Asomodai Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Site Name: MPA Hockley Airsoft Arena Contact details: 01702 202318 Website Address: https://www.mpa-airsoft.co.uk Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hockleyairsoftarena Site Address: 7 Eldon Way, Hockley, Essex, SS5 4AD Having looked at the weather (11/08/2019) where birds couldn't fly straight in such wind. I decided to pop down to a site that I have been trying and failing to get to. Mostly due to the stringent requirements set by the site (Soft soled footwear, No mesh goggles, no shooting glasses, must be full seal goggles, low FPS Limit, no gas shotguns)! I took a bus to TFL rail, then a National Rail to Hockley station. A quick 10 minute walk and I am climbing the stairs to the arena. Previous online reviews have been mixed, where beginners or people looking for a one off experience would give 5 stars, yet experienced airsofters would question it being a "real" airsoft site. This is an extremely small indoor CQB death bowl. It is situated on the 1st floor of a warehouse. The MPA shop adjoins the arena. The arena is based on a run down hotel floor, the target range next to it which is used for Practical pistol events was also opened up to add some extra space and variety. Effectively 9-10 rooms with corridors surrounding them. There is no elevation to speak of, obviously no water features. All solid underfoot. Very short engagement distances and Fast paced. Semi only throughout the night. The site was close to capacity with over 20 players tonight. Good: Marshalling: Marshalling was of a good standard if chaotic standard. Herding the mostly brash young clientele round would test my patience. But they achieved it pretty well! The safety brief was brief and covered everything you needed to know. Mission briefs were for the most part quite clear. Good Value: £20 is a pretty good price for a Skirmish of anyone's money. Multiple Available Days!!: One of the only sites I know around in the SE that offer regular games on Thursday(£15)/Friday(£15)/Saturday and Sunday (£20) nights. They also run special holiday games during lunchtimes for two hours at a low price of £10. Chrono: A mandatory inflexible Chrono was in play. The FPS limit is a VERY low 294 FPS so be warned! I actually agree with this low rating being needed due to the average short range. Any more is just asking for trouble. Quite a few people failed the chrono with gas pistols and weren't allowed to use their side arms for the night. Shop: The shop was open pretty much all night. Its an actual retail premises, with 30+ Rifs, rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, all the batteries, loads of spare parts, protection, bbs, gas, large collect of sights. I was bloody tempted to buy something. Not the worst prices in the world either. This site clearly gets the best shop award. Then again is it more of a shop with a site attached then the other way around? Turnaround: Was very quick. You are signed up for 4 hours, you pretty much got 4 hours. 10 minutes breaks occasionally, which are absolutely appreciated, but then you go straight back in. Game modes: Kudos to the staff here. For such a small site, they really have thought about the game modes, incredibly varied. Not all of them worked 100% but it was a damn fine effort. Straight Skirmish, Escorting, Capturing objects and a fun if confusing railroad game where parts of the floor were effectively lava etc. Average: Safe Zone(s): Like the rest of the site it was indoors. With some fans blowing already warm air around. Everyone got a bit of table space. It was about what I expected. Playing area: I was on the fence about putting this in the bad section... It is what it is and was totally expecting what I eventually played in. However it really wasn't that bad. There were fans in place to try and combat the humidity. The rooms, whilst basic were somewhat furnished and provided cover. There were various pallets around to use. Not much in the way of flanking opportunities. Despite the extremely small size (Think 3/5ths the size of Bunker 51), they use the space to the best of their ability. I didn't feel as limited as I thought I would be. Hit taking: Hit taking was mostly good. Lots of 50:50s where anyone could have been shot first but both had to take it. A bit frustrating at times but is par for the course. Clientele: Very much on the young side. The youngest being very respectful kids. The teenagers talking during the safety brief a bit too much and the older people like myself just along for the ride. Everyone's just their for a good time. Really helps to have lightning fast reactions though. I definitely felt my age! Food: Nothing cooked that I could see, but they had the most wonderful fresh made milkshakes on site! It was thick and better then I have had at most restaurants. Only £2 for a very large one as well. Large selection of drinks and sweets available. Bad: Errr… Surprisingly none... I broke my Phone on the day? Conclusion: This was a bit of a surprise. I thought I was going be putting in loads of negatives. Hockley is a bit of a weird one. It caters more to casual or first time airsofters, but they also have a fair few hardcores that go in day in and day out. Its a site that also runs practical pistol/target practice nights. There were things that almost made the bad section, but something was always stopping it from going in. If you are young and fit, I would totally recommend Hockley, especially if you are local. If you are old and a wreck like myself. Maybe just give it a go once and sign up for the Practical Pistol events thereafter. Despite the low FPS limits, I completely understand why they enforce it. I came out smarting a bit, but not as much as I do at Bunker 51 which has longer engagement distances but higher limit. There is a genuine community feel here. Something I haven't really got from other airsoft sites. There are leader boards on the walls, lots of first names being bandied about. So would I go back?.... Eh... It was a good night, but its a bit too far out of my way and not being a fan of CQB means probably not. This is not the sites fault though! Bullpup Watch: Just my Aug tonight... Very little beyond M4's actually! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Nice Review, my local site (you can even see my house in your picture). I’m biased, I’m there most Tuesday’s for Practical Pistol nights, but obviously I like the place, and it is exactly as described, though I’m firmly in the camp of too old and decrepit to Skirmish ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostly Retired Moderators L3wisD Posted August 11, 2019 Mostly Retired Moderators Share Posted August 11, 2019 I was going to ask if you bumped into @rocketdogbert - it's famously his stomping ground! Perhaps you passed each other without realising Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asomodai Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 15 minutes ago, L3wisD said: I was going to ask if you bumped into @rocketdogbert - it's famously his stomping ground! Perhaps you passed each other without realising We aren't strangers, having met before to swap moolah for toys. Alas he wasn't there tonight. 😞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albiscuit Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Always thought to try it at least once, but the low limits, tiny size and distance has always stopped me... Doubt I would go, would prefer a whole day game somewhere nearer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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