Defcon Airsoft Visit UN Company
Our roving reporter Jimbo from the dEFCON team stops off at UN Company whilst on his world tour. Here is his report and some of the pictures he managed to snap whilst there. Thanks go to UN Company for being so welcoming.
(all pictures are clickable for a larger version)
As luck would have it, my hotel and UN Company’s shop were both on Hong Kong Island. At different ends, but no crossing of the water! Having said that the Underground system MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) in Hong Kong is first rate and efficient. A medium walk, about 10 minutes or a mile depending on which way you want to look at it, and I was aboard the afore mentioned MRT and winging my way from Sheung Wan to Wan Chai. Armed with directions from their web site and my trusty map, I came up out of the MRT Station on the right street! There about 6 exits for each station, each going to a different location! This can get very confusing! Turning Left, I could see the begining of Wan Chai Road ahead of me. A few shops later and I had the numbering system figured out, and about 5 minutes after that I saw the small entrance to their shop! Armed with my Camera, in I went. First thought struck me – Does any one here speak English? Ah well, one way to find out.
I introduced myself, and dropped the obligatory name of our trusty web site – dEFCON – “huh?” was about all I got from the first try. Several repeats later and I think I got some sort of recognition, turns out their English wasn’t too bad, just as well because my Chinese was non existent. I didn’t think to pick up a phrase book because I hadn’t planned on being in Hong Kong that long, besides, most phrase books don’t come with a section on Airsoft. A stuttering conversation later and I had permission to take some pics.
These boys were busy… One of the pictures shows a delivery of new kit they had taken that morning before I arrived. And while I was there, there were a constant stream of people coming into the shop, mostly locals, who were taking up the time of the guys there. After a long period of taking pics and drooling over the kit, a young ex-pat asked about a CA Scar C.Q.C, and one of the guys took it out of the box for him to assess. The young chap wasn’t going to be buying there and then, so yours truly managed to get his hands on it too! Good solid weight, not too heavy, and came up to the shoulder like it was made to fit! I think it was the Hard Carry Case it came with, and the solid feel of it that had me seriously considering buying one of these to replace my G36! However, thinking about how I would have to explain to each Country’s Customs Teams as I made my way from Hong Kong to Japan, onto New Zealand and finally back to the UK, kinda put me off buying it there and then!
I didn’t get to see the work shop which was in a little room behind the counter. They all seemed a little bemused by this… Going around the shop peering into the display cabinets and taking all sorts of snap shots! I didn’t like to ask them, as it had been a bit of a struggle getting across who I was and what I was doing there. There were tantalizing glimpses of all sorts of weaponry sitting on the bench and shelving in there, and there was at least one of the chaps sitting in there working on something.
When the mad rush had died down, I collared the same bloke that had showed me the CA Scar. Time to put their product range to the test! Long Bottom Rail for a G36 – check. Green Daylight Laser – check. Fold-down Sights – check. Combat light – check. Pistol Combat Light – check. Remote touch pads for the laser and lights, well the laser came in a kit with mount and remote switch, and so did the rifle Combat Light. That just left the Pistol Combat light remote switch – check. Red Dot sight – Aimpoint copy – check. The only thing they bombed out on was a flat top rail/carry handle for the G36. Either that, or he just didn’t understand my explanation. Never mind, plenty of goodies to play with as it was! I then had to repeat the list as the young man had put all the bits back after getting them out to show me. Hehehe… He didn’t realise I was actually going to buy them! It truly makes you want to cry when you see just how much we pay for our kit. Now I know that there’s import tax, and tax for this and tax for that, but I have taken a shot of the price list of the guns, just to make every one sick! There seems to be a common equation – Take the price of something , convert it to dollars, then just swap the dollar sign for the pound sign, and Voila! UK Price! (try it on some of the bits on UN Company’s website, and see if I’m not wrong!) Anyway, more to come on the bits when I get back to the UK and fit them on the gun! After having got them through customs in Japan, New Zealand and the UK!
There then ensued a short-ish discussion on pricing in the UK, and the state of the game – re:- VCR Bill. Keeping my words short and miming some of the things managed to get across what I was trying to say, same went for their side of the conversation too. There was a sticky moment when the peeps behind the counter had a few troubles with the Card Reader, but after a second and third start, I put in my PIN and was the proud owner of some trick bits for my weaponry back home! As it was getting on for early evening time, a couple more pics inside and out, and I made my way back to the Hotel on foot. Took me the best part of ¾ an hour to do it, but I did get to see some of Hong Kong along the way!
I had tried to get the names of the people serving in the shop, but they seemed a tad reluctant to give them. Shame really, because the write up is peppered with guys and blokes and peeps. That just leaves me with thanking the staff for their friendly and open reception, and proving their thorough knowledge of the kit that goes along with our beloved game or Airsoft.
Thanks guys, it was well worth stopping off with you and taking a look around the shop.
