While we greeted 2014 with a loud bang, we usually start the year slowly as people still had to get over the hangover caused by revelries and most offices will be doing their annual kick-offs to start the year right. Even in airsoft, nothing groundbreaking gets announced, and the first quarter of the year will be mainly about big events in both the firearms and airsoft industries starting with the Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair and SHOT Show in January and the IWA & Outdoor Classics in early March.

Thus, we bring you more stories from  the past year before the new year gets into its cruising speed. For our feature story of the day, I write about the fan film called "Croft" based on the popular Tomb Raider video game. What makes this fan film different from others is that it is just pure action for most of its 20 minute length.

Lara Croft, the fantasy of many male videogamers, attempts to rescue her friends, with one already killed by the baddies. Using mainly stealth through the of use her bow and arrow and a tomahawk, she quickly dispatches the enemies, who are mercenaries in this case, one by one in a rocky mountain setting. The fan film shows a lot of well executed stunts by a female and her some of the scenes would make you cringe as close action combat involves guns at several inches apart and armed mercs being hacked into pieces.

"Croft" was put together as a non-profit first project by a group of friends "with a passion for film-making." But even if it is a fan film, this group of friends has put together some serious work given the amount of time, money, and people involved in making this 20-minute short. Lara Croft is played by Cassandra Ebner who has a famous Vlog on YouTube and already an experienced hand in the Film and Television industry.

This new group called CanCinema may be producing more fan films or perhaps their own original stories in the future. "Croft" has already racked up almost half a million views since it was released on Christmas eve and over 2000 subscribers in just a week of putting up their YouTube Channel. If you like their effort better subscribe to them to get updates on future projects. For the meantime, watch "Croft":