WWII AIRSOFT
much better than red- or blue-taped arms
to distinguish the sides at open days.
Once these basics are in place you
can start spending money on the
useful extras – webbing, gaiters, boots,
camouflage and so on. Don’t bother
with officer gear: your game organisers
will be the Officers and there’s no point
outranking them. It is easy to fritter cash
away on bits and bobs but it’s much
better to accumulate cash and buy
essentials only – and as always if you buy
the best you only buy once.
The WWII Airsoft website has
pictorial kit guides that illustrate all the
components needed to put together a
convincing load-out, along with sources
and prices. And weapons? A woodstocked rifle would be ideal (K98, Garand,
Mosin Nagant, Enfield No4) as these
predominated in WWII. You shouldn’t
feel outgunned using a bolt-action
but it can be a bit of a leap for former
open-dayers to ditch the automatics, so
Thompsons, MP40/44s and Stens are
cheap and considered generic, as they
were commonly ‘captured’ weapons.
Handguns aren’t necessary unless you
are using a 350fps+ bolt-action which
has a minimum engagement distance.
The WWII Airsoft forums are full of
bargains for sale, from hard to find bits
of specialist kit to full load-outs – so no
need to pay full shop prices unless you
have a fat wallet.
Do remember that what matters
most is that you get from behind the
computer and off the sofa and participate
in the games – pukka kit is very much
secondary. Some people get things the
wrong way round and obsessively collect
kit trying to perfect a load-out but never
actually get out and play. To the fighting
soldier, a uniform is work clothes, no
more no less; they have much more
important things on their minds.
Don’t feel you have to go with a mate,
as you will leave the event with 30 or
40 new ones. Your fellow players are
often more than happy to lend out spare
uniforms or weapons. Some organisers
even offer free uniforms and hire guns,
so there really is no excuse not to dive
into the forums, book on the next game
and plunge yourself into the immersive
and unique world of WWII airsoft. All
WWII games are held at weekends, run
over one or two days and almost always
have a social evening. It’s here you’ll
discover that, whether first-timer or old
sweat, all are accepted equally and with
enthusiasm – and you will find the next
event can’t come quick enough. ■
For more on World War Two airsoft visit
the website: www.ww2airsoft.org.uk
www.airsoftactionmagazine.com
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