WEST MIDLAND AIRSOFT: HIGH COMMAND REVIEW!

On Sunday 23^rd July 2017, I took a drive into The Black Country to visit a brand spanking new airsoft site ran by West Midlands Airsoft called High Command. From where I’m based in the East Midlands, High Command is around a 50 minute drive up the motorway depending on the traffic. The site is situated within an industrial estate that’s tucked into a small suburban housing estate in the heart of Rowley Regis. Despite its unlikely location the industrial estate and the site itself is clearly signposted from the road to make it easier to find.

As you follow the signs into the estate and drive into the car park to the site there is around 20 car parking spaces so it’s good to get there early to bag yourself a space. The safe zone is a short walk up a flight of stairs and is a central corridor with rooms branching off that are full of tables and chairs for players to organise their kit, as there are stairs leading to the safe zone you may want to pack lightly but the safe zone is a spacious room even if you do fancy bringing the kitchen sink! The first room houses the official onsite shop which is run by West Midlands Airsoft and supported by Staffordshire Militaria that sells a variety of RIFs, ammo, pyro, scopes, sites and plenty of accessories that you could need on the day!

The site also has 2 other retailers’ onsite supporting their game day shenanigans, which we’ll talk a little bit about now: the first supporting company is SIXMIL.com who are an independent airsoft hire company that are based in Staffordshire that offer a huge range of not only rental weapons but rental loadouts too! From their Recon and ‘Ghost’ to Assault and ‘Tank’ predesigned loadouts SIXMIL offer new/beginner players the chance to facilitate a variety of play styles and looks without the hassle of getting all the gear themselves! I love this concept as it helps new players feel more involved in the game! The second supporting company is a retailer called Targetszone! Targetszone are a retailer based in Birmingham that specialise in field sports equipment from major brands including Armex, Anglo Arms and more but also have a large selection of military surplus and airsoft gear.

The day starts with a comprehensive safety brief from the owner Paul and his team of marshals. The site runs a limit of 350 FPS max, semi auto only (except in the odd game that are agreed by all players before starting), and with a pyro limit of a 12 gauge magflash round however due to the amount of wood in the building strike-able pyro is not allowed.

The site itself is a 13,000 sq ft warehouse space that is set on the second floor of the building. It is a mixture of bright long, open areas, dark corridors and even darker kill house style rooms. It is exceptionally close CQB and with no minimum engagement distance you can bet it is intense. The staff are constantly working to improve the site so it changes from week to week with new rooms being added, new doors and more permanent structures being built. 

What about gameplay? The games are capped at 30 players – 15 a side and that is a perfect amount for the sites total playing area of 13,000 sq ft. The game modes played are varied to include death matches and objective based game modes that keep the day fresh. We started the day off with a collapse and defend game to balance the teams which was then switched around. Other games during the day included an objective game where teams fought to dominate the killhouse to activate the target system and eliminate as many targets as possible in 30 seconds. At the end of the day, we also played a super fun VIP evacuation game where the VIP is given a force of 6 bodyguards to enable them to move through the site and reach the evacuation point but there was a catch, the VIP got to use the new Classic Army Mini Gun on a two second burst for suppressive fire (of course all players agreed before game on and the mini gun was used by an experienced, trusted player) Everyone had a great day and the feedback from the games was excellent.

I have always said that one aspect of a site that is really important to me personally is the staff – this can sometimes make or break a site! The hospitality that I was shown from Paul, Kelly, Rob, Joe and the rest of the staff onsite was second to none. They were all super friendly and chatted enthusiastically with all of their customers throughout the day. The marshals had a great sense of humour during gameplay and this added to the atmosphere. One thing that impressed me during the day was that Paul was consistently checking with his customers whether they were having a good day and asking if there was anything that could be improved – this shows me that he is not only passionate about his site but that the customers experience is paramount!

So what’s the walk on fee? The walk on fee for members is £25.00 and for none-members is £30.00 each including a hot lunch (which is a rarity at sites nowadays!) Hires are available from SIXMIL starting at £25 so it is in line with game day fees at other sites.

Are there any issues with the site? There are only a couple of issues that I noticed whist on site and they are issues that are isolated to other tenants of the building. The site has 26 allocated car parking spaces however a few of them are taken up by abandoned cars – whilst it doesn’t cause a massive problem, it is a little bit of an annoyance. The other issue lies with the men’s toilets - other tenants in the building unfortunately do not look after the facilities so West Midlands Airsoft has combatted this however by opening up the women’s toilet that has a lock on it, players and attendees of the day can ask at reception for the key to enjoy a pleasant, clean bathroom. Props to West Mids for taking such positive action regarding this!

Overall I had an absolutely fantastic day at West Midlands Airsoft High Command, the site itself although not the biggest site is well laid out and the gameplay flowed well. The games that were played were varied and balanced. The players, marshals and staff were fun and enthusiastic to be around and made everyone feel welcome! I’ll definitely be back!

Hardwick, K. (2017). West Midlands Airsoft: High Command. Airsoft Action. 79 (October), 42-43.

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INTERVIEW WITH BIG PHIL CAMPION! FORMER 22 SAS!

On the 20^th May 2017 I attended Leeds Airsoft: The Foundry CQB’s opening weekend and was lucky enough to spend time with and interview one of the most well-known former Special Forces soldiers of our time – Big Phil Campion. A former D Squadron 22 SAS trooper who is a veteran of Military and Private Contractor operations in almost every conflict zone on Earth.

PC: bigphilcampion.co.uk

I’ll start by saying that Phil is exactly how you would imagine him to be and certainly lives up to his name – he is a tower of intimidating strength and has fists the size of sledgehammers, all topped off by a huge smile and a heavy London accent.

PC: bigphilcampion.co.uk

Phil joined the Army at age 17, which he describes as the greatest turning point in his life. He quickly fell in love with the Armed Forces and his new found career. He was cap badged as a Royal Hampshire, where he took on the All Arms Commando course with the Royal Marines and the rigorous P Company course. He spent 10 years in the regular Army before deciding he wanted to move into the big leagues and take a crack at the infamous SAS selection – he passed first time and joined the prestigious D Squadron, 22 SAS. Phil spent 5 years with the SAS deploying to Operations in conflict-prone areas before moving on to the world of Private Military Contractors. From Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and Gaza to the gold mines of the west to the oil fields of Sudan and the pirate waters of Goa and the Indian Ocean, Phil has been around the world and then some.

He now spends his time writing books such as his best seller: ‘Born Fearless: From Kids’ Home to SAS to Pirate Hunter – My Life as a Shadow Warrior’ which is the explosive story of a former SAS vet turned gun for hire, presenting TV shows/documentaries including ‘Fighting IS: Big Phils War’ on Sky and after dinner speaking.

PC: bigphilcampion.co.uk

FF: Hi Phil, well firstly, thank you for taking the time to speak to me! I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your time in the SAS and your career. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Big Phil: Of course, I joined the Army when I was about 18 years old, spent 10 years with the regular Army and then went Special Forces and served with the 22 SAS. I spent about 5 years with them and was lucky enough to go on quite a few operations, Op Barras was one of them. I then got out and went straight to Afghanistan for 3 years with private work, from there I went to Iraq – more private work and I then started branching out into Africa, the Gaza strip. All over. So anywhere there was trouble, I was headed.

FF: You’ve done the block!

Big Phil: Yeah, all the anti-piracy stuff, training jobs all over Africa. I trained the Nigerian President’s body guard team. I’ve trained the Fata who were opposed to Hamas, they got slaughtered and I went back in to train Hamas *both laugh* I’ve done it both ways.

FF: One burning question civilians usually have is how hard is selection? Is it one of the hardest things you’ve done in your life?

Big Phil: No, no, staying alive is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and that’s every day. Once you pass selection things do get harder. Just because you’ve passed selection, doesn’t suddenly mean you’re bullet proof. Operations are designed to kill and of course you want to come home. Life becomes a lot harder and you have to keep your standards up at all times.

FF: Let’s get to airsoft, so do you play? And do you enjoy it?

Big Phil: Yeah, yeah, I think it’s great. I don’t so much do the games – I understand them, but where the airsoft is good for me is bringing people’s skill sets up. I give them the skills to get into the game and get more from it. If you do things properly you’ll get a lot more from the game than what you will just charging around.

FF: Do you train people with airsoft weapons? If so what do you run?

Big Phil: The Military have done airsoft so it’s not completely unheard of, I haven’t done it with the Brit Army but I’ve done it with a lot of body guards. If I’m training bodyguards and stuff in this country, it’s easier to get their skills up to speed with airsoft weapons, especially because with the airsoft guns, I can just load up with 30 BBs so they have to change mags and it all correlates to a real weapon. Airsoft guns are roughly the same size, same weight and have the same operation so you can get people so far with that sort of stuff especially if you’re strapped and can’t get to a range, which is difficult in this country.

FF: What’s your favourite piece of tactical kit to run?

Big Phil: For real or for airsoft?

FF: Both?

Big Phil: For real it would be a minimi ‘cause like I say, it’s a great bit of kit – it gives you loads of fire power, with a normal stock it’s great in the shoulder and you can swing it around rooms and buildings. Airsoft wise? I love me little M4s, the KWA ones. For pistols, I like Glocks.

FF: Is there anything you don’t like about airsoft?

Big Phil: My only beef within airsoft is people not taking their hits when they realise they’ve been hit. You know, if you could come up with a marker system to say to someone ‘look you’ve definitely been hit’ I think that would be a good thing but everything else is great!

FF: You’ve been all over the world and witnessed the boom of airsoft in America and Europe, what do you think would push airsoft in the UK?

Big Phil: I think it would be more sites, I think a lot of people have tried to turn paintball venues into airsoft venues and it doesn’t work, they are totally different sports. Venues such as this (The Foundry) is a cracking little venue, you can utilise it in a lot of ways and I can do a lot of state and skills training here that will bring people’s airsoft skills along.

FF: Talking of your airsoft training, do you run them a lot?

Big Phil: We’re starting here and we’re bringing out a set of courses. Once you’ve done a set of 3 basic courses you’ll move on to intermediate and we’ll bring people up and patch them up so you sort of become a guru of patches and become an instructor. So we’re going to bring people up through the system so they understand marksmanship, movement, they understand reactions and effect of enemy fire and all that sort of stuff. We’ll teach them how soldiers were taught.

FF: Thanks for taking the time to speak to me Phil! It’s been a pleasure! 

Hardwick, K. (2017). Interview with Big Phil Campion. Airsoft Action. 77 (August) 64-65.

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G&G WORLD CUP CQB COMPETITION 2017!

When our Editor called me and asked the question ‘Would you like to go to Taiwan to cover the G&G CQB Championships this year?’ I literally jumped for joy and squealed down the phone. The G&G World Cup CQB Shooting Competition is the World’s first Airsoft electronic target shooting competition where contestants from around the world compete in a series of stages including the G&G 5x5 MET system for the title of world champion in the gorgeous city of Taipei in Taiwan. In 2015, 38 contestants from 12 countries around the globe competed in the first ever CQB shooting competition and this year the competition is bigger, better and more intense - with 60 contestants from 25 countries including Taiwan, USA, UK, France, Switzerland etc all competing for the title and the first prize of $10,000 USD! Teams are chosen from qualifying events in their respective countries and those who qualify are rewarded by G&G with paid flights/accommodation to the competition in Taiwan and the chance to compete for the title of World Champion.

So what exactly does the competition involve? The G&G World Cup CQB Shooting Competition has 4 stages, and they are as follows:

·     STAGE ONE: M.E.T 5x5

The M.E.T 5x5 stage is the first stage of the competition, where contestants use the G&G CM16 – SRS rifle to eliminate the 25 targets until completion – what’s the catch? The target changes every 1.5 seconds. Each shooter is given a lane adjacent to their partner and must use the provided RIF to eliminate all of the targets in the quickest time possible.

·     STAGE TWO: Humvee Sniper

The Humvee Sniper stage is the second stage of the competition and is one of the more elaborate stages as the name suggests. The spotter sits in the front passenger seat of the Humvee with a GPM-92 pistol (hands on console to begin) and the second competitor sits in the front driver seat (with hands on steering wheel to begin) and when the M.E.T is activated, the sniper mounts the back bed of the Humvee with a G960SV sniper. Each contestant must eliminate their targets (sniper 2x3 and the spotter 3x3)

·     STAGE 3: Search & Destroy

Search & Destroy is the third stage of the competition and is linked to the Humvee Sniper stage. Upon completion of the previous stage the competitors leave the Humvee and their previous weapons in the car, pick up their CM16 – SRS rifles and activate the M.E.T system. During Search & Destroy the targets light up and emit a sound until cleared – more than one target may light up and emit sounds at a different location at the same time. Contestants during this stage are allowed to move around the whole field but shooting can only take place in the designated shooting areas.  

·     STAGE FOUR: CQB

The CQB element is the final and most physically demanding stage of the competition. This stage is also completed using the CM16 – SRS rifle. It is a tough CQB course littered with the M.E.T system targets. The first competitor activates the system and the stage begins, each area is activated on completion of the last and the contestants must retrieve the document case

There are DQs (disqualifiers) for each stage and each stage has it’s own particular set of rules which contestants must adhere to. Countries that have the M.E.T 5x5 system and the full CQB course set up send 2 teams to the world shooting cup, countries who just have the M.E.T 5x5 system like the UK are only permitted to send one team.

So what exactly happens in the competition? Most of the contestants arrived in Taiwan from their respective countries on Thursday 8^th June ready for the competition to kick off on Friday 9^th. Due to the flight times from Heathrow I arrived in Taiwan on Friday 9^th just 2 hours before the competition was due to commence, so it was a mad rush for me to get from the Airport to the Hotel the contestants were staying in and eventually to the Expo centre itself! The Riviera hotel is a luxurious hotel in the centre of Taipei, located close to the expo centre. All the contestants stay at the hotel so it is like a big sleepover and no expense is spared on the experience. Upon walking into your room you are greeted by a G&G care package which includes tonnes of G&G branded swag such as a personalised hat, a towel, a small hard case and other bits and bobs which is a really nice touch! Luckily I got to the Expo centre with time to spare and had the chance to catch up with the team from G&G and the international media that were in attendance over a lunchbox of traditional Taiwanese cuisine. The Expo centre had been decked out for the event with no expense spared – it had a huge branded stage, G&G branded gazebos for the operations, medical and maintenance teams (the contestants are very well taken care of by the team) and all of the competitors. The competitor tents were decorated with bunting and flags of the teams countries which gave the whole event a very patriotic feel!

The official start of the competition was signalled by lights and music coming from the main stage, quickly followed by dancers in inflatable costumes performing a lively little number before the G&G CEO himself, Mr James Liao took his place on stage to welcome the competitors. The very first day of the competition is a chance for the teams to meet and get to know the G&G team, the rival teams, set up their weapons/get to grips with them, to test them out on the M.E.T and to ensure there are no gun issues prior to the competition started. For the competition, each team gets 2 CM16-SRS rifles, a GPM-92 pistol and a G960SV sniper rifle – all of which are straight out of the box. No expense is spared during the competition. I spent Friday mingling with the teams and the international media, including the awesome guys from GSP, The House Gamers and Airsoftology.

The second day of the competition is where the competitors qualified for their ranking the next day – those who came higher up in the rankings would go later in the day. Each team gets two attempts to run through each stage and their best time is used as their ranking for the finals. The day started at 9am with all contestants ready to get their rankings and the day went off without a hitch and all the teams were on great form which can be seen in their scores. The second day was also when G&G held the ‘Contestants Banquet’, after the day was over all the contestants made their way to their designated mini buses (dubbed the party buses) and we were on our way to The Grand Hotel in Taipei – one of the most famous hotels in the city. The hotel is absolutely gorgeous, as you walk up the marble steps it gives way to a luscious scarlet red carpet that spans the entire length of the foyer of the hotel. It is decorated in with lanterns and ornate patterns and dripping in the traditional oriental colours of red and gold. As we made our way through the hotel into the banquet hall itself, there were banners and flags lining the walls. The banquet was a great evening with lots of traditional Taiwanese cuisine and the contestants are treated to Taiwanese beer and rice wine. The banquet is a super enjoyable event with a lot of laughter and camaraderie all round. After the evening is over, everyone was transported to the Riviera Hotel to carry on an evening of camaraderie and drinks.

As I was only there for 4 days, my nights were spent exploring the city of Taipei – after all, how often do you get to fly to the opposite side of the world? During the evenings we explored downtown Taipei, from the Shiling night market which was alive with colour, people and the smell of street food, to the quiet little artisan beer bars in the expo centre, to the famous beef rice bowl restaurant a short ride into the city on the MRT. Taiwan is a stunning country full of life, colour and scents that really make you feel alive. My only complaint, is the heat (typical Brit!) most days the temperature was hitting 35-40 degrees and it is really humid so shorts are an absolute must!

The third and final day of the competition is where the teams would secure their final scores that would decide their fate in the competition. The day started at 8.30am and all the contestants were at their stations ready to take on the day – first up was the M.E.T 5x5 final, followed shortly by the Humvee Sniper and Search & Destroy final and finishing up with the CQB finals. The day went well and the competition was intense, with crowds of people coming to watch the CQB finals from the stands, the whole expo was alive with activity and cameras flashing recording the event. It is to my understanding that there were a few gun fails during the last day but these were quickly resolved by the G&G Maintenance team. 

The Finale was a spectacular event and definitely the highlight of the competition. After the competition was complete and the scores had been counted, all of the contestants lined up with their respective countries sign and flag awaiting the results of the competition. Music began to play and Mr Liao started to present the winning teams with their awards and of course the coveted prize funds. The overall winners of the 2017 competition were Chile Team B coming in 1^st winning a very handsome $10,000 USD, Taiwan coming in 2^nd and taking home prize money of $5,000 USD and Hong Kong coming in 3^rd taking home a fab $2,000 USD. There are also monetary prizes for the winners of the individual stages. Germany took the prize for Stage 1 – M.E.T 5x5, Hong Kong took the prize for Stage 2 – Humvee Sniper, Chile team A were crowned the champions for Stage 3 – Search & Destroy and Chile team B took first for Stage 4 – CQB.

At the end of the ceremony we faced to turn the ranking flags with the Chile national anthem being played as their flag rose to the top of the pack, the most poignant memory I have of this moment was the Chile team – hands over their hearts, pride in their eyes and singing their hearts out to their anthem. It was an amazing sight to see and a very well deserved win by the Chile team.

The UK team is sponsored by none other than Zero One Airsoft – the shop/site where the UK M.E.T 5x5 system is based. Our UK team is chosen from 2500 people who attend the National Airsoft Festival at Ground Zero in Ringwood on the bank holiday weekend in August. Players over the weekend compete in teams of two to eliminate the 5x5 in the quickest time possible – which is no easy feat with so many competing for the chance to go to Taiwan. Ian Cobbledick and Gavin Andrewartha from Cornwall qualified for the 2017 G&G World Shooting Cup during the 2016 NAF with the fastest time over the weekend. During the competition they ranked an impressive 13^th in the qualifiers and 24^th overall. Their plans moving forward are to train on their very own M.E.T system and defend their title of national champions at the Nation Airsoft Festival 2017. The guys were great competitors, fun to chat to and did their best in the stages.

The G&G World Cup CQB Shooting Competition is held at the same time as the Taiwan Camo Festival where stores and manufacturers come together to put on an expo like event where players can come to try out new guns, run stages and compete in mini competitions for prizes and of course purchase new shiny camo and Airsoft goodies. Companies in attendance included WE Airsoft, Modify, ICS Airsoft, VFC and Armourer Works. The Camo festival brings hundreds of visitors every year to view new products etc. It was fun to walk around taking in the sight of all the different camos and to try out the marksmanship challenges that were dotted around the exhibition. There was a lot of kit there that I REALLY fancied bringing home but my case was already filled with swag thanks to the team at G&G so nothing more would fit in my suitcase!

Overall, the event was a spectacular show of skill and determination from the contestants. It was an enjoyable event filled with camaraderie and sportsmanship and really epitomised the best aspects of the Airsoft community – friendly competition, honest play and sportsmanship. The trip itself is the trip of a lifetime. The competitors did great in the competition and many international friendships were forged. It was great to meet so many people from different cultures and learn about their customs, languages and Airsoft communities. One thing that is clear to see is just how much time, passion and funds G&G invest in this event -   I am so grateful to Airsoft Action for allowing me to represent them at the 2017 World Cup CQB Shooting Competition and to G&G Armament for flying me out, being such fantastic hosts and giving me the experience of a lifetime.

The final scores/places were:

·         30^th – Paraguay

·         29^th – Bolivia

·         28^th – Mexico

·         27^th – Finland

·         26^th – Romania

·         25^th – French Polynesia

·         24^th – United Kingdom

·         23^rd – Philippines

·         22^nd – France Team A

·         21^st – Spain Team A

·         20^th – New Zealand

·         19^th – Colombia

·         18^th – United States Team A

·         17^th – Switzerland

·         16^th – Netherlands

·         15^th – Canada

·         14^th – Poland

·         13^th – France Team B

·         12^th – Spain Team B

·         11^th – United Arab Emirates

·         10^th – Argentina

·         9^th – Germany

·         8^th Chile Team A

·         7^th – Republic of China (Taiwan) Team A

·         6^th – United States Team B

·         5^th – Japan

·         4^th – Brazil

·         3^rd – Hong Kong

·         2^nd – Republic of China (Taiwan) Team B

·         1^st – Chile Team B

Hardwick, K. (2017). G&G World Cup CQB Competition 2017. Airsoft Action. 78 (September), 20-23.

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LEEDS AIRSOFT, THE FOUNDRY CQB REVIEW!

On the opening weekend of The Foundry CQB in Leeds I was invited by Leeds Airsoft to head over with some friends to review their newest Airsoft CQB site. The Foundry CQB is located in Stourton, Leeds just off the M1. It was a really easy drive from my home in the East Midlands, just hop on the A42 onto the M1 and follow it all the way up, the site is at the very end of Haigh Park Road and is signposted so it is easy to find. On arrival there was ample car parking space in the car park and around the venue itself. The drive in total took me an hour and 40 minutes, which isn’t unusual for me to travel to get to a game day. When I arrived I was warmly greeted by Stuart and his team of marshals who were very welcoming.

The site itself was previously used for industrial purposes and definitely has that raw, industrial vibe throughout the site. When you walk into the safe zone, it is a relatively small room but there are plenty of tables/stations and chairs for players to organise and set up their kit for the day. The site has a small on site shop that sells BBs, gas, pyro, a variety of RIFs and other gubbins that you would need during the day, it also sells a variety of snacks including drinks. We can definitely expect to see more stock rolling into the shop during the coming months. Unfortunately lunch isn’t included in the walk on fee so it is advisable to bring food with you but as the site is pretty close to the centre there are plenty of places nearby to get lunch including good ol’ maccies, KFC and supermarkets if you’d prefer to grab a meal deal sarnie. In regards to toilet facilities, there is a portaloo on site.

The walk on fees for The Foundry I feel are really reasonable, £20 for 4 hours and £25 for 8 hours with members enjoying rates of £15 for 4 hours and £20 for 8 hours, these are cheaper than a lot of other CQB sites up and down the country. They also supply rental packages for £10 for 4 hours and £15 for all 8 hours. They are open for private hire between 10am-5pm Monday to Friday and 6pm-10pm for night games if you wanted to enjoy a skirmish with your mates mid-week. On the weekends they are open 10-5pm both days for play.

The Foundry’s FPS limits are in line with other sites, at 350 FPS and single shot only. They also allow the use of pyrotechnics up to 9mm which is pretty standard and although players aren’t allowed to deploy smoke in game, the marshals do deploy smoke during certain games to add a curveball into play. It definitely adds to the feel of the site. The site has a mixture of close dark spaces, light filled mazes and also open areas to fight through. My favourite aspects of the site are the bar room (which has a red sofa and animal print throw Austin Powers vibe going on), the almost pitch black ‘street’ area which requires torches and pyro to gain access to and also the maze at the far end of the site which is the perfect place to use pistols and BFGs to get the drop on people. The site has loads of interesting props scattered around the site to make it as unique as possible.

We played a variety of game modes during the day, from an all-out team death match to start the day and get everyone familiar with the site to 2 vs 2 elimination games where 2 players from each team went head to head over the whole site. My favourite games that we played were definitely the attack and defend game where one team dug in and the enemy team cleared them out of the site and the bomb placement game where each team started with a fake explosive and had to get it to the enemies control point and destroy it. I think the games worked well, especially the team death match/elimination games but there were a few issues on site which I feel are to be expected for a brand spanking new site. There was a couple of incidences of none hit taking, and blind firing which were addressed by the staff in a swift manner. Overshooting was an issue during the day but as the site is so close it is bound to happen especially when dead players are returning to spawn when players are rushing out to get back into the game.

The staff on site were very friendly and welcoming yet fair, my only criticism is that one of the marshals shouted at players a fair bit, which is isn’t really necessary for a skirmish day in my honest opinion – if I wanted to be shouted at like a recruit I would have joined the military. I think that is best saved for MilSim ops rather than skirmish days but I appreciate that the marshal was only trying to make the day run smoothly.

For their opening weekend, Leeds Airsoft also had a special guest in attendance – Big Phil Campion, former 22 SAS. Phil was there on the day handing out patches from his brand Born Fearless and answering any questions players have about what life is like as Special Forces. He gave a brief talk on his career and talking about his new Airsoft training that he will be running at The Foundry. I was lucky enough to sit down with him for half an hour and interview him about his career and experiences of 22 SAS so be sure to keep an eye out for that in Airsoft Action!

Would I make any improvements? Well when Stuart took me on a tour of the rest of the building during lunch he explained to me that they will be opening up other, larger rooms in the site to give players more play options in regards to flanking and attacking – this will transform it into a truly awesome site. My only other improvement would be to put a limit on the number of players on site up until the site is expanded, as it is a fairly small space having too many players makes it difficult to move around the site without stale mates or getting bottle necked.

I spoke to some other players on the day and here’s what they said:

Adam Fletcher: ‘Starting off it surprised me how close the site actually is, we were on top of each other straight out of spawn. Although there was still plenty of avenues to flank and get around, it is definitely at the moment a limited number site. Having 10 vs 10 would be close to what I’d max the players at to allow games to flow smoothly, until they open up the other rooms on site to make the site larger. If you are a well-co-ordinated team you can really dominate key parts of the site and make it difficult for the enemy team to move. Overall, I had a good day and enjoyed the face paced close action. I would definitely head back once the whole site is opened up!’

Chris Tibbott: ‘I’m quite a fan of the layout of the Foundry, there’s plenty of room to move without being locked into a stalemate with the opposition, but due to its infancy there are a couple of places that create an unfair advantage for one team. Things like long unobstructed corridors down to regen allow for one team to be trapped at one end of said corridor. With age though, barriers could be placed which will minimise this aspect of the site. There’s plenty of variation amongst the Foundry’s cover, something I like to see with room to room, killhouse style sites is just a room with a door, or maybe a window if you’re lucky. With the Foundry you have obstacles within rooms such as large boxes and even a bar. What I like about this is that you can’t just frag any room you get to and expect it to be clear as there’s a large chance that someone else could be hiding in cover through there’

Jay Fitzpatrick: ‘My overall experience of the Foundry was positive. The site itself is extremely small as it stands which makes it perfect for small team action. On the day it was approximately 11 v 11 which I thought was slightly too many players – however upon expansion that should change. The Foundry is extremely close quarters and very chaotic due to the angles you can fire and receive fire from. The marshals were loud, precise and offered no sympathy towards players who believe bang bang kills have a place there. Upon meeting Stuart you can tell he is extremely enthusiastic about building his site and constantly asked myself and teammates for feedback on if we were enjoying the day. I look forward to seeing what they do with available space in the future’

Overall, I had a really good day at The Foundry and will definitely be back when the whole site is in play. The day was full of intense, close and fast paced CQB carnage which is exactly how I like my CQB games but there were a few issues on the day in regards to none hit taking/blind firing - this isn’t the sites fault, unfortunately these issues occur at most sites. I was impressed with the level of effort that had gone into the building of the site, it has some really interesting features and the games played were enjoyable! For £25 walk on fee, you can’t grumble!

Site Details:

Vulcan Foundry

Haigh Park Road

Stourton

Leeds

LS10 1RX

01132777707

07968258952

www.leedsairsoft.co.uk

Hardwick, K. (2017). The Foundry CQB. Airsoft Action. 77 (August), 26-29.

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OPERATION CRUCIBLE: THE TRIFECTA

The scene: the African city of Ati has fallen. After the remains of the Chadian Army withdrew from the immediate area, Azearian State Fighters entered the city, raising their flags over Government buildings and declaring the area an Azearian stronghold. SOTF Chad withdrew from the city last year which in turn prompted new attacks against the Chadian forces. Confirmation of the late former President, who was brutally murdered in the streets of Chad, had allied himself with AS has only undermined any International Relations with Chad.

Currently the Kanem Brotherhood is holding the position of interim government in N’Djamena, and they have also declared their allegiance with AS. The stability of Chad and central Africa has reached breaking point. AS and allied KOA forces have begun distribution of arms across the country and, more and more local militia and tribal groups have either allied with or officially joined AS meaning tensions are high and the area is highly volatile.

A small advisory training team comprised of International Special Forces from the US, UK Europe remains in N’Djamena and are continuing to work with the small number of Chadian Uniformed Police at the order of the UK government to help quell some of the unrest in the area but with the Azearian State, Knights of Azear and Kanem Brotherhood now focusing all their attention on N’Djamena, SOTF Chad has been diverted to reinforce the International Special Forces stationed in the city.

On the weekend of 13^th-14^th August 2016 I was invited by Stirling Airsoft to attend their latest operation, Operation Crucible at Caerwent FIBUA village in Monmouthshire, Wales to experience all three of the main factions within their themed games – ISAF, Civilian Population and my own team Chad Police. Let’s first talk a little bit about Stirling and what they do: Stirling Airsoft are one of the UK’s leading Airsoft events companies who bring together their varied backgrounds (including ex SF instructors) to bring Airsofters highly immersive large scale, scenario based 24 hour Airsoft events that challenge the participant both mentally and physically.

The site they picked for Op Crucible is a site that is rapidly becoming one of my favourite sites for MilSim Ops! MOD Caerwent is a large military site which was formerly used as a Royal Navy Propellant factory that was dedicated to the manufacturing of explosives and storage of ammunition from 1939 to 1993. Since its closure in 1993 it is used for a variety of activities from Airsoft to Field exercises and even car rallies. The site has an overall gated area of 7 miles that encompasses over 400 buildings and bunker structures but also the training areas own railway system. The terrain is varied and ranges from open grassy areas to berms, hills, wooded areas, a fully-fledged road system and of course the hundreds of buildings on site – because of its diverse landscape it opens the options for different playing styles from close quarters combat to long range engagements and sniping opportunities. The site is around a 2 and a half hour drive from my home in the Midlands and unlike other MOD sites such as Sennybridge FIBUA it is super easy to find – being just off the A48!

After we arrived we signed in at the gates – booking at Stirling is extremely easy and is done via the booking page on their website and with prices at £85 per person for the event it is one of the more affordable MilSim style ops, especially with the option to pay a £45 deposit and the rest on arrival.

As soon as we signed in we set up our FOB in one of the munitions storage buildings set deep within 3 hills, had some food and some well needed rest before the start of the weekend. Stirling Ops last for 24 hours none stop, no safe zones and no breaks so any rest you can get before the event is a plus!

In the morning we awoke bright and early, I donned my civvie clothes and left the Police fob with my first port of call being the civilian population. This element was completely new to me as playing a civilian within the story requires more role play than I have previously experienced. For my role I took on the part of a journalist for the local newspaper (The Chad Gazette) and was escorted around the city by MJ, the local civilian leader in the city to meet the local residents. The immersion is fantastic and it really feels like you are in this world. As I was walking around the city documenting the day to day life of Chadian locals, one thing became very clear – tensions were high between the two sides and unarmed civilians being shot on sight by ISAF forces only added to the tensions. Around every corner was unrest, ISAF and local residents going toe to toe as the soldiers prevented the residents from going about their daily lives and jobs. From this experience it was clear to see that the inhabitants were deeply unhappy with the ISAF occupation of their city. I spoke to a lot of the locals and the unrest mostly stemmed from the brutal murder of their beloved president. I left the side under the understanding that something big was happening, exited for what was to come in the next few hours.

For most of the Op I played with my own team – The Chad Police, the Police forces team has one objective during these Ops and that is to keep peace within the city and to quell any unrest/unlawfulness. Our duties started with patrolling the city and setting up road blocks to monitor what traffic was going in and out of the city and to check there was no contraband being smuggled in. As it became apparent to us that laws of the city were broken we started bringing in locals for questioning to get to the bottom of what was happening within the city.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the protest the civilians put on in memory of their late president, as we got word a large group were moving towards the ISAF camp we jumped into our vans and quads to provide support. We formed a protective barrier between the protesters and the ISAF soldiers,

From the berm that overlooked our FOB we watched as the ISAF camp got attacked on the hour, every hour of the night. From mortars, tag rounds, pyro and tracer rounds. The sky was alive with light and colour and the ground was aflutter with movement as the civilian militia moved in on the ISAF camp and gave them hell. ISAF as always put up a strong fight and the orders being screamed at the force could be heard through the site.

When light broke on the Sunday morning I donned my MultiCam gear and jumped on the quad to the ISAF fob at the heart of Caerwent. Their fob was a large munitions building surrounded by sanghars and hesco blocks, a fortress – easily defendable but vulnerable because of the sheer size and ostentatiousness of the building. As I entered the camp it was clear from the expressions on the teams faces that the night attacks had taken their toll on the force, however as soon as the order was given to mount the vehicles feet hit the ground running and the troops were on their assigned vehicles and moving out. I took a seat in the lead vehicle and watching the Saracen and Wimmick’s roll out with dust flying out from under every wheel was quite a sight, they were taking the fight to the heart of the civvie camp. When the order was given the troops dismounted the vehicles and started engaging the enemy forces, I disembarked and ran with a squad into the thick of it. One thing that really threw me off whilst running alongside the Stirling callsign was just how regimented the side is – there’s no running rogue and engaging whoever and causing chaos as I’m used to. You stick to your taskings. This means that the troops are a lot more organised and a force to be reckoned with. ISAF fought hard from all sides during the last few hours of the Op.

Overall, I had an amazing weekend at Operation Crucible, the immersion and roleplay at Stirling Ops is second to none. You really feel as if you’ve been dropped into another time/place.

 Hardwick, K. (2016). Operation Crucible: The Trifecta. Airsoft Action. 67 (Nov), 32-35.

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