Speedbird_666

Anybody taken a punt on one of these? I'm fairly sure I've seen the sold as re-brands with some laser engraving thrown on - it looks a lot like a Balystic HPR800C with a different gauge. Worth a go for £31 shipped? I know, I know, buy quality, buy once n'all that. But HPA regulators are not complicated things and many Paintball Gun companies have off-shored their manufacturing to China and Taiwan now, so the technical knowledge is out there for such products?

Crack on mate. Let's get this bollocks shut down for good.

Ok, further update. An owner of one of these helmets (bought from the IPSAR Twat) did a 1m shooting test with a full-auto 350FPS AEG. He posted the video in the Dorset Airsoft Community group - but here's the important bit - the lens failed. A hole in the middle, and the edge chip/cracked away. Thank fuck I flagged this up in the first place. Imagine what a 500fps Sniper shot at close range could do.

I have quite a bit of experience with RC Fixed Wing Aircraft (15 years with dozens of aircraft and types, from 3D Shockies, to Scale Warbirds, to Helis and FPV Racing Drones) - so believe me when I say you will struggle with this. It has been done before - FliteTest mounted AEG innards into a fairly large model. What aircraft are you expecting to mount this to? It will need to be reasonably sized to get the wing loading low enough. As others have mentioned, an AEG GB is fairly chunky, so don't expect to mount this on a sub-2m model without detrimental handling qualities. The heavier the model, the higher the wing loading, the faster it needs to fly, and unless you are mounting the GB/Barrel assembly off the longitudinal axis (i.e pointing down) you will be diving down on your target to take the shot. If that target is a human, then you are pointing 4-5kg of model directly at them. Personally, outside of YouTube shenanigans like the FliteTest video - I think it's a fucking stupid idea. The FT Crew are hugely experienced modellers/designers/fliers and the struggled to get rounds on target, having to fly extremely low and use tracer rounds to see their aim. FPV isn't practical unless you some kind of DJI HD setup, and even then, target acquisition is gonna suck.

The Ares version looks great, but I wish a manufacturer would kick out an A3 with an MLOK rail, sounds like that's going to be the new standard for the A3 moving forward.

I've been in contact with someone that owns one of these helmets. He says that he won't be using it, but will be testing the lens and filming it. He also says that the lens does not lock in the down position (so no detent or button to lift the lens), however it needs a bit of force to move it up and down. I should think that with a bit of usage it would loosen up as the pivot point wears down. I am concerned that you could potentially end up with a lens that lifts up should you fall against a wall or tree in a downwards fall/slide. I once face-planted a tree playing Paintball - with my face sliding down the trunk (umm...phrasing) on the way down. The googles took the impact and just about remained attached to my head - sliding halfway up my face with the lower mouth guard still covering my eyes - still, not great but better than nothing. But all new Paintball goggles are now fitted with chin-straps (that have become a mandatory requirement at tournaments) to stop them sliding up in a fall. However, in the context of this 'product', the helmet is firmly attached to your head with a chin strap, but the lens is still free to move up and down.

£29.99 from eBay UK. This is the exact helmet, right down to the lens fitting screw and rear goggle retaining strap. This picture made me chuckle...

Just spotted this on the local FB group: Word is getting around now - I'm glad action is being taken.

Well fuck me sideways with a 10ft Barge Pole. Just when you think he couldn't conjure up more stupid, he delivers it with aplomb. Whilst I've never directly contacted him regarding this, I would love my day in court if his solicitor is A) real and B) actually thinks there's a viable case. I cannot believe the arrogance of the guy.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/524465031487862

Nice one. Thanks for the update.

They can be quite brutal. Definitely more edgy than your more 'normal' Airsoft FB group. Mr Negative Airsoft himself is one of the Admin.

If someone wants to 3D print parts and accessories, knock-up some Kydex holsters, or try their hand at a sewing some chest rigs - great, no problem. If they are shit, people will only whinge about them should they fail in any way. But critical safety equipment? Good god no. https://www.facebook.com/IPSAR-Militia-100196425545948 By the way, IPSAR stands for 'iPhone Sales And Repairs'. I'm guessing that's his day job. Why he would use that name for his airsoft shenanigans is beyond me.

I see it's made it to the A.R.A.B.S FB group now. Have fun boys, I'll watch and enjoy from a distance.😁

Well, the cat is out of the bag, It was indeed James O'Brian producing these - I believe that he's around the Bournemouth/Poole Area. The Admin of the FB Group I was referring to (Dorset Airsoft Community) have restricted his posts to Admin pre-approval only. They will be questioning the issue with him if he tries to post again. That little FB meltdown only serves to confirm my suspicions. No company in their right mind would refuse to provide safety standard information for a product such as this. I feel sorry for anyone sucked into buying one of these at £130 a pop.

I've flagged it to the Admin of the FB group. One of the admin responded almost immediately saying they will check it out. I'm not naming the seller or the group yet.

Why 11.1v? You can get 16rps on a 7.4v with an SHS high torque motor on stock gearing with a decent trigger response. Yes, you can fit a new rear stock - you'll need a new buffer tube to do so. Kill two birds with one stone, buy an ICS rear-wired switch assembly with Mosfet pre-fitted.

Meanwhile, at Ground Zero on Sunday.....

So, some local dude has been spamming the local FB Group with his awesomesauce helmet/visor combo that he expertly 'engineered': He's flogging them for £130 a pop - and he's sold some too - gotta respect the hustle I suppose Setting aside the stupid positioning of the NVG mount and ARC rails rendering them largely useless - I was concerned about the safety of the lenses - more on that later. So this is the sort of shite he's been spouting: Completely his design?? Is it bollocks... So a £26 ski helmet, a set of cheap ARC rails and a few other bits added I'm sure with the help of a power drill and his expert engineering 'skillz'. So heres where things get real shady IMO. Everytime he spams the FB group - he disables any commenting on his post. No discourse, no open questions. Nope, Nada. Nothing. Except one day he forgot to do so - so I asked about the safety of the lenses. Then he promptly switched commenting off. So my questions to you, dear fellow forumites are: Am I right to be concerned that cheap chinese tosh is being passed of as Airsoft Safety equipment with a premium price tag (a Warq helmet is only £65 more)? Would YOU trust your eyesight to someone who operates in this manner? I'm debating as to whether I should PM the FB page Admin. Rant over.

G&G. I have owned a JG, I currently own a Classic Army (with a JG Gearbox) and am saving some pennies for a G&G after fondling one at Ground Zero. Light and day difference - and not plagued with Ares-level electronic bollocks. BUT - going back to your question, I don't know how compatible with mods the G&G will be - but they do make their own rail system for it. Not the best internally, but I hear Specna G36's plastic quality are pretty good. Not seen one in the real, but I was tempted to take a punt at £120.

Works for me....😜

Bye bye pile'o'shite Specna Edge Orion gearbox - hello E&C replacement thanks to @ak2m4 Took the removal of the bolt catch mechanism and a tiny bit of dremelling to fit the Edge series receiver but the gun is shooting nicely now.

Ignoring the age issue (I assume your parents will be doing the buying), the G&G Raider 2.0 will do you fine. Combat Machines have been the go-to beginner gun for over a decade. But they are not the no-nonsense budget option that they used to be - their prices have been creeping up over the last few years, but their feature set has not. You do get more for your money by looking at other brands. Specna Core series (starting at £95) comes in a fair bit cheaper with extra features and parts. Evolution uses the same manufacturer as Specna to produce their series of (slightly different) guns. You've got Cyma, who have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and the new Double-Eagle guns that seem to be gaining market traction too. There's also rebranded Classic Army AEGs from ASG that punch well above their weight given their £140 price tag. There's a huge choice now in the ~£150 market. It's a great time for new players. There are very few genuinely bad guns now (but avoid Nuprol!) - you just have to pick the look/feature set that suits you best.

TL:DR? Yes, it can be done with non-ICS parts but it's probably not worth doing at all. To explain: I have three ICS guns - two of which definitely fit 'standard' AEG rails/outer barrels. The third is a much older ICS gun and I haven't tested the barrel threads but I assume that will be OK too. I would not be swapping the barrels/rails over on the existing upper receiver on a regular basis - unscrewing and re-screwing the barrel nut and rail will eventually knacker something - most airsoft guns (Including ICS M4s) are only made from relatively soft Zamak metal. Buying a replacement MARS upper and building a complete short front-end off that instead would be a more sensible approach, because it would only be the matter of pulling the receiver pins and swapping the upper before game day. Problem is - you could end up spending a fair bit of cash buying an upper receiver, rail system, inner and outer barrel. You might need to think about another hop unit/rubber/nub because you don't want to be swapping that over between your inner barrels. Then there's the problem with volume-matching cylinders between the different barrel lengths if you choose to go really short, so a new upper gearbox might be needed too. Overall, you could be looking at well over £100. Frankly, you might be better off buying another gun altogether. I did this by buying an ICS CXP-15 to complement my longer guns. You can get a plastic one for £130 brand new. I run mine with a stock adapter and Stubby stock and it's brilliant in CQB. You could run it as a straight-up pistol just attaching a sling on the back and that works extremely well too. Another thing - and you might not like me saying this - is that your gun is already pretty short, well within CQB norms. If you struggle with the length of it (ooh err), it could be a gunfighting technique issue. Perhaps look at attachments that will help better control what you already have (e.g vertical grip) and try to remove as much unnecessary weight from it as you can (you don't need gucci red dots with magnifiers etc.) Just my 2 pence.

Condor kit is pretty decent. I wouldn't worry about the quality. I had a near-identical Bulldog rig. The only issue with this style of rig is that some of the mags end up under your arms/armpits (they sit higher than a plate carrier), and it can be a bitch to re-index the mags back into the rig whilst wearing it. It's the reason I sold mine off in the end. *Edit* Just realised the Condor Rig only holds 6 mags. The Bulldog takes 8.