Influencers are everywhere these days. For me personally, there are a lot out there who don’t really do much other than push discount codes in your faces and share for likes. Airsoft has been a long journey for me so far, and it will continue, but I wanted to give a nod to the people who have been either the biggest influences on me as a player, and the ones that have been there to help and push me the most as well. Before I start, I’m thankful to have so many different friends across the whole spectrum of airsoft, and I don’t mean to disrespect anyone by leaving them off the list because I do love you all, but there are only 10 slots…
Aiden, my right hand man, has been a teammate for many many years and my adopted sniper buddy for most of it. We’ve done so many different events across the UK together, and done so much shopping in surplus stores. His knowledge of militaria is second to none, he’s done the real thing and always has the best advice on kit purchases. He’s probably the best AEG player I’ve ever seen too; if you put him up against a full team (No Man’s Land did), my money is on seeing him arrive last to respawn. He’s not one for social media or responding to texts, but his Instagram account is superb if you like impressionist kit.
Andy, who I’ve organised many sniper events with, is the guy to go to for balanced and rational answers to everything. We’ve done quite a few Live shows down the years too and I couldn’t have done it without him hosting. With a fantastic knowledge of camouflage, he’s one of the most complete snipers anywhere in the UK. He referred to me once as a “sniper brother from another mother” and the feeling is mutual. Thoroughly nice bloke, doesn’t seem to drink though.
The God of all things camouflage. Where some of us were getting frustrated at the limitations of simply gluing leaves to shitty leaf suits, Le Covert educated us on a whole new world of breakup, reflectance, and the science behind camouflage, rather than just trying to mimic the woodland floor. He created Haloscreen and Nanoscreen and brought a new ideology to airsoft, so successful it’s led to a string of copies. If you have any interest in camouflage or stealth, you can’t not follow the guy. It’s been a great pleasure having him on Live shows with Point6, and it’s always interesting to chat to him outside of that because there’s notebooks worth of information every time.
Snake is someone I’ve known for a long time, one of the original big-name airsoft snipers and he’s a good laugh as well. He’s been there, seen it, done it and is always up for sharing his experiences. One of my biggest regrets in airsoft so far is not yet having the opportunity to play alongside him, but there’s time yet. Love you Snek!
JayBritish
Jay was an old school content creator and his YouTube channel was absolute genius, now sadly deleted. An absolute gold mine of great information, he innovated and was able to explain things in a way the newer guys can’t. Absolute shame that he’s no longer on the scene but I will find him one day and shake his hand for the effort that he put in. He’s one of the very few YouTubers I could sit and watch.
Drew is a more recent influence but she left a lasting impression. We had a few game days around the UK simply doing skirmish, at a time when I’d gotten lazy and was only doing “big” events. She brought they joy of game days back – airsoft is all about having a good day out and I don’t think we ever had a bad one. On the blog front, she helped me see things from a different angle and has really given me a lot of motivation with all my projects.
Ronan is a gaming buddy of many years, and being an airsofter means that there’s been several thousand hours of chatting about kit, events, tactics and everything else while we’ve been online. We’ve had a lot of good England vs Scotland games together among many others, and trust me, you’d want him on your team for anything. He’s an absolute pro player, and he has a lot to teach; he’s always there for coaching teammates during games. He’s also the reason this blog began, and keeps me busy with new ideas.
The man, the myth, the legend. Jon is absolutely everywhere in airsoft; every group you join, he seems to be there already. But he takes an interest in every group even though he’s in the US and a lot of these groups are European. A strong promotor of equal airsoft, a site owner, and maker of cool merch. He’s literally saved my backside in the biggest possible way and gives me a lot of support, which I will be ever thankful for.
Verage is old school cool, a content creator who is all about the game rather than pushing the latest products. He’s all out to help players with his brilliant YouTube series, especially his kit mods and gear guides, and shows you gameplay as it should be (not all these short, self-promoting scopecam dramas). An absolute veteran of the biggest games out there, he shows airsoft in a positive and realistic light. In the sea of cheap content that we have to suffer now, he’s the real deal and I hope he becomes the next big thing. In addition, check out his other project – Airsofter World. A new platform for those of us in the world who disagree with Zuckerberg about guns…
Spider
I know nothing about the guy. He was the first sniper I saw at an airsoft game, dressed in Flecktarn he took my whole team out as we slowly advanced through the woods, from behind which means we basically walked over him. I’ve only seen him once since, which led to the two of us in a 100-a-side game becoming the last two standing and fighting out an epic sniper duel, which I lost after he managed to clip my boot at long range. He is, for me, the best airsoft sniper I’ve played against, and it’s fitting that he’s this mysterious, unknown figure with no social media presence (that I know of).
(If I could stretch to an extra one, it’d be Jordan Tedham from Sniperworks, who I’ve known for so long and we’ve had so many madcap ideas along the way).
There are obviously a lot more and it’d be a book if I went through them all, but I think in airsoft it’s important to not simply hero-worship one player; there are a lot of good people out there who are worth knowing and having a broad set of influences helps you become a much more rounded player. These guys above obviously are worth a follow 🙂
Stipsniper.com 