RED VASZI

How to dress in layers

2012-02-06T20:26:00.002+02:00

Since it's winter time, its fair that us players should know how to dress correctly in order to avoid any discomfort...

BASIC PRINCIPALS

We wear clothes in layers, as it is a tested way in order to keep us comfort in exterior spaces. This simple idea allows us to make fast adaptations depending on the level of our activity. Each layer has a different function. The internal layer manages the humidity. The intermediate layer isolates us from the cold. The exterior layer secures us from the wind and the rain.

INTERNAL LAYER: HUMIDITY MANAGEMENT

This is next layer from the skin. More from any other layer, it helps us to regulate the temperature of our body. If you have worn a cotton t-shirt under a raincoat, while you exercise, perhaps you remember the sense of humidity, even if you had not been in the rain. The natural perspiration trapped in our clothes, can create a feeling of discomfort. Cotton is an example of fibres that maintain the sweat and leaves us with undesirable shivers. The layer next to the skin should be made from material, like silk, wool or synthetic buckrams as REI MTS©, Patagonia©, Capilene©, Polartec©, PowerDry© and CoolMax©. They absorb the humidity and transport it from our skin to the exterior surface where it can evaporate. The result: We remain dry even after we have sweated and our clothes dry out faster. This is important for the maintenance of our body temperature during the summertime and the evasion of hypothermia in the wintertime.
The thermal underwear (a.k.a. technical underwear) is available in light-, mid- and expedition-weight levels. The choice of correct weight depends to the activity and the environmental temperature. Most of them are worn close to the body but with comfort for better output, the agility and the easier stratification of befalling layers.

INTERMEDIATE LAYER: TEMPERATURE MANAGEMENT

The intermediate layer helps us to maintain our temperature with the entrapment of air near to our body. Natural fibres, like wool and goose feathers are excellent materials for insulation. Woollen jumper and shirts (special the new generation of products from merino wool) offer reliable warmth and they maintain their insulating attributes even when wet. For very chills and lands conditions, the feather of goose continues being an exceptional choice. It offers insuperable proportion of warmth-weight and is particularly easy to compress. Its disadvantage is that it should it is maintained dry in order to it maintains its insulating ability. Classic fleece as Polartec© 100, 200, Thermal Pro© polyester, or Thinsulate© provide warmth for various from conditions. These materials are widely used because they are light, breathable and warm even when wet. Also, they dry out more rapidly and have bigger proportion of warmth to weight even from wool. As with thermal underwear, fleeces are available in 3 weights for different uses. Light-weight, for aerobic activity or cool climate. Mid-weight for moderate activity or climate and Expedition-weight for cold climate. Par example, for high energy activities as cross-country skiing, bicycling, hiking or Airsoft (eeeeehh?) we select light fleeces in order to avoid overheating. Products from Polartec© 100or Polartec PowerDry© are exceptional for this use. For very cold conditions we select fleeces like Polartec© 200 or 300. Wind fleece as Polartec Wind Pro© or Gore WindStopper© add a high level of protection from the wind via a concealed membrane which does not influence breathability.

EXTERIOR LAYER: PROTECTION FROM WIND, RAIN, COLD

The exterior layer protects us from the wind, the rain or the snow. The wrappings oscillate from very expensive jackets of mountaineering in simple raincoats, but their basic principals are to block the surge of water and they keep our body warm, allowing simultaneously our perspiration to escape. The exterior wrapping is important affair because if the wind and the water can infiltrate in our internal layers, we will begin to be cold. Moreover, with erroneous faculty of airing, our sweat will not be evaporated but will be condensed in the interior of our nutshell. As an example the simple 100% plastic raincoats (usually manufactured from polyurethane) keep us dry if we are static, but in no case they do not allow the concentration of perspiration to evaporate correctly. The completely waterproof and breathable wrappings are usually most functional but also more costly. Usually they are constituted by buckrams Gore-Tex©, REI Elements© with insulated seams and waterproof covering which are based on nanotechnology. These garments are low weighted and can be wrapped easily, are more friction durable, etc. Wrappings that are characterized as Water-Resistant/Breathable are better for light rainfall and high level activity. They are manufactured from buckrams of dense weave (as mini-rip stop nylon) that they prevent the wind and are covered with hydrophobic material so that they deter the surge of liquids in their interior. Soft Shells offer good protection from the wind and the rain, they are soft and they mainly breathe very well. Most allocate panel of buckram with flexible attributes for comfort during the duration of the activity.

Now go out there and play your heart out!!!!!

Job in an Airsoft shop...

2010-11-28T13:15:00.005+02:00

It's been a while, but i got all shorts of shit going on. I have been "unemployed" (i actually run a free lance company that has nothing to do with airsoft) for about 10 months now and I have almost reached the situation where the SHTF i was trying to find myself other ways of financial support.

Last week, i was contacted by an airsoft shop here in Athens, in case i wanted to work for them. Since, Airsoft is the second best thing i do well i decided to take the offer. The shop is fairly new and still getting organised. It's not the biggest, it still lacks the variety of items offered by other shops, but it's strong point is customer support and warm communication.

I will try my best to contribute with my past experience and ability to search and come up with solutions...

If interested the shop is called Greek Airsoft and it's located in the southern part of Athens. Their site (which sports an e-shop (both in Greek and English) and forum (unfortunatelly only in Greek)) is here: www.greekairsoft.gr

Have a look around and for our Greek friends, they will be able to find me and chat at the shop...

Trasher's Toyota Hilux build up

2010-09-07T17:59:00.005+03:00

Trasher's Toyota Hilux build up

This is how it all started with...

As mentioned in the PKM article, the best way to lighten a heavy MG is to place a pick up truck under it. Not only it gets the job done, but it also adds points to the coolness factor. And let me tell you, this truck adds a lot of points…

The truck is the 1994 Double Cab version and was bought from a Hungarian farmer for no more than 3000 euros if i remember correctly. It houses the «small» 2.4lt Diesel engine (lucky Europeans with your diesels…) with the poor 100+ something horsepower and a minimal lift on the suspension system. Initially since it’s a civilian truck, it was painted red with white rims. You can imagine how this will turn out, right?

The first thing done was to repaint it with OD with black rims. The painting was done in one of the Scorpions’ garage, since there was no point in spending money on a car that was going to be scratched by branches in the woods. Trasher calls it a «ghetto paintjob»… I can tell you that the job looks professional and there are no signs of «home made paintjob». At the same time a very basic bull bar was attached to the front of the truck.

These are taken during The Border War also. You can spot me in both the photos (yes, i am the smallest guy in the photos...)

On the way, a custom roof rack was placed above the cabin and a frame around the coach that can be covered with a tarp. Later on a snorkel was added to secure the engine intake system while crossing water barriers.

Finally the front «simple» bar was replaced with a bull bar with a winch.

Overall, it’s a job well executed and the only best thing i can think of is a Hilux with a full exoskeleton and a 3,5lt engine, a fully modded Land Rover Defender 110 or a tricked out Humvee. All these options might be cooler but the cost would be 3 to 5 times more. At the end of the day, all i can say is that i am extremely jealous…

Extended info and photos can be found at www.shooter.hu/hilux and browsing around the net for Trasher and Hilux...

Trasher's PKM airsoft project. A brief interview...

2010-09-07T17:44:00.005+03:00

Well, I guess we all have been fascinated in the past by our dear John Rambo dwelling his M60 machine gun around with ease. Most probably because it’s an airsoft replica made by Top ,100% made out of plastic, so his fake muscle don’t even feel that… Has that movie affect you? Do you want to shoot your 7,62mm big ass machine gun? Well, then cowboy the fuck up and get a PKM. What? No airsoft company is making one? Hhhhmmm, if it ever comes out and it’s made by Inokatsu, it’s gonna cost a zillion euros? Well, then again, cowboy the fuck up and get a real one and convert it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once more, the man who does wonders has spoken. Mr. Trasher from the Scorpions team in Hungary is delivering lessons of airsoft mechanics and modding. Let’s see…

V: Trasher, it’s always good to have a chat with you. Especially when I wake up in the morning and I feel that my day is gonna be boring and I desperately need something to shake my water.
T: In this case, I got something for you. An airsoft version of the PKM, a real steel conversion.

V: Are we talking about the same «10+ kilos, big ass, huge, look at me I am fucking Spetsnaz shooting with one hand, PKM»?
T: Yes, more or less…

V: How the hell did you get your hands on something like that? Aren’t they supposed to be still used by the Military in the ex-Eastern Block?
T: PKMs are still heavily used all around the world, by regular or irregular armies, or private military contractors. Since these guns can take a lot more beating than the average AK, it’s quite diffucult to find deactivated ones, and typically they cost a fortune. Patience is the key.

V: Where did you acquire yours?
T: I bought it from a german company specialising in militaria and deactivated guns. It had all the proper proofmarks and paperwork.

V: Let me guess, it’s a little bit more pricey than the average Chinese clone out there, ugye? ( that means “right” in Hungarian, I am just purely showing off at this point…)
T: Basically, they come in different prices depending on condition. They can easily go as high as 1500 euros “new in the box”. I got mine for around 700 EUR, because some parts were damaged or missing.

V: So, one shinny day the mail man brought you a huge-mama package with the PKM inside. Then? I guess any kind of gearbox is not exactly “plug and play”.
T: Definitely not. I went to a friend of mine, a licensed gunsmith, and we gutted the whole thing. Receiver, trigger box, trunion, feeding tray was all cut, machined, irreversibly modified so this PKM now is more “dead” in real steel terms than ever before. The most difficult part was the barrel.

V: Ok, let’s start things from the rear to the front. What about the gear box?
T: We installed an A&K M249 gear box, which surprisingly fits with minor modifications and even more surprisingly, it was perfectly aligned with the bore. The internals of the gear box are now stock. Maybe in the future, I’ll upgrade it, but for the time being I am just trying to finish the project (which is still in progress at the time of this writing).

V: What about the hop up system?
T: Before installing a hop up, we had to work on the barrel. A special tool was made (for about 100 euros) and we bored out the barrel, removing the hard chrome plating and rifling altogether. Then the chamber was also destroyed, enlarged to fit the whole hopup unit inside. We retained the original quick barrel change feature, everything works like on the real steel counterpart.

V: So, you got the gear box and the barrel ready. Hop up? If you ever need one… The greatness of this piece is enough to spit out BBs at 700 FPS with a flat trajectory of 120 meters without a hop up system!!!!!!!!!!!!!
T: Come on, you are exaggerating all my AEGs are well under 400 fps these days… And I think the gearbox would crack under such a heavy spring. The hopup system is identical to the A&K M249 (with a Guarder 70 rubber inside) and is completely recessed in the outer barrel. We had to make an adapter from aluminium to feed the BBs, but the whole system is pretty consistent - the chrono showed 1-3 fps shot-to-shot variation when we first checked it. The ROF is satisfying, but nothing special.

V: I bet the inner barrel is quite long, right?’
T: Yes, we installed a 59cm long Gaurder tightbore (PSG length), it adds a little extra fps, but nothing special. The flash hider was also modified to take the barrel.

V: What about the magazine feeding system?
T: At this moment it uses the M249 system with some mods (like the adapter mentioned above). The metal tube is going from the left side of the receiver to the ammo box (manual or electric), it’s nothing special. With the modification of the hopup chamber, I can re-route the metal tube through the bottom of the receiver (through the drain-hole) to make the PKM look more realistic, but that’s something I’ll do later. Since I hate electric winding mags with a passion, the first boxmax was manual winding with the mech of an AK hi-cap inside. The capacity is around 4000-5000 BBs maybe? My electric boxmag uses MAG mini-SAW internals and runs on AA batteries.

V: I know that you have used the PKM in “The Borders War” in the Czech Republic. What do you think of it so far?
T: I used it as a support gun for day and night missions, but also for defense when rebels overran our understaffed base. With a handful of guys we managed to keep them at bay for about 30-45 minutes. I kept moving around the perimeter, the PKM worked flawlessly, cutting down flanking and rushing rebel elements. I was firing from the kneeling or standing position most of the time. It was a good fight… until the battery died. Then we all got killed…

Trasher with his PKM in The Border War last year in the Czech Republic...

V: Trasher, thank you for your time and your kindness once more. I really appreciate for all the information you shared with me about your build.
T: Don’t even mention it. It’s my pleasure.

PKM specs

Length: 116 cm
Weight: around 10-12 kilos (with boxmag and battery).
ROF: 750-800
FPS: 370-380
Effective range: 55-65 meters

Trasher's Hilux in the game. Notice the PKM sticking out the window...

As the weight of the PKM is a little more than the average AEG out there, the Scorpions team decided to make it easier to carry by adding a Toyota Hilux under it!!! Not a bad choice if you ask me… More on the Toyota is found here.

The whole photo set can be found here http://www.shooter.hu/pkm

Paracord Water Bottle Koozie

2010-08-31T18:48:00.008+03:00

Hi all,

It seems that I got too much free time in my hands and I just can’t sit tight. Browsing around the net I came across some interesting constructions made with Paracord. Actually I have done some Paracord bracelets in the past, but this time it’s something different. I saw some guys making Paracord covers for their water bottles. I usually carry with me a water bottle and I thought, why not?

Since last week I had with me a Nalgene 1lt bottle (32oz for the non-metric people…) but I realised this summer that it is too big for my Fatboy, so I bought me a ½ lt one (17oz…). Unfortunately the only one that could be shipped to Greece was a purple one, but it still gets the job done. At the same time i purchased some Safety Red paracord (it’s not very Milsim styled, but i want for EDC) and started working… With no further delay, here it is…

Details of the fastening around the neck of the bottle.

The beautifull skull beads around the fastening

The koozie removed from the water bottle. This should hekp when washing is needed...

MATERIAL NEEDED

The material needed are not something extraordinary or rare, in fact some of our readers can purchase them in their local Walmart or so. For me i had to purchase them from Ebay as usual…

• The desired volume water bottle. I used a Nalgene bottle but it could be any other bottle, plastic or metal, it’s up to the user
• Paracord. I used Safety Red one, because it makes the bottle more visible, as i plan on using my bottle as an EDC (work, cycling, hiking, etc…). For the small ½ lt bottle i used around 10 metres (30 feet…) of it
• A pull cord stopper
• Two beads if wanted for decoration purposes
• The usual stuff needed for Paracord braiding like a lighter and tweezers.

THE BRAIDING

It all starts with a single loop of Paracord around the neck of the bottle. The length of it should be enough to allow it to tighten and loosen in order to remove the cover. I used some extra length so i could use some decorative beads at the end. In the photo i show a Coyote piece of Paracord to make it obvious…

Then, I just did a simple loop around the initial loop. It is simple as it is shown. Remember that at the end the beginning the cord must be knotted to be secure.

Grab the cord and bring it under the initial loop and pull it all the way. Leave some to create the eye of the netting.

Then bring the cord back and put it in the eye and pull it all the way. The length of the loop will determine how big the eye will be. Don’t make it too tight cause you will have to do this endlessly…

Go over and over again… I did about 8-10 eyes around each row and it took me about 2,5 hours. With smallers eyes it could be 1 hour and with smaller eyes it could take hours and hours…
At the end just tighten the knots to secure the Paracord at the bottom. As it’s usually done with Paracord, cut the cord and melt it with the lighter. Personally i also use some Super Glue on the final knot to secure it even more.

If desired you could put some beads on the initial loop (photo 1) or just make a knot. Again melt the ends, glue them and it’s done. Now go out there and hydrate!!!

SADF M83 chest rig

2010-02-11T01:24:00.009+02:00

Since some time now I have been trying to reduce the amount of my tactical nylon by categorizing my gear according to the AEG platform used. So, I was looking for a platform to accompany my AKs, both for CQB and woodland games. I could just go the modular way and built it up. The problem lies there, because high speed gear manufacturers got the AR users in mind. Usually AK magazine pouches advertised as “doubles” are actually “triples”. For some reason they believe that the AK users need 50% more ammo compared to AR users to get the target… Stereotype believing, player haters I say… So, I started looking to old school gear made for the AK platform. During a chat over at Wannabe forums, the user named Optactical suggested the M83 chest rig. I looked into I, gathered all the info I could and I thought I should give it a shot. Lucky me. That’s the solution to my problems…

I spotted a M83 chest rig at ebay for 35 bucks and I purchased it, hoping for the best. 2 weeks after I paid for it, the post man brought a USPS package at my door. I opened it and I felt in love with what I saw inside. The SADF M83 chest rig…

MATERIAL AND COLOUR

The rig is made by ballistic nylon. Ballistic nylon is actually Cordura fabric. Of course there is no “Cordura” label since Dupont patented the name, after the M83 was produced. The colour is “Nutria Brown” which is a darker hue of what today would be described as Coyote Brown. Absolutely lovely … The finish of the rig and the straps are black like the fastenings. The stitching is really reinforced where it matters. In the following photo is obvious that the Nutria Brown blends with the MARPAT pattern extremely well...

LAYOUT

The design is fairly simple. The rig is just a rectangular panel with 4 pockets. Starting from the right side (wearing it) there is a relatively big pocket designed for the field trauma kit. Actually I intend having my PMR radio in there. Next to it and to the center there is a big pocket divided in 3 double cells for the magazines. Each of the double cells is covered by a flap that closes with a Velcro strip. To the left hand side there are 2 smaller pockets. One is the original radio pouch and a grenade pocket. The grenade pocket is way too small, so most probably I will rest spare batteries in it. The other one will be used as a general purpose pocket filled with speed loaders, extra flash light and a multi tool or so.

The rig is kept in place by 3 straps. 2 leaving the rig going up to the shoulders and to the back and 1 that secures it around the waist. The shoulder straps are thickly padded and they are very comfortable. A very useful feature of the straps is that they are quite far apart. Usually chest rig straps tend to be close and usually dig in the rear of the neck when loaded. No problem here…

The whole panel is backed with heavy duty mesh. To the rear of the panel there is a flat pocket for maps, intel, etc covered with a flap secured with Velcro.

The magazine pouches fit AK magazines really well. Even thought it was originally designed for the R4 and R5 rifles (the SA version of the Galil) which look like STANAG magazines on steroids...

Bottom line, it's a well built, durable, well designed chest rig. I can't be happier with one...

CQB/Urban protection helmet

2010-02-11T00:37:00.009+02:00

Well, the title is quite catchy cause i had no idea what to call that thingy... It all started once upon a time when i wanted to start putting together a Black Kit for CQB games. Initially i was (and still am...) against black gear. I believe they look crappy, they don't help unless you play in night games and finally they are so passe... I decided to go that way because the rest of the team wanted to do so, so...

So, i looked around for a Protec style helmet that was mainly going to protect my head. It had to be non-military looking. I found on sales (cheap bastard...) at Chainreactioncycles a 661 Dirt Lid. I bought the black one to help my aftermarket work. I chose the small size on purpose. Usually helmets look huge on me, so i went for the small one and later i removed the inner crap and got left with just a light padding.

Everything started like this:

and ended like this:

Interesting, ehhhhh? Well, it's not that difficult and crafty after all...

The Velcros

The Velcros is nothing fancy. Just cut some stripes of black velcro and used hot melt glue to paste them down. I added extra glue all around them to secure them. I didn't bother painting the glue, since the helmet was gonna be painted.

The Bling Bling

Well, i tried (and insist on the word "tried"...) to keep this one fairly simple... Well, i just put an NVG mount, a Helmet Light and a pair of extra glasses on it. It's light, innit?

Actually the NVG mount is the one i had from my MICH wannabe. It's meant for the PASGT helmet, but it stays on this one just fine. For some reason i love the way that this mount with the plastic safety clip looks on a non-military helmet.

As it was made for CQB games, i liked to have some light on it. So, i want the more high speed way and purchased a replica of the Surefire LH1 light. Originally it was black, but it got painted like the rest of the helmet. I have to mention here, that this light is supposed to be mounted on thick Kevlar helmets. I had to modify it to fit on a plastic shell like mine. I also removed some part of my helmet to make it sit correctly. Finally i avoided installing it on a level parallel to the ground. It's a freakin light, it's supposed to light my path. So, i made it look at about 45 degrees. This way, it gives me the ability to see where i am going, but beong able to see who is coming my way at the same time...

The paintjob

Inittialy i was gonna leave it all black... But i am happy to announce that our team is getting rid of the Black Kit. Thanks God of Airsoft!!!!! I wanted to keep the helmet, but the black had to go. Since the other one is desertish, i had to find some paintjob for this one that would be different. I chose the following colours:

Dust Grey by Montana
Dark Brown by Humbrol
Manilla Green by Montana

I didn't use a spesific pattern. I just laid a plastic sheet with a very small net and applied mists of colours from a distance. I applied light coats in order to avoid coverring 100% of the black underneath. I am very happy with the result as i believe that it would work in CQB, Urban and Woodland games (at least under spesific circumstances).

Till next time folks...

Links to my favorite teams

2009-07-28T22:07:00.002+03:00

Being around and about, i have cooperated with individual players and teams. I was lucky enough to play in 3 different countries (Hungary, Greece and the Czech Republic) and get involved with different gaming styles.

I present you links to the teams i am feeling close to or being a member of.

First of all the Red Tigers team in Hungary. This is the first team i ever joined and played with. I met the guys in 2007 when i visited Hungary. The team is strictly Milsim oriented which attracted me in a various ways. I spent the first 3 months of my stay as a new recruit and after i proved my shit, i became a full member. Unfortunatelly i couldn’t stay for more than 7 months at that time. Afterwards, i was lucky enough to visit Budapest again this year for 3 months and reunite with the guys. It’s been a blast being back and having the chance to feel the same urge once more.
The team’s site is here http://tigrisek.digitalmania.hu/

Then, the Brotherhood of the Red Circle. Actually, this is the team we formatted with my buddy Deadlock. The whole thing started 3 years ago when i rediscovered Airsoft. We used to play with Deadlock about 15 years ago and i knew that he is skilled player. So, since day one, i was trying to put him back in the game… After coming back from Hungary, we came together and started organising… Since day one we knew that we had to go the «freestyle» way with the team, because there was no way we could agree on any reenacting factors (well, actually Deadlock being an Applied Arts person, he is into Sci-fi neoprene coveralls stuff, so…) and we knew that we wouldn’t attract any other players. We started putting pieces together and so came the Brotherhood…
The team site (which is under construction) is located here http://www.redcircle.gr/

The Hell Reckies Team. Actually the first batch of people with whom i played with after coming back to Greece. We use to play together in big games and kick ass… They are really good players and guys and we love teasing each other. Actually, i could be a member of their team, but wearing Black is not my style of things, so here you go http://hellreckies.com/index_gr.htm

The Scorpions Team. The second best choice for someone to learn about good Airsoft, if in Hungary. The team consists of serious and experienced players. The amount of Airsoft science in the team is incomparable. Everyone has been so friendly and willing to share his knowledge. If you got any question of any shorts, Wolverine and Thrasher is the person to talk to. Their site is here http://www.skorpioairsoft.hu/

MICH 2000

2009-07-27T22:28:00.010+03:00

Since most of our games are MOUT or CQB oriented, having the proper protection is a wise factor to consider. That includes helmet, knee and elbow pads. There are so many options to choose from that makes it difficult to stay on point… Well, for me there are two factors that i had to consider. The looks and the size. It had to be a military style helmet (PASGT, MICH, IBH, LWH, ACH and the like) and to be easy to find it in sizes. Usually replica helmets come in «one size fits all», which usually means HUGE!!!! Since i am wearing a 57 size hat (7 ¼ in US size), the 61 size of the replicas was out of the question. Looking around and asking my team mates, i came across the Chain Reaction Cycles shop located in the UK. Browsing around, i found the ultimate solution… The MACE SAS skate helmet. Yeap, a skate helmet that looks like a MICH 2000. The only odd looking details of this spesific helmet are the 4 air openings around the helmet… Well, no problem with that, i have done bigger mods in the past, right?

I purchased the helmet in a Small/Medium size (54-58 size) and Brown colour, which was a great platform to start from. I bout the helmet for a price of around 25 euros and another 8 for the shipping. This is how it all started...

The moment i got, i had to cover the air holes. I glued a piece of plastic with epoxy resin. Then, i started filling the gap with resin. After some applications, the holes were covered. I sanded the excess of the resin to make it flat and uniform with the shell.

When it was done, i primed the shell with a dark brown spray colour. I let it dry and then grabbed my Montana spray cans. For this work, i chose a Light Tan, Pallish Brown and Flat Dark Earth hues. I applied several thin layers of colour, using an old scarf to create the pattern. When it was dry, i applied 2-3 thin layers of clear mat varnish and let it dry…

So, i got me a beautiful helmet, but it looks empty. So, i had to go the Spec Ops way once more. Inittialy i glued on the shell layers of Velcro, using a hot melt glue pistol. When the strips were secured, i applied lines of glue around them. Then, i painted these lines with a black paint, using a thin brush.

The chin straps were completely useless, so i replaced them with a set of original MSA MICH straps. Unfortunatelly i found them in Foliage Green, so i had to dust them with Tan…

The next step was to mount on the shell a real deal NVG mount strap. Actually, it is meant for the PASGT helmet, but damn these Ebay sellers…

To secure my back up goggles i purchased a set of Goggle Retention Straps from Supply Captain in Coyote Brown. So, now my Arena Flak Goggles are nice and secure.

Finally, since the helmet is made for CQB work, i threw on it a simple Energizer head lamp. I would prefere to go the Petzl way, but i didn’t want to paint it, so i chose to go cheap but with no guilt…
I guess it’s a good work. It looks the part and it’s absolutely stable on my head, compared with the rest of the crappy replicas out there…

M249 S.P.W.

2009-06-29T21:24:00.009+03:00

NO, IT’S NOT A MINIMI!!!!!!!!!!

The Minimi (short for French: Mini Mitrailleuse; “Mini machine gun”) is a Belgian 5.56 mm light machine gun developed by the Fabrique Nationale (FN) company in Herstal. First introduced in 1974, it has entered service with the armed forces of several countries (Greece being one of them, even though we are 25 years late as usual…). It is configured in several variants, the standard model, the Para version and the vehicle model. The S.A.W. is just the US Army adoption of the same model built in the States.
The M 249 S.P.W. / MK 46 is an M249 variant developed to meet a US Special Operations Command requirement for a lightweight machine gun that would retain the intrinsic functionality and reliability of the standard M249. Weight reduction was achieved by:
· Using a new lightweight fluted barrel (Para length)
· Removing the magazine feed port, carry handle, integrated bipod, gas block regulator (stable ROF of 750 RPM compared to 750-1000 of the other models) and vehicle mounting lugs
· Using a 100 rd soft box magazine instead of the plastic 200 rd one
· Incorporating a titanium bipod.

The work done on the S.P.W. lead to a weight of 5,7 kilos compared to 6,8-7,5 kilos of its bigger brothers. Unique to the S.P.W. / MK46 is the forward rail that accommodates scopes, laser designators and flashlights. So, to make it clear:

Army S.O.COM. units -> M 249 S.P.W.
Navy S.O.COM. units -> MK 46

Since I am not into Seals re-enactment we can just call it S.P.W.

CAMOUFLAGE PATTERN

The finish of the model out of the box is ok, nothing exciting but nothing to complain about. The truth is that the mat black colour seems a little “plastic” though, but that’s because the body is plastic (STAR must do something about it, like to produce a metal aftermarket body…). The “need” to decorate it with a pattern had grown inside me even before I got my hands on the MG.

The feature of the “fast spring swap” is really handy but it created a slight confusion when it came to deciding on the colours and the pattern. If the AEG was intended for CQB games, then it should be covered with tan, light grey, light brown hues. In the case of woodland games it should be painted with more dark brown, OD, dark earth and so on…In this specific case it takes about 20 seconds and a spare spring to up/down grade it between 330 and 430 FPS…Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Finally I went the middle way. I chose the following 5 spray colours:
Chocolate brown (mtnmtn Graffiti mat spray)
Flat dark earth (Humbrol modelistic mat spray)
Arkalis Beige (mtnmtn Graffiti mat spray)
Cream (mtnmtn Graffiti mat spray)
Dark Green (Humbrol modelistic mat spray)

I guess everybody notices that most of the colours are made for Graffiti…Due to the lack of mat model sprays in the market, I decided to use fine-grain mat Graffiti ones. They cost less (2,5 euros per bottle compared to 6 for the Humbrol ones) and the outcome is equally well finished.

Initially the AEG was stripped to its main pieces. The body, the front railed handguard, the magazine, the Fakepoint, the PEQ box, the grip and the stock. They were all wiped with a cloth to remove any dirt. Then every piece was sprayed with a couple of Chocolate Brown layers, used as a primer. It was allowed to dry for a day. Next afternoon I applied several stripes of the rest of the colours. Made sure that the pattern is irregular. It was left to dry and the next day the real artistic work began…Just the stripes don’t make the gun invisible, different or interesting…I had to come up with some kind of a pattern. Well, old news…An “S.A.S.” scarf lend me its little squares to do the job…The scarf was placed on the parts and small amounts of different colours were applied. I didn’t want the squares to be normal and regular (otherwise it would resemble the MAR.PAT. which was not the case here) so in some places I stretched it and in others I just “dropped” it on the surface. It took me a total of 2 hours of messing around with it to complete. Judging from the reactions of the players on the field who saw the final work, I can say that I am extremely satisfied with the outcome…Now, that gives me the confidence to try something along the lines on a future project (an SR25K, a Recon Rifle or a Noveske Diplomat maybe?).

INTERNALS

The internals of the AEG are left stock for the moment. I had the chance to use a chronograph and I have to say that I was impressed. With the factory set I got a 330 FPS velocity which is more than ok for CQB games. The impressing fact that with the stock spring (which is a M100 equivalent) I am getting an amazing 1120 RPM which means about 18-19 rounds per second… For woodland games I purchased a Systema M120 spring hoping to get 390 FPS out of the beast… For some strange reason I never got more than 370 to 380 FPS… I measured with 2 different chronographs but the gearbox is indeed longer than the average ones so the spring can’t give it all it could… Still with the stiffer spring I measured 1050 RPM ~ 17 rounds per second… That’s due to the fact that the motor is described as High Torque-High Speed from Star and I am happy they do… And I am happy for that, because all these results came from using an 8,4 V 3300 mAh battery… Various reviews state that using even an 9,6 V battery can cause such an increase to the ROF that the magazine can’t feed it fast enough, causing misfeeds…

The size and the weight of the 249 is absolutely begging for some more bust during woodland games. Well, I am begging for it since I find it completely dumb to run around a 5,5 kilos machine when the next man can have the same 400 FPS out of his 3 kilos sorry-ass M4… So, the future is painted with vivid colours of a Wild Monkey metal gearbox and a SP 120 spring hopping to reach a level of 420-430 FPS…

M3 SHOTGUN "ILONA"

2007-10-22T21:56:00.000+03:00

Having a shotgun as part of ones arsenal was always attracting for me. There are some very interesting models in the market. The choices are very limited though for the player who considers seriously skirmishing with them. Basically shotguns are well known and used for the massive firepower that they provide in close ranges. The only available replicas that do the job are Tokyo Marui series shotguns. They have a very clever system that allows you to shoot 3 BBs at the same time. But, they are all plastic and somehow weak (around the 270 FPS area). Then Maruzen, G&P and Marushin produce metal shotguns. Some of them are spring operated, gas operated, single shot, multiple shots, shell ejecting…you just name it. The problem with those is that they cost more than a starter’s AEG, which was out of the question for me…

When I saw the Franchi 3A shotgun produced by Action Sport Games (made in China and just boxed and pushed in the market by ASG) I guessed it was a good base for a project shoti…The model is a clone of the Tokyo Marui M3 one, but the magazine looks like the CA870 one…Go figure!!!!!!!!!! . Weighting only 1700 gr makes it easy to carry and handle. The overall length is about 89 cm. My initial thought was to go for the stockless version but trying out both of them realised that the long version provides more stability and increases the shooter’s ability to take faster and more accurate shots…

The power of the model is stated as 374 FPS on the box. I know what you are thinking “Yeah, right, a plastic Chinese model that shoots at 374 FPS. F**k that shit!!!” That’s absolutely correct. The truth is that this measurement was done using .12 g BBs. The replica’s power with .20 g BBs is around 300 FPS. Not bad for a CQB weapon…

The replica has an excellent feeling, having in mind that the retail price for it is around 35 euros… Its plastic made with the only metal part being the shell ejecting port. The magazine that comes with the shoti holds 30 BBs. Not bad, but the major issue here is that there are no spare magazines available in the market. You might think that since it is a Maruzen 870 clone the magazines are interchangeable. Not!!!!

In my mind, shotguns should always have female names. Where I am coming from the most usual name for one is “Maria” but I though it was just not representing me. So, after some thought I decided to call her “Ilona”. The name was inspired from the great actress Ilona Staller, aka Cicciolina... (Now, do i see some faces smiling? Ehh?)

Ilona Staller as it was her original name was born in Budapest in 1951 and moved to Italy at the age of 19. She started her own radio show in 1973 called “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” (what a coincidence…) She debuted in the “mature film” industry in 1975 and had a career that last up to 1992 (note, that this means that she was 41 years at that time!!!!) In 1979 she became the first hardcore performer in the world to be elected to a democratic parliament. The story goes on, but I advise the readers to do their own research and discover more about her.

The replica is completely stock when it comes to the internals (there is nothing you can do about it anyway…). The only change concerns the paint job. The basic idea was to create a paint theme that would make the shotgun invisible in the inside of a building.

Initially a layer of primer was applied. I didn’t want to make it flat in order to avoid having a glossy feeling. I used the tip of an old, round, thick brush and I “stamped” the paint on it.

The problem was that the primer is white, so I applied a layer of mat black spray colour. Now, when the shottie gets scratched the only colour being revealed underneath is mere black… The basic paint is an acrylic Sand colour. It was also applied with a brush. It was left to dry and then some very basic pattern was done by putting some paper adhesive tape. Then with a brush I applied a Dark Earth colour (actually it was labeled as “Wax”).

With a permanent marker I finalized the edges of the patterns and the letters on the side. Finally I applied a completely mat and flat layer of acrylic varnish.

Hope it’s satisfactory since it’s my first attempt to paint a gun…More to come soon.

2007-07-29T13:19:00.003+03:00

Allright guys, it's time for some Red Tigers Art. Nothing fancy...Check it out.

Red Tigers related art

2007-07-29T13:19:00.002+03:00

Alright guys, it's time for some Red Tigers Art. Nothing fancy, just coloring some already existing designs and some ideas about the Team's patch...Check it out.

WD14 DMR "HADUR"

2007-07-29T12:52:00.001+03:00

In every man’s life there are very few occasions when SIZE DOES MATER. This is one of these moments. A Designated Marksman Rifle can’t be short. The extended length of the barrel helps for the tight groupings that every shooter desires. Ladies and Gents, after the previous 2 wonders of modern airsoft gunsmithing, I present you the WD14 DMR “HADUR”.

The name as always implies its origin. WD is our team’s gunsmith who performed his best on this beast. 14 is the number of the model, DMR describes its role and Hadur is the God of War in the Hungarian Mythology. So on with some classes. The Hungarians the last 1000 years are Christians but they have a very strong background of Shamanistic Mythology. According to this the world is divided in three spheres:

The first is the Upper World (Felső világ), the home of the Gods,

The second is our place (Középső világ - Middle World)

and the last is the underworld (Alsó Világ).

In the center of our world, a tall tree is standing: the Világfa, in English, the World Tree. Its foliage is the Upper World, the Középső Világ is located at its stem, and the underworld is around its roots. In some stories, the tree even has fruits: these are the golden apples.

Upper World

The Gods and Good souls are living in the Upper World. Gods have the same rank, although the most important figure of them is Isten (the word itself simply means 'God' in Hungarian). He controls the world, shapes the fate of humans, observes our world from the sky, and sometimes warns us by lightning (mennykő). Isten created the world with the help of Ördög ("the devil" Evil). Other gods include: Istenanya (Mother God), Hadúr (the god of war) and Boldogasszony (Blessed Mistress) and so on.

The major celestial bodies (Sun and Moon) are also located in the Upper World. The sky was thought to be a big tent held by the World Tree. There are several holes on it: they are the stars.

An M14 was always one of those rifles that I thought that every operator should own and work (likewise the AK, and the AR family rifles). Untill recently the choices were few and for sure not cheap. Tokyo Marui and G&G have released various versions of the M14 (fiber, wood stock, SOC 16). All of them work in the 320 fps area, which is not satisfactory for a DMR. Upgrade of these models is not difficult, but what’s the point of purchasing a 400 euros gun in order to replace all its internals? So, after years of patience, the Chinese company called AGM did its miracle. The first and best of the Chinese M14 replicas came to life…and so the saga begins.

I wanted the gun to stand out with its performance. Our gunsmith advised me to stay in the 440 fps area since this is the limit for AEGs in Hungary. For sure, this number is more than satisfying but what’s the point of carrying a 5 kilo beast when the next man with his toy looking M4 could achieve the same target acquisition? It had to exceed this limit…The solution was simple. Remove the automatic fire option!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This freed our hands and took us one step closer to the DM choice of weapons.

EXTERNAL MODIFICATIONS

The only change on the external look of the rifle is the bipod and the scope. The bipod is metal and can be removed at will. In the near future I am considering about replacing it with a Harris style bipod which can be attached via a typical 20mm rail. Aiming is assisted by the same 2x42mm Red Dot Scope like with the WD36sc “TURUL”. The combination of bipod and scope (with full magazine and 8,4V large battery) gives the beast a good weight of 5, 5 kilos, which separates the men from the boys…

BARREL

The original barrel is described as tight bore on the box and it’s somehow true. The diameter is close to 6,04 mm although the quality of it it’s not the finest. It was replaced by a Prometheus 6,03mm precision one. The length of it is 50 cm, which helps a lot to the tight groupings I wanted.

GEARBOX

The original gearbox is still housing the working mechanism, since it has proved its durability so far (our gunsmith runs the same platform for a year now with no problems). The fact that the rifle runs only in Semi Auto makes the choice of gears and battery an easier case. The gears were replaced with Classic Army Super Torque Up flat gears. The rifle still works with an 8,4V battery when most upgraded ones need a 9,6V ones.

Our gunsmith threw in there a

M140 spring
Guarder bushing (double oil channel)
Spring guide (bearing, metal)
Systema aluminium piston
Systema piston head
Systema teflon cylinder

After all these modifications the rifles gives me an initial velocity of 475 fps and an effective range of 55 meters with the maximum being around 65 meters with G&P 0,28gr BBs.

The only obvious con of the God of War is the size. With 6 kilos of weight and 1,1 meters length is definetely a rifle that you don't want to carry around for a big amount of time. Here is a photo to compare. I am just 1,7 meters tall so the beast is like 2/3 of my size...

AKMSU "FARKAS"

2007-07-11T21:37:00.001+03:00

Before the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel, man lived in primitive conditions…and then came the Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947!!!! This never-getting old design was firstly brought to life in 1947 by the brilliant Tank engineer and designer Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov.

One of his children was the AKMSU. The name alone is fairly unknown. Let’s say that is a version of the AKM with a folding stock and the father of the AKS 74U. The name itself implies a stamped receiver (M), a folding stock (S) and short size (U). It never hit mass production. It was made in limited quantities, for a short period of time. It was used in the 60s and 70s by Border Police, Special Police Units and the Spetsnaz. It chambers the 7.62 x 39mm. It is quite compact and its great advantage is its very small weight which is only 2,8 kg.

The gun was purchased from Zephir, a member of a local team called “Gyontatok” which means “The Confessors”. It started its carrier as a humble CYMA C028s. When I saw it I knew I just had to have it. So, I present you the AKMSU “Farkas”. Farkas literally means “tailed” in Hungarian but the name was inspired by the Nadi Farkasok, a kind of wolf which used to live in the Hungarian steppe (puszta) hiding in reedy territories. This animal has already extinct but there are several references of it in the Hungarian folklore and literature.

On to the gun now…

EXTERNAL FURNITURE

The custom work consists of

Installation of an All China Made AKMSU wood set, which contains the wooden hand guard/pistol grip and the pistol grip
JG AK Beta metal front set
Steel folding stock sling hook
Real AKM sling

INTERNAL GAMES…

CA barrel
CA AK nozzle
CA steel bushings
ICS steel gear set
Action AK Hop up
Guarder Hopup rubber
Element Cylinder head - silent
Element Piston head- silent
Element bearing spring guide
Marui EG1000 motor which gives the little thing a brutal Rate of Fire
Rewired with 1.5mm silicone wires

The upgrade work was done by WD (like the 80% of the AEGs in Budapest and the surrounding areas…) The gun runs at 315-320 fps since it was designed as a CQB project.

IMPRESSIONS

The gun is very light due to the plastic lower receiver (but very sturdy, that is mistaken for metal) and the absence of a full stock. Using the front integrated pistol grip and with the help of the 2-point sling it can be maneuvered without the use of the stock. That fact gives it a very big advantage compared to all the other CQB weapons…

The Rate of Fire is amazingly high due to the Tokyo Marui EG1000 motor and can empty the G&P MidCap magazine in no time…

I noticed that in full auto it will empty almost all the BBs in the magazine except the last 2 or 3 which is a very positive feature.

With the stock open the natural position of the head is exactly where it is supposed to be in order to align with the sights.

The flash hider can be removed and it reveals a counter clock wise thread. That makes it convenient for me since I already own a silencer that can be used with that.

Time has gone by and there is some feedback... The gun served me well and it still does. The size and weight is so comfy for CQB and woodland games, besides the low FPS. For closed spaces it so easy to carry it around and i will find it very difficult to replace it with another... The only negative point about it is the not so great working hop-up system. It tends to overwork all the time. The extremely positive about it is the sound. Due to the thin gear box the sound of it it resembles the hardcore "bracka bracka" of the real one...None said that AKs are known for the sweetness of their melody...

WD36sc "TURUL"

2007-07-11T14:05:00.001+03:00

7 months ago I rediscovered Airsoft and its pleasures. The potentials for an AEG, endless. I was scanning the market for a compact size, preferably light rifle. The M4 series seemed a good start, but I was looking something more advanced…The G36 family caught my attention…To cut a long story short I decided to purchase the Classic Army G36c. The looks of the rifle is unique, the job on the surface made by CA excellent, the weight balance superb…

It stayed stock for about 6 months and it actually served me well in both woodland and CQB games with the 315 fps (chrono’ed with .20 gr BBs). Since I got my hands on a MP5A5 (also made by Classic Army) for CQB games only, it was about time to upgrade the 36…After a lot of searching, installing, un-installing I proudly present to you the WD36sc “Turul”.

Let’s start with the name. The first part “WD” is homage to our team’s gunsmith who performed the upgrade and goes with the codename WD. The middle part is the code of the rifle obviously and the last part “sc” stands for “silenced compact” to describe the use of a silencer and the compact size of the rifle. The “Turul” part is my personal tribute and a sign of admiration to the Great Hungarian nation that has embraced me in the best of manners. Now, some words about the Turul.

The Turul is a giant mythical falcon, a messenger of god in the Hungarian mythology, who sits on top of the tree of life along with the other spirits of unborn children in the form of birds.

In the mythology the Turul is mentioned at least twice to shape the fate of the Hungarians:

According to the legend of origin of the Αrpad clan, it was the divine intervention of God, through his messenger the Turul, which founded the royal family. The following is a recounting of the legend by the chronicler "Anonymous", the royal scribe of King Bela III (1172-1196). In the year of our lord 819, Agyek, the descendant of King Magog and a royal leader of the land of Scythia, married the daughter of Ened-Belia, whose name was Emeshe. From her was born their first son Αlmos. The boy obtained his name because of the unusual circumstances of his birth, when his mother in a vision saw the great Turul descend from heaven on her and made her fertile. A great spring welled forth from her womb and began flowing westward. It grew and grew until it became a torrent which swept over the snow covered mountains into the beautiful lowlands on the other side. There the waters stopped and from the water grew a wondrous tree with golden branches. She imagined famed kings were to be born from her descendants, who shall rule not here in their present lands but over that distant land in her dreams, surrounded with tall mountains.

The second time, the leader of the Hungarian tribes had a dream where eagles attacked their horses and a Turul came and saved them, to symbolise that they have to move, and when they did, the Turul helped them to show the way and led them finally to the land that became Hungary.

The great mythical Turul bird of prey is one of the most important symbols of the Hungarians. It represents their god's power and will. The Hungarian Turul is often represented carrying the flaming Sword of God.

Now with the actual upgrade. I wanted something that will stand out both internally and externally.

BARREL

The 24cm inner barrel didn’t match my criteria for a woodland rifle. That was replaced with a 36cm Tanio Koba twist barrel (M4 inner barrel length). To cover the extended length a Tokyo Marui Pro Short silencer is used. It sounds fake but if works as a sound suppressor (due to the foam insert) if the inner barrel is shorter than the length of the silencer, which is not the case in mine…

GEARBOX

The gear box remained the original since it can take 120 or more spring upgrades. The spring was replaced by a Systema M120. That gives the AEG an initial velocity of around 410 fps which I believe should be around the limit for woodland games…At first there was a HurricanE SP120 spring installed that pushed the beast up to 440 fps but that is passed the fps limits for Hungary and it would create more problems in the future (need of a 9,6V large battery, upgraded gears and so on…).

Then a HurricanE Full Tune Kit was installed to maintain the AEG’s reliability. This consists of the following items:

Air Seal Nozzle
Cylinder Head
Cylinder
Bearing Spring Guide
Bearing Piston Head

MAGWELL CONVERSION

The original G36 magazines are for sure a sight for sore eyes but they are quite bulky. In any typical double magazine pouch can fit only one G36 style mag. That forces the operator of the rifle to carry double the number of pouches compared to an AR user for the same amount of ammo. The advantage of clipping them together never actually appealed to me, so I decided that they had to go…In the market there is the Magwell Conversion Kit made by PPA which was the answer to my needs. This kit is easy as hell to install. Just unscrew the small pin that holds the magwell in place, remove it and place the new one. It is made by the same rigid plastic that the rest of the body is and the colour matches perfectly. I have tried CA, G&P, G&G, TM and MAG magazines and they all feed smoothly. In my case I use the MAG M4 style midcap magazines made for H&K’s HK416. They come in a mat black colour and the inscriptions on them are so sweet…

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

In general the H&K sights are a blast to use. Very easy to adjust, quick to aim, etc…but don’t you just hate it when you try to aim through a Red Dot scope and they get in the way? Well, I do. I removed the original open sights and I was trying to trace a source for those wonderful MP7 flip up ones but in vain. I couldn’t find them individually, only on the MP7 itself. So, I followed another way. I bought some Armalite style flip up sights as stated:

Star SR15 front
And Star Buis style rear one

The sights are very well made, but…here comes the modification buggy man again…They don’t align (the front one sits very high) since the front one is made for the M4 SR15 and the rear one is made for a plain flat top M4. After testing the AEG I realised that they work only if the front sight is attached above the hand guard. I sacrificed one of the rails that mama CA provided me with. It was cut to the desired length and a new hole was drilled to attach the srew. Both of them were secured with 2 small locknuts which are hidden in the hand guard, nowhere visible…

For the aiming of my project an Action 2x42 mm Red/Green Dot Scope is used. I strongly believe that anything with a higher than 2x magnification is an exaggeration for Airsoft use unless it’s a 500 fps bolt action Sniper Rifle…The only con of this scope is that the objective lens is actually 42mm but the image that comes to your field of view is only 25mm but it gets the job done nevertheless.

OTHER FEATURES

The front sling hook was removed to lighten the fore end of the rifle. Then a First Factory sling hook pin was installed. This gives the advantage of being able to have the gun resting on a more upright position when not in use and being hanged from a 3-point sling.

The AEG runs still on an 8,4V battery. It would be better to use a 9,6V one due to the low ROF but the factory hand guard has a limited space. My options would be the following:

CA large hand guard but still it can fit a 8,4V only
G&P extended stock
Sling with a battery pouch
A battery attached on the stock

The truth is that I don’t fancy the looks of them all, so I stayed with the original option. In the last big game I put about 8 midcaps through my AEG (about 800 BBs in total) and the battery still had juice to give me, so no worries (anyway, I carry 2 extra batteries in my survival waist pack, so…)

* this text is about airsoft replica which is battery operated. it can not fire live rounds and can not be modified in any way to do so.

ROLES/SPECIALLITIES

2007-07-10T21:14:00.000+03:00

The roles in the team are modified after real SF teams. Their place and gear are mandatory. Their role is followed accordingly to the game’s guidelines and scenario.

Rifle man

Every operator in the team is supposed to be trained to basic infantry tactics and is obliged to work as a rifle man.

The rifleman’s gear is the on described in the Gear Rules section.

EOD: Explosive Ordinance Disposal

An EOD operator is a Field Technician specified for field technical, mechanical and Bomb Disposal missions. His use is set according to the game’s scenario. If no such role is required for the given game he will carry on as a rifle man.

Helmet REQUIRED. Helmets MUST be worn AT ALL TIMES when playing the ‘role’ of EOD.
An EOD expert should wear some kind of ballistic protection at any time (soft armor or hard armor, your choice) that meets the general rules criteria

The technician’s gear consists of the basic rifleman’s kit plus the following items:

A general purpose pouch which contains:
Small pair of scissors
Small wire cutter
Duct tape
Electrical tape
A set of screws (preferably the optician ones)
Pliers
A small wrench
A small hacksaw

A set of fake explosives for blowing away the retrieved “goods”

The field technician/EOD expert should be designated with the appropriate patch worn on his uniform and/or vest, pack, etc.
In the event that an EOD team is KIA during the processing of explosives, that EOD will cease to ‘exist’ for the remainder of the game and will no longer be required to wear the EOD helmet. Ex-EOD team members, once KIA will be folded back into their teams as regular riflemen.

SAW GUNNER

The support gunner’s kit is identical with any other rifleman’s with the exception that he is allowed to carry HighCap magazines to simulate the massive fire power provided by him.

SQUAD DESIGNATED MARKSMAN/SNIPER

All snipers will be required to either:

Wear a guile suit or the equivalent
Paint their face and wear a ruck sack.
Snipers are NOT allowed to wear ANY ‘hi-speed’ gear or tactical vests
Snipers ‘may’ wear an H or Y harness attached to a belt with MOLLE/ALICE/PALS gear such as a canteen, extra ammo and so.
He MAY NOT carry an AEG at any time except small SMGs like the MP5k, Scorpion, MP7, etc.
The shooter is permitted to possess a handgun (GBB/NBB) as a ‘back up’.
The sniper weapon MUST be ‘wrapped’ or otherwise ‘concealed’ from the trigger forward. Painting is NOT enough.

FIELD MEDIC

The Field Medic is obliged to carry a FULL MEDIC PACK which will be designated by a Red Cross patch.
The Medic himself should be designated by a Red Cross and/or a Medic patch on his uniform, usually on the right sleeve pocket.
For in game use he should carry a karabiner with the appropriate number of white elastic arm bands in order to mark the wounded players

FIELD COMMUNICATIONS/RADIO OPERATOR

A Radio Operator carries the same gear as any other rifleman. For his role he MUST carry a wider range radio with full battle characteristics. This is described as a long antenna and full size telephone receiver (a typical civilian legal 0,5W radio system concealed in an Army Field Radio)
To enhance the realism he should carry a fake Satellite Communication System consisted from a transmitter/receiver in a form of a Portable Computer with a small foldable disk.

GEAR

2007-07-10T21:11:00.003+03:00

We try to keep an updated level of gear in the team. The basic camouflage pattern used is the contemporary USMC styled camouflage pattern (digital camo). Woodland version combined with OD or Brown for woodland games and Desert version combined with Black or Brown for CQB games.

MANDATORY GEAR

_________________________________________________

Boonie hat(both Woodland and Desert)

Unit insignia, attached to the uniform with Velcro (and personal gear such as backpacks)

Speciality patch.

Name tape, OD with Black letters, attached to the uniform with Velcro (and personal gear such as backpacks) and Tan with Brown letters same as above

RAID style moded BDU, (both Woodland and Desert)

BDU, Pants, (both Woodland and Desert)

Some kind of winter jacket, preferably Gore-Tex or soft shell jacket in brownish colour.

Boots or comfortable hiking or trekking boots.

Beanie cap, thermo fleece, wind stopper, Black/CB/OD.

Assault Gloves, OD/Black/Tan.

Rifle Sling, OD/Black/Tan.

T-Shirt, Brown/Black/Tan.

Molle based Load Bearing Vest/Plate Carrier/Chest Rig/Harness, OD.

Safety glasses or goggles, DIN/ANSI certified.

Hydration bladder in MOLLE pack or in LPC.

Combat pant belt, OD Green or Black.

IFAK containing at least the following objects:

Bandage Kit, Elastic
Bandage, Gauze, Cotton
EMS Shears
Adhesive Tape, Surgical
Triangular Bandage
Safety Pins
Pain reliever/pain killers
Iodine/alcohol wipes
Antihistamine tablets
Tweezers
first aid instruction sheet.

Every operator according to his speciality is obligated to carry his personal tools of the trade (for example the Field Technician is indebted to carry the basic technical kit, the Field Medic a bit more than a IFAK, the EOD specialist a basic bomb defuse kit, the Field Radio Operator a bigger radio and so on…)

OPTIONAL/ALLOWED GEAR

_________________________________________________

Pistol Holster.

Dump Pouch.

Pace counter/Ranger Beads.

GPS/Compass.

Winter Gloves, Thermo fleece, OD/Black/Tan.

Knee Pads, OD/Black/Tan.

Elbow Pads, OD/Black/Tan.

Helmet, PASGT, MICH, IBH, LWH, Protec or equivalent, OD/Tan.

Blood type patch

MOLLE Backpack, OD//CB/Tan.

Pocket/Folding Knife and/or MultiTool.

Shemagh, Desert/Black, OD/Black.

Net Scarf.

Tactical Retention Lanyard, OD/Black.

Raincoat/Poncho OD.

Survival kit, worn on the first line, containing at least the following objects:

Water proof and windproof Matches and/or Lighter
Wire Saw
Magnesium Block and Flint Striker
Button Compass
Rescue Blanket
Whistle
Para Cord
Mini-Flashlight
Spare Batteries for the flashlight
Signaling Mirror
Water purification tablets

A more complete survival kit in the third line should have the following items:

Candle Stub
Candle
Fishhooks (small and medium), High Strength Line
Needles & Thread

A more complete First Aid Kit in the 3 day pack could have also the following items:

Eye Drops

Cotton Balls
First Aid book
Alcohol (bottle)
Anti-malaria tablets if needed
Antibacterial Soap
Antiseptic (bottle)
Ephindrine (adrenaline, found in mini-tabs)
Iodine
Morphine or other powerful painkillers
Needles
Petroleum Jelly
Thermometer
Potassium permanganate
Vomit Inducer (for poisoning)
Surgical Blade(s)
Butterfly Sutures
Additional Plasters (band-aids)
Various size dressings
Triangle bandage(s)
Gauze Roll(s)
Ace bandage(s)
Eye Pad(s)
Latex Gloves
Tampon (can be used for large wounds)
Wound Closure Strips
Sutures
Syringes

A good gear kit list for a 3-day pack would be:

Wool Blanket or Sleeping Bag
Duct Tape or 100 mile/hr Tape
Lighter Fluid (for starting fires)
Extra Clothing (jacket, 3 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of underwear, 3 t-shirts, etc)
Extra Food
Extra Water
Leather Gloves
Mess Kit (pot, utensils, cover, ect..)
Canteen and cup
Salt, pepper, tea bags, coffee, sugar, spices, ect..
Fuel
Rope 50-100ft
Tent
Toiletries in an individual container, containing tooth Brush, tooth paste, Soap, medium size towel and toilette paper
Extra Compass (of a different type than the other)
Maps of the area
Insect Repellent
Hatchet or folding saw
Folding Shovel
Spare pants’ belt
Binoculars
Aluminium Foil (heavy duty)
Flares (pencil flares)
Watch
Mosquito netting
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Lip Balm
Radio - multiband
Solar battery recharger, rechargeable batteries
Locking Oval Carabiners

GEAR ARRANGEMENT

In order to maximize the efficiency of the team members there is a basic draft for the gear arrangement. According to various SF units gear is divided in three lines:

First line, everything you need to survive
Second line, everything you need to fight
Third line, everything you need to keep going.

The three layers gear arrangement helps to get going during combat according to the given circumstances. In need of stealth movement someone can remove his 3^rd line and still be able to fight. In case of removing his battle vest, he still can survive with his sidearm, IFAK and survival kit…

FIRST LINE

The first line should be consisted of a battle belt and suspenders preferably to sustain the weight and for extra comfort. On the belt should be positioned the pistol holster with the pistol and extra pistol magazines. On the back side and to the centre should be a butt pack or small waist pack containing the IFAK and the survival kit. According to the operator’s liking a small folding knife could be positioned to the left or right and to the opposite side a one litter water canteen.

SECOND LINE

The second line is the basis of the troop’s fighting ability. Basically it contains all the ammo. It is usually loaded with rifle magazine pouches, grenade pouches, pistol magazine pouches, PMR pouch, strobe light pouch, etc...A hydration pack or bladder can be worn on that, if no third line is worn.

THIRD LINE

The third line is everything the team member needs to get going. It could be based on a day pack or a 3 day pack according to the mission.

A day pack could be fitted with rain protection, extra ammo, a 3 lt water container, some food, an extra pair of socks and t-shirt.

A 3 day pack is an exaggeration and it can be used only in 2-3 day games where the ability of the troop to stand alone in the battlefield is crucial. The pack should have outer compartments where one should be used for the toiletry set, one for the extended survival kit or the mess kit. Inside the main compartment should be positioned the extra clothing, sleeping bag and so on.

Some suggestions about the team's load outs and configurations are as listed below

COMMUNICATION

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PMR's

Communications equipment in order to be allowed has to be approved by the event/skirmish organizer.

FREQUENCY SCANNING & LISTENING TO OPPOSITION RADIO CHATTER

Scanning of frequencies and listening in on opposition radio communications, is not allowed. The participants and the organizer of events and skirmishes must take appropriate safety measures by inscription of messages or using codes.

PERSONAL ARMAMENT

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GENERAL INFORMATION

Think and play safe. At all times use appropriate means of transporting your replica to and from the skirmishing site, meaning use a transport bag or case, especially in urban terrain.

You are using replicas, realistic looking toys. Using an un-realistic looking weapon does kill the Mil-Sim spirit with other players and skirmishers. Keeping this in mind, we appeal to you, to use replicas that are being used in real life situations or very close to that, which further down the line means, carefully selecting external, primarily visual upgrades carefully, in accordance with the realistic look. For instance using "western" armament and "eastern" optics is in somewhat contradiction with the Mil-Sim philosophy. Batteries taped to the replica, extra large, home made HiCap magazines and hunting scopes on SMG's are unwanted or prohibited.

SHOOTING STYLE

Since Mil-Sim is intended to recreate real life scenarios it is of the high importance, that the players and skirmishers do not abuse the airsoft characteristic of their replicas. Hop-Up effect abuse, where rotating the replica for 180 degrees around the bore axis and using this to effectively eliminate targets behind a hill or other cover is unacceptable. Same goes for blind firing, where the replica is either turned around the corner or lifted above the cover to shoot at the enemy without aiming at the target and clearly identifying it. Such abuse is in direct violation with the Mil-Sim philosophy. So try not to make use of it.

ARMAMENT CONSIDERATIONS

Armament within the Red Tigers is directly conditioned with the mission objectives which are placed upon the unit. At the same time size and operator compatibility and uniformed visual appearance are also key factors in determining the armament within the Tigers. Armament is primarily divided into main groups, which we will look at later on. Allowed armament is all the armament found in the list. Denote "MANDATORY" at each category indicates, that every member must posses such a weapon. Denote "OPTIONAL" indicates that the choice to use and obtain such a weapon are left to team members discretion.

MAGAZINE CAPACITY

Only standard capacity magazines, LowCap, RealCap and MidCap magazines is allowed our Mil-Sim skirmishing. HiCap magazines are allowed for replicas that in real life situations use higher capacity magazines, such as crew served weapons/squad automatic weapons.

UPGRADES LIMITATION

Replicas are divided into groups, according to their size, original weapon caliber (which the replica emulates) and the purpose of the replica. All limitations are set as a reference for test firing for the purpose of determining muzzle velocity or projectile power with a 0,20g BB at the replica muzzle. Allowed deviation is +-10 FPS.

Pistols
Typical representative: Glock 17, Beretta M92, Sig P226

Maximum muzzle velocity : 350 FPS

Minimum safety distance: 2 m

Mode of operation: Semi-Auto

SMGs

Typical representative: MP5 variations, P90 variations

Maximum muzzle velocity : 350 fps

Minimum safety distance: 5 m

Mode of operation: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

Assault Carbines/Assault Rifles
Typical representative: AK variations, M16 variations, G36 variations
Maximum muzzle velocity : 400 fps
Minimum safety distance: 10 m
Mode of operation: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

Squad Automatic Weapons

Typical representative: M60 variations, M249 variations, MG36,

Maximum muzzle velocity : 450 fps

Minimum safety distance: 15 m

Mode of operation: Full-Auto Only

* SAWs must have a bipod

Squad Advanced/Designated Marksman Rifle

Typical representative: SPR, SAM-R, MSG90, SR-25, SL8, SL9,

Maximum muzzle velocity : 450 fps

Minimum safety distance: 15 m

Mode of operation: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

*Minimum length of the weapon must not be less than 80cm

*Must use optical sight of no less than 2x power

Bot action/Manually operated rifles

Typical representative: M40A1, SSG, L96, M700

Maximum muzzle velocity : 500 fps

Minimum safety distance: 30 m

*Minimum length of the weapon must not be less than 80cm

*Must use optical sight of no less than 3x power

Testing is performed with using 0.20g BB's, hop-up is set to optimum setting, not necessary to be unwind, testing is done with 10 shots fired on semi-automatic fire. Maximum allowed discrepancy is set to 5% to compensate for air humidity and temperature!

All replicas that exceed the factor of 350 FPS must NOT be used in night skirmishes and /or inside buildings and confined spaces (CQB).

For skirmishes performed within confined spaces and inside builldings minimum engagement distance is lowered to 3 metres!

ALL replicas must employ the minimum engagement distance set for their type. Meaning, that engaging of targets within the safety area, which is designated by the semi-diameter of the minimum engagement distance set for their class is strictly PROHIBITED!

INTERACTION

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PHYSICAL CONTACT

Physical contact between opponents is NOT allowed, unless skirmish scenario demands so. Another exception is the case of aiding first aid, helping a player out in the field (climbing out of a hole for instance, tackling obstacles) All disputes are resolved with three parties involved, the both parties disputing and the skirmish organizer. Physical contact is allowed when executing SILENT KILL!

VERBAL CONTACT

Verbal contact is not allowed unless the skirmish scenario demands so. There will be no dispute resolving on the skirmishing site, all disputes will be dealt with after the skirmish, if they were reported to the organizers (...through radio connection, or in person, as long as that does not interfere with the game play) All disputes are resolved with three parties involved, the both parties disputing and the skirmish organizer. Verbal contact is allowed when conducting password challenge in order to identify friendly or foe forces.

PRISONERS

There are prisoners of any kind in Mil-Sim skirmishing. There are prisoners, there are surrenders

SEARCHING THE DEAD

The dead, eliminated players are never searched, ever. Never are their belongings, kit, gear or weapons taken away from them, unless stated by the current scenario.

GENERAL RULES

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SAFETY RULES

No Real Firearms are allowed to be carried by any Red Tigers team members during a game
No players are allowed if under the influence of Drugs or Alcohol. Leave your bad habits out of the field
No goggles, no play. Eye protection can be either shooting ballistic glasses or goggles according to the operator’s liking and it is to meet ANSI 87.1 Standards
Never take off your eye/ face protection
A player must be at least 22 years of age before joining the Tigers.
Consider every gun loaded
Never point the gun to anybody/ anything you do not intend to shoot
Keep your finger off the trigger until you fire
Be sure of your target and what is around it
Mags out and Fingers off the triggers in the Safe Zone.

CIVILIANS AND ANIMALS

Do not endanger the animals, do not shoot at them, do not chase them, do not destroy their habitat. Keep in mind, that it is us who have the permission to use their territories and not the other way around. If a civilian enters the skirmishing site, stop the game at once. Clearly announce that a civilian has entered the site. Explain to the civilian what is taking place here and kindly ask them to leave.

DISTINGUISHING OPPOSING FORCES

Markings

In Mil-Sim skirmishes realistic look is highly regarded, therefore distinguishing friend from foe is done as in real life situations. Visually by recognizing uniforms and insignia. Verbally by password challenge. All this contributes to the real life situations of combat, known as "Fog of War". Additionally if the game rules state so, Red/Blue coloured arm bands can be used.

Medics and non combatants

The medic should be marked by a subdued medics cross anywhere on the uniform. Non combatants are defined by wearing civilian clothing and are unarmed. Armed personnel in civilian clothes are NOT considered non combatants. Also, personnel wearing clearly identifiable clothing such as PRESS marked personnel are considered non combatants, white robe can also be used for a civilian medic’s role. Eliminated, dead skirmisher are also considered non combatants, as long as they can identify themselves as such, by wearing a white sock on the weapons muzzle and/or a white cap/scarf on their head. Firing at non combatants should be avoided.

Vehicles

Just like non combatants must be marked, all non combat vehicles are to be properly marked. These vehicles are not to be fired upon under any circumstances and are not to be used as shield, cover or protection at any time, due to the risk of damage to the vehicle.

SPECIAL FUNCTIONS

Special functions within teams and units cover functions such as medics, designated marksmen, crew served weapons operators, radio operators. As such their roles are to be limited in quantity to a certain size of the team. A unit of 6 players can have one designated marksman, one squad automatic weapon and one medic. The previously stated specialty functions are essential to the team or unit in the field, thus making them a valuable asset. Therefore the minimum size of the team to have all three special functions is 6. In order to increase any of the specialty functions, team must either increase the team size or forgone certain specialty functions in favor of gaining another, for instance, you forgone the marksman to add another medic or saw gunner.

HITS

A player is considered hit, eliminated when following criteria is met:

A direct hit to any part of the player’s body.

A direct hit to any part of the kit or gear that is worn or it is attached to the player.

A direct hit to any part of the player’s armament/weapon.

According to specific game rules a hit to the player’s armament/weapon can be considered as a “dead weapon” that can’t be used by the owner or any other player for that matter.

The hit or the elimination is valid no matter from whom the player was eliminated, either by friend or foe, the following rule applies: Friendly fire kills just as effectively as enemy fire! A hit is not valid if it was a ricochet from the wall, branch, other player, his/her gear, weapon. In case of hi and thus elimination, the player loudly declares this by saying HIT, DEAD raises his arms above his head, raises his weapon high and/or covers his head with a white scarf. Depending on the rules of engagement, the script of the skirmish, he then either moves to the predetermined respawn site or calls for the medic to come and revive him. The hit is not valid if the hit was reported on to any gear that was not attached to the players body, for instance, if the player is using his rucksack as a support, a rest for shooting his rifle and the rucksack is hit.

MEDICS, REVIVAL OF PLAYERS/RESPAWN

Medics have in their role the capability to revive/respawn an eliminated player. The respawn rules are pre determined in the skirmish scenario and the medic must be fully briefed on these rules in order to apply them properly. The medic is allowed to use his/her weapon during respawning in order to get to the eliminated player or to shield/protect the player. The choice of weapons used is left up to the medic. It is recommended that the eliminated players are not to be fired upon, it does not matter if they have been respawned and their respawn time is running or not. However they are not strictly excluded as legitimate targets. In this case, their respawn time is reset. The dead and the respawning players are not allowed to use their weapons, command, issue orders, convey orders, relay information of the enemy. They can move with the unit, look for cover. After their respawn time is up, they return to the game.

HITS OF PLAYERS WEARING BODY ARMOR OR ARMOR PLATES

Players who during the skirmish wear bullet proof vests or their replicas with added armor plates or their replicas have a 50% shorter respawn time. In case there is no respawn time, they upon being eliminated move to the medic who respawns them.

Rules for bullet proof vests and plate carriers are as follows:

Rule 1: Level of protection II ensures 50% decrease in respawn time.

Rule 2: A vest in order to achieve a level II protection must use armor plates.

Rule 3: Plate carrier when armor plates are inserted offer level III protection.

Rule 4: Armor plates must either be 100% rigid, no twisting or flexing allowed.

Rule 5: If armor plates are not rigid, they must weigh a minimum of 2 Kg.

These rules are not strict. It’s just an example of the inside rules of the team. They can be alternated to match those of the game.

NON FIRING OPPONENT ELIMINATION

In airsoft skirmishes, there are situations where use of airsoft replicas is not appropriate in order to eliminate the opponent. This is either due to safety issues, where the minimum safety engagement distance is not achieved or where firing the weapon would reveal our position to the enemy. There are two options on how to achieve a non firing opponent elimination:

Verbal elimination

This option is used when the opponents meet; unintentionally well below the safety minimum engagement distance and firing their replicas could lead to injury. The main criteria for such a elimination is, that the player who wishes to use this elimination must have a working, loaded and unlocked replica, aimed at the opponent. Upon this, we clearly state to the opponent: YOU ARE DEAD! In case the opponent does not comply with your demand, you may fire a shot to the most protected part of his body. If we want to do this to a larger group of opponents, we must do this one by one, to each opponent separately. No group verbal eliminations are allowed. This kind of elimination is possible only if you have achieved the element of the surprise towards the opponent. If both opponents are found in a stall mate, bot acknowledge they are dead, and retreat each 5 meters in the opposite direction to resolve the situation.

Silent Kill

Silent Kill option can be used whenever we are in a position to engage the enemy from a concealed position that is well below the minimum engagement safety distance. This option is used if we would by using replica fire cause unnecessary pain, harm to the opponent and or reveal our position. The use of silent kill option is employed by virtually sneaking behind the opponent and tapping the opponents back or shoulder, preferably whispering to him or her: SILENT KILL. At this point, the opponent must not in any way indicate that they have been eliminated, must not reveal their position, must not leave the spot where they have been eliminated. They must comply with these instructions for 5 minutes. After this time period, they can either go to the respawn point or look up the medic. But the eliminated opponent must not report about the enemy movement, position or anything else he or she might have observed regarding the opposition.

OVERPOWERING FIXED INSTALLATIONS

This part of the rules regulates on how to skirmish within command posts, bases, camps. Primarily these rules are looking at the safety aspect of fighting within fixed installations since other personnel than field troops are located there. Assaults and overpowering of fixed installations in airsoft means dealing with situations where skirmishing is conducted in areas where for instance during events players rest, recuperate, eat, where command posts are located. Such installations are off limits to skirmishes, meaning that no skirmishing is to take place in such areas.

RECRUITING REQUIREMENTS

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To become a Red Tigers team member someone should be able to match the following prerequisites:

• Minimum Age: 22

• Enthusiasm/Understanding for MilSim

• Team spirit

• Ability to integrate into hierarchies

• The will to learn

• High apprehension

• Willpower

• Self-Discipline

• A level of Physical fitness

• Willing to spend time and most probably money