’s Bar, to eat some good soup and bifanas! And after doing around 17km in an urban scenario, with many missions and confrontations, the food tasted great!

So now, with our bellies full, we bid farewell and headed home, another event done!

A PERFECT FINALE TO 2023!

After taking our “antidotes” it was time to get back to the field and find a few more crypto coins to unlock the last mission of the event. The Alpha group moved towards the deposit and painting

In my opinion, Dystopia was probably the best event that ANA organized this year; the story, the scenario, the gameplay and role-play all came together to create a memorable event, filled with BBs flying around and missions.

And as always some words from the organization behind Dystopia:

“WE FOUND HEAVY RESISTANCE INSIDE THE MAIN COMPLEX BUILDING, WHICH HAD ACCESS TO THE TOOL SHOP, BUT SINCE TIME WASN’T ON OUR SIDE WE HAD TO PUSH FIERCELY, EVEN IF IT MEANT TAKING HEAVY “CASUALTIES”. AS WE PUSHED, WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE A PATH FOR SOME MEMBERS OF THE FACTION TO RUSH TO OUR GOAL”

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“Across all year, he menaced... someone had taken system control and hacked us! Since March, we experienced strange failures, obviously made by some system glitch (wink,wink) !.. For the past months, we saw a strange entity in airsoft forums.

A character had hacked itself into social media and engaged players to his challenge! Finally, TECH MERCH revealed itself, a futuristic thief who did the biggest heist of crypto-currency of his time. On escape, something glitched, and he landed in 2023, Sines, Portugal! Tech Merch’s Request was simple: collect his cryptocoins so he would leave this time and free ANA’s systems. But our plan was different.

Let’s capture that motherfuc*er!

The Stage was set for Dystopia!

And what a stage it was; in this ANA event, we blended airsoft, theatre play immersion, escape room challenges and lots of action, in one of Portugal’s gems of Airsoft Fields, COMPLEX 516, from Armada da Costa Alentejana [Airsoft Crew].

Professional actors did the roleplay and storytelling, supported with NAJA FORCE [Airsoft Crew] electronic props, players had a very futuristic and modern play-set. We all like games with cartel stories, or any military operation theme. But how about blazing through the future? The missions and submissions had several electronic and futuristic props that engaged players in Dystopia’s story. It culminated in the big finale at the final mission of the game, after having resolved the other three character missions. And escaping from some traps from TECH MERCH . . (zombies, wink wink...)”

Check out the ANA social media and Youtube channels (https://www.youtube.com/@ associacaonacionaldeairsoft) to know how all went down that day! Dystopia was a multi team project led by ANA but supported by: • Armada da Costa Alentejana who presented a beast of a field for Airsoft Action,; • Drone Crew, who captured drone footage for players; • Produções Imersivas, who elevated the roleplay experience; • Ryot, shopping partner for this event; • Da Costa, Photographer who captured his perspective of the game; • And all ANA Staff who brought their love and energy to a fantastic match day.

Dystopia was more than an airsoft game, was a truly immersive and digital airsoft experience, with great action and friendship!

“Porque o futuro é agora, juntos!” AA

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A TALE OF TWO SHADOWS 88

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AS 2023 DREW TO A CLOSE AND MANY OF YOU AROUND THE WORLD WERE SITTING DOWN TO SOME FORM OF FESTIVE FEEDING AND FUNTIMES AMONG FRIENDS AND FAMILY, TAIWAN IS LARGELY IMMUNE TO SUCH WESTERN CHRISTMASSY-NESS, ONE OF THE MANY PULL FACTORS FOR STEWBACCA IN FACT AS HE’S A GRINCH LIKE THAT… AS USUAL THE END OF THE YEAR MEANT CRAMMING IN A LOT OF EVENTS, THE G&G WORLD CUP AND MOA, AND WHILE HE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO OBSERVE THE IDPA NATIONALS AGAIN THIS YEAR, HE NONETHELESS TOOK PART AND SHOT THE KAOHSIUNG LEVEL 3 ALL-WEEKEND IPSC COMPETITION WITH HIS SAME TEAM SPPT SQUADMATES FROM LAST YEAR!

“

Merry Xmas, ya filthy animals” as he pulled the door off its hinges (more on that second day’s stage prop later), but suffice to say the Taiwan Practical Shooting Association (TPSA) were trying to instil a little festivity into their returning Kaohsiung Level 3 international competition.

Held a week later this year it landed right on Christmas Eve day and the day before, so our team leader Mars, along with Rex, JiaCheng (TW_ TacticalCat) and myself took a long weekend off work to drive all the way to the Southern end of the country from Taipei on the Friday afternoon, staying over at the same B&B as last year just across the river from the TPSA’s shooting ground in the shadow of a huge temple there.

As I mentioned in my previous report on the Tainan Level 1 competition (featured in Issue No. 156), 2023 was a bit devoid of competitions aside from the PengHu islands shoot in July I missed due to work, and the aforementioned Tainan Level 1, so, with that in mind we were all quite keen to get a fix of shooting on the clock. Being a Level 3 comp again meant 12 stages of mixed length and round counts split over the two days of the weekend; however this year there were no TSMOC rifle variation of some of the stages, in large part due to the expected increased number of competitors visiting from overseas now that lockdowns and travel restrictions are becoming a thankfully more distant memory (hopefully one we don’t have to revisit!).

With a bus load of Hong Kong’s finest practical shooters flying over to join their domestically-based compatriots who have been training alongside us all here over the past few years since they moved over, as well as some shooters and staff visiting from Macau, Japan, South Korea, Singapore & the Philippines it was

a busier and more international affair than last year, and thankfully felt a lot more relaxed, certainly for our team, as a result of the better weather and the lack of juggling pistols and rifles, both on the travelling aspect, and in terms of shooting stages! I had a lot more time to appreciate the surroundings and take photos and videos of the various proceedings on this occasion, at least, as well as spending more time catching up with distant friends from the south.

After settling in on Saturday night and venturing out into the town to explore local food options we prepared our gear and did some final dry-fire practice, and turned in fairly early for the night; it’s always a long and tiring experience doing any form of competition, especially when you have to travel far from home turf to take part… memories of universityaged bleary-eyed Taekwondo Stu’s experiences come flooding back too…

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE

Up bright and early, after a quick bit of breakfast we once again took the short drive to the shooting ground and started to get ourselves ready. Signing in I came across my first problem; less than two weeks prior there was some change and confusion over the rules for TPSA and/or IPSC which caused a great deal of online consternation, of course all of which was in Chinese so I had to rely on translations or second hand information, but the long and short of it is that all of a sudden the KJ Shadow 2 I’ve used in most if not all my competitions before was now not allowed to be used in Production division!

With the announcement not being particularly obvious, and in Chinese, and on very short notice after I’d signed up, paid and taken the time off work, as well as in the middle of moving place and not having

“WITH A BUS LOAD OF HONG KONG’S FINEST PRACTICAL SHOOTERS FLYING OVER TO JOIN THEIR DOMESTICALLY-BASED COMPATRIOTS WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINING ALONGSIDE US ALL HERE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS SINCE THEY MOVED OVER, AS WELL AS SOME SHOOTERS AND STAFF VISITING FROM MACAU, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, SINGAPORE & THE PHILIPPINES IT WAS A BUSIER AND MORE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR THAN LAST YEAR” www.airsoftaction.net

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much free time to source spare parts (which have been sporadic in general over the last few years due to KJ Works’ other manufacturing priorities), I was somewhat up s%*t creek, as they say… luckily divine intervention and some of my good friends in the industry here aligned to provide a Christmas miracle to warm even the cold grumpy heart of this shooter… a shiny new KJ Works Shadow 2 Orange special model, released early especially and gifted to me to mitigate the rule changes from affecting me. A surprise all round, and an early Xmas present for me!

With the shiny new fixed barrel, improved design and fresh-from-the-factory pistol approved and holstered in my Double Alpha X holster affixed to my DAA Lynx Belt, it was off to the test range to tweak the HOP unit with the latest bag of .30g Clarence Lai Project Design Bushido BBs the fine man himself had supplied me with when we met for breakfast while Bill was in town; thankfully it just required a single tweak to get it shooting dead on, so I must be getting good at guessing adjustments after all this time beating on its more established sibling.

With the nearly 70 shooters divided into 6 squads, we rotated through the first stages of the first day’s morning, with the odds first, 1, 3, and 5. For once we actually started on stage 1; with squads 1 and 2 paired off throughout proceedings we had 22 shooters in our combined group of predominantly local Taiwanese competitors with me and a handful of locally-based Hong-Kongers and some of their visiting friends thrown in for flavour.

shots minimum to score, I managed 10 Alphas and 2 charlies in 9.35 seconds with 12 shots fired and a (as it happens unnecessary) swift reload midway, no misses… I certainly seem to be improving, or perhaps it’s the new gun doing the heavy lifting already? That put me in the pack for production on the first effort.

STAGE 3 - Doughnut of Death Next up was our first long course; a square ring fault line to start anywhere we chose in, with 8 bays arranged inside, at the sides and at the rear, with the three adjoining rear ones having only small (and for my lorge self, low lying) windows to shoot through, 14 papers, 3 with no shoots, a lone popper in the back left bay, and the stop plate at the far rear, accessible through any of the 3 small windows. Like most, I started at the rear left corner and worked anticlockwise, taking on the four poppers accessible left and centre from there, then the two low ones as I ran past the front, reloaded, took on the two low ones at the far right, then worked my way forwards to finish off the rear three bays. Condition one start again, 30 shots minimum to score, 28 alphas and 2 charlies, although I had 4 additional make-up or missed shots and two reloads among all that in 25.72 seconds.

Almost clean, at least…

STAGE 1 - Hourglass To warm things up we had an amuse bouche of a short course consisting of two V shaped barricades nosed towards each other and 4 low or medium papers’ the furthest right having a no shoot obstruction on either side of both barricades, and three poppers, two on the front right and one on the back left, with the stop plate dead centre rear. Condition 1 start, 12

“DIVINE INTERVENTION AND SOME OF MY GOOD FRIENDS IN THE INDUSTRY HERE ALIGNED TO PROVIDE A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE TO WARM EVEN THE COLD GRUMPY HEART OF THIS SHOOTER… A SHINY NEW KJ WORKS SHADOW 2 ORANGE SPECIAL MODEL”

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STAGE 5 - Windows of Opportunity The first medium course was a V-shaped fault line box flanked by a wall of barricades with only a few narrow slots between them and one large opening at the right end, and an open left end to access the rear of the bay. 7 paper targets - 3 having no-shoots, one popper at the rear right and the stop plate at the rear centre again accessible from any of the barricade openings. 16 shots minimum to score, I shot it nice and clean in 15.89 with 19 rounds and a reload required… at least the height advantage allowed me to get the A zone of the centre right target between

way to the next medium course; a 7-shaped fault line setup with barricades on its inner angled faces, with an opening to shoot through on the left face, as well as an L shape dividing the right bays with an open rear bay. 9 paper targets, the front right one with a no-shoot, one popper at the rear right, and the stop plate at the rear centre. Starting stood face-to the rearmost barricade, 20 shots minimum to score, I managed 20 rounds with a reload, however I think the low obstruction in the right bay must have taken one of my rounds as I ended up with an alpha miss on that one, overall 17 alphas, 2 charlies and the miss, in 13.13 seconds.

STAGE 4 - Side to Side Another short course, this comprised of a wide fault line box to move around in with barricades radiating from the sides and a low wall at the front, 4 paper targets, the rear right one having a noshoot, and a popper at the front right, with the stop plate at the rear behind the wall where you start from, 10 shots minimum to score, I did a few makeup shots and fired 12 without the need to reload, and in the end had 8 alphas and 2 charlies in 11.03 seconds.

the tops of the two barrels obstructing it from most shooters!

With the first quarter of the shoot done it was lunch o’clock, and although we’d already seen and smelt the obligatory boar on a spit roast getting barbecued and blowtorched, that was to be the post shoot dinner later in the afternoon and evening. The usual Taiwanese lunchbox nonetheless provided good sustenance until we got to go.. ham… with the hog, on with the evens; 2,4, and 6.

STAGE 2 - Lucky 7 With refilled bellies and magazines, we found our

STAGE 6 - Off the Cuff The final course of the first day was a fun departure from the norm, a short course with a very small bounding box of fault lines, not that they mattered so much as your hands were tied (quite literally!) with the shooter loading to condition 2, leaving their gun and all their magazines in the bounding boxes on the table in front of them, before the ROs handcuffed both wrists to lanyards attached to the table legs limiting each hands range of movement. This would force us to change hands and shoot one-handed with at least one, if not both hands at some point. 3 paper targets, the furthest back with no-shoots, 2 poppers one on each side of the central divider, and the stop plate at the far rear accessible from either side. 9 shots minimum to

“TO WARM THINGS UP WE HAD AN AMUSE BOUCHE OF A SHORT COURSE CONSISTING OF TWO V SHAPED BARRICADES NOSED TOWARDS EACH OTHER AND 4 LOW OR MEDIUM PAPERS’ THE FURTHEST RIGHT HAVING A NO SHOOT OBSTRUCTION ON EITHER SIDE OF BOTH BARRICADES, AND THREE POPPERS, TWO ON THE FRONT RIGHT AND ONE ON THE BACK LEFT, WITH THE STOP PLATE DEAD CENTRE REAR” www.airsoftaction.net

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score, I ended up missing the right popper once and the central paper and the end plate once a piece so had 12 rounds total, 7 alphas and 2 charlies in 9.87 seconds for this nonetheless amusing effort.

With that rounding off the first day’s shooting we ditched off our gear and guns in the usual fashion and proceeded to pig out on the now carved-up wild boar that had been tempting us since lunchtime, then Team SPPT retired early to have local style lamb hotpot to finish warming and filling ourselves up and returned to the B&B to collate our thoughts over some post game beers and prep our gear for the final day.

RINSE, REPEAT

Rinse, repeat for Day 2, and after the breakfast run we made our way to the shooting ground and prepared ourselves and our equipment for the next 6 stages, doing 8,9 and 10 in a row this time due to the setup still required for some of the other stages; each day’s stages were reusing the same 6 bays with some reconfiguration of the barricades and targets, but with the same layouts otherwise.

STAGE 8 - Take a Seat The first run of the second day was another medium course using the same 7 layout of day 1’s

stage 2, but with the end of the bay divided into three bays, and the left barricade being more complete with only a small window to shoot the left paper targets through. The start position was a pinned down stool with all the shooter’s magazines being left on the barrel to the front left, with the pistol holstered unloaded. 10 paper targets with only the centre rear one having a no-shoot, and just a lone popper on the left of the rear right bay. My old man knees never help when it comes to stages with sitting or kneeling (more on that later) so just getting up at the start is ‘a thing’ for me! 22 shots minimum to score, I ended up doing some make-up shots, largely as I stood up, threw the first mag in and charged the gun to start shooting right handed only through the left window as I grabbed another two mags from the drum and tried to get them in their pouches as I moved, panning right and finally getting my second hand on the gun just in time to need to reload anyway, before moving to the left in the leg of the 7 shaped fault lines. I ended up with 28 rounds spent, 19.14 seconds, 19 alphas, 1 charlie… and 2 misses and a procedural for totally missing the back left target; I counted the centre rear one twice in my stage plan and there were so many shooters we barely got a second run through and the narrow spaces made planning difficult. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Not a great start to the day…

STAGE 9 - Slicing the Pi Next up was a medium course on the previous day’s stage 3 Doughnut of Death ground, but with the bottom leg of the fault lines closed up to make a Pi shape to move within, with barricades in the enclosed space with targets either side, and open targets left and right with two small windowed bays along the rear and a more open central gap in between with low papers and the stop plate. Shooters were again free to start anywhere, but that practically meant the

“LAST STAGE OF THE MORNING WAS A LONG COURSE IN THE SAME PLACE AS STAGE 4, WITH A WIDE BOX TO MOVE IN, THIS TIME FREE TO START ANYWHERE, WITH PAPERS AND POPPERS BEHIND THE LOW WALL AT THE FRONT, AND BAYS RADIATING TO BOTH SIDES FORCING YOU TO MOVE AROUND A BIT”

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end of either the left or right legs; 9 paper targets, with the three of them having no-shoots, and just two poppers on the front right and back left, 21 shots minimum to score, I ended up with 27 shots and a reload at the halfway point, all clean in 18.81, at least that made up for the misses on the last stage somewhat.

STAGE 10 - Low Blow Last stage of the morning was a long course in the same place as stage 4, with a wide box to move in, this time free to start anywhere, with papers and poppers behind the low wall at the front, and bays radiating to both sides forcing you to move around a bit. The front right target was also hidden beneath a low opening that forced many to squat, kneel or otherwise get low somewhat ungracefully; I initially contemplated doing an ‘N’ pattern of movement and finishing on my knee with that target being last before the end plate, but in the end realised I could make the shot more easily from the back left starting point, avoiding such inconvenience to myself. 27 shots minimum to score, with 10 papers, 3 no-shoots and 6 poppers, I ended up doing a few extra shots to make sure and shot 31 rounds with a reload midway and another before the stop plate, 25 alphas and 2 charlies in 26.10 seconds.

This year the weather was surprisingly warm; there had been some threats of light rain on Day 1, needing the ROs to continually cover and uncover the paper targets with plastic bags until it finally made its mind up that it wouldn’t rain properly, whereas on Day 2 the sun was very much out and beginning to barbecue me in its usual way! We broke for lunch, meatball soup and vermicelli noodles, before rearming and getting ourselves to the last stages to be shot, 7, 11, and 12.

opened outward by the shooter to access the left and centre targets, with a lone no shoot obstructed low paper on the outside right, along with a popper, and a high and low paper inside along with the stop plate at the rear. 8 shots minimum to score, with a mandated start on condition one with your heels on the back left of the fault line box. Most elected to yank the door open on the way past to engage the right targets in the open then move and shoot through the opening. I managed it in 8 shots only with 7 alphas and 1 charlie in 7.06 seconds, and thanks from the RO for being more gentle with the door!

STAGE 11 - Pineapple Express A further short course on the same ‘V’ shaped layout of stage 5, but with the barricades replaced by pineapple cut-out props and a more open arrangement aside from the small windowed barricade at the back left, 5 paper targets, 2 with no-shoots, on popper at the far back right and a minimum of 12 shots to score. Starting in condition one with both hands on the drum at the point of the ‘V’, I went right first and shot it clean in 11.71 but required a reload after the first leg and 17 rounds in all due to missing the stop plate awkwardly shooting through the window at the end and another few strays or makeup shots.

STAGE 7 - Knock Knock A short course with a twist, or rather a pull; a large Christmasthemed door prop had to be

“A FURTHER SHORT COURSE ON THE SAME ‘V’ SHAPED LAYOUT OF STAGE 5, BUT WITH THE BARRICADES REPLACED BY PINEAPPLE CUT-OUT PROPS AND A MORE OPEN ARRANGEMENT ASIDE FROM THE SMALL WINDOWED BARRICADE AT THE BACK LEFT, 5 PAPER TARGETS, 2 WITH NO-SHOOTS, ON POPPER AT THE FAR BACK RIGHT AND A MINIMUM OF 12 SHOTS TO SCORE” www.airsoftaction.net

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STAGE 12 - Jazz Hands The final stage of our day and the overall shoot was another short one of 9 shots minimum to score, with an activated swinging paper target triggered by a low popper only visible through two stacked barricade windows from a particular angle, as well as a paper to its left only visible under the starting table. The shooter started from the rear of the fault line box, with the gun in condition 2 and spare mags on the table in the bounding boxes again.

I decided to lunge left, acquire my pistol from the left box and take on the left popper before skipping all the way right and taking on the low paper behind the barrel at that side, skipping a few rounds off the barrel and requiring some makeup shots, then taking on the hidden popper and the swinging paper it

activated before doubling over somewhat and dealing with the low front paper and finishing on the stop plate with slide lock. 9 shots minimum to score, 3 papers, 2 poppers and the stop plate, I spent all 15 on makeups, getting 5 alphas, 3 charlies and a delta… damned moving targets… and did it in 13.86 seconds.

All told I ended up with 887 points, in 3 minutes and 4.67 seconds, with 175 alphas, 17 charlies, 1 delta, 3 misses and a procedural. I managed to avoid tagging any Tiffanies (no shoots) which was a nice departure given that quite a few people dropped points for that! Aside from only the one stage planning error missing that target on stage 8, I didn’t really make any mistakes as such; either the Shadow 2 orange is a really straight shooter, or I’m getting progressively better, and also seem to be moving more efficiently, albeit still slower than some of the skinny speedybois, but I was pretty happy overall with my performance, especially given the last minute gun change and lack of training time on the lead-up due to all the other things going on in my life as of late.

“STANDARD DIVISION SAW LAM SIU CHU OF HK TAKE THIRD PLACE, “JOPHY” LEUNG MING CHUN TAKE SECOND AND LOCALLY BASED “EDMOND” SAO CHI MIAN TAKE FIRST PLACE, WHILE OPEN DIVISION SAW “TANGO” NG WAI KIN OF HK TAKE THIRD, TAIWAN’S TSAI YU QI TAKE SECOND PLACE AND WONG HO CHING OF HK TAKE FIRST PLACE”

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ROUNDING OUT

We all retired to make safe and stow our guns and gear before the closing dinner commenced, with many rounds of local dishes getting bussed by our tables and everyone enjoying the festivities and war stories before the announcement of the victors in each division.

We had a few folks fall on the gravel trying to run too fast, as well as some DQ’s due to minor mishaps, as well as Zheng JiaHua breaking his trigger spring on his Glock ending up with a DNF on one of the stages, despite that mishap he still managed to take third place in production division, with his Spring Rain teammate Lai Yu Chen taking second and visiting Hong Konger Chin Chu Hei taking first place.

Standard division saw Lam Siu Chu of HK take third place, “Jophy” Leung Ming Chun take second and locally based “Edmond” Sao Chi Mian take first place, while open division saw “Tango” Ng Wai Kin of HK take third, Taiwan’s Tsai Yu Qi take second place and Wong Ho Ching of HK take first place.

With that all dealt with we once again had to make a quick exit, this time TacticalCat had to get back to Taipei for work, so we dropped him off at the high speed rail in Kaohsiung then the rest of us went to our other hotel nearby for the night to chill out and drive back the next morning after a bit of a welcome lie-in!

Many thanks as always to the staff and ROs for organising and administering the event very smoothly, as well as all the competitors from nearby and overseas for making it the usual excellent show of sportsmanship and good natured humour I’ve come to expect and enjoy being a part of. And of course thanks to my teammates for doing all the leg work of organising our travel arrangements and driving us all the way there and back, as well as our industry partners for their continued support in terms of keeping me well stocked with spare parts and new guns to break for GunScience!

Until next time, fellow shooters… AA

“MANY THANKS AS ALWAYS TO THE STAFF AND ROS FOR ORGANISING AND ADMINISTERING THE EVENT VERY SMOOTHLY, AS WELL AS ALL THE COMPETITORS FROM NEARBY AND OVERSEAS FOR MAKING IT THE USUAL EXCELLENT SHOW OF SPORTSMANSHIP AND GOOD NATURED HUMOUR I’VE COME TO EXPECT AND ENJOY BEING A PART OF”

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