Last Man In for SHOT Show 2012…is THUMPY!

IT IS OFFICIAL!

Thumpy will be going to SHOT Show 2012 in LAS VEGAS, Baby, and our 2nd trip covering Airsoft, Tactical Gear and Guns, and the MilSim business world with the 3D HOUSE OF AIRSOFT will be Bad to the Bone!

-

-

Final confirmations were not received until Tuesday from the NSSA for our Media Pass, and as Thumpy is one to let his WORK speak for him, we intentionally held off on the news until we were certain we had a bang-up, world-class INNOVATIVE program to bring to you from this year’s SHOT Show.

AND, We do!

Thursday:  A list of the amazing lineup of Airsoft, Real-Gun and Gear we’ve been invited to see, from all the INNOVATORS on the SHOT Show floor…PLUS, a ton of Airsoft and MilSim Celebrities will be on hand, at special events and taking in all VEGAS has to offer!

Friday: A look back at LAST year’s SHOT Show..for you guys who don’t know what its all about…lots of videos from 2011 in VEGAS!

Weekend Coverage:  The Trip Out West and setting up shop for the week

And then MONDAY-FRIDAY and BEYOND….the Inside SCOOP on everything you guys want to see, touch, smell and LOVE from the SHOT Show, as only THUMPY can tell the story!

CyberG gets new help…from Disney?

Welcome Jean-Marcel Nicolai to the Cyber-Watch!

    

Here’s the FRENCH press release, to Bloomberg Business: http://media.bloomberg.com/bb/avfile/rzfnfAOnbFfY

And, GOOGLE TRANSLATE version of the key part of the announcement is HERE:
“Arrival of Jean-Marcel Nicolai
At the same time, Cybergun announces the arrival of Jean-Marcel Nicolai as Director of Operations and Product Development (“COO”) of the video games division of the Group. After more than 10 years in the world of electronics and consulting, Jean-Marcel Nicolai discovers the exciting world of video games by joining the Atari Group. Between 2000 and 2007, he held various senior positions in Europe and then to United States, before joining Disney Interactive Studios where he will pursue the office for more than 3 years of Senior Vice President in charge of product development worldwide. The appointment of Jean-Marcel Nicolai illustrates the strategic intent of Cybergun to give birth to a true “community of experts” in the video game development. It will perfectly complement the expertise of Frederic Chesnais, founder of Microprose-I2G.
In addition to these announcements, Jerome Marsac, President and Founder Cybergun, said: “Cybergun aims to become a leading player in the world of video games and to strengthen the role of actors French sector. The integration of I2G-Microprose in Cybergun enhances the attractiveness of the new set and opens up new
perspectives.”

Jean-Marcel’s last big job announcement was HERE: http://games.ign.com/articles/845/845767p1.html

Redwolf Airsoft hits the Cybergun Watch in Germany, man!

Here’s an OLD POST that somehow did NOT GET its day in the Sun, our appologies to ARCLIGHT, as he scoped out the  ”even-bigger-than-SHOT Show 2011″ Cyber-Cubicles at the IWA 2011 Show in Germany, and guess what?  They actually didn’t do any interviews with him, either.

OK, well, Cybergun’s “hired gun” and IPSC World Champion Eric Grauffel did…so, sue me.  He talked to me, along with “Mr. Inokatsu” and a bunch of Cybergun and Softair USA (Hi John!) higher-ups in Vegas back in January… they were just really, really camera shy around Thumpy. Wonder why?

Mr. Inokatsu and a "close friend" at CyberGun/Softair USA's Massive Booth

I proved I’m a lovable little fuzzy bunch of BB Slingin’ warmth and personality. Even “they” admitted it.  I just hate that I’m so far behind schedule that I don’t have Cyber-G’s SHOT Show video cut yet…and I have, like, 15 more to send you from the NAA Airsoft Expo…and they WILL GET DONE!

OK, just get crackin’, T-Man!   Thanks again to Arc and  the gang…check out all THEIR videos over HERE at the REDWOLF YouTube Channel, and at the REDWOLF CYBER-STORE!

THUMPY…OVER

Cyber-G Watch: Yea, there’s an APP for that

You knew it was on the way…and now, iPhone and iPad lovers, you have a chance to remote-control the “Death Star.”   Released MAY 21st, 2011…the date is important, follow along….

—

LINK HERE: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cybergun/id437810672?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2

—

In out first-blush look at the Apps Store sales page, we gotta say that this is one nicely put-together app.

Graphics follow the CYBER-G/WWLILS branding, with product info for a FAMAS (how apropos!)…and, on the far right screenshot, looks to be some kind of FPS Calculator that swaps the gun’s bb loading into a Meters-per-second energy equivalent.  Although frequent readers will spy that this will likely be incorrect, as Cyber-G’s energy ratings are often vastly overstated for the actual performance of the gun OOTB.

—

  

—

The description of the App also opens some new windows into Cyber-G marketing “strategery”…

—

OH GOODY…. “the news updated every DAYS”…Now Old Thumpy will HAVE to get an iPad or iPhone to keep you posted on their DAILY happenings and announcements.

But, what seems most troubling about their marketing approach is that the App Store age rating for the Cyber-G App is  ”9+.”   According to Apple’s own APPLICATION RATINGS, seen below…

Yea, click DONE, as in...stick a fork in it...CLICK ON "DONE" FOR HOT LINK HERE

—

But, wait.  Isn’t this is a SALES TOOL for a product that, by Cybergun’s own package labeling and website information, is only for sale to persons 18 years of age or older?  So, why is this not rated as an app for the “17+” category?

—

AND THE TIMING OF THIS APPS RELEASE IS MOST TROUBLING OF ALL!!!   (We told you the date was important!)  With the improper use of an airsoft gun creating a firestorm in California with the Senate Bill 798 debacle…WHY WOULD CYBERGUN DECIDE NOW, of all times, to release an app to someone aged 9-18 ?  This is at best, in our opinion, a FAIL’ed attempt at pushing airsoft to a younger-and-younger market for which it is not intended…and could be ruinous as fodder for anti-gun activists who will latch on to this as an attempt to do just that.   More reason to be wary.  Very.  Wary.

THUMPY…OVER

CYBER-G WATCH UPDATE…High Priced MASADA???

Follow along with the discussion that stirred up the Interwebs of Love this weekend…

When is a $250 Masada worth $638 plus shipping?  When “they” say it is.

HIT THE LINK FOR MORE   http://wp.me/PEt9Y-1iQ

THUMPY…OVER

Cyber-G takes on the Masada…Players Miffed

   

WHAT DOES THIS EQUAL?   Good partners, a reset for airsoft, or just a another “missed approach” into the “Death Star?”

Arnie’s Airsoft Masada Topic thread, that got this all started: RIGHT HERE 

Redwolf’s Product Page: HERE IT IS

E-Hobby Asia’a A&K Product Page…for comparison and contrasts…make up your own mind, but the price is sure different!: HERE IT IS 

Magpul’s Corporate Website: RIGHT HERE…With “brand family” listings that show PTS as part of their brand…nothing like the official word from the top!

There must be some HUGE amount of irony within this topic when Magpul’s slogan is “UNFAIR ADVANTAGE”

We’ll be doing some more research and reporting in!

THUMPY….OVER

Great AIRSOFT VIDEOS from Europe’s IWA 2011 Show

OK Dudes and Dude-ettes…get your drool cloths ready…here are some ALL VIDEO views of the recent IWA Show from Nurnburg, Germany…courtesy of some airsofters you know…and a NEW GUY you will want to know, too!

Our buddies from AATV, Yea. the “crazyATguys” of the Airsoft world (not to be confused with the very-confused CrazyNCMan from Thumpy’s neck-of-the woods)…YUP: Scaar and Shadow and their “Posse from the Alps” made the rounds again this year, and one of their hottest stops and best vids came from ASG’s Display…and two LOVELY MODELS up front!

See ALL..and we mean A “LOT of ALL”, too….the AATV Videos from Austrian Airsoft TV OVER HERE at their YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ScaarAT

AND….they were not alone on the IWA Show Floor….

Check out our new find, Airsofter.sk’s YouTube Channel, for a COOL inside look at MAGPUL PTS hotness…another FPG video, yea…but also a TAKEDOWN and INSIDE look at the Magpul Masada…

Hard to find THAT one anywhere else! See them all RIGHT OVER HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/user/airsoftersk

And, BONUS FINDS…Each of these YouTubers got One-On-One interview time with our buddy Arclight from Redwolf Airsoft,…And they turned TWO Great and very-different interviews on what he sees in the not-too-distant future for Airsoft products, videos and highlughts for 2011!   Check out their homesites for BOTH Arclight Interviews!

Thumpy…OVER

ARES M3A1 Grease Gun..another look

Redwolf Airsoft’s “Arclight” has done an impressive…as always!….VIDEO look inside and all-’round the upcoming ARES M3A1 GREASE GUN that we showed you over at the Z-Shot Booth at SHOT Show 2011 in Vegas.

And, if you missed it, here’s our buddy Wallace Lau, showing it off to the SHOT Show Crowd!:

ANOTHER BONUS!  For all those attending the North Atlantic Airsoft Expo in  High Point, NC Next weekend….Wallace and the Grease Gun will be available for handling…well, the Grease Gun, anyway, Wallace’s discretion if HE wants to be “Handled”…  At the Z-SHOT / Systema / ARES booth!

SEE YOU THERE!

THUMPY……OVER!

YOU CAN “PULL A TRIGGER” at the NAA Airsoft Expo!

North Atlantic Airsoft Expo UPDATE:  CALLING ALL SHOOTERS!

Z-Shot and PANTAC host Competitive Shooting Course!

Shooting Challenge – Come test your skill! Pantac USA & ZShot.com is bringing their fun and competitive tactical shooting challenge to NAA Expo, where winner takes all! Participants with the best posted scores will take home valuable prizes including Ares Tavor TAR-21, Tactical Gear, and other goodies. Your first try is included with your admission – Don’t miss out!

Get all the latest updates on PROGRAMS, EXHIBITORS, EVENTS and MUCH MORE….AT THE NAA EXPO WEBSITE RIGHT HERE….

And, if you missed the INAUGURAL NAA Expo, here’s Thumpy’s look at LAST YEAR’s EVENTS!

And, Thumpy is stepping it up, with more updates and a countdown to the big weekend.  Do NOT MISS the Airsoft Expo Event of the year!   THUMPY….OVER

Thumpy’s WEBSITE UPDATE…and some NEWS..ABOUT TIME!

How bout we get back into the AIRSOFT NEWS and INNOVATION Business, with another quick update on what’s happening?  GOOD!

Thumpy’s next Web Adventure is ON THE WAY…You can stay tuned here for some teasers coming this week…and we hope to have the grand unveil at the North Atlantic Airsoft Expo in High Point, NC….which leads us into…

UPDATE on the EXPO!

Here’s  the link to all things AIRSOFT in MARCH!   YEE and HAH……http://www.naaexpo.com/

BEAT DOWN BOOGIE Cast and Crew Members coming to the EXPO!

If you haven’t caught the Modern War Gear Solid parody series on YouTube…get your “view” on OVER HERE, get up to speed,  and then get ready to meet some of the cast and crew from North Carolina at THE Airsoft Expo of 2011…

ALSO…MORE PARTNER/VENDORS ARE ANNOUNCED…

DIAMOND SPONSORS!

GOLD SPONSORS!

AND, STAY TUNED AS THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES….MAKE YOUR PLANS TO JOIN US IN HIGH POINT!

__________

SHOUTOUTS TO THE SHOT SHOW MEDIA MAKERS!

LOTS OF SHOT Show 2011 coverage is still making its way to the Web’s of Airsoft Love….

Jonathan and Steve at AIRSOFTOLOGY give Thumpy a “Link” and a “Shoutout”…not a “pinch and a giggle”….Catch their latest FULL-ON Podcast over HERE!

AND

Dr. Airsoft, Mark Vaughn and “Rangemaster Larry” are discussing everything from Thumpy, to the Vegas Card Thumpers, to Gynecological Advertising….over at the BRAND NEW Airsoft Medicine Podcast…RIGHT HERE via FEEDBURNER!

 

OK, That’s it for now….more updates later…more VIDEOS on the way at the THUMPY YouTube Joint…..and STAY TUNED FOR TEASES AND UPDATES ON THE NEXT INNOVATION IN AIRSOFT NEWS….COMING SOON FROM THUMPY’S 3-D HOUSE OF AIRSOFT!

THUMPY’S SHOT SHOW ROUNDUP #18–No Airsoft for Old Men’s TIM ELLWOOD

He’s a friend, a Tarheel, and one of the most-solid representatives for Airsoft at the SHOT Show and throughout the shooting sports industry….allow us to present our very best-est buddy, Mr. “I’m turning 50 in Vegas, so Y’all come to my party at Gilley’s and buy me a beer, OK?”… TIM “TC” Ellwood..the legend behind the “No Airsoft for Old Men” blog….

We’ll have MORE of Tim this weekend, with a scary story you WON’T want to miss…and a bunch more videos still to come from SHOT Show 2011….BTW, this was the 25th SHOT Show that Tim has attended…lucky Bas%@$!….Hahaah!

We’ll be running “shotgun” for Tim again at the North Atlantic Airsoft Expo 2011 in MARCH, so stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

THUMPY….OVER

THUMPY SHOT SHOW ROUNDUP #17–REAL SWORD and REAL AIRSOFT

The most amazing guns I’ve ever held…just like real AK’s..and NOW they are going to get into the “Black Rilfe” market, doing M-4′s and M-16′s in GBB and AEG’s….SOLID!

A few more details from Helen Lin and the gang at the RS booth:

No, Real Sword is NOT Norinco.  For those of us who love real steel, and who also understand the International “politik”, the assumption was that a company manufacturing the most realistic Airsoft guns from their plant in CHINA (HK, but still…) MUST have some sort of real connection to THE military arms manufacturer. But, denied by Lin again and again, she says NO NO NO…RS has only Airsoft in its portfolio, after working several years to perfect their AK and Type 97 lines…the natural move was to do M-series Black Rifles.  Hmmm….only a partial sale so far for the T-Man.  We will probe the lines again.

Most of the guys who wandered into the RS booth…and you had to HUNT to find this place, at the back of one of the smaller Level 1 floors….THOUGHT they were holding a real AK, until someone in  the booth pointed to the fantastic cut-away guns you see in the videos.  WOW, they’d say…and I heard that more than once in the hour we spent talking with the RS staffers.  And, they also showed production blanks from their billet steel or aluminum “blanks” to rough and find-cut masters…you have to see and HOLD this stuff to see why they are so dang’ed indestructible!

RS major issue is finding a chain-of-supply into the US Airsoft Market…you just can’t find their guns anywhere.  But, the promise of a trademark deal for COLT-marked rifles via “a HUGE company we all know” might be in the works…stay tuned….

The Type 97 Sniper is AWESOME!  If it is possible, even MORE solid than the 97 or 56 already on the market, and will give a Dragunov from RS a run for it’s money!   The market demands you to make and release these ASAP…you will make even more believers.  I command You!

And, we spotted ONE major issue…the RS gang had the U.S. Flag flying upside down.  (Look close in the videos.) How this went unnoticed all the way through Days One and Two at THE red-blooded  American gun and gear expo was beyond Thumps to explain, but we discretely pointed it out, and suggested that they wait until MOST of their fellow booth-rats left for the day to flip it…flip it good!

MORE VIDEOS TO COME, We’re about half way through, gang!   THANKS AGAIN TO OUR EXCLUSIVE SHOT SHOW 2011 SPONSORS AT BIG BOY TOYS!

THUMPY…OVER