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 Some time in November 2006,
whilst looking for new material for dEFCONAirsoft and new products to review, I
got chatting to Mark Lewis from
Airsoft Direct, a UK
Online Retailer based in Bristol.
Mark asked me if I would like to review a copy of Airsoft Guide DVD, the television
offering from Oracle Films devoted to, well, you guessed it... Airsoft.
I'd been keen to see a copy of Airsoft Guide for a little while, so I jumped at
the opportunity. As promised, Mark lent me a sample copy of Volume One in the series, so with popcorn on standby, I popped the DVD
in the player and got comfortable.
It's clear to see from the
moment you press play on your DVD remote, that a lot of thought has gone into
the production of the Airsoft Guide series, the opening sequence graphics have
been cleverly created and the menu system works flawlessly, allowing you to
navigate through the various sections of the DVD without getting stuck with no
way back to the main menu. Take notice of the copyright message which is
played before the main feature, in short it states that by copying or watching
illegal copies of Airsoft Guide, you are stealing from fellow Airsofters.
How true it is, Airsoft Guide needs your support to keep going, by paying for
your copy, you are securing the production of future volumes.
Now, I'm no film critic, and
sitting here staring at a blank page, it is difficult to know where to begin, so
lets look at what's actually on the DVD and I'll give you my thoughts on each
section.
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Airsoft Technical Tips |
How to avoid common technical
mistakes, How to perform technical work effectively, and more... |
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Airsofter's Essential
Toolkit |
What every Airsofter should
have in their toolkit, and why. From lubricant to customised-tools, and
more... |
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AEG Takedown Guides |
Covering...
ICS MP5 series,
TM MP5-A & SD series,
TM Armalite original series
(XM177E2, M16-A1, M16-VN),
TM Armalite modern series
(M733, M4, M16-A2),
TM G3 series
(G3, G3-SAS, G3-SG1, MC51) |
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Version 2 Gearbox Takedown
Guide |
Featuring detailed coverage of
the take-down and rebuild procedure for this gearbox found in all of the
AEGs covered above |
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Airsoft Abuse |
"Airsoft under water"
Does Airsoft and Water mix? Are your guns safe in the rain? What about if
they get REALLY wet? Who will find the answers? We will! |
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The Kit List |
(part 1)
The kit that Airsofters use. What it does, how it works, and detailed data
screens covering the most complicated items. |
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Troubleshooting |
1. Detecting and fixing
low or zero HOP-UP performance,
2. Fixing loose or wobbly G3 selector switch |
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Maintenance |
Lubricating GBB replicas
effectively |
The DVD lasts for approximately
two hours, is shot in 16:9 widescreen, and is not region encoded although is
available in two different versions, PAL and NTSC.
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Airsoft Technical Tips
 |
The
Airsoft Guide's Top 10 Technical Tips section is found at the top of the
Technical Guides feature and is very useful watching indeed. Presented by
Will (who does most of the presentation and narration on the DVD), he goes
through some of the important factors you should bear in mind when attempting
any kind of Airsoft gun rebuild yourself. A few of these are common sense,
but some of the more important ones to remember are 'Springs fly everywhere...',
how very, very true! And 'Be prepared to finish what you've started...' I
am both guilty and a victim of these points which has hampered many an Airsoft
rebuild in the past. I would highly recommend watching this segment before
moving onto any disassembly or maintenance work, especially if you're inexperienced
in doing so.
Approx Running Time: 3mins
46seconds
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Airsofter's Essential Toolkit
 |
This section details the
essential tools that any Airsofter should have in their toolkit, which includes
items such as needle-nose pliers, Allen keys, a
small torch, and... well, you'll have to watch it if you want to find out more.
A lot of people will already have these items in their household tool kit, and
it's well worth getting them ready before any rebuild or maintenance project.
Although some of these items are not absolutely necessary, you will find
carrying out any maintenance work a lot easier with them. Approx Running Time: 5mins
34seconds
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AEG Takedown Guides
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There are many
takedown guides on this DVD, all based on the version 2 gearbox, a full list
of them are featured above. For review purposes, I'm only going to
look at one of the more popular ones out there, the TM MP5 Series. The
takedown guides give you the option to watch individual sections which
include 'Body Take-down', 'Gearbox Take-down & Rebuild' and 'Body Rebuild',
or the option to watch all three in sequence as a feature. Let's start
with the 'Body Take-down' section. In this example the Tokyo Marui
MP5-A4 (solid stock MP5) was used. The entire take-down process is
shot in virtually real-time, meaning you can watch and disassemble your AEG
at the same time, using the pause button on your DVD remote where necessary.
References are made to the differences between models, i.e. the MP5-A5,
should you be working on a slightly different model in the MP5 range.
Having owned both an MP5-A4 and an MP5-SD5, I can confirm the accuracy of
the disassembly process, as shown by Airsoft guide. And to give you an
example how quickly the gearbox can be removed from the gun, the takedown
section lasts only 3 minutes and 22 seconds. Now, I'm not saying it
can be done that quickly, as there are some obvious time gaps in the video,
but these are just to make the sequence more 'fluid'. Every screw that
you are required to remove and clearly marked on screen with bright red
'blips', with tips along the way telling you which parts may go stray
throughout the disassembly. This particular take-down guide, does not
cover disassembly of the front section, including removal of the barrel and
hop-up unit, it is however covered on the ICS MP5 take-down guide, as both
versions are identical. Worth noting, as this is not mentioned at the
time! If you do
get stuck with any of the take-down guides, and need a detailed diagram, remember we have full take-down schematics for the AK, MP5, G3
and M4 series in our articles section.
As for the rebuild, it is very
much the same, but in reverse. They show you some important features
to remember such as the correct location of the motor wires, body pins which
may have become misaligned etc. Points to remember are to take care
when sliding the stock back on that the wiring does not become caught
between the stock and the receiver.
Overall the takedown guides we
looked at make it possible for any novice to disassemble their AEG with ease,
the beauty of it being that you can pause, rewind and play again any parts that
you did not fully understand or become stuck on.
Approx Running Time: 3mins
22seconds - Takedown
Approx Running Time: 3mins
30seconds - Rebuild
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Version 2 Gearbox Takedown Guide
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The Version 2 Gearbox Takedown
Guide is the same for each AEG featured in the Technical Guides section,
which makes a lot of sense, as every Version 2 Gearbox is virtually
identical, even from different manufacturers. I've disassembled a few
Version 2 gearboxes in my time, and the first point on this technical
takedown guide I found very interesting indeed. Airsoft Guide show you
how to relax the mainspring using a special tool called a 'non-reverse latch
puller tool', I guess you learn something new every day, as I've never
actually done this. The reason you relax the mainspring before
disassembly is to avoid the spring, held under tension, firing out from the
back of the gearbox housing when separating the two halves. You can do
this another way, by ensuring that the gun was fired last on single shot
mode before disassembly of the AEG, but then, it is easy to forget.
Airsoft guide make it seem
very easy to disassemble and reassemble your AEG gearbox using only the two
hands you were born with, I have sometimes needed the assistance of a second
person (or third hand) when re-assembling the gearbox, but by following the
instructions carefully, found it not to be a problem. It is important
to note here that if you chose to disassemble your AEG, doing so will
invalidate any warranty on that AEG, should you have one. Only perform
the procedures outlined on this DVD if you feel comfortable undertaking the
instructions shown. It would be a good idea to watch it a couple of
times first until you feel sure.
I was slightly disappointed
that Airsoft Guide did not include enough information on the correct
location of the 'Shims', the little metal washers that set the correct depth
and distance between the gears themselves. These can sometimes be
displaced when removing the gears from the gearbox housing, and it is very
important they go back in the right place. If not, serious damage can
be caused, and at the very least, a blown fuse. Although they showed
you to reposition a shim if not correctly located, it wouldn't help if they
were removed completely. As there are different thicknesses of these
'Shims' it is important to know which ones go where. If you're reading
this review Airsoft Guide folks, it might be a good idea to include a
feature on 'Shimming' in future volumes. Other than that, this section of the
Technical guides is especially clear and informative, and most people should
not have a problem performing these tasks.
Approx Running Time: 14mins
35seconds |
Airsoft Abuse
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Ah yes, one of my favourite
pieces on the DVD, Airsoft Abuse! Now, if you've ever seen the
television programme 'Brainiac: Science Abuse', you'll probably know now to
expect some pretty bizarre, yet entertaining events to occur. As Will
puts it, this section is to 'answer some of the unusual and usually
pointless questions asked by the Airsoft Community...', and unusual they are
indeed. In this episode we see an AEG and a GBB meeting what could be
certain death in a tank of water. 'Professor Yams' keenly demonstrates
that the effects that H2O + AEG = ... Well, you'll have to watch
to find out I'm afraid, but you most certainly won't be disappointed, if not
a little surprised! The Airsoft Abuse feature is an excellent addition
to the DVD, and I can't wait to see what the guys get up to next.
And now a serious note, DON'T
try this at home! The examples shown on the DVD are certainly extreme
and not what your average Airsofter are likely to encounter on any skirmish
site. Still, sometimes it's nice to know what an abundance of water
will do to your shiny new toy. So if you want to know, pick up a copy
today and find out!
Approx Running Time: 6mins
25seconds |
The Kit List (Part One)
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The kit list is especially
good for any Airsofter starting out in the sport, as it covers the majority
of items most of us will want, if not need to play Airsoft. This menu
screen has been cleverly put together to allow you to play the main feature,
or select an item from the table with your DVD remote for more detailed
information, i.e. Selecting the picture of the charger will display an
information page about battery chargers and some tips on battery charging...
excellent stuff! The
main feature is presented by good old 'Professor Yams', as he goes through a
variety of interesting and mainly essential kit, such as magazines,
batteries & chargers, eye protection (very important!) and of course BB
ammunition. This section is both informative, yet short and concise.
Most of us that have been playing for any time will probably have a lot of
the items shown already, but as mentioned previously, this section is
especially good for the beginner.
Approx Running Time: 9mins
53seconds |
Troubleshooting
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The troubleshooting guides are
found on the third screen of the Technical Guides feature, and include
troubleshooting poor hop-up performance and fixing the G3 selector switch,
which often becomes lose on most of the G3 models.
The hop-up troubleshooting
section is excellent, as not only does it show you how to fix problems if
they're experienced, it also explains in detail how the hop-up unit actually
functions, again a generous helping of science and computer graphics
demonstrates nicely. Airsoft Guide unravels the mysteries behind poor
or malfunctioning hop-up and show you how to put them right. Something
of use to any Airsofter who uses an AEG (although some of the tips apply to
GBB owners too).
The G3 selector switch
section is fairly straight forward, and obviously only applicable to those
of you who own any of the TM G3 series.
Approx Running Time: 7mins
38seconds (Hop-up Performance)
Approx Running Time: 2mins
06seconds (G3 Selector Switch) |
GBB Lubrication
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The GBB Lubrication sections
is an especially important one for all GBB owners out there, as stated at
the start of the sequence 'To keep any gas blowback gun functioning it needs
lubricating or it will wear and break...' and how true this is. The
example they use is a KWA Glock 19 with a metal slide, but the procedures
they show are equally applicable to any gas blowback pistol. Two main
types of oil are used here, both silicone based. It is important to
remember that we only use silicone based oils when lubricating any Airsoft
gun, this is because Petroleum based products such as WD-40 will cause
rubber parts such as the piston seals and hop-up to perish and fail.
Although this lubrication
guide is very informative I did feel some information on lubricating the
valves and seals in the magazine needed to be included. They did cover
the main rubber seal which fits snug with the gas blowback mechanism, which
is how gas is fed into the gun, but did not pay attention to the gas filling
valve (on the bottom) or the release valve which the hammer actuates.
A minor criticism, but something worth looking at when lubricating your gas
pistol.
Approx Running Time: 5mins
53seconds |
How Did We Do That?
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And last but not least, the
'How Did We Do That?' section, which are sort of the end credits of the
production. Airsoft Guide give their thanks to all those who assisted
with the production, and show you who did what. If you've taken the
time to watch this DVD, please spend a few minutes to watch this feature, as
it gives you a sneaky peek at how Airsoft Guide was made. Worth noting
here that all of the music for the production was specially written for
Airsoft Guide by Tim Ivery of
http://www.iverymusic.com/ |
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Conclusion
Well, it's certainly been some
interesting watching over the past few hours, and I've learnt a lot of things
that I didn't know previously, considering I've been into Airsoft now for over
six years. As a technical resource the Airsoft Guide series is excellent
value for money, and offers advice and tips you simply can't get anywhere else.
It's always good to have a schematic diagram to assist you in turning an AEG,
into a pile of nuts, bolts and gears, but to have video guidance to assist you
along the way, well that's even better! It's apparent that although
Airsoft Guide is what could be called an 'amateur production', it is VERY
professionally put together indeed, and an awful lot of work has gone into
creating both a throughally entertaining and technically priceless DVD that no
Airsofter should be without. I was lucky enough to be lent a sample copy
of Airsoft Guide by Mark of Airsoft Direct, and whilst it is not
something that I would need on an every day basis, it would definitely be useful
to refer back to when performing any maintenance work on V2 gearbox model AEG's.
It's also useful to show your friends if they are considering getting into the
hobby, as this DVD is packed with information that any beginner will find
useful, and it's been produced in such a way as not to be patronising.
I've enjoyed watching Airsoft
Guide Volume One, and I'm sure you will too. It's also given me some good
ideas for future material for dEFCONAirsoft... perhaps video footage to
accompany a review? Definitely something worth considering.
For more information on the
series, visit
www.airsoftguide.co.uk or to purchase a copy, see
www.airsoft-direct.co.uk where
Volumes 1, 2 and 3 are available for the bargain price of £9.99 each.
I've included a
small trailer taken from Airsoft Guide's website, which will get your mouths
watering for more, and will visually explain a little more of what I've been
talking about. The file is 5.73mb in size and lasts just over a minute (at
700kbps .wmv).
Hi-Res 700kbps
5.73mb
(Right Click And 'Save Target As'
To Download A Copy)
A special thanks go to Mark Lewis
from Airsoft Direct who provided this copy of Airsoft Guide - Volume One for
evaluation.
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