Deve

Slightly off topic for AKs, but even Iraqi Special forces are using cloned rails, grips etc to get around import issues of real kit - nice article here: http://armamentresearch.com/isof-arms-equipment-part-1-personal-equipment/

That's amazing news, as I've just found the bolt on my Tercel Broomy is terminally broken (using pot metal on the two thin arms on the cocking piece, I ask you). Replacement ahoy! That would bring my Broomy total up to 5. I don't have a problem, I keep telling myself....not a problem.

They did 'just change the colours' and made a very nice 4-colour desert DPM. Problem was, we sold a load to Iraq in the mid 80s...and then the first Gulf War happened and caused a bit of a panic to produce a desert DPM pattern that wasn't the same as the uniform of the (now) opposing force.

I prefer the Element M16a1 pistol grip to the G&P one for shape and price, it's not as blocky and square as the G&P one. Needs a light coat of black paint if you want the more shiney finish of earlier grips.

EHobbyasia had (just looked, no longer) copies of the Eagle belt pad on clearance for as low as $2 recently. Might be worth a trawl around some of the usual HK based clone gear stockists? Alternatively, the old-school method is to cut up some camping mat foam and tie-wrap it to the belt. Edit. Flyye looks like an Eagle clone. Arktis would do fine, it's a much deeper pad. Or maybe the issue PLCE one?

Or get a replacement front mount for a M16a2 barrel profile? (Showing my age, the ones I used were from Sun Project to go with their 203, but I think CA and G&P also do/did them)

Externally? Very little change between the A1 and A2 apart from the cocking handle. The Army R85 is missing the mag catch guard (also fitted to the A1 very early in it's life), but you'll have to either sort that yourself, or ignore it. A small detail is to repaint the gas cylinder from silver to black. After that, it's just picking mags, optics and the flashider to represent whatever time period you're after.

I do enjoy answering the field telephone with "IC Butts" when I'm down that end

Yes, I know, being CFAV and all that. I'll be signing some onto my Safe Custody Register (again) soon.

All L103s I take it? (Strange, I was thinking about pasta out of a Norgie at dinnertime today, and now you show me a plate of it)

Yep, wrong! Mag catch guards were added very quickly after initial issues of the rifle found the problem with mags being released by accident. Early versions of the guards were were produced by unit armourers before being standardised and added to all L85a1s, L86a1s and L98a1s by the early 1990s. Didn't require the Germans* to help us out on this one! *yes I know we owned H&K when the A2 project started...

Oh come on. We adopted the GPMG in 1964, and it's been going on and on ever since. H&K are just replacing some of the old workhorses with new build, rather than a L85 style comprehensive reworking. Hardly wasted cash, just another investment for the next 40 years

eHobby Asia have the standard mags in stock, but no hi-caps at the moment: http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/magazines/aeg-std-magazines/king-arms/90-rounds-magazine-for-king-arms-l1a1.html

But they can be - all you need to do is superglue/epoxy a small shim on the magazine under the lip that the mag catch engages - it's about a mm or so too shallow on FAL mags to allow the SLR catch to retain them. Done right (a bit of trial and error), the mags will work happily with both KA's FALs and SLR.

Having stripped/cleaned/regreased/kryloned a friends new SCAR earlier this week, and having 5 odd years of experience with TM/CA boxes, and a variety of other manufactuer's bits, as well as a few clones (M14, MP5k, MP40), I'll stick my oar in for once. Stop moaning about the colour, while you're stripping it to clean out the mechbox, give it a coat of krylon... the metal work is poor, yes, that's why it's cheap. Move along. Apart from re-greasing it, i kept everything stock, and will see how it performs at the end of the month. So: Initial testing: RoF was ok out of the b