FREE PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY JUNE 2020 - TAP ANY IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION PERFORMANCE SHORT SLEEVE POLO COTTON SHORT SLEEVE POLO UNIFORM SHORT SLEEVE POLO UTL POLO SHIRT with Pen Pocket ■■ ■ □ ■■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■ FIRST;_� - £34.95 £34.95 *PROPPER" £27.00 £24.90 URBAN TACTICAL LINE POLO SHIRT ANIKETOS POLO T-SHIRT SIERRA POLO T-SHIRT LEVANTES HENLEY SHIRT ■ ■ ■■■ ■ ■■■ .-.. ■■■ ■■■ ■■■ £24.90-er' ---- £20.00 ·•Sa• £16.00 ·•Sa• £23.90 TRIDENT BATTLE TOP BATTLE-T UNDER-VEST T-SHIRT AGERON SPARTAN WARRIOR T-SHIRT CARDBOARD ASSASSIN T-SHIRT URBAN TACTICAL SHORTS 11" CPU SHORTS GOMATI SHORTS BDU 2.0 SHORTS ■ ■■ ■ ■ ■■■ IJ■ ■■ ■■■ ■ ■ .-.. ■■ ■••■•■ £36.90- £23.40 -er' £44.90 ·•Sa• £28.00 ROYAL SHORTS DIVISION SHORTS AIRBORNE VINTAGE SHORTS TROOPER SHORTS ■■□ ■□ ■■■ ■ £39.99 SUR1'-Ji'll £27.99 SAVAGE VINTAGE SHORTS VINTAGE CLASSIC SHORTS URBAN LEGEND SHORTS INDUSTRY VINTAGE 3/4 SHORTS TAP ANY IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION 08 12 ARMOURY: ARMOURY: SPECNA E21 PDW G&G PIRANHA FREE PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY JUNE 2020 - 16 28 Editor: Nigel Streeter Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing Ad Design: Deadshot Design Publisher: Nigel Streeter Wyche Innovation Centre, ACTION AIR: Walwyn Road, PHOTO SPECIAL: Upper Colwall, Malvern, CL CUSTOM TAIWAN Worcestershire, WR13 6PL Tel: +44 (0) 1684 878 003 Web: www.airsoft-action.online ©Calibre Publishing Limited 2019 36 38 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 print. SPECIAL FEATURE: FEATURE: CAPTAIN TOM AIRSOFT COMMS FIND US ON… facebook.com/AirsoftAction Search ‘Airsoft Action’ 46 51 LETTER, IDEA OR QUESTION? Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the Editor: [email protected], write to us at SPECIAL FEATURE: SPECIAL REPORT: the Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook. REAPER OPS TV CHINA MILSIM Contents CONTENTS JUNE 2020 JUNE 2020 8 ARMOURY: SA-E21 PDW 38 FEATURE: AIRSOFT COMMS Specna Arms are on an absolute roll and it Using radios in an airsoft game is something seems they release more new models of AEG that many aspire to do well but it’s a perishable each month and head in new directions at the skill like any other that needs constant practice same time! Bill has spent some time with one and updating. Our “Legionnaire” Sean, from of the latest models to be released, the SA-E21, Blackline Simulations in Canada, gives us some and brings in his findings… pointers on how to ensure your comms are effective and how you can get the best out of 12 ARMOURY: G&G PIRANHA them. Although “airsoft replica military models” are still amongst the most popular AEGs and GBBs 42 THE CAGE: BELT UP! that we all buy, it is interesting to see new We all love our “nylon gear” for airsoft but designs hitting the market, concepts drawn sometimes the old adage that “you can spot the up by airsoft manufacturers themselves. Bill veteran airsofter with just an old AK and belt has been living with the new G&G Armament kit” is truer than you might think! This month Piranha Mk1 GBB pistol for a couple of months Bill got (virtually) together with the AA team to now and this is his verdict on this unique pistol discuss “Battle/Shooter Belts” and asked them design. “Do you use one? Why? …and if you do, what do you use?” 16 PHOTO SPECIAL: CL CUSTOM GUNS There cannot be too many airsofters that have 46 SPEICAL FEATURE: REAPER OPS TV an interest in custom guns who have not heard At the beginning of May Bill was invited to take the name “Clarence Lai”, although they may part in Episode 2 of “Reaper Ops TV” to talk well know him by his “other” name, “Airsoft about our recent change to digital publishing Surgeon”. and although the show ran to nearly two hours, there were still questions unanswered and things 22 KIT & GEAR: BLACK CAM left to say, so here he brings you a round-up of In the last issue of Airsoft Action regular the entire interview! contributor Steve T gave his thoughts on the latest VCBLK gear from VIPER. This month 51 EVENT: POST-LOCKDOWN MILSIM Bill takes it a step further and puts together a As lockdown restrictions are slowly eased around complete set of gear on a budget that features the world, Airsoft Action “Legionnaire”, Hana “Black Cam” from a variety of sources! Xu, reports from the first MilSim event after lockdown was successfully held in China. 28 ACTION AIR: THE FRESH PRINCE… Airsoft Action’s “Man in Taiwan”, Stewbacca, 52 ARMOURY: CYMA 096 PLATINUM gets his groove on as he writes about his journey When is an AR not an AR? When its an AR/AK to Taiwan and into Action Air. hybrid of course! Having looked closely at the SR-47 in Issue 111, this month Bill gets his hands 32 ARMOURY: ICS GARAND on a more price-friendly AEG alternative that’s To many, looking in from the outside world, appeared in the latest CYMA 09 series - and airsoft would sometimes appear to be all about finds it very much to his liking! the very latest tricked-out AR, or the newest “tacticool” AK but there are also replica models 56 WORKSHOP: LD MAINTENANCE PT2 that both the re-enactor and collector of classic Frenchie has been maintaining kit for longer firearm models can enjoy. Bill looks at one of his then we dare mention and continues his new favourite historical rifles, in the form of the ICS series with a look at GBB maintenance. M1 Garand AEG. 58 LAST POST: AIRSOFT IN LOCKDOWN 36 SPECIAL FEATURE: CAPTAIN TOM With the country still (mostly) “confined to Military Historian, Will Fowler, gives us a brief quarters”, Frenchie poses a simple question: look back at the history of a man whose “When the country is in lockdown, where do determination earned him the gratitude and you play airsoft?” respect of an entire nation. Photo by Victor Karlund. https://www.instagram.com/victorkarlund ULTIMA JACKET BLACK / DARK COYOTE / GREEN / SRP: £89.95 armoury SA-E21 PDW EDGE™ CARBINE EDGING OUT THE SPECNACOMPETITION ARMS ARE ON AN ABSOLUTE ROLL AND IT SEEMS THEY RELEASE MORE NEW MODELS OF AEG EACH MONTH AND HEAD IN NEW DIRECTIONS AT THE SAME TIME! BILL HAS SPENT SOME TIME WITH ONE OF THE LATEST MODELS TO BE RELEASED, THE SA-E21, AND BRINGS IN HIS FINDINGS… honestly think I’d be hard-pushed to think of another guns I personally own and use these days are internally AEG manufacturer that has consistently released so “stock”, as what you get as standard from the likes of I many models and variants in such a short space of time, Specna Arms are AEGs that actually have most of the bells as although Specna Arms have been knocking around for and whistles we used to add internally, fitted as standard. a while now, their recent output can only be described It wasn’t so long ago that MOSFETs, for instance, were the as “prolific”! I remember seeing the brand appear on the stuff of fantasy and being able to set your AEG to anything Gunfire stand several years back with a small range of other than semi or “full chat” wasn’t even an option we “AR-inspired” models and, if memory serves, our very first considered. Tightbores were things that the “techies” fitted mention of them actually spelt the name wrong! - and don’t even get me started on the size of batteries… I believe it would now be impossible to make that Although we are constrained right now in our ability same mistake, as Specna Arms have become an “airsoft to actually get out and use our airsoft kit in earnest, the household” name, with a wide range of retail stockists fact is that in my opinion we are living in somewhat of throughout Europe and further designs on expansion “golden age of airsoft”, where most firearm models are into the US market (if their presence at SHOT Show is any available as really quite excellent airsoft replicas and our indicator of intent). choice is bigger and wider than ever. And that, to me, is And the fact is that they have the goods to back all this where manufacturers like Specna Arms (there are others!) up and they continue to innovate and inspire with new have stepped into the ring with gloves raised to take on all models to suit any (and every) airsoft player out there - comers in a thoroughly professional way. models that are well-built, well-priced and perform from Not only are we seeing the “business model” of airsoft the box. This, ultimately, is what we, the players, truly want changing but, as I have said before, we are seeing airsoft if we’re honest, as although we are bombarded with words, manufacturers going their own way to pursue design pictures, and videos from folk telling us to “fettle, change, concepts of their own and turn those concepts into reality. and upgrade” our AEGs and GBBs, what most of REALLY Trust me, from conversations I had at SHOT earlier this year, want, especially at the moment, is to get out and play a there are those in the “real shooting” community that are game! looking quite hard at what the airsoft world is creating right It may surprise many of you that most of the airsoft now and new relationships forged by Specna Arms with “THIS, ULTIMATELY, IS WHAT WE, THE PLAYERS, TRULY WANT IF WE’RE HONEST, AS ALTHOUGH WE ARE BOMBARDED WITH WORDS, PICTURES, AND VIDEOS FROM FOLK TELLING US TO “FETTLE, CHANGE, AND UPGRADE” OUR AEGS AND GBBS, WHAT MOST OF REALLY WANT, ESPECIALLY AT THE MOMENT, IS TO GET OUT AND PLAY A GAME!” 8 JUNE 2020 armoury SA-E21 PDW EDGE™ CARBINE most certainly at the price.