alxndrhll

Very much ‘just another mayo AR’, but it’s my ‘just another mayo AR’. Finally got around to modifying the dust cover so it holds shut, and threw a PDI 6.05 barrel in there (no idea what effect that’s going to have until I get an opportunity to shoot it further than I currently can). Just waiting on a Mini2 replica to show up from HK (ordered mid December, so lord knows when that’ll show up) and I reckon the dishes are done. Turns out the colour of BCM FDE looks nothing like it does in person in photos ??‍♂️.

My slow grow on the Crye chest rig ended up not being particularly slow grow at all. A lot of inspiration taken from the Reptile House blog (read as 'largely stolen entire set up'), as many seem to with this particular rig. I am planning on picking up one of the Crye stretch panels at some point but couldn’t resist the draw of the regular detachable flap. Alongside that there’s a 6x6x3 GP pouch, a full length KYWI, a TacBelts AVS adapter and a bunch of WTFix straps. Looking forward to messing around with this over the weekend to see what setup I land on. Also had a BCM stock turn up which I completely forgot about ordering.

Good to know that hicapa nozzle springs do the job. I’d read in various places that swapping out the nozzle spring for a 140 is a great, easy improvement but ordering the AAP specific one by C&C seemed like more hassle than it was worth. Intrigued to know what your results are with the h-plate, mine never seemed to want to sit right to the point I just took it out (granted I didn’t need it for the weight I was feeding it).

I’m cynical so would tend to suggest the seller was more than aware that it being two-tone at some point in its life would hurt the sale price so the information was intentionally withheld, but ultimately there is no possible way I could ever prove it... simply seems to be the most likely situation. Either way the feeling of having the wool pulled over your eyes is never a nice one, if the buyer isn’t satisfied I hope they’re able to come to an amicable resolution.

Fair. Aye I've been toying with picking up a CAR-15 stock for a while, likely one of the B5 Systems repros from Brownells, and would likely pick up a slim handguard while I'm there because they're not wildly expensive. It's probably another to add to the list of 'I'll never actually do this'... but while we can't play it's nice to ponder on how I'd do it. Likely with a Cyma base, throw a new hop unit and a Kythera in it (as seems to be where most of my potential list of builds land) and call it day! Anyway, I digress, good luck with the next one!

Using one of the Cyma CM009 (E/F) as a base or is it a bits box special? Found myself getting increasingly tempted to do a similar build myself. Is the slim handguard RS or 'airsoft' 'spec'? Paint job isn't my cup of tea, but that subjective comment aside it looks smart... certainly not helping my temptations!

Looking good! Are those parts for the long awaited 4.3? How long is it till you do a chrome slide and barrel with carbon fibre-esq grip and detailing to match your Thompson? ? I love how this all started as a ‘modifying an SSP’ and has spiralled so wildly. In short, this thread is airsoft in a nutshell ?.

My obsession with gucci battle bras continues, was very happy with the Spiritus Micro Fight but couldn’t resist the temptation when the Crye AirLite came back in stock. Suffice to say ‘I have plans’ for that one, but I imagine that’ll be a slow grow project while waiting for the various components I want to be in stock. Frequently refreshing the Ferro Mini Dangler page in the hope they’re back in stock (in MC) before long, for no other reason than being impatient. Very happy with an eBay find a week or so ago with a 10l Source Assault backpack (predominantly for HPA tanks to live in). And a few PDI barrels for various RIFs.

Glad to hear it, as for the white ink the Liquitex White Opaque (Liquitex Titanium White 4260432) is superbly pigmented and I absolutely recommend it. Aye, I always find it strange when folks have a RIF 'set up and chronoing exactly where they want it' without having the hop correctly set up. And largely why I can't test anything at a long enough range to gauge if my hop is set correctly, thus, any tuning I'm to do is entirely moot... granted that's arguably one of the biggest advantages to HPA, once hop is set it's super easy to get it all at the correct power. Sites most local to me (an hour or below drive is what I tend to consider 'local'): F&O Anzio Camp - Mixed - decent site, don't think it's used as well as it could be. F&O The Mill - CQB - wasn't a massive fan of the site, but it's an option. Level 2 - CQB - my most local site at around 20 minutes away, courtesy of lockdowns and tier changes I'm yet to try here out, very much looking forward to doing so. Dagger Woods - Woodland - owned by the same folks that run Level 2, decent woodland site but it's only open half the year. One of the best run sites I've attended, hence my excitment toward trying Level 2 out.

I'd completely forgotten to check back in on this thread, I love that you still refer to the one in the post above this one as 'the Novritsch one', dare I say 'The Artist Formerly Known as the Novritsch One'. Markings came out super nicely, the inks make it much easier to do than it should be! Really helps tie the frame and slide together! I took delivery of a PDI barrel for mine yesterday, no idea what it does to performance because my ability to test is pretty much non-existent at this point in time so intrigued to see how that works out. At the very least it's a slightly tighter bore so means I'll be able to run at a lower PSI to get the FPS/Joules where they need to be... assuming we're ever able to play again/there are any sites left local to me when all is said and done.

Slings will always be personal preference, I’ve moved to using two point slings over single point because cracking yourself in the nuts in ‘the heat of battle’ is not my favourite and I find two points much more comfortable across a day of playing. The ‘new wave’ of quick adjusting two points are all very similar, my personal favourite is the Ferro Concepts Slingster (having also tried the VTAC and Haley slings of a similar ilk) just found it has the best quick adjustment system and the padding is perfect for me... but one of those plus decent fittings/hardware (I use the Ferro QD fittings) is going to set you back £70-80. Comfort is important, what works for one may not work for another etc etc. Some would like scoff at spending that much on a sling when others do the job just fine, these days I tend to use as much ‘RS’ kit as I can largely because it holds value much better than repro kit if you come to sell it on... aside the fact it’s better quality (for the most part). The reason holding value is important to me is because I sell things on if they aren’t working for me. Once you start down that rabbit hole of ‘perfecting’ your kit you have to accept that things you buy might not be suitable for you. Tldr, don’t skimp out on your sling because it’s the only thing between your rif, gravity and the ground should you let go of it. If your kit isn’t working with you, it isn’t worth using.

Weirdly identical situation for me, sold up the vast majority of the various Warhammer bits I had last year having realised it's just gathering dust, some of that went into savings and the rest was deemed 'other hobby money'. There were definitely some impulse purchases I somewhat regret, largely kit to try and 'perfect' my load bearing so I have a massive pile of 'not going to be used' cordura and nylon I need to sell at some point, but looking forward to the postman arriving is about as exciting as it gets at the moment!

Haha, as tempting as it is I’m holding off buying any more airsoft things which aren’t already on ‘the list’ for the time being. Hicapa wise that’s a black adv frame and an AM hop unit should they appear in stock anywhere. I want to put in an order at X-fire for a few PDI barrels for the capa, AAP which I’ll inevitably buy and my MTW. Non hicapa wise I’m after a Ferro mini dangler in Multicam but that’s pretty much it for the time being. Then there’s the ongoing AAP temptation (which I’ll likely pull the trigger on before long) and at that point dare I say it, I’m pretty content with where I’m at. Still have a heap of stuff to get around to selling at some point, need to reclaim some space (and money)!

Haha, it’s pretty ‘Mayo’ if the grand scheme of builds... I wouldn’t be shocked if I wind up picking up a black slide at some point but the jury is out atm. Can’t figure out if it’s just the right amount of flashy, or too flashy for my usual tastes. Granted the whole idea of doing the build was to get out of my comfort zone a bit. I was toying with one of the Limcat hammers but ultimately landed on ‘maybe when I get an advanced frame’... I also keep looking at the two tone Infinity frame/slide sets Mike currently has in. If we were currently allowed to play my resolve may have given in, but I can’t justify the expense with the current state of affairs! But also, oooooft!

For sure, the bulk of my initial build came from his and he was very happy to answer any questions I had... but ohh boy could that website do with a rework! Glad to hear they're now functioning as they should... further explosions permitting!

Aye, I’ve only had a few bits (a spring guide and a pack of nozzle springs) but the service was absolutely top notch on both occasions. Always nice when you feel like you’re getting an equal level of service even if your order is for a small amount. In 2021 being able to place items in your cart, enter shipping information and pay via PayPal shouldn’t really be an advantage you have over a competitor... but here we are.

This. This is the dream. ?

Aye, I'm in no way going to preach to anyone that there is a 'right' size of mag to use, but midcaps have been my preference since they became a thing. Prior to that I used lowcaps, which I imagine I still have bury in the wardrobe somewhere. I guess they do make more sense, but you're right in that isn't really the point... predominantly down to the skinnier profile making it feel less weird to hold. Though I imagine there is very little difference. Aye, if I go for the M4 adapter for the AAP every RIF I own (bar my G19, which is very much a holster warmer) will use the same mags which is absolutely the dream. Means I'm running the exact same kit irrelevant of what I choose to play with, and if something breaks in a game it's literally a case of put broken RIF away, get working one plugged in, play. Tracers are such a good laugh, while being very useful for CQB (I don't tend to bother outdoors). I want to get a TLR at some point, largely because I think they look cool but realistically I'd never use it because I tend to cut any weight I can. It's... alright haha. I used to be far more into it than I am now, the whole working remotely thing courtesy of the VID has made it much harder/less enjoyable... but it brings the pennies in. I'm actually a qualified joiner (granted I qualified 12 years ago and haven't done anything with that qualifcation since) and that's something I want to return to/re-train in once the world isn't as on fire. As is often the case, as soon as it became my job it kinda killed it as a hobby for me.

Haha, fair, it wasn’t intended to be a leading statement but having read it back it very much was. I design/develop board games, most of which are based on video game IPs, alongside various other bits during the production of said games. So it helps to know what else is out there and draw inspiration where applicable. I had one previously and liked it, but couldn’t really figure out when I’d actually use it so ultimately sold it while the supply was sparse as to not loose a huge amount on it. Feels like it’s serve as a nice relatively cheap back up for CQB should the Capa give up during a day out. The only thing really stopping me picking one up at this point is figuring out whether I’d want the AR or MP5 Primary adapter. I think the MP5 one looks much nicer, especially with straight MP5 mags... but they seem to be entirely unavailable at present and would mean I need to swap chest rig inserts out. Very much a head says the AR one (it’s cheaper and I already have mags), heart says MP5 because it looks better... in the grand scheme of ‘no one really likes what HPA pistol adapters look like’ but the benefits outweigh the aesthetics for me personally.

Aye it’s some form of Warhammer, I haven’t properly played the game for years, but I have to somewhat keep my finger on the pulse due to work. I think it just generally works well to pull the slide and frame/grip together. Ahead of filling in the engraving the slide just looked ‘plonked on’ if that makes any sense? Idk, just felt it finished it off nicely. Yeah, realisation that we’re probably at least a few months off being able to go play is pretty crushing. Not that this thread is really the right place to discuss it but I reckon an AAP is the next on my list, as tempting as a 4.3 is my 5.1 became much more of a money pit than intended! Granted that opinion may change once I actually have a chance to use it... assuming any of the sites local to me survive that long.

I used a semi-opaque liquitex ink rather than a wash (stronger pigment), took 2-3 passes to get it looking entirely filled. Assuming the consistency of the ink is right it shoud just run in to the detail off the brush, leave it to dry and clean up the surrounding edges with a q-tip and white spirit (the exact chemical you use here will vary on what 'paint' you use). Some use nail polish rather than paint, at which point use an acetone free nail polish remover. Truthfully if I didn't already have all the stuff to do I probably wouldn't have bothered, but it was a decent bordeom cure for all of 10 minutes haha. I tend to cheat with most of miniature painting and use a combination of an airbrush and enamel washes to make things look like they look me far longer to paint than they actually do, so it was nice to something which required a slightly steady hand for a change. That’s probably the last miniature I painted (about a year ago I imagine). I have an obsession with glowing details and tinted metallics.

It's actually the orange slide, but I think I much prefer the tone to the actual gold they use. Aye, I filled the lettering myself. I haven't done any in a fair while but my other on/off hobby is miniature painting and fortunately the black ink I had lying around seemed to do the job nicely. Curious to see how it holds up once it's getting used to play with. Hahaha, so what you're saying is you essentially have a direct line to your dealer at this point? ?

What’s the best way to get in touch with him regarding incoming bits? I’ll shoot him a message on the off chance he has any black adv frames left because that’s absolutely what I’m after. I do indeed, with the caveat there is nowhere in this house that the lighting works for even half decent photos. Figured I’d keep the mag adapter on to see how many folks I can trigger, because that’s half the fun at this point. Hope the short versions of the the EPM1's surface over here at some point because that's what I'm planning to feed it with.

That seems decidedly not great. Silver lining being that it was the thread on the bolt itself not the thread within the mag itself? Either way, seems to be in line with the general opinion on Guarder parts unfortunately! I finally got around to throwing a decepticon into mine. I wasn’t going to bother until I managed to get my hands on an AM hop unit and my PDI barrel arrived... but boredom got the best of me. Side note, thanks for making me aware of hicaps hub. Very impressed by the level of service so far, now just sat camping the AM hop page and the advanced frame pages in the hope they eventually appear so I can call my capa ‘done’.