The site list: Bunker 51 — Ultimate Airsoft

Short games that are run hard, Bunker 51 is a claustrophobic lesson of everything you need to know about airsoft, but you’ll come away with the marks to show for it.

At a glance

• Website: https://www.ultimateairsoft.co.uk/
• Address: 3 Herringham Rd, Greenwich Peninsula, London SE7 8NJ
• Price: £35 for a three-hour walk on game
• Rental gear: £45, there’s an M4
• Lunch: Three-hour session so there’s no time for food
• Frequency: Every Sunday, private games are bookable.
• How to book: https://www.ultimateairsoft.co.uk/
• Toilets: Indoor toilets.
• Car Park: Very limited parking at venue.
• Safe zone: Inside with tables.
• Shop: N/A
• Card accepted: yes
• FPS limit: 328 with variance (up to 350)

What to expect

Pure carnage. There are two different game days run at this site, one by Camden-based airsoft shop Wolf Armouries, and some by Ultimate Airsoft, which comprises of a few of the team that were behind the ill-fated Blitz CQB airsoft site in Whitechapel.

This mostly talks about the Ultimate Airsoft experience, although the site is the same for both guys. The marshall team at the UA games is solid, and they run some exciting games. As you can see from the video below, it’s dark, while engagements are often taking place as people scuttle from cover to cover, well inside 10 metres.

I’ve played here less than I’d like to, it’s the closest site to me geographically but three hours doesn’t usually scratch my itch. However, I’ve noticed the games are fierce, and fighting is claustrophobic. The quality of players is a little hit and miss, with rentals and new players coming to try out their first ever site.

This can result in attacks being a little sluggish. Considering both of the two “fields” in play are L shaped and lead through a fatal funnel into defenders with heavy cover, it can be a frustrating experience. However, with low numbers and not a lot of ground to cover, a single player can easily make a huge difference and have their hero moment.

Important: the site is also an indoors paintball site, meaning your camo and gear will get covered in gunk, and things get even worse when you try to clean your guns after a game in there because that gunk gets into everything.

What to bring

What’s the shortest thing you’ve got? You’re not looking at anything rangy here, rather something you can move with at speed. The order of the day is to push into enemy positions and root them out, or resist them doing the same to you. I’ve had success here for a P90, UMP and even an MP5, but anything longer than that seems unnecessary, so let your short guns have their moment.

As one of the smallest sites I’ve ever played, engagement distances are arms-length. Consider full-seal eye protection, gloves, and lower face protection. Even if you consider that overkill at most sites, you’ll be glad to have it here.

Also, target identification can be tricky with the darkness, so you’ll want a torch.