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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 29, 2014 12:06:06 GMT -5
Since yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the spark of WWI it made me wonder.Would WWI airsoft events be possible?There is VERY few guns out in the market that fits the period but not enough to get a basic soldier going.Plus uniforms and gear for WWI compared to WW2 is more expensive.With these shortcomings,will there ever be airsoft events dedicated to WWI or is it a long way to go?
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 29, 2014 13:55:00 GMT -5
Too long way to go. Youd need many people, and even the GWA has a hard enough time recruiting.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 29, 2014 15:57:49 GMT -5
That's pretty bad,but I've always wanted to do WWI reenacting.
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stuka
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Post by stuka on Jun 29, 2014 16:00:14 GMT -5
Once uniforms start being cheaper I see it taking a similar path that ww2 airsoft took in which we just hd to build off of what BF people did and make our own guns or what have you. It will be a good deal off though if that even occurs, i say 5-10 years for the uniforms then maybe a few years after that the fan base might grow.
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Post by patrickl29th on Jun 29, 2014 16:03:20 GMT -5
Even ww2 airsoft isn't that popular anymore, I don't think ww1 airsoft will get big...
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ScottCollins
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Post by ScottCollins on Jun 29, 2014 16:43:21 GMT -5
I think the correct word isn't "anymore" its "yet". A hobby takes a long time to build and seeing that serious and constant events have only started in the last year (at least in NY) our hobby is on the way up. I recently posted some of the Bugle Game pictures and people seemed very interested. They kept asking what the " operation" was.
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Post by patrickl29th on Jun 29, 2014 16:45:07 GMT -5
I agree but looking at all the old post from 2006-2012 it seemed like they had 20-40 people per game.
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ScottCollins
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Post by ScottCollins on Jun 29, 2014 16:48:24 GMT -5
They ran out of dedicated games and I'm not sure but it seems like they didn't try to recruit new members
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Post by volkssturm on Jun 29, 2014 18:23:46 GMT -5
One problem is the nature of the war itself, at least on the Western Front. The first few months were characterized by massed frontal attacks. Then you had trench warfare until the last months of the war. You could design a game around trench raids, but you'd need an awful lot of infrastructure. There's some scope to build small unit games around the Stosstruppen in the German 1918 Spring Offensive, and then the Allied offensive in late summer/fall when the front started cracking. It would be fun if you could do it.
My personal impossible day dream is a WWI game based on the war in German East Africa. Maybe after I win the Lotto I can fund it.
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stuka
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Post by stuka on Jun 29, 2014 19:42:49 GMT -5
Well if you could pull off what gwa does in penn i think it is then it would be interesting. For the sake of airsoft I would use fake barbed wire. I know gwa hasn't had n incident but oh well, some people can be really careless in airsoft
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 29, 2014 21:52:16 GMT -5
GWA is shrinking, and it took years and loads of money to get where they are.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 29, 2014 22:25:11 GMT -5
GWA is shrinking, and it took years and loads of money to get where they are. I hope it doesn't go away.I want to participate but I just don't have the money to buy the stuff.
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 29, 2014 22:47:15 GMT -5
It wont go away. Although tis shrinking, many new guys are coming into it as well.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 30, 2014 12:13:57 GMT -5
The German WWI replica canteen prices are crazy!I found canteens between $70-$90,I can get a WWII replica for half that!Right now anyway I'm building my WWII kit but would really like to get into a WWI impression soon.
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2nd Bat
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jun 30, 2014 14:05:50 GMT -5
Our WW2 site is signing on five new members a week as of late and while that doesn't sound like much it adds up pretty quickly. The challenge of course that they are spread out geographically but by attending local games in vintage kit with period correct weapons you will attract like minded folks and a small catalyst can grow quite large. The lack of affordable and deverse weapons was standing in our way for years but this situation has been changing tapidly over the past couple years.
The time is ripe!
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Post by brownien on Jun 30, 2014 16:49:43 GMT -5
I 2nd that 2ndBat! After a bit of a dip in events frequency and overall interest in the NE, it's been in a general incline for the past couple of years. With more options (yet a bit pricey, but they should soon decrease over time) and an infix of new recruits to man the lines, we can only go up from here! There is a WW1 airsoft forum. The URL ex capes me at the moment, but it's there! Very few actual members there and much fewer descussions going on, but there is some good info on there. For kits, look at it this way, many types of early war ww2 uniforms were very similar to mid-late ww1 uniforms. If you do US infantry for ww2, you can use your haversack, canteen, m1910 shovel, cartriage belt, and boots. All you would need would be a repro wool uniform, a Brodie helmet and some canvas leg wraps. Much the same thing can be done with German and Brit kits. Use the same webgear as your ww2 impression, and swap out your headgear and uniform for a repro. That would be the easiest way to kit everyone out. As for weapons, Germans can substitute their kar98's as g98's for now, and we would just need the US and Brits to build Springfields and SMLE's. But for a startup event, I don't see anything wrong with those who don't have proper rifles to use stock Bar10's until they can convert. Doing late war would open up the possibilities for the US to use BAR's on bipods, and the Germans to sprinkle in some Mp18's, as well as each side having one dedicated Maxim or M1917 Hmg, and maybe a vickers! I really think the best way to do this would be to organize everyone interested into units, like Insterburger's and Jer's (the name of the unit eludes me at the moment), doing ww2 as a mainstay, and just add in to their unit's ww2 kits to make them more ww1. That way you would have a better support network to help each other with info and loaner items. Plus, doing late war, the events wouldn't be limited to trench stalemates. Events could involve the late war more mobile warfare. We could even put foam horses heads on sticks and have cavalry charges!
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stuka
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Post by stuka on Jun 30, 2014 17:12:31 GMT -5
the g&g 03a3 would be a pretty good stand in for the 03a1
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Post by volkssturm on Jul 8, 2014 21:18:29 GMT -5
Contemplating some more future unfinished projects, I was looking at Replicaplans. They now have plans for the infamous WWI Chauchat LMG. replicaplans.com/Chauchat.html
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stuka
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Post by stuka on Jul 9, 2014 0:00:46 GMT -5
Thats pretty cool and the chauchat was only bad when chambered in 30-06
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Post by volkssturm on Jul 9, 2014 12:03:54 GMT -5
Thats pretty cool and the chauchat was only bad when chambered in 30-06 It's an underappreciated weapon. It suffered from two major problems. The quality control on some of them was horrible. And someone had the bright idea of having cutouts on the side of the mags so the gunner could see how many rounds he had left. But in the trenches that let mud into the mags. The French made canvas covers to go over the mags and near the end of the war started producing mags without the cutouts, but you have to ask, what took them so long. Chauchats popped up in minor wars in the Near East, Balkans and Central-Eastern Europe through the 20's and into the 30's, so they couldn't have been totally useless. I would love to get the chance to fire one, but I don't see that happening any time soon.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jul 9, 2014 12:16:39 GMT -5
Chauchat is a pretty interesting gun.It would make for a fantastic airsoft gun.If there was a bigger WWI airsoft community there would be more WWI guns to make.Hell even through in a Lewis or better yet,the MG 08/15,that would be killer.Imagine the possibilities.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jul 23, 2014 1:19:03 GMT -5
The only tunic I got is an Uhlan tunic with red piping.Its a shame WW2sale.com is a sham because some of their WWI stuff is so convincing,oh well.Anyway I figured "Well I have WWI tunic,might as well make the best of it".The Uhlans were made obsolete of their main purpose of cavalry duties and it seems many wound up in the trenches.I am trying to research what equipment they had in the trenches,most importantly,did they wear the assault packs (zeltbahn rolled over greatcoat and strapped around mess kit).This is the best photo I can find.
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Post by volkssturm on Jul 23, 2014 1:28:19 GMT -5
Looks like some of them have the Kar98A.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jul 24, 2014 11:27:55 GMT -5
It would be cool if Hiki had more WWI stuff.I think the hobby would grow since Hiki may not be top quality but would be good for a low price.Hiki has the M15 and M1907-10 tunics which is great.I found this WWI group that has this cool uniform/equipment guide that is very useful! www.ir23.org/kit/u-n-e_main.htmlWWI airsofting will be possible it just needs time.Right now important weapons like Enfield,MG08/15,Lewis,ect.have to be made.
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Post by aj czarkowski on Jul 24, 2014 11:52:11 GMT -5
Looks like some of them have the Kar98A. It looks like the two on the far sides have them? I didn't know that soldiers used them in WWI, I thought it was just the regular G98
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Post by volkssturm on Jul 24, 2014 11:58:02 GMT -5
The guy on the left and the seated guy on the right and maybe the standing guy on the right look like 98A or AZ. They've got that distinctive stacking hook thing. From what I've read they were issued to cavalry, mountain troops and assault troops. That's a great pic, too. The tall guy in the back looks like he got a helmet slightly too small for him.
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Post by aj czarkowski on Jul 24, 2014 12:10:29 GMT -5
Makes sense then if they're cavalry tunics. And I think that tall guy in the back keeps a brick in his helmet in case he runs out of ammo!
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jul 24, 2014 12:45:17 GMT -5
Lol,I noticed the poor dude with a helmet two sizes too small.It is an interesting photo as I never thought Uhlans wore puttees.I imagine there was more than a handful in the trenches.The fact they have grenades presses the idea that these guys have done some on-foot combat.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Aug 16, 2014 11:52:27 GMT -5
I found a video that seems to address this problem with WWI airsoft.The problem is its in French and YouTube captions translator is crap.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jan 3, 2015 23:50:44 GMT -5
There's this game called Iron Storm which WWI has lasted for 50 years in 1964.It featured some levels of trench warfare with modern technology and weaponry involved.With airsoft gun conversions and such I would love to see an event based on this game.You would still have a WWI setting but with an alternate-historical twist to it with modern elements into it.I think it would be a hit.Though one would have to study the weapons and uniforms a bit more to get the feel of the timeline of the game.If its a possibility I would absolutely would love to support it and provide some help to get it to be an event.I know this is a strange idea but I think it would be cool.
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