Congratulations are in order for the Thumpmaster6, who has been diligently labouring on his blog, Thumpy's 3-D House of Airsoft. He has been covering some of the news that even the bigger airsoft websites and publications have failed to report. And the way he writes about airsoft developments, it's with passion, excitement, and even glee like a 12-year old. It's actually infectious as his site shows abundance of energy.

Before you start asking what's the "3-D" in Thumpy's 3-D House of Airsoft, it's best to take note on what brought him to put up this blog.

It all started with the Thumpmaster6 being a troll at Arnies Airsoft (we're kidding Thumpy here) where he posted in the February 2009 about the need for more reliable and accurate-firing airsoft guns, rather than adding a blowback feature in AEGs which serve no purpose but an added strain on the gearbox. Furthermore, he shares the gripes of many airsoft players, especially those in the United States that they spend more on airsoft guns to make them reliable and longer lasting and that they actually cost more to maintain than real steel guns that these airsoft guns are trying to emulate. All in all, what Thumpy wants is an airsoft gun that is:

a) Solid, like a real gun;
b) Accurate at a reasonable range;
c) Innovative in a new design of mechanism to propel and guide the rounds/bbs; and
d) Affordability, which will come with common-sense engineering.

And thus led him to launch his blog to find and highlight new developments in airsoft technology from all over the world in his quest for innovative products. They don't have to be perfect, and the criteria he set above are achievable. It's just a matter of constant innovation by airsoft companies and hobbyists/tinkerers building on past work or discarding old technologies to try out new ones.

Another thing that we can gleam while reading his blog, Thumpy wants a flourishing of airsoft development in the US itself, rather than be dependent on developments from other countries. With all the industrial and technological might that his country has, it's rare for a local company to produce a decent airsoft weapon, and the US airsoft industry is almost totally reliant on imports from the other side of the Pacific Ocean or rebrand existing products made in Asia. It has the largest weapons industry in the world, but in airsoft in which many of the military weapons developed in the US are replicated,  the guns are made outside. It's a sign of patriotism on his part, but without putting some prejudice against other countries. He just wants the US to compete in the airsoft industry by having its own local, prolific, and innovative airsoft gun makers. That is a healthy thing indeed.

Thumpy is no newcomer in terms of reporting as he brings over 25 years of experience in radio, print, broadcast, and cable TV. While he is very much active in the North Carolina airsoft scene, he's no stranger to many airsoft players outside of his State and has written for Airsoft International and USASOC Magazines. He's also cooperating with Popular Airsoft by pinging us news items that we missed and sharing airsoft news and information.

Reaching its first year, his blog is just getting started, with constant improvements on the design of the site, and working on more features. We see it growing to an even more influential airsoft blog. For potential sponsors, they better watch out and become more visible at his website. He needs all the support that he can get, and his blog can even churn out more stories if more support comes his way.

So, we raise our glasses to Thumpy, and wish him more blog posts in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. Happy Birthday! Thumpy's 3-D House of Airsoft! :)

Now back to the original question. What's the "3-D" in Thumpy's 3-D House of Airsoft?