Is making a Royal Marine Loadout Right?

[GazeTasty]

Hi 

 

since I started playing airsoft I have been slowly getting hold of kit used by the armed forces like osprey vest, helmets, and full MTP. I also got myself a sa80 so I was thinking of making a themed loadout of it all so I picked a royal marine one since I had a big interest in it. but I was thinking if its the right thing to do I mean I personally don't see anything wrong with it as long as you don't walk around saying you are a marine and you are not. I'm still not sure though I understand I haven't earned the patches or anything but Its not like I'm running round with all the wrong kit and stuff I would make it as accurate as possible.

 

I'm really unsure what to do with this I was gonna get berets and the lot I would love to do it for semi re-enactment if that makes sense basically me going down to my local sites with all the kit and also some milsim when ever I can. it sounds ok to me but I would like to hear other peoples opinions on this.

 

 

cheers 

 

 

[clumpyedge]

12 minutes ago, GazeTasty said:

Hi 

 

since I started playing airsoft I have been slowly getting hold of kit used by the armed forces like osprey vest, helmets, and full MTP. I also got myself a sa80 so I was thinking of making a themed loadout of it all so I picked a royal marine one since I had a big interest in it. but I was thinking if its the right thing to do I mean I personally don't see anything wrong with it as long as you don't walk around saying you are a marine and you are not. I'm still not sure though I understand I haven't earned the patches or anything but Its not like I'm running round with all the wrong kit and stuff I would make it as accurate as possible.

 

I'm really unsure what to do with this I was gonna get berets and the lot I would love to do it for semi re-enactment if that makes sense basically me going down to my local sites with all the kit and also some milsim when ever I can. it sounds ok to me but I would like to hear other peoples opinions on this.

 

 

cheers 

 

 

 

 

Wear what you like but if you go with beret/insignia/rank tags etc then that's when people start to get a bit funny... best off just going down the route of kit and not anything else. General rule of thumb is, If you haven't earned it you have no right to wear it IMO.

[ImTriggerHappy]

Copy the loadout if that is what gets your juices flowing but no badges or insignia.

[GazeTasty]

is this just a rule for something like marines and paras or everything armed forces 

[clumpyedge]

8 minutes ago, GazeTasty said:

is this just a rule for something like marines and paras or everything armed forces 

 

Pretty much every armed forces (although more so localized). If you get papped wearing something you haven't earned then you ca prepare yourself for a taring on social media platforms or even people on site who did/have earned such things, some are more lenient than others but personally speaking I think its a bit of a piss take wearing anything like ranks tags etc unless strictly for reenactment at the likes of war & peace and even then that's a push. I've seen a few people get chewed out for bits an pieces over the years so its just not really worth it plus it being disrespectful from the view point of differing groups.

 

Chances are if you have all the gear bar the stated berets/tags etc then majority of kit aficionados will know what you are trying to replicate.

[GazeTasty]

fair enough looks like I have saved me self some money 

[Vulpiness]

I think you're 100% fine to wear a plain green beret, some people get bitchy about the badges, personally, I think they're applying their own values to others, which I find unbecoming. 

Personally I feel like so long as you're playing it's okay, people do it for stage shows, re-enactments, let them be snooty about people playing soldier in the woods. 

don't get me wrong  some people will not approve, but you shouldn't expect them to, you should accept that, discuss your perspective with them, talk it out. 

You start walking home in it, that's when you're in proper shite, because there's no good reason for you to do that. 

What I would do is I would "mirror" everything, so berret the otherway round, badges upside down, that sort of thing. Dpn't do this, this is a stupid idea. 

Like you absolutely can hear a complete RM uniform, even with medals and the like, but it does need to be historical, ww2 or ww1 or even prior. 

Honestly it's about restraint, and acting appropriately, the MoD doesn't give a shit what you wear, AF members might feel otherwise. 

Think about movie funny money, it looks the part, but if you start reading it, it obviously isn't, go for that is my opinion, but obviously you should form your own. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[clumpyedge]

18 minutes ago, Vulpiness said:

What I would do is I would "mirror" everything, so berret the otherway round, badges upside down, that sort of thing.

 

While you're at it you might as well take a dump on the flag, enjoy the reaction if you go ahead wearing badges upside down etc. if people have served and play at the same site.

[kasaran]

Its not like your claiming to be one down the pub while in uniform.  Just playing airsoft.  Its hardly stollen valour. Dress how you want and undress for public spaces (into civvie street gear ideally).

 

By all this logic im russian half the time.

 

[GazeTasty]

 

26 minutes ago, Vulpiness said:

What I would do is I would "mirror" everything, so berret the otherway round, badges upside down, that sort of thing. 

Like you absolutely can hear a complete RM uniform, even with medals and the like, but it does need to be historical, ww2 or ww1 or even prior. 

Honestly it's about restraint, and acting appropriately, the MoD doesn't give a shit what you wear, AF members might feel otherwise. 

Think about movie funny money, it looks the part, but if you start reading it, it obviously isn't, go for that is my opinion, but obviously you should form your own. 

don't think I would wear them the wrong way but everyone has their own opinion on this I think its ok to wear it all as long if you don't claim to be apart of the thing you are dressed up as like if someone asked you about your kit or anything as long as you don't say you are that thing I think its ok. I have seen a couple of people wearing berets at one of my local sites but is clearly to young to be in the army and he says he is not in it which  I think is fine. 

 

[E21A]

Badges and insignia is what will get you in trouble. Member of my team who’s currently serving took issue with another player wearing marine insignia he hadn’t earned, pulled him up on it and the guy got very sheepish 

[clumpyedge]

As I said at the start of the thread you can do whatever you like, Just don't be surprised given that there are a fair few ex forces that play and on here that may or may not take offense. So going on the side of caution is probably the best route.

 

1 minute ago, E21A said:

Badges and insignia is what will get you in trouble. Member of my team who’s currently serving took issue with another player wearing marine insignia he hadn’t earned, pulled him up on it and the guy got very sheepish 

 

Same with beret's. Had a serving marine on site at a game I was at and he chewed a guy out for turning up wearing one even without a badge on. He had a valid point when he informed the guy people had died wearing that who had earned it and went through shit to get it, not just picked it up from a surplus store.

[Adolf Hamster]

i'd go for no patches/insignia, maybe a british flag but that's it.

 

if you're going to wear a beret i'd even say make it a generic colour (ie not the same green as the "green" beret), same applies for any kit that could be specifically considered a symbol of a unit rather than just generic issue.

 

you want a facsimile of the kit nothing more.

 

as a rule i don't wear any patches, even airsoft specific ones, it's just not an area that interests me.

[Keldon]

I would say as being ex forces myself, anything that is earned is best not to wear (though I don't care apart from medals) so certain insignia like para jump badge marine dagger, same goes for both berets too both are earned. Though I will point out also everyone who has worn a maroon beret has not so called earned  the right to wear it. Some have just been attached to the paras and been giving the right to wear it. 

 

The main thing to remember is that wear what you like just don't start to claim you have earned the right to wear something that you haven't. 

[Vulpiness]

2 minutes ago, E21A said:

Badges and insignia is what will get you in trouble. Member of my team who’s currently serving took issue with another player wearing marine insignia he hadn’t earned, pulled him up on it and the guy got very sheepish 

I wonder what his opinion on cultural appropriation is. XD I doubt it's the same. 

But hey, I'd be sheepish too if an exarmy guy pulled me up over anything, they're pretty scary. 

But honestly there are so many people going "this thing is scared to me" these days, and they they can't accept that someone else doesn't feel the same way, or does feel the same way but differently and that's a problem for them?

I get where these guy are coming form and in principle I agree, but then you've got our girl and tank commander garry which take the piss while in uniform for tv, and then you've got airsofter who are walking around trying to be the bast face of our chaps, and people on ARRSE who are going to be arsey about anything and everything cos that's how they get their fun, and y'know they do good work.

If you were walking down the street with unearned uniforms as far as I'm concerned, that's espionage. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/57-58/45/enacted

This is a very complex area of morality, who owns what, should we gatekeep, and then uniforms also forfil a practical military purpose.  and it sin't a question that's going to be answered in a thread in an airsoft form. 

 

29 minutes ago, clumpyedge said:

 

While you're at it you might as well take a dump on the flag, enjoy the reaction if you go ahead wearing badges upside down etc. if people have served and play at the same site.

I thought that was only an american thing? or am I wrong, i'm happy to be educated. Personally I'm happy to wear the insignia of the "new lunar republic guard". Being a tranny is already pushing it for some people, I'm not the right person to be pushing more envelopes. 

[clumpyedge]

14 minutes ago, Vulpiness said:

I thought that was only an american thing? 

 

Not really, depends how patriotic you are I guess.

 

I’ve shared my stand point having had members of immediate and distant family in a number of the armed forces. My opinion isn’t the only one or the final one but what I’m trying to put across is, is it really worth the possible aggro/embarrassment of being called up on it if that’s how someone feels?

[Vulpiness]

1 minute ago, clumpyedge said:

 

Not really, depends how patriotic you are I guess.

 

I’ve shared my stand point having had members of immediate and distant family in a number of the armed forces. My opinion isn’t the only one or the final one but what I’m trying to put across is, is it really worth the possible aggro/embarrassment of being called up on it if that’s how someone feels?

Didn't even know that was a thing people would freak out about. 

I object to then selling bog roll with the queen on it, but apparently that's "A-okay", so i don't know what's going on with the use of symbols. 

I mean I could see a point to challenging the status quo, who think they're right because they're the only ones to ever get heard.or  Promoting the legitimacy of airsoft as a entertainment medium. (Y'know 100 years ago the fact Megan Markle was an actress would have been as contentious as her ethnic heritage?)

I don't know man, I got my own battles I need to fight, I've choose what hill I'm dying on, it isn't this one. 

But I appreciate your input I ain't no anarchist. 

[E21A]

32 minutes ago, Vulpiness said:

I wonder what his opinion on cultural appropriation is. XD I doubt it's the same. 

But hey, I'd be sheepish too if an exarmy guy pulled me up over anything, they're pretty scary. 

But honestly there are so many people going "this thing is scared to me" these days, and they they can't accept that someone else doesn't feel the same way, or does feel the same way but differently and that's a problem for them?

 

Mid it was his culture then I’m sure he’d have strong feelings about it. People care about what matters to them, it’s called being human. 

 

Its not always about “sacred” though, it’s mostly to do with wearing something you haven’t earned by going through the rigourous training of those who have, or served in that particular unit during conflict. 

[Vulpiness]

2 minutes ago, E21A said:

 

Mid it was his culture then I’m sure he’d have strong feelings about it. People care about what matters to them, it’s called being human. 

 

Its not always about “sacred” though, it’s mostly to do with wearing something you haven’t earned by going through the rigourous training of those who have, or served in that particular unit during conflict. 

Well I'd consider that to be a pretty scared thing, rightly so, 

And it is his culture, but often people don't have, the perspective to understand that can go both ways, not everyone can recognize it, and they just dismiss the fact other people feel the same way about other things, but I'm now waxing lyrical about the mechanics of ethics rather than this thread. 

[Druid799]

As ex-forces my self I’m with keldon 100% on the subject .

Please do wear the kit (with the caveat if your going to go full loadout try not to look like a sack of shit in it) wear the Union Jack (it is your flag as well after all) even wear divisional patches if you want just stay away from regimental patches and insignia and most definitely ‘earned’ recognisable kit beret/wings/badges/etc that’s what’ll piss some people off . 

The one exception to this rule for me is foreign military kit , no one is going to expect someone dressed as Spetznaz to claim there actually one now are they ? AND it’s very unlikely your going to ‘bump in to’ a player on a British scurmish who was in what ever either ! 😂😂😂

 

46 minutes ago, Vulpiness said:

I wonder what his opinion on cultural appropriation is. XD I doubt it's the same. 

Well l would think he wouldn’t be bothered at all by it as quite frankly ‘cultural appropriation’ is just a new buzzword created by snowflakes to give them selves something else to whine about ?

If I see a 5ft4 milk bottle white 6st soaking wet ginger Irishman with dreadlocks I don’t think I’m going to think he’s trying to pretend he’s a Rastafarian now am I ? AND same goes for basically all the other cases of ‘cultural appropriation’ you see SJW’s whingeing on about all the bloody time ! 

[Rogerborg]

1 hour ago, clumpyedge said:

Same with beret's. Had a serving marine on site at a game I was at and he chewed a guy out for turning up wearing one even without a badge on.

 

I agree with him doing that, for the reasons given.

 

However, I also think the marine should have been invited to leave the site, because it's just folk playing a game.

 

Best if the issue never comes up, really.

[StayOnTarget]

Your kit should be inspired by the Marines not a direct copy in my opinion,if your trying to stand out from the masses then MTP may not be the best choice of uniform anyway fair enough if you have the upmost respect for the Marines  I feel the same way about the lads who fought in the Falklands but I'd never dress in their gear out of respect. For me Airsoft is no different to those who put on the England football kit and go for a kick around on a Sunday morning its dress up and play.

[Druid799]

I’d said say how you react should be balanced by by how the other player is behaving (what I’ve always done anyway) if the guy is just part of the group and not drawing attention to him self then I’ll have a quiet word with them over the subject and 9outa10 players most of the time will say sorry no problem and put away what ever it is , it’s when ever there acting like a right cock or just generally disrespecting the item by action or appearance then I may be a bit more ‘vocal’ .

example my home site there was one person who was tooling around the site with Royal Navy patches and commando patches all over him and he was overheard telling some kids about his commando course . Now he didn’t look old enough to have done that so I asked him about it and he said he was medically discharged in his last wk of commando training so he’d done it all bar the long haul at the end so was entitled to them , fair enough, so I then asked him what he did in the navy and he said missile tech ! Now the bells started wringing why would a techy be doing the commando course ?? To be then informed by someone who knew him very well that infact he’d actually voluntarily binned the navy at the end of day one and hadn’t even drawn his uniform ! 

So I suggested it mite be a good idea to NOT wear those patches again as he will piss someone off big time over it . Then not a mth later I see the same twat wearing a grenadier guards DZ patch , a medic patch on the back of his helmet and a big Red Cross on his right arm ! Now as an ex-army Medic this really pissed me off and I freely admit (much to my shame) I totally lost it when I saw this , how the hell could he have been in the guards and a medic ?

so I confronted him and his reply was “he’d been in the guards cadets and he’d done his st Johns first aid at work HSE 3-day course and THAT entitled him to have the medic badge and to top it all he used the same reason for the Red Cross , which he was also wearing on the wrong arm (should only be warn on the left arm) as well ! So moral of the story is if someone objects to something like this don’t try and bullshit your way out it’ll only end in tears (which he was in by the time I’d finished with him and I hadn’t even laid a finger on him nor threatened too , I wanted too god did I want too put him in the ground but I didn’t ) just ask why and if they do get arsey strait off just get a marshal to come and mediate for you .

[clumpyedge]

1 hour ago, Rogerborg said:

 

I agree with him doing that, for the reasons given.

 

However, I also think the marine should have been invited to leave the site, because it's just folk playing a game.

 

Best if the issue never comes up, really.

 

Not when the guy in question was flaunting about site like he owned the place barking orders and being a twat. Deserved putting in his place specially since he had the audacity to question said person about his service!

 

The issue won’t come up at all if people don’t wear stuff they shouldn’t be!

[Immortal]

Best to take all your badges off so you can't be identified when you're breaking the Geneva Airsoft Convention IMHO.