TheFull9

Interestingly, a lot of people thought the same sort of thing about the FS rigs when they first came out. I've discovered after more than a fair bit of testing on my original Strandhogg that that just isn't the case. However people are just really conditioned in to seeing those slots and assuming they're as soft and weak as (like you say) some very thin sort of paper. Everyone's just so accustomed to all those webbing strips and heavy duty bar-tack stitching it seems alien to manufacture something with is sort of a negative image as it were.

HSGI TACOs do come with more than enough bungee, certainly accomodate STANAGs, AK and 762 NATO mags; along with smoke nades, medium sized radios etc. The WAS copies are hugely excessive in that regard, at least the first gen ones I had were. You'd have to be trying to store an M82 mag inside one to need the amount of spare cord they supplied, really weird considering they could save themselves some cash there without actually hindering the product. Of course they might've changed their procedures at the factory by now. Can't say I've seen any long terms reports of the longevity of the ACM interpretation on the 6/12 system. It's great when done right but it requires proper radii in the corners to minimise the potential for tears and for the nylon to be laminated with another layer of material (velcro in order to actually work with 6/12 pouches). How the lower end chinese producers will manage that I'm not sure, the short reviews/impressions I've seen seem to indicate they're alright, but I've not heard from anyone who owns both the FirstSpear and the clone rig to compare. If it turns out nobody at all on here does know I'd ask on Arnies, a few people there do own them ( Apologies to the admins for 'sending business away' but I'm sure you're all more concerned about players getting the info they need as the main priority).

Irony being Echo1 don't even create anything, they just slap their name on ACM absurdity.

If you spend enough time reading around about it you'll discover Helikon is much like Viper and Web-tex. A lot of airsofters shout about it from the rooftops when it works because it's cheap and us airsofters love a bargain more than life itself. But then again there's plenty of negative reviews around too and as with Android vs iOS, PS vs XBox, TM vs WE etc people get really bloody irate if you don't agree with their experience or perception of a brand. When you look up the reviews from guys who've owned and used higher quality gear that's when they're usually painted in a more negative light. Also the fact they've fabricated a new brand name with the release of their new line of backpacks doesn't fill me personally with confidence, every time I've seen a company in the airsoft or gear world do that it's because they've been trying to shake off the very negative reputation they've accrued in the past. Not to say organisations can't change/improve because they can, but it's an under-handed move IMO and usually when a company does climb out of a bad hole and turn things around they don't change their name (G&G being a prime example from the top of my head).

I've seen the original a few years back, which is the beauty of the joke really. Just wondering who made the airsoft variant.

Ha! Did you make that one jc? I want to steal it.

Plate carriers, soft armour and any sort of nylon rig on the torso are all pretty much the most effective form of insulation there is. They're not breathable like a high end outdoor jacket, but if you have a reasonable sized PC or chest rig you'll find that keeps in plenty of warmth when running about outside in the winter. Personally it's the extremities I worry about, it varies person to person but my hands just don't seem to have the blood flow of a normal human being so I have to wear some good gloves during the colder months; something often overlooked is that a metal handguard on a rifle will also sap any heat in your hands right out of there. I made the mistake some years ago of skirmishing in December wearing gloves designed for the desert (they looked good, but they had actual holes built in to the design) and holding on to the rail after an hour or so I wasn't doing so great. Tucked my hands inside my PC which started warming them up quite nicely but I wasn't far off spewing when the feeling started coming back. Interestingly I've seen a very similar occurrence many times in a different context, my dad's been in to windsurfing for decades so as a kid I'd often go along for a day/weekend and they didn't stop the events for winter, so combining the general air temperature with a fair bit of falling in water you'd get a lot of blokes coming back indoors on the verge of tears with the pain in their hands as they warmed back up. Not to say this is a common occurrence but I thought I'd throw it out there for consideration, might be pertinent to somebody out there reading. If you want some upper torso that's modern looking, comfortable under gear and keeps in heat check out the Propper UBACS (UK tac have them). Considering they're a garment that's designed to keep you as cool as possible in the heat, the Propper ones (unlike every other brand I've tried) are made of comparatively thick, heavy fabrics. Makes them much worse than their competitors in the summer but a very useful winter garment. Apart from that, if you do look at shoftshells (which are popular for a reason) I'd strongly suggest playing a game in some other types of insulating layer before making a decision. People tend to equate jackets with being heavily insulated but there are a lot of options out there when it comes to tactical gear. Some are deliberately just a thin layer to keep wind and rain off while allowing sweat out.. slightly better than a fleece or BDU shirt anyway. The thicker the lining in a jacket the better it is for stationary duties but the more uncomfortably hot and sweaty it'll be when you exert yourself.

Happy to help out wherever possible.

2 Yards of Multicam Arid NY/CO Crye G3 Combats Unique-ARs custom tube handguard Custom modular front plate carrier 12 Patches Blue Force Gear Vickers padded sling BFG Small utility 2 BFG Smoke 'nade FirstSpear Split front chest rig FS 6/12 Cummerbund FS 2L Hydro pouch FS Armour shoulder pads FS 2-point sling FS Small utility FS Assaulters' Gun Belt Magpul Industries MOE Stock MI Galaxy S5 case MI MS1 All-QD connector MI M-LOK plastic rail section Tangodown iO cover Midwest Industries Handguard removal tool Midwest QD swivel DSG Arms AR-15 barrel nut DSG AR-15 mag catch 556 Chamber flag Camelbak water bottles, 0.75 and 1L

Damn.. not seen that picture in a while. Proper old-school tactical comedy there, from the days long before instagram...

Couple of very nice shinies from Dave's Custom Airsoft. Tactical Link EBAL (Enhanced battery assist lever) - It's just a BAD made out of thicker metal, but I like the angular look Fortis Mfg rail mounted, rotation limited QD sling swivel Naroh Arms KeyMod mounted, rotation limited QD sling swivel I never bought in to QDs on slings before, stuck with simple hooks and clips to work with the good old ASAP plates. But now a few of the bigger RS sling makers have gotten in to them (mostly with the MS4 and MS1) and there's more QD sling points for M4 lowers, they're making more sense for me personally.

To keep things simple, here's the exact item: http://www.tactical-kit.co.uk/tactical-tailor-fight-light-molle-battle-belt-8686-p.asp With this particular one you need to add a standard type of belt through the middle to hold it all together, but it has a lot of modularity (apart from the actual modular pouch attachment that is of course). Different inner belts, D-rings for a yoke, cuts underneath if you want drop leg panels and it comes in 3 pieces so you can adjust the size. Another older belt from the same brand which'd work out much cheaper would be this: http://www.tactical-kit.co.uk/tactical-tailor-modular-molle-padded-belt-53017-4669-p.asp You can't hang any drop-legs but you could thread a yoke through the PALS webbing if you wanted (if the straps were made of 1" webbing) and no need to buy an inner belt. I'd recommend one of those to any new player, I'm actually very surprised that tac-kit sell them so cheaply, quite a steal IMO. The thing with any sort of PALS/Warbelt is to order a size up. I'll get a 32"/medium waist in any sort of trousers and I'll order a large when it comes to any sort of belt like this. Just means the loops come all the way around to the front and should nearly meet above groin/just either side of the actual buckle. Hence you've got the most room possible to put things exactly where you want them, rather than everything ending up around your back for the most part. Had issues in that area a couple of times, definitely always order that one size up and of course wherever possible get proper inch measurements and measure around the waistband of the trousers you wear to skirmish.

My 'spares box' belt setup for the occasional outdoor game I get to in the warmer months.

I get the feeling a lot of folks aren't familiar with the old 'Aliens' Pulse Rifle kits. Which isn't too surprising I suppose that's quite a retro product by this stage.

I don't know where this word 'legal' is cropping up from, the law has absolutely nothing to do with it. If this helmet looks the way I'm imagining it does, DO NOT use it for skirmishing. It'll be literally the opposite of full-seal eye protection, the gap underneath and around the lower side that BBs could get in unopposed would be cavernous, you're guaranteeing a lost eye (or two) in a bloody short space of time. If you want to wear shooting glasses or low-pro goggles and use the helmets' face shield as an overall face protector to give your teeth some coverage then sure, it'd probably work fine. However a visor like that is not suitable eye protection, not at all.

Hmm.. I don't really agree with that. They're both fairly modern styled plate carriers, but that's about where the similarities end. There's a lot of differences.

Just to provide another view point, folks don't actually havep to dress up like navy seals to play airsoft. #justsayingbro Only messin' of course. IMO, the MBUS work pretty well aesthetically. I'd swap the A2 grip and tirgger guard pretty sharpish because there's a lot of potential ergonomic gains there, but each to their own obviously. Be wary of attached-a-ton-of-stuff-to-rail-including-a-VFG-then-just-grip-magwell syndrome though, it's a highly infectious condition. What brand is it out of interest?

Ears are a howler I've had my eyes watering from those hits before; fingers (the closer to the nail, the worse) and for some reason that gap inbetween my PC and my belt stings like a bitch. Never get shot in the rig itself (and I do pay close attention plus it's CQB so you notice), always right in the small area of shirt that's tucked in tight with no cordura over the top. Unless you're really unlucky and in a sort of crouched position which causes your trousers to get pulled tight in the groin and then take a shot in that area while in said position, it's never gonna hurt really. In a normal standing position trousers will always have a fair bit of slack in the material to soak up the energy. Also the zip makes the surrounding material a bit less flimsy.

It's a 12" Fortis REV (RS rail). The MIAD grip fits completely flush with the lower, but the extended section on the top of the backstrap is casting a shadow in that shot.

Marui EBBr number 1, the outdoors-y type.

It's always so cute when couples wear his'n'hers matching outfits.

Good choice, nice platform that. You'll be glad of that later down the line, I spent years buying all sort of kit that I just ended up selling on or chucking away before I took the plunge on gear like Tac Tailor. Lot of wasted time and money! NB - In case anyone thinks I'm being a snob, everyone is quite welcome to buy whatever it is they like, but I know for a fact there's a lot of guys out there who went through that exact same cycle as I did.

Soon as I can go somewhere where I'm allowed to shoot them and take video. Unfortunately the air force brass frowns on folks taking pictures or video on base. Also on popping off airbursting pyrotechnic devices. But yeah, probably going to a skirmish next weekend where I can sort it all out.

TAG 'Starter kit' (one launch shell and 8 Reaper rounds) plus another shell. Fit nicely in my ARES EGLM, just waiting for an opportunity to test fire.

Massif combat shirt. I've done a lot of internet window shopping (and actual shopping) over the years and you can't really beat one of these for a quality FR shirt, considering the low cost on ebay. The fabrics are pretty much the same as my ICE Tactical FR shirt which cost way more. This is more for work than anything so I won't be airsofting in it myself, but my brother actually wears FR stuff most of the time he skirmishes (particularly at certain specific sites) after some really close calls with burning pyro and things that were set on fire by burning pyro in a couple of games.