In this issue

It’s been a GREAT month at AAHQ, and motivation is high as we come out of the annual, international PLAYERS CHOICE AWARDS having regained the title for BEST MAGAZINE PRINT OR DIGITAL in 2024, and we’d firstly like to thank everyone that voted for us!
As you may understand we’re therefore very excited to bring you our first issue post-award, and what a mix of airsoft loveliness we have for you this month! We kick off as Stewbacca looks at our cover model this time, the new T91 GBBR from VFC, and what a banger this looks to be!
Talking of bangs, Bill follows up as he gets hands on the APS “STREET SWEEPER” from APS, before coming back to check out the newest “L119A2”
replica, this time from DOUBLE BELL.
We kick into our GEAR section as AA veteran Andy N puts the case for Holo Sights in airsoft, followed by the AA Crew looking at another “old campaigner”, the US Desert Combat Uniform (DCU). Bill and Jase continue the “optics theme” with a report following their meeting with the Sightmark guys at IWA.
And we also continue our show coverage as Boycie and L’il Stu report in on TWO UK events, the British Shooting Show and the launch of Novritsch products at Patrolbase! We then head back to Taiwan as Stewbacca tells us all about how airsoft is featured in Civil Defence Training there.
Rounding out we have our RED CELL update, this month on the first half of the 1911 models, with FIFTEEN models featured as Bill and Jimmy update this category. To finish up, Bill returns to one of his favourite AR platforms to see how the DELTA ARMORY Mk18 is getting on after some hard use and abuse!
So, reports, reviews, articles, and a big old dose of airsoft opinion from an experienced, award winning team that’s FREE to read… What’s not to love!

SETTING THE SCENE: SETS AND PROPS

WITH THE FIRST “OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT” OF HIS MISSILE LAUNCH SYSTEM NOW WELL AND TRULY UNDER HIS BELT, JAMES TURNS TO THE MORE GENERALISED USE OF “SET AND PROPS”. THIS IS WHERE IMAGINATION MEETS REALITY, AS HE EMBARKS ON A NEW SERIES OF ARTICLES INVESTIGATING HOW THE CORRECT USE OF “SCENE SETTING” CAN TURN A GOOD AIRSOFT GAME INTO AN AWESOME ONE!

3 mins

PRACTICAL MAGIC

IN THE FIRST PART OF YET ANOTHER NEW SERIES, JON “POSH” MILLS HAS STARTED HIS JOURNEY INTO ALL THINGS “PRACTICAL” AS HE DOCUMENTS HIS FIRST STEPS INTO A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF AIRSOFT AND, ALONG WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE AA CREW, TAKES A STEP BACK TO “PROJECT PRECISION” AND SEES HOW TRUE “AIRSOFT MULTIGUN” IS BEING LOOKED AT WITH FRESH EYES!

9 mins

THE CAGE: GLOVES

AS WITH EVERY INSTALMENT OF THE CAGE, WE’RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR GOOD KIT; NOT SIMPLY GEAR THAT’S 100% FIT FOR PURPOSE BUT EQUIPMENT THAT’S GOING TO GIVE YOU GOOD SERVICE AND GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY! THIS TIME THE AA LEGION TAKE A LOOK AT GLOVES, WHAT THEY’VE WORN IN THE PAST AND WHAT THEY’RE WEARING NOW, SO YOU CAN REALLY GET “HANDS ON” IN ANY SITUATION! AS USUAL, BILL LEADS OFF…

10 mins

DIRECT ACTION: 2021 UPDATES!

ACTION IN POLAND. AS ALWAYS THOUGH, BILL HAS BEEN KEEPING A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THEIR LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND INNOVATIONS FOR THE TRUE TACTICAL USER! WITH SOME GREAT NEW MODELS AVAILABLE HE BRINGS IN AN UPDATE OF KIT THAT HE’S ALREADY TRIED AND TESTED EXTENSIVELY!

8 mins

VORSK: DIARY UPDATE

SINCE THE “VORSK PROJECT” STARTED, BILL HAS BEEN KEEPING DETAILED NOTES AND A RUNNING TALLY ON THE EXISTING MODELS TO SEE HOW THEY PERFORM OVER TIME AND ALTHOUGH SOME STILL HAVEN’T YET SEEN A GAME DUE TO THE RESTRICTIONS WE HAVE ALL FACED, HE CONTINUES TO GIVE ALL THE MODELS, INCLUDING THE LATEST RELEASES, A VERY HARD TIME ON THE RANGE IN HIS WEEKLY SESSIONS!

7 mins

OPFOR OPERATOR

DURING HIS TIME PLAYING AIRSOFT, BILL HAS FOUND HIMSELF ON ALL MANNER OF TEAMS AND EVERY SINGLE ONE HAS HAD ITS OWN PARTICULAR PLUS AND MINUS POINTS, BUT HE DOES SAY THAT IT HASBEEN THE TIME THAT HE’S SPENT PLAYING OPPOSING FORCE, OR OPFOR, WHERE HE’S ENJOYED HIMSELF THE MOST. FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, HE FINALLY STARTS TO LOOK AT OPFOR “MAIN FORCE”!

10 mins

THE NEED FOR SPEED: PART I

ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT SEEM THAT WE ARE ALL CONSTANTLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE “LATEST AND BESTEST” INNOVATIONS THAT WILL MAKE OUR AEGS AND GBBS UTTER DEVASTATORS AND BRINGERS OF DOOM, IN PART 1 OF A TWO-PART FEATURE, BOYCIE TAKES A LOOK BACK AT WHERE WE’VE COME FROM AND HOW WE CAN USE THE SIMPLEST OF “FIXES” TO OUR BEST ADVANTAGE!

7 mins

RELOADED CZECH MATE

AA’S “MAN IN TAIWAN”, STEWBACCA, TAKES A LOOK BACK AT HOW AND WHY HE ENDED UP USING A KJ WORKS CZ75 SHADOW 2 FOR HIS ACTION AIR EXPLOITS.

9 mins

SOMETIMES SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

FRENCHIE HAS WRITTEN ABOUT MULTITOOLS ON MORE THAN A FEW OCCASIONS IN AIRSOFT ACTION AND THIS MONTH HE’S GOING TO ADD TO THAT GROWING PILE, BY TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT ONE OF HIS FAVOURITES.

5 mins

“A SHOOTER NEEDS ONLY ONE RIFLE!” ...SAID NO AIRSOFTER …EVER!

NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF PLATFORM IT IS, ALL OF US AT AIRSOFT ACTION ARE GENUINELY DELIGHTED TO SEE SOMETHING THAT’S JUST A BIT DIFFERENT AND IN A DEPARTURE FROM HIS USUAL PREFERENCE OF AIRSOFT RIFS, BOYCIE TAKES A LONG, HARD LOOK AT THE STEYR SCOUT BOLT ACTION RIFLE THAT’S COME TO MARKET COURTESY OF ACTIONSPORTGAMES (ASG).

8 mins

So You Wanna Shoot Action Air?

Action air is an International Shooting Sport where competitors need both speed and accuracy to succeed. Our “man in Taiwan”, stewbacca, has been shooting Action Air for a while now and here he brings us up to date with what he’s learnt and how well (or otherwise) things have gone.

10+ mins

PETS..? IN AIRSOFT..??

OVER MANY YEARS (DECADES?) OF WRITING ABOUT AIRSOFT, FRENCHIE HAS COVERED NUMEROUS TOPICS AND SUBJECTS BUT MAYBE NONE QUITE SO ESOTERIC AS THIS ONE, AS HE RUMINATES, COGITATES AND REFLECTS ON THE SUBJECT OF PETS IN AIRSOFT…

5 mins

NEARLY READY FOR LAUNCH!

AFTER SOME FRUSTRATION WITH PARTS ORDERED ONLINE JAMES HAS BEEN HARD AT WORK GETTING HIS FULL “LAUNCH AND CONTROL” SYSTEM TOGETHER, AND WITH “FULL OPERATIONAL READINESS” WITHIN HIS GRASP HE TELLS US HOW THINGS ARE PROGRESSING!

2 mins

RED CELL TACTICAL AUTOMAT KALASHNIKOVA

IN THE LAST ISSUE OF AIRSOFT ACTION RED CELL TOOK A LOOK AT SOME TRULY “KLASSIC KALASHNIKOVS” AND THIS TIME THEY’RE BRINGING IT HOME, AS THEY CHECK OUT SOME OF THEIR FAVOURITE “MODERNISED” VERSIONS TO SEE WHAT MAKES THE PERFORMANCE CUT!

10+ mins

RAPTOR PISTOLET YARYGINA

WHEN IT COMES TO UNIQUE HANDGUNS FOR OPFOR PLAYERS, MODELS THAT ARE BOTH HISTORICALLY ACCURATE BUT ALSO PERFECTLY USABLE IN GAME, IT’S BEEN A BIT LIMITED BUT FINALLY BILL HAS GOT HIS HANDS ON THE RAPTOR GRACH MP-443 GBB AND TAKES A LOOK TO SEE IF IT’S THE PISTOL HE’S BEEN WAITING FOR!

6 mins

WELCOME HOME, AIRSOFT!

THE RETURN OF AIRSOFT IN THE UK HAS REALLY BEEN MET WITH OPEN ARMS, WITH PLAYERS UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY WAITING FOR THE BIG DAY …THEIR FIRST GAME BACK! JIMMY REPORTS BACK ON HIS FIRST “WELCOME HOME” AIRSOFT EXPERIENCE COURTESY OF THE HERESY GROUP!

10 mins

THE CAGE: SHELLING OUT

AS THE AA CREW CONTINUE THEIR QUEST TO BRING YOU THE ULTIMATE CLOTHING AND GEAR SOLUTIONS, THEY TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO “SHELL GARMENTS”; THOSE THAT WILL KEEP YOU PROTECTED FROM THE ELEMENTS WHEN THE WEATHER - AS IT INEVITABLY WILL - TURNS NASTY. BILL SETS THE SCENE…

8 mins

THE AGE OF THE VULTURE

AS HE GETS ON THE RANGE WITH THE NEWEST PISTOL FROM THE EVER-EXPANDING ICS HANDGUN RANGE, IT SEEMS LIKE BILL HAS GONE ALL LYRICAL ON US BUT WILL HE FIND TRUE MENACE LURKING WITH THE BLE “VULTURE”? READ ON TO FIND OUT…

6 mins

DANGER... SNIPER AT WORK!

Over the past few issues I’ve turned my focus onto Bolt Action Spring Rifles, an area that has become of increasing interest to me during the C-Virus lockdown. As I’ve said before, the “bolty” is an airsoft platform that is almost purpose-designed to be enjoyed in isolation and one that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed re-embracing during the latter part of 2020 into 2021.

10 mins

BRINGING OUT THE BIG GUNS

HAVING A MAN ON THE GROUND IN TAIWAN, AIRSOFT ACTION IS ABLE TO BRING YOU REPORTS FROM COMPANIES THAT MAY OTHERWISE GO UNNOTICED INTERNATIONALLY. PENGHU ARMS FACTORY IS ONE SUCH COMPANY AND HAVING DISCOVERED THEM, STEWBACCA SOON MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE COMPANY – AND THE STUNNING AIRSOFT REPLICAS THEY PRODUCE!

9 mins

Rollin' Out Again: A Return To (Airsoft) Arms!

Whilst the c-virus is still very much with us and we must continue to ensure that any airsoft games or events that we attend are fully compliant with national guidelines, the fact is that after many, many months of waiting, games are back on! Bill feeds back from the reports he’s heard on what’s happening in the UK and beyond as airsoft comes back to life…

6 mins

SINGLE SHOT SOLACE!

DURING THE COURSE OF EXTENDED LOCKDOWN AND WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING BECOMING THE “NEW NORMAL”, BILL HAS BEEN SPENDING MORE TIME THAN EVER ON HIS WOODLAND RANGE WITH A NUMBER OF BOLT-ACTION RIFLES THAT ARE SURE TO PROVIDE “DISTANCE” IN THE VERY BEST WAY. THIS MONTH HE TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO THE LATEST BARRETT LICENCED “FIELDCRAFT” MODEL FROM EMG!

9 mins

POSITIVE MUTATION

IN A WORLD OF EVER-CHANGING CHALLENGES IT’S GREAT TO FIND AN AEG THAT LETS US HAVE A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF CHOICE AND, WHEN IT COMES TO TRUE MODULARITY, THE ABILITY TO SET UP A SINGLE AEG FOR DIFFERENT OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS. BILL BELIEVES THE NEW MUTANT SERIES FROM ARES COULD BE THE JUST THE THING WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

8 mins

SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE!

OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS JIMMY HAS BEEN DOING FURTHER FIELD TESTING ON A COUPLE OF OUR LONG TERM TEST RIFLES. IT’S ALWAYS A JOY TO GET OUT THERE WITH SOMETHING NEW AND GUCCI AND PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT AND TO SEE WHERE THEY EXCEL AND WHERE THEY DON’T QUITE CUT THE MUSTARD, SO JIMMY NOW BRINGS US SOME SOLUTIONS!

5 mins

‘AVING IT LARGE!

THE AA CREW ARE ALL ABOUT SOLUTIONS, SO WHEN BILL W-R BEMOANED THE FACT THAT HE WAS HAVING A PROBLEM FINDING DECENT TACTICAL GEAR IN LARGER SIZES, BOYCIE SWUNG INTO ACTION TO TRACK HIM SOME DOWN AND NOW WE HAVE ONE HAPPY AIRSOFTER WITH SOME RIGHTEOUS NEW CLOTHING COURTESY OF 5.11 TACTICAL! BILL (…NO, THE OTHER ONE!) TELLS MORE…

4 mins

THE CAGE: TACTICAL FLEECE

SLOWLY BUT SURELY BUILDING UP INFORMATION THAT CAN BE USED TO CREATE OR ENHANCE YOUR PERSONAL “GEAR LOCKER”, THIS MONTH THE AA CREW TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO A PIECE OF CLOTHING THAT SEEMS TO COME IN AND OUT OF “AIRSOFT FASHION” - BUT ONE THAT IS STILL A KEY PART OF ANY ALL-WEATHER, ALL-CONDITIONS LAYERING SYSTEM - AND THAT IS THE TACTICAL FLEECE!

9 mins

RED CELL CLASSIC AUTOMAT KALASHNIKOVA

IN AN AIRSOFT WORLD DOMINATED BY AR/M4 REPLICAS THIS MONTH RED CELL PUT THEIR FOCUS ON A FAMILY OF FIREARMS THAT RIGHTLY BEARS THE DESCRIPTION “ICONIC” - AND THAT’S THE KALASHNIKOV IN ALL ITS WORKMANLIKE FORMS. THIS MONTH THEY TAKE A LOOK AT “THE CLASSICS” AND BILL SETS THE SCENE…

10+ mins

LESSONS IN LIFE

BEING OF A SLIGHTLY “OLDER GENERATION”, OVER MANY YEARS OF INVOLVEMENT FRENCHIE HAS ACQUIRED A CERTAIN PERSPECTIVE ON THE “GIVENS” TOUTED IN, AROUND AND ABOUT AIRSOFT…

5 mins

M4KING IT REAL!

IN THE WORLD OF AIRSOFT REPLICAS THERE IS ONE MODEL THAT QUITE LITERALLY DOMINATES THE MARKETPLACE GLOBALLY AND THAT’S THE “AR/M4”. VIRTUALLY EVERY AIRSOFT MANUFACTURER ON THE PLANET PRODUCES A REPLICA BASED ON THE CLASSIC CARBINE WHICH QUITE APART FROM BEING THE FIREARM ISSUED TO THE ENTIRE US MILITARY HAS BEEN SOLD IN VAST NUMBERS TO OVER 50 OTHER COUNTRIES! THIS MONTH BILL LOOKS AT A VARIANT THAT’S JUST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT…

10 mins

EVOLUTION M40

PLAYERS OFTEN ASK US EXACTLY HOW WE GO ABOUT TESTING NEW MODELS AND WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON PUTTING EACH AND EVERY TEST RIFLE OR PISTOL THROUGH ITS PACES ON A RANGE AT THE VERY LEAST. DURING THE PAST YEAR OUR RANGES HAVE BECOME HALLOWED PLACES FOR US, AND BILL AND BJORN GOT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER TO TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE NEW M40 FROM EVOLUTION AIRSOFT AND REALLY SEE HOW IT PERFORMS!

8 mins

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Airsoft Action is owned, written, published and run by people passionate about airsoft and has recently been voted "The Best Airsoft Magazine" in the widely-respected Popular Airsoft Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

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