Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

[CacklingHawk]

I wanna build my own airsoft field.

I'm sure the idea has crossed everybody's mind once or twice. The distinction between flights of fancy and madness however lies in how much thought one actually puts into said idea. I know what I want, and I'm wondering if there's anyone on this board whose dayjob is in, ionno, "building stuff", that could answer some hypothetical questions about material and construction and such. I hope no one here thinks I'd actually do this; I'm still years away from a decent-paying job and a startup in war games is such an absurdly bad financial decision unless you are already a landowner (then it's only really bad), but it's still a fun idea to plan out. Kinda like drawing your perfect moon base when you were five.

Or am I the only person who did that?

I want something small, 6 on 6, mostly CQB, 120 x 100 meters in size. I want it to be outdoors and two dimensional only (no multistory buildings), and not based on any existing property like abandoned complexes or whatever. This way, I'd have total control over the field layout and I'd actually be able to correct balance issues. So, my start point would be a perfectly flat, hopefully grassy field. First question, anybody know what the going rate for renting a chunk of land this size in the Green Belt?
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Now the buildup. Technically, "scrounging for wasted timber and aluminum and building up a shantytown" is free, but we don't have an infinite amount of time or an infinite amount of wasted building material. Or an infinite number of tetanus booster shots. From here, as far as I know, I've got two realistic routes--inflated bunkers and walls, similar to what paintball uses, or cheap prefab wooden walls like what I see on a large number of CQB oriented airsoft sites.

A 12 bunker starter set is 500USD on ebay, and I reckon a field that size would need at least 36 with a few different shapes for variety (league play apparently utilizes 50 bunker sets). After a compressor and a generator, I'd conservatively estimate the cost to total about 1500 pound sterling. Let's say I've got two friends with vans who could help transport the crap and storage would be just a cheap tent I set up in the backyard, and call it negligible.

The advantage to inflated bunkers is that the field configuration can be changed, and since everything gets packed up I don't have to worry about vandalism. The disadvantage is every time I want to play it's gonna be a couple hours with an air compressor and a generator, in the ass end of nowhere. Prefab plywood walls are probably cheaper, as well, which is what I'm hoping to ascertain. However I've kicked over a few wooden barricades in my time hopping over them, and I would prefer the sort of recklessly dynamic movement that inflatable walls would allow.

If we were to go prefab walls, of decent sturdiness that could be left standing in an open field indefinitely, braving Midlands wind and rain, let's say for simplicity's sake we'd also need about 36 walls. Pulling a number outta my behind...we'll call each wall 9ft by 9ft. Maybe some of them would be sawed in half to provide chest high cover, and some of them would have holes punched out for windows. The rudimentary carpentry that would require we'll also chalk up as negligible. I know enough bored students who'd love the chance to play with some hammers and saws. Let's add 200 pound sterling for the truck hire to take these walls to the site, and since they're gonna stay there it'll be a one time cost.

So if anyone here is in the know, question 2, how much would 36 prefab walls about 9'x9' cost?

Let's pretend recouping the cost isn't the goal. Let's pretend I've won 10 grand in a lottery and the only stipulation is that I can only spend the money frivolously. how much would it all cost?

[Lt3033]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

I didn't have to time to read it all as I'm at work (I'll read it all later) but if you have played any of the older call of duty's then you may remember shipment? That would be an awesome little, 100x100 metre site!

[Johnno]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

Have you factored in Insurance, even if just friends playing you could possibly require "Public liability" in case any wandering MOP gets injured by a stray shot?

[Spatch69]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

There are far more factors to consider than you have listed, insurance as stated above, safety for the public as in how are you going to contain rounds from going outside your play area and the worst of all being the planners, everything has to go through the local planning department who generally make things like this as hard as possible

[heroshark]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

Me and my friends have pretty much done this. Your first and main issue is finding the right site where the owners are happy to let you do what you will with the site and even just finding one that's happy to let you play war on their land is hard enough . As for filling it there is no cheap option, just keep scrounging and build it up.

[elsobrante]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

plywood walls = expensive . take this from an old skateboarder with many years of halfpipe/miniramp building experience .

good idea though buddy . i'm looking into getting a few thousand sandbags and a few tonnes of sand brought in ( i've got a few acres of private woodland as my garden ) my son and i started digging some ditches for bunkers a few yrs ago and a decent trench system is entirely possible here too . we also have the option of building in the trees ( think ewok village . we are planning on sandbagging as much of the perimeter as we can to provide cover from walkers .

private games only though as i think any insurance company would want to enlarge my rectum to extreme proportions

[fhouse]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

Land is very expensive, if you live near a farm ask the farmer if you can rent a corner of one field or a small paddock which isn't much good for keeping livestock, if you wanted to rent 2 to 3 acres it will cost around £80 per acre per year. I own 7 acres and have thought about doing something like that but never had the time, it would be a lot easier if you just had private games, corrugated iron sheets are also quite good because they are cheap and do not rot like wood does, you just have to round off the corners as they get bloody sharp. Hiring a mini digger for 150£ for a week to dig trenches is also a good idea then you can use that soil from the trenches to put around the perimeter?

[Johnno]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

Even if you only host "Private Games" you would still have to have insurance, imagine (touch Wood it never happens) one of your Friends somehow gets blinded etc by accident, would you expect them not to claim for someone's actions which resulted in their injury?

[fhouse]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

my son invites friends round sometimes to play, i can't imagine them or there parents making a claim and suing us. all this insurance stuff seems to take some of the fun out of it tbh.

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[bob86]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

if you see the inflatables as still an idea, talk to your local gunclub.... my local county range is 80x110m mostly empty during the day, esp saturdays, in the summer clubs usally do shoots, if you were using bio's and were paying the rental fro the range i dont see why anyone would have a n issue (at my range anyway)

[Spatch69]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

You honestly believe that the parents of a child that is blinded or injured in your care would not sue you out of the decency of their heart?? Then you're daft!!!

Even in a private game, on land that is owned/leased to you in your name, you will be solely responsible, don't believe anything other than people WILL take you to court, I know I certainly would if my child was injured

[the_monkey]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

insurance varies from £900 to £2500 depending on your site and what limits you agree to

as for inflatables, oddly Airsoft cuts through those Paintball style sup air bunkers.

as for your field, japanese sites have some interesting layouts, a field with posts every 8 feet, sheets of 8 by 4 slotted in and moved around as needed, infinitely variable field, often with a sniper tower to prevent camping.

and finally, edging around your site, something solid, atleast ten foot tall. shade netting used ala paintball will disentgrate with airsoft as the BBS are so small, they cut the fibres. plus you dont want people peeping in and either being obnoxious/getting hurt.

best of luck to you

[fhouse]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

You honestly believe that the parents of a child that is blinded or injured in your care would not sue you out of the decency of their heart?? Then you're daft!!!

Even in a private game, on land that is owned/leased to you in your name, you will be solely responsible, don't believe anything other than people WILL take you to court, I know I certainly would if my child was injured

It depends how close they are to you.

[Viper Scout]

Re: Hypothetical: Making a small airsoft field?

Let the police know your intentions, then tomorrow, tell them again. Then every time you play, tell them again.
Have a search for previous threads on games on private land. Nosey neighbours, fall of shot etc etc.