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Check out the new P.O.W patches in colour folks. Bright enough to be eye catching without being too obvious and giving you away in the field. Who wants to win one of these?

20,000 YouTube Subs!!

So the keithHPOW 'Airsoft Grenadier' channel is now fast approaching the 20,000 subscriber mark and i reckon its almost time for a competition to celebrate that achievement. As hinted in the previous post watch out for a fantastic giveaway of 'Players of War' patches for sticking to your uniform and gear!! The latest video posted to my channel in which i have invited viewers, with aspirations to film airsoft videos, to give themselves a shoutout has currently got 9 video responses. It just goes to show how lazy many filmers can be! I get hundreds of requests from people asking for shoutouts and yet when i give viewers the chance to promote their own channel and say anything they want....they can't be bothered!! Well done and thanks to those few who took the time and made the effort to make a video response.

I will be at POW this coming Sunday but will probably just stay long enough to get some film and then head home to get it edited and uploaded to YouTube. The following unday sees a WWII Normandy Invasion MilSim planned at 'The Hill' in Dundee so at the moment i hope to be able to attend that. Not sure yet if i'll film or play if i do go. It would make a fantastic YouTube movie but having been before i also know its great fun to play at that site. Oh the dilema!!!

 

I've also had new shirts sent to me by my sponsor skirmishclothing so look out for me wearing new designs on film.

 

 

keithHPOW in 2011

The goal for this year is simply to expand the web presence of 'The Airsoft Grenadier' and ensure that the YouTube channel continues to not only improve on the quality of content but goes from hobby/pastime status to a viable business. This is not only going to benefit me! Any form of sponsorship benefits the sponsor and leads to increased video content for my subscriber base, giving them a larger variety of videos to watch and broaden the horizons of the channel. More videos and greater variety = happy viewers!!

I will be attending more airsoft venues this year. Making more friends around the U.K and giving more sites some exposure on YouTube. There will be more competitions coming along so all you P.O.W fans should look out for the next one. P.O.W velcro patches for sticking to your favourite gear!

 

Keep an eye on your YouTube subscriptions. What P.O.W fan wouldn't want to win one of these!?!

1st day at Posterous

Well i was fed up with juggling so many websites that i discovered this place through my good friend Stu, well done mate! The plan is to increase my web presence even further this year and take the Airsoft Grenadier brand name even further. Stay tuned folks!....

21 again!!

Ah well another year older but i still don't feel any older than 21. Maybe its because i've a hobby that allows me to run around with toy guns like a big kid. YouTube Partnership seems to be paying off as i've noticed a pick up in my subscriber and video view rates. It was definately a good idea to apply for partnership. I'm still getting bombarded with emails to do gun and kit reviews but people just don't seem to understand that i don't have access to what they want to see reviewed. Reviews are big business in the U.S for retailers but its not something that U.K retailers seem interested in doing and no-one is interested in giving sponsorship. If i was a U.S youtuber i'm certain i'd have a full-on sponsorship with a big retailer by now but that won't happen in the U.K. I can only review the guns and kit that i own personally and as much as i'd like to review new guns and kit every week it aint gonna happen!

The Airsoft Clothing Competition went down well with lots of people sending in entries (500+) and the 3 winners being drawn from a box by POW players Cara, Terri and Scoutthedoggie. Speaking of scout, he was filming me attacking a base with my PPSH-41, grenades and smoke last Sunday and will be putting the video up by this weekend so watch out for that.

Looking through my subscriber demographics i noticed that 8% of my overall viewership are female. I never get emails from my female viewers and don't know any of them. I've made lots of friends worldwide through YouTube and all are male. If you are a female viewer i'd love to hear from you. Where you play, what you carry into battle and why you like airsoft. It is a sport that both sexes enjoy but my female viewers are very quiet compared to the guys. So who are you and where are you? Drop me an email and say hi ;)

March 2011

Well thank f*** the weather has finally warmed up a fair bit and we've even had sunshine. Infact i was out and about yesterday without a jacket or jersey so here's hoping Spring is finally on its way. Even the flowers are coming out. As you can gather i'm not a winter person, i hate it.

This month has seen a return to good, reliable skirmish/filming weather and the Zeltbahn video i mentioned has been put up on YT and looking pretty good. I'll do another one at a later date and talk about joining several Zeltbahns to create tents etc.

I've recently managed to secure sponsorship from a clothing company called Skirmish Clothing who make casual street wear for airsofters. Currently they produce a range of t-shirts but are bringing out hoodies, baseball caps etc to compliment the range. A great idea for airsofters who want to wear casual clothes but retain an element of airsoft culture without having to walk around in their skirmish clothing.

Look out for a competition sponsored by Skirmish Clothing appearing on my channel very soon.

New WWII German kit

2011 not only sees the Airsoft Grenadier channel achieving YouTube Partnership and me being given control of the Players of War Airsoft channel but also an overhaul of my WWII German loadout which i had worn faithfully for 2 years worth of skirmishes and carried into battle either my AGM MP40 or my AGM MP44 (STG44). I thought it was time for a change so over recent months i've gradually sold off all my previous uniform items and my two German weapons. This year i've so far updated the uniform by purchasing a new Waffen SS tunic in summer 'Reed Green' HBT fabric and new Panzer trousers in Italian camouflage pattern. There is normally confusion and argument relating to unissued items of uniform worn by German troops. Basically when the Italian armed forces surrendered to the Allies the Germans seized the Italian warehouses filled with camouflage material and used it to produce clothing articles ranging from trousers and tunics down to helmet covers. Its a well documented fact and many many photographs exist which show this to be fact. there is also argument about German troops wearing tunics made out of Oakleaf or Plane tree camo patterns. Again these were tailored in the field rather than issued with standard uniform and again there are genuine photographs and surviving items of clothing which show this to be fact. You wouldn't believe the abusive comments some of my loadout videos have attracted because armchair experts have never seen Oakleaf tunics whilst they've played Call of Duty or watched Saving Private Ryan. By the late stages of the war the German troops HAD to manufacture clothing in the field from whatever sources they could as the Allied bombing campaigns were devastating the home font and supply chain.

I've also noticed that among the number of airsofters who buy Zeltbahns, no-one ever uses them! They are bought for roughly £40 and then strapped to a belt and never worn. I wonder how many airsofters actually know how to use them properlly as a poncho or shelter? So there's the idea for a new video using my new Zeltbahn which will probably be filmed in the next few weeks; how to use a Zeltbahn. As i've said they can be used as ponchos and small shelters but when they are joined together with other Zeltbahns they can actually be used to construct stretchers, flotation aids and tents of varying size depending on how many seperate Zelts' are used.

My new WWII weapon, which i love, is my Hexagon Productions PPSH41. Its far more relaible and performs way better than any gun i've ever owned. I'll therefore be loosly portraying an Eastern Front German with captured Soviet weapon and a couple of Soviet pouches which i stripped from my Russian victim. Look out for future videos on new kit guys!

Keep checking the Blog for further announcements and news and look out for those new videos.

Keith