Man, it’s been a hectic few days… Christmas is supposed to be a break but it often ends up busier than the rest of the year and one thing is for certain, I’m desperate for things to get back to normal for some skirmishing action. Last time I played was way back on December 18th, and to be fair, it was far too cold to be much fun. From here, it looks like my next game will be January 9th at F&O The Mall.

I’ve played at The Mall before and I’ve gotta be honest, I struggled to get into it for the first few games. For those that don’t know, the site is a small, disused, indoor shopping complex, and the areas in play range from tight, dimly lit corridors with blind corners, to open plaza type spaces with balconies. It’s easy for players to get bogged down in doorways, stairwells and the like, and for play to be a bit static and unsatisfying.

The games I struggled with, I was wearing a reasonably large amount of kit, and using a full size AEG M16, which in hindsight was a terrible choice. I felt sluggish and cumbersome and wasn’t able to move as rapidly as I had hoped, and this led me down the route of getting into a lot of the stalemate situations I mentioned. After lunch (which is generously included by the site organisers) I switched to a simple springer shotgun and dumped all my kit apart from what I needed. I felt free, light on my feet and swift and it made such a difference to my gameplay it was remarkable.

This time round, I’m going to take the lightest loadout I have ever used. I’m simply taking a belt rig and my trusty Glock 18C GBB pistol. I’ll take my spring shottie as a back up, just in case, but I’ll leave it back in the safe zone. This time round I want to make the most of being able to move quickly and quietly, and avoid those stalemates, instead finding alternative routes and taking the opposition by surprise.

If you’re heading to The Mall on the 9th, keep an eye out for me and say “Hi!”

The Tokyo Marui Recoil line continues to grow. Along with the SOPMOD, the M4A1 and the CQB-R there’s also the AK, the G36 and soon the SCAR L. There’s no doubt they are great guns and add that little extra touch of realism and fun to your shooting.

Lonex brand Recoil gear set

To make matters even better, it looks like upgrades, previously a little thin on the ground, are beginning to become more and more available and widespread. Take a look at ebairsoft.com for the line of Lonex upgrades available.

Merry Xmas recoilers!

Just announced as new products from G&P are these few ‘Nam era guns. Here at Ai, we always get a bit excited about some good old ‘Namsoft, so it’s caused a bit of a stir, not to mention a resurgence of shouting countless movie quotes.

It doesn’t look like these bad boys are available to buy just yet, but let’s hope they are available for the summer here in England.

Car-15 left side

Car-15 right side

Car-15 stock detail

Car-15 receiver left side

Car-15 receiver right side

XM177e2 w/M203 left side

XM177e2 w/m203 right side

XM177e2 w/M203 left side receiver detail

XM177e2 left side

XM177 right side

As we come to the end of 2010, as a magazine publisher, we get the satisfaction of looking at a lovely stack of magazines to put in the archive, and I’m sure a few of you out there have the whole set too, perhaps sitting on the shelf, or maybe in the loo for a bit of light reading?

Where ever you keep your copies of Ai, I think you’ll agree, we’ve had a great 2010, buit what was your favourite month? Check out our poll below to vote which issue you liked best. Don’t forget, if you are missing any, you can always get back issues from the Ai Back Issues Dept.

I think I’ve just about recovered from Saturday’s game… Down to -6 Celsius at times meant it was really tough going, but being the final game of the year at Urban Assault meant it was pretty much mandatory for the regulars to show face, and get it shot and frozen off.

UA Regulars Jamie Fox and Joe Fabian ready up in the bitter cold.

See, the problem with it being so cold wasn’t really how chilly I felt. With my RICAS and a few layers on, it wasn’t too hard to keep warm, apart from the extremities, but my AEG was frozen. At certain points, I’m pretty sure my hop was entirely ineffective, but it was totally unpredictable. A burst of full auto usually got the BBs hopping up properly, but with mid-caps, you don’t get many bursts to a mag, so with frozen feet, we reluctantly retired to the warm baths and soothing showers of our homes shortly after lunch.

Airsoft in Winter can be rewarding, but it is tough, not only on you but it really demands a lot from your kit. I guess all that we can do is take it with good humour and remember what it’s like in summer!

Let us know if you’ve had the last game of your year and if you’ve got any tips about dealing with the cold, because it looks like we might have a couple of months of it yet!

Magpul stuff… It’s cool and people want it, but it can be a bit confusing. Problems arise because a few people make “Magpul” stuff.

See, you can get genuine Magpul products. These are made to fit REAL firearms and as such, only fit a select few airsoft weapons. It’s also VERY expensive and is actually illegal to export from the USA in some cases.

Then, you can get Magpul PTS parts. These are faithful replicas of REAL Magpul parts made under license by companies in China. Magpul PTS parts are made of a very similar polymer to their “real-steel” components, but not exactly the same. They are also marked with “PTS” trademarks in order to make them legal for export. PTS products include the new Masada ACR and the P-Mag and E-Mag ranges.

On top of this, you can also get clone products. Many clone products are perfectly serviceable and available at a much lower price, but they are not endorsed by Magpul.

Then somewhere in between the lot you have Green Label Mags… They look just like P-Mags (or E-Mags in this case) but they are WAY cheaper. They work pretty well in most AEGs but they also require their own Green Label ranger plates and accessories. Make sure if buying mags second hand, you don’t confuse the two. The good news is Green Label mags are now available in a E-Mag style pattern!

Wow, doesn’t time fly? It only seems like 10 minutes since I was talking about the last issue going on sale, but it’s that time of the month again. If you have a subscription, your postie may well be trying to force the latest issue of Ai through you letter box, but if you don’t, or your sub doesn’t start ’til Christmas, it’ll be on sale in good newsagents and airsoft retailers tomorrow.

Don’t be scared by the nasty skull face… There’s all nice stuff inside…

This time round we have all the usual features, including a look at the loved or loathed G&G G2010, plus shots from the Ai500 that we know you have been waiting for, so get out there and grab a copy.

I have to admit, I’d never heard of the Robinson Arms XCR, but from what I can make out, it’s a pretty badass looking adaptable combat rifle, perfect for you nutters that refuse to buy the PTS Masada but also know that the modular design is the way forward. The other thing is, it appears to be made of some kind of awesome metal stuff from the pictures seen below.

Images courtesy of peopleairsoft.com

Images courtesy of peopleairsoft.com

Over at Arnie’s Airsoft, they had this to say about the gun:

“The long awaited Robinson Arms XCR, the airsoft version has been rumored and pushed back so many times I’ve lost count, however, it has been recently (again) been re-confirmed to release in first quarter of 2011.


If you’ve lost track the real Robinson Arms XCR is a gas operated piston driven rifle with full ambidextrous controls, extreme reliablity, and unrivaled ergonomics.


More information can be found at the Robinson Arms site.


The following image possibly shows a sample version of the XCR? My sources have re-assured me (a few times) that it is indeed a final molding of the airsoft version of the xcr. They also mentioned that it WILL in fact be released in the 1st quarter of 2011. Due to safety concerns they did not mention manufacturer or any other information but did promise more secretive images within the next few days (cross your fingers).”

So it does look pretty awesome… I like the fact that in real life it appears to be a hybrid of an AK and a Masada, with a durable and simplistic firing mechanism capable of firing almost anything, short of rocks. In terms of airsoft, I really like the integrated rail design that a lot of companies are using, surely helps with accuracy and strength.

Just when we thought the previously announced Socom Gear Cheytac M200 Intervention couldn’t get any cooler, Redwolf Airsoft popped this on their blog.

Ok, so it may not be entirely practical for skirmishing, but how satisfying does that look?

In other news, I’ve been thinking long and hard about upgrading AEGs and the reasons behind it. Look out over the next few days because I’ll be posting my thoughts on those upgrades we all almost automatically start to think about, and if I think we should really place such a position of importance on them.

Even though airsoft is growing in the UK, we still seem to be a little way behind the curve set by “The Motherland”. We have some pretty good retailers here in the UK, but eHobby Asia just posted a few pictures on their facebook profile that take it to the next level.

Drooooool…. This looks like heaven.

Cheap SOPMOD? Might just be…