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Flectarn Review

by Arnie

Flectarn.co.uk
Review
written
by
Gator
(
gatormercenary@hotmail.com)-
Saturday, November 16, 2002 9:57 PM

The
review:
Arnie asked me to write this review on
this relatively new player in the Airsoft market.

After
your guns the next most important thing to your survival on
the field of combat is your gear. Where your full mags are and
how quickly you can get to them can make all the difference
between surviving those crucial seconds in a firefight. When
I started out in Airsoft I went for the USMC look. I bought
a Special Forces webbing set with several extra pouches for
shells,compass etc.

However
there were several things that were apparent. The set up that
I bought was for long operations not hi[gh] intensity combat.
So one thing that was evident was the very secure way in which
the pouches closed. They did up with very secure clips.

This
was great if you were climbing about a lot but they were very
difficult to close in a firefight, leading to a tendency for
you not to close the pouch which, in one game, caused me to
lose all 4 of my Uzi hicaps (I got them back or that could have
been an expensive game). I had decided to get a Blackhawk Omega
Crossdraw vest to solve my woes when my plans (as usual) took
a little diversion.

I
first met Jo on Airsoftzone.com
where she goes by the handle of Madame Speaker. We were
chatting one day and she said that she was going to a night
game at Elite
Action Games
and invited me to go along. I had just
got my HK51 so I was ready to give it a solid work out. When
she and Lenny came to pick me up both of them where wearing
their flecktarn and looked fantastic. I have always liked the
look of flecktarn, ever since I saw it in the Munster Panzer
museum when I was in Germany and saw how well it blended into
the scrubland. The pattern is a lot more broken up than many
other types of camo which certainly helps make you “vanish”
into the scenery. (I have lain in wait in ambushes, no joke,
with 2 ferns covering me and thatÂ’s all. The first they know
about it is when I let rip with the HK51!!)

When
we turned up to EAG and Jo and Lenny started to
get themselves kitted up and I got really jealous! They just
looked like something off a Nato battlefield. This was further
heightened as during the night Jo and I got separated from the
fight after we got lost when we respawned. We had to work our
way up a field of saplings in the driving rain. Jo was in front
of me and set against the field scene she looked like something
out of a warzone. By the end of that evening I was convinced.
I was going to go full flecktarn.

All
I need was the cash. I got it when Uni finished. I worked at
the local post office and at the local bar and did several 20
hour days. (Am I dedicated to Airsoft or what???????? LOL!!!!)

Before
I could raise the full amount though, Jo and Lenny
invited me to join them at the KM War and Peace show. We
all went in full kit. Them in their Flecktarn and me in my USMC
gear. We had a great day and it culminated in us introducing
ourselves to the German contingent and blagging both a dinner
(delicious authentic German sausages) and also a ride around
the extensive camp in a German Army Iltis. The day was great
and I had a wonderful time, I even got to hold a WA2000.


So
that was good, but my being in USMC just looked so out of place.
I HAD to get my flecktarn.

Two
weeks later I had it. Jo and Lenny very kindly
managed to get the gear to me in time for Sopley. I was up till
nearly 3am trying out all the parts and just fiddling with the
bits. So what do I think of it?
IT IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Part
of what swayed me to get the German kit was that I have all
the Weapons that are used by the Bundeswehr (G3, UZI and when
I repair it an SD2) I’m a reenactor at heart and things do have
to look right for me even if its going to cost me a fortune
* Sobs quietly in to hands * So when I got the HK51 I decided
I needed the uniform to go with the gun.

Ok
here is a list of what I bought and a small description of what
I think of it.

Shirt:
Strong heavier build than my US camo but certainly not
a problem in summer. Will definitely keep you warm in winter.


Trousers: Ditto the above.

T-shirt:
This is standard issue and it goes under your Shirt.
Can be wrung out (Lenny knows what I mean ;)

Flak
Jacket:
This for me is what make the uniform. In all
honesty it isn’t really a bullet proof vest jacket, it is an
anti-fragmentation vest, bullet-proof it is not! It is a softweave
type and is a lot more flexible than a vest with plates. It
has a Velcro pocket on the front, useful for keeping spare shells
or I prefer to stuff my gloves in it to prevent me from losing
them.

Goretex
suit:
This will be worth a fortune in winter, especially
at Chobham. It is fantastically good value for a full Goretex
suit. It has plenty of pockets and is easy to get into standing
in my living room. I haven’t worn it in anger yet but it doesn’t
worry me.

Ok,
now all of the rest with a few exceptions can been seen on this
exploded picture.

5
piece webbing:
This consists of a belt which is central
to the webbing setup. A set of braces, shovel pouch, German
canteen pouch and a butt pack. The braces aren’t padded like
on the US gear and whilst when you are wearing the frag jacket
you won’t notice. The butt pouch

I
don’t wear on the field but leave in the safe area stuffed full
of gear :p

The
spade pouch I wear just behind my right hip. I store my ammo
in a BB bottle with a nozzle and also in V05 hairspray bottles
(im a vain bugger I know ;). The pouch can carry a one V05 bottle
and the BB bottle with no fuss.

2
G3 mag pouches:
The G3 pouches are purpose built for
the mags with dividers to stop them from “clacking”.
Now this is a bit off topic but I thought [I’]d include it here.
In the world of hicap design the designers got it right with
the M16 mag. It has a sliding load gate, hex bolt in the base
to keep the innards in and a well screwed together feel with
no rough edges or parts that can be caught. It is how mags should
be. By comparison the G3 mags feel as if they were designed
by a guy, on a Friday, in 10 minutes, before he went home for
a naughty weekend. The base has a load of edges that catch on
pouches and the top loading flap has a tendency to open and
empty its contents at the most inopportune moments. The best
way to store the mags in the pouches is upside down. But here
is a tip which results in several benefits:

Get
a piece of electrical tape and put a 4 inch piece across the
top of the mag.

This
will keep the loading flap closed when you store it and also
makes it a lot easier if you have to reload in the field with
gloves on because if you pull the tape up gently you can lift
the flap as you pull the tape. Neat huh? The other benefit from
storing your mags upside down is that you can wind them when
they are in the pouch. This means that you can load your mags
in the safe zone and wind them as you wander out to play. If
you sling your rifle you can wind 4 at a time.

1
MP5 mag pouch:
This is by far the swishest pouch that you
can buy. It is 3 separate mag pouches in one frame. This means
that only the mag you want is able to come out. So you won’t
open the flap and lose all your other mags. The pouch can hold
a whole range of long type mags. Ones I know of are,UZI, MP5,
and

US
Canteen pouch:
This
is simply a pouch to hold a US style canteen because the German
canteen is a bitch to get to. The canteen is held in place by
2 velcro patches.

German
canteen pouch:
This is a very good pouch. It takes the
aluminum, German 3 piece canteen. It is of a good size and could
certainly be used for other things than just the canteen.

German
Aluminum 3 Piece Canteen:
This is a very useful bit
of kit. The canteen keeps the liquid insulated to a point. The
lid can be used as a cup for hot drinks and you can eat out
of it. The only problem is that the canteen isn’t always readily
accessible if you want a drink so I would recommend getting
a US canteen as well.

Radio
Pouch:
This is for a radio. I don’t have a radio. I
bought it to convince me to buy a radio. -=Edit=- I have now
bought an Ericsson Multicomm and very nice it is to. So my plan
worked.

2
Pistol mag pouches:
I have practically given up with
my thigh holster and needed a place to store my Tac Master mags.

G36
Bayonet:
This is to convince me to buy a G36C (as if
I need any convincing) It is fixed onto my left shoulder. I
do use it when I’m playing spotter to cut back vegetation to
give my sniper a better field of view.

Headgear:
I
bought 2 pieces of head gear. One was the field cap and the
other was the green beret. The badge for the beret I got from
my German godfather. However if you ask Jo and Lenny nicely
I’m sure they would try and scrounge you one.

And
last and by no means least

2
pairs of Flecktarn Boxers:
You wear ’em….das it.

Yaaaaaay
:D

On
the waiting list to buy is a Kevlar helmet that I can wear in
conjunction with my Bolle tactical goggles, 2 basic P8 holsters
and when I get the G36 a couple of G36 mag pouches.

So
what is so good about the German kit that I have gone from being
a dedicated US Marine? Well part of it is the modifiable nature.
The pouches on the kit attach by 2 sets of pegs and a fold over
clasp locks the lower set of pegs.

They
lock onto the belt in one of the 34 sets of holes.

On
the shoulders there are 2 peg holes for more pouches. What this
means is that all the pouches can be swapped from one place
to another in a matter of minutes. Whereas with the US gear
any changes took hours of trial fitting the Flecktarn gear can
be done in seconds. I suppose that if you got really quick you
could customize the gear between games. I certainly customize
my loads for different environments. Sopley (CQB) puts the pistol
mags up front with the MP5 mag pouch right behind. Then for
woodland the pistol mags go round the left side and the G3 mags
go either side of the belt buckle.

So
we have discussed the actual uniform but we all know that bits
of kit that look good don’t always perform well on the field
(can we say Sig 551). I have had the gear for about half a dozen
games now and I will never give it up! It is brilliant. The
closures on the pouch mean that all you have to do is pull the
ripcord part of the buckle and the pouch is open. Because of
the hard plastic buckle you can shut the pouch in the dark,
in the wet with your eyes closed and your hand behind your back.

Conclusion:
So all in all what do I think of my investment? I think it was
probably the best decision I have made in airsoft so far. There
have been several occasions, wearing the USMC gear, that I had
been killed because of gear related incidents. Usually trying
to get a fresh mag out of a pouch and ending up taking my eyes
off the target to undo the clip of a mag pouch. The fleckie
stops this happening.

It
looks fantastic and the full ensemble gives a very professional
look. It scores marks in my book in that there aren’t a lot
of people who have a full uniform like I do. T2S wear a bit
but no one I have seen (apart from Jo and Lenny) wears the full
kit, and I won’t deny that it is nice not to see yourself across
the safezone.

The
other thing that was so nice about the whole experience is that
the gear was bought from people who care. Jo and Lenny
have been incredibly helpful and always willing to answer
a query. They perfectly epitomize what an airsoft retailer should
be. They play, they wear their own gear and treat the customer
in ways that other retailers could do well to learn from. Their
attitude alone will keep me going back to them to get the latest
pouch for my new toy (G36C, G36C, G36C, G36C, G36C, G36C).I
am 100% pleased with both my gear and the service I received,
if I had to sum up all my thoughts of my dealings with flecktarn.co.uk
in to one sentence it would be this.

“This
is how ALL airsoft shopping ought to be”

Gator
out……

External
Links:
flecktarn.co.uk

Site
links:
TBA

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on this review in the forums


Last
modified:
Saturday, November 16, 2002 10:24 PM
Copyright 2002ArniesAirsoft




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