Airsoft Squadron Sponsorship Program

Okay folks, here is the complete lists of requirements and "perks" for the Airsoft Squadron Sponsorship Program, as found on their website. As you can see, the program is broken up into three tiers, or levels, of sponsorship based mainly on a teams web presence and and video output. Looks like a great program to help smaller teams develop a following and reap some of the benefits that larger, more well known teams get. Get on it!

Tier 1 Perks

• One T-shirt for each team member 
• One Airsoft Squadron Banner per team 
• One Airsoft Squadron patch per team 
• 20,000 BBs/month (240,000 BBs/year) and one (1) $200.00 annual gift card a year per team 
• 20% off discount code for purchases at AirsoftSquadron.com 
• New products to review (and keep), additional terms may apply. 

Tier 1 Requirements:

• QTY: FOUR (4) 2-minute YouTube videos with Airsoft squadron's “Stinger” and clickable link to Insight Interactive’s YT channel in the beginning & end of the video, plus a link to Squadron site in the video description. 
• Eight (8) posts per month shared on other non-YouTube social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, etc), sharing the videos and giving Airsoft Squadron shout-outs with a link. 
• Will need to have a Facebook/YouTube channel with 300 fans/subscribers or more. 
• Airsoftsquadron.com banner must be on display, wherever allowed, at all team events, including events outside of the ACA. 

Tier 2 Perks

• One T-shirt for each team member 
• One Airsoft Squadron Banner per team 
• One Airsoft Squadron patch per team 
• 10,000 BBs/ month (120,000 BBs/year) and one (1) $100.00 annual gift card a year per team 
• 15% off discount code for purchases at AirsoftSquadron.com 

Tier 2 Requirements:

• QTY: THREE (3), 2-minute YouTube videos with Airsoft squadron's “Stinger” and clickable link to Insight Interactive’s YT channel in the beginning & end of the video, plus link to Squadron site within the video description. 
• Six (6) posts per month on other non-YouTube social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, etc), sharing the team videos and giving Airsoft Squadron shout-outs with a link. 
• Will need to have a Facebook/YouTube channel with 150 fans/subscribers or more 
• Airsoftsquadron.com banner must be on display, wherever allowed, at all team events, including events outside of the ACA. 

Tier 3 Perks

• One T-shirt for each team member 
• One Airsoft Squadron Banner per team 
• One Airsoft Squadron patch per team 
• 5000 BBs/month (60,000/year) for each team 
• 10% off team discount code for purchases at www.AirsoftSquadron.com 

Tier 3 Requirements:

• QTY: TWO, 2-minute YouTube videos with Airsoft Squadron's “Stinger” and clickable link to Insight Interactive in the start and end of the video plus link to Squadron Site in description. 
• Four (4) posts per month shared on other non-YouTube social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, etc) Sharing the videos and giving Airsoft Squadron shout-outs with a link. 
• Will need to have a Facebook/YouTube channel with 50 fans/subscribers or more. 
• Airsoftsquadron.com banner must be on display, wherever allowed, at all team events, including events outside of the ACA.

OPMOD Battle Mug - OpticsPlanet.com

Tactical thirst quenching!

M.I.A

Hey airsofters! Sorry for the lack of posts around here for a while, but I've been under the weather for a few days and I'm just getting back into blogging form. Keep checking back here this week for some news about upcoming events, sponsorship programs, gun reviews!

Airsoft Community Interview: Xotic Website Design (XWD)

Hey airsofters! Thanks for stopping by. Today we have a particularly interesting interview from the folks over at Xotic Website Design. I've known about XWD for a little while. Once I became more familiar with the sport of airsoft and some of the more prominent teams like Rainbow Ops Airsoft and Team Infidel, I found out that XWD worked extensively with these teams to help create some of their team logos and iconography. I reached out to Mark over at XWD to get some insight into what XWD is all about and where the've positioned themselves in the airsoft community.

SOA: How did XWD get its start?

XWD: Xotic Website Design was started in 2005 strictly because I enjoyed designing and putting things together that were creative to me and me only. The first paid project I worked on, the client was very pleased with my professionalism and work in general and before I knew it I had more referrals than I knew what to do with.  So, in 2006 is when I started to really focus on doing paid jobs only.



SOA: Exactly what services does XWD offer?


XWD: Xotic Website Design provides everything from custom logos to completely custom website designs. I like to say I make things “sexy”.

SOA: I’ve noticed that XWD has done a lot of work with airsoft teams. Does XWD cater specifically to the airsoft market?


XWD: I do not just cater to the airsoft community, but recently I have been doing a lot of work for the airsoft community ever since I started playing the sport. I have done work for major names in airsoft such as Rainbow Airsoft, Rainbow Airsoft Academy and Infidel Airsoft Team.

SOA: What would you say is XWD’s area of expertise?


XWD: I personally enjoy designing logos. I love to make people’s dreams and ideas come to life for their business or even personal blog websites.

SOA: Can you name some sites that XWD has worked with so potential clients can get an idea of what you can do?

XWD: I have done so many websites over the years, a lot of them are not even running anymore, but I do have tons of Graphic Design examples as well as some Website Design examples I can show if requested.



SOA: What differentiates XWD from other web design firms out there?

XWD: I would first like to say that Xotic Website Design is not a firm. It is a freelance service which is much more affordable and agile for our clients. XWD offers exceptional quality work for a fraction of the price. We do a lot of small work that makes a big impact, like our custom Facebook pages and profile images to give that extra POP to your page. However, that is not all we do; we do everything from basic design to huge extravagant websites and everything in between.



SOA: What do you see in the future for XWD?


XWD: Currently I am striving to get the Xotic Website Design name out into the airsoft community to provide top notch design services. The community is full of awesome and genuine people I love to interact with. So all in all I plan on working extensively with the airsoft community.




As the airsoft community continues to grow by leaps and bounds, it's great to see business like Xotic Web Design that offer high quality services at affordable prices.

For more info on Xotic Web Design, you can contact them through their Facebook page at:
Xotic Website Design

Shit Airsofters Say

Hah! Another great video from the guys over at Evike's channel on Youtube. I would have liked to see someone walking around asking if anyone had seen their grenade or some kids yelling that airsoft is just like Call of Duty. I always look forward to Evike's new videos because they usually try and throw some humor in there, which I appreciate. If you get a chance, subscribe to their channel and stay in the loop on some of their new products, events and reviews.

As always folks, play hard but play safe. Always wear full face and eye protection when playing airsoft and never, ever, ever, ever, ever take your airsoft guns out in public.

Airsoftology

Hah! You know it's true, people! From Airsoftology.

Airsoft Squadron Sponsorship Program

Dave from the ACA just posted a new video where he speaks to Chad from Airsoft Squadron's pro shop at Insight Interactive about a great new sponsorship program coming from the folks at Airsoft Squadron. I'm dying to see what the requirements are for the higher tier of sponsorship as my team and I have been looking into getting sponsored. The info isn't up on the Airsoft Squadron site just yet, but hopefully it will be up by Monday morning. As soon as I have more info regarding the different sponsorship levels and their requirements I'll post it here, so keep checking back! But for now check out the video, and for more info about the ACA, check out the interview I did with Dave not too long ago. 

Freddie Wong: Executive Command

Here's a new vid from Freddiew's channel on Youtube. A bit of fan service for all you fps aficionados out there.

Cool Gear

Howdy, Airsofters! Just wanted to give you the heads up on a couple of cool pieces of gear up for sale on Evike's site. The first is the Rlux Custom Airsoft mask added today. It was inspired by the Xbox 360 shooter, Brink:

Rlux Custom Mesh Airsoft Mask

Brink for the Xbox 360

It's a very cool design, in the vain of a Jason style hockey mask. My only issue with this is that for now it is only available in the digital green camo motif. And the price. The damned this is $85.00. 

Now this is just something that I stumbled across on Evike while looking at the first mask. HOLY $^@^!*( it's a Master Chief mesh helmet! Now this one goes for $98.00, marked down from $120.00 and is only available in a small size. So, I guess you may be seeing a bunch of midget Chiefs running around the field trying to rifle butt you. Awesome. 

Keep in mind folks, that if you are using any kind of mesh eye protection, you are REQUIRED to be wearing some kind of safety or shooting glasses behind the mesh in order to protect your eyes from bb fragments should a bb shatter against the mesh. The mesh may not stop all the pieces from getting through.

Return me, bro.

I saw this on my feed from Airplat's blog and I just had to repost it here. I mean, how does someone mistake an airsoft gun with a BRIGHT ORANGE TIP, let alone the DESCRIPTION, for being an actual shotgun?? Not to mention the fact that the damned thing only costs $40. Oh man, internets, you just keep on giving. 

AirSplat - Nation's Largest Airsoft Retailer: My Shottie Ain't Real: We see some awesome Customer Service emails and inquiries. Found this treasure and wanted to share with you all! Order Cancellation - "P...

Review: WELL R8G3

Hey everyone it's ya' boyeee IRONHEAD dropping a lil' review on my first AEG, the Well R8G3A3.  So, lets get down to the brass tax and give you the details:

Purchased from: Airsplat

Specifications: Velocity 360 FPS / Rage 150-200 feet / barrel length 6 inches/13cm / Magazine Capacity 350 rounds.

The Well R8 G3 A3 comes with a manual charging handle which reveals the white hop-up wheel, fixed butt stock, fixed front sight and an adjustable rear sight along with the typical items i.e. unjamming rod, instruction book, and crap bb's.  This AEG sports an full metal gear box, pistol grip handle, all metal add on rail, and a red dot sight (not the greatest quality but hey, it's free).

I purchased this guy roughly a year ago from Airsplat and it still plays strong to this day. Built from ABS plastic it weighs between 6-7 pounds and has virtually NO wobble.  Its compact design was ideal for cqb skirmishes but left much to be desired in the long range games.  Fire select options are easily reachable without having to take the gun off my shoulder to select the desired rate of fire.

The gun came with one high cap mag that holds roughly 350 rounds ( it's a proprietary product so finding an extra mag is difficult) and an 8.4v 1100 that sadly does not crank out a high rate of fire. The gun is surprisingly accurate at 50' with a nice grouping. The battery is housed in the hand guard that sports a lower metal rail for your add on pleasure.

Issues:

I have never had any issues on the field with the gun jamming, misfiring or having any other technical issues.  As far as cqb goes, the gun is rock solid and looks intimidating due to the short barrel and compact build.  Don't look for this weapon as a source of support fire as the range is lacking and the rate of fire is sluggish.  Probably the most important note is that the barrel is FLUSH with the hand guard which means no barrel extensions or tracer units here.

My setup:

I use the gun stock.

Would I recommend this AEG for the casual beginner airsofter? AAAABSOLUTELY! Solid outta the box with virtually NO mechanical issues due to the metal gearbox, compact, sturdy, lightweight means you can take this gun anywhere without fear of fatigue.  Perfect for cqb battles but beware of the sluggish rate of fire and lack of range not to mention the lack of upgradability.  This AEG will run you about $95 on Airsplat.

Keep it locked in for my review on my new JG M4 S-system!!!  As always play hard but play safe & wear your damn eye protection!

ACA airsoft league - New spawn box teaser

Hey airsofters! The ACA just posted a new teaser video for their newest game mechanic, the Spawn Box. This device is keyed to specific classes so that each class within the ACA has it's own spawn countdown (i.e. medics will spawn almost instantly, while assault classes will have a much longer respawn countdown). Check out the video and tell us what you think!

As always, play hard, play safe and never take your airsoft guns out in public. We're watching.

Amazing Spiderman 2012 Trailer

Just because it's so freakin' cool, here is the latest trailer for The Amazing Spiderman, releasing in theaters on July 4, 2012.

Airsoft Review: JG (Jing Gong/Golden Bow G36K)

Call your hits airsofters! It's your ever lovin' Grim here with my review on my JG G36K that I purchased from Airsplat. Now, some of you are probably thinking, "Grim, don't you already have a G36C? Why by another variant of the same model?" You're also probably asking yourselves, "Grim, is it possible for you to be less awesome?" The answer to both would be "Why mess with perfection?"

Anyway, the real reason behind it was just that, well, I just love the G36 design. It's just a damned sexy looking gun. I'm also comfortable with the guns setup and JG hasn't let me down yet and I also needed something with more range than my G36C and Holy HELL does this thing have some range. Now, on to the review.


Real Steel Info (from Wikipedia)

G36K (K — kurz "short"): carbine variant with a shorter barrel (fitted with an open-type flash suppressor) and a shorter forend, which includes a bottom rail that can be used to attach tactical accessories, such as a UTL flashlight from the USP pistol. The carbine's barrel lacks the ability to launch rifle grenades and it will not support a bayonet. The weapon retained the ability to be used with the AG36 grenade launcher. G36Ks in service with German special forces are issued with a 100-round C-Mag drum. There are two variants of the G36K. The first and most commonly known has x3 scope/carry handle attached to the top, while the second is the one with the iron sights and rail (no scope included)

AEG Specs:

• Velocity: 340 FPS (0.20g BB's) 
• Range: 170-190 Feet 
• Barrel Length: 16 inches / 40 cm
• Integrated 3x magnifying scope
• Body: ABS plastic
• Folding stock

Now being a JG there are certain things that are a given that you'll be, well, given when you purchase this gun: an unjamming rod, wall charger, 8.6v 1100 mAh battery, crap bb's (WHY do they still give these? Can someone answer this for me?), very good english instructions, and one high capacity (470 rd) plastic magazine and a blaze orange barrel plug. The usual list for JG's anyway.

This gun is virtually identical to the G36C so it's made of ABS plastic, meaning it's very solid and has no wiggle. It has a skeletonized, folding stock and ambidextrous fire select and mag release. The main differences between this and the G36C are of course the longer inner barrel (16" vs. 11.5" on the G36C), the longer hand-guard and the integrated 3x magnifying scope.


Performance:

The range on this gun is fantastic! Using .20g bb's in combination with the 3x magnifying scope,  I could hit targets within the 170-175ft range with reasonable accuracy (as a side note, there are also "manual" sights on the top of the scope for quicker target acquisition). I think the 190 ft range that is advertised on Airsplat is on the extreme side, and I wouldn't bet the farm that you could even graze a target at that distance. However, I will address that again in the My Setup section of this review. Also, the rate of fire is consistent with the G36C, with a much tighter grouping at range.

Issues:

None. And I mean that. I freaking adore this gun! I honestly can't think of a single complaint. Even the weight of the gun is not that much of a issue.



My Setup:

Here is where it gets more interesting. As you can see in the picture, I've added some external upgrades to this gun. My goal is to turn this into a squad support weapon, so to that end I've added the following:

• UTG Shooters Folding Bipod (Amazon) 
• Matrix 1,000 rd Electric Auto Winding Magazine (Evike) 
• JG Full Metal Auto Tracer Unit (Airsoftmegastore) 

The reason for not going with a full drum style magazine was two fold: first, the gun is heavy enough as is, and adding an extra 1,500 rds just seemed excessive. Also, having the dummy 5.56mm rounds showing just looks freakin' cool. The magazine is activated by pressing a small button on the trigger side of the magazine, which automatically feeds bb's, enabling me to lay down ridiculous amounts of fire.

Now, a word on the range. Having added the tracer unit to the barrel has increased the barrel length by about 6" and along with the integrated scope the effective range of this AEG seems to be about 180 ft. I know that using this gun in tandem with the tracer unit at SC Viper, I was able to hit targets on the second story of the palace side two story building while shooting from the one nearest the field entrance. Not only that, but the tracer unit allows for me to use this gun during night games when used in conjunction with glow in the dark bb's.

You can obviously tell that I would highly recommend this AEG to anyone looking for a quality, affordable long distance rifle. It is definitely a hefty gun, so you will feel it after running around with for a few hours. But without a doubt this is a definite recommend on my part. 

So, as always airsofters, play hard but play safe and never take your airsoft guns out in public. Or we'll find you.

Act of Valor 2012 trailer

Act of Valor is in theaters on February 17, 2012. The SEALs in the film are portrayed by actual, active duty Navy SEALs. I've seen a lot of movie previews in my day, but this is just effing unreal, people. 

Plot synopsis: When the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative leads to the discovery of a deadly terrorist plot against the U.S., a team of SEALs is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt. As the valiant men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians, they must balance their commitment to country, team and their families back home. Each time they accomplish their mission a new piece of intelligence reveals another shocking twist to the deadly terror plot, which stretches from Chechnya to the Philippines and from Ukraine to Somalia. The widening operation sends the SEALs across the globe as they track the terrorist ring to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they engage in an epic firefight with an outcome that has potentially unimaginable consequences for the future of America.

Airsoft Team Spotlight: Team Infidel

Goooood morning airsofters! Grim here with another airsoft community interview. There are some great airsoft teams out there, and it can be tough and even a little intimidating to get to the know them, especially if you are new to the sport. In an effort to introduce new players to some of the more established teams out there, we're starting a new segment on the blog called Team Spotlight. Today we have Brian "Warjunkie" Cruz from Team Infidel to tell us a little bit about Team Infidel:

Lego Captain America (%$&@ Yeah!) VS. Nazis

Airsoft Community Interviews: Association of Competitive Airsoft (ACA)

Ohhhhh buddy! Grim here, folks.  We have a great interview for you today! If you've been playing airsoft for any amount of time, or watching airsoft related videos on Youtube, you are no doubt familiar with the Rainbow Ops airsoft team They're the guys with the Army of Two style black and white face masks and airsoft-awesome (airsome?) Youtube channel. What you may not know is that David Karstens (Squ1d, of Rainbow Ops), one of the founding members of the team, is also the suuuuper genius behind the Association of Competitive Airsoft, or ACA. The ACA is unique in the airsoft community in that it has successful brought competitive, objective based game play to the sport of airsoft.

I've been following Rainbow and the ACA for as long as I've been playing airsoft, so naturally I thought getting some more info to you, my lovely little plastic slingers, about the ACA and what it's all about would help get the word out about it even more. With that, I reached out to David and asked if he could give us some more insight into the ACA, it's basic structure, and what it has planned for the future:

Airsoft Community Interviews: Mutinous Creations

Howdy airsofters, Grim here! If you're anything like me, whenever you're on the field you do exactly what everyone else is doing: you're checking out the other guys gear, right? Their vest, gloves, goggles or mask, their overall "look". But most importantly, you're checking out their guns. We're all familiar with the basic black, tan, and greys we see on the field, right? Borrrrrring! That is, until I came across Mutinous Creations:

Black Widow

MP5 that was painted tan and then reapplied the selector markings and trades too. Almost no other firearm re-finishers offer that service.

I saw their setup at the grand opening of the Hollywood Sports Park Combat Center in Bellflower and was immediately impressed with the variety and creativity of their designs. Specializing in custom gun painting, patches, team logos, stickers and shirt design, Mutinous Creations looks to be poised to help every airsofter make their gun that much more individualized.

I decided to reach out to Mutinous Creations and its founder, Abrianna, for a quick look at what Mutinous Creations is all about:



SOA: How did MC come about?

MC: A few months ago, all of us got laid off from our jobs at the same time. At the time I had a few thousand saved and used it to start Mutinous Creations.

SOA: Are the creators of MC airsofters themselves?

MC: We’ve been playing as Team Mutiny since last spring. We used to be part of Wolf corp., but broke off from them, hence the name Mutiny.

SOA: Where can fans find MC playing airsoft?

MC: We play at Desert Fox field, which we helped build and ref the field. I’ve played airsoft for 2 years, after a friend of mine got me into it. I ended up buying his airsoft gun off of him and been playing ever since. My teammates have been playing for about 5 years.

SOA: Do you have an MC design your particularly proud of?

MC: We love all of our designs, especially the black widow and green goblin. (green digital)

SOA: Other than team shirts, are there plans for any MC clothing?

MC: Since we’re doing patches now, we’re thinking about MC shirt, as well as hats with velcro so the patches can be worn on them.

SOA: What else do you see in the future for MC?

MC: We are looking into using duracoat for airsoft guns and real firearms. Duracoat isn’t currently necessary for airsoft guns because real firearms reach higher temperatures, but for those that want duracoat we may make it available for airsoft guns.

Well, Mutinous Creations definitely has a clear plan for the airsoft community, and I for one am looking forward to more cool designs and custom patches from them. You can find Team Mutiny slinging plastic at Desert Fox fields every weekend and they run it on every second Saturday of the month. Desert Fox fields are open every Sunday and every second Saturday of the month.

The next Saturday they will be running it is February 11, 2012. Click the link for more info on Desert Fox.