Before my spinal injury i played no end of paintball and airsoft (bb gun paintball, although some airsoft players would kill me for saying that) , these days i play for short bursts on a 'good day' with my back.

I do do a lot of 'living history' or re-enactment. WWII (most nations), Vietnam, Cold War brits and russians etc but lately i've started doing cosplay Star Wars kit (tie fighter pilot) .

The holy grail is a decent stormtrooper outfit but you dont get much change out of a grand in the uk for a decent 'ready to wear' one!

any of you guys have similar 'dressing up' hobbies... and i mean the sort you could do in public

I played paintball for a while as well. Competed in the New Zealand Championships back in '97. Didn't come anywhere, but it was good fun.

Our local paintball club played a small team from the local New Zealand Army 7th Battalion. Silly beggars tried using regular infantry tactics on a paintball field. Fire and maneuver by section, controlled three shot bursts, and so on. We hosed them down and we smoked them.

Hhehe, i've seen that one swing both ways you know.

I used to play 'semi pro' (as in my paint, marker and fees were paid for but i didnt get a wage) for a site team and we coudl take apart 'army guys' on stag does when we had the 'marshals vs players' fun game at the end of the day (usually five of us against 30 or so... but we knew the ground like the back of our hands). But also when i left the army i went paintballing with some army mates and the other team were quite inexperienced and squad small unit tactics worked, we were also quite 'aggressive' in play style (i dont mean rude or hurtful, more we 'got stuck in' ). We murdered them and at half time the marshal said 'look lads im ex signals, i can see what you're doing... play lighter or i'll split the teams up!'

I stopped playing paintball semi pro when i went to uni but i had began to lose interest in it when the gap between 'group hire players' (even when semi auto guns were our site gun) and 'well equipped walk ons' became silly.

You'd get people with more money than sense turn up and ruin a day for 'normal' players by putting about 3000 rounds of paint out of an automag with an oscilating hopper fed from a back mounted gas tank in a 30 min game. The team of nurses on a works day out of whatever just couldnt compete with the volume of fire.

Then i found airsoft which has a much more level playing field.

We tried to keep the club players separate from the walk ons because of the imbalance. We had a few guys with more money than sense. Tricked up Automags and Autocockers were becoming standard, so a few of us went back to stalking each other with 20-30 rounds each and a pump rifle or pistol. Those were fun games. Any fool can hose down hundreds of round, but it takes some special sneaky skills to last a half hour game with just 20 rounds.

Dam right, i used to have a splatmaster pistol in an oversized custom shoulder holster.

We'd have 'splatmaster' days sometimes and they were really good fun. Brought back the 'grass roots' of the game.

Hmmm. Dressing up related hobbies? Well... I'm into [CENSORED]

Hmmm. Dressing up related hobbies? Well... I'm into [CENSORED]

Unless it's camouflage or movie related, let's just not go down that road?

I've been mistaken for a wookiee before, does that count?

I played Airsoft and paintball for a while. Preferred the former, because I like the more realistic guns and because it's substantially cheaper. Quit paintball because the guys I played with had tons of cash to burn, and would buy guns that shot ~15 rps. Ridiculous. It made games no fun. They just spray a wall o' balls, and those of us who can't afford to keep up get blasted. Airsoft, however is another story. Sure, everyone can run around with pumps. But they can also get a basic electric rifle for $50 at any sports shop.

I'd love to get back into it, but I live on campus and can't technically own any sort of firearm, bb's included. Bummer.

My girlfriend and I dress up and go to the local ren faires. Neither of our costume are "historically accurate" as they're more fantasy than fact and we went more for comfort than correctness. I dress as a swashbuckling, roguish sort, the girlfriend as a (fittingly.. lol ) tavern wench. Lately though we've both been looking at changing our costumes. She's been thinking about assembling a pirate outfit, whereas I'm split. I wouldn't mind doing a pirate outfit too (being retired Navy), but I'm also looking at a Solomon Kane/WH Fantasy Inquisitor costume - which my friends say would suit my style and personality, whatever they mean by that... On top of that, I've always liked the Knights Hospitalier too. The only thing putting me off on that is the price of the armor, that and the fact that it would be hot and heavy.

Too many choices.

Oh well. I'll figure out something eventually.

Armour is a killer.

We do germanic visigoths as a group and I used to have a mail shirt that wieghed about 10kg. It was a real killer and with my spinal problem i found it crippled me on a good day. Wore it for one event , sacked it off.

Beautifully made rivetted link mail shirt though

Very nice.

But yeah, not sure if I want to lug around 50 lbs + worth of gear all day long just to look good.

What they dont tell you also is that it constantly pinches and scrathes you and is really oily and greasy. if you dont have really short hair it pulls chunks out of your hair and you have to 'throw' it over your shoulders to put on.

Not comfy kit at all.

Big belts help as they put a little of the weight on your hips rather than all on your shoulders.

What they dont tell you also is that it constantly pinches and scrathes you and is really oily and greasy.

Sounds like my prom date.

Nice outfit! Didn´t get into re-enacting. Done airsoft once, about a decade ago. A groupd of regulars against a group of newby one timers.

Had loads of fun! As newbies and completely untrained in anything militairy we decided we should test what us was told in every history lesson we ever got about wars:

Charging uphill over open terrain towards four guys with machineguns is a bad, bad, bad idea.

We new it was going to be nasty, but we wanted to experience how nasty.

The regulars couldn´t believe what we were doing. Rightly so as we got riddled. I got hit about 14 times in a matter of seconds before I decided to stay in character and drop ´dead´ to the ground.

It made us laugh, but also realize real war isn´t a game.

Poor guys in trench-warfare....

yeah sometimes when you get into 'the zone' you get a glimpse of how terrifying it must be.

I'm a trained soldier but served in peace time. I trained to deploy in Ireland. was shot at once in live fire training (training F*** up) and that was sobering.

I knacked by back before going on any serious tours but i know how exhausting and confusing a live fire exercise is.

Playing airsoft is fun and someitmes when you're sneaking up on an position and then the dirt erupts around you as someone opens up with a HMG you get that adrenaline 'rush' and just for a second you think, if this was real i'd probably have messed myself then.

The only problem i have with airsoft is people on site who go around pretending they are serving soldiers 'on a day off' or 'on leave' or making up stories about 'what they did in the gulf' when you know they were not there.

We do a lot of 're-enactment airsoft' and take it pretty seriously in that we have proper radio nets, platoon structures etc (we do nam, cold war gets hot and wwii) but we also know we're grown men 'playing army' in the woods.

A lot of my team (Royal Union Rifles, a fictional 1980s British Army Of the Rhine formation) are ex army so we train and play as if we're doing it for real but at no point do we kid ourselves we're anything like the brave guys out in the sand at the moment.

*sometimes* i get really self loathing about my job, my huge collection of militaria, my wargames minis etc and hate myself for making something horrific as war 'entertainment' but i soon get over it before i've set fire to my collection.....

These are my 'rifles'

Im the company commander in our games, this is part of one of our platoons. Not everyone can make it to a full day

We're based on a 1982 rifles unit. All of our kit predates 82 where possible. We also do exhibits for museums. while i was in the staffordshire regiment (as was Pete in the team) there are ex paras, wessex lads, royal marines, RAF reg etc so we made our own cap badge up and had it cast up so as not to offend any serving soldier by wearing their symbol.

For WWII i do US army and British Airborne

Our British Airborne group are considered one of the best in the uk (not bragging, we just are we get asked by loads of events and museums to do displays and have been on the BBC and stuff)

My regiment (staffords) was the first allied regiment (well the 2nd battalion not the entire regiment) to land in occupied europe during WWII in force. We were the spearhead unit of 'operation huskey' and the first to land and take their objectives in sicily.

This is us representing the unit in a break in training in North Africa before getting on the US supplied WACO gliders to land and seize bridges.

This is me, im the platoon Sgt here but we swaps ranks about so there are not leaders who get 'god complexes'. I nominally run the group but in reality its a total democracy.

Nice pictures, you definately put a lot of work and investment in this, respect for that.

Ten years ago we knew we were goofing around. Borrowed kit and all, we looked more like a ragtag bunch, our clothing in various states of green. All borrowed as to the angry frowns of the regulars we showed up in whatever clothing we normally wear during fieldwork or repairs at home. Including bright red shirts.

All newbies, including me, we dressed in random greens, got a copy of what looked like an AK-47 (I am not an expert in these things) and were tossed in the woods. Fun yes, and as we were a bunch we soon thought is was time for some historic perspective and get a tiny tiny bit of a feel of getting shot at, crawl through mud, go over the top in World War I style, and getting our ridiculous attempt at an ambush backfire straight in our face.

We were trounced but it was fun and we did get a different view towards those who joined an army. I do get angry now to people who, when they hear someones relative died in Afghanistan, react with the most unsensitive and painful answer: ´Yeah well, he knew the risk.´

Friend of mine in Finland is into the re-enactment too. They make him wear Russian Uniforms as no Finnish person wants to wear them

yeah i can understand that.

I played a 'best selling' cold war politics board game called 'twighlight struggle' the other day where you play the us or the soviet union between 45 and 90.

The board starts off with you having 'influence' in some countires..

it starts of with post war finland having more soviet than free world influence... i sort of lost my faith in it after that.

As for the kit levels, yeah all of my stuff is pretty spot on (the us wwii is my weakest) but its also part of my job. I do features for my magazine and others about military uniforms from 1939 to 2000. I have a regular column in my own magazine called 'cold war warriors' and used to do a similar WWII one 'their finest hour'.

So as well as being a hobby its also something i get paid to do, the kit is tax deductable so my job makes my hobby essentially free.

I cant grumble

sample stuff i write here:

http://www.airsoft-action.co.uk/category/features/cold-war-warrior-features/

I'm a Star Wars costumer. My Jawa costume is approved by both the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion.. I've been working on a Jedi, X-Wing pilot, and a Mandalorian costume for a while, but they aren't finished yet.

Very nicely done outfits. I have done some airsoft and paintball strictly casual though. I have had fun making cheap Mauser C96 airsoft pistols and such into Star Wars blasters while keeping the functionality. I would like to get into reenacting more but i also have a messed up spine and so am not really fit for much strenuous activity. I have done some Bronze age proto celtic costuming but got annoyed at the local ren-fair with people thinking i was doing William bloody Wallace. I suppose they didnt know that Bill had cropped hair a bushy beard and certainly did not use a bronze sword and axe)

Before my spinal injury i played no end of paintball and airsoft (bb gun paintball, although some airsoft players would kill me for saying that) , these days i play for short bursts on a 'good day' with my back.

I do do a lot of 'living history' or re-enactment. WWII (most nations), Vietnam, Cold War brits and russians etc but lately i've started doing cosplay Star Wars kit (tie fighter pilot) .

The holy grail is a decent stormtrooper outfit but you dont get much change out of a grand in the uk for a decent 'ready to wear' one!

any of you guys have similar 'dressing up' hobbies... and i mean the sort you could do in public

That is so strange, until I saw your photo I had no idea you were Airsoft Action Gadge :-)

Been airsofting for about 6 months now and love it, thinking of getting either a WW2 allies loadout or post-war russian as I love AKs

Sort of nice to be recognised.

if you read the mag, i hope you like it.

If you're an AI fan, be nice... remember that the staff on both mags are mates and we dont understand it when our readers get territorial

Before my spinal injury i played no end of paintball and airsoft (bb gun paintball, although some airsoft players would kill me for saying that) , these days i play for short bursts on a 'good day' with my back.

I do do a lot of 'living history' or re-enactment. WWII (most nations), Vietnam, Cold War brits and russians etc but lately i've started doing cosplay Star Wars kit (tie fighter pilot) .

The holy grail is a decent stormtrooper outfit but you dont get much change out of a grand in the uk for a decent 'ready to wear' one!

any of you guys have similar 'dressing up' hobbies... and i mean the sort you could do in public

That is so strange, until I saw your photo I had no idea you were Airsoft Action Gadge :-)

Been airsofting for about 6 months now and love it, thinking of getting either a WW2 allies loadout or post-war russian as I love AKs

im actually off out into the woods while the snow is still down tomorrow to do a 1950s soviet motor rifles shoot with russian winter kit and snowsuit. I'd sweat to death doing that impression any other time in the uk,

If you do WWII allies, i'd go for brit line infantry. US and Brit Airborne are massively overrepresented.

Sort of nice to be recognised.

if you read the mag, i hope you like it.

If you're an AI fan, be nice... remember that the staff on both mags are mates and we dont understand it when our readers get territorial

Not me, dont get the point, cant understand the airsoft/paintball thing either. Maybe im just slow :-)

Anyway, if I see you at any of the tournies this year at least ill recognise you

Before my spinal injury i played no end of paintball and airsoft (bb gun paintball, although some airsoft players would kill me for saying that) , these days i play for short bursts on a 'good day' with my back.

I do do a lot of 'living history' or re-enactment. WWII (most nations), Vietnam, Cold War brits and russians etc but lately i've started doing cosplay Star Wars kit (tie fighter pilot) .

The holy grail is a decent stormtrooper outfit but you dont get much change out of a grand in the uk for a decent 'ready to wear' one!

any of you guys have similar 'dressing up' hobbies... and i mean the sort you could do in public

That is so strange, until I saw your photo I had no idea you were Airsoft Action Gadge :-)

Been airsofting for about 6 months now and love it, thinking of getting either a WW2 allies loadout or post-war russian as I love AKs

im actually off out into the woods while the snow is still down tomorrow to do a 1950s soviet motor rifles shoot with russian winter kit and snowsuit. I'd sweat to death doing that impression any other time in the uk,

If you do WWII allies, i'd go for brit line infantry. US and Brit Airborne are massively overrepresented.

But thats because they look so cool and they get tommy guns. I was in my local shop today buying parts and theyve got some cyma ak's in, think thats swinging it for me