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And this absolute whanger, which is why I'm not blasé about "mid century history enthusiasts" with a very specific interest in lightning bolts and friendship windmills. I draw a distinction here between generic Wehrmacht or Rooshan, versus sporting ᛋᛋ or Z emblems. At an actual historic re-enactment event representing the totality of a conflict you can (but don't have to) make the "Well, someone has to do it" argument. At an airsoft skirmish, or even a milsim, that doesn't apply: it's always a conscious choice to go full fash. And the warning sign for me is not how long ago the events occurred, but whether the ideology behind them is still active now. And especially if it's still actively recruiting. If it is, then I'll always doubt the motives for choosing to display and promote it, regardless of any public protestations to the contrary.

My mother was living in occupied Brussels/Belgium. She remembers seeing families being marched along the street with yellow star of David patches on their clothing. There was a small lake in a forest near their house which was emptied in 1997 for the first time since the war. I found loads of German bullets (probably from training) and several rusted civilian handguns (handed to Police) People threw them away because they would be shot if found with weapons. This was just at the edge of the lake because it was too muddy further in. There must have been LOADS of stuff in there cleaned out by the council. My father didn't talk about his experience much and he's gone now. What I did get out of him during my interrogations was: As a newly trained pilot in his teens he was sent to North Africa to fly P40 Warhawks but was shot down on his first patrol. He was the only one to survive out of his flight and only because a Bedouin found the crash site and took him to an allied outpost. He then became a reconnaissance photographer in the nose of a B24 Liberator. The only information about that part was he remembered flying over the beaches (duno which) a few days after D-Day to gather intel on progress. He had these two medals (Distinguished Flying Cross & Air Medal) but he never told me the circumstances to attain them. After the war he became a journalist (quite well known at the time in journalist circles) based in the Middle-East. He apparently had a lot of adventures there. Becoming friends with the President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser. And suspected of being a spy by some other group. Fun times...

I've thought about this as I couldn't put my finger on exactly why it was bothering me, but I wouldn't say I'm offended by patches of any sort. I'd say I find it fucking embarrassing. Like, imagine someone from a tabloid or something seeing us playing with a couple of people wearing those, and we would all be tarred with the same brush. Realistically, it should be called out and sites should stamp it out. It's not that far fetched an idea, they've run stories at events moaning people were dressed as terrorists. That's people in jeans, a shirt and a shemagh with an ak. If public perception is that we are a bunch of far right wing A holes who have gun fetishes this hobby is on borrowed time. Especially with an inevitably incoming (and not soon enough) labour government. A proper impression is different and that's just nuance perhaps.

@TackleI removed the steering damper. It had got 1000 quids worth of bitubo rear shock which solves the issue. Really don't need a steering damper with a proper shock. Naff bike to ride slowly or round town, loads of fun, and far too easy, to do silly speeds. I got rid on my return and bought something a bit more me. Anyway, I won't hijack this further, to summarise in the game of morrocan crime gang glock paper scissors, glock won.

Thought I would treat myself to a new optic for the HK 416a5

Now that would be almost funny, swaggering cuntchops turns up at his local site sporting his controversial patches, coupla visiting Ukrainians give him a "lesson" in humility🤣 I'm usually the kinda guy that intervenes when shit kicks off, but I think that would definitely be a "stand back & eat popcorn" moment lol😏

You called? I have an absolute raft of Russian gear, ranging from Soviet M68 to Afghan all the way through to modern Russian stuff. I was also in a Modern Russian Airsoft team 'The Bolsheviks' - this was all pre Ukraine mind. Not one bit of it has seen the light of day since the invasion. The people that wear this sort of stuff in times like this are deserving of every bit of derision. Though equally, when do we draw the line? I saw someone in a 1980s RUC kit on the internet, which personally as an Irishman I find kind edgy. I wouldn't even dream of wearing anything Nazi related not similarly would I turn up in a camo jacket, armalite and balaclava pretending to be in the IRA....its about respect at the end of the day. Historically themed kit should, in my opinion be the preserve of historically themed games, where it can be taken in its proper context.....now wheres me petrol bomb? Plus this country now has a sizeable Eastern European/Ukrainian presence which would find it distasteful...don't be a cunt at the end of the day...

As if you have to ask.... Look at what we call a hobby FFS 🤣

@Dan Robinson creating a seperate chat here to avoid derailing the questionable politics chat

Ive got some history somewhere as well. Great-great grandfather on my father's side was Henry Hulbert, a Brit who joined the US Marines prior to WWI due to some less than favorable circumstances, received a handful of medals including the Medal of Honor for actions during the Second Samoan Civil War, the Distinguished Service Cross for actions in Belleau Wood, and the Navy Cross and the French Croix De Guerre posthumously after he was KIA on Mt Blanc in 1918. He had a Clemson-class Destroyer (DD-342) named after him, which was stationed at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th, and is believed to be the first ship to have opened fire on the Japanese that morning, destroying one torpedo bomber and damaging several other aircraft, claiming an assist on a dive bomber. That was the really only moment of noteworthiness for the USS Hulbert, as she sustained no damage over the course of the war and spent most of her time as an escort, working with the newer US Fast Attack Carriers. She is accredited with rescuing a dozen pilots during that time. She was decommissioned in 1945. Her bell is on display at the Marine Corp's Barracks in Parris Island I believe Great-grandfather on my mother's side was Arthur Rogers, a bomber commander in the Pacific theatre during WWII. He was the driving force behind the upgraded B-24D class of Heavy Bombers, during which he flew his personally-modified B-24 the "Connell's Special" on a solo bombing mission, taking several Japanese fighters down with the new nose-mounted ball turret he and his men salvaged off a crashed B-17's tail. Notable exploits of his were the allowance of Pappy Gunn to use his AF for fuel and ammunition (if you don't know Pappy Gunn look him up - he took a B-25 and mounted a French 75mm anti-tank gun in the nose, and used it to attack Japanese naval convoys by himself after the Japanese killed his family in the Philippines, where he worked as an ariel mail delivery service prior to the war), as Gunn at the time was essentially using a stolen B-25 for his vigilante attacks and some wanted him arrested and tried for it, and for the creation of the heavier-armed B-24D variant. He was involved in the Bikini Atoll testing in some capacity, though Im not sure to what extent. He passed away before I was born.

Hey man just wondering if youd consider selling the m2 carbine? Trying to get my hands on one just curious!

Managed to find a HWS 1858, bonus is it's a long one. Well, a pair in all fairness. I'm not too fussed about boxes but these have Clint Eastwood on the cover so that's gotta be worth +10 tactical

Love mine on the long L119 A2

Great minds think alike...

All this talk of ww2 german uniforms has reminded me of something I overheard at a game last month. There was a someone playing in a vague attempt at a ww2 German loadout with a swastika on his helmet and double lightning bolt patches on his collar. While I thought it was a a bit silly, its what some other kid said that made me think WTF? While stood around waiting for the game briefing he called it a loadout of the bad guys from Call of Duty*. All I could think what are kids being taught in schools these days that they don't recognise symbols of a regime guilty of one of the worst acts of genocide in the past 100 years? *I'm paraphrasing here as he sounded like someone had ordered Ali G from wish.com

I am definitely on the side of personal choice, wear what you like taking into account your feelings and personal opinions... But people making those choices have to personally take responsibility for their actions, own it and face any potential consequences. Also it makes it far easier to work out who the steaming piles of excrement are if they are public about it.

Both of my Grandfathers served with the British Forces in Cyprus. My paternal Great Grandmother was a member of the SS Frauenkorps. She was never called up to guard the Concentration camps, but they say it was a close run thing towards the end of the war. My Paternal Great Grandfather was a medic in the German Army, but was a pacifist and (quietly was said to be) against Nazi rule. They both fled to Baden Austria when they realised the Allies were going to win the war. My Paternal Grandmother sadly takes after her Mother and is quite Fascist. Once she came to the UK she would have rolled up the rope ladder to prevent anyone else to get in. Very much a case of "F**k you, I got mine". She went on to attempt to become a Conservative Counsellor, but couldn't get elected. However was very active in Conservative party circles in the 80's and early 90's hosting various parties and dignitaries.

My nan's life was recorded on tape (born 1902), but she was so old it was out of order and garbled - it took hours for my dad to listen and transcribe. I have a short version somewhere on my office PC. I need to ask dad why she never mentioned what the soldiers of the family got up to. Personally I think it is because they never spoke of it. I know my Pathfinder uncle was very quiet about what happened during his service. He was an unnervingly quiet person, yet very kind. Honourable grandparents on the other side would have been children at the time, but hopefully we can get some tales from them when the boy moves there in a few months. Thankfully my dad has been spending a lot of time researching his history and while I know there isn't much past the mid 1800's (we come from farmhands in Norfolk) I think he's found some interesting stuff from the turn of the century and WW2. Nanny Hastings Memoires.pdf

my great grandfather served as a petty officer on board submarine HMS Triumph. i know the most about his story as i was fascinated by hearing about him from my grandfather as a child. he had a picture of the submarine on the wall in his cottage. i was studying WW2 in my history lessons at the time, and i got to hear the story of how his submarine was lost without trace, and i was even shown a christmas card he sent home in 1941 shortly before the sub departed for its final patrol. i even emailed the submarine museum and royal navy themselves to get copies of his records, but it wasnt until a few years ago that i found out far more about the subs history Triumph was actually supposed to be coming back to the UK for maintenance and crew leave, but had to undertake one last patrol after another submarine developed a fault. the submarine was to take a couple of SOE and MI9 operatives to an island called Antiparos, where they would then be taken to greece by fishermen, and then at the end of the patrol, the sub would swing by the island again to pick up a number of escaped allied POWs that had been dropped off by the greek fishermen (german and italian forces monitored all fishing boats, and imposed a 3 day curfew on all crews, otherwise the crew of a fishing boat would be arrested as allied collaborators) the sub radioed that the commandos had been dropped off and was heading to their patrol area, listed in records as being near Piraeus, and was never heard from again. while the sub was gone, the Antiparos operation was compromised (actually an interesting story in its own right) and theres a file in Kew where MI9 and SOE argue about who was to blame, as one operative captured was moonlighting for both agencies. i also found out that my great grandfather recieved a kings commendation for bravery. while the sub was berthed in Malta, a supply convoy came in and was promptly attacked by the germans. one ship was set on fire and my great grandfather, along with several other shipmates and others on the quayside all ran up the gangplank to assist in fighting the fires, saving the ship and the supplies on board. the wreck of the submarine was discovered earlier this week in deep water off the coast of Sunion definately encourage him to ask those questions. and if possible recored the conversations to preserve the information for the future. my biggest regrets are that i didnt ask more questions, ask them earlier, or record the conversations

End of the day, z/wagner shit is claiming hundreds+ lives every day, even today, on both sides, & let's not forget that some of those Russians aren't there out of choice, & others may have gone there having been misled by the dictatorships "free" media & state propaganda. On that basis, no site should be allowing these patches to be worn on gamedays, in 30+ years you might get away with them being part of a viable loadout (but I doubt it), but in 2023 they're just symbols of oppression & murder on a massive scale.

The Z/Wagner-patch douches are just edgelord/Rusfor-simping trash. Don't let them get to you... modern-day equivalent of rocking an SS uniform, accoutrements and all. Absolutely a mix of edgelords, trolls, and people severely lacking in critical thinking, common sense, or basic respect. If you're having trouble being around certain tools or Walts, and it's spoiling the fun for you, maybe a different scene is on the cards -- if it's particularly heinous I'd have no qualms calling them out on it, or ensure that they make for a particularly popular target that day, but appreciate that approach isn't for everyone. Definitely spend some time getting games in away from that crowd, keep enjoying your play without the negative elements sullying the mood.

Whilst I dont care what patches someone wears, again I'd apply good taste and considering what's going on right now, having Zs on your shoulders or brain bucket is probably not the cleverest thing to do is it. As for spreading as the title puts it "questionable politics", I.e. the complete and utter spanner referenced in @Rogerborg's post above, I think we'd all agree that we want none of that shit anywhere near Airsoft. Eezer G

My take is that the generic uniform (German WWII, EMR generic Russian, PLA, etc) is totally OK and sometimes even neat to see. Its a nice break from the horde of Multicam. More specialist kit - SS WWII for instance - may be in a bit of bad taste in a random weekend skirmish-type game. Reenacting specific groups/units (Wagner, SS, Unit 731 (yes, I've seen 731 patches worn by one guy before)) should absolutely not come into play at all outside of maybe *very specific* events. Is it a WWII event? Then maybe. Are we specifically at a NATO vs WARSAW? Then maybe. But I also find people to hate on others simply because of the base uniform they're wearing to be very poor taste as well. I have a bit of a habit of collecting different camo patterns and kits. Of the "bad guy" kits I have I can do a pretty decent SA guerrilla, ME insurgent, Soviet, 90s, and 2010s Russian kits, 2021 PLA, Mexican cartel, and I can probably mix and match different pieces to match a few other seen "bad guy" guerrilla forces should the desire arise. Now I admittedly dont wear most of them out unless its for a themed MilSim (where the insurgent and cartel kits came from), and ive only worn the PLA kit once since its pretty new, but I find the idea of specifically "hunting" people who are dressing up (purely dressing up - if theyre spouting off antisemitic lines or whatever then treat them like the dicks they are) in something other than the local flavor of tree to be a dick move as well.

Crikey! Glad you got out in one piece.👍 Regards

A 25 year old suzuki TL1000S. Not the ideal machine to be riding a couple of thousand miles 2 up. Worth 2 grand. Tbf the policeman that I spoke to the most said this particular lot will stab first and ask questions later. Gemma was upset but we went to Ghent and had 2 nights there instead of 1 in a cabin in some woods and it was a blessing in disguise. Ghent is a beautiful, lovely friendly place.

Definitely, within reason, but for example, & mention this as I know of your previous connections to northern Cyprus, in the south Airsoft is technically illegal, games are usually arranged on private forums & at private property via invite only, & the plod turn a blind eye unless they receive complaints, which is rare. Anyway, imagine turning up at your first game invite in full Turkish army loadout, given the islands history you'd probably be swinging from an olive tree by lunchtime. That's not to say the Greek Cypriot guys are overly aggressive or patriotic, but some things wouldn't be ignored.

Everyone at airsoft is usually a bit weird in one way or the other. I wouldn't ever take anything they say serious and I don't think sites should ever get involved in banning people for being stupid as long as they don't harass or threaten anyone. Wearing a Z patch anywhere in the UK is asking for trouble asking for a beating really. Its all our jobs to be mature adults and resolve disagreements through talking and with words. You can tell the type of people who spend too much time on the internet and probably have a mental disability and obviously we should try to not get too angry at them for being stupid AF. Airsoft is a cool sport and a lot of edgy internet individuals think its real war and have strong beliefs on issues they don't even understand. If I saw a guy wearing a Z patch I would probably ask him why he is wearing it, explain how insensitive that is to wear considering current events and then walk away. Its just as stupid as when you see grown adults getting angry at kids for not taking their hits and screaming, or people arguing over the game. Play the game, have fun and if you don't like something you see have a polite conversation and if its a real issue speak to a marshal. The German uniform crowd are usually internet edgelords who root for the bad guys because they thinks its cool. Not as bad as wearing a Z patch but still very weird. Airsoft is full of weirdos I can be weird sometimes too lol.

@Cannonfodderit's just an anecdote but last week me and the Mrs took a motorbike through Europe. We had an attempted bike jacking/robbery in Brussels outside our hotel by a gang of morrocans (the police chatted with us afterwords) with a machete very much involved. We were exceptionally lucky that Belgian plain clothes police were there, and were armed, and don't fuck around.

How many of those robberies involved a threat of violence compared to bag snatches or pick pockets? Every time I've traveled to continental Europe they were the biggest risk. What was it which made you feel unsafe in these cities? That's a straw man argument I think staff and students of Osaka Kyoiku University would disagree (8 dead, 20 wounded in a knife attack) What do you think should be done to reduce the number of mass shootings in the US? This. Anyone trying to convince you otherwise is either deliberately trying to deceive you, don't understand the science or both

I’ve not seen stories just referring to ‘dressing as terrorists’ I have seen stories of terrorists that have played airsoft / paintball and the slant has been that it was ‘terrorist training/practice’

I think it’s incredibly interesting to hear the depth of history in y’all’s stories above and I appreciate the time took to share it. Airsoft be darned, we’re talking history now! But Leo, what about your family? My family history? Oh boy… hang on tight… On my dad’s side: My grandfather was a cop who came from a genuine dysfunctional hillbilly family that crawled out of the mud somewhere in the 50s. He was the only one of his family to escape the hillbilly life, and is remembered for his work as a cop, private investigator, and for saving several children from a burning vehicle. He also had a medical grade thing for coupons, and took at least five toothpicks from every restaurant he ever went to. My father and I cleaned out his desk after his passing and found multiple gallon ziplocks full of them. My grandmother is a “southern belle” who traces her family back to the Latimers of medieval England, in particular William Latimer, who served under Henry III and then later Thomas Latimer who arrived in Virginia in 1701. Due to her failing eyesight, she has developed a tendency to insinuate that various (extremely white) persons must be part Native American… On my mother’s side: My Grandmother’s family came from Palermo, Sicily in 1919, dirt poor immigrants, with the name Palazzolo. In fact, if you look up the name Palazzolo, chance are I’m closely related to anyone who comes up, as the name is pretty rare. My great-great grandfather was Giuseppe Palazzolo, better known as Joe. He cooked like no other, and had a large “doll” that sang in Italian and creeped the heck out of us kids. He also served in the US Navy during WWII—I’ll have to ask around a bit more for some details. My grandfather’s family was nothing extraordinary, except that he somehow passed some African American genes down, despite being whiter than anything. He was also descended from Oliver Wendell Holmes. Who is famous for his poetry, philosophy, and his time as a Supreme Court Justice (chief American legal bigwigs). He made law, not war…

Frankly I'm more worried about stolen valour than I am offending various political sympathies. I might draw the line at SS and Nazi stuff, but I am not aware enough of the various military insignia to notice or be otherwise informed enough to be offended.

i take the same view. nowadays everything has the potential to offend everyone, its honestly tiring im not offended if someone wants to wear rusfor kit or SS kit, just as long as you arent spouting off that you were in ukraine or are out to hunt the jews... if you do that, then you can fuck off. fortunately i havent seen anyone take things that far, but i have seen many rusfor kits, one SS loadout, 2 regular german ww2 army loadouts and one modern PLA loadout, none of which offended me as none of the wearers took things too far. the one SS kit i saw was at one of my regular sites and the head marshall began the briefing by bringing the loadout to everyones attention and asking if anyone had any objections, and if they did then the wearer would be asked to change loadout. no one had any objections and the games ran smoothly. all that being said, if i see anyone in those uniforms, then i set myself a challenge to hunt them down as priority targets. i have yet to see anyone brave stupid enough to wear a wagner or Z patch yet though

Not sure if its still in stock, but we have this saved for emergencies: https://www.actionhobbies.co.uk/products/ics-l85-l86-charging-bolt-handle-set/

I often joke about the time my brother brought his German girlfriend to our dad's house to meet the family - including my recently wedded Japanese wife. My dad's humorous reposte to my brother and I was: "FFS will I ever get a daughter in law not part of the axis of evil?". Thankfully the German lass wasn't within earshot, and SWMBO's English wouldn't have computed. It was fecking funny at the time 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Very unlikely in the UK; totalitarianism does not tend to happen in countries that do not take their politicians seriously and which recognise them for the incompetent, greedy, egomaniacal bastards that most of them are. We take the piss out of our politicians far too much for anyone to get into a position where they can create a totalitarian regime; Mosley was probably the biggest internal threat to our democracy in modern times and he failed in part because he was widely lampooned and derided, but mainly because we do not really 'do' totalitarianism. As for Covid, the response to that was probably basically correct, albeit with several mistakes, acts of stupidity (eat out to help out) and utter corruption and cronyism from the ruling party. Unfortunately, climate change is a real thing, regardless of whether individuals "believe" in it; we really do have to change the way we behave if we want to leave the planet in a reasonable state for future generations. As to whether they are going to "come for our guns" at some point, I suspect that they probably will eventually. I have always been somewhat surprised that owning RIFs is so easily tolerated in the UK and will be somewhat disappointed but not particularly surprised when they do.

It’s possible that you take a PDW lower from a different manufacturer and make it work… but that requires both luck and skill. Airsoft is absolutely horrible where tolerances and standards are concerned. I’m currently adapting a 20 year old Classic Army M4A1 upper to fit a Tokyo Marui lower. I feel your pain.

Yep, that's about right I reckon.

Seriously - Z patches ?????????? These types are highly attention seeking and pretty much deserve none of it But, if we bear in mind that I live in Salisbury, around the corner from the Skripals, am a friend of the Sturgess family and have interacted with the troll defenders of Putin with their disgusting narratives ………… I would be providing a Z ‘player’ with attention via a considerable sense of humour failure There is a time and a place At least with the SS it was in the region of 80 years ago …… and though taste can be questionable does align with the reenactment element of skirmishing If a player wants any credibility to just playing airsoft re-enacting Russia in the Ukraine war then they ought to be removing all badges and claiming to be 2014 tourists on a trip

tell what ? That’s it’s a KAC PDW clone ? because it looks like a KAC PDW , with no trade marks . The original by VFC had fairly deep engravings if I recall . d-boys clone over WE AEG clone - smooth grip on the D-boys , dimpled on the WE . the rear takedown pin position is slightly different to the later versions so I’m going out on a limb and saying it’s an earlier version ( maybe even not D-Boys but someone like Galaxy ? ) also Fire selector looks off . memory is a bit hazy though , it’s been over 10yrs since I had hands on one . Ok , now I’m looking properly Look really closely at the magwell , there is some light trademarks / engraving there , here’s a review from 2010 https://www.popularairsoft.com/reviews/dboys-kac-personal-defense-weapon-pdw

Z patches may genuinely upset someone and spoil their day. It's an arsehole thing to do. If we're worried about dressing up as a force that has taken part in illegal wars of aggression, we'll have to start using Irish Rangers or Swiss reservist loadouts... A few years ago, I got an ear full from a chap from SA. He was angered by my wearing 'SWAPO' camo. It was East German strichtarn as donated to said terrorists/liberation forces/communist baddies/peoples freedom army. Most kit has the potential to piss someone off. Intentionally offending people trying to enjoy a fun day out is not on though.

Airtac do have one on their website, but it was out of stock every time I've looked. (Edit.. sorry that's the 416 version I looked for, d'oh) I don't know whether it's just luck, or some sort of psychological thing, but my Geoff's 0.40g BBs seem to load more easily. They usually get loaded via my larger capacity (200rd?) Viper speedloader with that eBay adapter fitted (glued on), whereas I usually load other weight ammo via a 90rd loader, using the included adapter (also glued on). Here's the 3D printed thing that helps at least a bit ... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Speed-loader-tip-for-GHK-WE-and-H-K-airsoft-magazines-locking-/334022271565 .. but if course that's specific for my gun. Might be worth checking with the seller for a G3 version

I had an interesting one pop up—a guy shows to my local field wearing full Russion kit and kaboodle. He then starts claiming to have been in the first wave that invaded Ukraine. Speaks Russian, and makes a very convincing claim that he actually was in the first wave. I have no clue on God’s green earth how he would’ve gotten all the way to Texas from Russia… …but the field owner sure did kick him off whether he was pretending or not.

If you didn't earn it, don't wear it.

I'd say both. They know exactly what they're doing and are only doing it for a reaction so can play the internet big man later, complaining about how snowflakes are upset by a bit of cloth. Imo the best way to deal with them is make sure the only attention they get is from a few extra bbs (especially to the more sensitive body parts). They're nothing more than attention whores who thrive on creating drama

Play to play. The "sport" is full of assholes, weekend warriors and wannabes, I just ignore them and wear my "I'M A SPACEMAN" patches, because we're playing cowboys and Indians in the woods (hey, I said bang and you didn't fall down!). Play for the fun and don't let dickheads stop your enjoyment of something.

Most of the developed world moved way beyond that incredibly simplistic view a long time ago. Unfortunately, I suspect that there are so many guns in circulation in the USA that you are truly fucked. You have created an armed, aggressive and fearful society with appallingly poor education and mental health provision, resulting in a situation where a reasonably large number of schoolchildren are going to be killed in mass shootings every year. But hey, that's a price worth paying for Billy Bob to own his penis extension.