There have been a few attempts to replicate the spas 12 and frenchie thinks he has finally found a worthy clone of the marui version.
THE SPAS 12 (SPECIAL PURPOSE Automatic Shotgun) is probably one of the most iconic screen weapons - had it only appeared in the 1986 film The Hitcher and later The Terminator and Jurassic Park, it’s place in the pantheon of movie hardware would probably be assured, but it turns up everywhere, almost certainly because it is about the most bad-ass looking shotgun in existence. Sure the AA-12 has a certain automatic chic but let’s be honest, it’s bloody ugly. The SPAS on the other hand simply exuded menace which is just as well really because in real life, as I’ll discuss, the gun itself is found wanting in many areas. Marui make the most iconic replica of this shotgun and if you are very lucky (or very determined) you may just track down one of their original folding metal stocks for it as well - but even that would be a mixed blessing as I’ll explain. What has been missing from the airsoft market for years is a proper clone of the Marui version of this gun, things like the undersized Dong San don’t count and for the first time I have a worthy clone sat in front of me as I write - the Double Eagle M63.
As is my wont, a bit of history first - the gun’s and my own…
I’m 54 at the moment and I was given my first Marui SPAS 12 by my wife for my fortieth birthday. I say “first” because I have had a long association with this particular spring shotgun, picking them up when money and availability allowed and selling them to finance the next purchase, or because I was skint!
This story is from the January 2018 edition of Airsoft Action.
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This story is from the January 2018 edition of Airsoft Action.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
SETTING THE SCENE: SETS AND PROPS
WITH THE FIRST “OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT” OF HIS MISSILE LAUNCH SYSTEM NOW WELL AND TRULY UNDER HIS BELT, JAMES TURNS TO THE MORE GENERALISED USE OF “SET AND PROPS”. THIS IS WHERE IMAGINATION MEETS REALITY, AS HE EMBARKS ON A NEW SERIES OF ARTICLES INVESTIGATING HOW THE CORRECT USE OF “SCENE SETTING” CAN TURN A GOOD AIRSOFT GAME INTO AN AWESOME ONE!
PRACTICAL MAGIC
IN THE FIRST PART OF YET ANOTHER NEW SERIES, JON “POSH” MILLS HAS STARTED HIS JOURNEY INTO ALL THINGS “PRACTICAL” AS HE DOCUMENTS HIS FIRST STEPS INTO A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF AIRSOFT AND, ALONG WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE AA CREW, TAKES A STEP BACK TO “PROJECT PRECISION” AND SEES HOW TRUE “AIRSOFT MULTIGUN” IS BEING LOOKED AT WITH FRESH EYES!
THE CAGE: GLOVES
AS WITH EVERY INSTALMENT OF THE CAGE, WE’RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR GOOD KIT; NOT SIMPLY GEAR THAT’S 100% FIT FOR PURPOSE BUT EQUIPMENT THAT’S GOING TO GIVE YOU GOOD SERVICE AND GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY! THIS TIME THE AA LEGION TAKE A LOOK AT GLOVES, WHAT THEY’VE WORN IN THE PAST AND WHAT THEY’RE WEARING NOW, SO YOU CAN REALLY GET “HANDS ON” IN ANY SITUATION! AS USUAL, BILL LEADS OFF…
DIRECT ACTION: 2021 UPDATES!
ACTION IN POLAND. AS ALWAYS THOUGH, BILL HAS BEEN KEEPING A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THEIR LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND INNOVATIONS FOR THE TRUE TACTICAL USER! WITH SOME GREAT NEW MODELS AVAILABLE HE BRINGS IN AN UPDATE OF KIT THAT HE’S ALREADY TRIED AND TESTED EXTENSIVELY!
VORSK: DIARY UPDATE
SINCE THE “VORSK PROJECT” STARTED, BILL HAS BEEN KEEPING DETAILED NOTES AND A RUNNING TALLY ON THE EXISTING MODELS TO SEE HOW THEY PERFORM OVER TIME AND ALTHOUGH SOME STILL HAVEN’T YET SEEN A GAME DUE TO THE RESTRICTIONS WE HAVE ALL FACED, HE CONTINUES TO GIVE ALL THE MODELS, INCLUDING THE LATEST RELEASES, A VERY HARD TIME ON THE RANGE IN HIS WEEKLY SESSIONS!
OPFOR OPERATOR
DURING HIS TIME PLAYING AIRSOFT, BILL HAS FOUND HIMSELF ON ALL MANNER OF TEAMS AND EVERY SINGLE ONE HAS HAD ITS OWN PARTICULAR PLUS AND MINUS POINTS, BUT HE DOES SAY THAT IT HASBEEN THE TIME THAT HE’S SPENT PLAYING OPPOSING FORCE, OR OPFOR, WHERE HE’S ENJOYED HIMSELF THE MOST. FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, HE FINALLY STARTS TO LOOK AT OPFOR “MAIN FORCE”!
THE NEED FOR SPEED: PART I
ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT SEEM THAT WE ARE ALL CONSTANTLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE “LATEST AND BESTEST” INNOVATIONS THAT WILL MAKE OUR AEGS AND GBBS UTTER DEVASTATORS AND BRINGERS OF DOOM, IN PART 1 OF A TWO-PART FEATURE, BOYCIE TAKES A LOOK BACK AT WHERE WE’VE COME FROM AND HOW WE CAN USE THE SIMPLEST OF “FIXES” TO OUR BEST ADVANTAGE!
RELOADED CZECH MATE
AA’S “MAN IN TAIWAN”, STEWBACCA, TAKES A LOOK BACK AT HOW AND WHY HE ENDED UP USING A KJ WORKS CZ75 SHADOW 2 FOR HIS ACTION AIR EXPLOITS.
SOMETIMES SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
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NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF PLATFORM IT IS, ALL OF US AT AIRSOFT ACTION ARE GENUINELY DELIGHTED TO SEE SOMETHING THAT’S JUST A BIT DIFFERENT AND IN A DEPARTURE FROM HIS USUAL PREFERENCE OF AIRSOFT RIFS, BOYCIE TAKES A LONG, HARD LOOK AT THE STEYR SCOUT BOLT ACTION RIFLE THAT’S COME TO MARKET COURTESY OF ACTIONSPORTGAMES (ASG).
