Airsoft Action 05 - Jan 2012 | Page 11

AIRSOFT NEWS UCAP VIRUS: CLOSING Demolition work has begun on UCAP Airsoft’s Sussex-based Virus site. The last ever game days were held on 10 and 11 December 2011. The site was opened in April 2010 and hundreds of airsofters have played the site in the last 20 months. As Airsoft Action was going BADGERTAC2 to press the forums were buzzing with players looking forward to sending the site out in style! UCAP Airsoft still operates three sites: The Bunker near Portsmouth, Green Ops in West Sussex and The Sandpit in Kent. Contact UCAP Airsoft: 07590 818881, www.ucap.co.uk BadgerTac2 opened on 19 November in Canvey Island in Essex. The new shop, set up by 18-yearold James Badura and Adam ‘Tigger’ Scott, has already established itself with local players. When James’ grandparents offered to set him up in business he jumped at the chance to turn his hobby into his business. Through family friend Tigger, James was introduced to Ratty from BadgerTac, and BadgerTac2 was born. Within days James had secured a shop and began fitting it out ready to receive its first stock of gear and equipment including King Arms, Cybergun, ICS, ASG, Magpul, KJ Works and WE, to name a few. When not working Tigger assists with help and advice – you’ll soon spot him if you visit the shop (he’s the big guy with a ponytail!). Contact BadgerTac2: 01268 906494, www.badgertac2.co.uk, [email protected] – or if you’re nearby then pop in and say hello! NEWS Two years have passed since the meeting which established the UK Airsoft Players Union, and the need for our association is clearer than ever. Not so long ago airsoft was an underground hobby; in the last 15 years it has burst into the limelight and grown exponentially as a result. Most people reading this would not have heard of airsoft if it wasn’t for the hundreds of people who have pushed airsoft to new levels, volunteers and entrepreneurs alike. Each year more people get involved and as a result we now have a staggering array of shops, sites, literature, guns and equipment to select from, with competition and the economy of scale keeping prices down. Airsoft was always a cheap activity due to extremely cheap ammunition and reasonable site fees; certainly it costs a tiny proportion of a day of quad biking or paintballing. That is one of the reasons airsoft has flourished in an economic climate that has seen most people spending less money. So things are looking good for our hobby. But this growth is highlighting the fact that, as a new industry in the UK, we are struggling to find our feet in terms of self governance. It is our community and the attitude of sportsmanship and professionalism that players bring to airsoft which makes the game everything that it is – but we are in danger of losing sight of this as the hobby becomes more commercialised. It is up to everyone in airsoft to take the reins to make sure that the hobby both sticks to its roots and lays the groundwork for the future. Our aim for the following year i 2F