Everyone loves the idea of it until they actually try it.
Fun parallels with MTBs - I used to be a pretty keen MTBer until I developed "downhill specific geometry" if you see what I mean. Now, when I started doing it vaguely regularly I picked a decent starter bike at the time (a KHS if I recall). Nothing fancy, Shimano STX groupset, butted steel frame etc. By about 6 months in it had titanium skewers, V brakes, a mix of XT and LX parts and a new triple butted frame that weighed less than my right nut. Did it need it? Not really. Did it make me a better rider? God, no. Was it unnecessarily expensive? Absolutely. Just like airsoft.
I still wear my old Endura Humvee top for airsoft when it gets really warm!