New review: As you may or may not know, here at Arnie's Airsoft Towers we have a bit of a erm.. passion for the Maruzen M870 in all it's shapes and sizes. (Sadly I haven't had time to complete my own review, I'll get there in the end - honest). Now there's nothing better than several reviews to compare and contrast views and ideas from differing sources, so I'm ever so happy to bring you the third review of the m870 written by Mentall:

"...The gun shoots around 400fps (haven't chronoed yet) with 1 0,20g BB. This is drastically decreased when using more than 1. And when using 10 there's much to be desired but still adequate for CQB. The sound of the gun is the biggest disappointment as it's a mere "puf". But where the gun lacks "umpf" when shooting, the racking of the pump-action makes up for..."

Practical Airsoft Update#2: Practical Airsoft was moving, but it seems that things have gone a bit skew-wiff on the admin end. Anyway here's the latest (blame it on the internet ether):

"...For some reason, the registration of the domain appears to have been faulty; we're looking into this right now, but it may mean that we have to re-submit the domain registration (only one in a thousand registration seems to go wonky - this appears to have been one of those, dammit)."

TacLauncher review updated: I have updated the TM TacLauncher review with a few minor alterations, and added a collection of links to the bottom of the page for it. If there's anything you think needs adding, please do drop me a line.

Practical Airsoft Update: Practical Airsoft is moving, not far, but a move that's well worth mentioning. Here's the latest from Roger himself!

"...By Tuesday of this week, Practical Airsoft will have moved from it's current location, at http://www.the-isg.co.uk/, to a brand new domain, at http://www.practicalairsoft.co.uk/. A forwarding page will be established at the current location at that time.

This move is the next stage in improving the level of usability for both visitors to the site, and myself; it will also enable me to add, if all goes well, feedback forums in the next month or so (if I can ever get the "snitz forums", based on ASP, to work!).

Please, therefore, adjust your links on your web sites to match, and your bookmarks likewise! Thanks for helping to make Practical Airsoft such a success, and the best of British to all of you!

Best regards, Roger Stenning (Editor, Practical Airsoft - http://www.practicalairsoft.co.uk/) ..."

New full length review! Well we all know that content is what makes a website what it is, so I've finally put the finishing touches to my own TM TacLauncher review, and put it online for you all to have a read through:

"This is somewhat of a nostalgic review for me, as almost a year ago to the day we posted one of our first articles about a product first seen at the Tokyo Marui 2000 expo, this prototype was listed somewhat cryptically as a 'Grenade Pistol'. The images and information we found at that time became one of our first news articles that we hosted here...With the help of AirsoftDynamics / AD (who kindly donated this piece for review) we are now able to do this, and for that we are grateful to our colleagues at AD."

As usual I've tried to make the review as complete and honest as possible. If there's any additions you think should be made ot the review, or anything you think I've missed, just email in and let me know. You can also find the complete manual for the TM TacLauncher online too (well I did say 'complete review' didn't I?)

3 point sling HowTo: A big thanks also go out to Niall Orr for his "DIY 3 point sling" article (new to the projects section). Looking to make a decent 3 point sling from parts you can get at your local hardware store, and for around £5 a sling? Then do read on. Thanks Nail! Some more photos are on their way for this article, so keep your eye's peeled. ^_^

BoB VHS cassettes? Some time ago I mentioned the Band of Brothers TV series. Someone very kindly sent in one of their own spare taped copies (complete). I'm very sorry, but I have no idea who it came from. Thank you to whoever sent it in, and please do get in touch so I can put your name up here!

Image coutesy the IPSC website, and depicts 'Matt Mclearn, World Shoot Bisley, England 1993.'

BB IPSC event: Seanus dropped a line to tell us about a new "BB IPSC" event they are organising, that is designed to cater specifically for Airsofters.

"Leicester Shooting Centre will be hosting an airsoft IPSC style competition on Saturday June 8th. It will be run under United Kingdom Practical Shooting Association rules, hence all entrants will be buddied up with experienced IPSC shooters as all UKPSA members must pass a safety course before they are allowed to compete.

The range is indoor so bio-degradable bb's are not required, shooting will be done against the clock at paper IPSC targets and scored for accuracy.

Although there will be no forced magazine changes, it will be useful to have a spare due to differing capacities. Clothing needs to be normal / casual definately NO CAMO, and bring your own eye protection, bb's and gas as none will be available on site. Holsters need to cover the trigger and retain the gun safely.

As you know, BBIPSC is very popular in Hong Kong but here in the UK, all pistol events are geared towards Co2 guns due to their higher power and accuracy over longer distances. This is an ideal opportunity to kickstart our hobby out of the paintball image and into international competition.

For further details, offers of help setting up on the day and entry forms please contact Barry Pollard at barryrm18@breathemail.net"

For more info, or to answer any questions (that we can) please do drop us a line on our forums here.

AD 'tactical' harness: Airsoft Dynamics (AD) have updated their news page with some added info about their new tactical harness. Again it's similar to the ones found in Stargate SG1, but not identical. The sling is very functional, and a sling of this type is an 'almost' must if you're a dedicated CQB'er.

"Just a quick update on this product, it is now in stock and available to buy. We apologise for the confusion we caused earlier by saying it is the Stargate P90 sling when it was not. It is not specific to P90 and can be fitted to most full stocked carbines and SMGs just using the attachment provided.

The price is now confirmed at 45GBP, and comes in Black or OD. *Those who buy it from our AmbushWargames shop will be getting it for the special Ambush price of 40GBP while stocks last*"

Arnie'sAirsoft wallpaper: Well it had to happen sometime, we are rather proud to bring you our own reader inspired wallpaper. What better to adorn your PC's (or Mac's!) backdrop than some official Arnie'sAirsoft wallpaper? Well thanks to Jeff Ridgway (aka Dr StrangeLove) you now can. Yup Jeff got bored and produced these masterpieces for us all. Well I just wish Jeff got bored more often!

Thanks to Jeff's inspiration I started the new Wallpaper section. We're open to all submissions of work, just drop us a line via email (arnie@arniesairsoft.co.uk) if you want to see your wallpaper here for all to dribble over. Anyway you can find the all new 'Softing Sheets' here. I've put the wallpaper up in 1024x768 and 800x600 formats, if you want anything larger put up there drop us a line.

SG1 P90 harness#2: Do you remember our post about SG1 P90 slings? Well just to keep everyone in the loop...

Thanks go out to StormLeader for this image

AirsoftDynamics sell their own version, BlackHawk also make a version of the aforementioned sling, but both of these are not 100% accurate. Another version of interest is the Chalker sling, it's made by a guy with plenty of experiance with real world scenarios. This version is similar, but again not quite the same as the one from the series. Having said that it looks very functional.

Well we have a 'new kid on the block' so to speak. Graeme Haddock has been in talks with with a tactical gear manufacturer for the past 2 months or so exchanging many e-mails, thoughts and pictures regarding the (now famous in the Airsoft world) Stargate FNP90 Tactical harness.

After many prototypes and 're-thinks' of the design, they have came up with what they term as an exact replica of the SG1 P90 Tac harness. It operates in exactly the same manner as the version used in the TV programme. Here's what Graeme had to say:

"Here is the copy of the e-mail I received from the company, detailing the products operation and price. I have also included the pictures of the finished version. I must point our that I'm not making any profit on the sale of these harnesses, I'm doing it for the benefit of the airsoft public.

If we can get more than 25 people interested, the slings will cost around £55 each, including p+p. They should be ready for purchase in around 3 weeks.

"Graeme, The harness design is sound...full adjustablity...front straps are 12 inches long with sliders.....side/rear straps have dual adjustments(as requested).. these straps are 36 inches long (each side)...this left plenty of additional material on me...(I am approx. 46 inch chest) The 5 point buckle appears to be identical to the one in your photo's I made 3 versions of the gun strap, photo's to follow.

Now with this all said and done...I can you offer the following pricing. I would prefer to send you just a single "Harness assembly" before going into full production. This has been a interesting project from the aspect of creating a item form a few incomplete photo's...being a shooter my self it is relatively easy to understand the final fit and function. BUT...I would prefer to have your final input.

• 1 to 15 units $80.00 plus S&H
• 16 to 25 units $70.00 plus S&H
• 26 to 50 units $60.00 plus S&H - [This amount is what I'm hoping to achieve, at least]
• 51 to 100 units $55.00 Plus S&H

In consideration of my time and materials I request that your initial order be for a minimum of 10 units....this will cover my prototyping and development time and materials."

If anybody would like to reserve a P90 Tactical harness, please send your details (Name, Address and Telephone number) to Graeme via email - ghwalsc4ever@haddock58.fsnet.co.uk (Graeme will get back to you as soon as they become available for purchase)

For more information I would highly recommend having a read of these forum threads around the world:

UKAN-Forums, ASAP Forums, Arnie'sAirsoft forums.

CAW Updates: CAW (aka Shelf Mosquito) have updated their website with some more interesting trap mechanisms that use their 175bb Moscart 'Shower' shells. The new traps come in two versions, one that trips one shell, and another that trips two shells.

For those of you still stumbling over the math, yes that's over 300BBs coming your way in an "El Niño"-esque gas cload, if you're unlucky enough to trip the device that is. Of course it's a pity that the trap doesn't come with a RIS rail fitted to it - then you could strap the buggers onto all kinds of wonderful kit. Argh! no...

"...Wolf have worked closely with the manufacturer to produce a range that is of high quality without the huge costs of some other brands in the western market. ... Rifle bags start from just £19.99, Thigh rigs £39.99 and vest/rigs from an unbelievable £74.99. It just gets better; each item comes with a manufacturers warranty. Expect new designs and kit soon from the brand that is destined to make a big impact on the UK skirmish market, only at Wolf..."

Also included in the updates are the latest CA products that WL have now got in stock, and the RC Type 90 tank 'clone'. Basically someone else (Hen Long) has started making an improved version of the original TM tank that takes rechargable batteries, and is a darn sight cheaper. It's fun, it's Airsoft, but it's definitely not skirmish proof. :o)

"...or those of you that are not in the know, over a year ago, Tokyo Marui released their remote controlled 1/24 scale BB firing model type 90 tank. Much hilarity was had by the few people that had the wonga to afford this marvel of airsoft ingenuity. It was powered by a pile of AA alkaline batteries, which once you got totally wrapped in the fun of thing, would seem to last about 2 minutes. This was largely due to the amount of control you actually had on the thing, boasting full 360` field of movement with multiple forward and reverse speeds and turns right or left while going in either direction. The other set of controls on the handset govern the independent turret and gun control system with 30round firing 6mm cannon..." ReadMore...

Taipai Target Airsoft Military Exhibition: We have added some photos of the Taipei Target Airsoft Military Exhibition 2002

We'll be adding some text and wording to the article shortly, but I thought that you folks might like to have a drool over the photos first.

Included in the photos are pictures of the new products Guarder and GuayGuay. In the image to the right you can see Guarder's own Draganov. I don't know if this is Guarder's newest Druganov as they released one a while back, although we'll know more when the text comes in from Roy. For now you'll just have to dibble over the pictures we have. ^_^

New reviews: Well the inbox here is stuffed full of reviews to get online. It's only fair to get them online in the order that we have received them. First up are three reviews (two long and one short) by Brian James aka Chimaera.

The first review is of the MGC H&K P7M13. Sadly MGC (the original manufacturer) went bust many moons ago. MGC have now reverted to an Airsoft shop under the name 'New MGC'.Even now a good few years on the P7 that they produced is still a very much sought after collector's piece - as such we're rather proud to bring you a quality review stuffed full with photos of it.

The other reviews are a rather lengthy review of the WA Beretta 92fs Perfect version, and a short review of the Western Arms INOX Beretta. Sadly there's only so many hours in the day, so the other reviews and articles that I haven't finished will have to appear later this week.

Custom M14 AEG: JosephChen has mailed in this new link about an Airsoft M14 AEG conversion that was introduced at an Airsoft military show in Taiwan (link from 'SAM'S MILITARIYA'). Sadly the price, release date and even the manufacturer are unknown. We will keep you updated as we learn more. Here's the translation:

"...Some days ago, it participated in the Taiwan military show, but when with the information which is obtained at the meeting place the Taiwan air gun manufacturer the M14 rifle has planned model with the electromotive air gun must be. Stock reducing cost with as a plastic, make it means becoming sale, but... (price and sale time et cetera are undecided). As expected after the selling, in Japan it probably will be imported?"

MadAboutAirsoft: The owner of Mad About Airsoft (MAA) have emailed in so that we can introduce them to you the Airsofting public. MAA are a new specialist Airsoft UK retailer.

So what do MAA do that makes them special? Well they have some gorgeous home built replicas that's what. :o) They only have three products available at the moment (AK, SVD and BushMaster), but all three are very unique, and feature full metal and wood parts (where applicable). The only one downside of replicas of this quality is the price tag, but this is to be expected.

Just remember readers, it's not how much a retailer says they can do that makes them good, it's how well they do with what they do (sorry if there's a lot of "do's" in there). Check out their website for more details, for what looks to be a very promising new kid on the block. Warning - if you've got a thing for AK varients then your bank manager would really rather prefer it if you didn't look at this page.

"madaboutairsoft.com has been setup by airsoft enthusiasts to provide the UK market with custom built airsoft weapons and equipment.

We have just completed our website (http://www.madaboutairsoft.com), and will be selling custom AEGs to the general public in the next few weeks.

Currently we have three rifles available: full metal/wood versions of theAK47, the Dragunov SVD and a Bushmaster M16 carbine. All are upgraded with SystemA parts and 6.04mm TN barrels. In addition to the rifle itself, we are also fitting authentic side-mounted Russian scopes for the AK/SVD series. For further information, check out our website.

MAA is going to produced limited quantities of these rifles, so as to ensure that the quality of each is top notch, however this does mean that we already have a backlog of orders."

2002 Taiwan Airsoft show: JosephChen (my newest bestest buddy :) ) has mailed in this rather lovely link to a page covering a recent Airsoft show in Taiwan.

Included in the article are piccies of the new GBTech M249 (that would seem to suggest that it uses a Marui AK gearbox hmmm...), some other interesting bits from GBTech (including the new HK21 kit) and our buddies at Guarder with their lovely upgraded TOP M249. You can find the translated link here.

You can also find some more photos of what looks very much like the same event here (A big thanks go out to Jack Traven for this extra link) http://www.civil.ncku.edu.tw/~mustang/airsoft/2002milshow/index.html.

ForAirsoft latest offers: ForAirguns have a bunch of whole host of special offers on at the moment. You can checkout the complete list of what's on offer in the UKAN forums here. Items that specifically caught my eye were the offers on the KWC Desert Eagles:

• Desert Eagle Cannon GBB - KWC - 117.37 UKP
• Desert Eagle GBB - KWC - 97.79 UKP
• Desert Eagle Spare Mag - KWC - 19.58 UKP

There's loads more there, it's just that with my penchant for stupidly huge pistols "Mister Anderson...", I took interest in the above . Do be sure to read the rest of the offers for the rest of the details. Oh.. I must not forget ForAirguns have also redesigned their website completely too! (No... honest I'm not joking!) The special offers end on the 10th of March 2002, so get in quick if you're after that special bargain.

WGC Shop updates: We've been sent some new stock updates from WGC (Wargamer's Shop). Of interest here (as usual) are the new GuayGuay and Guarder parts:

Guarder Mag & Utility Pouches for SOG CQB Vest Coming Soon!!!
Guarder M2000 Pro Gun Bag Coming Soon!!!
Guarder Carrying Bag for Sub Machine Guns USD36
Guarder 5 Inch Accurat Barrel for WA USD32.5-43.5
G&G RIS for MC51 USD103
G&G AK74 Flash Hider USD61.5
G&G AKs 74U Flash Hider USD61.5
Western Arms Beretta M92F Mount Base USD45
Sheriff 5/6 Inch Long Range Barrel for .45 / Hi-Cap USD44
Western Arms Infinity SV 5 inch In Stock Again!!!
Zero Red Dot Scope ( Multi Dots System ) USD100
Pentagon 35mm Red Dot Scope ( Multi Dots System ) USD75

New toys coming from Guarder: Guarder/IntruderShop have a couple of new bits of interest in the works. These two new products include the 'Voodoo' custom kit, and a handy little valve key for KSC and WA replicas.

The new 'Voodoo' parts look real interesting as the parts are listed with the subtitle: "modified REAL parts for AirSoft. Limited Edition".

The idea of real MP5 parts (particularly barrel/flashhider bits) added to Airsoft equipment makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I think about what customs might think or do with them, although the idea is still rather intriguing. At this time all we have is a picture of one of the prototypes (seen top right). This is one product I'll be keeping an eye on out of my own interest. ^_^

The valve key, is a rather important but rather understated piece of equipment, as anyone who has tried servicing gas pistol mags knows. As usual with Guarder/IntruderShop this product is effective, innovative, and just generally 'darn tootingly' useful! - An item no AirsoftSmith should be without.

M4 RAM in action: You remember the M4 RAM (the M4 paintball/airsoft thingymajiig) that we first mentioned back in August of last year?

Well I came across a video by Mouseboy38 in my travels. The video shows the M4-RAM in action. It's impressive as a product, but I can't quite see a huge demand for it. Check out the video to make up your own mind (http://homepage.mac.com/mouseboy39/m4.wmv).

Source BBGunLand ("WA Sigma") Translated version

SG1 P90 harness: In the forums around the world a lot of us have been chatting about the rigs used in the recent series of Stargate SG1 (seen in the image to the right).

Thanks go out to StormLeader for this image

Airsoft Dynamics (AD) have been listening, which is always a good thing, and now have a nice new P90 sling coming soon, for more info check their news section. Now it should be noted that the AD version isn't 100% true to the ones found in the SG1 series.

BlackHawk also make a version of the aforementioned sling, but again it's not 100% accurate, but being made by BH it's very well designed but pricey. Another version of interest is the Chalker sling, it's made by a guy with plenty of experiance with real world scenarios. This version is similar, but again not quite the same as the one from the series. Having said that it looks very functional.

For more information I would highly recommend having a read of these forum threads: UKAN Forums, ASAP Forums, Arnie'sAirsoft forums.