polarstar.

[Lt3033]

Hello all, iv been looking at the polarstar setups people have and I very much like what I see! At the moment I have very little information and I have only seen youtube videos of them and its left me with some questions that I hope you beautiful lot could help me out with.

Are they available in the UK?
If so how much? if not how much in total would it cost to have one imported?

How available are the cylinders?

Are they 'accepted' at sites? (I know this is a site dependent thing but is there a lot of sites that say no?)

Any other information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Callum.

[windywindmill]

Re: polarstar.

A friend and I have just finished setting up our polarstars and this is what we've worked out to get me going


There are 4 mains things you will need to get:


The fusion engine: (which is the gearbox and the fcu)

(500,€ from France ) you can buy from the USA but you have to pay tax and it takes a lot longer to be delivered, both work out around the same price (£500)


The air line (line regulator)

I use the red line airbase line rig as it has a quick release adapter and you don't need to turn off the air to disconnect day if you want to put your gun down For a minute. This is around £160 from france.


The hpa tank:

I use the guerilla 62cl / 3500 tank. (62ci is the capcity, 62 cubic inches, 3500 is the psi is rated to) buy this from the UK as ( readily available on auction ) as they are different to the US ones (safety rating etc) . These are about £50. I've got a hydration backpack it fits in comfortably.


A refill station:

What I've done is broughtba scuba tank - this can refil your guerilla tank about 8-10 times (you'll need a scuba tank adapter) and the tank cost around £130, you can fill this up for a fiver at any scuba centre. The tank needs to be tested tho, every 2.5 is a visual check and every 5 years is a hydrostatic - speak to the scuba centre about that and theyll explain more.*

You could buy a hpa compressor and refill your guerilla tank from there but the cheapest I found was £2.5k! For one. The scubA tank way was the cheapest for me especially as I went halves with a mate who just got a polarstar too.*



So not the cheapest thing to set up, and a guerilla tank fill will only last half a day so you need to take scuba tank with you to the game, unless your very conservative with your shots.


I've not actually done a game day till Sunday, (bluestreak) but I've played around with it a lot, the trigger responce is phenomenal! Rate of fire, burst etc is done via the fcu. You can adjust the rate of fire easily, (the settings are confusing, I use the polarized app on my phone)

*The fps is adjustable.

3 thing effect fps, the nozzle (normally it's comes with a blue nozzle)

The barrel length (longer barrel = higher fps)

Fusion engine pressure, adjusted on the redline line regulator with an Allen key*

I personally went for a 363mm 6.05 barrel and around 100psi to give 330fps


Hope this helps*

[sean20012]

Re: polarstar.

so the polarstar turns a 6mm bb gun in to a paintball set up, I had my t68 mag fed paintball gun set up the same way.

[PureSilver]

Re: polarstar.

so the polarstar turns a 6mm bb gun in to a paintball set up, I had my t68 mag fed paintball gun set up the same way.

Apart from firing BBs instead of paintballs, using HPA instead of CO₂, using solenoid instead of sprung valves, using a remote line instead of screwing the tank straight into the gun and using a magazine instead of a hopper, they're practically identical! (Yes, I know that paintball guns exist that use HPA, solenoids, remote lines and magazines. But not most of them.)

[sean20012]

Re: polarstar.

lol mine was set up like that mag fed hpa and on a remote line. its just I know they did a 6mm version of it that used to fit the 6mm bbs in two 43cal cases that was ejected after each round was fired made by a company that was a kind of music and then a number, it never really took off and I was just wondering if it was that kind of system.

thanks sean

[PureSilver]

Re: polarstar.

Oh - you had a RAP4 T68? I've never actually seen one! That was the most airsoft paintball gun ever made - I know they did shell ejection subcalibre conversions but I thought they were to 4.5mm, not 6mm. I take it back - the Polar Star and a magazine-fed T68 with remote line are not in practical terms all that different, though I'd say the T68 is closer still to something like a DaytonaGun or Escort system than the solenoid-based Polar Star.

[sean20012]

Re: polarstar.

they did make them for a little wile but then when the vcra came out prity much killed it and it didn't have a hopup so that didn't help either, they still do the 4.5mm conversion's though, thanks for you comments pure silver will let poster get back to getting his info.

thanks sean

[Lt3033]

Re: polarstar.

A friend and I have just finished setting up our polarstars and this is what we've worked out to get me going


There are 4 mains things you will need to get:


The fusion engine: (which is the gearbox and the fcu)

(500,€ from France ) you can buy from the USA but you have to pay tax and it takes a lot longer to be delivered, both work out around the same price (£500)


The air line (line regulator)

I use the red line airbase line rig as it has a quick release adapter and you don't need to turn off the air to disconnect day if you want to put your gun down For a minute. This is around £160 from france.


The hpa tank:

I use the guerilla 62cl / 3500 tank. (62ci is the capcity, 62 cubic inches, 3500 is the psi is rated to) buy this from the UK as ( readily available on auction ) as they are different to the US ones (safety rating etc) . These are about £50. I've got a hydration backpack it fits in comfortably.


A refill station:

What I've done is broughtba scuba tank - this can refil your guerilla tank about 8-10 times (you'll need a scuba tank adapter) and the tank cost around £130, you can fill this up for a fiver at any scuba centre. The tank needs to be tested tho, every 2.5 is a visual check and every 5 years is a hydrostatic - speak to the scuba centre about that and theyll explain more.*

You could buy a hpa compressor and refill your guerilla tank from there but the cheapest I found was £2.5k! For one. The scubA tank way was the cheapest for me especially as I went halves with a mate who just got a polarstar too.*



So not the cheapest thing to set up, and a guerilla tank fill will only last half a day so you need to take scuba tank with you to the game, unless your very conservative with your shots.


I've not actually done a game day till Sunday, (bluestreak) but I've played around with it a lot, the trigger responce is phenomenal! Rate of fire, burst etc is done via the fcu. You can adjust the rate of fire easily, (the settings are confusing, I use the polarized app on my phone)

*The fps is adjustable.

3 thing effect fps, the nozzle (normally it's comes with a blue nozzle)

The barrel length (longer barrel = higher fps)

Fusion engine pressure, adjusted on the redline line regulator with an Allen key*

I personally went for a 363mm 6.05 barrel and around 100psi to give 330fps


Hope this helps*

That was a fantastic amount off information mate! Thanks very much!!

As for the scuba cylinders I already have 3 12lr, 2 15lr and 1 3lr cylinders as I'm a qualified diver

I defo have some saving to do lol but all that helped very very much!

Callum.

[Heinz]

Re: polarstar.

I had the first V2 PolarStar Fusion Engine that came to the UK, and it's doing sterling service

Good info above, but i'll add a few things:

1: Keep the O rings lubed (Tech T is your friend. Not any old crappy silicon grease)
2: Make sure the tanks you buy have a long hydro test date on them and are Pi marked
3: Redline Firebase air rig is about the best one out there - and i've tried four different rigs so far
4: Grip Connect is worth it's weight in gold. Just get a spare QD to use as a cap when the air line is removed
5: If you're setting up for DMR roles, then the low flow poppet valves are definitely worth the money (less so in spray-and-pray setups)

Now, here's the thing. The Fusion Engine is capable of obscenely high rates of fire and monstrous power levels. I forsee someone getting hold of one and being a complete dick with it at some stage (i'm not accusing anyone here, but it *will* happen, eventually) and ruining it for the responsible owners.

3 thing effect fps, the nozzle (normally it's comes with a blue nozzle)

The barrel length (longer barrel = higher fps)

Fusion engine pressure, adjusted on the redline line regulator with an Allen key*

I personally went for a 363mm 6.05 barrel and around 100psi to give 330fps

Er, not quite right. The barrel length doesnt really mean jack when it comes to the Fusion Engine. You can get exactly the same velocity out of a 250mm length barrel as a 363mm barrel simply by adjusting the HPA pressure, nozzle used and the poppet valve dwell time.

[Lt3033]

Re: polarstar.

Cheers mate, will be using it on a cqb platform so I will be keeping the FPS to around 330 and mainly for the trigger response and I have no intentions of being stupid with it.

Thanks very much for your input

Callum.

[RedHawk]

Re: polarstar.

I'm the owner of the first V3 Polar Star in the UK, and I've just bought a V2 from the US for a Noveske Diplomat setup.

Can't give them enough praise. Heinz can back me up here in testament of how good they are.

See here for my initial review
I'm still working on a game play review, however I feel I need to play atleast 20 games to make any proper conclusions.

I owe windywindmill an apology for missing his reply on the above linked thread - here's my setup:
Redline Firebase rig and a 4500 PSI 1.1 litre bottle (got a few steel 3500 PSI bottles as backup)
I have two diving cylinders (been diving for a long time, qualified ocean diver @BSAC so it was a great coincidence)
One's 280 bar and the other is 300
Got a paintball bottle fill valve off a nice paintball site for £60

To the OP:
My V2 cost me $510 posted from the US. I'll get charged about £70 at customs for it so all in all about £430 for it. Same thing happened with my V3 (though it had the red line rig in it so payed £100 at customs).
They aren't cheap but I can tell you they are worth it. Any downsides you can find are not as bad as what is encountered with AEGs.

Nozzles can be bought from retailers very easily. However what I advise is to run a gun at the lowest PSI as the air is less turbulent and you'll get a better efficiency.
So with my AK-105 my setup is a blue nozzle around 85 PSI and with .23's I get 300 FPS and about 315 on .2's - well below 328 FPS.

Batteries last a stupidly long time in these things. Unlike an AEG requiring constant power, the FCU and P* does not require anyway near as much current and will run happily off an 8.4v NiMh for more than 5 days (as I found out).

With regards to people "accepting" them such as players, screw them. With regards to sites, they shouldn't have a problem. My bargaining chip is that a PTW owner can change a cylinder in about 10 seconds. To change my FPS, I have to somehow get the bottle out of my buttpack, turn the air off, get an allen key out and then turn it on and off until I get a desired FPS (though it runs more off PSI). More hassle than it's worth and when you take into account that in CQB, trigger response is more important than FPS most sites tend to allow it.

When you get one, you'll dislike AEGs forever. These things aren't free of maintenance, but they are incredibly easy to strip and clean/lube and put back together. No stupid springs or anti-reversal latches.

If you need any help sourcing parts then drop me a PM. My father has been paintballing for a stupidly long time(pump action ) and is also a diver (though much more qualified then I ever wanted to be) so he knows practically everything and anything about HPA.

[Lt3033]

Re: polarstar.

thanks very much mate! all this info is fantastic! I hope to have a fully set up polar* by this time next year (because of the price) but it is going the be my next step in the world of airsoft!

do they work all year round or do they get fussy in the cold?

callum.

[windywindmill]

Re: polarstar.

The barrel length doesnt really mean jack when it comes to the Fusion Engine. You can get exactly the same velocity out of a 250mm length barrel as a 363mm barrel simply by adjusting the HPA pressure, nozzle used and the poppet valve dwell time.

Hmm, think I may have got a bit confused then. Originally I had a cqb type setup, using a very short inner barrel, fps came out around at 260 with 80psi. So I turned the psi to 120 which put my fps up well over the 300 mark. Tested the same psi & fcu setting on a 509mm barrel, that went to 440fps. So my thinkin was, with a 363mm it'll be a good compromise, giving decent for (came out at 325) with a lower psi to conserve air. Thats my training fir barrel length affecting fps.
As for nozzles changes, I wanted to try it out for a game with the original blue one, see how it is hpa efficiency wise and go from there

[RedHawk]

Re: polarstar.

do they work all year round or do they get fussy in the cold?

callum.

HPA will work all year round. Obviously if it's -10 you might run into problems related to frozen parts but other then that, they'll run in any British weather.

Hmm, think I may have got a bit confused then. Originally I had a cqb type setup, using a very short inner barrel, fps came out around at 260 with 80psi. So I turned the psi to 120 which put my fps up well over the 300 mark. Tested the same psi & fcu setting on a 509mm barrel, that went to 440fps. So my thinkin was, with a 363mm it'll be a good compromise, giving decent for (came out at 325) with a lower psi to conserve air. Thats my training fir barrel length affecting fps.
As for nozzles changes, I wanted to try it out for a game with the original blue one, see how it is hpa efficiency wise and go from there

If you use the same PSI and nozzle but change the barrel, it will change the FPS. However the change is limited to about 40 FPS at best (300mm barrel upto 500mm) so compared to changing PSI or the nozzle, a barrel change is not the main option with regards to changing FPS. Most effecient setup will be one which runs at the lowest pressure (~80 PSI as this uses less air and the air is less turbulent so it won't make the BB do strange things in flight).

[Lt3033]

Re: polarstar.

HPA will work all year round. Obviously if it's -10 you might run into problems related to frozen parts but other then that, they'll run in any British weather.

Thats awesome!

So do you use yours as your main gun then? or just pull it out every now and then?

Im assuming that once I have it set up my AEG's will probably start to collect dust at home lol

Callum.

BTW - The gun below in my signature is the body I have waiting for this project