Where is scoutthedoggie?

Purely for fun as it was too much to resist! ;)

 

August Game Destinations

My first trip to NCIS Airsoft in Edinburgh was superb. Great site with some challenging terrain and a great bunch of guys. Very highly recommended if you are looking into attending NCIS. I also returned to Land Warrior but unfortunately the vehicles were not being used this time. Had a great day worth of games and really enjoyed talking to the players and marshals but i'm dying to film the two APCs they now have. So what am i to do? I'll be returning to Land Warrior again!!

August looks like being a good month too. I'll be at NOMAD on the 7th August and then heading up North the following weekend to play at Highland Tactical on the Black Isle, just down the road from Tain at an old bombing range airfield. Still with control tower and everything intact. Can't wait!! There will be other site visits too so stay tuned for updates.

NCIS, Land Warrior and Knights!!

July is promising to be a good month for videos with trips planned to NCIS and Land Warrior airsoft sites over in the Edinburgh area. I've already played at LWA and know what a great site they have with a great bunch of players and now a fleet of vehicles comprising 2 APCs and 2 Land Rovers. Can't wait to play and film there again!!

NCIS is a site i've never been to but have heard lots of great things about it. Time to give it a go and time for the Airsoft Grenadier to go on tour ;)

I'm also planning a trip to a Medieval jousting tournament this month so i'm hoping to capture some good footage from that.

 

Watch this space for more upcoming venues and videos.

Baby Frog

Well i'm home again, had a great time staying away from home and enjoying the peace and quiet of a small Highland village next to a tranquil loch. Lots of good food, drink, sightseeing and relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered!!

I've decided to add extra content to my YouTube channel to give my viewers a bit more diversity rather than pure airsoft; Vlogs, funnies, interesting places etc. Airsoft will remain the main stay of the channel but i don't want my channel to simply be 'another airsoft channel'. I'd like a bit more depth of content to give a broader selection of choice and hopefully keep current subscribers interested and entertained but also attract a wide range of new subscribers. I posted up a quick video of my son Calum that was recorded on holiday basically as an experiment to guage reaction to this type of material. So far it has been very positive. Check it out and have a read of the description below the video as it plays.

Skirmish Clothing

Things are really looking up for Sam at Skirmish Clothing. Ever since he offered me sponsorship i've put him in touch with Epic Militaria and Land Warrior Airsoft, both of whom now stock his clothing. Recently i've also put him in touch with Irelands main Airsoft retailer and, excitingly, the U.S's biggest Airsoft retailer. Talks are underway with both these businesses so watch out for more news on this. Skirmish Clothing could be breaking into the U.S market and maybe one day going global. If this isn't a case study of why working with 'The Airsoft Grenadier' is beneficial then i don't know what is!!

Holiday time

At the end of this week i'll be on holiday and boy do i need a break! My wife and i are taking our 1 year old son Calum on holiday for a week staying in a luxury lodge at Lochgoilhead on the West Coast of Scotland. The site has swimming pool, restaurant, bar and amazing scenery so i'll spend my week relaxing. Outside of airsoft i'm currently a driving instructor although if YouTube pays off i'll be more than happy to retire early. I have been invited to join a competition called "YouTube NextUp" which is for aspiring YouTube Partners with less than 50,000 subscribers who want to take their channel to the next level. There is a 20,000 Euro cash prize, all expenses paid 3 day film-makers camp in London and lots of promotion from YouTube. I'd be daft not to enter!! All i need to do is make a video entry saying why i want to take part and send them a written letter stating what i would spend the money on.

With 20,000 Euros i could buy a fantastic camera, top notch computer and software, turn my small office into a studio and travel around the U.K filming videos at sites throughout Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. I think the wife would also appreciate a nice warm holiday so who knows; airsoft in Greece or Crete would be good fun eh!? It would be a dream come true scenario for me and fantastic viewing for my subscribers. The competition is for European Partners only so that means i must have something like a 1 in 10,000 chance of winning worst case odds but i think there will be far less European Partners than that. Certainly better odds than the lottery.

Fingers crossed!!! 

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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

Tachyon XC Helmet Camera

The video taken with the Tachyon XC helmet camera seems pretty popular, even with the motor on my PPSH41 overpowering the little speaker on the camera. Rather than mount it on a helmet i opted for mounting it onto the gun and giving the look of a first person shooter game. I honestly thought my viewers would tell me it was crap and that they enjoy the normal skirmish videos much more. Looks like i'll be making many more videos with the Tachyon!!

Machinima.com

February has turned out to be a very interesting month. First of all, about a week ago, i get an email out of the blue from Machinima.com offering me a 'Partnership' with them. To be honest i'd never heard of them as i've no interest in video games but once i'd checked them out i was impressed and quite frankly flattered by their offer. I decided now was the time to try out for YouTube Partnership as the Machinima offer made me think i must be doing quite well with the channel. To my surprise i was accepted for full partnership rather than just enabling a few of my videos for revenue sharing. This means i'm now a full YT Partner and can enable revenue on all my videos. Great news as my channel goes from mere hobby status to potential busines venture. So where does that leave Machinima?

Machinima work on what i'd describe as a franchise basis where you basically join their network and they put adverts on your videos. They give you a set fee for the ads but they keep all revenue generated from people actually clicking the ads and from any advertising on your channel page. Something that YT don't do. I get all the revenue from YT advertising campaigns. The stats that my channel has would also be dissolved into the Machinima network so they basically consider my subscribers and overall video views as part of THEIR stats and advertise them as such. It was flattering to be contacted by them but the offer seems heavily weighted in their favour with little kick back for me. Lets face it, the channel they wanted to feature me on only has an average of 2000 video views per upload, something i've bettered with my 18,000 subscribers compared to ther 200,000+ subscribers. It would also appear that despite claiming millions of subscribers that they don't even rank among the top YouTube Partners with regards to earnings. Why is that?

The Airsoft Grenadier channel has finally made partner status so i'm sure you'll appreciate how happy i am with that. It means that once a few $'s or £'s come my way i can invest further into the channel and reward my subscribers with more and more great videos. Hopefully i'll be able to get my hands on new equipment and props to enhance the video experience and who knows, perhaps a sensible retailer or two will have the common sense to throw some airsoft kit my way for review. Lets face it, no U.K airsoft retailer has bothered to invest properlly in the business potential of YouTube. The U.S retailers seem to have grasped its potential so its about time the U.K caught up a bit faster and broadened their horizons a little.

This coming Sunday is a POW gameday so watch out for videos coming along on both my channels guys.

Best
Keith

February 2011

Time flies past very quickly! I can't believe we are into February already but at least the awful snow we had has gone and spring doesn't feel too far off now. There's even talk of an upcoming WWII MilSim at POW. Well since the last Blog entry i got a video review of my Hexagon Productions PPsh-41 up on YouTube and i've also got a couple more videos up on the POW YouTube channel. The POW channel has had great artwork done to it by my pal Icarus Stu who many will know from watching scouts videos on YouTube. The channel itself seems to be doing very well and already has over 400 subscribers....

 http://www.youtube.com/user/PlayersofWar

Since my last Blog my own Airsoft Grenadier channel has broken through the 600K video views and achieved just short of 18K subscribers at the time of writting this. It looks like being a successful year with YouTube. The new German winter jacket i bought myself was fantastic in the snow. With the white jacket and white helmet it proved very effective in the snow and very warm. Once the snow melted i simply turned it to the grey side out and it proves to be quite effective in our wet, muddy and dark forest at POW. I cannot believe how awesome my PPsh is! I have been using an 8.4v battery giving it a lower and more realistic rate of fire, the drum mag last for ages when you shoot rather than spray, single shot is very reliable and the range on both single shot and full auto is fantastic, well in excess of 60 metres and this is without any upgrades at all. I love this gun and can't see me ever wanting to get rid of it. Its also very easy to look after. I found myself laughing at all the kid experts commenting on scouts latest video, which has me in my Eastern Front loadout with the PPsh, and reading the arguments about whether or not the Germans used the PPsh. Its a FACT children, well documented and widely known. The Germans loved them and even produced German written manuals on how to look after them. CoD has a lot to answer for!! Its a POW weekend this week so watch out for videos on both channels and photos up on the POW Facebook Fanpage.

Take care!
Keith

Happy New Year 2011

So did everyone have a great christmas/new year holiday?

The weather kept me off work for just over a month in total and also led to two POW game dates being cancelled which was a total bummer. It means serious withdrawl from being able to skirmish and absolutely no material to upload to YouTube. On a positive note though we had a POW Christmas night out for the WWII German players which was great fun; lots of drink and many many good laughs. we have a game date on January 9th so here's hoping the weather remains good enough that we can travel to the site and get a good skirmish and lots of film and photographs.

I got a new WWII German winter jacket which is field grey and reversible to white for the snow and i also got a new Oakleaf Zeltbahn which i can add to my loadout. I was also given the boxed set 'The Pacific' which i watched back to back and loved. Its a fantastic series with amazing combat scenes and i really enjoyed the in-depth portrayal of the true life characters in the series. If i had the money i'd be tempted to go for a full USMC Pacific loadout!!

Since i've been stuck at home i've been planning what videos i want to make for the new POW Youtube channel so i can't wait to get out there and begin filming. At the moment i've only got a teaser video on the channel to generate some early interest and i've already got just under 100 subscribers and nearly 2000 views on that 1 video. Here's hoping the channel will be as successful as early indications promise. The Airsoft Grenadier channel is also doing very well as i'm just about to reach 17,000 subscribers and am on my way to 600,000 video views overall. My most successful video has well over 100,000 views on its own. I was very flattered to see how many of my fellow Youtube airsofters gave me personal messages on their youtube channels wishing me a happy new year so i'm now thinking of returning the favour and doing a video to thank my youtube friends and give them all a mention. It's not something i normally do but it seems quite a popular means of contact and networking for youtubers. Early videos to look out for will be a PPSH41 review and skirmish videos for The Airsoft Grenadier and also some skirmish and possibly player interviews on the Players of War channel. All these videos will hopefully be along sometime in January, weather permitting. We're expecting more heavy snow in Scotland soon!!

Happy New Year folks

All the best in 2011

Keith