TokyoHobby updates: Miki Nakamura of TokyoHobby has sent in some updates from their online store, and two news articles which follow on. Here's the latest from TokyoHobby themselves:

"We are now accepting PayPal and International Money Order payments. No additional fees are charged for the PayPal. International Money Order handling surcharge is 1,500 JPY. E-scrow does not accept airsoft replica orders anymore as per their statement.

Now available:
Tanaka Mauser Kar98k 52,200 JPY (277 GBB)
Hudson M3A1 Grease Gun 15,800 JPY (84 GBB)
Tokyo Marui Pro Silencer 4,125 JPY (22 GBB)
Tokyo Marui AK 250 BB mg 2,925 JPY (15,5 GBB)
TOP M249 video (in English) TBA - TOP has released a professional video about their M249 and this time in English for the foreign customers. This video features some great footage of the M249 and it's performance

Coming soon (re-stock):
Tokyo Marui Beita Spetsnaz 20,860 JPY (111 GBB)

Pre-order offer (releasing on April):
TOP M249 SAW 98,000 JPY (520 GBB) (733 USD)"

New Airsoft website: LEKA is a new Finnish Airsoft website run by Valtteri Jaakonpoika, that aims to 'become the best in the world'. It's in Finnish, but that's not a huge problem as there are plenty of translation engines out there, to make it perfectly readable in most western languages. It's just started so give it time, but from the current design and content it looks very promising.

Capital Thunder 2: LT Poncho has emailed in some news about their own huge event to be held in Canada, Capital Thunder 2. CT2 will be held on the 17th and 18th of AUG 2002. So are you looking for sand, sun and hailing BBs? Well look no further:

"..Site is up, finally. I feel there is sufficient information here to allow for most of you to get an idea of the game, and a lot more stuff is currently under revision. Check back here for updates to the sections that have been revised and added to. It's almost ironic how we enjoyed an Airsoft game in the snow covered RIGAUD field with the PQAC and yet here we are preparing for hot, humid, Desert Like conditions. Got to love the East Coast for that, best (and worst) of all temperatures..."

Airsoft Armouries sniper special: J.Kilvington of Airsoft Armouries has sent news of his APS Special. So what do you get for your money? Well the following bits and bobs actually:

Maruzen APS 2 SV P.D.I Vacuum Piston V3 P.D.I Adjustable Hop-Up Chamber P.D.I Steel Spring Guide P.D.I Steel Cylinder P.D.I Handle boss P.D.I Taper Cylinder Head

First Factory Bolt Handle for APS2 ( Right Hand ) First Factory - PSS2 150 Spring for APS2 First Factory - Zero Trigger set for APS2 ( Quick Cylinder Mechanism ) KM TN barrel Tasco 3-9x50mm Scope Hi-mount Rings Labour ALL included

"This replica will have a muzzle energy of ~2.31J (~500fps/0.2g) and with the adjustable hop up, you can use 0.36g or 0.43g BB's with no problem at all. The total cost is £515 incl P&P." - J.K.

New Maruzen bits a coming pa! Not that new on the Airsoft internet news circles, but definately worth mentioning again. Found in Maruzen's 2002 catalog, there is information regarding their new products that are in development:

• MP5K PDW GBB
• 1911 Government Full auto GBB
• M16(M4A1) GBB Coming soon.
• Maruzen Scorpion Coming soon.
• NBB P99
• NBB USP Standard
• NBB Government
• 100% reliable from Maruzen.
  

This news was kindly sent in by Just Handguns aka Colin

Airsoft Canada updates: There's a new review up at Airsoft Canada. This gorgeous review was written by Brian aka Ghost. Here's what Primus had to say:

"...Do we have a killer review for you guys. Thanks to Brian aka Ghost we have an awesome review/upgrade guide if you will for the Sun Project M40A1. Brian really put a lot of effort in this and it shows. We are talking 4 pages of nothing but M40A1 goodness, he talks about it all from the box the gun came in to how to create your very own adjustable hop up unit for the gun. There are plenty of pictures so be warned the pages may take a bit to load up..."

Beretta M8045 review? Here's the start of the reviews that we've been working on. To start the weekend off with we have Pedro's review of the WA M8045 Cougar-f. Pedro loves this replica, and we can see why. This pistol may not be one of WA's newest releases, but as a wise man once said "to expect a person to order poison in a bar is illogical". For those of you, including me, that have no idea what I'm on about here's what Pedro had to say:

"...First impressions of this airsoft gun are very, very good. It looks like metal, the slide and frame are made of plastic but the finish is such that it takes more than a casual glance to determine it’s not metal. Top marks to WA for this as many good quality gbb guns can look a bit ‘plasticky’. The box that the gun comes in clearly states that the Beretta trademarks are under license and the markings on the gun look pretty authentic...."

Updates? Yup sorry folks, things have been more than a little busy here. We have a whole bunch of new reviews that we will get online sometime tomorrow, in the meantime here's a couple of videos we've produced for one of the new reviews we're working on. Are you looking for a(nother) reason to buy a new Tanaka revolver? Well you could do worse than to checkout our 'homebrew' videos of the Tanaka M629 6.5 inch.

Safety demonstration ~1Mb	Double action demonstration ~500kb

New releases and piccies at Sanko: Darren has sent in some more gorgeous photos and imagery from Sanko in Japan. Be sure to check them out!

Included in the selction are images of Sanko's own custom brass slide for the SV range (seen to the left), as well as images of the latest and greatest from the Tanaka revolver range, "Slow down there pilgrim...".

Oh.. and anyone interested in the Digicon 'Thompson Contender' might like the images of a very special custom version that Fred himself put together.

WGC Shop updates: We've been sent some new stock updates from WGC (Wargamer's Shop). Of interest here are the new GB-Tech, GuayGuay and Guarder parts:
GB-Tech M4 Talon SD Set USD102
ICS Tactical Handguard Rail Set for MP5 USD64
G&G RIS for G3 USD182
Metal Slide & Outer Barrel for KSC G19 USD65
Plastic Pistol Stand USD13
First Factory Carbon Silencer ( 14mm Anti-Clockwise or Clockwise ) USD123.5
ICS 5 Forks Flash Hider for MP5A4/A5 ( With Adapter ) USD28
KM 330mm Outer Barrel for APS2 / SV USD65
First Factory Aero Outer Barrel for APS2 OR ( 736mm ) USD138
First Factory Aero Outer Barrel for APS2 SV / MKII ( 594mm ) USD130
Guarder Optic Mount for KSC Glock Series USD60 ( 6 Types )
ICS Tactrial Mount Base ( Hi-Low Mount ) USD55
ICS Tactical Mount Base ( Extend Hi Mount ) USD25
ICS Tactical Mount Base ( Low Mount ) USD36
Scope Mount Base for AK Series USD42
Eagle Force Hammer 1100L Motor w / 4 Ball Bearing USD43
Systema Motors USD36.5-49.5

AOS updates: Magnus Olsson (of AOS) wrote in to update us with the news that AOS (Ace of Spades) have a new review up of the WA Prokiller Mark II SV F6. It's long, well written and well worth a read. Do go and check it out:

"...I've never been a fan of full-auto pistols. The KSC Glock 18 suffered from cooldown, which felt like som sort of anti-climax when trying to empty a whole magazine just to hear and feel the blowback slow-down and almost not being able to shoot the last 5 bullets due to the increasing cooldown. The earlier SVF versions (3.9" and 5") just didn't feel right either. They didn't suffer from the cooldown effect, but i guess that they were too light for me, and the full-auto option didn't impress me. I cannot point out exactly why... but nevertheless... I didn't like them..."

Guarder M249 Phase1 updates: Richard Chou has sent in some more news about Guarder's new TOP M249 parts set. Here's what Richard had to say:

"...This is the first step in our project. It includes a heavy Steel Outer Barrel and a Metal Feed Tray Cover.

The Steel Outer Barrel is composed of four individual parts: flash hider, barrel(front section), barrel(rear section) and barrel base. The four parts are joined by standard 14mm counter-clockwise thread, which means two things.

First, you may put the M16A2 'bird cage' type flash hider on it, just like the real steel FN M249 can. Second, since the front section is removable like our M4 Standard/SMG Outer Barrel, we'll definitely produce various front sections for it soon. For example: the SPW type, MK46 mod 0 type...etc. You may change its appearance to whatever you want! Besides, the steel material also makes it heavy, uh... REALLY heavy!

The four parts weigh about one thousand grams. After you have attached the inner barrel, carry handle and front sight to it, the complete barrel weighs in at about 1500 grams, which is almost the same as the FN real steel's weight of 1700 grams!

The Metal Feed Tray Cover is made of 6061 aluminum-alloy. Of course it is a standard type Minimi feed tray cover. However, Guarder/IntruderShop will never forget there is also a RAILED type feed tray cover!

You might also noticed that there are many 'missing parts' in the last two pictures (including the gearbox). The 'missing parts' represents the fact that they are 'in production'. Of course, they will be fully enhanced and improved.

The main goal of UUP is to make FN M249 'rigid' and 'flexible'. Every components we made must be extremely rigid. Besides, we also put emphasis on surface finish / texture. We also make our components flexible, which means you could easily change it appearance / looking..."

ArniesAirsoft goes chinese: Well kinda :) - Richard Chou over at Guarder has kindly translated our in-house review of the Large Tactical Handguard (LTH) into Chinese for us, and is hosting it on their website. Not of great interest unless you can speak Chinese, but we were so happy and 'chuffed' with the work Richard had done, we thought it deserved a post here to say thankyou!

Hudson M3A1 Grease Gun review: Well it just goes to show that there's no such thing as a 'slow weekend' here. We are incredibly proud to bring you this wonderful new review, courtesy of Yosuke Moteki and Darren-Jon Ashmore of Hudson's new M3A1 Grease Gun replica. Here's what our loveable 'softing gurus had to say:

"...Fundamentally, this gun looks like a pile of something smelly, handles like a Lada, requires more finishing, out of the box than Eliza Doolittle, and could loosen fillings through recoil vibration. As such it is an almost perfect representation of the original M3A1. A good deal of speculation already surrounds this gun, considering the rather iffy reputation of the parent company... (mag leaks) ...when it comes to gas guns, however I don’t think that it quite lives down some of the slating that the locals here have been doling out in fearful anticipation..."

AirsoftNetwork updates:

• Bergman MP18 and M79 From C.A.W.
• Integrated P90 Silencer/Laser
• New Gun From KSC
• Phase 1 of TOP M249 Upgrades revealed by Guarder
• TM Tracer Unit Review Posted
• Maruzen MP5 Kurz Review
• Ski Goggles For Airsoft? Uh... No

RedWolf updates: Here's the latest from the guys at RedWolf. As a brief note the deadline for their special holiday packages is the 15th of January so do get in quick if you want to take advantage of these. In other news, as with all other HK retailers, RW have ceased the use of the financial transaction service offered by 'Tradenable'.

Of huge interest (to me at least) RW have also run off a gorgeous review of the Tanaka 8inch Magnum revolver, do check this one out. We rant and rave until we're blue in the face about the new Tanaka range here, so if you want to find out why we love them so much, be sure to read RW's opinion on the matter:

"...Tanaka Works of Japan has faithfully reproduced this legendary revolver in the form of an 8" Model 29 - a hand-cannon of pistols. Designated on the thick diameter barrel as the 'Magnum 44' on the right side, and 'Smith & Wesson' on the left side, this pistol is true to form. Only when you rotate out the cylinder do you see 'Mod. 29' emblazoned on the inside of the cylinder housing. Sporting a revolutionary design, Tanaka’s revolvers are capable of channeling gas power effectively to generate very useable firepower. Additionally, Tanaka’s M29 can hold 14 rounds – 8 more than the real-steel 44 Magnum!..."

New TOP AEGs: Miki Nakamura of TokyoHobby has sent in some breaking news straight from TOP themselves. TOP are now in a race to develop both the first production Barret M82A1 and the Galil ARM (Assault Rifle Machinegun) AEGs. Here's what Miki had to say:

"...TOP is going to produce the GALIL ARM as an electric gun. The release date is set to around Christmas 2002.

TOP is also going to be coming out with a BARRET M82A1 and has discussed with us some of their plans regarding it. What is extremely interesting is that it's going to be electric. This is a huge project for TOP, which means that you will again see another high quality product from them.

In Japan the race to produce M82A1 has begun and we will see soon see who are going to be the top players in it. More details to be released soon.

You can place us additional inquiry requests for the Galil at service.tokyohobby@tokyohobby.net with subject header: TOP GALIL ARM or for the Barrett at service.tokyohobby@tokyohobby.net with subject header: TOP BARRET M82A1..."

This is purely honest speculation on our part: Given the close relationship between TM and TOP, and TOP's relatively recent interest in creating skirmish equipment, (rather than collectors pieces) it seems highly likely that the new Galil will use TM AK style internal parts, and will be compatible with TM hi-caps. As for the new Barret, the only item remotely similar (internally) is the TM PSG1, so there may well be internal similarities there, it does seem highly unlikely that TOP will try to reinvent the wheel, as it were, as far as the gearboxes are concerned.

You can expect the price of the TOP Barret to be similar to that of the TOP M249 (around 1000UKP/200,000Yen/1500USD), and the TOP Galil to be around 1/2 to 2/3 of Barret's price.

Tanaka Mauser KAR 98K: Spotted by DolphiNCommand over at the FirstFactory website, you can now find there the newly launched Tanaka (Shelf Mosquito) KAR 98k. This is a gas operated replica and is a faithfull reproduction of the German WWII rifle. The replica is made with an abundance of metal parts and a detail level that has rarely been seen before.

The weight is close to 4Kg, so it's no light weight, it uses the PEGASUS gas system, and at the price of 58000Yen/330UKP (Ouch!), it most probably comes with a real-steel KAR 98K woodstock. The rifle has a listed capacity of several dozen shots (24 BBs?).

Corrections: It seems that we weren't 100% correct with the article covering the new custom rifle from SystemA. We've added the corrections that we've received to the article, but kept it up online as it's still worth reading. Apparently it seems that Systema.dk aren't who they seem to be. Well there's nothing wrong with a correction or two is there?

DolphiNs website updated: Herman has updated and moved the DolphiN team website to a new URL, bringing the DolphiN's website back online to a newer and advert free website, after XOOM's demise.

Incase you hadn't spotted a lot of the site members here are members of the DolphiNs and as such, we are effectively affiliated with the team website. Well happy reading folks. :)

Source: TokyoModelCo.

The first item that came to light is the 'MOKEI' G3 5000rd box-magazine. No price is given, but expect a price of around 150USD.

Unlike your normal box mag, this magazine has a large pyrimidal affair that comes up to cover the shell ejection port on the G3 receiver, presumably to look like a spent shell catcher of sorts. It sure looks good, but it's worth noting that it may well hinder access to the G3's hop-up cover.

Marushin are also launching the Winchester Model 1892MAXI 'Randall Custom'. Given the well documented issues surrounding the standard Model 1892 (as documented by Ken aka 888), any purchase of this model should be put off until the faults have been certified as fixed - unless you're just a collector of large paperweights that is. RRP is listed as 29,800 Yen (156UKP/225USD), the length and weight are given as 500 mm and 1850g.

If you get one that's flawless, the power is impressive as it uses the MAXI gas system. The 'Randall Custom' is apparently inspired by a TV drama, off the top of my head I don't know which (I would guess at Renegade). If you know - please do tell us.

CL.com news#2: Colin (aka JustHandguns) has sent in some more news about Clarence Lai's new website www.clarencelai.com. Here's an excerpt that Colin sent in translated from CL's website:

"...Clarence Lai has been in the Airsoft industry in HK for over ten years. He is also one of the few gunsmiths and local airsoft IPSC organiser in the early 90s'.

Not only an excellent gunsmith himself, he is a very good IPSC shooter as well. His 'CL custom' guns are both good in look and performance. A few years ago, his 'Smoking Hole' custom IPSC gun had become so famous that even the real steel 'Smoking Hole' gunsmith called him in person to talk about it.

Now his 'CL Custom' is so well-known that he is now starting to customising his own guns full-time...."

SAS online! The website for Special Airsoft Supplies (SAS) is now online, and Mark has some new offers for January.

• Offer 1: Buy any AEG and get a bag of 3700BBs, Battery and a charger for £25.
• Offer 2: Have a new Hummer 1100 motor fitted AND tune your replica to 328fps for £55
• Offer 3: Order more than 2x 8.4v 1700mah batteries and get them for £11.50 each.

SAS have two new new e-mail addresses, customer's can now email mark@specialairsoftsupplies.co.uk for technical enquiries and sales@specialairsoftsupplies.co.uk for sales enquiries. SAS's website is now being regularly updated too, so keep an eye on that one.

Enter our website quiz/competition!
Our 1st Anniversary Competition is now online, the prize draw will be held later on in about a month (Jan '02).

For postal reasons and simply to keep people's lives easy, we'll sort out the winners in the New Year. The closing date for applicants and the prize draw date will be announced both here and on the competition page when a specific date has been decided upon.

Many thanks to Matt Lutynski (aka Sniper) Tom Andrews of Elite Action Games, Jono of PhoenixAirsoft, AirsoftDynamics and WolfArmouries for their generous prize donations.

New articles in from DolphiNCommand: Well it's another day, and we have some more updates to bestow upon you. DolphiNCommand has sent in an update to our ongoing MGS2/Spetznaz article, and some news about a new custom rifle from SystemA.

Please do be warned, the article covering the Spetznaz, does contain a MGS:2 spoiler, so please don't say we didn't warn you.

You may be wondering what the large guy with that magnificent 'BB cannon' on the right is.. well read on.

Happy 2002! Well welcome to the first 'palindromic' year since 1991 :) (notloB?)... sorry I know that might be a bit too much of a brain exercise after the New Year and Christmas merriment. So what's new for '02?

Well it's as it's the New Year, and we've started a new section here. Simply because of the amount of work we've been getting from various sources, we've expanded the news section to accomodate some of the larger articles. We are still keeping the latest news here, we'll just put the longer parts of long news posts on a separate page of news articles.

Well to kick things off, DolphiNCommand has sent in two new articles, click on either of the following snippets to read the full articles.

Classic Airsoft written by DolphiNCommand - Wednesday, January 2, 2002
Elderly Airsoft equipment seems to be forgotten by some folks, well Sparky hasn't. Read More...

"...Another holiday season special! Sparkys Classic Airsoft is a US Airsoft enthusiast who has decided to share his love for the older classic airsoft guns with us. Classic Airsoft guns are those that came before Tokyo Marui released their Hop-up range of AEG's. As such, they can be over 10 years old or more! Companies such as JAC, FTC, Asahi, MGC, Kokusai ruled the roost, sadly many of these companies only exist in reduced forms now :( Or they went out of business. However, Sparky keeps their legacy alive. offering some stunning bits of kit that most airsofter will have never seen..."

New Guarder releases: "...5 Gold Rings, 4 G26 mounts, 3 French Hens.." Richard Chou over at Guarder has sent over their latest news of the release of their Optical Device Mount for TM G26/KJW 27. This new product is sure to be of interest to you G26/7 owners out there:

"...we have just released our latest product - The Optical Device Mount for TM G26/KJW 27. We believe it's definitely the first mount for G26/27 in the world. The fastening mechanism is a whole new idea and which works incredibly well.

Now, the owners of TM G26 or KJW G27 could finally fit various optical devices on them! =) This time, we produced two different types and each has comes either in black(matte) or silver(matte)...."

New M249 article from LT Mac: LT has sent in a nice article, covering some of his trials and tribulations with the new TOP M249. LT deals with three main issues, and the magnificent custom box-mag is of great interest. Here's what LT had to say:

"...As most of the Airsoft world knows the long awaited TOP FN249 was released late last month to mixed reviews. While an in-depth review of the depth and scope of the positive and negative elements of this electric gun is beyond the scope of this article three issues are examined: The bipod, battery, and ammunition feeding."