TheFull9

Well.. that's really not difficult.

Some folks would perhaps recommend checking your hop bucking to make sure it's not dried and split/cracked and maybe look in the gearbox, but honestly if there's grease still on the internal mech parts and it shoots as it should, I wouldn't personally see a need to do anything much with it. I've got tons of AEGs I don't use for years at a time, never had any problems when pulling them out of storage. People who say you need a 'license' of any kind are almost certainly ignorant of the facts and not to be listened to. You now need to provide a defence from prosecution against the laws laid down in the Violent Crime Reduction Act. The main way that airsofters do this is by playing 3 skirmishes at an appropriate site (one that holds public liability insurance is the rule I've heard most often from people who know what they're talking about) over a period greater than 2 months but less than 12 months. At this point most sites will then give you a membership which should prove you're an active skirmisher. You can also get your name added to the UKARA Database (again, not a license, just a database entry) and it then makes it even easier for retailers to check your eligibility to buy, or more accurately, be sold, RIFs. The VCRA covers sale and manufacture of RIFs (amongst a few others things) but there's no prohibition on ownership or usage for skirmishing. If there was, there would overnight be literally thousands of people all around the UK who suddenly became criminals looking at some seriously unpleasant sentences. Regards the second question, the law also only covers imitation firearms, not accessories for them like grips and sights etc, so buy away in that regard. Edit - Too slow at writing...

Where are you playing? I think I've seen maybe one (could've been the clone) being used in my decade airsofting. Seen an awful lot more ICS L85s, G&G F2000s, TM/CA AUGs and other bullpups than I have TM FAMAS's (famii?).

IMHO, they're far better at marketing than they are manufacturing (and to an extent designing) tactical gear. Pricing wise, they're just slightly above the mid-range; Tru-Spec and Propper. Though in the US there's tons of discount codes floating around to use on the actual LBX site and in the UK we have Hueys who have 10% sales fairly regularly, so you'd be silly to pay full price anyway. Either way, that said, looking at the apparel line (only product from them I personally own) they use 65/35 Poly/Cotton which yeah, is fine for airsoft, but when I can get the 50/50 NYCO stuff from Tru-Spec for the same sort of price it doesn't make a lot of sense to go LBX. I slight prefer their aesthetics but, if I was telling someone what to buy in terms of value for money (obviously the main concern for most folks), it wouldn't be the LBX. My primary gripe with them isn't material selection though, their stuff will hold up to airsoft usage for a while, but they commit what is to me the biggest cardinal sin in gear manufacture; which is lacking quality control/checking. I wouldn't personally buy any of their plate carriers anyway because the clips for the placards are a proprietary spec and won't work with the Haley Strategic stuff or Mayflower/Vel sys panels. At least they were made that way for a while, they should really update to the normal 1" QASM buckles but that seems unlikely as it would then make their own older gen panels incompatible with new PCs. That aside however I've got a few mates who've bought the Armatus rigs and found the stitching to be shoddy and generally looking like the person operating the sewing machine was pissed. Or, far more likely, poorly trained and being pressed to work too fast in the Peruvian factory. In one particular case one buddy had a nightmare with their CS; took literally months of hard work to get his PC sent back and get a replacement after showing LBX the evidence of what was wrong (decent company would've sorted this out in no time at all) and when he eventually got the replacement after another long wait, that was also sewn like s*** and he had to go through the entire cycle again. After all that and him exhibiting a frankly saint-like amount of patience with them, the second replacement was again badly made and it took him even longer and more unnecessarily hard work via e-mail to eventually get his money back. Could be an unlucky example of course, but you wouldn't get anything even remotely like that sort of trouble with LBT themselves I'd wager. On the design side of things, yeah they got Costa in on it (maybe) and no doubt some of the LBT team and they really popularised the concept of the quick swap front panel, which is definitely a good thing. The co-operations with S&S (briefly) and HSGI on making some really good placards made a lot of sense. Their proprietary camos I'd agree with jc are nasty looking to my eye, but they were one of the first to bring a grey uniform and gear to the market which was again, good to see at the time. As mentioned however, the proprietary clips on the carriers ruin the basic cocept a fair bit and really limit you. I'm not sure why the Gen1 Armatus is so slick either, it's a setup that would make sense in the shooting/home defence realm but their gear isn't built to a quality that befits such applications; it's entirely airsoft grade stuff and I wouldn't dream of trusting my life to any of it. With that in mind they really should've added load bearing options (PALS or otherwise) on the cummerbund and back of the PC, which would've made it much more appealing in terms of airsoft use I think. Hopefully the Gen2 will be available after SHOT and that'll address a lot of those issues.

Honestly, I find it rather odd they're still manufacturing it in apparently almost the exact same way that they have been since it was first released. Or I assume they're still making new ones, I still see them at retail sites and it seems very unlikely they've still got stock left from that long ago. Either way, it's probably about the only decently skirmishable FAMAS on the market but it's still antiquated and frankly obsolete on the externals especially. Left stock the old (pre recoil) TM AEGs do just run and run forever typically, but they're often still rather pricey overall and externally the G&G combat machines are a fair bit nicer than the FAMAS to my mind. Even the other old TM guns like the plastic bodied AKs and ARs are quite a bit better than the French rifle in terms of the receivers etc.

I don't use imgur, but if it's anything like flickr you can pick the size of the image when you copy the URL for posting, might wanna try looking for a different/larger setting that regard. I can't really see anything from that tiny picture mate, same with your shots in the loadout thread.

Personally, to try and reply as directly as possible to the OP, yeah I'm more interested in gear. Overall, I'd rather own firearms and maybe 1-2 airsoft replicas just to play the game occasionally, but I can't have the guns I want in this country so I just stick to BBs and what I get to play with in work. However even if I can't personally own the guns I want, I can own gear that's 'on a par' as it were with the sort of guns I'd shoot if I could. I like to collect gear, I'm interested in the way it's made, the work that goes in to designing and manufacturing it, the whole industry that surrounds it, the similarities and differences between various sporting/defence applications for civilians, general outdoor use and military applications of all kinds of different apparel, load-bearing rigs, pouches etc. So I buy a fair bit of kit in order to actually look at it closely, then every now and then play airsoft in it in order to see how it performs on a very basic level (wicking sweat, friction points, retaining mags, pistol draw etc etc). I've long been aware that playing in a half-arsed fashion would be detrimental to the other folks on my team, but personally I can't do things by halves anyway so it's never a problem. I either go to a skirmish or milsim and go for it with 100% effort, or I just stay at home. I'm not a good player, I always get hit more than I score hits, but I do enjoy the sounds of GBBs shooting, pyro going off and the like and it's a great social activity all around. Myself, I can't say I've ever seen bunches of guys dressed to the 9s in kit stood around the regen point mouthing off instead of getting stuck in; the people I've seen doing that have covered every 'type' of player there is. Fact is, unless you're a lottery winner/retired on a massive pension and all you do is travel up and down the entire UK playing game after game multiple times per week on a constant basis, you simply can't claim there to be any set trends amongst what certain 'types' of players do (or don't do as the case may be). Does "every site" have those though?

That makes a lot more sense.

My other Stark glock. Some Trijicon sights, Inforce light and a Guarder magwell.

What's 'better'? You define that for yourself based on what you want out of the gun. The G&Gs are good. Personally I'd have the Krytac or KWA, but if you prefer the price or looks or something else on the G&G, buy it from a decent retailer like Pro Airsoft Supplies or Airsoft Zone, you certainly won't go wrong.

The Krytac having very impressive internals and the inclusion of a MOSFET is a huge plus to my mind. Trigger response is going to be by far the best of the bunch; if you're going to play any semi-only sites it's a game changer IMO. The grip and muzzle device can be changed very easily indeed. G&P internals.. very 'meh', average to say the least. I've not heard of them doing any real updates in years so the Krytac spanks their ass in that regard, especially the actual gear set, which have been notoriously bad in G&Ps for a long time. Even if they have improved somewhat, still not up to the Krytac standard. Personally I think pretty much all G&P current offerings look puke-tastic in terms of all the completely fake looking white trademarks they plaster everywhere on their guns. Some folks like that look though, so each to their own there. The RM4 line obviously adds recoil and stop-on-empty/hit bolt release when reloading if you use the proprietary magazines; so it's rather a different beast to the Krytac. If you want that 'experience' of the shooting aspect and more realistic looks, get the KWA (PTS don't make them, they just provide the accessories). More limiting in terms of battery storage and stocks/handguards you can fit than a regular AEG since the buffer tube is full of the recoil mechanism of course.

Long as you can get it renewed and on the database before HMRC check your package, you'll be fine.

Add the cost of the gun and shipping, work out 30% of that figure (20% VAT and something around 10% import duty) + about £12. If your budget can cover that, you'll be fine, it's a worst case scenario estimation and should come in a bit less. Obviously there's a chance you'll get away with it too, I've had a few packages arrive in past couple of weeks that were due VAT and were written up accordingly on the paperwork, but no charges. I'd say the quicker you order the more likely they are to still be dealing with the christmas backlog.

What we're learning here, is that if you buy Warrior gear at full retail price, you are a silly sausage.

Correct. If you do run hi-caps, you vest will tell you to "sshh!".

Wasn't referring to just this thread.

The cost debate never ends, but it varies depending on where you ask the question. If you go to DevTSix you'll find a fair few guys who've spent enough on just their plate carrier alone for someone to outside themselves with a full loadout of kit that's perfectly decent for airsoft (gun, mags, camo, rig, boots, eye pro, the whole lot), and some of the 'hardcore' impressionist types are snobby as f*** and will call you cheap for buying HSGI or Tactical Tailor. This place can be the opposite end of the spectrum, similar story with some facebook groups. Making negative comments about people who spent a lot more on their kit than you just as bad as the snobs who crap on others for having the budget gear; you have no clue about what somebody else's salary/expendable income level is or what their personal priorities are. You're being a massive c*** either way and both types are awful.

It'd be better to find out the rules put in place for the camo/colours on each side, if you haven't booked already that is. Usually for example, multicam is on the desert/tan side with grey/black/blue/other civves on the green/woodland team, but the milsim I did a little while back had it the opposite way around with MC on the green side and the civvies with the tans.

Propper's alright, just don't plan on using it in summer. Thick, heavy construction; good for the cooler times for sure but you'll sweat your everythings off in June. I've had their standard ACU cut trousers and shirt, still got one of their combat shirts in ATACS-FG and I purely reserve it as a winter use item. The material on the torso is unbelievably thick compared to every other brand I've ever tried; wore it to Red1 CQB once in July and spent the whole day just hating it.

-AC Combat shirts x 2 -AC Field trousers Alas, I'm a Small in every other brand of combat shirt, just not Crye. So I'll have to sell the buggers right off the bat, which is a PITA frankly after waiting bloody ages for them to get here. #firstworldairsoftproblems

Trap/skeet etc are the most common options by far with the most availability. For most citizens getting a shotgun certificate (covers double barrels and pumps with only 2-shell mag capacity) is very easy as the police actually have to come up with a reason you specifically shouldn't be allowed one whereas for any rifle or semi shotgun you need to give them a reason you should be granted the certificate (i.e. shooting club membership), but you do have to have references from people who've known you a few years and I'm not sure how nationality/residency links in to it exactly. There's a long form to fill out and I've not looked at it in a while.

Da. Mine should be here end of Jan (ish) hopefully.

I think there may be a little misunderstanding amongst a few folks here. Generally when used in airsoft terms relating to gear (much more so in the states than the UK), 'high speed' doesn't mean something necessarily has to be super lightweight or efficient, it's more to do with the looks than anything. A BULLE chest rig for example is an excellent choice for load-bearing kit in airsoft, but it doesn't look gucci or tacticool. I'm pretty certain given the OP's concern over aesthetics rather than function, the idea is to fit in to the fashionable, special forces looking notion of HSLD.

That was a bad on my part, I meant more of the side to see the profile of the locking nuts.

Can't give bugger all in the way advice without a rough clue what your budget is to be honest, where you live also comes in to play significantly as I'm not going to recommend a store called UK Tactical to somebody in, for example, Canada. I think asking people what looks better is rather inflatable-dartboard as well, you'd be much, much better off just going through loadout threads on different forums or just browsing SF pictures online if you want to figure out what 'looks best'. Because that way you'll get stuff that you actually like the aesthetics of yourself, rather than someone else's opinion. Even without knowing your budget I can tell you for sure that all black just looks like an airsofter loadout, not any sort of super cool high-speed operator super special forces dude. If you like the look of it then that's cool go ahead, it is of course your money. Just be aware you'll not see elite police firearms units or SAS or SEALs or whatever running much in the way of black gear like it was the early 90s anymore. It's also demonstrably very poor camo in urban and woodland environments, so if you want something that's effective for milsim look at either grey or a popular woodland pattern. Obviously US Woodland, Multicam (including any of the 3 newly released variants), AOR1 and AOR2 are super popular amongst all the super cool guys right now. There's also the Kryptek and Pencott families to consider in terms of the 'latest and greatest' for camo options. Helmets are, if anything, low speed if you take the literal definition, but if you want to be fashionable in the manner I think you do then an Ops-Core replica is what everybody and his gran is rocking right now. Eye pro should very much be decided on a safety first basis, not what looks good. End of the day if you just run the dark lenses in any goggle and cover your lower face somehow it does the job of dehumanising your appearance, which is always a winner on social media.