From earlier beginnings of collecting 'springer' pistols during my sixth form days, when I was also training in live fi****ms handling with our school's RAF Combined Cadet Force, to my first foray into skirmishing during my middle years at university in late 2005, I've had a very long term interest in real steel fi****ms, sports shooting and airsoft, playing all over England with a variety of team
s and even in Barcelona and the surrounding area and its sites while visiting my old school teammate Handsome Dave of TacticalTwo. My technical background is centred around computer aided product design and manufacture - CAD/CAM which I began training in as early as the age of 11 at my more technically oriented and industry sponsored secondary school, working with basic CAD systems, 3 axis plastic sheet cutters and engravers, 3 axis wood and metal milling stations, hand and CNC lathes, vacuum and strip heating forming machines, as well as excelling in microelectronics and printed circuit board production, and graphic design, woodwork/ furniture building. My professional capabilities extend the initial training and experience in CAD/CAM and time spent in manufacturing environments as part of work experience or summer holidays employment during my breaks from university studies - working in aerospace companies supplying jet engine and bearing components to exacting tolerances, running a wide variety of manual and CNC/CMM machines. Following my graduation with a BSc (hons) in Computer Aided Product Design I worked for 4 years in telecoms structural design working with digital broadcast television towers and all their related structural and access requirements. Following that another 5 years were spent in precision design and manufacturing environments providing a wide array of hydraulic components of all shapes and sizes for a variety of end users and applications - focusing on reverse engineering of defunct products to provide continuation parts supply as well as brand new innovative designs to meet stringent customer specifications or requirements. Throughout all this time during my studies and work since graduating, and increasingly since late 2017 when I emigrated to live and work in Taiwan I have always been an avid airsoft skirmisher, focusing on an array of loadouts or 'kit' impressions or themes depending on where and when we were playing - from Vietnam era classic gear, generic PMC, FBI, or others. More recently I've also gotten into Action-Air - Airsoft IPSC since early 2020 and have practised regularly and seem to be progressively improving and climbing the scoreboards at local competitions. throughout my time in Taiwan I've also been endeavouring to bring other players information from local events, trade shows, manufacturer visits and general game-play or focus on products to the English speaking airsoft community, as well as bringing my knowledge and experience from my 12 years of play in the UK and Europe to manufacturers and local businesses in terms of effective ways to deal with varying legislation or regulations, player needs or interests, themes of gear or equipment that are popular, gaps in the market that could be exploited, and ways of raising awareness about their products. I've also worked closely with www.tacticaltwo.com, and www.airsoftaction.net as a blogger and article writer, reviewing equipment I have bought and used myself over the long term, giving inside looks into manufacturers and reporting on events such as the Hooha and MOA shows in Taiwan, as well as writing English language articles for Combat King Monthly for their annual Airgun and Airsoft Consumer's Guides and even travelled to the PengHu islands in early 2019 to report for them on a first of its kind MilSim event held on the island. In the longer term I want to strengthen my involvement and positive influence within the local industry and community - hopefully improving my Mandarin Chinese / Traditional Chinese reading and writing to adapt further to life in Taiwan and the local shooting sports environment.
