Home Reviews Guarder Modarmour Guarder MOD Body Armour

Guarder MOD Body Armour

by Arnie

Guarder
MOD Body Armour

by
Comega – Team AWA

Stock
Specifications
Features
  • Hydration
    system compatible

  • Compatible
    with MOLLE, ALICE and other load-bearing systems

  • Fully
    compatible with other ranges of MOD pouches
RRP:
65 UKP

Click here to visit Guarder


One of the
main reasons people will be contemplating buying the Guarder
MOD Body Armour is due to the fact that it is a replica of the
current issue US Army Body Armour. The interceptor OTV.

Some
background information about Guarder
Guarder
first became known for making accessories for AEGs, things such
as slings, reinforced parts, etc. Recently Guarder has begun branching
out into other areas, and are over taking the other manufacturers
of airsoft orientated tactical gear out there incredibly fast.
There was a time when the only option for airsoft was going for
the real deal as used by the real operators which could get quite
expensive or manufacturers such as Milforce – whose product range
is not that great. Guarder started introducing items which seemed
quite familiar in their design and look. It seems that most of
their vests are in fact replica’s of other “real deal”
manufacturers, such as Blackhawk and SOE but at incredibly low
prices. In some cases copies of copies.

Incase you haven’t already noticed the MOD Range
seems very similar to the current issue US Army line of gear.
The MOD Vest – Ranger Rack the MOD Armor – Interceptor OTV or
their recently introduced MOD II Vest – Molle Vest/Riflemen’s
set.

The
Point Blank Interceptor OTV

Protection
on the Battlefield & Beyond! The lightest, most technologically
advanced protective system ever issued to the Armed Forces of
the U.S.!

Developed
to exceed rigorous standards set by the U.S. Marine Corps, and
subsequently adopted by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. The
benefit of this high performance, lightweight solution means increased
capability in survivability and maneuverability.

Standard
Features:

Hydration
system compatible
Compatible with MOLLE, ALICE and other load-bearing systems
Modular configuration with removable yoke/collar, throat and groin
protection allows the user to tailor the battle equipment to the
specific threats
Exceeds NIJ Level IIIA 9mm protection
2, 4, 16 and 64 grain fragmentation protection provided by Aramid,
Fusion™ or Beast™ ballistic systems
Compatible with riot or ballistic helmet

The
Guarder MOD Body Armour

The Guarder vest is made out of : DuPont 1000-Denier / 500-Denier
CORDURA. The vest is covered in M.O.D. attachments (Guarder’s
alternative to MOLLE) so it can work in a stripped down
fashion (i.e. just mag pouches) if required.

Unlike
the real one it does not come in various sizes nor does
it have the yoke/collar or groin protection, nor does it
offer any ballistic protection, it does however come in
different colours such as Black, OD and Woodland.



When you first pick
up the Guarder MOD Armor you will notice how incredibly light
the vest is. In comparison to the real vest it feels like it is
just the cover without the actual flexible armour inside. It does
have a replica flexible armour but the weight is still pretty
light. This makes the vest ideal for Airsofting or reenactment.

If you like
realism and want to make it heavier simply replace the inner lining
of the MOD vest with the inner lining of the Interceptor OTV.
Just like the real vest, this vest too has a place to put in the
SAPI plates. I did put in the plates in my Guarder MOD and they
fit fine and didn’t cause any damage to the vest – one would imagine
that since the MOD was not meant for ballistic protection they
wouldn’t have made it capable of handling the weight of the plates,
but it did ! You could also fit a hydration unit in the back pouch
of the armor.

Pictured
to the left is the Interceptor OTV and on the right is the
Guarder MOD both worn with Guarder SOG CQB Vests.

What
about sizing ?
As
mentioned above this vest does not come in various sizes so if
your a tall chap the vest will look like you are wearing a bib
but will still fit pretty comfortably although it might be a bit
short for you. Width wise this vest can expand to quite a large
size. I have a 42″ chest and the side adjustability straps
are only 1/4 of the way out and could expand a lot more. The length
will not be a issue if however you choose to wear webbing over
the vest. This will conceal the fact that the vest is a bit short
on you. I am 5.11″ and it sits just about right, in comparison
to the Interceptor OTV Medium Size – it is just a quarter of a
centimeter shorter.

What
is the Woodland Pattern like ?
This
is one of the main questions asked by almost everyone who
is interested in this vest.

If you pick up a Blackhawk Woodland Vest you will notice that
the pattern on the vest is slightly different. The guarder
woodland is incredibly close to the real pattern and if anything
is just a bit darker – but not something one would notice
when worn with other “issue” items.

Here is the Guarder MOD Armor pictured with Us Issue Ripstop
Woodland BDU’s and a Molle II Patrol Pack.

What
about the weight?
If you own the Interceptor OTV and
have moved onto it from the PASGT vest you will have noticed how
much lighter it was. This vest is quite light and some people
might not like this but you can do a few things to remedy this.
I took a copy of my favorite FHM Magazine and put it in the rear
plate pouch. This not only provides a bit of extra weight but
when your bored in the middle of a long milsim event you will
always have reading material. Other favorites include a cardboard
cut out of a Sapi plate.

Can
you spot the real one ?

Its
the one on the right

What
about other versions ?
One thing worth mentioning is
the fact that this is not the only replica Interceptor on the
market at the moment, there is another one made by a company called
OGW. I have owned the OGW Ranger Body Armour and was also impressed
by the build quality of the vest however the reason I did not
go for the OGW Interceptor was that I felt it was simply not worth
the money. It costs $118 more then the Guarder MOD Armor.

Interceptor
OTV
: Unavailable for Sale to Civilians(?) – EBay Price
between : $400 – $500 (£250-£320)
SDS OTV : $543 – X Large – $651 (£397)
Guarder MOD Interceptor Armor : $72 (£43)
OGW Interceptor Vest : $190 (£116)

Please
note that the bottom two vests offer no ballistic protection at
ALL
They a
re
only listed here with the real ones to provide a example of how
much you the real ones cost

The
excellent build quality, the low price and the light weight make
this the ideal replica armor for the dedicated Airsofter or re-enactor.
You will be hard pressed to find a better Interceptor Replica
at this price !

Airsoft
Dynamics supply this vest for £65 which works out cheaper
then ordering it from Hong Kong after shipping. 

Here
are some pictures of the Guarder MOD Armor being used.

  

External
Links:
Guarder
Airsoft
Dynamics

Team AWA

Site
links:
TBA

Comment
on this review in the forums


Last
modified:
Monday, May 19, 2003 9:47 PM
Copyright 2003 ArniesAirsoft




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