RSP

Just a hobby, and I still have a lot to learn. Doing this kind of thing is fun, but it also makes me really admire the skill of the CG artists working in the film and video game industries.

Blender, which is a free and open source program for 3d modeling, animating, rendering and image compositing. I used the internal rendering engine as opposed to a plugin such as Luxrender or Yafaray.

I honestly can't say in this case. I did it part by part over the course of three months, but I was only working on it in parts of my spare time. I think that right now, if I really sat down and wanted to do this, with good reference photos I could knock it out within a week. The biggest issue with something like this is that the novelty does wear off rather quickly and you need a lot of willpower if you want to do it in the shortest possible time period - I reccomend having an easier project going at the same time with different techniques/skillsets required so you can switch back and forth to finish both in good time.

Click the images for HD versions. Blender internal render and compositor, ~120,000 faces.

The answers to the first three of your questions are very brand dependent. Consider someone getting into firearms - they probably shouldn't equate the experience they had with a Bryco/Jennings with what they can expect from an SVI, or vice versa. 1. There are many different companies producing replicas of many common pistols and revolvers. The companies vary in quality, price range, etc. There are also quite a few companies which focus on aftermarket parts. 2. Good quality airsoft 'guns', especially pistols, are very close to their firearm counterparts in dimension, weight, and feel. Shooting an airsoft gun of any kind however does not involve genuine recoil. There is a momentary bounce in the sights as the slide rapidly cycles on a gas blowback pistol though. 3. Depends. Some produce pistols which are full metal - that is, all the external parts metal on the firearm are also metal on the airsoft gun - while some have plastic slides, frames, etc. Pistols that are metal right out of the box are virtually always pot metal. In both cases aftermarket kits can be bought to convert slides, frames, and outer barrels into metal parts, usually 6061 or 7075 aluminum. Cheaper kits are cast; more expensive ones are CNC milled. 4. Once again, depends. You should generally know what you're looking for first. As far as the Glock 34, you have a couple options. Here are three brand to consider: KSC - plastic slide and outer barrel. Pretty good, decently reliable, poor accuracy past about 75 feet due to inconsistent 'hop-up' mechanism. KWA - same pistol as KSC, usually KWA pistols have metal slides and outer barrels buth in the case of the G34 this does not hold. So there is no advantage to buying the KWA except that it's easier to find inside the USA. Other than that there's no difference between these two. Tokyo Marui - plastic slide and outer barrel. Equal or possibly slightly better reliability vs. the KSC/KWA model, much improved accuracy at ranges beyond around 75 feet [good hop-up]. Lower power - the KSC will shoot around 300-320 FPS with a .20g BB while the Marui will shoot 280ish. Biggest downside to the TM version is that they don't actually make a G34, they make a G17. You can convert it to a G34 length by purchasing a slide and barrel kit [CNC 7075] for about $100 - it's available from online stores based in Hong Kong such as http://www.dentrinityshop.com. Expensive route but it's what I did.

Also try: http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums [must register to read main forums, UK site with some special rules] http://www.airsoftretreat.com/forums [uS forum, decent review section] http://www.airsoft-barracks.com/forums [ASF members mostly moved over here] http://www.airsoftcanada.com/forums [for our friends to the north] Of course... if this site had a subforum...

I suggest a propane adapter, AI or Madbull [my preference is to the plastic AI one], a spare magazine, .20g BBs [KSC, TM, Airsoft Elite, or Excel are all good, and the .20g weight is most likely best for a basement setup], and silicone lube. That's pretty much what everyone else has said and rounds out the basics very nicely. You can use the WE or the Marui spare mags.

I noticed that as well; actually both capacity listings are incorrect. For the 5.1 type guns with the large magazine bumpers, the capacity is 31 rounds rather than 25 or 30. The last round, though, is difficult to get in and doesn't always feed reliably on the first shot so Airsplat can be forgiven for this.

Yes, they are both WE guns or TSD rebrands.

Based on what you said about the sights, I assume you got a WE or TSD pistol. Since this a clone of the TM, you can get some pretty nice basepads but they are expensive and have to be ordered from Hong Kong. Shipped, they'll cost almost as much as a new magazine. Example: http://www.uncompany.com/pageproductdetails.asp?prodid=7883 http://www.uncompany.com/pageproduct.asp?subcatid=265 ETA: Also just remembered I have a spare OEM Marui plastic basepad sitting around somewhere in my parts bin. Send me a PM and maybe we can work something out.

No problem, glad to help! I do have to go back to my statement about WA pistols being best and make an important clarification. They are much higher quality in external build than the TM/WE guns, and they used to be great internally too. But they changed their firing system and now I would have to go with a TM gun instead for use with propane/green gas. Previous Western Arms guns using 'SCW2' systems are still available from a few stores and they are very much worth getting, especially with a metal slide to handle propane use better. However, the more recent ones with 'SCW3' type systems have a number of issues with hammer, sear, and firing pin. These issues can cause breakage in rare cases, but nearly always result in 'light strikes', in which the magazine valve is not hit hard enough to release gas. In short, SCW2 is good all around but a metal slide will hold up better with propane use. SCW3 is still good for use with duster gas or HFC134A gas but not worth the headache when used with propane. Since WA is in Japan, where propane is not used, they most likely do not even recognize this issue.

Hop-up is a feature of virtually all currently produced airsoft guns, so I am talking not about an aftermarket kit, but rather about the system Western Arms has designed for their pistols. Essentially, when you chamber a BB into a gas blowback [GBB] airsoft pistol, it sits in a portion of the chamber just behind the back of the barrel. Directly in front of the BB, where the barrel starts, is a rubber sleeve around the barrel. This is called a 'bucking' (since that is the translation on some airsoft gun manuals, and the name has stuck). The bucking has a small nub inside it, which extends into the top of the barrel slightly. As the gun fires, the BB hits this small nub and encounters friction on its upper surface, causing backspin. The backspin does not stabilize the BB as a spin along the axis of flight would, but it serves to increase the effective range of the projectile by giving it some upwards force later in its flight. Since most hop-ups can be adjusted to put more, or less pressure on the bucking, you can set them for various weights of BBs that need different levels of hop-up. For example, a .28g BB should have more hop applied than a .2g BB should. The appropriate settting for hop-up is the highest setting that does not result in the BB having an upwards curve in its flight - in other words, the flattest possible trajectory. So, when comparing hop-up systems, one mainly looks at the means of adjustment. On TM gas guns and their copies, a small, notched wheel in the bottom of the chamber assembly is used to adjust hop-up. This system is nice since it's relatively easy to use, it's repeatable, and it's adequately precise. KSC and Western Arms [WA] hop-ups usually use a rotating metal sleeve around the bucking, which has a curved inclined plane on the inner surface to vary the amount of pressure put on a ball bearing, which is transferred to the bucking. I have not had much success with these systems in getting consistent results at ranges over 70-80'. There do exist aftermarket parts for hop-ups, but usually they are not replacements for the entire system. Rather, they tend to change just one variable - for example the ball bearing in the KSC-style hop-up. A large selection of buckings are available for most TM guns, since the buckings and inner barrels of their VSR-10, Glock 26/17, Hi-Capa 4.3/5.1 (S_I clone), Mk23, and P226 are interchangeable. For example, a company known variably as Nine Ball, Laylax, or First Factory makes a bucking which uses a special design for a perfect gas seal with the nozzle. As for the Prime and SD slides, as well as other makes of aftermarket parts of all kinds, I usually buy those from http://www.dentrinityshop.com. Failing that, http://www.uncompany.com and http://www.wgcshop.com are also good options, but DEN Trinity tends to have more pistol parts and is least likely to destroy licensed trademarks upon importing [unco is good about this too as long as you specify it in your order]. It's a matter of what's in stock, since many items like slides are made only in one production run and it's no use waiting for them to get back in stock. In the pictures I posted above, I have a Prime slide on the G34, a G&P slide on the G17, and a Shooters Design slide, comp, and barrel on the S_I.

Here is a link to the targets I use. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=610338 It would seem that the ambient temperature has alot to do with the life and functionability of the unit. Keeping the mags warm is a must while filling them with propane as well. The handwarmer idea sounds like a winner. I usually can run 3-4 drills before needing to put them in my pocket to warm up. It seems I get more life out of them when shooting BBs as apposed to without as well. I haven't had any problems other than keeping the mags warm with my WE. The WE pistols are pretty good these days, and tend to have acceptable reliability. The earliest ones, though, used zinc slides that broke and had sluggish cycling, the hammers sometimes wore out to the point of not engaging with the sear [soft metal], grip safeties didn't ever work, and the pistons weren't great either. Now, the newest version have cast aluminum slides, better assembly [it seems], better hammers, and aluminum pistons. The Caspian models some of you are getting are rebranded WE's sold under the TSD name with licensed Caspian markings. There is no difference between these and the WE's other than the marking, but you do know for sure that you have a new version pistol if you have a Caspian. Most stores have run out of the old WE's by now so it really doesn't matter much. You do still get problems now and then, though. I prefer the TM guns since they have better fit and are more accurate, and also are very consistent from gun to gun with snappy cycling and well known reliability. This inherent parts fit and accuracy, as well as the non-railed frame and the slightly better quality of some of the parts that are likely to be kept stock in an upgrade build makes them better for projects in my opinion. Rarely do I leave a pistol in out-of-the-box condition, so that's great for me. If you're looking to keep a gun stock the WE might be better for its metal slide and outer barrel. As for the Western Arms guns, I am not as happy as I could be with their hop-up system but they are better quality than TM or WE and are available in 4.3/5/6" sizes. Certainly great guns, especially with the addition of a Prime or Shooters Design slide. Edit: @mcattack: Full auto firing in normal weather conditions means a look at the disconnector. Check for any strange wear in the sear, hammer, and disconnector, or anything that looks like it broke off. If not that, it's likely that the leaf spring is too weak and needs to be bent a little to put more pressure on the disconnector. Depending on the problem, fixing what's wrong in the trigger mechanism could well fix the hammer catching issue as well. Also check the slide's blowback unit. The slide is removed in much the same way as a real 1911 slide. You should be able to move the nozzle forward and have it spring back into place. When forward, there's an o-ring visible - is this frayed, chipped, or broken? Your 'ten shots to a fill' problem sounds like an effect of the gas venting problem, rather than an individual issue. Basically, check for leaks in the system, including the magazine.

Those of you who experience full auto emptying of the entire magazine, venting gas, and poor cycling should consider the temperature that you are shooting at. Since these run on propane and rely on it expanding from a liquid in the magazine to a gas, they are sensitive to temperature. Generally rapid fire will not work if it's 55* F or less in the shooting area - with each shot, the magazine cools down. You can shoot them indoors, but not too much if it's not ventilated because you'll get propane in the air. For outdoor use, try warming the magazines after filling them. Some people have success using handwarmers, though I don't have experience with that. Here are a couple I own/have owned. I am not a fan of the WE copies; I prefer to buy the TM made originals and upgrade the plastic slide to an aluminum one: Been in this for a while and happy to answer any questions.

This is an airsoft gun, but it's NP3 and the pics are good. Not mine: http://www.lawndartdesign.com/guns/IPSC.html

I am running a Ice Glock magwell on a Tokyo Marui G17. The frame has some slight dimensional differences to a real one so a little filing was required [replacement frames are $30 so no big deal] but it fit fine. Interestingly Tokyo Marui partially filled the backstrap channel on their G17. This meant the brass slug would not fit, but it would make it easy to do a grip reduction. I detail-stripped the gun and took a pic. You can see some of the differences and similarities between airsoft pistols and their firearm counterparts. http://www.maj.com/gallery/RSPMOC/Glock34/...y/imgp23571.jpg Here's what the gun looks like put together:

I happen to be an airsofter who 'lurks' here for the fun of looking at the beautiful open and limited guns seen in the Gallery forum, to get ideas on my own, less expensive, 'builds'. Here is everything I can give you on airsoft that may help. I will be talking mostly in terms of SVI/STIs and Glocks if I mention anything specific, since these are the most popular for both airsoft, and, as far as I can tell, firearm competition shooting. The main reason for using an airsoft pistol to practice is that you can do grouping tests and other exercises beyond the limits of dry-firing, without having to leave your home. But, just secondary to that, there is the much lesser cost of pistol and ammunition [although you will find that magazines are often much more expensive!]. It's up to you to decide what pistol and upgrades, if any, you will choose that makes the practice worth it to you, since many of the parts available for these are quite expensive and might not be worthwhile for a firearm shooter. General information: There are three types of airsoft pistols - those powered by a gas such as propane, those powered by a hand-cycled spring, and those powered by an electric motor. Electric and 'springer' models both rely on using a spring to rapidly push air out of a compression chamber. 'Springers' are usually very cheaply made and are of course unrealistic in operation, and electric models are usually limited in power and there is a delay between pulling the trigger and the firing of the shot. For this reason the serious shooter will want a gas-powered model. Gas airsoft pistols come in two varieties, NBB [Non-BlowBack] and GBB [Gas-BlowBack]. NBBs are less desirable as they have terrible trigger pulls, non-cycling slides, and generally lesser quality. Essentially they work by having the trigger work in a very crude double action manner to not just cock the hammer, but actually chamber each round. For reasons of availability, quality, upgradability, and similar operation to a firearm, it is reccomended that you choose a GBB pistol. Here's how a GBB works: -A magazine, filled with both gas and plastic .2 or .25 gram BBs, is inserted into the gun, and the slide is racked to the rear and released forward. This 'chambers' a BB in the barrel, where it rests behind a small rubber nub. This nub holds it in place, and imparts a backspin on it when fired, which helps the BB travel farther. On most guns the position of this rubber nub can be easily adjusted for optimal trajectory. This is called hop-up. -At this point, the gun is ready to fire. Pulling the trigger operates the hammer in a similar manner to a real firearm, on either DA/SA or SA only principles [it should be noted that airsoft Glocks operate with an internal SA hammer, rather than a striker]. The dropping hammer hits a 'firing pin' in the frame, which presses in on a valve on the rear of the magazine, releasing gas into the slide area. -From here, the exact method of operation varies for different makes and models of GBBs, but works by first directing the gas towards the BB and down the barrel, then diverting the remainder back towards the rear of the slide. The slide 'blows back' toward the shooter, just as it would cycle on a firearm, cocking the hammer once again and releasing pressure on the magazine valve. Obviously, this all happens quite quickly. The slide is pushed forward by a recoil spring, chambering the next BB and restarting the process. Although GBBs vary in appearance, quality brands usually have similar performance. Some quick information on factory GBBs follows: -There are two main types of gas: Japanese HFC134A and Taiwanese 'Green Gas'. HFC134A is the wimpy gas, made for guns with weak plastic slides that may break with more powerful gas. Most stock GBBs shoot around 200-230 FPS [Feet Per Second] with 134A, and 280-310 FPS with the more powerful 'Green Gas'. Green is essentially propane with added perfume so that it smells less like dead fish, and more like dead fish with perfume. For this reason it is cost-effective to purchase an adapter which allows filling of GBB magazines with small propane containers, since Green is fairly expensive. -A typical quality GBB will provide about 40-60 shots for one fill of the magazine with gas. This 'gas efficiency' will vary with most power upgrades, which often focus on increasing the amount of gas that goes into each shot. As you fire the gun, the magazine will cool from rapid fire. On days below about 40 degrees F, you won't be able to get many shots through the magazine before it 'vents' gas and ceases to function. GBBs are a summer or indoor thing in most cases. Luckily, however, years of design have made sure that the cooling of the magazine simply from firing the gun rapidly does not have an effect on the power of each shot; only the temperature of the firing area does. Don't ask me how because I am not Western Arms and I don't know! -On no airsoft gun is the 'blowback' of the slide sufficient to simulate the recoil of even a .22. You may be able to practice front sight tracking, but I warn you to be careful not to slip into a firing grip or stance that does not absorb the recoil of a real firearm as you practice with an airsoft gun. Other than this much of the operation of a GBB is obviously very similar to that of a firearm, so as long as you watch out for this pithole you should be fine! -Resist the tempation to buy a 'full metal' airsoft gun! The 'metal' is complete junk and is die cast without exception. Instead, buy a good plastic gun and get the metal later if you want it from quality companies that make aftermarket CNC-milled aluminum parts. Basically, on a factory airsoft gun any metal part is cast pot metal. For cost reasons, I like to leave most of the controls and other small parts as they are, and change out frames, barrels, and slides for CNC'd parts. -The term 'heavyweight' means that the slide and/or frame of the pistol in question is made of plastic mixed with metal, which gives a nice feel that some find more 'realistic' [typically those who do not handle real pistols!], but leads to lesser durability since the part is more brittle than flexible. Other plastic parts are ABS. -Airsoft GBBs use an outer barrel that replicates the barrel of the real pistol and is made of metal or plastic, and an inner barrel of metal. Although BBs are supposed to be 6mm, they are closer to 5.95mm, and inner barrels are closer to 6.08mm. I will cover this in detail in upgrades. If I say 'barrel' and do not specify inner or outer, I mean outer barrels. Buying a base model airsoft pistol: Selecting a GBB is typically quite easy. Ever done a google search to find a part or gun you were looking for, and instead were greeted with 'that damn airsoft crap'? Use that to your advantage. There are quite a few brands of airsoft pistols, but you should focus on three of them for a serious effort: KSC, TM [Tokyo Marui] and WA [Western Arms]. KSC produces a wide variety of models, typically in the $100-$150 price range. Although their selection is good, some models should be avoided. Typically, praise goes to their USP and Glock pistols, while their CZ75s and SIG Pro line are criticized. The remaining models are alright, but upgrades are sparse. KSC pistols are usually finely finished, and each model is available in heavyweight or ABS versions. Keep in mind that KSC pistols can be Taiwan version or Japan version, the latter of which is the same but goes through stricter quality control. Note, guns sold under the KWA name inside the USA are KSC models fitted with metal slides and outer barrels from the factory. As mentioned earlier, the metal is trash. KSC has a following, but I prefer the other manufacturers because KSC's hop-up system, which uses a rotating ring to adjust the pressure put on the rubber 'bucking' by a small metal ball, is imprecise and hard to adjust for serious accuracy. The interior metal KSC uses is pretty garbagey even by factory airsoft gun standards. TM also has several pistols worth a look at, and, aside from their Berettas, which have poor external finish, they produce solid pistols in the $100-$130 price range. Their hop-up system is excellent and very consistent, allowing for precise adjustment, and their brass inner barrels may be better than KSC. All TM guns have ABS plastic slides and outer barrels, but for most models aftermarket CNC parts are available. I am a big fan of TM for this reason, since they typically make the parts I replace anyway cheaply and everything else pretty well. For competition practice, their DA/SA P226, SA Glock 17, and SA 'Hi-Capa' models are worth a look. The Hi-Capas are STI/SVI esque pistols with a wide variety of available upgrades. Generally, TM guns are affordable with great performance, but a lacking external finish. I reccomend them to the guy who likes to replace a lot anyway, since you are starting from a cheaper base. WA is the top of the line, making pistols in the $180-$230 range. They have a huge line of 1911s including everything from SW1911s to SIG GSRs to Springfields to Kimbers, and an extensive line of licensed SVI replicas. Aftermarket support is big. WA guns look nice but perform similarly to their TM/KSC counterparts, and the metal is no better [although the finish on it is]. Still, if you plan to get a pistol with zero upgrades and leave it that way, a WA SVI running HFC134A is probably the one for you. WAs can be hard to find in stock since they have smaller production runs, so look for a new model that you like rather than digging around for a discontinued one. Hop-up system is good but I prefer TM. WA is very big on the heavyweight slides, so don't run Green or propane in them without a metal slide. The slide will snap. Upgrades: Upgrades for airsoft guns are extremely extensive, in some cases maybe even more than for their real counterparts! Because there is so much to write, I'm afraid I'll have to recycle an old article I wrote towards the airsofting community. Some of it, like magwells, will be well-known to the IPSC shooter, but bear with me! Here's the full text of it: Here are some good links to a few big places to buy guns and parts - look around because there are way more than just these! Stores in the US have limited selection but easier shipping: http://www.airsoftatlanta.com http://www.trinityairsoft.com http://www.airsoftextreme.com Stores in Hong Kong have extensive selection but shipping is a pain. It's fast, but you'll have to deal with Customs. If you like your guns to look good, check the store's policy on replica trademarks. Some stores burn them off or dremel them to get through customs, others put putty or tape over them - even licensed ones. My favorite, personally, is DEN Trinity. The search functions all suck, badly. Hint - put your search terms in the precise order that they will appear in the product description, and don't leave out words in between search terms: http://www.dentrinity.com http://www.uncompany.com http://www.wgcshop.com http://www.gunsnguys.com http://www.redwolfairsoft.com Site with hundreds of pistol reviews by a fellow in Britain where they've got a bit of trouble with owning real handguns: http://justpistols.co.uk/ And finally, some of my own stuff. I'm not a big spender compared to some: TM Hi-Capa base with Shooters Design Limcat replica kit and sight mount, Aimpoint replica, other misc stuff and internal upgrades. I did the stippling: A KSC Glock mess-around-with-gun, G&P metal kit polished for fun, my stippling: Shooters Design CNC-milled AL7075 metal kit, nicely made. Finish is powdercoat; although some kits are available anodized: Ejection port area of die-cast G&P slide kit. Crappy spray-painted and really bad serial number stuff. Also as you probably know casting is heavier, uglier, and more brittle: KWA RPB M11A1 replica with Lage Mfg. grip for a M11/9 modified it to fit. This one is running at 2,109 RPM and dumps the magazine in under a second. Not exactly competition gun material but cool: This hi-res pic shows a 1cm group rapid-fired at 5m, with my open gun before upgrading the inner barrel. This is the best I have seen before a tightbore upgrade: http://www.maj.com/gallery/RSPMOC/Limcat/imgp3443.jpg Scan of a parts diagram of TM Hi-Capa. Clear differences in frame from firearm [relating to your initial question]. Extremeshot, PGC is a manufacturer rather than a retailer, and I have not heard of anyone outside of Asia who has been able to get in direct contact with any Hong Kong or Tokyo manufacturers: http://www.maj.com/gallery/RSPMOC/sdlimcat...icapamanual.jpg I hope this is helpful and that I am welcome here.