Features

0'20 Magazine: The Free Airsoft Magazine Online & Offline

Master Chief

In a time where almost everything is digital and all you need is a smartphone to access almost anything you need to read, the last thing you would probably think of is buying a print magazine.

Don't get me wrong, printed materials such as books, newspapers and magazines are cool but you can now get most, if not all of those on your smart phone. Unless you’re one of those book fanatics who we see squashed in a corner of a London Underground train reading.

Well, personally I don't like books unless I absolutely need to read one. Newspapers are great for what they are, reading the news then they go straight to the bin. The only newspaper that I saved is the one that had my name on the list of nurses who passed the nursing board exam in the Philippines back in the year 1994!

Now magazines are a different breed, they can be very interesting depending on the specialty they cover. I have collected and kept different kinds of magazines over the years including collectors’ comic books, tattoo magazines and obviously, Airsoft magazines. But one thing I hate about them is their size and how easily they get ruined.

I met Javier del Castillo during my recent trip to Nuremberg during the 2017 IWA Outdoor Classics. We were talking about the stuff that we do and he mentioned about their publication, 0'20 Magazine. He said that he will give me a copy of the next issue and wants to know what I think about it.

He also said that the magazine is FREE! Not just for me... it's free for everyone. It won’t cost a penny!

Okayyyyyy... In my experience, FREE comes with its own price. So I started thinking that it is full of advertising; I bet it has little content worth reading and I bet it looks rubbish.

The next day, Javier handed me a copy of their issue number 9 and honestly, I was surprised. Firstly, the magazine is small, like pocketbook size small. Secondly, since it in a smaller magazine format (apologie, I'm not well-versed in print magazine size formats), the paper appears to become more rigid therefore holding its form. Okay, you’re probably wondering why the hell am I paying so much attention to this and not just get into its contents. Well... being small and able to hold its form means that I do not have to worry about it getting ruined inside my backpack after a whole day of interviews and photo taking. I actually had it in pristine condition when I got back to our hotel at the end of the day.

When I had a quick break I started flicking through the pages quickly. I turned the cover and was immediately greeted by a double page spread advert. The next page was the editorial so I said ok. But next to it was another advert. Flicked to the next page and guess what.... another double page spread advert. Then there was a set of table of contents and an advert on the adjacent page then another double spread advert. Hmmmm… I was thinking this is not starting well. I mean, I understand that they need to get some revenues out of it especially it being distributed for free it is understandable that they will have quite a bit off advertising but I need something to read.

Then I finally got to page 10 where the first article is and it is about a team who use the Green Beret loadout. It was a good read as it was an interview with the team. Then I came across the first Airsoft rifle review. After that, the next article was about how to survive an Airsoft game. Then the second Airsoft rifle review article.

Well.... all in all, this tiny magazine has close to 100 pages, 11 articles of which 5 are Airsoft replica reviews. I am impressed, not just with the write ups but also with the quality of the photos.

But, I told myself, maybe Javier gave me the good issue. I'll wait and see if he sends me the next one and I'll give my verdict from there.

After a few weeks back in good old Blighty, I received a parcel and it’s the issue number 11 of the 0'20 magazine.

This ssue has the same impressive clean layout as the first one I had. The layout is the same with the first article being a Team interview. Then it rolls on the review articles and write ups with advertising in between articles. The photo quality is again very clean and well thought off. This issue actually has a 6 Airsoft RIF reviews in it.

So what can I say?

Print magazines may be seen by many as a thing of the past but they do hold their own against digital versions if done properly.

0'20 magazine is one of those magazines that you would know when you read it that the people behind it have given a lot of time and effort to make the magazine stand out against their paid counterparts. I didn't expect much from this magazine especially when Javier told me it's a free magazine. But I was soooooo wrong and the magazine completely gained my respect with how it's laid out and how much it contains.

I always advise newbies to do their research when they get into the hobby. Airsoft is not cheap and new comers need as much help and advice as they need to help them choose which gear they will spend their hard earned money on. And this magazine is one of the good example for this.

Bad bits:

  • Adverts - I can forgive 0'20 for this as it is a free magazine
  • Very small print - I don't normally wear reading glasses but I had to when reading this

Good bits:

  • Pocket size - no problem taking it anywhere
  • Tons of photos with very high quality
  • Good articles with a good number of in depth reviews of Airsoft replicas and  tactical gears
  • Available in 4 languages - English, Spanish, French, and Chinese
  • And the best bit.... it's FREE!

So if you are interested in getting the latest issue of the 0'20 magazine, check out online where you can get them in your area. The magazine issues are released every 2 months and it is also available in digital format.

Many thanks to Javier of 0'20 magazine for sending me these copies.

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