TheFull9

I'd imagine they're currently in the process of being absolutely wrecked in the market by the TM AKM and VFC AK-74; this sounds good on paper but of course as we know the issue is they just can't actually manufacture things properly.

Doesn't matter what shape the mag is there's always a 6mm coming out, so if it works then crack on. As a speccy-four-eyes I say stick a massive 20x scope on an MP5k if you like.

Was pretty hesitant on using AliEx for a while, but the one thing I've been needing to add to my whole gun collection is more/better optics as I'd had the same couple of red dots/scopes for years and would swap them between guns, but that was getting tiresome and they were all pretty long in the tooth anyway. After spending a while learning to navigate the weird way that shops on said site are laid out and (mostly) getting to grips with what product is actually what (because there's loads of store fronts all advertising the same physical products but at slightly different prices), I placed a few orders while on a nice little 4-month excursion work sent me on. Picked up clones of the Leupold HAMR and LCO (D-EVO still incoming), latest Spuhr mount, Elcan Spectre 1x/4x, Vortex Razor 1-6 w/Geissele mount, ACOG TA-02 and an Aimpoint 3x magnifier. Plus the below EoTech and other Vortex bits. Also swung by Negative Airsoft today, he'd done some work on my Scorpion Evo, my old CA M15 and I'd commissioned a borderline scratch-build M4A1 AEG. Technically it started as a CYMA Daniel Defense Mk18, but I think the GB casing, buffer tube and a few other small gearbox internals and tiny screws are all that's left of the original gun. Long story as to why, but there were many reasons rest assured. I still 'need' to change the OB, handguard, pistol grip and stock (and maybe other little things down the line) to my own parts to make this my ideal early-2000s America's Army M4A1 but that stuff I can easily do myself. Whereas I don't have the skill, desire or parts inventory to work on AEG guts and the gun is already sounding/shooting absolutely tip-top.

trustmebro Given their batch production it'll be a while before the verified truth comes out. Either more fully marked Glocks will just appear at retailers, unmarked ones will appear, or it'll be an incredibly loud and noticeable silence for a long while I'd imagine since they probably won't announce the cessation of Glock production. I believe this is their official site? In which case if the Glocks/markings vanish from here then we'd perhaps actually have a solid answer. https://www.tokyo-marui.co.jp/products/gas/blowback/

A tale as old as tiiiiiime.. I was mulling it over and wondering whether people with more expensive hobbies also have these same conversations; motorsport is the main one that comes to mind as something that's not too uncommon but very pricey to be involved in. From what little I know, even the cheapest forms will cost a person a fair bit more than being involved in airsoft and if you get in to really fast cars/bikes and racing them the costs go bonkers. Real firearm competition is probably a bit different in that there aren't that many types of weapons we can own in the UK and a normal person will be legally limited on how many firearms they can own, however the cost of ammo and range fees can be pretty high when you attend the different events. 'Airsoft' is such a blanket term that asking 'how much does it cost?' is literally the same as asking the length in centimetres of any given woven braid of cordage. There are folks who've got 1 or 2 guns, a set of gear sufficient to play and that's it; but they'll regularly travel around the country paying for hotels near to 2-3 day events plus all the extra food and fuel costs and using loads of pyro etc. Then there's the opposite kind of person of course, and there's everything between as well. Some people have 3-4 amazing PTW/MTW/NGRS, some people have 30+ stock budget line CYMAs. Personally I like gucci kit (clothing and LBE) and furniture for RIFs, but I currently draw the line at high end real optics like EoTechs and ACOGs. I could elaborate on my thought process as to why, but there are a few airsofters out there who love those types of optics and own a few of them, highlighting the fact that what makes sense within your own personal lump of grey matter won't make any sense within the grey matter of many other people. Long as you make peace with the fact people like different things and then actually act as such then it's all gravy.

I don't want it, therefore nobody should... ? The free market very much disagrees however.

Would have to say, in the first instance the chances of that are soooo close to zero, honestly wouldn't worry about it. In the second instance, LiPos very much aren't the ultra-unstable UXOs that some (fortunately rare these days) people make them out to be; again almost no chance that a bb strike would cause your battery to ignite.

Good that the people who said 'don't know' were honest. While there will be the odd person who works in an airsoft shop who really knows their stuff, I'd say they're going to be few and far between frankly, and they're more likely to be the owner who's been around this stuff for 20 years, rather than the 23 year old guy who actually answers the e-mails/stands behind the counter.

Yeah course, makes sense. I don't carry a loader in game myself it only ever sits in the gun bag back in the SZ, so something like the TM works, but yeah I definitely wouldn't be carrying on my person either haha. Had no idea about those airtac adapters for the M12 before though, the generic model has gone right to the top of the list of things to try cheers for that info ?

Their stuff will definitely cost more than it should, given the extra steps it must go through with businesses in Japan that must exist purely to bulk buy and then export it, probably having to jump through many hoops along the way. But with most of the products they last so long and perform so well vs the competition I'm honestly more than fine with that I would have to say (that's just my opinion of course). And sometimes the prices aren't even high. F-S had 5.1 Hi-Capas on sale a few months ago for, iirc, £99, which is the price of a lot of more budget pistol brands and the TM 5.1 is arguably the most effective/efficient GBB pistol out of the box that exists. It'll be interesting to weight this offering up vs the autobot once the price is known and I think for a lot of people the battery options with favour the Evike offering, but as I mentioned earlier I've not personally loved the Odin M12 for my own purposes and my absolutely ancient TM 556 mag manual loader is still what I use the most at the moment. This loader could finally usurp my old manual and see use every game for me personally, though given that I always use mid caps I'd still keep the manual in the bottom of the old gear bag just in case.

That's my favourite activity. Soon as I hit 30 I started referencing the 00s to anyone young enough as if I were reminiscing on WW1. Looks like they show it here. Seemingly a built in accessory as it were. https://www.popularairsoft.com/tokyo-marui-reveals-p-90-verllenn-hi-capa-dor-r-bb-auto-loader-62nd-all-japan-model-hobby-show

Given me the kick up the rear I needed to finally get around to buying red and blue tape for my MP5 mags, thanks mate.

Couldn't see any other details out there, looks good though. The Odin sidewinder has been raved about for a long time and I do get why, but after dragging my heels and eventually picking one up a year or so ago I've never ended up actually using it, as quite often I'll head to a game with my TM EBBRs and pistols; haven't fancied the idea of having to build up a collection of adapters for the thing. Having one fast loader that's ready to go for most types of mags is very appealing, personally. Obviously there's the evike loader that came out not too long ago which is similar to the the above, probably decent, but for myself I've got more trust in a TM product vs whichever unknown chinese OEM evike use.

I can only guess the batteries in the optic, PEQ, tracer and display screen, go on and tell us the other 2.

I'm currently away for work so I can't check exactly, but I'd guess the distance between the base of the mount and the centre of the optic glass is pretty similar between a Spectre and a typical 4x ACOG, if not right about the same. If you want a magnified optic on there I'd probably look at something other than an ACOG; magnifier and red dot combo would have the potential to sit a lot lower to the top of the big ol' outrigger thingy that the sights sit on.

You've got me beat, couple of weeks back Luke did my CA M15 that's a mere, spritely 18 years old; comparatively a spring chicken. The Spectre on top of the FAMAS here is a first to my eyes, guessing it sits quite high but pretty cool still haha.

They've been one of the most consistent recipients of negative reviews that I've personally seen over the years, as far as retailers go. Not small issues either, sometimes pretty egregious stuff. Personally I only tend to regularly check a small number of shops, but from what I see online there's been a LOT of retailers pop up within the last decade; a few closings too ofc, but quite a lot of new ones. I certainly don't have stats to hand by any stretch, but if I had to put a bet one way or the other, I feel like I'd say more sellers have opened than closed post-turn of the millennium. By quite a few potentially (if I were to be bold). As for TM, not sure what other folks see, but my observation is that it seems to be the one brand of RIF that's always just consistently selling and selling out at shops. I'm not sure if there are any other brands (within the UK) that have businesses dedicated to them the way we have the likes of E6 (doing both sales, specific parts and tech work) but again, TM just seems to have the most of that type of thing 'orbiting' it by a long stretch; far as I can tell. People always want more NGRS and MWS guns/mags and the various pistols/mags. Which is a very good thing imho.

The one thing that's for sure is that nobody is sure, heh. I looked in to it briefly a couple of years ago and there are examples mentioned from the textiles industry in the late 1800s, so the first usage is definitely well before ww2, but it could've come to prominence again in other contexts potentially.

Same way I love my Guarder aluminium GBB Glock mags for shaving off a ton of weight with no loss of capability, this definitely does appeal.

The social media handles all used to be REMF Tacticool as I am very much a REMF (POG, Fobbit, nonner) and love all that is tacticool. That name fit the format of '3 or 4 letter acronym/abbreviation - Tactical' as so many shops, training companies and other internet groups tend to use. I was finding most people didn't know what REMF meant though and always getting questioned on it when walking around SHOT show so I started looking around for something new. Wanted it short, punchy, somewhat familiar to folks and not too cliche within the realms of guns, gear and airsoft. The origins of the phrase 'the full 9 yards', 'give em the whole/full 9 yards' are widely debated and entirely unproven with tons of theories out there, but some years ago Forgotten Weapons posted a video telling a story of a small group of British soldiers in WW1 that using plunging fire to suppress an area they wanted to deny to the enemy; they did this using a few Vickers guns and fired constantly for something like a day or 2 days, with runners doing round trips to bring more ammo, more cooling water and changing barrels when required (Maxim type MGs are capable of doing this sort of thing). I think in that video he states that this event is the origin of the phrase, but evidence I've seen from Vickers experts suggests that's probably not case. I picked the name as some years ago there was a variant on the story that said the RFC/RAF in WW1 had a specific variant of Vickers belt which was 9 supposedly yards, which again I think has been debunked but people associate a lot with a name so I'm not changing it again.

A good budget option is a set of the SuerFire sonics (Ep3/4/7) which allow enough through that you can hear and play basically normally but they also knock loud stuff down a few dB. EP3 are a standard issue item and do well for shooting.

I also don't massively love the the Spiritus 4x SMG inserts, but they were made to fit the Mk3 and Mk4 and iirc the MPX/Scorpion version can only physically fit 4 plastic SMG mags in those older placards, once you take in to account the physical space that the elastic itself occupies. Whiskey Two Four do a 6x insert for SMG, there's probably others out there too (might be limited to metal mags though). Have to be careful on placard selection with those though, I've not tested for myself but that insert might be a tight fit in a Mk5. It'll probably be ok in the HSP and definitely works in the Hub since that's got some extra width Vs a Mk5.

That's a beautiful thing, aspirational honestly.

Personally I recommend what lokkers has done there; or whatever equivalent fits in with your preferences and/or current kit. You can pick any modern placard and just get the mag inserts to fit your weapons; just be sure to get the right sized inserts (e.g. 762 generally means 762 NATO, not AK) and ensure they have the right velcro alignment/config (either hook on both sides, or hook on one side and loop on the other, depends which system you buy in to). The Spiritus Mk5 is a strong option since the modern Spiritus placards are fully loop lined and most of the inserts out there are covered in hook. There's also the Spiritus Mk4 for extra capacity, the Haley D3CR-M if you want extra pouches built in, or the F9 Ammo Hub (if I might be so bold as to self promote). Tons of other options out there which are also fully loop lined and also clones of most of them.