Who here plays? I have been out of the scene for a few year but used to play a ton. My last few markers were WGP autococker, Angel 05 speed and an Angel Force Fly (http://www.pbreview.com/products/reviews/2973/) As I have noticed in my brief 30 min search today about paint-ball it seems a TON has changed over the last few years regarding who is top manufacturers and ect. Looking to possibly getting back into it. Normally played SpeedBall but don't mind playing woods either.
I haven't played in a long time, like you I played a lot and in lots of tournaments. I stopped when FSL closed down. Expensive hobby.
I remember fsl. That place was pretty cool but I never did like playin inside as much as outside. Had some good times playing in annondale and a few times we hit up the ulands in rosemount for a while till the cops would come kick us out. Also played in the bloomington ferry area. Nothing like hauling all your gear plus 2 scuba tanks 2miles into the woods!
outdoor paintball in MN sucks. The humidity in the summer sucks, you can't see anything through goggles. The FSL set up was great, play year round in a temperature controlled full size field. I do miss it, but it's way too expensive if you want to play at a high level.
Sounds funs!! Outdoor paintball does suck in Mn. Been shot a few times because of foggy goggles. We might get a group going in Oct to www.splattag.com hopefully no foggy goggles then.
I played many a time outdoors and I don't remember any issues with fogging. Are you guys only using single pane lenses ? I always used thermal lenses, and had no problems. I also had that JT fan on my goggles for a while. That was bloody useless. It was just a noise maker as far as I could tell.
Played woods, speed, and urban. Was sponsered by Northside sports for awhile. The sport is too expensive to be a hobby. Had to leave while I could. Owned everything from an Ego, DM, Mini, Shocker, and my most reliable marker, tippman 98 custom. It never fails.
I only ever bought one marker and it's still going strong; an Automag RT. Had it about 13 years now. It has a Dye barrel these days, but pretty much still looks the same as this picture from when I first bought it.
I play for Air Assault Factory in the PSP and Vicious Series. In the winter Air Assault in Maple Plain is pretty much the only place to go these days. In the summer I play at Action Packed Paintball Games in Jordan. They have a speedball field, a plywood "town" field, and several woods courses.
I used to play, got expensive and lost its interest for me. Honestly, the markers from 2004 and on are all still competitive now, the newer stuff is just lighter for the most part with a few more bells and whistles. Ben (above me) does reviews on all sorts of crap, and I used to work for MacDev out of Australia, if you've got questions I'm sure either of us could answer them.
Well I ended up buying a marker yesterday. Got a PM8 with a Dye Rotor hopper for 250. Doesn't seem like a bad purchase on my part. Also have a friend offering me: System X - NME (never used. He tried to use but wouldn't shoot. He sent it in and got it all done up and they say it should shoot now but hes never tried) Evil Minion (also never used) Sly Barrel Kit Halo Hopper with Upgraded electronics. Crossfire HPA - 68/4500 Dye pod pack with a bunch of lock lid pods. New mask Dye Paintball Bag with wheels and 3 sections for guns. All for $500. Seems decent to me. What do you think?
the NME's range from 80-200 depending on colors and upgrades, really. the minions are about the same... the sly kit is nice, the tank is nice if its in hydro and the reg isn't wonky (I had 3 blow out in a season from Crossfire) and the mask is an unknown so its value is hard to judge, personally, I wouldn't bite just because if you look on PBNation you can score some awesome stuff extremely cheap... but this would save you time and multiple shipping hassles.
What tanks would you reccomend? I've always had crosfire and zero problems but I a hearing more and more about their regulatos going out.
if I were buying a new tank, I'd personally go Ninja because their customer service is fantastic. I got dicked around for 4 months by crossfire on a tank reg that was only 4 months old and ended up getting nothing from them, so I took the bottle and put one of my MacDev tank regs on it instead. Ninja is at all the events, they reply to emails, and respond quickly with things... they'd get my vote now a days.
Ninja has excellent service. I have been working with them for quite a while now and they are very good. The other major positive in my mind is that their reg's are rebuildable, unlike Crossfire's which are nearly impossible to get apart if something goes wrong. I agree with Chris that I would pass on that deal. You don't need the guns, they aren't worth much, and they will be a hard sell.
this is true, and they're actually willing to sell replacement parts for tech work on their regs, yet another thing Crossfire refused to do at all
For sure. One on craigs right now. Maybe i can pick that one up cheap and in person. You should get back into pball so we can organize some mnsubaru games!
might sell off all my gear.. havent used it in 3yrs.. all tippman stuff.. 1 A5 and 3 98's (1 Custom I believe), Ghillie suits etc... hmmmmmm they just arent worth anything anymore though...
I like playing from time to time when I can. I started by going to Air Assault with a friend of mine last winter, and plan to do so again once summer gets less busy. He plays every weekend and is obviously much better than my novice skills.
Used to play with Chris and Ben in the College paintball league but now I just do scenario games. 600 people in the woods blasting away at each other is fun as hell. Splat tag in Hudson WI does a big game on the last Sunday of every month.
Those 600 people games are to much for me. I dont mind some of the 40v40 sometimes or w.e. but I really prefer 10v10 or less. We have a private game scheduled this Sunday the 25th at adventure zone from like 12-4 if anyone wants to join in. Most people rent and its $35 for all gear +500 rounds, but your more than welcome to bring your own equipment.
Awesome, the first place I ever saw a Bomber Geo was one of your pictures. Hadn't realized you were in MN.
I'm thinking of getting back into playing. No team stuff or anything, I'm too old and fat for that lol. Woods and open play I think, is there a good indoor place similar to what FSL was? I need to find a cheap gun. I wish I could find my old Trauma Matrix, best gun I ever owned. heavy, but consistent and accurate like nothing else i shot. I regret selling it.
Air Assault is pretty much your only option for indoors. Luckily it's a pretty nice facility. I am selling a couple of Planet Eclipse Etha's. If you're interested in a budget high quality gun they're a great option.
I miss FSL, I used to spend a lot of time out there. Depending on what you're looking to spend, there are a TON of options these days. If you would've mentioned a Trauma Trix a month ago I would've got you in touch with my buddy out in Boston, he JUST sold his.
How much does it cost to play up there? I've never shot those guns, I really just have to go and start shooting some of the new stuff. I owned Impulses, cockers, automags and shockers.The matrix was by far my favorite. I don't want to spend much at all to be honest, at least not until I know how much I will actually get to play. I've been looking on pbnation, I found some nice guns for pretty cheap. It's crazy how some of those sold for $1500 and you can now pick them up for like $300. Also it's pretty sad to see Smart Parts is no longer around.
I wasn't sad at all when the Gardner brothers closed up shop, they were crooks. With that said, I still have my OG Impulse, love that brick. You can realistically buy anything from 05/6 up to current and they're all basically be up to date and speed... people waste all sorts of money getting the latest milling, ano, ect... mostly they just weight a few grams different, have a little bit different board, or they changed something dumb like a bolt. Paintball has always been like this, and always will be, its marking at its finest within a niche market. Air Assault isn't cheap, at all, and you've gotta be there on a day when the douchebags aren't out in full-force, otherwise its not worth going anyway (IMO). Its summer time, you all should be out enjoying the various outdoor fields across the state, not to mention they're typically a little cheaper to play at.
I just liked the guns smartparts made along with the freak system. In terms of guns, yeah I figure there isn't much difference. You're right, paintball has always been about trends and gimmicks before function or price. What loaders should I be looking for? Halos where the big thing when I stopped playing, it worked pretty well, but damn it sucked when a ball broke in there lol. I hated the Evo egg.
I keep thinking about getting back into it.. I used to play for diehard, fsl factory, e-crew, midwest connection, signature, and several other rediculous named teams.. My buddy just picked up a dynasty shocker to temp me to get back into it.. I do miss my old a-bomb....
While Dean has an "event coordinator" title, these types of events are perfect for the mini meet section where members can organize small get togethers and use the site to promote it among the group. Doesn't mean Dean can't do it but it'd be another good chance for others to step up and let the man rest.
There are a handful of markers/designs that made large leaps in various directions...but others have kept in a stagnent pool of technology and change (IMO) and haven't justified the price hikes over the years. For instance, those PE Ethas are almost identical in function, to a ICD Freestyle, only difference being that they actually pay attention to machining quality, thus the gun works, and works well. Atleast back in the day there were various forms of customization, numerous different milling patterns, aftermarket whatever you could dream of, ect... Its changed quite a bit over the years. I hated the Eggy, passionately. I have always used a Halo B, granted I put a magno-drive system in mine from Empire, but I've never had a single issue with it (besides a team mate frying my board at MAO). I am not sold on Rotors, I have had issues with them, and when I was teching for MacDev we saw them completely eating paint alive...but most people love and swear by them, or the Prophecy (which is the new, latest, greatest Halo design). Realistically, Halo's are cheap, a bit heavy, but you don't need anything more than them. If you're becoming less motivated to shoot a case of paint per game, you could get away with a Revvy and a single extra pod. Velocities are good loaders too, but can have feedneck breaks, similar to what Eggs had since they use the same, super hard and brittle plastic. It really comes down to if you wanted something older, with character and fun... or something that's part of the newest, latest and greatest generation from the past few years. Eitherway, you can snag something for 150-400 all day long that'll provide you all you'll need in a marker, hoppers and tanks can be had cheap as well. If any of you are actively in the market, let me know, my military buddies and I are all clearing out the majority of our gear since we're all doing different things in life now.
