Now I know I have done this all arse-about-face (having posted up part 2 of this upgrade video series), but I actually wasn't going to publish these videos at all. In reality I made these videos so I could keep tabs on how I took the darn thing to bits so I could put it back together again!

Even though the production quality is quite low and I wasn't working from a script I decided that it would be a shame to just bin this footage after I had finished the work and thought that they might be of some use to someone somewhere (maybe)!

So here's part one of my Type 89 RIS upgrade. Please forgive the sound quality, my shaky camera work and my stuttering narrative (and the over use of 'OK')! LOL

Link to the next part in this series: Type 89 AEG - Laylax RIS upgrade - Part 2

Source: UbisoftThe very first loadout I planned when I started airsoft was a generic SWAT type CQB kit impression. The loadout was centered around my first AEG, the Classic Army replica of the DSA SA58 tactical carbine. But no sooner had I started to play airsoft than my friends and I decided to adopt a Russian military theme for our games, so my SWAT loadout idea was put on the back-burner.

Well, after three years I have decided that it's time that I dust off the idea and have a go at some of the new CQB sites that have sprung up in the region.

Luckily for me the items required for this impression are widely available, SWAT based impressions are hugely popular, but I decided not to go with the usual black BDU look and instead wanted an olive drab scheme so that if I had to use the kit in a woodland area I wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb!

Kit collection so far...
Aside from the center-piece - the DSA SA58 - I have already gathered together some of the uniform kit required, a big part of which is the distinctive load carrying rig. I went for a pretty standard looking tactical vest for that classic SWAT look, but while there are plenty of cheap tac-vests out there I found a pretty cool one in the J-Tech M7.

The M7 is a Taiwanese product and while it is similar to budget vests made by the likes of Viper it does have one very unique property, the front MOLLE panels are removable and so you can quickly change over your pouch layout without the usual unthreading of MOLLE straps. This makes the vest very flexible, enabling you to easily outfit yourself with different ammo and equipment stowage for different missions - between games!

One downside of this type of vest is that if you are tall - I am 6' 4" - the shoulder straps tend not to extend enough so the overall length of the vest is a bit on the short side. I got around this by having it customized by a UK based tactical tailor, lengthening the shoulder straps to accommodate my height.

Additionally, despite the excellent flexibility afforded by the removable MOLLE panels the rest of the pouches on the vest are fixed, which is a pity. You have a shotgun shell pouch and a rifle but pad on the right and a set of pistol mag pouches and small compass pouch on the right. I wish these had been made removable too so you could further customize your loadout.

I have bought several alternative pouch panels to go with the rig, plus different types of MOLLE pouches for the various mags and equipment I will be using. Aside from all this I have collected together some smaller items like gloves, protective knee and elbow pads and duty belt and holster.

Face protection
An important part of any CQB loadout is the face protection. Up close engagements means choosing your headgear carefully, a full face mask of some sort should be mandatory. I had already bought a Rainbow 6 style helmet made by Alpine which I sprayed with Krylon olive drab paint (it was black). This helmet provides full coverage for the side of the face and ears, but is open faced.

To protect my eyes I wanted to use standard goggles - not mesh because of the growing use of bio-degradable BBs - and the set I found most successful in combating fogging was my Bolle X800s, but this still left my mouth and chin venerable. I have tried several types of neoprene mouth guards and balaclava combinations, but found them restrictive and actually aggravated fogging because of the condensation which built up due to having to breath heavily.

Quite by chance I discovered that a full face mask which I bought for another loadout actually fitted quite snuggly beneath the Alpine helmet! And with the Bolle goggles placed on top of the mask I had the perfect (perhaps!) face protection that was also least likely to fog. I will probably spray the face mask with the same OD Krylon paint - it should look quite intimidating!

Right: The face mask is a Chinese copy of the Matrix Soldier mask available from Ebaybanned.com for $36. It is made of very solid glass-fibre.

I am toying with the idea of adding a pair of ESS Turbofan goggle to help fight the fogging problem and I also want to add a fake night vision mount to the helmet to finish off that SWAT look.

Next...
in the next part of this mini-series I will look at the choice of uniform and boots and trying on the kit I have so far...

Hopefully this is third time lucky in my attempt to produce a cheap but passable Russian style 'MASKA' helmet. So far I have tried a cheap motorcycle helmet and then a slightly more practical classic style snow-boarding helmet, but neither were a satisfying imitation.

Unfortunately for me, while a good 1:1 scale replica of the Maska was put on sale for airsofters last year the price was prohibitive and, worse, the quality of the shield was so poor that the manufacturers finally removed it all together. As the shield is the most distinctive part of the Maska - and most practical for CQB airsoft - I ruled out it's purchase and decided to have another go at making my own fake.

This time I managed to find a more reasonable starting point for the helmet as I came across a very reasonably priced surplus British police ARGUS riot helmet - just £19 on eBay! Now, the reason this is a good basis for the project is that the general shape isn't as bulbous as the motorcycle helmet and it is already fitted with a protective face shield.

Left: The real Maska 1Sch1 - the earlier and most recognizable version of the Russian bullet-proof helmet used by Spetsnaz forces. As you can see, the face shield is the most distinctive feature of this helmet and will be the focus of my 'replica'.

The Argus's face shield in particular is the key to this mod, as it will make the imitation of the distinctive MASKA bullet-proof shield easier to achieve. In fact, with a realistically replica of the MASKA's shield on the front of the helmet I will be well on the way to having an acceptable fake Russian military helmet.

Today I am examining my newly delivered Argus helmet, deciding how I should proceed and I am also doing some research into the real dimensions of the real Maska's face shied so I can replicate a facsimile.

Above: My Argus riot helmet - a bit scratched up but perfect for my purpose. Importantly this helmet comes with it's own clear plastic face shield - the mechanism for which I will be using to hang the MASKA style solid face shield on.

The condition of the used Argus isn't too bad - mainly surface scratches - and it fits nicely, but it is a bit uncomfortable so will need some additional padding, and I will have to remove the rear neck protection. As for the Maska shield dimensions I struck gold at the Red Alliance Forum (where else) as someone else is undertaking a similar project.

Above: Schematic for the MASKA-1Sch face shield. Hopefully by faithfully recreating this component of the Maska my fake-Maska will pass for the real thing...At a distance at least! Source: Red Alliance Forum

In the next part of this build project I will be fitting a mock-up template of the shield to the Argus in order to figure out the best way to join the final shield (which will be constructed of sheet aluminum). I will also fitting the additional foam padding needed to make the helmet comfortable in use.

Well, this recession may have had negative consequences on the amount I can spend on airsoft projects but I can still shell out for the odd budget item. This month I bought a few more pieces of kit to add to my Flecktarn (faux-German Army) loudout collection and I think I can say I managed to aquire some real bargains...

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There are several self-heating self-contained meal systems available and they are very useful for the camper, hiker and, of course, the airsofter.

The smaller airsoft fields have a rather sad reputation for thier universal lack of facilities, and in particular for being bereft of a proper 'mess tent'. So I have tested out a couple of self-heating meals as a moral boosting alternative to the usual cold lunchbox or sandwich pack.

This video is a demonstration of how to use these two meal packs - the HotPack and HotCan self-heating systems.

I tried out the Hotcan pack when I went to 'First & Only' Matlock, and I'm very glad I did. For although summer seems an odd time to be thinking about hot lunches the very unseasonable rain storm we endured on that day meant I was very pleased with my piping hot 'All day breakfast' (there were some envious looks for some of the other players).

One thing I do want to emphasise is that these packs do get very hot! Please be aware of this and show due caution - remember that even after the allotted time that is given for these meals to cook the heating system keeps on going for some time. So also be careful how you dispose of the pack afterwards.

Finally, there are other similar products to the two I demonstrated in my video, including one done by Crosse & Blackwell, but I found these harder to get hold of.

Please let me know if you try any of the other makes of recipes - it would be nice to build up some knowledge of which are the more tasty flavours!

Useful links:

> Hotcan
> HotPack
> HotBox
> Crosse & Blackwell at mlaltd.co.uk store