AA SPECIAL
REAPER OPS TV
with how readers will consume what we produce, than
again that’s a “win-win-win”.
“We have a fabulous group of contributors, the pool
of which internationally is now above 40! Not all of these
great airsofters contribute to every issue, but it just means
we can always have news from experienced contributors for
each and every issue, not just from the UK but from around
the likes of the USA, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, The
Netherlands, Sweden, Africa, Australia and New Zealand...
“We just ran out first collaboration piece in Japanese,
the article about the Airsoft Surgeon Championship that
AA is also involved in and has actively championed, with a
translation and even more pictures available via the website
and this, I’m pleased to report, was massively popular. It
shows absolutely the increased flexibility that being digital
allows and we want to see more of this type of thing done
in the future.”
ROATV: “Has the lockdown made it harder for you
because of the uncertainty of things or has it been a
blessing in disguise, allowing you to catch up? I assume
there is always more things happening than you can cram
in.”
AA: “To be completely blunt, my workload has actually
increased dramatically since we went into lockdown! Prior
to the lockdown we already had our new business model
in place and, in fact, the physical move to digital has been
the culmination of nigh on two years of planning. As you
know, we released the first fully digital edition of Airsoft
Action just prior to things kicking in and were planning
a big website change to announce at IWA as part of the
Airsoft Meetup that is held every year.
“Nige and I had really just started ramping up the new
format “live news” website when everything kicked off in
earnest and I’ve been working super-hard on that. I mostly
work from home as our main office is in Worcestershire and
I’m based in Kent, so not much has changed for me!
“It has, however, given us an opportunity to prove both
to the player community and the manufacturers that we are
able to not only sustain a viable product in the best of times
but also in the most challenging of times!
“Since the UK lockdown started we’ve continued
to populate the new website, as well as producing the
monthly “magazine” bang on schedule and the next online
issue of Airsoft Action will upload on the 15th of May as
usual.
“I won’t say that we haven’t had to face some major
challenges as, obviously, now the magazine is free to the
reader and supported by the industry itself. The entire
industry has taken a huge, major knock right now and
so they’re suffering as much as anyone. However, we
have some extremely strong industry partners who have
continued to support us; these relationships are long-held
and based on mutual trust and appreciation and we’re
incredibly thankful to all of them for helping us to move
forwards, even in the hardest of times.”
ROATV: “Is it important to pick a side and “banner
wave” for brands you personally feel passionate about or
do you have to remain impartial as a journalist?”
AA: “Impartiality is the bedrock of great journalism
for me and everyone else Airsoft Action! The door must
ALWAYS be open for new innovation and new ideas
and everyone should be able to access our “outlet” on a
balanced and equal basis if they have a story to tell.
“As I said before though, we do have some incredibly
close and strong relationships with a number of brands
and I won’t deny that but this is largely down to them
being confident to work WITH us. Whilst I for one see
little point in slating a particular product (when did that
become worthwhile news???), I will always liaise with the
manufacturing brand if they send me a right lemon! You
could say that it’s sometimes what is NOT in Airsoft Action
that tells a tale…
“This process is one that few fully understand. I see
somewhere upwards of six to ten “new” airsoft models
a month, every month and have done for the past seven
years or so, and that’s a LOT of AEGs and GBBs - you can
work out the total for yourselves! That of course doesn’t
take into account the models I might see when I visit a
game, shop or show, so I am seeing and shooting well over
a hundred AEGs and GBBs each and every year!
“As I’ve been in the industry for a while I work directly
with some manufacturers as they develop new products
and let me tell you, I send back a lot of “concept” products
back with “improvement notes” before they ever get
to market! By the time they reach me for testing and
evaluation there’s an entire process that has already been
undertaken and even occasionally when I do get a bad one,
I will usually speak with the manufacturer in question to try
and rectify a problem. I will always say: “Sorry, not going to
give a positive review on this because of X or Y, but if you
fix the problem I will check this has been rectified on re-
testing and then provide the final review NOTING that you
have made the change”.
“I believe this is far more pertinent that simply saying
“this is crap” and trying to big yourself up! Manufacturers
are people and I deal with people as I would wish to be
dealt with. This is also the overwhelming ethos of Airsoft
Action… we deal with everyone as human beings… fairly
and with respect!
“Personally speaking, as a reviewer I can only comment
on what is physically put in front of me, what I physically
take to the range to shoot and these days the majority of
things are good to go immediately. If what I test performs
to the level I expect then that’s what I will say. Others may
“LIKE MANY OTHER SPORTS AND HOBBIES THAT INVOLVE SOCIAL INTERACTION,
AIRSOFT HAS TAKEN A BIG KNOCK DURING THIS PANDEMIC BUT MY PERSONAL
FEELING IS THAT WE WILL COME BACK JUST AS STRONG AS BEFORE - DIFFERENT
SURE ENOUGH, BUT JUST AS STRONG!”
48
JUNE 2020