How to Make Airsoft Vietnamese Man Traps

During the Vietnam War, several kinds of booby traps were used by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army to impair U.S. forces both physically and mentally. These traps ranged from holes in the ground filled with sharpened sticks (known as panji sticks), grenades rigged to tripwires along trails and anti-helicopter traps. Airsoft is a war game that uses realistic looking guns that shoot small plastic pellets. To recreate Vietnamese man traps for an airsoft match, these methods must be employed in a non-lethal manner.

Things You'll Need

  • Toy gun with trigger activated sound
  • Fishing line
  • Shovel
  • Large plastic bucket
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Instructions

  1. Make a Panji Stick Trap

    • 1

      This trap will only be useful if playing a long campaign or if you have access to the battlefield before play. Dig a small hole along a frequently used trail or along the route you think the enemy will choose to attack your base. To be effective, a real panji stick trap would have needed to be at least knee height, but yours should be dug at less than knee height. The height of a boot is enough. Any deeper and you may risk damage to the ensnared person's leg.

    • 2

      Place something in the trap to mark those who fall in. Instead of sharpened bamboo sticks covered in human excrement, fill the trap with something less dangerous. If a large plastic bucket is filled with water and placed in the trap, other players will most likely hear the splash and be able to identify the trapped individual by the fact that they are soaked. Rotten fruit would give a large surprise and most likely elicit a response as well.

    • 3

      Cover the trap. For this you will need to use materials that are indigenous to the field of play. If any plants with large leaves are in the area, one or two of these might be all you need. If not, cover the trap in a light latticework of small plant stalks and cover these up with small leaves to disguise the trap. Because a real panji stick trap would permanently impair anyone who fell in, a player who falls into a panji trap in the airsoft game can be considered "out."

    Make Grenade Traps

    • 4

      Place the toy gun in the can. Place the can somewhere near a path, in the crook of a tree, or some other location slightly off of the ground. The gun should be the kind that will continue to make loud noises for several seconds after the trigger is depressed.

    • 5

      Carefully tie a piece of fishing line to the trigger of the gun. Point the gun with the barrel toward the back of the can.

    • 6

      String the line across the path, tie the other end to a tree or bush. When the enemy walks across the fishing line trip wire, it will pull the trigger on the gun. The loud noises made by the gun will substitute for an exploding grenade.