Well, if today is anything to go by, Sunday will be a bit of a scorcher!

It will be nice to get back into sunny airsoft, although this does mean I will have to make some special preparations. Gone, for example, is my autumn/winter loadout and in comes my spring/summer kit. Chief among this is my new purchase of some Under Armour Hot Gear base layer clothing - it will be interesting to see what this stuff is like and whether it keeps me comfortable if the temperature starts to climb!

Additionally, this is my very first SYA theme event. Called 'Dark Horizons' it pits a force of British (wearing base tan - desert DPM or Yankcam) against a force of Chinese PLA (dressed in base green - DPM or woodland). The background story is:-

Operation Dark Horizon is based around a small but important action that will take place in and around the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. Elements of the 2nd Battalion Royal Ghurkha Rifles are preparing to hold the capital knowing that the Chinese can not afford to bypass them leaving a Battalion of Ghurkhas to their rear on their advance into India, thus giving the British time to make ready their defences for the forthcoming Chinese onslaught into India. [SYA]

I will be - of course - playing OPFOR (Chinese in this case). I would have liked to go the whole hog and turn up in something Chinese (US Woodland would have done, as the PLA did copy this camo at one point), with a nice Real Sword Type 97! But money being tight, it will have to be my Russian Tiger or DPM with an AK.

Being a big Battlefield 2 fan, it would be a terrific laugh to turn up as one of the PLA characters from that game. But time and cash flow are against this (sadly).  

There is an ammo restriction on this one (600 rounds only refillable at the unit HQ), so this seems the ideal opportunity to get my pistol into action! It will give me an emergency back-up of an additional 40 rounds.

Another preparatory issue is hydration. Do I take a hydration back pack? Or will a canteen suffice. Bearing in mind I can refill over the lunch break a 1 litre canteen seems appropriate, particularly at the pace I intend to take the game (I am still not 100% after my illness and do not intend to run around - no matter how much Shaun screams at me to do so.)

Finally, goggles. This may be a chance to swap out my clear lenses for my smoked ones. Additionally, do I wear my larger tactical Bolles or my nice ESS V12s with their easy change range of lenses? 

AEG of choice: CYMA AK74
Secondary: SIG P229
Rig: M23 Pioneer chest rig
Camo: Russian Tiger green base

After an absence of three months I am raring to go - and intend to really throw myself into this one. Match report to follow.