Forum | WW2 Airsoft

Collector or Skirmisher?

HeadShot · 2009-10-26T11:18:48Z

Without wishing to pollute Chommers' thread about private battles, I think it's worth having a discussion about spend of kit and why people buy so much stuff. Now, to quote Heide: Good post C-W. I too would like to see people being less worried about kit levels and badge placement. The most important thing is to get out there and take part! All too often, you see someone moaning that they can't afford to come to an event yet, they post in "latest acquisitions" about the Spitfire they've just bought. People will always strive for nice kit but, it can be built over time. Too many think that they have to be spot on just to come to an event. I've seen many people with what some consider to be "inaccurate" kit get into the spirit of the game much better than some with 100% accurate kit! I think this is a really important point. Three years ago we set up CiA (with the very able assistance of Yith and Gadge, who later formed PBI) in order to create a series of WW2 events to stand out from the chaff of what we have come to call Skirmishes In Silly Kit, or SISKs. I had organised a few WW2 themed airsoft events at Fireball in Birmingham where people could turn up with whatever kit they wished and could play a game based on the WW2 theatre. There was a small number of WW2 airsofters most of whom turned up to these events in kit. As we got more and more into the genre, we decided to get together and organise specifically themed and 'costumed' WW2 events with limitations on what people could wear. This isn't as altruistic as it sounds, we just wanted to organised events that we would want to attend! These uniform and equipment limitations were, and remain to this day, very open. If required, people need only spend Â£20 or so to get the required kit to attend. Recently, however, there has grown a misconception that CiA, and other organisers, run events that are 'elitist' and require hundreds of pounds worth of kit to attend. This is not true. There are, and always will be, minimal kit requirements that people can use if they feel the need to. We've also got to a point where people are buying more and more kit and clothing in order to achieve a high level of accuracy......and here's the rub. Some people seem to be getting into a vicious circle of perfectionism, and losing sight of the reason they started this in the first place, thus spending hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of pounds buying so much stuff that they can no longer afford to attend events, and publicly say so. So here's my point. Are you a collector, or a skirmisher? Do you want to have a house full of kit to parade in front of the TV with, or would you rather get the right amount of stuff you need to survive in the field (and a night out with the D&B group) and attend regular events? Personally speaking, I haven't bought any new kit in years, apart from replacing broken equipment. I have the same TM Thompson that I started with 7 years ago and haven't upgraded or replaced any of the internals. I also have an AGM MP40. If too many of us get into the addiction of being a kit whore, then attendance at events will drop off and they will no longer become viable. Indeed you may see some organisations bite the dust. The long and short of it is that all of these events need people to attend in order to break even, whether they are non-profit like CiA, or are a business - supporting jobs, and thus families - like Gunman. Happily we've managed to do this with The Boryszyn Loop and I hope others will too. A lot of events have been cancelled or postponed recently. An inevitable outcome of the recession, possibly. But if many of you had stayed your hand and not purchased that 'extra' RIF or those lovely pieces of equipment that look nice, but serve no purpose, then these events may have gone ahead. Anyway, just thought I'd highlight some of CiA's observations. Without you, the paying public, CiA, PBI, AGS, Gunman and all the other organisers out there are nothing. Without you, we can't run events, and without events, what's the point of having all the kit cluttering up your spare room? Cheers HS

dieselmonkey

(@dieselmonkey)

Posts: 2286

Noble Member

I've probably come from the opposite end of the spectrum, i was a militaria collector way before i was into ww2 airsoft, in fact the only reason i got into it was because Gadge knew i collected ww2 kit and told me about the Churchill's Revenge, and i already had a bunch of German kit.

So, when it comes down to it, i'll probably just keep on buying pointless crap for the sake of it. I do however, try and not let it get in the way of attending games, though tbh, i've not attended many this year, and probably won't get a game in until Freshman now, having somewhat lost my 'mojo' about games recently.

Posted : 26/10/2009 6:20 pm

Steiner

(@steiner_1609088194)

Posts: 10414

Illustrious Member

I collect in order to skirmish. I sold a few bits of kit earlier this year because I realised the likelihood of an event requiring HG Division or Luftwaffe FD was zero, and nobody else had the kit either. I have the basic Brit kit which I probably won't be expanding, because I'm concentrating on improving my Jerry kit - because it's fun.

I resisted the urge to buy US or Russian kit, because I feel that after spending good money on my German stuff, I might as well wear it! As it is, it still feels like I don't really get to wear it enough.

And then of course, something like the Kasserine Pass game comes along... :roll: So, I will be getting DAK kit, half in the hope that it won't be the last Med or north African event.

You've got nothing to ein, zwei, drei, vier

Posted : 26/10/2009 6:35 pm

BedsnHerts

(@bedsnherts)

Posts: 4507

Famed Member

Personally I think the "I've spent so much money on kit I can't afford to go to an event" excuse is usually bullshit. Family, other social obligations, hangovers and a last-minute reluctance to do a 300 mile round-trip to play a day's airsoft are the most likely culprits when it comes to not signing up or dropping out of events. I guess the downside of having so many more WWII themed games is that people now pick and choose what they want to go to.

Posted : 26/10/2009 7:13 pm

che

(@che)

Posts: 2128

Noble Member

Well I have little spare time and even less money .so I only play CIA/PBI events. Kit wise I probs have too much kit i.e. four different load outs none of witch I would say are up to reenactor standard. I.e. I donâ€™t were an etool/gas canister /baronet. And I have been to every CIA game bar one :shock: and nobody has ever said anything about not being up to standard well not kit wise anyway. :rofl:

theres nowt so Permanent as temporary

Posted : 26/10/2009 7:31 pm

Hurrah

(@hurrah)

Posts: 291

Reputable Member

Having just joined the fray, I'm going through the collecting phase right now. Or is Collecting frenzy the correct term? :wink:

Lacking a car, and having Saturdays taken up with care responsibilities (grandmother, arthritis robing her of her mobility), means I don't get out to anywhere as many things as I would like.Weekenders and Saturday games means booking a Friday or a Monday off to cover my 'chores'. This boils down to attending events as part of a group (fire team?) rather than flying solo.

It's not helped with the impending Angels sale coming up. That has thrown my plans for a slow gathering of key items. While the sale will not be good for complete looks, for key items I doubt I'll have an opportunity at that price again.

Kit wise, I 'feel' it is about capturing "that look" even if my boots and trousers are non-descript modern items in a close enough colour. If out of the corner of your eye in a firefight, you recognize me for what I am trying to look like, rather that say "that is supposed to be a what?" then I have hit that target.

I have resistance gear that needs a little fine tuning. But to be honest, not much. Hearing Kroots tales of Alsos has me pondering a second look that I can "quick change" into a-la Shirley Bassey to be 'someone else' (I've done that at Live Roleplaying events before).

For the moment, Kroot and his crew have an established look which I am aiming to match up with (US supplied Free French).

With the angels sale coming up, I'm pondering the purchase of bits to pull off other looks. With ideas of basic jackets and trousers and a few key items for UK, Russian and possibly French 1940 (while seemingly of limited use, many items will mix in with FFI/Resistance/Free French looks) already in my head, I will no doubt go over the top on the spending. :shock:

For the moment we are focused on the Vietnam game coming up in Dorking, and so we will be discussing games for next year after that (had something suitable for everything to hand already except the chicom rig, a rice hart and an AK).

So for the moment collector, in the new year, I intend to be more of a skirmisher, and I hope, in more than one theater.

To the tune of "Mademoiselle from ArmentiÃ¨res"

Napoleons army ran away, As you do
The guard stood firm for Frances Pride, As you do
They said the guard will stand and die
But we heard what their Colonel cried
It wasn't pretty I tell you.

Resistance is fertile

Posted : 26/10/2009 7:45 pm

panzerfaust joust

(@panzerfaust-joust)

Posts: 316

Reputable Member

When I joined this forum over two years ago I have to admit I only really joined because I was curious about how ww2 airsoft worked, my interest then was in modern gear (armalites, dpm, gucci cheast rigs etc). However, over the last year or so my interest in modern gear (apart from my modern russian stuff), has waned considerably, along with my interest in blatfests with boxmag kids, etc. I started to collect most of my ww2 bits and bobs at war and peace and detling (heer/falshy uniform, brit kit), and I have now booked onto op vengance, op freshman and the boryszyn loop game will more than likely book onto the kasserine pass game as well.

So to sum up, I like to collect kit from fairs/shows (I hate mail ordering) and now that I have got the uniforms/webbing etc, I will now attend events, mind you that is how I do things, personally I will not look down on someone if the want to portray a german in flecktarn, or a yank in olive drab fatigues. When I attend my first ww2 event, I will do my best to get into the spirit of ww2 airsoft and just have fun!

.-..-. .- --. .- .. -. / .-- .. - .... / - .... . / -. . --. .- - .. ...- . / .-- .- ...- . ... --..-- / -- --- .-. .. .- .-. - -.-- .-.-.- .-..-.

Posted : 26/10/2009 8:11 pm

Chomley-Warner

(@admin-infinity)

Posts: 15632

Illustrious Member Admin

I've been trying to come up with something to properly describe my 'habit'. No, not that one, the WW2 one. :whistle:

And I think I am a 'user/abuser & hoarder'. That is to say, I don't collect for the sake of it - I don't know (or care) that much about guns and uniforms, and I certainly wouldn't have them about the house on show. To me kit is just tools of the trade, part and parcel of 'acting out' a period of history I have most empathy and interest in. Its a bit like.. errrm... its a bit like my business. I create with lenses for a living. But I don't covet cameras, its a tool of the trade - I have no idea what the spec of the latest camera is and I have never polished a lens in my life, let alone protect it with a UV filter. My 1977 Nikon is worn down to the brass and I have much less kit than a keen amateur who barely takes a dozen photos a year. And yet I generate hundreds of gigabytes of data a year. (Heh, not with the 1977 Nikon, which is retired on a shelf in the office loo!)

A pure collector is someone who has to have the last missing piece, a complete set or perfect/pristine examples, and for no other purpose than to possess the object. Collecting for a museum serves a purpose, collecting for oneself is a hobby in its own right of course, but is self-serving and functionless.

Still, my kit gets used though - look at the WW2 airsoft events I have attended, the only bod that comes close (or equal) is dear old Barrie. And therein lies my justification for ~~wasting~~ investing so much money on kit - divide cost by attendance and it has to be good value for money per year!

Posted : 26/10/2009 8:50 pm

dave barrett

(@dave-barrett)

Posts: 963

Prominent Member

Hello my names Dave and i'm a collector..its been one day since i brought some thing ww2 related....WOW now i feel a lot better get that out in the open :giggle: