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.