Marlowe
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Posts posted by Marlowe
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Cheers Josh. Felix Jaeger has kindly agreed to allow me to add images and videos that he took to the review, so I've embedded these now - click to play the videos (forum software sadly doesn't allow them to be embedded!).
Most of the pics / vids are from the Communist side - sorry about that - but that how we saw things!
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A quick update:
The rifle had a stress-test at a 12 hour event yesterday (see the event section for a review of Red Mist 2), and performed faultlessly throughout.
With the NPAS bolt now installed, the rifle was adjusted to fire at 305.1fps with .25 rounds (1.08J) and when chronoed on site did so consistently without any variation at all. Cooldown on a summer's day was minimal - it seems to kick in at any point after 5 seconds continuous automatic fire, which only occurred when I was trying to intentionally empty the magazines - there's not typically any real need for such a heavy sustained fire in game. Anyone concerned about C02 should probably check out the C02 magazines, which hopefully will be superior in that degree.
The rifle was accurate and consistent throughout the day - at 1.08J on .25s the hop had to almost be entirely depressed, I noticed, in order to maintain a consistent flight. I would be tempted to replace the inner barrel with a tightbore in the long term, but there is no real need for this at present.
Two main issues I've had since owning the gun:
The easy adjustment (NPAS) valve is deformed - the pin that the tool attaches to is bent, meaning it is impossible to adjust the bolt with the tool. Instead, at present, the valve needs adjusting manually by dismantling the bolt. Many thanks to Snorkelman for helping me understand the process for this.
One of the six magazines has a faulty valve that sticks. I had fixed this but unfortunately (on its final round, thankfully#) the valve stuck down now, emptying half of its gass down the barrel in a plume of gas. The rest emptied on my thumb as I tried to free the valve, giving me quite a sore thumb (frostbite!).
I've contacted RA-TECH to order replacement parts - they have a pricelist stating a price of $13.50 for the tool and same for the valve. This does sound as though it is a recurring issue, after having viewed gasguns.info, so please check your magazines upon receiving them - it's much better to just return if you have one.
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Right, I'm finally awake after a long drive home overnight, and feeling reasonably awake so I thought I'd get my thoughts up. No pictures yet (as Fullauto won't be home until today and will need to get the 35mm film developed), but hopefully we can add something when we get those up.
A quick pre-emptive apology - I'm writing this from the perspective of Red 1 CO. If I got anything wrong please don't take it personally and feel free to correct - I only know what I saw and was told by others.
All colour pictures and videos contained were taken by Felix Jaeger of First & Only. All black and white pictures were taken by Fullauto. and posted with his kind permission.
Arrival
I arrived on site with Ubar after picking up Fullauto and Frub at Kidderminster station. The station, it turned out was 10 minutes away from the site - 1 country lane and we found ourselves at the pub next to the Asylum entrance.
A quick byword for anyone visiting F&O Asylum - the pub is within easy walking distance with plenty of parking and the food was quite reasonably priced for a southern pub with surprisingly good quality food for a 2 for 1 pub (in Yorkshire most 2 for 1 pubs have food made from cardboard). Much recommended if you're going down for a weekender / 12 hour game.
We met Josh, Nigel and Rowly (the main Gunman team) at the pub - as always they were very friendly and enthusiastic - the bar staff seemed quite happy to fill Josh's flask with a pint I noticed!
The site was easily locatable (after a few quick directions form Josh), and the security guard happy to sign us in and direct to the safe zone area.
Site Thoughts
The site is a bit of an oddball one, being a semi-abandoned NHS facility (Search and Rescue still seem based there), but unlike at some sites I've noticed in the past where non airsofting participants interfered in the skirmishing, there was little problems with this - the only incident I noticed was a temporary visit by one of the site's security staff team (who was thankfully in goggles), and who walked momentarily through a small firefight going on.
There's a nice mix of woodland and buildings, with a string of woodland encircling much of the site (which we used quite frequently as a means to get around the site). There's plenty of good choke points with lots of flexibility for games. The only down side many commented on was that fighting often stagnated around the two 'Government Buildings', due to the fact that there was only one entrance to each of the buildings open, on the NATO team's side, with windows overlooking the Communist side. This didn't make it unfair - just very difficult for either team to move beyond the buildings.
Some were also disappointed that the bungalows were closed at the NATO end of the site (this only really was an issue at the end of the afternoon when we swept around the rear of the NATO team through the treeline and were trying to move up on them). Personally though the buildings helped form a handy compound effect (which if anything made it easier to defend the compound until our engineers were in place, after we routed the NATO team present).
The Teams (Communist Perspective)
We seemed to end up with about 15-20 a side during the game. I understand from talking to Josh that apparrently NATO were three men down, so the F&O site team joined their team to make up the numbers for part of the afternoon.
Both teams seemed friendly and sporting - I didn't hear any of the usual 'take your hits' or complaining which you usually have at regular skirmishes. In fairness though, I wouldn't have expected them at a Gunman Cold War event - Josh's events typically are characteristised by enthusiastic players who are there for the experience, not ego gratification. Everyoned seemed to play well and work together well.
It's a bit of a shame that NATO were apparrently a bit dejected by the mid afternoon - it's not really possible for me to say any more on this as I didn't really hear any gripes, etc. Unfortunately four of the NATO team decided to pack and go mid afternoon, which was frankly bizarre for us - we were pushing up on the left flank, only to see a civvy land rover with NATO chaps who initially seemed to not be in game - only for them to draw rifles as we got close. It was all done in good sportsmanship, but they'd obviously had enough by then and were just putting up a token effort so as to not let their side down - props to them for not just letting us through. I was also a bit disappointed to hear that someone on NATO had apparrently taken objectives back to their base while dead, but I presume this was probably just a misunderstanding of the rules.
From the Communist Perspective, team organisation was simple and effective. We had three squads; Red Command (the Gunman team in Strichtarn, Red 1 (the Arnies squad) and Red 2 (Gunman regulars - Team Spleen (?)). COs were established for Red 1 & 2 (I was 'nominated' CO for R1), and retro comms equipment issued to both COs with clear (and importantly for me, simple!) comms procedure which worked throughout the event. On the Communist side, the three squads worked well together and generally the squads themselves worked well together.
The Game (Communist Perspective)
The usual friendly but spirited briefing by Josh (you do like striking a pose from up on high, don't you!
), with a short but detailed contextualisation of the story and its historical background kicked off the day, with the prerequisite safety briefing.After the sides split up and moved to their respective CPs, squads were devised on the Communist side (as mentioned above), COs designated and the objectives identified. Red 1 were tasked with moving through the tree line and building (and I do mean building!) two CPs to help us establish a foothold in the town. Red 2 were to carry out a recon mission in the town, identifying information presented on sheets at key positions in town (think Treasure Hunt with guns!).
As Red 1 were carrying equipment (camo net, tent sheeting and empty sandbags) Red 2 offered to provide escort to the first CP, at which point they planned to pull into the town and commence recon. This worked fairly well, with both squads moving well through the treeline (we apparrently wandered out of bounds for a moment on our way to the first site until advised by marshals that this wasn't part of the site!). After requesting confirmation that we had reached the first CP location from Josh, everyone got stuck in, providing cover while some of us engaged in constructing the CP with sandbags, shovels and netting. I had felt a bit ambivalent about this part, but it ran surprisingly well, with everyone operating well together.
The second CP was a bit of a ball-ache (in a good way), as Red 2 came under a lot of fire as they tried to push left, meaning we had to work a lot more cautiously. Thankfully we got CP 2 (little more than a firebase) established just as NATO located us and forced us out. Other than that our morning was fairly quiet, with Red 2 taking most of the enemy heat.
To shake things up in the afternoon Red 1 were tasked with defending the motorpool (the rolling HQ vehicle was very handy, with the water and gas being two things I needed a lot), which involved a staggered line of defence across most of the site. This part of the day saw the pace of things pick up a lot from our perspective, with plenty of fighting going back and forth as we were pushed back and then pushed forward again. Other tasks, such as locating and retrieving our lost artillery cannon (which was a bit fraught, as pulling the blasted thing while under fire with a camo net entangled was a bit terrifying!) and taking the government buildings gave a nice mix of variety and firefights.
The use of tea breaks throughout were effective and much appreciated by those of us a bit more declined into the vale of years - one thing I would say is that it was never clear if everyone was actually stopping for breaks or if we needed people on stag still. As it is I think everyone just decided to stop as there certainly seemed to be no firefights. This wasn't an issue due to the relatively low numbers and large nature of the site, but at a game with more people or a smaller site this might need addressing.
The final game was probably the best. The artillery (firing shotgun blanks) at the enemy as their rocket sites fired pyroes was an impressive backdrop. Communist forces were tasked with locating and destroying two SCUD sites and a radio tower. As Red 2 and Red Command engaged up front, Red 1 pushed all the way along the treeline, coming around the rear of Nato only to realise we'd found the compound and NATO in the process of fighting Red 2! With the distraction we were able to move into the compound pretty rapidly, and radio in to request for engineers to be on route while we defended the compound.
This part went pretty well - NATO seemed put a good effort into trying to retake the objective. Unfortunately we still managed to get our engineer to the key positions, wire up the pyroes and detonate each one in turn.
The final task was to retreat to our motorpool and secure it. This was easier than we thought - unfortunately though we expected an ambush from NATO on our way back it didn't materialise, and the motorpool was free of enemy contact. I'm unsure what happened here - I can only presume that there was confusion in the point where NATO expected the Communists to retreat to. and were defending a seperate point. Whatever the reason, it meant at least that we were able to finish in time for a pint and a burger at the pub!
I've tried to be as honest as possible about this event, and what I hope comes out of this is that the event was a greatly enjoyable and a very memorable experience from the perspective of the Communist troups. I've been highly impressed by Gunman's Filmsim events (so much so that I've attended every Cold War event so far, and intend to continue doing so, despite the lengthy drive down to Suffolk / Kidderminster), and I've yet to sim experience events of this calibre elsewhere. There's few people so committed to getting the experience right that they would plough cash into buying considerable kit for people to use, and this is reflected in the experience I've had at each of their games.
As a result I heartily recommend trying at least one of these events if you're either a mil/film sim fan or just curious about getting into something a bit more intense than a regular skirmish, and want to give a big thanks out to Josh (Target), the Gunman Crew, Felix Jaeger for stepping in to bail Gunman out after the MOD let them down at short notice and his marshals for giving us an excellent experience.
Cheers.
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It should be noted that while Oleg's shop is great for some things, you can source scopes for over half the price elsewhere - I bought my Kobra new from Ebay for £90.
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Thirteen: Helpful hint. Demon B. is a fully fledged paramedic. It's probably advisable for a trainee not to presume to lecture those who have been saving lives for a long time.
I'm quite tired of the one-upmanship being demonstrated in many of these threads, oddly which seems to correlate with how many of the younger American posters are present.
Please remember Arnies was set up as a friendly and supportive forum. If you want to snipe at each other and generally overcompensate for whatever hang ups you each as individuals have, please go elsewhere before the staff are obliged to give you a gentle nudge in a different forum's direction.
Thanks.
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Removing rubber block on this model causes the bolt to lock back - it catches on the hammer, and I suspect would cause unecessary wear to bolt / back of receiver.
Still having issues sadly - many thanks to Snorkelman and Boy Swift for their help - my 'easy adjustment' NPAS valve was bent on arrival, meaning I have to take down to adjust.
Hopefully with some fine tuning, I'll be sorted.
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Update - takes down exactly as a Dboys as expected.
GHK bolt is reasily replaced by removing rear rubber buffer (pics to follow).
The RA-TECH Aluminium hop unit does fit but there is an issue - no method of fixing it into the receiver. At present that means the hop chamber and barrel will slide back and forth when the bolt is not forcing them forward - not good.
If anyone has a fix, all input welcome.
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Sorry Prev, really yours was more of a 'first impressions' thread also, and I want to make these threads as useful as possible. Spreading info all over the forum unfortuanately is a bit counter intuitive if the aim is to produce a reliable source of information on replicas.
That said, I noticed you have a news thread now about the flash hider - that's absolutely fine.
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I've got to dissasemble now the parts are here. I'll try and take pictures as I do it (going to be a learning curve, however, as I've no idea how the GHK elements strips down).
For most of the externals the Dboys take down guides out there should suffice.
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That's two merged. Please also read the sub descriptions for categories before deciding where to post a review. A MP7 is a SMG not a rifle, and so goes here.
Thanks.
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It'd be appreciated if all of the first impressions could be kept in the same thread and in the correct section however; I appreciate you don't get quite as much attention in a threat started by another, but it'll either end up there or in the trash can and cause the staff more hassle to move it for the same end result.
Merging now.
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Retail sections only are set up for companies that request them.
There's no point setting one up if people don't bother updating.
For that reason I intend to start closing down obsolete / non-maintained sections soon.
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Great pics. Also my older review (from last year when LCT released) can also be found on the database at:
http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/reviewpost/.../cat/all/page/1
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The links section is pretty outdated, but I can't do anything about it I'm afraid - only Arnie has access to these sections and he's extremely busy at the moment.
If you wish, you can always post a links thread with a list of news links. That way when I can get access we can update it.
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Sorry - just woke up (rough night as I injured my neck) and found Snorkel had answered just about everything for me! Thanks for that Snorkel - much appreciated - especially for answering questions I would have no idea about, like the ROF compared to the WE M4s.
Cheers also for the heads up regarding the possible incompatability of hop parts. I'll update in relation to that when the parts arrive.
Also apologies for the lack of clarity in the affordability section - I've clarified the costs now, as most of what I wrote was 'off the top of my head'.
As I said before, it really is a matter of horses for courses, choosing between a GHK and the likes of the DG. I seriously considered a DG, and it would probably work out cheaper to run if you already have the external reservoir, piping, adapters etc all purchased, but as the typical skirmisher who primarily (begrudgingly) used AEGs up until this point, the intial set up charges terrified me. Coupled with the fact that the local Scuba centre wasn't exactly overwhelmed at the thought of filling up a reservoir for a non-diver when I asked meant that the GHK appealed. There's also the age old argument (infuriating for classic users especially I know, but here it is) that the GHK doesn't have an unsightly (if minute) pipe running from it.
That said, as you said, I'd expect the DG to be much more reliable in the UK climate, in particular in the winter months as temperatures drop. Thankfully for me this isn't an issue - as a college tutor I seem to have little time for skirmishing these days in the winter months, and most of my games are carried out during the summer holidays / half term breaks, before the weather gets too nippy. For me I think the GHK is ideal - time will tell, I suppose.
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Hope that the pics etc are what folks wanted. Feel free to ask queries / request other pics, etc.
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Comparison pics of the internals:
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While on my recent visit to Redwolf in Hong Kong, as unfortunately chronicled
, I was lucky enough to be shown around. One of the main things that caught my eye was some of the first of the freshly released GHK AKS74 and AK74M variants, which I covered in a recent news post. I couldn't leave without buying one of them, and with my recent love of all things Afghan War era, it had to be the AKS74 I went for!The Packaging
So...Finally, after beating my own GHK rifle home (I posted it on the 14th in Wan Chai, HK, and finally was able to get it today), I was keen to make sure it had survived its trip. I was especially anxious as my previous AKS74, the steel DBoys (Kalash) variant had been sorely mistreated while being 'examined' during Customs verification of my right to import, so you can imagine i was quite glad when I saw the parcel tape sealing the lid was intact:
The box, sadly hadn't clearly been so lucky, with a fair bit of bashing in one corner. It's worth noting that this AKS74 was shipped in a GHK box sporting the AKSU - their original GBB AK model. Whether they will alter the box design for the different variants or stick to the same box is unclear - the leaflet inside was again for the AKSU also, so I do suspect this was at least partly a result of buying one of the first GHK AKS74s on the market.
Inside, thanks in part to Jimmy at Redwolf offering a lot of packaging foam, the contents were shaken but not stirred:
Inside was my rifle, one magazine and a glossy leaflet, detailing replacement parts available for the GHK AKSU (I suspect the internal parts will be identical for most of the AK variants). It should be noted that the box itself was pretty shaken up - card inserts are the only used to keep the parts intact, and the magazine had unfortunately clearly shifted around a lot in transit, so I'm grateful to Jimmy for the packaging foam!
The Rifle
After diving merrily into the foam, I was finally able to retrieve my rifle. As reports suggest the rifle indeed appears to use Dboys steel and wood external parts - not a bad thing at all. To be entirely sure that the externals were the same, I decided to take some side-by side shots of both my GHK (top) and Dboys AKS74s steel version (bottom):
As you can see, there's hardly any differences between the two. the main ones being some of the receiver rivets being flat on the Dboys, whereas those replaced for the GHK modified variant have a flat head that rests slight proud of the receiver. The other main difference externally is the pistol grip, which, without the need to house a motor, seems close to real steel dimensions:
The clear differences start to emerge, unsurprisingly, when you look at the internals. (Pics in following post due to image limit).
While the internals seem relatively sound, it is worrying how tightly packed the internals are in the bottom of the receiver. The trigger spring looks as though it could be damaged if the trigger is pulled back too tightly - hopefully this won't happen though!
The Magazine
As with the AKSU, there's a choice of two variants for magazines. Both are 50 round lo-caps, but one uses C02 (usually retailing at the moment for $50-60) and the other a more traditional gas reservoir (usually retailing at the moment for $40-$50). The included magazine is the cheaper gas variant, and I have to say this is the one I would personally prefer anyway, as in conjunction with propane and an adapter it makes running costs a little cheaper.
Anyone familiar with standard GBB magazine designs will be comfortable with using the GHK magazines: filling is completed through the nozzle in the magazine base, with the usual valves towards the top to power the cycling action. It's a shame that the GHK magazines come only in black: for the AKSU and AK74S variants would have been nice to have bakelite or at least 'brown' plastic finishes. That said, this is a situation that can easily be rectified (as I intend to) with some plastikote spray and a light woodstain brushing!
Above you can see the GHK magazine (far right) compared to some common AK aeg mags: G&P, MAG and Dboys, respectively. The GHK mag is clearly slightly larger in dimension, and the weight of the GHK with its gas reservoir is unsurprisingly heavier than the light plastic of most AEG magazines, but neither are too great an issue; the magazine's weight if anything makes it feel more realistic and substantial (although I wouldn't like to drop it to test how substantial it is!) and as can be seen with an Afghan era standard 4 mag pouch, the magazines still fit happily:
Firing
I fired the rifle at a corridor in RedWolf Airsoft's offices, and I'm pleased to say the rifle is just as much fun now.
The recoil is greater than I remembered, though not enough to cause any serious issue with accuracy. It's rather obvious, but be careful with how you hold the rifle - it's very easy to forget (especially if you own an identical AEG like me) that the bolt on this rifle cycles with a fair kick. I forgot while chronoing and I now have a nice bruise on my cheek - I can safely say this is the first rifle to actually punch me in the face!
That said, it's the recoil and the cycling bolt that make this rifle so much fun, both on semi and automatic. It's a fair point that the low capacity of the magazines mean you will probably be using this a lot on semi automatic - you won't get more than 2-3 seconds out of the rifle firing on full automatic, as fun as it may be. The crack of the rifle as it fires, coupled with the clack of the bolt as it cycles is amazing - as is the ability to rack back the bolt upon reloading.
The rifle was chronoed with Excel 0.2g ammo using propane (green equivalent output) on a cool (12c) day. To chrono, a Big Dragon EG9000 was used.
After some issues getting the chrono to read - probably caused by the recoil knocking the rifle back and out of alignment with the chronograph - I was finally able to score a fairly hefty 387 FPS for the rifle - making this a rifle that you won't be skirmishing at most UK sites with any time soon.
Reliability
This isn't such a bad thing though - especially with rising concerns over the reliability of stock GHK rifles. To address both issues, RA-TECH offer a range of upgrade parts now, in particular reinforced bolts, hop up chambers and a NPAS bolt. The NPAS bolt is most appealing for UK aplayers, as it allows - with some fiddling - the ability to alter the pressure of the gas output to both the blowback and the barrel, meaning it's possible to reduce the velocity down to player-friendly levels of output. It should be noted that at this point there is little aftermarket support for the rifles - parts are either sourced from GHK or from RATECH. Hopefully, as these rifles gain popularity, the level of manufacturers producing parts will increase.
Affordable?
The rifle itself costs $323 - the internals presumably bumping the price of manufacture up compared to mass produced and readily sourced AEG internals. This already moves the rifle clear of the 'budget' target audience - but the chances are if you are looking at this you already knew that!
I've ordered the upgrade parts from WGCShop for $211 - a considerable amount but cheaper than directly from RATECH. It should also be noted that, with each magazine costing an average of $50, there's a hefty entry price into making a GHK a skirmishable rifle - it works out only slightly cheaper than buying a GBB system based on an external reservoir. The primary advantage of a GHK, of course, is that it's much easier to source a can of propane in the UK (just visit your local DIY / Hardware store) than it is to get a reservoir filled at a Scuba shop, etc. In other countries, such as the US, of course, this advantage may evaporate, leaving it a matter of personal preference. One clear advantage of the external reservoir system could be the gas consumption - in the GHK one refill of the magazine appears to last 2-3 (100-150 rounds) reloads. With a Bernzomatic Propane cylinder costing £6.95 at the local hardware store, this means that anyone using this rifle as a primary on a regular basis should look to be buying another cylinder once a month or so.
So is this rifle affordable? Yes. But the moment you start to look at using this rifle on a regular basis and with any interest in alternating the velocity, the entry price for running the rifle as a skirmish piece rapidly rise. It's worth being aware of that before purchasing.
That said, however, I don't regret for a moment buying this rifle or paying (as I have now) to upgrade and make this rifle a skirmish-worthy rifle. In the same way that you wouldn't buy a Ferrari for affordability, you will look at this rifle not necessarily as the most sensible option for airsofting, but for one which will make the experience much more memorable.
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I'm with Horseman here, really. I can appreciate the benefit spacewise, but if signatures are an annoyance for that reason, it'd probably be better to just use the options to hide them.
I generally find signatures harmless enough (so long as they're PG13), and generally staff try not to be overly strict - but if people are taking the mickey - as they regularly do on other forums I visit, with 800x600 images, etc), then we tend to act.
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No worries. Glad it's cleared up. I'll lock this down now.
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If I'm honest Hedge, I think the person who contacted you was well-intentioned but clearly hadn't read the rules and regulations section of the forum here, and so thought the amendments to the rules thread was a new rule, rather than me just integrating Arnie's rules together.
I know it's tucked away within the site section, but it's not that hard to find when you look at the available categories. I think in this case a general lack of awareness has left everyone getting their wires crossed and thinking a new rule in place.
Just to clarify - there is NO new signature rules - just the old ones. The new rules I have mentioned have not even been agreed upon and so have not been implemented.
Hope that helps!
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No idea - I'll have a look.
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I'm a bit confused...
The rules as stated have been in place since 2004, with the text amendment being 2005. See Arnie's post here.
There was no consultation as there were no new rules. I merely incorporated them into the main rules thread (and copied to its mirror) to make it easier to locate them for everyone.
As I can see it, therefore, the criticism appears to have been that I've made the rules easier to locate - as it seems, judging by all of the well-intentioned posts above, that I must be the only person to look at the Rules and Regulations forum.
The global moderators have been discussing new signature rules, but as no agreement has yet been reached (see UN Security Council to get an idea of our speed in resolving these things
), I decided to at least better integrate what we have for the time being. If you don't feel the current rules reflect your needs, why not post a new thread constructively suggesting what you would want? It's far more likely to secure our cooperation than a rant, and although we do make executive decisions from time to time, we do try to do what folks want - I don't get a kick out of upsetting people, despite what the general consensus appears to be.
Hope that helps put this storm in a teacup to rest.
AK & Variants Picture Thread
in Weapons
Posted
What Darklite said is spot on.
I had to dump the gearbox out of my dboys aks74 at its first game. Replaced it with a cyma gearbox. Never looked back.
The new Cymas are truly amazing. I was very snobbish about them (after the older Cymas) until I tried one. Consistent, accurate and a high rate of fire out of the box.