Airsoft Innovations Tornado Grenade Spoon Kit review by Booligan
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Ordering/Company Info
Basic Information
First impressions/Packaging
Installation
Proper Use
Pros/Cons
Overall
Introduction
When the Airsoft Innovations Tornado Grenade originally came out last year, it only had one major flaw, and that was the lack of a spoon. Airsoft Innovations has solved this problem by releasing their own upgrade kit that utilizes a spoon to trigger the grenade! It uses a locking pin to the spoon securely in place until you’re ready to fling this thing at the competition. It’s easily installed and the installation is totally reversible if you decide you want to go back to the old fashioned simple pin system.
Ordering/Company Info:
I obtained the kit, as well as a Tornado grenade in the new Flat Dark Earth (FDE) color directly from Airsoft Innovations, through their website, www.gungas.com. It was sent from their headquarters in Canada, and arrived at my doorstep about 5 days later. The spoon kit is priced at about $15, but through the end of August 2009, if you order a Tornado Grenade, they throw in the spoon kit and a maintenance pack for free.
Basic Information:
The spoon kit is basically an aluminum base that slides over the timer tube on the top of the grenade that allows installation of a steel spoon. When the pin is pulled, you can still hold down the spoon, only starting the grenade timer when it is released and the spoon flies off. It is installed using a single 2mm hex wrench, and can be put on or removed in about 2 minutes.
First impressions/Packaging:
The kit came packaged inside the box with the Tornado grenade, and it was enclosed in a simple sealed plastic pouch. It included a very clear and concise manual explaining the proper installation procedure and advice on usage. As it is made in Canada, the directions are thankfully devoid of the Engrish that is ever-present in airsoft products. The kit was comprised of the aluminum base, steel spoon, new timer plug, locking screw, and the special locking pin. It is a simple collection of parts that does a big job!
From this point, click all pictures to enlarge
Everything in the spoon kit
It also came with a maintenance kit, which had a spare base cap, o-rings, pin, seals, and other handy parts.
The manual for the spoon kit is very clear and thorough, and here is a complete copy of it.
Installation:
The only part that needs to really be installed onto the Tornado grenade is the aluminum base. I’ll highlight each step in the following photos.
You must first remove the rubber bumper. It is pretty secure on there, so some gentle prying may be necessary.
You are left with the bare aluminum timer tube. Give it a quick wipe to make sure it’s clean.
You now need to install the new timer port plug onto the new spoon base. First, make sure the mounting hole is clear by poking it with a thumbtack or something.
Take the new port plug…
…and install it on here, making sure the little hole in the plug goes on the base.
Then take the base and slide it over the timer tube, making sure the port plug lines up with the timer port hole.
Everything should be nice and lined up. When mounting the base, ensure that the screw hole in the base lines up with the timer hole in the timer tube.
Take the included screw and screw it firmly into the hole. Test that it’s securely on there.
That covers the installation procedure of the base, which is the hardest part of this whole installation. If you want to remove it, simply unscrew the hex screw and pull it off. Very easy to do!
Proper Use:
Using the spoon kit requires a little bit of prep work. First you’re going to want to set the grenade just like normal. Instead of locking in the timer shuttle with a pin, you will be locking it in with the spoon. Before you install the spoon however, you need to take two BBs and drop them into the timer hole. This is a crucial small step that allows the timer to properly work.
Take two BBs and drop them in the hole…
…like this
You can now install the spoon, first by hooking it into the base and rotating it down to the side of the grenade.
Install the spoon…
…and put in the locking pin
The pin has a special locking hook on it to prevent it from accidentally coming out. A little practice and you’ll be able to remove it easily.
Once you pull the pin, keep the spoon depressed until you’re ready for the timer to start. As soon as you throw it, the spoon flies free with a satisfying “clank†and the timer starts. You can set the timer to the same 1.5-3 seconds as before by removing and rotating the small cross shaped plug in the spoon. Just as normal, the grenade fires when the timer is up.
Here is a brief video showing the functionality of this kit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bbUutUQe5s
Overall, this thing is a piece of cake to install and use. It allows you to use the Tornado in a ton of new ways, including setting it up as a booby trap inside a can, giving it to hostages to keep their hands occupied, or keep it ready to rock in one hand with your primary weapon in your main hand. The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination.
Pros:
Gives your Tornado a spoon!
FREE! (Until the end of August 2009)
When it’s not free, it’s cheap, $15
Allows you to use the Tornado in many different ways
Easily installed and totally reversible
Cons:
Gotta find the spoon after you use it
Slightly complicated arming system, requiring BBs, etc
Timer adjustment isn’t as simple as before
Doesn’t come with a fork (sorry, silverware humor…)
Overall:
If there was one way AI could have improved on the Tornado Grenade, it would be to add a spoon. They’ve done that, and the Tornado is even better than before. I was blown away when it first came out, and with AI continuing to make upgrades and accessories, I know that it’s not the end of this modular product. I have a feeling that we haven’t seen all the tricks the Tornado has up its sleeve.
Many thanks again to Airsoft Innovations and of course, AirsoftRetreat!
