What´s this about.

This is a blog for airsoft players, not reenactors. The idea of this is getting some kits the most similar to real ones inside the constraints of a budget. If your thing is purely reenacting, I strongly recommend some specialized websites like www.gearsoc.se or http://www.geardoshit.com.
I will soon post all the links I know about the subject.

Alice Kits for Impression/Reenactment (II) Black Hawk Down Delta Force

This loadout shares some common elements with the last one and again we are going to focus in the movie version of the loadout, instead of existing pics of the real Delta unit involved in the operation as they are prone to avoid spotlight.

UNIFORM:

3-color Desert(DCU) RAID modified(A raid modification is simply unsewing the lower pockets of the BDU jacket and sew them again replacing the chest pockets. Chest pockets are also unsewn and sewn again on the upper part of the DCU jacket sleeves, slightly slanted inward for ease of use) DCUs are easy to find for about 35-50$ on Ebay.

Belt:

OD-Green riggers/duty belt. They can also be easily found on Ebay for about $10. Mil-Tec makes copies for about $8 but I wouldn´t bother with them. 

Gloves:

Again Nomex Flight Gloves. From USGI to Rothco, their price range goes from $15-$25 depending on condition. They´re better bought used. They are cheaper and have that "worn out look" often coveted by reenactors.

Boots:

In the movie, Delta Operators wear either 90s Black Altamas or desert USGI boots. I´m not going to stress on the exact models because this is not a reenactment blog. USGI boots can be found for about $40 plus shipping on Ebay. If you go for the black Altamas get them as old as possible. They can be found on Ebay for about $100 or in some cases used and abused for about $60.

Helmet:

The helmet is easy to find on any good airsoft retailer store. Modern PRO-TEC helmets can be found on their store for about $50. Older ones adapted for NVG use are a lot more expensive, but the modern Pro-tec option is better than getting a Chinese plastic knockoff for about $20, which is also a possibility. They are sold a dime a dozen on Aliexpress.

Goggles:

Two types are seen in the movie Some Deltas carry the Bollé X-500,in use in the Unit back in the day, but most of the cast wear the Oakley L-Frame. which can be seen on the helmets of Gordon and Shughart, the two snipers who volunteer to protect the second crash site. They can be found on Ebay or sports stores for about $50.

Kneepads:

The originals are Blackhawk Sage oldgen, but the King Arms Tactical Kneepads look the part and are considerably cheaper. Approximately $15-20.

PRIMERA LÍNEA

Thigh holster:

The original is a Blackhawk universal thigh holster, but copies can be found from Condor to Mil-Tec. Condor goes for about $25 and mil-tec copies go on for about $15. They are easily found on the second hand market.

SECOND LINE

We have two options here, not counting the fully customized vest worn by Hoot(Eric Bana) Some Delta, like Sanderson, wear a Blackhawk Omega vest worn over a PT body armor. There are plenty of copies by several brands and it´s sold as SWAT vest in many retailers. Sanderson also has removed the pistol pouches and the utility pouch and has it meshed with an LBE for extra carrying capacity. The other option is wearing a Blackhawk .223 chest rig over the PT body armor. Toy Soldier makes a good AWS replica in black (which is very similar to the Blackhawk .223)and can be found on Ebay for about $45. A PT body armor replica is quite inexpensive and goes for about $30. 

Apart from the PT body armor and vest, some of them are seen wearing an ALICE Y-Harness with two triple ammo pouches, two quart canteens, buttpack and compass/medical pouch meshed with the Blackhawk Omega. Useful if you need extra carrying space, but cumbersome as hell. You can carry a ton of mags that way, but if you live in hot areas I would not recommend it.

LC2 belt OD.
"Y"harness  OD.
1xALICE compass pouch
2xM16 Pouch  OD.
2x ALICE canteen cover.
1xAlice Buttpack OD.

 En la película muchos no la llevan, pero si vas a una partida larga o milsim te puede hacer falta. . Otra opción en su lugar es llevar un bolsillo ALICE para cajón de m249. Yo lo llevo en mi LBV en woodland y es más cómodo que el Buttpack. Anda por los 20€ en Ebay.

ARMAMENTO:

CAR-15/Colt 733

Weapon of choice of Delta Operators in the movie(With the exception of Gary Gordon and his SWS) is a Colt 733. Tokyo Marui and G&P make great replicas of this rifle. As this movie is pre-Pincantinny rails fever, they are seen with few attachments, other than the Surefire 950 flashlight and its universal clamp(hard and expensive to find) and an Aimpoint 3000 red dot sight(which appears from time to time on Ebay and goes for $200 or more). Best alternative is an $25 Xfire LED flashlight and its C-clamp which must not be the Pincantinny rail version. The closest cheap red dot available would be the Aimpoint T2 replica on top of a rail mount for M-16 iron sights. All the accesories can be easily found on Aliexpress for about $70 total.

 M21 SWS

Gary Gordon´s weapon was the DMR in service in 1993. Derived from the venerable M-14, it was designed M21 SWS by the US army in 1988. Heavily modified versions of it could be seen in the early years of OEF/OIF until it was largely replaced by more modern rifles. A few brands make it for airsoft(Avoid Kart, the replica sucks) such as Cyma, G&G and others. Best used with a 4x32 sight and killflash to get the right look.

Colt 1911A1

Standard sidearm for US army since 1911 until 1985 and used by the MARSOC  in its MEU variant until very recently, A whole lot of brands make it, but I´d recommend Marui despite the ABS because it has the correct markings and fires in very cold conditions, despite using green gas.

ALICE KITS FOR INSPIRATION/REENACTMENT: BLACK HAWK DOWN TASK FORCE RANGER.

This is a movie kit. (Warning: Save some remarkable exceptions, movies tend to portray either wrong gear for the time and unit depicted or it´s worn incorrectly. But as I said earlier, this is not a reenactment blog, more one of imitation/inspirational. As it´s a mostly ALICE kit, the budgetwise option is going mostly for real steel gear, save for body armor, helmets and some pieces of gear.

UNIFORM:

Three-coloured DCU :

These are USGI original and you can find them on Ebay for between 30-45$ depending on condition and shipping fees. They´re also made by other brands(Truspec, Propper, etc) by a few bucks less, but given the small difference in price, I´d rather choose the original. DON´T BUY CHINESE KNOCKOFFS. They are worthless and are sold for at least 35-40$

Belt:

  In the movie, both Delta and Rangers use Blackhawk Rigger´s belt. They´re expensive for a belt if you´re going for an economy version of the kit. Copies can be found on Aliexpress for about $7. There´s a store in the US  here where most of the kit depicted in this entry can be found. They ship worldwide, but for budgetary considerations, I´d recommend sharing shipping costs among several people if you´re ordering from outside the US.



Gloves:

OD Nomex flight gloves . Found in Ebay and elsewhere. They´re about $20 a pair new and are great for airsoft, not just for this kit.

Boots:

USGI desert boots. This is a good purchase - They´re rugged, inexpensive and can be used with other kits as well. From $40 and up on Ebay.

Helmet:

The helmet is a PASGT with a 6-color interim camo from 1991 Gulf war(BHD rangers wear three different camo colors on their kit) A real steel PASGT helmet can be found on Ebay for about $150 and a plastic copy can be found on Aliexpress for $20. Real 6-color helmet cover can be found on Ebay for about $10.

 


The helmet also sports a cat eye liner and Rothco SWD goggles. Cat eyes are very cheap on Ebay and goggles can be found on Ebay for about $20. The goggles are ballistic grade and can withstand 500+ FPS hits, but I'd recommend prior testing if you don´t use cronographs or FPS limits on your games.

Kneepads:

The ones used in BHD are named Blackhawk Hellstorm. Copies can be found on any decent Airsoft retailer alongside elbow pads for about $20. 

FIRST LINE

Although in use by Delta and officers/noncoms in the Rangers, they are seldom seen in the movie. The Alice holster of choice back in the day was the Bianchi UM84 used in combination with the Beretta M9 service pistol and was carried by anyone over the rank of corporal, alongisde the K-bar and its canvas holster carried alongside the K-BAR combat knife. The Beretta M9 will be  covered in the weapons section of this kit.

UM84 Alice holsters can be somewhat difficult to find if you order outside the US. There are a few online shops in Europe like Varusteleka or  asmc. in which this item can be found. There are copies made by Miltec for about $20. 

For the sake of safety, I´d recommend sticking to the dummy version of the K-BAR sold everywhere. If you want the real deal, they can be found on any online military surplus shop, but then again I´d check local laws for importing long blades as they´re forbidden in most countries. Again, K-Bar ALICE canvas holsters can be found on Ebay for about $20.  

SECOND LINE

  ALICE LC2 "Y" harness OD green

This kit is comprised of several elements. LC2 pistol belt attached to Y straps. Again, the best option is going for the real deal. Surplus LC2 kits can be found anywhere and a Miltec copy costs about the same. An used(These things last forever) ALICE belt with plastic buckle goes by about $6 and a matching "Y" harness goes by about $5. They can be found at your local surplus store or on Ebay. Basic load for TFR in the movie is made of a first aid/compass pouch, two canteens and two triple M16 alice pouches. It can be completed with a UM84 pistol holster and a buttpack. An ALICE buttpack can be found on Ebay for about $20. Make sure is a late 80s model. This setup can actually carry a lot, so your fighting load can change depending on the game type. I´ve carried up to 12 m16 mags with this piece of kit, plus canteens, buttpack and alice pack w/harness, which is a lot.  

100% real deal.

Medical pouch

Alice M16 pouch

Canteen Pouch

Ranger Body Armor

If you want this piece of equipment to look really good you can go for the real deal.. I´ve found it for about $200 on Ebay. But as this is a cheap impression/beginner´s loadout there are copies here for about $20. For US readers, a better quality VFC replica can be found on Evike.

There is no third line on this kit because TFR soldiers were supposed to be going out for 30 minutes and subsequently they went in as light as they could. If you´re interested in using this kit on long-hump milsim games, I suggest you get an ALICE pack with frame. They carry a full house and are great for camping outdoors too. They can be found used for next to nothing here or on Ebay

WEAPONS

M16A2

M16a2 full size without red dots or Pincantinny rails, with an OD sling and standard 30-round STANAG-type magazines. Prices vary depending on country and make you want. Low-end brands include JG(Golden Eagle) Mid-End brands like G&G offer a good deal as well and high-end brands such as G&P and Tokyo Marui have a good gun, too. In Redwolf Airsoft you can find most of these.

Beretta M9

Standard sidearm for US army since 1984. Same as above, price depends on brand and country. I´d recommend KJW or Tokyo Marui as this is a pistol that goes with many kits and has original US Army M9 markings etched on the grip.

M67 Grenade gas charger.

This is a must-have if you carry a GBB or a gas pistol. Looks great on your kit and allows you to have a couple of gas refills for your gas-powered airsoft guns. Can be used with any US kit from Vietnam to present day. It goes for about $40 on Redwolf airsoft or WGC shop. It also can be found dummy elsewhere for about $15 but adds unnecessary weight to your kit. 

FN Minimi M249

If any of you is interested in playing gunner, this is one of your weapons of choice. A&K makes the first gen version with iron sights only, no rails and a retractable stock. Long version, not the PARA. Seen for about $300 on most online retailers. 

M60

Classic M60 medium machine gun in service since the Vietnam war(IIRC it hasn´t been fully replaced in the US Army or National Guard as of today)A&K makes the most affordable model of it, but it weighs a ton and the feeding box is somewhat troublesome. Still, when properly modded and maintained it´s a badass piece of kit. 

Loadouts for Beginners

Beyond our older sibling´s m81 woodland BDUS or the Chinese knockoffs made of Multicam pink we´re sold by some airsoft retailers, there are a lot of possibilites to have a nice-looking loadout without having to sign a mortgage to get it. In this entry, We´ll start with the most affordable and real loadout combination i´ve been able to find in order to achieve a better appearance and keeping expenditures within a certain budget. I´ll start with US loadouts, because there are plenty of them and are very easy to get and older ones are very affordable. In later entries, I´ll review Russian and British loadouts.



 ALICE (ALL-PURPOSE INDIVIDUAL CARRYING EQUIPMENT)

A good thing about ALICE is that being surplus equipment and being no longer in use for the most part, real gear is very affordable and very easy to find in surplus stores and Ebay. PLCE, the British version of ALICE is also cheap and easy to get, even in UK. There are a number of ALICE rigs, but basically, they are comprised of a harness hooked to a belt to which several types of pouches and a rucksack are also fixed by using clips.
That way, the loadout can be customized to meet certain mission requirements. Hence, in airsoft/milsim, the loadout can be configured to carry more or less cargo, depending on the type of game we are currently in. I recommend two of them: First of all, an LBE(Load-Bearing Equipment) which is made of an "Y" harness hooked to an LC-2 belt. This kind of rig was used by the Rangers of "Black Hawk Down"(Loadout to be reviewed in later entries) and can be obtained almost anywhere. Price range goes from $60 for a full rig(United States) with two triple pouches, two canteen pouches with canteens included, "Y" harness, compass pouch and flashlight to approximately 70€/55GBP in Europe. Fully original, totally reenactment-approved. In comparison, my DEVGRU-inspired loadout, made out of quality repro gear is worth $400 without boots and guns. Mind you, we are talking about REAL gear, so they are perfectly good to start a reenactment loadout.

On the other hand, the second candidate is the LBV vest. Created as an alternative lightweight vest to LBE, the Load Bearing Vest was released in the early 90s and was used by recon units and special operations forces. It was a single-piece vest, made of transpirable mesh in the back and sides with better shoulder padding. An LC2 belt could be added to carry additional equipment. The version I have is the Enhanced, second generation vest which carried four single m16-type pouches and four grenade pouches. Shown in the pic below, it sports an LC-2 ALICE belt, two M67 triple-mag pouches, a 200-round mag pouch in woodland camo(acting as dump pouch) an OD canteen pouch and a canvas universal holster in OD. All put together it cost 49€ which is approximately 55$ or 35 GBP. This kind of rig has been spotted in refpics of operators in the early stages of the Iraq invasion combined with DCUs, so it´s actual issued gear. 

UNIFORMS: Can be combined with LCE/LBV and it´s real gear cheap and easy to find. Most likely candidates for first-timers are Desert DCUs and Woodland BDUs. Not difficult to find in Ebay and surplus stores, prices ranging from $40 to $50 apiece plus shipping fees on Ebay. I´ve found some in Miami at Flagler Army-Navy for as low as $30 in average condition.  In Europe, they can be found in online surplus stores for 40-60€/GBP depending on the site. 

HEADGEAR: Being a beginner´s loadout, the best thing is to keep it simple and cheap, so go for Booine hats or PASGT helmets(plastic-made repro for about 15$ in the US, 20€/GBP in Europe) with an original helmet cover(about 10$ on Ebay) It´s not hard to find an original PASGT helmet in surplus stores or Ebay for around 150-200$ but they are heavy, hot and  the chinstraps are usually beat-up. My personal recommendation is to stick to the boonie hat. Propper makes excellent ones and they are in the $15/€15 price range. Affordable and high quality gear. 

BOOTS: Depending if you want to look like an old or modern unit, this item can be the most expensive of the loadout. My advice: Don´t skim money on boots. Feet and ankles can be quite flimsy if you´re not used to running on rough terrain carrying heavy loads and you can get seriously injured if you´re not  wearing proper footwear. If you go for a Woodland loadout, get yourselves good USGI surplus boots or jungle boots in the 40-60$ range (approximately the same in € and GBP on Ebay) plus shipping fees. If you also do trekking, mountaineering and other outdoor sports i´d recommend spend your money on high-end brands like the ones used by real operators just as Lowa, Asolo, Salomon, Merrell, Magnum, etc. If you want to look like regular infantry units and want to use standard issue boots, i´d go for standard jump boots or USGI desert boots. Can be found on almost any surplus store and very easily on Ebay.

For those of you who have never used combat boots before, I strongly recommend thick sports socks, even in summer. And with this, you´re ready to ditch cheap chinese-made gear we so often see on weekends.