It was again 0600H when I woke up and relieved that there was a lull in the rain that started in the early hours of the morning. I had to do my morning ritual quickly noticing that the clouds have become darker again and that meant more rain to come. I also needed to do some quick checking on the Popular Airsoft website and having set up my laptop, it turned out not to be quick at all. The weather had been causing interference in the mobile network that connectivity became sporadic. It took me an hour to do everything and drained my laptop’s battery, which I was fortunate to have finished what I was doing when it decided to shut itself down.

The rain was on and off at around 0700H though whilst most of the people in the camp were still quite asleep, someone was already at the range again to do some target shooting even before having breakfast.  Master Chief was awake by this time and in a quick respite from the rain, we hurried to get some breakfast and coffee.  We got back to our tent just in time when the clouds opened up again to try and dampen the spirits of those who were already awake and gearing up for another round of airsoft battles on the final day.

We usually decamp after breakfast but with the rain pouring hard; it was an impossible task to do. With no other option, the best thing to do was catch a few zzzzs more until the rain had subsided which it did by around 1000H. Looking outside the tent, players took this opportunity to get into the game zone quickly to resume the game for the day as the forest would provide some cover from the rain as compared to the more open camp grounds.

Master Chief and I hurriedly put away our tent and bags away in the car. We decided to split up --- I had to go into the game zone to cover the event whilst he finished some business with friends in the safe zone and at the same time stow away whatever equipment we had lying around. By this time, I was ready for wet weather photography so off to the game zone for me.

On the third day of the event, the factions were on different staging areas. For this day, The Others were at the Landing Zone, Bravo at The Burrows, and Delta at Firebase Charlie.  The closest base upon entering the game zone was Delta’s where it was sparsely defended since it looked like it was not under threat with most of the players aiming for objectives in the more forward areas. Though when I was about to move further on the Delta 1C was talking to a Bravo player whom he discovered was trying to penetrate the base and deal a blow by shooting the 1C who quickly ordered some Deltas to shoot him. Problem solved.

Moving on, I saw Bravo and Delta players streaming in and out of dead zones which also meant that the sector I was in was where these two groups were having major skirmishes. Deltas were in control of The Prison Camp and The Village whilst the Bravos got the Snipers Nest, The Trenches and The Chapel with The Others were pretty much busy retrieving objectives and getting points to make up for being last in the first day of battles.

Just right outside The Village, The Others were starting to mass up for an offensive to take The Village on two sides with one from the north and another from the east. Now, I got caught up in the crossfire between the two groups as The Others started their attack and I got hit several times with one being a direct hit on my tender butt. But when I moved to The Snipers Nest, the attack was faltering.

Not much action on The Nest, The Trenches, and The Chapel as the Bravos were pretty much entrenched in this sector but there was action at the Heartbreak Ridge and Landing Zone where Bravos and The Others were battling it out with The Others were doing a good job here, retrieving objectives that the 1C can later use for points or attacks.

It was by 1300H that I went back to Safe Zone to start preparing to leave the camp. I already said my goodbyes to the Marshals and H when it occurred to me that I committed to Leigh Thomas of BluEye to test one of their products. I immediately rushed to their booth to tell him that that I will set it up as quickly as I can. I asked Incentive Designs if they would like to test the Jaeger eyewear and they were more than happy to take up the challenge, bringing their .50 Cal airsoft machine guns. H asked Tim to clear the Saloon (the firing range) for the test and with a good number of onlookers, we tested the eyewear which pretty much withstood BBs from the airsoft guns of Incentive Designs at 20 metres. Then we had players who wanted to take a shot at the Jaeger open up as fast as they can empty their magazines. A full write up on this test will follow.

By past 1400H, Master Chief and I were able to depart Ground Zero on our way back to London. I had an annual commitment to bring friends to the Notting Hill Carnival so no rest for me yet when I got back home.

The Ground Zero National Airsoft Festival 2016 as always, offers something for every type of airsoft player that’s why they keep on coming back. Some will say it’s always the same each year but with over two thousand airsoft players coming each year, why change the formula since it is delivering consistently? As I always conclude, there is always something for everyone --- from the airsoft player who just wants to have some trigger time to the serious milsimer eager to take on the special missions that group commanders issue.

Veterans who have been to the Weekender over the years will tell you that airsoft is just one big part of the event, being its core. But other factors come in, meeting new friends, seeing familiar faces, and enjoying the festive atmosphere of the event overall. It is not called the National Airsoft Festival for nothing.

Overall, the level of organization has gone up higher with better identification bands, more structures in the game zone and more facilities in the safe zone.  Some may say that these are incremental changes, but it’s better than than no changes at all, it shows that the organizers are investing over the years to ensure that it remains to be the biggest airsoft festival in the United Kingdom.

What I do really approve is more choices on food and for us, no more undercooked or overcooked camp food or being stuck with cup noodles for 3 days.

Our thanks to H and the rest of the organizers who always found time to accommodate our requests, which hopefully were not unreasonable. Everything was well organised and I expect this to continue for next year, and it will be the 10th year of the event. I don’t know if they have bigger plans for next year given that 10 years is a big milestone. It will also be the year that Popular Airsoft will be celebrating its 10th year as well and it was also officially launched on the same weekend as the first Ground Zero Weekender.

Too bad we were not able to join in the Pub Quiz that took place in the evening of Day 3.

Here are the final results:

• Delta: 1,468
• Others: 1,366
• Bravo: 1,219

Photos of the 3rd day can be found at the Popular Airsoft Facebook Page.

• Read the first day report here
• Read the second day report here.