Gunboat Diplomat

You say recommended battery, so I'm assuming you mean this one from Patrolbase: https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/nuprol-11-1v-1300mah-20c-stick-lipo-battery-deans as that was what they linked in their ad for the Zion. Is the issue that it protrudes from the buffer tube such that you cannot fully collapse the stock when it is installed? You can get shorter 11.1v LiPos, I've just ordered a couple of these which are only 105mm vs the 128mm of your battery (assuming it is the one in the link above). No idea if they are any good or not, so it's not a recommendation as such. I have the same issue with my Double Eagle and the batteries I'm currently using with it, but I never use it with the stock collapsed so it doesn't bother me. The only time I ever fully collapse the stock is for storage and I always remove the battery in that case anyway.

Well made by all accounts, but an older model and lacking some features compared to its peers at a similar price. Namely lack of a quick change spring and mosfet.

Yep, aside from weekend matches he has training mid week, added football and rugby at school as he’s doing GCSE sports plus air cadets two nights a week. As a result he eats like a Bagger 288. I did bugger all as a teenager! All my fitness has come post-30!

Yeah weekend of rest for me. Double football is only temporary whilst they are in the playoffs for the cup, ‘til they either get knocked out or win!

I’m about 9 guns behind in that case. Though I plan to address that deficit soon.

It actually turns out he doesn't have a game this Sunday, but none of my local sites have a skirmish on Sunday either. Annoying as I've just upgraded both gnus so would be good to try them out.

Well due to the boy now playing cup games as well as league games, we now have football on Sat and Sun each weekend which means airsoft is on hold.

Ah of course, don’t know why that didn’t occur to me. Yes I reinstalled the disc, just didn’t realise what it was for. Motor height seems okay but I might try adjusting to take up the slack since the disc wasn’t touching the base. I read somewhere that the Perun measures drop in current to sense where the motor is in its cycle, so perhaps it uses that alongside trigger + n time for adjustment.

Bit of an update, had a couple of hours to myself this afternoon so set about installing the Perun and XT motor in the G36. Quick before video of how it fires stock: Stripped it down fairly easily, despite being a budget gun everything comes apart and goes back together again with a decent balance between being too tight or too loose. Remove the gearbox and stripped off the original wiring harness. Old motor out and new one in. Curiously I found whilst swapping the motors that there is a small metal disc at the bottom of the motor cage, presumably to shim the bottom of the motor. There is still a bit of a gap with the new motor installed, but it doesn't have any play once the cage is done up so have left it as is. I decided to leave pigtails from the old wiring harness to solder the trigger leads from the Perun onto. In theory this allowed me an easier time than trying to get the iron tip to the microswitch contacts, but in practice was a pain trying to mate the fine gauge wire for the trigger leads onto the original thick gauge pigtails I'd left behind. Worked out in the end, but if I did it again I'd probably just split the gear box, remove the microswitch and solder them directly to it. I spliced the trigger return lead close to the Perun so that I can get to it if I ever need to, don't expect it will ever fall off but easier to fix this way if it does: I left the harness long but the routing I've chosen in this picture actually makes it a real sod to attach the battery and get the hand-guard back on. I've since folded the extra length and tucked it into the cavity behind the mag-well so that you can just have the minimum amount of wire spare when refitting the hand-guard with the battery installed. Finally, the post install fire test. Much snappier and a decent increase in ROF. Perun is on default settings at the moment. I had a play with the precocking settings but noticed no difference. I'm not entirely sure how it achieves it anyway since there is no feedback from the gearbox on gear/piston position, I assume it measures current changes as the motor shifts from load to no load? I'll have to do some more research, but even as is it's an improvement. Hope the boy likes it.

Here’s hoping. The vented can and mini fan on the commutator should work nicely seeing as the Eagle has that vented motor plate for airflow. And if it doesn’t I’ll have a nice hand warmer for winter skirmishes.

Few upgrades from AK2M4, delivered next day as promised. Perun and XT 22TPA for the boy's G36. Another XT 22TPA, plus a ZCI hop unit and ML bucking for my Double Eagle. . Had a few mins spare tonight, so out with the old motor from the Double Eagle... ...and in with the new Not a night and day difference over the stock motor, I stupidly didn't do a direct before and after comparison but the trigger response is a bit quicker. Suspect they are both in the same ballpark windings wise. Magnets on the stock motor are no match for the new XT though. Expect it will prove itself when I run it on 3S instead of my current 2S.

Bit off topic, but as we are entering into winter months does that mean this (or any GBBR) is likely to be a wall hanger now until Spring time as it's going to struggle with low temps?

I’m an inveterate tinkerer so can’t leave anything standard for long.

An AR-9 for £95? https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/specna-arms-sa-fx01-flex-ar-9-smg-aeg?fv=22067 Must say I'm tempted as an impulse buy.

Perun AB++ and XT 22TPA motor ordered for the G36. Also picked up another XT motor, ZCI hop chamber and a Maple Leaf bucking + Omega nub combo to go in my Double Eagle whilst I'm at it. Doesn't really need anything doing to it, but the parts were cheap.

I hope years from now when @son of dan marries this woman, this thread forms the contents of his wedding speech. Sure @Dan Robinson would be proud.

Casually walked into this thread and now I really fancy one of those Zion PW9s.

Check the polarity on the deans to tamiya converter you are using. Did it come with the gun or did you acquire it separately?

Buying gear is just the membership card permitting you to spend even more money using it.

Roughly every couple of weeks for us, both due to the schedule Spec Ops MK run to and the fact that since I'm paying for me and the boy it's prob about £120ish a month spent on walk on fees and ammo. Money and time no object I'd play every weekend, we only started in May this year but it's quickly become our favourite way to run around and burn calories.

No experience of the JG, but my son has the Cyma and apart from losing a fire selector it's been rock solid. Sounds a bit agricultural compared to more modern AEGs, but shoots as straight and as far as my more expensive Double Eagle. He's dropped it a couple of times in falls and doesn't spare the trigger, never had an issue with it. Cyma do a High Speed variant of the CM011 which comes with an upgraded gearbox and motor, if you can find one of those for a reasonable price that would get my vote.

Looks like AK2M4 are getting the XT motors back in at the start of Oct so will be ordering one of those alongside the Perun AB++. Should be a fun little project. I might do it in secret and not tell the boy anything has changed until he tries it at our next skirmish (foreshadowing the moment it shits itself on the field here I realise). Anyone know off hand if I need the long or short shaft motor for the G36? Lazy I know, but since there's been decent advice so far I thought I'd take advantage!

I think that is a pretty standard feature of casual weekend skirmish games. The mix of players from regulars to first timers and young kids means effective grouping is a matter of luck as much as anything else. You'd likely enjoy a milsim type event over a normal skirmish day as these are more tactical affairs.

Thanks that's really helpful. Good point on the piston teeth, if they strip under load then it's a cheap sacrificial part. Soldering is no issue. Perun AB and an XT High Torque for about £75 from AK2M4 fit the budget (though the motors are OOS at the moment). I can always make a judgement call on the shimming when the gearbox is out. Running 2S/7.4 currently. Not tried a 3S/11.v in it yet, honestly because I just assumed it would be too much on a stock setup and lead to overspin or fire, but that's not founded on anything concrete. I might just order up a 3S while I wait for AK2M4 to restock their motors and do some test shots indoors and see how it goes.

Had another good day as Spec Ops MK on Sunday. Despite being the only field we've ever played at, we never seem to get bored of its compact woodland map and if anything familiarity is starting to create some new gameplay options (beyond running like a headless chicken into or away from fire). Game two was a good case in point, being a flag based bridge building game. The assault team are tasked with placing three flags in three corresponding barrels spaced equidistant along a line dividing their half of the map from the defenders, only once all the flags are in can they advance across the imaginary bridge. As soon as the start whistle went me and the boy knew precisely the point we wanted to get to; a defensive barricade in a metal shack village named PingPing City that provides overwatch on one of the barrels, attackers either have to cross our line of fire at 90 degrees or skirt some buildings and come at us head on. This little set up allowed us to keep the barrel flag free and rack up the kills for what felt like an age. In the end an enthusiastic rental youngster ignored a hail of BBs pinging off his body and placed the flag. I mentioned it to the marshals, but let it go as by that point we'd been overrun anyway. After lunch the boy decided to swap sides so he could play with some of his mates who were on the arm-bands team. First time we've played opfor aside from the usual Zombie games. I got the first kill on him, basically trading BBs at 40 or so meters until one of us got hit. After that though he racked up his tally, killing me three times during an attempt to clear his team out of a defence. Then later delivering one of the most painful shots of the day, shooting me right on the tip of my nose. Bit of drama on the day, caught the tail end of an angry exchange after some chap's tooth had been shot out at close quarters by some other guy. Not sure if he'd been wearing face protection or not but it all ended quietly if not peacefully. Food was excellent as ever. Double Eagle was reliable as ever. Might start thinking about some winter gear as we head into the October games.