Jedi_Master

I have the ESS V12 with insert for prescription lens (the lenses cost £35 from Specsavers, which was more than the goggles and insert). The problem I have with them is fogging up. I also have the Bolle X1000 model that fits over your prescription glasses/sunglasses, they are good quality but cost more. However, same fogging issue with them as well. I now have a Dye i4 full face mask which fits glasses but they still steam up even though the mask thermal lens remains clear. So them moment I just wear the goggles/mask without any glasses, and being short-sighted just get closer to shoot.

Just home from The Mall, Outstanding day. It is an excellent site, well marshalled, and tacticool fun. Certainly will be going back again.

One advantage of having an AEG by TM is that it is really low at only 295 fps out the box. One reason I chose it was so that it could be used to play anywhere without the worry of being too close to the site limit.

I am booked in for Sunday 13 September. First time at The Mall so looking forward to a new experience. Chance to try out a new mask and tactical torch, and I should get plenty of exercise with walking back to re-spawn every time I am hit.

The shop is great, and Russell is a legend. I bought my TM HK416D there (see the Places To Buy section).

Email booking walk-on this Sunday sent. Hope to see some of you there. Edit: Place is confirmed

Hef, to save you the hassle of refunds, etc, why don't you just loan me you TM Scar for 2 months or so, after which I will return it back to you in hopefully a still working condition In all seriousness though your response was polite and more than reasonable, and it does sound as if the shop / buyer is not completely honest.

I would love to see the looks on the other team when they hear the order "Fix bayonets!"

I went to UCAP GreenOps and had a good day. It was my first time there and luckily I had Randymanpipe to show me around and give me advice on the site and different games played. The site was easy enough to find and the forest track leading to it was not too rough or full of potholes. Adequate parking but getting there early allows the best spots closest to the safe zone and exit. The safe zone is a basic wooden structure, bit gloomy but offers plenty of surface area to get kitted up and leave bags. No seating though so standing only. There was a very limited range of drink and snacks but I had my own pack lunch and Camelbak so no issue. However, the marshals had forgotten to bring any pyro for sale which was a pity as it would have been very useful. There were four marshals (Simon, Adam, Ivor and ?) on the day, all were friendly and helpful. The chronograph test was strict, no one allowed over the 350fps limit, which considering the CQB nature of the woodland was a good thing. One lad was firing hot, about 10-15 fps over and given time to put a few mags through his gun and several re-tests on chrono, before being told he could not use it. The one sniper had MED of 30m. There are metal targets on trees at different distances outside the safe zone to test fire on and adjust hop-up, etc. This was my first experience of playing outdoors and in daylight. The site is sandy so does drain well but many of the main tracks did have deep puddles which made movement a bit harder and slowed down advances as you needed to go around them. The Rhododendron bushes were thick and even some of the tracks cut through them were difficult and slow going. They offered some excellent cover which made it hard to see where incoming shots were coming from and then stopped BBs reaching the hidden player within it. The rhododendron also stopped the BBs going far, so had to move close to the opposition team to hit them. The CQB environment of the woods added to the tension as you probed forward. Even playing on a cool summer day I was sweating buckets in my DPM combats, as I kept my jacket on for the camouflage. The breaks back at the safe zone were welcome to rehydrate and bomb up magazines. I did find both sets of my eyepro, ESS v12 and Bolle X1000, constantly steaming up and reducing my vision. Now I need to get some more (non-mesh) eyepro. Walk-on players just needed to turn up on the day. There were only about 25 players in total so two small teams with plenty of room to manoeuvre, and by the last game of the day it was just 9 per side. The 14 acre site felt large enough but not too big that you get totally lost, and by the end of the day I had a good idea where things were. Of the scenarios we played, first was a timed attack/defence of the FOB with the defenders only having one life and attackers as many re-spawns as they needed. We then had a capture the 2 flags game, which is where you appreciate how much cover there is and how difficult it is to see other players or move through the foliage off track. My favourite game was the 'hold the button' situated on a Land Rover bonnet where the first team to hold the button down for a total of 5 minutes wins. Easier said than done when both teams more exposed and close, with battles to gain advantage of cover (bunker, Pig, aircraft fuselage, bridge, caravan). This was played twice allowing teams a chance to play from both ends as different tactics were needed to seize the ground. Finished the day with attack/defend of downed aircraft (there are parts of an aircraft scattered across one corner of the site), with the attackers trying to place a bomb in main aircraft wreck. Would I go again, definitely, it is a challenging site and fun. Next time I would want to take a magnified scope in order to spot the other team (and see if they were taking hits) as well as some pyro to attempt to blast out some well dug in players.

^^ cheers.

I am thinking about trying The Mall for the first time this Sunday, providing that I get a leave pass from the wife. What time does it open?

If you want to mix it up, then you could give the UCAP Bunker in Portsmouth a go. CQB in underground tunnels, dark and deadly.

I would like them all to weigh the same as the real steel because that is realism. It is a toy but at least feels less like a toy.

Aesthetically the TM face masks look ugly compared to the Dye i4, even if the TM are half the price on eBay (or just £25 for a nasty Chinese copy). The advantage of full face mask (non respirator type) is the added protection and in the case of Dye i4 no batteries required but not sure how good non fan masks are for anti-fogging. I like the idea of the Fanz twin fan setup for added air flow and increased power, just not sure if they will fit or work well with my existing Bolle goggles. Would rather pay more for the right set-up once than keep spending lesser amounts which are not ideal and over time cost more. Decisions, decisions.

So scoping another idea. How good are paintball full face masks for not fogging? Although costing around £100 the Dye i4 pro paintball looks promising. As well as having ventilation, do they offer good airsoft face protection?

My least favourite car was an Austin 1300 in advacardo green, my father had one in the mid 1970s and the smell of the fumes off the plastic seats used to make me travel sick. God how I hated that car, was so pleased when we replaced it with a British Leyland Marina estate.

Sorry to see the damage. A good reminder for me to get a kill flash or clear shield when my Visionking scope arrives.

I think that using a strobe is a legitimate tactic. A stobe is supposed to be disorientaing and help to mask the user's position. However, the strobe is no worse than using my Fenix PD35 on turbo beam at 960 lumens for blinding light. I can understand your concern with blind firing but players still hose down a corridor on full auto in the dark. I like the on off nature of the strobe light, and am not eplilectic (no idea if it would trigger a reaction). I have used a strobe to draw fire so that other team members can identify the opposition position and take them on. I have more issue with walking into things or not seeing clearly due to my goggles fogging up.

Mine was taking one for the team. At re-spawn the marshal would only allow a player to respawn once there were 3 players there together. Having just been released I passed two players coming in and thought that they may be waiting a while for a third person before they could play again. So I walked back towards re-spawn and shot myself in the foot with one BB, called 'hit' to the marshal and joined them As there were now 3 players we were all immediately re-spawned and back in the game.

Cheers. Was not sure of the mathmatical conversion, if a 0.86g at 150fps would mean a 0.20g bb would be 350fps. I shall look at the more expensive glasses then, pity as EN166F are sold for under £10 and replaceable (unlike my eyes).

Alternative is to not kneel down but instead to use a folding shooting chair like this www.amazon.co.uk/Luxury-Hunting-Chair-Shooting-Jagdwelt24 Save the bending down, and adds a certain panache to your loadout

Yes but the helmet takes the pith

Are safety glasses, i.e. Bolle, that conform to EN166F safe to use? EN166 is rated as Mechanical risk - Low energy impact - F, 6mm ball of 0.86g at 45m/s (150 fps).

Have you tried the TM M4 speedloader (470 bb)? I have only used mine a few times so far but it seems to work fine