manufacturer: Deadlywind [www.deadlywind.com]

basic model: Fibur barrel, 14" Autococker-threaded

year: 2007

Deadlywind is a small paintball accessories manufacturer that builds everything pretty much completely in-house.  They started our making custom Automag parts, bodies, and frames, but quickly expanded their offerings.  They now produce Ion parts as well as this carbon-fiber barrel, the Fibur (previously called the Wisper <-- not misspelled ).  The Fibur is a unique barrel in that is accepts Smart Parts Freak inserts.  Many other barrel kits require that you use their insert set, and depending on the quality, that could work out well.  However, if you already own a Freak but want some variety in barrels, this might just fit the bill!

The Fibur is VERY well constructed.  It's light and sturdy.  When my barrel first arrived, I got it in a Priority Mail tube -->  The packaging was very nice and it even came with a sticker!  Typically, top-notch companies make their packaging look good, and due to the light weight and size of this barrel, the packing was great.

Upon inspection, I opened the plastic sleeve and pulled out the barrel.  For those of you who are familiar with carbon fiber barrels, you know the classic 'feel' of the outside of the barrel.  It feels a bit like graphite, almost light the surface of a chalkboard at school (without all the mess and that whole fingernail scratching thingy that makes you cringe).  This barrel is no exception.  One other unique feature is that the aluminum back-piece is permanently attached to the barrel (unlike some other sizing kits).  Since the barrel is design for Freak inserts, it needed to have an aluminum back that was sufficiently stiff enough to be threaded into a paintball marker but that also allowed for the Freak inserts to be placed inside.  Another thing I noticed was that there was only one o-ring in place to hold the Freak insert.  I didn't know how this would work, as I thought they needed 2 o-rings (like the SP Freak barrels) in order to hold the insert properly in place.  No worries though, I just got my inserts and my marker ready to test it out.

To start, I tried out my different inserts to make sure they fit.  When you put the inserts in, they go in easily and are not too snug.  The opening is machined with great precision, so there is no slop.  They slide in and feel like they are riding on a cushion of air!  Also, when fully inserted, the o-ring gently grips the insert.  It grips hard enough to prevent it from sliding out, but does not take much effort to insert, you barely have to apply any pressure to get it in.  I like this much better than the SP Freak kits, as those things take a bit of wiggling and playing around with to get right!  Here's a comparison picture to analyze the opening with a partially-inserted Freak insert and then with it all the way in:

I tried out this barrel on two separate markers: my '03 Viking (now sold) and my GZ Intimidator.  I liked the look of it the best on my '04 Viking though (now also sold), as pictured below -->  I used it on 15 Jan 07 at Hollywood Sports Park, in Bellflower, CA. I'm really impressed with performance and fit! At the beginning of the day, it was pretty cold, and the paintballs rolled right through most of my Freak inserts. The paintballs were the 'Event paint' that HSP sells for $23 a case. They are basically seconds paint, although they only have some mild dimples. Actually, it's pretty decent, especially for $23! Later in the day, I switched to the HSP White box paint, with the SC Village logo on it. That paint is considerably better, it's made by RPScherer if I'm not mistaken. Also, for the Freak barrel I was using the aluminum inserts. I've never owned the Stainless inserts, so I can't tell you if I prefer them or not... I ended up choosing the 0.682 insert, against my better judgement... I had a few breaks using the Viking at the beginning. I thought the marker itself might have been at fault, or the fact that I put a barrel o-ring on the new barrel (leaving too much space inbetween the breach and insert). However, I bumped the insert up by one size, removed the barrel thread o-ring (tightens it to the marker), and that prevented breaks until later in the day, when I again went up one more insert and settled on 0.687, which worked fine in both markers.  Out of all this, the barrel breaks helped me evaluate the 'cleaning' properties of the new barrel. Most barrel manufacturers claim that the barrel will 'shoot through' breaks or clean out in 2-3 shots. My opinion is that those statements are mostly marketing pitches! While the barrel still had a lot of icky residue in it, it did shoot surprisingly 'well' after a break. After about 5 shots, the accuracy returned to somewhere approaching normal (although still not what you would consider great). I did squeegee it, but I felt confident that if I do break a ball in the barrel, and I'm in the heat of battle, it will clear out fairly quickly and won't put me at the most severe disadvantage.

Fast-forward to later in the day, I put the barrel on my Intimidator. A friend of mine had been shooting the Intimidator all day so far with a standard Freak barrel (also 0.682 insert), and had experienced barrel breaks as well. After a bit of diagnosis, I again confirmed that it was the insert. Neither of the guns 'chopped' any balls, they were just too tight a fit in the barrels. Up to this point, the jury was out on my opinions of the new barrel, so I played a game with the Fibur on my GZ and I fell in love with it right then and there!

Accuracy was stellar, much better than the match-anodize 12" AA Freak I have for the Intimidator (which is a bit disappointing!). Distance shooting was much better than I'm used to. Since I was play-testing the marker/barrel, and don't have any ranges/references for accuracy, you'll just have take my word that it performed great. I also put the barrel back on the Viking and it performed in a similarly great fashion.  The point-and-shootability was near heavenly.  I really liked the fact that follow-up shots followed where my first shots went, it was as if I had been playing in a cloud the past few years and finally had some good results!

All-in-all, my quick review is that the Fibur exceeds the Stiffi in almost every way. I have used several different Stiffi barrels over time on various A/C threaded markers, and didn't find them to be all that accurate. The Fibur weighs slightly more due to the addition of the Freak insert, but it's so light anyway that the difference is negligible. I REALLY LIKED THE BALANCE that it provided for both markers. Some people have said that CF barrels make the front too light, but I disagree. For me, using a Halo and HPA tank on-board, it made the markers balance very nicely. Pointability was awesome! Another gentleman on the field had a Sly barrel kit on his Ion, which is another carbon fiber Insert-able barrel, although their inserts are proprietary and a little shorter than Freak inserts. Upon observing his marker, I found that his was reasonably accurate as well. Although this was a limited experience, I have to conclude that BOTH of these kits exceed the performance and flexibility of a Stiffi barrel.  If you look very closely, you can also see the need spiral pattern of the porting, it looks similar to the Deadlywind logo.  This is a view from the rear of the barrel with the insert removed (you can barely make out the lip of where the insert would rest, although it's fuzzy). <--

In a nutshell, if you're looking for a great CF barrel and like the flexibility that Freak inserts provide, then this is the best barrel for your money! I think it works great, and I'm really impressed with the innovation they used in the design.  At $90, it's not the cheapest barrel, but I'd much rather support this small business than some mega-conglomerate who just wants to shove paintball products down everyone's throat.  Deadlywind focuses on quality product development and seems to support reasonable customer service.  Thew moral of the story is: GO BUY ONE NOW!

manufacturer:  Palmers Pursuit Shop (PPS) [http://www.palmer-pursuit.com]

basic model:  Hurricane

year:  1989 - 2007+

The cadillac of custom paintball shops, Palmers Pursuit Shop, has been making custom paintball markers for almost 2 decades.  In 1989, Glenn Palmer, a paintball player with an injured shoulder, decided that he was sick of making himself sore by pumping a paintball marker before every shot (state of the art at the time).  He decided to automate a Sheridan paintball marker, due to its proven durability on the field, and his experience with pneumatics.  The first paintball marker he converted was a PMI pistol, but eventually, he made his own design, which turned into... Camille:

Thus was born, the Hurricane.  Palmers also builds the Tyhpoon and Blazer paintball markers, among several others (such as the pump Pug, Houndstooth, SuperStocker, etc.).  A Hurricane is essentially a closed-bolt semi-automatic Typhoon that has been fitted to a Sheridan wood stock.  The wood stock is usually conjured from an old KP pump marker, although some can be had on their own.  The other critical part to use during the conversion is the trigger group.  Normally, Palmers fits a pistol grip to their paintball markers.  Due to the Hurricane being fitted to a wooden stock, it uses the existing trigger mechanism which is shown to the left <--  Hurricanes come in 2 flavors.  You can either have one scratch-built (check out my "Tempest" on the My Paintball Markers page) or you can send in a full KP2 or KP3 for conversion.  Currently, a scratch-built costs $869 (you add trigger group and stock for about $100), and a KP2 or KP3 conversion is about $560 (you supply entire paintball marker).  The differences in performance are pretty negligible according to some folks who own both types, although the scratch-built includes a fully-optimized valve system.  Read here for Glenn Palmer's opinion of it all: http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/techpages/ty_vs_st.htm

A Hurricane functions like an Autococker (rather an autococker functions like a Hurricane, since we all know Glenn was the one who invented/perfected the auto-cocking mechanism, but since most folks are more familiar with the AC, we'll use that).  You pull the trigger and it releases the sear, allowing the hammer to fly forward and strike the valve, propelling the paintball down the barrel.  On a pump gun, you would normally give it a pump stroke to reload and reset the hammer, but in an autococking marker, when you pull the trigger through its full stroke (read: all the way back) it actuates a pressurized ram which does the recocking for you.  It does all of this very quickly, so you can shoot multiple balls per second.

Since the details of my Hurricane are on my Markers page, I'll let you read there.  Here are the details of the performance that you're anxiously awaiting though!  Like custom motorcycles or cars, custom paintball markers are individual and have individual characteristics and temperaments.  In my case, when I first took my Hurricane to the field and aired it up, the bolt locked in the fully back position.  Having never handled one before, I didn't know much about how to fix it, got pissed, and took the thing home.  That sucked for having invested over $1000 in this thing!  Lo and behold, with a little help from my friends over at the Hurricane Owners Group (http://www.incynr8.com/HOG/index.php), I got it up and running.  The trigger got misaligned from the 4-way valve that allows the ram to cycle.  Once I got it working, I knew there would be an approx. 2000 shot break-in period in order to allow all the springs and valves to seat properly.

Air Source: When I first used it I supplied CO2 as the air source.  I was actually very disappointed with both the efficiency and the performance on CO2.  Accuracy was good (surprisingly), although these markers are designed to run on CO2, since Glenn Palmer prefers it.  But what I found was that it broke paintballs far too often.  Having used my GZ Intimidator for years without breaking even a single ball, I was disappointed.  Switching to HPA made all the difference, and it now works without breaking paint due to inconsistencies in the air source.  In fact, when I played at Oklahoma D-Day 2006, I used a 68ci/4500psi Armageddon tank and burned through 2100 psi throughout the course of the day.  Final shot count: ~1000 paintballs.  Extrapolate that number and you'd have almost 2000 shots on ONE TANK fill.  That's near as good as an AKA marker.  I don't know whether this is characteristic of other people's experience, but I was surely impressed.  To this day, I've gotten really decent efficiency numbers, but nothing quite that good again.  I can average about 1400-1600 shots on a full tank, which is still incredible.

Barrel: The barrel on Hurricanes is non-removable.  This can be a problem for some people.  Palmers includes what they call 'wedgits' or small impressions that they place in the barrel.  They look like little bumps on the inside wall of the barrel, and serve to hold odd-sized balls in place awaiting firing once they are loaded.  The ball is held by three symmetrically located wedgits and there is sometime slight space visible around it.  This is alright though and works well for the varying sizes of paint we use today.  Currently, Palmers offers 'small-bore' barrels starting at 0.684 inner diameter, due to the increasing presence of shrinking paint sizes in the industry.  My Hurricane is a standard 0.687 diameter bore and I get a rollout only occasionally.  It is not enough to warrant any worry for me.  If paint got considerably smaller I might begin to experience problems!

Customization: Without going into too much detail, let's just say that Palmers can build you what you want.  You can change barrel length, accessories, regulator and ram placement, stock modifications, sight rails, mounting options, finish or powdercoating, and even # of barrels like this Over/Under "Nasty" Hurricane -->  The possibilities are really limitless.  I've posted a lot of different Hurricane photos over on the Photos page, including double-barreled, powdercoated, and various stock configurations of all kinds.  Pretty much every Hurricane is different, there's almost no standard Hurc (although you could most likely call it a 12" matte nickel rightfeed Hurc built either on a KP2/KP3 or scratchbuild).  I have another project in-mind, but it'll have to wait until I can sell off some more equipment and make some profit back, or else the wife will not be pleased.  Let's just say that the picture to the right gives one hint, although my final configuration will be decidedly more evil.  [Speculate all you want, I've only showed 3 other people my idea on paper and 2 of those people would be involved with its construction!]

Performance: Oh yeah, this is where the Hurricane rocks.  Although it's considered long and unwieldy by most modern players, the Hurricane can be thought of as "an elegant weapon for a more civilized age (thank you Obi Wan Kenobi...).  You can unleash pure terror against your enemies as you rain accurate long-range fire down on their position.  I've used my Hurricane in everything from wooded forests to air bunkers on speedball fields, nothing is beyond its ability as a paintmarker.  Accuracy is near second-to-none.  The brass barrel on this thing is specially honed using "elliptical-honing" where the center portion of the barrel is slight enlarged (only by a couple thousands of millimeters) to promote smoother trajectory and transition of the paintball from barrel to air.  Palmers has perfected this technique.  I expected the trajectory to be flat, although the balls do tend to drop off with some distance (it's not a Flatline after all, but those are some of the most unreliably-performing barrels in history).  However, with some modest aiming technique, the Hurricane will eliminate anyone you want to.  A nice thing about the Hurricane is that it is semi-automatic.  You don't need to re-shoulder it while pumping or anything, you can maintain a good sight picture for better aiming.  However, to its detriment, the trigger is heavy.  And when I mean heavy, it takes a couple pounds of trigger force to activate it.  This can quickly tire you out if you're used to a mouse-click electro paintslinger!  Most people who try it out short stroke it the first time, usually resulting in a chopped paintball.
     Which brings me to my next point: Cleaning this thing is probably the worst thing about it.  With a non-removable barrel and a wooden stock, a paintball hit or a chopped paintball can spell instant doom.  I've kind of perfected the stock removing method, but it's not fun.  Palmers has added some recent improvements that should make this easier in the future (removable ASA parts, etc.).  When the stock takes a hit you can wipe it down, but it's not recommended to use water.  Generally, you have to re-oil the stock and give it a little scrub with #0000 steel wool to clean it up again.  Then add some buffing in there to shine it up!  All of this effort will help protect the stock and keep it looking great, but it's time consuming and tedious.  One additional 'con' of the Hurricane is the ball detent system.  This is the same system used on other Palmers brass markers and consists of a curved piece of spring wire with a little 6mm BB slid over it.  The little BB rests in a small hole on the side of the breech that doesn't allow a paintball to roll past it unless pushed by the bolt.  It works well, even with a force-fed loader attached, but I've accidentally knocked it off before a game and couldn't find it for 10 minutes (imagine trying to find a little piece of wire and a white BB amongst grass and concrete where there thousands of other BBs lying around from airsoft players who all use the same chrony station!!!).  I bought 3 more of these things as spares due to that very incident, but I would rather have a secured detent.  Also, this has been fixed with an upgrade by Palmers.
     The Hurricane begs to be used, no matter what the field conditions.  I always have a great time with it, and now that I'm used to it, I can implement it fully on the paint-battlefield.

If you're in the market for a really awesome custom marker, and like a realistic look, weight, feel, and performance in your paintball markers, look no further than the Hurricane.  I'll be posting more updates as I modify and use mine over time.  Hope you enjoyed the review!

manufacturer:  Component Concepts, Inc. (CCI)  [ http://www.phantomonline.com ]

basic model:  Phantom

year:  1987 - 2006+

A new review!  This is going to be an exciting one.  If you've never played pump before, or never played with a Phantom, read this review.  You won't be disappointed.  Pump play is very different from today's fast-paced tournament atmosphere that dominates most paintball fields.  Calculated, accurate shots are the name of the game, and you have to employ many more tricks to defeat other players.  The equipment always helps though, and the Phantom is sure to be the marker of choice for pump play.

The Phantom was created by Mike Cassady back in 1987.  In the 1980's, pumps dominated the scene, as the first true semi-automatic markers were only then being developed (most semis were double-action, like an old revolver).  The Phantom is a stock class marker.  Stock class play requires strict control on the markers used.  Stock class is defined as using a single-shot pump gun, with 12 gram CO2 cartridges, requires a horizontal feed, and forbids the use of an autotrigger, quick 12g releases, or check-valves.  The phantom is considered modified-stock-class, since it has an autotrigger, although most stock-class tournaments today don't care about an autotrigger or not...  Most stock tournaments are called "open stock-class," which means you can have an autotrigger, and sometimes even a constant air tank.

If you've never owned a Phantom, you're in for a treat.  If you see someone shooting one at a field, ask to hold it and shoot it.  The first thing you'll notice is how lightweight it is.  The entire gun with paint and air usually doesn't weigh more than 3-4 lbs.  The same can't be said for most markers today (without an air tank, loader, or paint!).  In order to get the Phantom to fire, you first pull back on the pump arm, allowing a ball to chamber, and then push it back forward, to chamber the ball, and seal the bolt along the inside of the barrel.  Second, you aim at your target.  Third, pull the trigger and the paintball is fired.  You'll notice that the marker doesn't move much, due to the lack of moving parts, only the paintball is expelled.  In order to fire again, you repeat this process.  The Phantom has a relatively easy pump stroke, compared to many other pump guns with a Nelson-style valve (the type of valve that the Phantom, Nel-Spot 007, Brass Eagle Nightmare, etc. use).  I'll be reviewing my personal Phantom.  It is a Vertical Stock Class model, serial # 4, with .45 grip frame and Armson Pro-Dot site.  It has a custom 4-color blue/teal/purple/black sponge style anodizing, VERY cool looking in person, the pictures really don't do it justice.  You can see pictures in the "My Paintball Guns" section.

Most new players are impressed by BPS, or balls-per-second, that a marker can fire.  I don't agree with the BPS war, and I admonish that trend in today's paintball community.  If that is your only standard by which to judge a marker, the Phantom might possibly come in 2nd or 3rd to last.  This thing will not win a speed race.  That being said, the area in which it excels is accuracy.  Most Phantom owners will agree that CCI makes one of the best stock barrels available with its marker.  Consistency is another factor in accuracy, and the Phantom does relatively well, although it could be better.  My marker tends to have a range of about + or - 8 fps.  The only major change I've made to help the accuracy and consistency on this marker is the addition of a Dye Boomstick.

Simply put, a Phantom with a 16" Boomstick is unbeatable.  If you're playing P-A-I-N-T (like basktetball's Horse, only at the target range), you will win with any decent shooting skills.  The Boomstick added an entire dimension to my pump game.  Where before the stock barrel had problems with small paint rolling out before shooting, the Boomstick remedied that situation with all but the smallest of paint.  I can now go onto the field confident that I will be able to shoot paint out of the marker instead of air!  To give a tangible example, I'll reference the shooting range tests I do on a regular basis.  When shooting at a small post at a distance of approx. 35-40 feet, I can nail a 3" diameter circle 4 out of 5 times.  While that may not be extremely impressive on paper, wait till you see it in person.  This is akin to the ability to hit a small part of a person's foot or pod pack hanging out of a bunker on your side of the field (considering most speedball fields are about 100 feet long, with shorter ones being 75 feet, and assuming you are standing at the 2nd row of bunkers, you've got a great chance of hitting them).  In the woods, it's nice to get that "one shot, one kill" that most paintball players only dream about.  I'm not a huge fan of the phrase, but after playing with a Phantom, you too will believe it's possible!

Maintenance on the Phantom is so simple it's almost stupid.  There are two main screws which hold the grip frame to the body.  One of them holds the valve onto the back of the marker, and I usually never remove it.  So that leaves one screw, *ONE*, to remove, and the entire body and valve assembly are removed.  The valve assembly consists of three parts, the bolt, the main spring, and the hammer.  These ride on the valve stem (projecting out of and attached to the valve).  The only tricky part of reassembling a Phantom is lining up the hammer sear with the channel it follows on the body.  Other than that, you can push the valve assembly into the body, push the body back onto the valve/grip assembly, and tighten down the main screw again.  During the removal, you should clean the valve assembly and lightly oil it.  Other than that, a few drops of oil in the ASA and you're good to go!

For velocity adjustment, the bolt has a slotted screw on the front face which you move in/out to adjust the amount of air that is released.  This is the only real knock I have against the Phantom.  The velocity on my Phantom limits it to a top speed of about 240-250 FPS (feet-per-second).  I suspect that the FPO (field-paint-only) paint that I use is fairly small, and a larger paint with a tighter fit may boost the velocity, but that doesn't matter, since the paint I play with IS small.  One way to remedy the situation would be another barrel, but I doubt I can find one with a better internal bore than a Dye Boomstick.  The only barrels I would consider for a replacement are a FRantom barrel from White Wolf Airsmithing, or a J & J Edge kit.  Both kits allow bore size changes through Freak inserts (FRantom) or barrel back changes (Edge).  I've heard good things about Lapco barrels as well, but as of now, they only have one kit that has interchangable bore sizes, and I'm unsure if it is available in Phantom threads.
-- UPDATE TO REVIEW:  I finally fixed the velocity problem!  In the rear of the Phantom there are two springs, one for the bolt/hammer assembly and one for the valve stem.  The valve stem spring is internal to the housing, and I had never taken it apart before.  Upon disassembly, I found that the spring inside was far too strong.  I replaced it with a softer Maddman spring and also replaced the bolt spring with a more firm Maddman spring.  The result was perfect.  It now shoots 275-280 fps every shot.  This thing is INCREDIBLY accurate with the 16" Boomstick.  I was pinging a 2" diameter circle target at about 30 ft in strings of 14 out of 15 shots.  This is simply my favorite pump for accuracy.  The MiniMag is a close second for ease of use and fun, but this thing takes the cake for accuracy!

In conclusion, if you're trying to get into pump play, then the Phantom likely has the best combination of looks, feel, and performance for every player.  The price ranges from $160 - $400 for a Phantom: the lower end being the no-frills basic pump, while the higher end includes many accessories and possibly a really intense anodizing job.  Whatever your goals in pump play, the Phantom offers an excellent package at a decent price.  For more info, go to www.phantomonline.com to look at CCI's catalog.  Mike Casady, the owner of CCI, is backordered as of late, since the interest in pump play has risen dramatically in the last 2-3 years.  If you want a custom pump it may take just a little while, but it's WELL worth it.

manufacturer:  Bob Long Adrenaline Sports Team (BLAST)

basic model: Intimidator

year:  2002

The Intimidator was first created by Bob Long a few years ago (~1999) as an addition to his line of outstanding markers.  The Bob Long Autococker was Bob's first marker modification, made around 1995-1996.  The Millennium, a Spyder-like marker with standard ASA parts and a lot of upgrades, was his first venture into marker manufacturing.  The second marker was aimed at the tournament community, titled the Defiant.  This electronic marker was capable of high rates of fire and had many luxury features of the day.  The Intimidator is the fourth marker in Bob's arsenal and is the most impressive piece of equipment of the bunch.

The Intimidator looks, well, intimidating!  There are many models of the Intimidator now (Aug '07), including but not limited to: Classic, Ripper, GZ, 2k2, ECX, Alien Species, TX Storm, Alias, A-Bomb, Russian Legion, Naughty Dogs, 2k5, Empire, etc.  The list goes on!  The Ground Zero, or GZ, Intimidator that I am reviewing features stylish milling with an agressive look, but doesn't overdue it!  This version is ligter than most of the current Intimidators available at 2.25 lbs.  The finish was originally dust grey, but after it showed signs of anno wear I sent the marker to M.A.X. Anodizing to be colored blue, teal, and silver.  The new anodize job highlights the tight cuts and sleek lines of the marker.

On the field is where the Timmy (slang) really shines!  It is recommended that you use a fast motorized hopper, such as the Halo or Evlution II, so that the marker cycles as fast as possible.  The feature that would inhibit your rate of fire is the anti-chop eye, or ACE.  While this system helps you prevent chopping a ball in your breech, it also slows the rate of fire, as the marker will not fire unless a ball is in the breech.  (This is not entirely true for the semi-only board, or SOB.  The marker will fire once or twice a second with no paint in the breech, but this rate is very slow!).

The rate of fire is truly AMAZING.  When you need the extra bps (balls per second) while painting a lane in a tournament, this marker will not let you down.  The stock semi-only board, or SOB, will limit you to about 16.5 bps, while an upgrade to the Wicked Air Sports, or WAS, Equalizer will limit the rate of fire to about 35 bps, which is currently un-achievable by any hopper!  When I first bought this marker, it has the SOB board inside.  I found that I was extremely disappointed with its performance, as it would chop paintballs all the time.  I couldn't figure out what was happening, but I knew that the dip-switch method of adjusting the electronics was for the birds.  I need new electronics, and so I purchased a WAS Equalizer board.  Wow.  I was blown away at the performance difference it made.  Firing was smoother, adjustment was easier, and I haven't chopped a paintball literally in years.  It's so completely reliable that I almost forgot what a barrel swab was! (and then my Hurricane reminded me, as I short-stroked it a number of times...).

The feel of the marker is solid and it is very easy to shoot a lot of paint on the field.  The grip frame is solidly attached, and nothing wobbles on the marker.  There are differences in the grip frames though.  The GZ and some of the Lasoya Intimidators included grip frame that didn't have a sort of 'stabilizing' block for the screws to go through, so there is a good bit of distance betweeen where the screws go into the frame and where they attach to the body.  I have had them loosen on occasion, although this is rare!  Generally, the frame wobbled slighly and I just merely tightened the grip screw again.  It was only a minor annoyance.

Accuracy and consistency are great with the Timmy.  Shot velocity varies only about + or - 5 fps at the chronograph.  The manufacturer suggests that you grease the main springs in the regulators and the ram every 2000 shots or so, but I've found this to be far too often!  I generally grease things up after every 3-4 sessions of playing which can be anywhere from 3000 to almost 10,000 paintballs.  The marker makes accurate shots in tight groupings, especially with an upgraded barrel.  The stock barrel leaves something to be desired but it's usable, and common upgrade choices are the Smart Parts Freak and Dye Ultralight barrels.  I shoot a 12" Freak with an All-American front on this marker and it works well.  However, I recently purchased a Deadlywind Fibur barrel and it's so good that I almost need to learn how to shoot again!  The Freak barrel (although match-anodized to my GZ) will now be spending plenty of time in the gearbag, as the Fibur is the king of CF barrels, and it takes Freak inserts!

Maintenance can be tricky, especially for new users.  I have stripped grip frame screws, broken the anti-chop eye wire, and put a few dings in the frame.  You must be sure to read the instruction and setup manuals before attempting maintenance.  I highly recommend www.pettypb.com for all your Intimidator setup needs.  They have a lot of information and great illustrations.  Also, www.paintballkingdom.com stocks all the parts you'll need for your Timmy.  This includes plenty of upgrade accessories as well as the stock parts.  Just do a search for "Intimidator paintball" and you'll get plenty of websites to choose from on the Internet!

Pros:  High rate of fire, reliability, looks, value, excellent customer service, toughness, and simplicity of operation.  For a high-class, simple marker that won't let you down when you need it, look no further than the Intimidator.

Cons:  Price (often more than $900, used can be had much cheaper ($300-500), stock parts replacement can also be costly, and cost of upgrade parts is relatively high.  The stock ram sucks, you need to to routinely replace the 'bumper' which is on the back of it.  You can get an upgraded ram with a urethane bumper (lasts forever) or you can go for a 'bumperless ram' on the newer Alias and 2k5 models and beyond.  This is a simple fix which should have been taken care of sooner!  Final con that I can think of is the finish.  There are sometimes visible swirl marks from the mill, and these markers usually have a cheap anodize, especially the dust models.  I re-annoed mine and now it's fine, but the stock anno was terrible.

I hope this review was helpful in your research on markers and the newest technology available!

I was linked to this neat website: http://www.specialopspaintball.com/brigade/main.asp from a friend on www.mcarterbrown.com.  I'm going to review this site, and hopefully you'll be inspired to sign up for it!  If you do, please use referral # 15503 (name: Jason Spindler, ID: SpinDoctor15) so that I can score some points.  When you sign people up, you'll get points too!

The purpose of the site is to bring woodsball and scenario players together as well as creating a central forum to log your gear, games, etc.  When you sign up, the first thing you are awarded points for is the number of months playing (e.g. mine was 133 months, since I've played since May 1994).  Next, you enter your gear.  This was the fun part.  They leave a blank for 'brand' and 'product description.'  I had fun entering my guns, barrels, hoppers, tanks, and mask.  Third, you can add to your 'Play Log.'  This looks to be a neat feature where you track your games played, as well as you 'kill count.'

The Play Log goes more in depth than just games and eliminations though.  It keeps track of the field, location, and date of play too.  The neatest feature (I think) of the play log is the 'Primary Field Position' box.  The categories range from Commander, Rifleman, Gunner, Sniper, and even includes Tank Hunter.  When you play more games your individual field position rank goes up (visible at the top area of your home page).  When you accumulate enough points in the different areas, you increase your experience and other members can track your ability.  You could become the functional expert in an area, and other players can hopefully contact you and utilize your skills at a local field.

Which brings me to my next point...  if you want people to contact, you need a database for that info.  Forums are the typical way to connect with people on the Internet.  But the special Ops Brigade does that one step better.  They have an interactive map feature which allows you to click on your state and find scenario games AND players happening in your local area!  This is a breakthrough idea in the world of paintball, and I hope people across the nation utilize this capability.  Think of all the possibilities!

Overall, the Special Ops Brigade seems like it is off to a successful start.  Try it out for yourself to see if you like it.  The site is a novel way to track your paintball adventures, network with potential team members, and find games in your area.  Good luck!

This section of my website is dedicated to dispelling the myths we hear about in the paintball world.  They are by no means perfect answers, but you'll have to trust my judgement and experience in the sport on the information provided.  Those who seek truth and wisdom, read on!!!

Myth #1:  "Wow that guy's got a huge sniper barrel, I bet he can hit us from all the way across the field!"

Response:  A long barrel means absolutely nothing for distance.  Period.  There are some barrels nowadays, such as the Tippman Flatline, that claim longer distances.  While technology certainly puts a spin on things, the Flatline only works well about half the time or less.  To be quite frank, all "normal" barrels will shoot the same distance provided the exit velocity of the ball is the same from two barrels of differing lengths.  Newer barrels and some low-pressure markers claim they flatten the trajectory of the ball, but it is still an extremely debateable topic.  Just remember that with simple ballistic trajectory calculations from physics, all things fall at the same rate.  With equal vertical acceleration (downward) and equal horizontal velocity and deceleration, the paintballs will go the same distance no matter how long the barrel!  The effective length of any barrel is between 4-6" (which is why the Freak kit, Boomstick, Empire kit, Evil Pipe kit, etc all have 6" stainless steel sections, inserts, or control bores [the tips of all of these barrels are larger bore or "step bore" as the companies call it, and length of the barrel doesn't really matter at that point]).  I wish I had a diagram to explain, but you'll have to trust me...

Myth #2:  "Woah, that things looks like a full-auto, I bet he shoots faster.  I don't wanna get hurt, I'm on his team!"

Response:  While it is possible to get shwacked multiple times from a fast-firing marker, the reality of things is that everyone should shoot the same speed.  As long as the refs check everyone's velocity during the game start and they all meet the safety regulations, then no one's marker should shoot higher than the velocity limits that have been established (normally less than 300 fps).

Myth #3:  "Girls can't play paintball, this is a man's game."

Response:  All I will say is:  Don't downplay ladies in this sport, they may just hand you your ass someday.

Myth #4:  "What's that?  A pump gun?  I wouldn't go out there with that thing, they got semi-autos!"

Response:  Yes it is a pump gun, and yes I am going out 'there' despite any warnings.  A pump marker is one which you have to pump before each shot, like a shotgun.  It is actually a real challenge to play pump nowadays since cheap little semi-auto markers are readily available for a quick 50 bucks.  With pump markers, you learn to take care and aim your shots, making them "more accurate" (in general) than the paintball you're used to with cheap semi-autos.  You also learn a lot about stealth and movement.  A Phantom is an excellent choice for a pump marker and you can get a base model for around $160 (www.phantomonline.com) [my personal Phantom cost me $372 on Ebay].  They are light, dependable and VERY accurate.  Try it out, you just may have a good time!

Myth #5:  "Rental guns suck."

Response:  This is not a myth, rental guns do actually suck.  While it may seem cheaper to rent guns instead of buying your own equipment, you are just prolonging the inevitable.  You probably WON'T eliminate anyone, save only someone standing 20 feet in front of you, you WILL waste a crapload of paint, and you WILL spend more money in the long run by renting all the time.  Now, that said, a rental is a great way to see if you enjoy the sport.  Don't be turned off by rental guns.  Try it once, then come to your senses and drop the cash for the sport you knew you loved in the first place.

Myth #6:  "Wal-Mart has the cheapest stuff, I'm going there."

Response:  I don't prefer Brass Eagle paintball products, and Wal-Mart sells Brass Eagle.  The remainder of this equation only spells disaster.  Don't go there.  However, not all is as it seems.  During the Las Vegas "bambi hunter" paintball scandal, Brass Eagle (the largest paintball company in America) defended the sport quite well, and was one of the only ones to do so.  While I may not like them, they help the sport, and for that they are to be commended.

Myth #7:  "Paintball is for people who like war and guns, those people scare me!"

Response:  People that say this should go and try it before they knock it.  Paintball is far from a war sport.  While it does use equipment which projects something through the air, like a gun, it is by no means a weapon of death!  Paintball is a sport like any other, it thrives on competition and it draws people who want to have fun.  You see more friendships and teamwork on the paintball field than you will elsewhere.

Myth #8:  "Paintball is only for losers who can't afford real guns."

Response:  One of three reasons we own paintball markers.  1:  We don't want real guns.  It's not like you can play paintball with them!  2:  We enjoy paintball a lot and can target shoot with real guns any other time.  3:  We already own them.  Many times it's an easy transition in shooting sports.

Myth #9:  "Paintball is better than sex..."

Response:  Here is an excerpt from my friend Jay (shown in photo section):

Top 10 Reasons Why Paintball is Better Than Sex

1.        You don’t have to compliment your paintball gun or buy it jewelry before it will let you play with it

2.        When you hit someone up, you don’t have to worry about them getting pregnant

3.        Barrel condoms are reusable

4.        It’s common for someone to take a shot in the face

5.        You can play with your balls in public

6.        The average player’s barrel is 10 to 12 inches long

7.        Role-playing doesn’t make you a freak

8.        The faster you can shoot off your load the better

9.        It’s OK if you end up with stained clothes

10.   If you don’t like the way your old gun is performing, you can just go out and buy a new one

So there you have it, paintball is better than sex...

Myth #10:  "Paintball is a barbaric war game and nothing more.  It must be SO unsafe"

Response:  I dislike it when people make uninformed statements like this one.  They think it is unsafe due to the 'markers' we use.  They think that football and soccer are better choices for sports.  I challenge you to read this:  http://mpaintball.com/injury.php or http://www.paint-ball.org/paintball/safety_report.htm.  They will explain a LOT about the sport, since it is the safest out of the popular ones listed.

That's all for now.  If you've heard a good comment or myth that needs to be dispelled, please email the webmaster and it will be added!

SpinDoctor1515@hotmail.com