Here is closer look at a short barrel South Bay Arms (Stan Russell and Earon Carter) Marauder, also known as a “Tidy Bowl pistol.” This pistol came from Ted “Two Guns” Hines, who played on the Hawaii based teams Rough Riders and Ronin.
South Bay Arms’ direct feed Sheridan conversion was built off a Sheridan pellet pistol or paint gun (PG) lower tube and first debuted at the August 1986 War Zone big game. After this point Stan and Earon, who were already machining pump handles and other paint gun parts for Tim McMurray at Mac-1, started selling them to Tim as the Mac 1 Annihilator.
Tim purchased South Bay Arms paint guns until early 1988 when he moved to a different machinist. Around this same time Earon and Stan parted ways but remained close and Earon started producing more Nelspot based pumps.
Stan continued the Sheridan based Marauder line and worked with various paintball designers over the years, brining their ideas to life.
I would guess this pistol dates to about 1987. Earon and Stan have both explained to me that the Tidy Bowl was just a fun short barrel Marauder pistol they would offer. They named this pistol style the Tidy Bowl, after the toilet bowl cleaner, because it was used to cleanup a mess.
Talking with Ted Hines, he remembers receiving this pistol from his good friend Stuart Fishel, a teammate on Ronin Hawaii.
Ted thinks that Stuart likely purchased this Tidy Bowl on a trip to California in 1991, possibly off a Kamikaze Shooter player or at Earon Carter’s shop.
The feed hold cut in the side of the body is typical cut I’ve seen on several Kamikaze Shooters Marauders. The front of the barrel has a hole where a front sight likely was soldered on at one time.
The finish on this pistol is brass and you can see the steel feed neck that Stan and Earon would braze on.
The 12 gram knob also has one of the flared / stamped hardware screws welded onto it, that was also used on the tank holder stocks to keep the 10oz or 7oz tank in place. This could have also been a weld that Stan Russell did.
This pistol is built off an E or EB series Sheridan pellet pistol.
This pistol also has one of Derek Obatake’s thumb stops, which you can rest your thump on and keep the bolt and pump from moving around while running.
I need to place some wood grips on this and at some point re attach a front sight.
A great example of what a top of the line paintgun looked like in c.1988, a modified direct feed Nelspot. The former owner explained that the “…Older guys with some money were just getting into constant air,” and that it wasn’t really mainstream yet.
Centre Daily Times, Sunday November 1985 covering the Survival Game, Ed Davis and the Highly Irregulars.Page two of the Centre Daily Times, Sunday November 1985 covering the Survival Game, Ed Davis and the Highly Irregulars.
The owner sent scans of this article from the local paper. “This is one of those games that you play with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek.” – Ed Davis, Survival Game Owner
This Nelspot came from a player on the Highly Irregulars, out of Pennsylvania.Nelspot with loader removed.Nelpot with 12 gram and Short Change loaded.
This completely upgraded Nelspot came off ebay several months back. The seller played on the team, the Highly Irregulars, based out of State College, Pennsylvania, with many players attending the local college. Their local field was the Huntingdon County National Survival Games Franchise owned and operated by Ed Davis. Davis may have been a captain on the Highly Irregulars as well.
June 1987 State College Magazine from the owner of this Nelspot
This Nelspot is pretty much what the top of the line (12 gram powered) markers looked like during 1987, but without the upgrade of a seamless unibody kit.
Brass feedneck on the steel body.
The top tube has been removed and a feedneck, likely from AGS (Bud Orr made brass feednecks for AGS and used the similar style on the WGP Commando slightly later) has been soldered or braided on.
Cut up black pump handle.Top of barrel.
The stock barrel sleeve is removed and a barrel extension is added.
The typical black ribbed plastic pump handle has been added, with some scratching in the ribbing to help with the grip!
Nelpot with 12 gram and Short Change loaded.Nelspot with 12 gram loaded in short change.Nelspot with 12 gram removed from short change.
The modification that caught my eye most of all was the Short Change lever changer added to the base of the grip. Designed by Jim Anderson of the Wild Geese of NH and later the Master Blasters, the Short Changers helped the Wild Geese win the NSG championships in 1987.
Name cut into the inner frame.
In the inside of the frame you can see “Toby” cut into it? Maybe the original owner?
Camo wrapped up Ammo Box 1.Camo wrapped up Ammo Box 1.PMI Ammo Box cap.
And of course you have to have a camouflage cloth cover on your Ammo Box 1 with a PMI Butler Creek Scope cover on top.
And of course you have to cover your Ammo Box with a camouflage cloth and add a PMI Butler Creek Scope cover feed gate for the quick reload. What a great setup. This is something Andre would use with his Woodstock mask over his JT Spectras.
In the early 1980s the National Survival Game was enjoying explosive growth and by 1983 paintball was gaining traction outside the US. But NSG wasn’t the best choice for some field operators getting into the game and around this time several franchises and manufacturers were working on providing alternate routes.
Sometime in roughly 1983 PMI was beginning to sell their PG pistols along with paint that was smuggled into the US with help from Aldo Perrone of War Games Supply. During the same period Joe Survival, out London, Ontario, Canada opened their field and began marketing their franchise, which used .50 cal Crosman revolvers they converted for paintballs.
AGA (Adventure Game American and Canada) began offering franchise options as well in roughly 1984. They may have been out of Scarborough Canada(?).
Joe Survival patch scan. C. mid 1980s.
Around this time, a young and enthusiastic entrepreneur named Joe Kimpson (19 at the time) began looking into opening a field in Ontario. Joe’s field eventually became Flag Raiders Paintball. He applied to both NSG and Adventure Game and both turned down his request for a franchise so he then contacted Crosman who put him in touch with the Joe Survival franchise.
A photo from Joe Kimpson at Flag Raiders Paintball, of the cover from Air Gun Game Supplies MK1 Manual.
After the Joe Survival franchise could not deliver, they had Joe contact another company, Air Gun Games Supplies, a division of Simutech. Air Gun Game Supplies had just started manufacturing their marker, the Mark 1 Machine Pistol.
Kimpson remembers he first received his Uzi’s in 1983-1984. He writes, “Crosman put us in touch with a fellow in Scarborough that was converting revolvers to shoot .50cal balls, he could not deliver, he put us in touch with the air gun guys in Ottawa. All this happened after the Survival Game and Adventure Game said no to franchises… Flag Raiders Was born”
Top view showing the internal hopper on the early Air Gun Game Supplies Mark 1 paintball pistol.
The Mark 1, or UZI as it later became known, featured Nelson based internals and a plastic shell. A feed compartment on top acted as a bulk loader, allowing the player to dump maybe 25-30(?) rds of paintballs in.
Through John Amodea’s research for Paintball Media’s “The Complete History of Paintball”, he brought to my attention that Paul Fogal, of Skirmish USA, initially discovered Air Gun Games Supplies during a white water rafting trip (likely in Ottawa Canada). He then went on to purchase early markers and received the first two in late 1983.
Right side of early Air Gun Game Supplies Mark 1 paintball pistol. Commonly referred to as the “UZI.”
With the Air Gun Game Supplies MK 1 “Uzi” predating the Splatmaster (late 1984), it holds the title of first cast shell on a paintgun, 1st mass produced Nelson clone and 1st marker to feature a bulk loading chamber.
It’s been tough to build a timeline on the UZI but with clues from Joe Kimpson and John Amodea we can place the Air Gun Game Supplies MK1 in the range of 1983-84.
Dates for Air Gun Game Supplies and Simutech.
The Canada Federal Corporation Information page shows Air Gun Game Supplies Inc ran from 11/1983 until 6/84 and then changed to Simutech.
David Luxton of and S Caron listed as directors.
Update as of 2023-1-23: In recent conversations with Jeff Perlmutter, President and Co-Founder of Pursuit Marketing, Inc., he mentioned that David Luxton was the name of the creator of the Mark 1 “Uzi”. Looking at the Canadian Corporation Search we can Luxton listed as a director. Luxton would go on to create the Simunition training platform for Law Enforcement.
The legal brief states that in 11/1983, “…Defendants Douglas W. Fogal and Paul Fogal met with R. Gerard Jaggard, NSG’s vice-president of marketing and sales, seeking to become a dealer of the Survival Game in the New York/Philadelphia area.”
Plastic pump handle on the early Air Gun Game Supplies Mark 1 paintball pistol.
It continues that they met again in 12/83 “with NSG and its local dealers, after which the Fogals stopped inquiring about the Survival Game and ceased any efforts to negotiate a dealership.”
And that Skirmish opened in 6/84, showing that the Fogal’s decided against the NSG package and prefered to use the Air Gun Game Supplies MK1 by 6/84. According to John Amodea, The Fogal’s invested in Air Gun Game Supplies to help bring the MK1 marker to the market so a likely market date of mid 1984 makes sense with this timeline.
Safety disengaged on the Air Gun Game Supplies Mark 1 paintball pistol.
The legal brief details, “Plaintiff [NSG] also alleges that in June 1984 the Fogals began operating Skirmish”
Later Simutech sold their design to Aldo Perrone of Brass Eagle (War Games Air Gun at the time). After purchased the design they were rebranded for Darkside and were manufactured for the next several years with various models featuring updating changes.
12 gram co2 knob on the back of the Air Gun Game Supplies Mark 1 paintball pistol.
The Uzi has gained notoriety as an instrumental early step in not only paintball markers, but paintball history. This design along with the PMI PG and others that followed, helped early field owners have another choice from the NSG franchise and helped bolster competition during these early days of the survival game.
Serial 01 and 02 Tippmann SMG 60sReverse side of Serial 01 and 02 Tippmann SMG 60s
Recently two Tippmann SMG-60s appeared on eBay, with the seller making an unbelievable claim that the serial numbers were a consecutive #01 & #02. Looking at photos these two SMGs featured serials stamped on the right side, above the Tippmann patent pending info and not under the body!
Stamped serial 02 on Joseph McClain’s Tippmann SMG 60.Stamped serial 01 on Joseph McClain’s Tippmann SMG 60.
Early SMGs used an external hard line to transfer air between the asa and the valve. On the later models (likely c.1988) Tippmann revised the airline to run inside the receiver.
Standard Production Details on Tippmann SMG-60s
Every early external line production model Tippmann SMG-60 I had seen, with the exception of David Freeman’s example, featured the serial stamped on the under side of the body. Freeman, president of Tippmann Pneumatics in 1986-1987, kept the first produced external line production model, and this example, from what I’d seen in photos, lacked a serial number.
Left side view showing the external air line.Right side view of the receiver.
Looking at the two markers from ebay, my first thought was, these were stamped post factory, but after asking the seller, who was the original owner, he clarified with a photo of the original invoice, which read that the markers were in fact “serial no’d.”
No serial stamp on the underside of serial 01 Tippmann SMG 60.No serial stamp on the underside of serial 02 Tippmann SMG 60.
Joseph’s Invoice from Tippmann Pneumatics, Inc.
On the invoice, the original owner, Joeseph McClain, purchased a dealer package of 5 guns. When I purchased these markers from McClain, he was nice enough to find and send me the original deposited and dated checks along with the SMGs to prove authenticity. The first check dated 2/87 & was cashed in 4/87. The second & third checks were dated to 5/87 and 6/87.
It’s important to realize that the SMG-60 was likely released by Tippmann in March of 87 at the earliest. Most original tanks with these markers date to March of 1987.
Talking to Joseph and hearing more about his history further confirmed his connection with Dennis Tippmann Sr, and backed up his story that he had claimed and purchased these markers well before they became available to the public.
Joseph had known Dennis Tippmann Sr, and his brother, prior to Dennis’ involvement in paintball. Joseph had been going to gun shows since he was 16 (he was 66 when we spoke), and met Dennis at various gun shoes around Indiana. Joseph also owned 3 of Tippmann’s miniature machine guns and worked on Gatling guns himself. Since he lived only 50 miles away from Fort Wayne, he would often visit Dennis’ shop.
Joseph McClain’s invoice from Tippmann for his 5 SMG 60s. Notice the line, “Serial No’d”Checks from Joseph McClain showing dates paid to Tippmann, Tippmann Arms and Tippmann Pneumatics.
Around 1987, Dennis told Joseph he was going to be making paintball guns and Joseph asked to purchase the first two. McClain stated, “I had just bought the Tippmann 22s, the machine guns. [I purchased] a set of three [from Dennis]. I think sometime during the period he was building those [firearms] he developed [his] paintball [gun] and i said “I want the first two.””
Dennis’ said he wanted to sell them to dealers so Joseph signed up to purchase 5 total. When Dennis had them ready, Joseph visited his shop to pick them up.
Dennis said they were in pretty high demand so Joseph didn’t need to purchase all five, resulting in the purchase only being for three of the 5 SMG-60s. Joseph kept the first two and sold the third to a friend. He never played paintball with these SMG-60s, just shot some paint through them. Joseph says, “I put in an order for 5 …a friend of mine took the third.”
Original package included the SMG, the magazine, 5rd clips, a 7oz tank and early models included the powdercoated cast aluminum butt plate.
When asked if he ever played paintball with these SMG-60s, Joseph remarked, “I just shot them around. I never played paintball.”
I also asked if Joseph had ever seen Dennis’ prototype for the SMG-60, which featured a drum magazine and he replied that “[Dennis] talked about the drum magazine prototype, but no, [he] did not see it.”
External Line Serial Numbers on Tippmann SMG-60s
I’ve been tracking serials on external line Tippmann SMG-60s for a while, and have found various low single digit serials over the years. Prior to last month, all early external line product SMG-60s I had seen (besides David’s model)were stamped with serials under the trigger guard. These serials numbers had prefixes starting with U, DC, DT, HR, R, SR & HT.
I had heard that these prefixes were for assembler initials, where the following initials were the names: DT=Dennis Tippmann HT=was another Tippmann employee (maybe Huy Troung?)) DC= Don Castle An exception is like SR, which seems to stand for “Sniper Rifle” since I’ve only seen it on the long barrel models.
Edit: I talked to Dennis Tippmann JR in March of 2021 and he confirmed these letters were the assembler’s initials.
Tippmann SMG 60s serial HT 6 and HT 7.Dale Price’s DC04 stamped early Tippmann SMG 60. Photos courtesy of Dale “Sugarstump” Price of the Paraplegic Turtles.Stamped Serial number HT7.
I’ve seen single, double and triple digit serials on various early external line model SMGs and even a few numbers repeating through different prefixes ( DC 04 and a U4). Not a super clear order, but the HT stamped serials seems to run the highest and pop up the most often. Possibly HT assembled more SMGs than other employees.
Dennis Tippmann’s Patent
Dennis Tippmann’s Smg patent was filed 12-22-86. David Freeman, Vice President of PMI and initially president of Tippmann Pneumatics Inc., remembers driving with his partner, co-founder and President in PMI, Jeff Perlmutter & meeting Dennis Tippmann halfway between Chicago and Ft. Wayne, IN. During this trip they shot Dennis’ drum fed prototype (illustrated on the patent) in a back alley and thought it was amazing.
Pre production SMG 60 model, back peep sight view.Pre production SMG 60 model, side plate.Pre production SMG 60 model, left side view.
Differences between Prototype, Pre Production and Production (External Line) Tippmann SMG-60s
Between the design prototype (drum magazine), the pre production models (peep sight on back cap and side plate) and the production external line SMGs, the design saw a significant change:
Design Prototype: Drum Magazine and many other different details. Matches patent drawing. One model has surfaced.
The Pre Production model: No serials, right side plate above trigger group, no serial numbers, powder coated and welded magazine end. Three examples have surfaced. Also featured in the premiere issue of APG. Featured in ad designs and the original Tippmann SMG-60 manual dated 3/1987.
David Freeman’s first production model: No serial number, possibly powdercoated finish, no burst disk on tank.
Pictured SMG-60 models from Joesph McClain with side stamped serials: Anodized cast aluminum, side stamped serials 01 and 02. Apparently serials 03, 04 and 05 exist. Magazines have caps. One of several tanks has no burst disk. Other tank valves styles vary (each is a little different).
Standard external line production SMG-60: Anodized sand cast aluminum, have serials stamped on the bottom of the trigger guard, magazines have end caps.
Original Tippmann 7oz tank with powdercoated cast aluminum butt plate.Tippmann 7oz tank with powdercoated cast aluminum butt plate and original yellow painted lettering.Detail showing powdercoat on butt plate.
Another details is that some of these low serials (usually single digits) came with cast butt plates and most of these early tanks have dates between 3/87 and 8/87.
I would guess the first few SMG-60s were not serialized, David Freeman’s example isn’t, and David was told his model was the first production model. There may be a few more that aren’t. Pre production models also aren’t but the cast on those are different.
Joseph McClain’s SMGs were likely serialized for him specifically, prior to Dennis’ standardizing serialization on SMGs (on the bottom of the breech). Joseph McClain had a great story and I was lucky to get these paintguns from him.
Date on 7oz tank.Valve on 7oz tank. No burst disk.Top view of Valve on 7oz tank. No burst disk.
Joseph also included the original tanks which include a variety of pin valves. One tank, pictured above, dated 1-87 and lacks a burst disk.
David Freeman also confirmed his unserialized production gun’s tank lacks a burst disk.
A custom Sheridan Rail Gun built by Dennis Martinez for Dennis Igarashi
In September of 2019 I met with Dennis Igarashi, captain of Dennis’ Menaces and received this absolutely perfect condition PMI 1 converted to a direct feed rail gun by Southern California Airsmith Dennis Martinez.
This custom Dennis Martinez pistol was one of Igarashi’s last piece of paintball equipment and looks relatively unused. I would guess Dennis Martinez made very few rail guns in this style and even fewer with his custom 12 gram lever changer. This was built on a PMI 1 and Martinez removed the top tube and replaced it with a custom brass rail and feedneck.
Right side view of Dennis Igarashi’s custom sheridan, built by Dennis Martinez.
This custom Sheridan likely dates to about 1987/88. I need to finish the article on Martinez’ history with Dennis’ Menaces, ‘Who are those Guys and that Gal mercenary service”, Working for Steve Gunner Tetz, inspiring Earon Carter with the Comp gun design, working at Quest in Malibu and working with Bud Orr at Sat Cong Village.
A close of up Dennis’ Martinez’ Dog Bone 12 gram lever changer.
Martinez is a little known airsmith whose modifications definitely saw wide spread use even after he wasn’t as involved with paintball.
Giant thanks for Dennis Igarashi for meeting with me and for this amazing example of Dennis Martinez’ work which will be part of the paintball display for years to come.
SwiftLine patch, photo courtesy Mark ‘Slim’ Hatfield.
“… LAPCO, Air America, and Swiftline do all [the Ironmen’s] work. I would say with confidence however that Skip Swift at SwiftLine does the best Bud Orr modification on the planet and that is probably why he is the only authorized Worr Games East.” Posted by Alexander “Zander” Rose of the Ironmen, originally posted in an online newsgroup around 1992-1993. Archived on Warpig in a write up by Jim Burke / Martin Heffron.
Left side of Tom Ghee’s Autococker with Picarelli sticker and modifications by SwiftLine. Photo courtesy / from the collection of Vito Doria.
Early Autococker History
During 1991-1992 the operation of the Autococker was uncharted territory. Many airsmiths couldn’t provide support for the platform quick enough for teams to adopt and trust the reliability. Those knowledgable in tuning and building Sniper 1 and 2s were some of the earliest to excel with the Autococking Sniper. These airsmiths were able to adapt their knowledge of the platform and get the ball rolling on custom modification and early aftermarket accessories.
Nickel SwiftLine Sniper 2, left side view. From the collection of/photo courtesy Vito Doria.
The Earliest Autococker Innovators – West & East Coast
While (accidentally!) forgetting a good number of shops, the earliest wave of west coast Autococker adopters included Foxhunters, Pacific Paintball and Carter Machine, with Palmer’s, Delta Archery and Desert Fox joining in soon after (probably 1992-1993) with the intro of the Rock LRP from Palmers. In the midwest and the east coast, two early innovators included Russell Breeden / RKB Engineering and Skip Swift of SwiftLine. And quick to follow were Bad Boyz Toyz and Boston Paintball after the Rock made the platform easier to navigate.
SwiftLine stamp on the side of Vito Doria’s Sniper 2. From the collection of/photo courtesy Vito Doria.
Years of research have revealed details on many of these shops and their earliest modifications, but info on SwiftLine has probably been the most difficult to unearth. While Skip Swift’s name and SwiftLine branding have popped up repeatedly over the years, the actual details haven’t amounted to much.
Thunderstorm patch, photo courtesy Vito Doria.
Skip Swift’s Local Work in Connecticut
Recently, a post on the Facebook Old School Paintball Gun Group led to some interesting new information, not only about Swift’s brand and designs, but also the team he played with, Thunderstorm.
Right side of Tom Ghee’s Autococker with Picarelli sticker. Photo courtesy / from the collection of Vito Doria.
In the recent posts, Vito Doria, a team member of Thunderstorm, added photos of a custom Autococker that used a top down detent style and featured “Picarelli” stickers on the sides. I asked for more details, and Vito explained that the pictured Autococker originally came from Thunderstorm player and Tippmann Rep, Tom Ghee.
SwiftLine top down drilled detent on the Tom Ghee’s Autococker. Photo courtesy / from the collection of Vito Doria.
Doria writes, “If I had to guess, Skip Swift probably did the detent. Picarelli turned into Pico enterprises [by] Jim Vaillencourt. [Vaillencourt] made a lot of parts back in the day. Slide drops, star fire bolts, thread savers, Asa’s and much more than I can remember. Tom, Jim and I were in a local team called Thor Omega. As for the barrel I think that may have been a Pico as well.”
Vito went on, explaining that he is out of Connecticut and after Thor Omega played with Skip on Thunderstorm. “We all started out together at Strategy Plus in East Hampton CT. [Skip Swift] started chopping and milling cockers early on. We were his test dummies.” And he details the above patch, remembering, “We didn’t make a lot. Our claim to fame was winning the first NPPL [in the] amateur division in Dallas. We were one of the founding teams. I was not on the team then though.”
Nickel SwiftLine Sniper 2, right side view. From the collection of/photo courtesy Vito Doria.
Doria sent photos of another Sniper 2 in his collection with a few more SwiftLine modifications. Stating that Skip milled the “Grooves on the bull barrel” pictured.
Serial stamp on the side of Vito Doria’s SwiftLine Sniper. From the collection of/photo courtesy Vito Doria.
On this markers particular condition, Vito comments, “Yeah the nickel is bubbling. I was hoping to find one of his Skelton cockers bit I think I musta passed it on.”
Skip Swift’s personal SwiftLine Sniper. Photo courtesy Skip Swift.
Doria also sent photos of a second SwiftLine stamped Autococker. This marker is anodized Green and features the auto trigger assembly commonly recognized as Skip Swift’s design.
Close up on the SwiftLine stamp and serial number on Skip Swift’s personal Sniper 2. Photo courtesy Skip Swift.
According to Vito, this marker belongs to Skip Swift and the serial is 6548. Most of the markers Skip worked on seemed to be serialized under 10k, likely making them prior to 1993.
Mark ‘Slim’ Hatfield’s SwiftLine modified Sniper 2. Photo courtesy Mark ‘Slim’ Hatfield.
Searching around for more information on SwiftLine brought up Mark “Slim” Hatfield’s post on his modified Sniper 2. Slim worked at several shops and fields in Connecticut and played on the team TAC. Responding to questions I wrote up Hatfield writes:
“I worked at Strategy Plus (paintball field) in the late 1980s as a ref and then Field Manager. I also worked the field truck registering players and doing sales. The owner of the field, “Big Jim” Iulo also owned the two “biggest” paintball stores in CT at that time called “The Supply Depot” – one was in Bethel, CT, and the other store, where I worked, was in North Haven, CT. I worked there as the manager from 1992 till 1994 or ’95.
I then went to work for the main competitor, James Maslar who ran a paintball shop in Waterbury, CT. I also worked at his field (Extreme Paintball) as a field manager from 1995 to 1996. Maslar was the Captain of Thunderstorm. Strategy Plus shut down in 2013. Extreme Paintball is still in operation.”
In a for sale post dated 2017, on mcarterbrown, Slim writes, ” Below is my WGP Sniper II that I bought new back in 1992. I had it modified by Skip Swift from “Swift Line”. Skip did a lot of custom gun work here in CT back in the late 80’s/90’s and was known for both his quality work and early innovations to improve the WGP platform. This was my primary OC pump for many years, but was retired in the late 90s as I transitioned back into stock-class play exclusively. “
Right side of SwiftLine modified Sniper 2. Photo courtesy Mark ‘Slim’ Hatfield.
Slim goes on to detail some of the components: “Swift Line modifications include [Swift’s] signature anti-doubler, velocity lock down thumb screw (with two lockdown positions), lightened back block, auto-trigger, custom-milled Delrin pump, and PGP trigger work. Additional features are the solid Delrin bolt, “beaver tail”, mini-expansion chamber, SS-braided hose with QD, feed neck extender, quick pull release bolt pin, Marksman telescoping stock (from the UK), and custom-made wood grips.”
Mark does mention that the bolt came from Pacific Paintball and is likely one of Anthony Meno’s Smoothie Bolts. He writes, “Regarding the bolt, I can say with almost certainty that it was a Smoothie bolt. I remember ordering from Pacific Paintball often while working at Supply Depot, so it makes sense that I got it from them.”
Lightened backblock, Pacific Paintball Smoothie Bolt and MPN Beavertail. Photo courtesy Mark ‘Slim’ Hatfield.
One particularly neat cut on Slim’s marker is the milled out back block. Slim writes, “Here is a photo of the milled out back block. Pretty stealthy as you would never know it was lightened from the outside.”
As time went on, word of Skip’s craftsmanship spread and his early innovations for Autocockers became well known and highly regarded. Skip’s cockers caught on throughout the Northeast and word traveled.
Ironmen pictured at the Lone Star Open 1991 with their WGP Autocockers. Scanned from the July 1991 issue of Paintcheck.
In fall of 1990, WGP selected the Northern California based Ironmen to debut the Autococker which premiered in March of 1991, at the Lone Star Open. With the Ironmen’s sponsorship from WGP, their adaptive strategy and versatile players they were able to win an unprecedented amount of tournaments in 1991. But the Ironmen needed innovation to stay on top, and in some form they found that edge with the help of Skip Swift in the following two seasons.
Skip Swift on meeting Bob Long and working on their Autocockers
Vito Doria asked Skip Swift about how he formed his relationship with Bob Long and the Ironmen. Swift writes that it started at Canobie paintball in New Hampshire. Swift recalls:
“We were playing tournaments up at Canobie paintball and Bobby Long came up there to play a tournament with us. [He] and I just kind of got together, he saw our guns and he flipped out and then him and I started talking. Then he gave me his gun, so I did his gun and then next thing I know he sent me the whole team’s guns and then we just became pretty good friends.”
Canobie Paintball was one of the well known competitive fields in the North East. New England Express, Grim Reapers, Wild Geese of NH, Thunderstorm, Gang Green and many others would meet to scrimmage there between tournaments.
” SwiftLine does the best Bud Orr modification on the planet “
Probably the most insightful write up from the early 90s, that is still available online, comes from Ironmen player Alexander “Zander” Rose. Rose detailed some of Skip’s modifications in posts on the rec and alt sport newsgroups that were later archived on Warpig.com.
In the except used in the intro, from Warpig, Zander offers acclaim for SwiftLine, “I would say with confidence however that Skip Swift at SwiftLine does the best Bud Orr modification on the planet and that is probably why he is the only authorized Worr Games East.”
Rose competed with the Ironmen, starting about 1990, when they initially started talking with WGP about a sponsorship. He left the team in around 1994.
Perspectives from the Ironmen
Rick Cendejas poses for this 1993/94 Smart Parts trading card.
Michael “Machine Gun Mike” takes aim on his Smart Parts Paintball trading card.
I asked Rick Cendejas and Michael Baird about initial hurdles they had to overcome with the team’s first Autocockers. By 1991 both players had done extensive travel and tournaments with the Ironmen.
Rick remembers, during this period, that Bob Long’s wife, Phyllis Long kept stats for the team. One impressive statistic to overcome was just how often their early Autocockers went down. Rick writes that the exact statistics were, “2.2 guns that worked before we walked onto the field went down at the start station or during the game.”
Rick Cendejas’ early Autococker. Cendejas did most of the modifications on this marker. Left side. Set up for Co2 with Air America Thumper expansion chamber.. With PPS Rock.
During this time the Ironmen were allowed by WGP to field a couple markers other than the Autococker. Cendejas often used his F1. He continued, “It was a long time that I could say my F1 Illustrator never let me down, and then it did.”
Rick Cendejas’ early Autococker. Cendejas did most of the modifications on this marker. Right side.
Michael Baird remembers the “2.2 guns” down statistics often relating to the early Autocockers having a tendency to over-pressurizing and “blow hoses. Then Bud put springs around the hoses. That helped but the real game changer was Glenn’s Rock [Low Pressure Regulator].”
Rick and Mike also remember that at first, likely during the 1991 Lively Series, they weren’t allowed by WGP to modify their Autocockers.
Original stock front block, and back of 2 piece Picarelli / Jim Vaillencourt barrel. Detail from Tom Ghee’s Autococker. Photo courtesy / from the collection of Vito Doria.
At some point they were allowed to start tinkering, and Rick explains that, “When Swift drilled those holes [for lug / sear adjustment] people noticed and many initially thought it was a cheat trick.”
Serial and SwiftLine Stamp on Bob Long’s SwiftLine Autococker. Photo courtesy Renick Miller.
During this time Renick Miller, of Shocktech / Aftershock / Badlandz was constantly researching markers and modifications for Aftershock. The team was shooting a mix between F1 Illustrators, VMs, Automags, pumps and Autocockers. He remembers sending his personal Autococker to Skip. He writes on facebook, “…Skip Swift was a machinist from the east coast I believe? He was one of the very first guys modifying cockers and probably the first from back east. Then you had Danny and Vu on the west coast out of Desert Fox. Skip got out of it and of course we know Dannys story.”
Bob Long’s SwiftLine Tournament Autococker (top) and backup Autococker (bottom). Photo courtesy Renick Miller.
Pictured above are two of Bob Long’s SwiftLine autocockers. Long played with the top marker and even posed with this SwiftLine Autococker in some JT ads.
In a post on facebook, Renick talks about how he ended up with two of Bob Long’s Autocockers after the 1993 Reno event:
“I picked them up from Bobby at the Reno event the men won. I forget the year but I believe they won every major event in America that season? The gun on top was his primary as built by Skip Swift of Swift Line, it is also the gun he was holding in the two page jt ad back then that was so popular. The bottom gun was just a backup.”
Air America Expansion chamber with bottom purge. Photo courtesy Renick Miller.
Detailing these cockers Renick adds, “If you’ve ever played with co2 then you know what this little bleed off is for…Gotta get all that liquid out before you chrono off, but maybe not during ?”
But what else do we know about Skip Swift and SwiftLine? Did he venture outside the realm of WGP?
SwiftLine Modifications and Accessories
A few of Skip’s most common modifications seemed to be:
Top down detents
Side logo stamping
Drilled sear / hammer lug adjustment holes
Custom Pump handles / kits for Sniper 2s
Auto Trigger assemblies
Custom finishes and lightening / Skeleton milling.
“The other modifications Swift does are: Drilling a special hole through the top of the receiver and hammer so that the sear adjustment can be fine tuned without taking the trigger assembly off. He grinds the main spring so it doesn’t rub the firing pin. He also puts an allen screw through the back of the trigger assembly that can be adjusted to fine tune the trigger pull. He lightens the bolt and generally streamlines all the internals so that they mate perfectly, thus negating any manufacturing sloppiness. I hope this answers your questions if there is anything else don’t hesitate to ask.”
Sniper 2 Auto Trigger Kit from SwiftLine. Photo courtesy of / from the collection of Vito Dorian.
With the help of Vito Doria we were able to narrow down the exact style of Skip Swift’s Auto Trigger. It’s close in design to the Fox Hunter’s model, with only one mounting point on the pump rod (where Russell Breeden and many others used two mounting points) and the mount and arm move freely and the paintgun is pumped.
Zander goes on to detail Fox Hunter’s Auto Trigger vs the SwiftLine AT set up in a Q and A from the Warpig article:
Which is the best Bud Orr auto trigger? Answer: The best auto trigger is the one that Foxhunters in Castro Valley Ca. used to do but the business was sold so I don’t know if the new ownership still does them. However Skip at Swiftline does a version of the same thing. It is a rod that comes out of the safety hole on the trigger assembly (like all Sheridan type auto trig’s) but a section of the receiver where the pump arm slides is hollowed to allow an adjustable fitting which in turn is bolted to a small brass tube arm that slides up and down on the rod from the trigger assembly. I know this sounds hoaky but if you saw it you would realize how slick it actually is.
But Swiftline also had small parts manufactured for Sheridans and offered custom gear including B Cubed / Fast Al Hip Clip style belt packs.
Raw Sheridan RVA, possibly from SwiftLine
Two sheridan pieces I believe SwiftLine manufactured include RVA’s and Speedloaders.
In another post, Slim describes the B Cubed / Fast AL Hip Clip style belt mount pod pack. “Ahh yes, Skip Swift owner of Swiftline Industries. He made some cool 50 round aluminum pods that snapped into a holder on a pack you wore.”
SwiftLine Clip in Tube Belt Pack. From the collection of Mike P. from NE Express and North East Paintball Supply
I received one of these Fast Al style belt packs recently from Mike P., who played on New England Express, and upon further examination found the SwiftLine stamp on it.
SwiftLine, at the forefront of Autococker Innovation and Customization in 1991-1993
Many steps in the Autococker’s progression are taken for granted today. At a time when Autocockers were an unknown, Swift was one of the few to bring out new innovations in the categories of designs, custom finishes and adjustment techniques. It’s important to recognize leaders who helped contribute to the experience of shooting a modern Autococker.
One example of Skip Swift’s designs inspiring Bob Long and WGP’s are the 1994 Nickel Plated Ironmen Autocockers. These markers were finished very close to the matte Nickel finish common on earlier cocker done by Swift.
With Help From…
It’s always fascinating compiling information on early innovators and I’ve wanted to do something like this on Skip Swift and SwiftLine for a while now.
This would not have been possible without the assistance from many knowledgable and helpful friends who could offer insight.
Huge thanks to Vito Doria for his help with photos and history and getting me started on this journey.
Many thanks to Mark “Slim” Hatfield for allowing the use of his photos and for answering questions.
Another thank you to Renick Miller at Bad Boyz Toys for the photos and quotes.
And thanks to Rick Cendejas, Michael Baird and Alexander Rose for their insight.
If you have a Skip Swift modification or SwiftLine branded part that I can add to this article please comment and I will get in touch with you or reach out to me directly. Thanks!
Unknown Autococker body machined from a WGP blank.
One paintball item I love collecting are un identified Autococker bodies. Each has a unique story just waiting to be solved. This unknown Autococker body popped up on Facebook a couple months back from seller Steve Kacala, out of Michigan.
Steve received this Autococker body in a lot from a friend a long time ago and recently decided to unload. Peng Kin bought it from Steve and later sold it to me.
There was a lot of speculation on facebook about who actually machined this body. Many people though it looked similar to a Shocktech Hookups or a Shocktech Liquid series. Others suggested Jackal Machine or TnC Products. But after some research by Peng and careful deduction, we can rule all three out.
Peng asked Danny Love about this machining and Danny replied said it was not a Shocktech body.
By the time eblades were out Chris Ogaz at TnC Products was machining his own bodies, and not using WGP extrusions, so this design is not one of his.
Visible front wings, sight rail, NW feedneck and Eblade eye ridge.
Later Jackal Machine bodies, such as the RDL and Phase 2 (and Phase 3), would also have been machined from scratch and not used a WGP serialized body. Earlier Jackal Machine bodies were machined by Chris Ogaz at Ogaz Enterprises (TnC Products) and later bodies were machined by Sergey Levkov (Technical Trouble Shooting / and Lapco ). Both Ogaz and Levkov would have machined bodies from a solid piece of a billet aluminum and neither would not have used a WGP body.
The eye ridge and some of the lower tube cuts are reminiscent of some Jeff Orr Limited Edition / JOLE bodies. I messaged Jeff about this body and he also said it was not one of his designs.
Neat contour of the body towards the center.
By looking at the body we can see the following details:
This is a factory WGP body, with a standard serial on the passenger side.
The serial is 145683.
WGP threaded feedback.
Sight Rail machining
Contoured / rounded machining on tubes.
Wings on top front of lower tube.
Eye ridge.
NW Feedneck.
Overall a super cool body and another fun mystery to identify in the future. Thanks to Peng and Steve for the body!
Sergey Levkov with his Technical Trouble Shooting modified VM-68 c.1992/93
In March of 2018, while helping Sergey Levkov, of Lapco and Technical Trouble Shooting, sort through 20 years of treasure/junk, Thad “Weltman” Drum and I came across a collection of Sergey’s scattered polaroids.
Technical Trouble Shooting business card. Old contact details blurred out.
Some of these photos had grease on them and who knows how many others we missed, but these pictures offer valuable insight into Sergey’s decades of modifying paintguns and developing accessories which would be marketed through other companies.
Colin Gun purchased from Aaron K Alexander of AKA. Carter / NW receiver and nylatron pump. Likely c.1988? Barrel painted.
Sergey Levkov’s Paintball History
Sergey’s involvement in the paintball industry began while working with Colin Thompson at The Los Angeles Paintgun Co (LAPCO). In 1987/1988(?) Colin was living in Los Angeles and likely building Colin guns. The Colin gun was Colin’s first complete marker, a black nelson based pump which featured a few of Colin’s innovations which would eventually become the Grey Ghost.
Colin Thompson, pictured in this Lapco ad, in the September 1989 issue of Paintcheck Magazine.
Sergey has told me owned a Lapco Ghost, so it’s likely he started working for Colin in about 1988-89. Release date on the Ghost is likely 1988 with a Nelspot frame and Sergey’s, I believe, had the Carter/NW frame, which would be 1989.
Dave Bassman (r) and wife Dawn Bassman (center) with unknown player at Conquest in Malibu California. Photo courtesy Colin Thompson.
During this time Colin was employed by Dave Bassman at Conquest in Malibu. Bassman likely had a fleet of Nelson based rentals (likely Colin guns, or similar bodies from Sigma, in Chatsworth) and Colin worked on keeping those paintguns firing.
Colin worked with various shops in the Southern California to create his line of Lapco accessories. And perfected his process of the step honing technique, which was used on the Ghost and many Lapco barrels afterwards. In around 1990 Colin moved down to San Diego to work with Jon Sivers, of Paintball Connection.
Technical Trouble Shooting ad published in the December 1989 issue of Action Pursuit Games. Incorrect address and phone number removed.
In 1989-90, as Sergey was finishing high school, while living in Northridge, California, he continued modifying paintguns under his own business name, Technical Trouble Shooting.
Sergey and Semis
Sergey has always been drawn to semi automatics and his earliest modifications were for Tippmanns. Sergey explains that at the time “I did not do pump stuff…because I can’t play pump.” Sort of ironic since Sergey would eventually be manufacturing Lapco Ghosts and hold himself to the same quality standard Colin would years before.
As laid out in the advertisement above, Technical Trouble Shooting’s early modifications included the selector switch modifications on SMGs, sight rails, .68 caliber SMG conversions, RVAs and the mechanical clip advancer. The selector switch was developed by an associate, Don King, and Sergey continued the modification.
Technical Trouble Shooting advertisement from the February 1992 issue of Paintball Sports International. Incorrect Address/Phone removed.
In the years to follow, from 1990 until 1996, Levkov, under Technical Trouble Shooting, offered a variety of services and after market parts for every semi automatic on the market. Sergey also built completely customized semi autos and sold runs of custom innovative aftermarket upgrade parts to well known manufacturers.
The Green Technical Trouble Shooting VM-68
Green Technical Trouble Shooting VM68. Photo courtesy Sergey Levkov.
While Weltman and I helped Sergey throw more and more pieces of his green Technical Trouble Shooting green VM-68 into a box, with hopes it will be reassembled and hang in his office at Lapco, we came across many other items he modified over the years which play an important part in his history.
Six months later, as Sergey and I reviewed these photos, he listed the upgrades to the VM68s pictured. His work really went above and beyond many of the other airsmiths of that era. He didn’t deal with strictly aesthetics, Levkov re-worked the VM-68 inside and out, to the degree of what the Pro Comp would offer in upcoming years. He machined entirely custom internals, barrels and receivers.
Green Technical Trouble Shooting VM68 side back photo. Photo courtesy Sergey Levkov.
Sergey lists the Green VM68’s upgrades as: •PVC foregrips with expansion chamber inside. Likely similar to Colins (Lapco knurled asa expansion chambers) or as Sergey says, “my hex knockoff [for ANS].” •Anti full auto hammer to prevent chopping. •Custom sight rail. •Billet 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch 45 frames / blocks. This VM-68 featured his 1/2 45 frame block. •Quick release top and lower tube covers with a pull pin. •Aluminum match anodized trigger guards. •Aluminum side receiver panels. •Custom bolt (not sure if venturi or open face) •Custom barrel cut from a WGP bull barrel blank. •Bottom tapped valve to run an airline to a bottomline.
Probably the most interesting modifications which I don’t recall hearing about before, is Sergey’s Anti Full Auto hammer. He describes this mod, telling me, “You can see that there are two slots on the hammer so that’s a lightened hammer with the anti full auto notch.”
Going into more detail on the “Anti Full Auto Notch” Levkov says, it “basically catches the hammer if it doesn’t go back far enough, passes the first notch, catches on the second notch and hammer is all the way back. If the gun doesn’t put out enough gas to kick the hammer all the way back, normally the hammer will fly back forward and do the full auto thing, and if it’s opening almost enough to catch on the proper sear position then it’s enough space for a ball to come in three quarters of the way and it cut them but [with this modification the hammer is caught and the vm-68 is not able to] pinch the ball all the way. I didn’t make production versions of the hammer per say but i customized hammers. [I also] Might have made aluminum hammers for VM 68s because i remember putting c clips in them.”
Green Technical Trouble Shooting VM68 back photo. Photo courtesy Sergey Levkov.
The High Boy Sight Rail
Another interesting feature on this VM is Sergey’s High Boy Sight rail. Sergey explains that fellow Southern California Machinist Stanley Russell created these initial blanks for him which were used on VMs and Tippmanns. “This vm also has my high boy sight rail that i used to use on the Tippmanns. I had them on 68 specials, I had them on SMG 68s, and the first batch of then I had Stan Russell make me the blanks. So this is a full size blank that i used to cut the bottom of it out to make it look like a bridge when i mounted it on Tippmanns.”
An early assembled Lapco Ghost with the M-16 Lapco/Wintec frame. Notice the unique accessories on this ghost, including the larger than standard back bottle and the skeleton sight rail and tank on off valve. Stock Lapco product photo courtesy Colin Thompson. Photo credit Colin Thompson.
My initial thought was that Sergey’s sights reminded me of the tricked out variants Colin Thompson produced of his sight rails. Sergey described some of the differences, “[Colin” made them narrow at the bottom. He made the vertical narrower and I never did because the rear sight and the back on the 68 special was wide so i didn’t want it to be narrower than that.
Many of Sergey’s parts are extremely planned out, with the end user’s ease of addition in mind. On his sight rails he “put the radius on the bottom” so they would fit the top of a VM-68 or Tippmann 68 special.
Green Technical Trouble Shooting VM68 left side photo. Photo courtesy Sergey Levkov.
Sergey’s fully Custom VM also featured extremely fancy 45 grips. He explains that they were “Stone, malimite (sp?) [or Corian].”
The back tube plug was also a well thought out modification. Sergey says he “made a little plate to connect the pieces together. Screws in the back indicate it’s all one piece. You pull the pin and the plate comes off with the two plugs.”
Green Technical Trouble Shooting VM68 right side photo. Photo courtesy Sergey Levkov.
Seeing the green anodized to match aluminum trigger guard I asked whether he produced models in brass. I later realized the brass models were from Paintball Connection. Pro Teams products used aluminum single trigger guards on the Car 68 (which Sergey machined). PTP also used aluminum guards on the VMX but Sergey doesn’t remember machining for the VMX. He explains, “I never made brass [single trigger guards]. I made [Pro Team Products’] car 68 [trigger guards].”
Another series of Sergey’s photos shows a similarly modified black PMI 3 (only one long side cocking hammer notch). Sergey explains. “This is a black [PMI 3], and it looks like i flattened the sides, bottom tapped [the valve], and it also has the high boy sight rail and based on that hole in the top left corner i probably had the [quick release pin] going through it. I made aluminum side plates. [This PMI 3 also] has the notched hammer.”
Sergey’s pre Lapco TTS barrels
Line SI Bushmaster barrel that Sergey machined. Muzzle break, although not cut, was a typical TTS style.
Looking at the barrel, Sergey’s green VM-68 has the muzzle break style I’ve found on a few of his other custom barrels. He describes that style as being “[his] muzzle break.” Sergey’s early custom barrels were milled down WGP Bull barrel blanks. Lapco/Paintball Connection and other manufacturers around the US were doing the same with Bud Orr’s WGP barrel blanks.
Left side of Technical Trouble Shooting Black PMI 3. Photo courtesy Sergey Levkov.
Vertical ASAs
Although these two VM68s do not feature vertical asas, Sergey made a style for Pro Team Products’ Car-68 where he contoured the bottom so they could be easily attached and an oring would seal them. Sergey explains the idea behind contouring the top of the Car-68 asa, “That way you didn’t have to flatten the bottom of the body, [and] if I sold it to somebody who was going to install it themselves, all they had to do was drill a 1/4-20 hole to attach it and an air hole and they could slap it on there.”
Carter Machine Promaster, likely with Technical Trouble Shooting Vertical asa adapter. Original owner Fernando Castillo or Carter Machine.
On his aftermarket vertical asas for Line SI’s Promasters Levkov again recessed an oring into the base to have it mate on the body. A similar style to Sergey’s vertical asa eventually became the standard on ICD paintguns. He mentions, “I made the vertical asa and then it became standard on the fox/cat [line].”
Top angled side view of Black Technical Trouble Shooting PMI 3.
The SMG Selector Switch
Prior to seeing these photos I wasn’t aware of the extent that Sergey modified VM-68s this early on. I really had only seen a few of the Tippmann’s he worked on doing the selector switches and sight rails.
Sergey shows the plate he used to drill for the selector switches in the video above. He explains, “[Here] is the block that I made from my first Tippmann SMG 60. The external gas line body SMG 60 that I bought from Don [King]. I took the side of the gun and I milled it out and I put a drill bushing in it so i could drill out regular Tippmann bodies. I would take that old side plate, I would pin it on the pins and I would drill the hole for the selector switch.”
Sergey also cut Anti Full Auto hammers for Tippmanns. The [Anti Full Auto Hammer] on a VM wouldn’t let people know you’re out of gas and prevent the farting. When a SMG-60 runs out of gas though, it will “barely fire and dump your stripper clips. On the 68 special it would chop paint and make soup.” The Anti Full Auto Hammers prevented both of these, Sergey explained.
Pictured above is a 68 Special with the break breech modifications. Likely not Sergey’s work but a good example of the mod.
Along with the anti full hammer modifications, Levkov’s other 68 Special modifications included: Folding / Break Breech mod. He said, “I wasn’t the first to do them but I did them.” High efficiency valve seat. He explains this modification in detail, stating, “[I modified] The rear valve seat [(rear donut)] with a smaller hole so it wouldn’t put as much air to blow the hammer back, because it didn’t need that much air. Tippmann had it all set up for massive overkill. I don’t believe their valve changed from the old gas valve to when they went to liquid for the 68 caliber. The hammer weight didn’t change, but now we’re pumping a lot more gas out because we are running liquid. So now we need more gas to propel but we don’t need more gas going backwards and we’re putting a lot of gas out [as the liquid changes to gas].”
Aftermarket bolts
Sergey also built aftermarket bolts for many semi automatics of that era. Some innovations in bolt styles will be covered in videos later, but his most common bolt style is the ANS Quick Pull Bolt (Autococker) and the ANS phase II venturi bolt (Automag). Other bolts include a model for the F1 Illustrator that implemented the BB adjustment chocker method used on stock VM-68 bolts.
Sergey Levkov and Forest Hatcher at the 1995 Shot Show, pictured in the April 1995 issue of Inside Paintball Magazine. Magazine courtesy Randy Kamiya.
Sergey details the F1 bolt, explaining, “I made blue bolts for the F1 illustrator for Pro Teams Products out of aluminum. I made them work the same way that [VM-68] factory bolt worked. Where there was an allen screw and a ball under the oring.”
68 Special on Sergey’s work bench in the early 1990s. Photo courtesy Sergey Levkov.
Unfortunately examples of Sergey’s markers are few and far between and I’ve never come across one of his fully modified 68 specials. Most of Sergey’s 68 specials were given back to his associate Don King and as Sergey explains all were lost, “I gave all the [modified Tippmann 68 Specials] to Don King and one of his son’s tweaker friends stole everything.”
Co2 tank being disassembled in Sergey’s Bridgeport. Photo courtesy Sergey Levkov.
Another photos shows a co2 tank in a vice. Sergey was likely disassembling tanks and adding siphon tubes for 68 specials. He explains, “This tank is pictured in a vice so i could take the valve off. In my bridgeport at the house.”
Sergey continued building paintguns and doing runs of parts for various manufacturers throughout the 90s. His most common parts were made for ANS and include the Jackhammer 2 regs, switches, ANS frames, body cuts and many other items. He also manufactured for Pro Teams Products, Mark Thompson of Marker Products, Boston Paintball (Twister Autococker), Jackal Machine (RDL), Ops Gear and many others.
Reconnecting with Colin Thompson
In 1996 Sergey connected with Colin Thompson again through Al Iba at I&I. “I talked to Colin [over the years] but I didn’t do any business with Colin until I got a call in 1995/96 from Al Iba that Paintball Connection shut down and Colin needed somebody to make his stuff. So I made stainless barrels and that was the first product we did together.”
These early barrels were solid stainless. Sergey remembers, “The first ones didn’t have any flutting, they were just stainless with the flare and tappering up to the flare with one inch in the back.”
Sergey Levkov with his Technical Trouble Shooting modified VM-68 c.1992/93
In this picture, Sergey holds his custom Technical Trouble Shooting VM-68 while wearing a poncho over his Tiger Stripe jacket. On top of his mask is a fan he built because he “wears glasses and they fog,” although Sergey thinks he must have been wearing his contacts that day.
Reflecting back, Sergey remembers a cocker he built for Charles “Happy” Holton, “[He] had a cocker of mine that ran for like 10 years with no modifications or tuning. I’d make them really fast but not on the bleeding edge. I’m one of those guys that always backs it off from the bleeding edges so it’s always reliable.”
Look for more articles on Sergey’s history in the near future and buy great barrels from Lapco Paintball.
Over the summer Christian Van Horn brought this incredible Black Marble splash Adrenaline Angel to Bacci Mountain and was able to detail some of the history on the marker and details on early Adrenaline WDP Angels. This marker was built and used by Adrenaline owner and Team Adrenaline player, James Graley. Graley buily the first batch of 5/6 marble splash Adrenaline LED Angels for Team Adrenaline and used this marker, serial AA2, himself.
Adrenaline Angel AA2, used by James Graley with Graley jersey. Photo courtesy Christian Van Horn.
Christian explains that the first batch of Adrenaline Angels, likely including this marker, were purchased as stock Angels and machined by Adrenaline (which was James Graley and his teammate). After machining they were anodized, likely by PK Selective in this Black Marble pattern. Once completed these team Adrenaline markers were shown to WDP and Adrenaline began getting markers from the factory to modify.
Feedneck and barrel view of Adrenaline LED Angel AA2, used by James Graley. Photo courtesy Christian Van Horn.
Christian writes, “One fact I forgot to add [in the video] was James told me they bought these bodies retail. Made these first 7? & showed them to WDP & after seeing their work WDP liked them & cut them a deal. I think it was just pricing & blank bodies.”
Adrenaline Angel AA2, used by James Graley with Graley jersey. Photo courtesy Christian Van Horn.
Some of the details Christian and I go over include the body cuts, the trigger, the air assist and feedneck, the reg, the dual volumizers and the barrels.
Front top view of Adrenaline Angel AA2, used by James Graley. Photo courtesy Christian Van Horn.
Christian details how the front “rope spiral milling” body cut was a signature detail for Adrenaline. The breech is cut with a lightning bolt, I point out the ring cut in front of the breech, and Christian also talks about how very little material could be removed from the top back of the LED but material everywhere else was machined away.
Snake Tongue Trigger on AA2 Adrenaline Angel LED.
The snake trigger featured on Adrenaline LCD Angels and all Adrenaline markers after has always been one of signature cuts of Adrenaline and features the snake tongue indentations in the sides and the lightning bolt mask anodizing.
Top back view of Adrenaline Angel AA2, used by James Graley. Photo courtesy Christian Van Horn.
The air assist was likely an original modification but the cut is raw on the feedneck so it’s unclear if this was a later feedneck or just not cut for the assist when it was anodized. Christian points out he says “High REZ” in the video but meant to say “High Rise.”
AA2 Adrenaline Angel with cut Mini Reg.
The inline regulator is an early stock WDP reg that has been cut down. Christian notes how the regs originally had multiple rings around them and then some of the rings are just machined off.
Christian writes, “Angel regs were called min-reg. The earliest were metric with the push button. Then metric with the rings. Then standard thread with the rings.” AA2 features the metric outlet threads with the ring cut design.
In the video Christian talks about the Volumizers and how the left Volly is actually a fakey, since it conceals the battery chamber. The extra “fakey” volly balances the aesthetics nicely though.
Another shop with slightly different lighting on Adrenaline Angel AA2, used by James Graley with Graley jersey. Photo courtesy Christian Van Horn.
The barrels included with this Adrenaline LCD Angel are a Jacko Infinity, which would have been one of the stock barrels from WDP with the original Angel LEDs, along with two matched boomsticks. One is cut with .684 and the other is likely the stock .689. Christian thinks the stock Jacko is .684 or .686.
Bottom body serial on Adrenaline Angel AA2. Photo courtesy Christian Van Horn.
Breech serial number on Adrenaline Angel AA2. Photo courtesy Christian Van Horn.
Later in the video Christian humors us with some lore on early Adrenaline serial numbers and how the number 5 was skipped in the first run and built in a subsequent run and how one body may have been destroyed and another breech showed up with a non matching serial number.
Giant thanks to Christian as always for letting me ask such annoying questions and having the patience to not only answer them but also elaborate on nearly every single detail.
I’m always in awe of the ruggedness of the Splatmaster. The glass and fiber reinforced shells are essentially indestructible (at least externally). But then I remember the other markers of 1981-1984. With the exception of the Darkside MK1 and the Aga 62, the markers of that short lived era are all built to a field grade standard.
National Survival Game Splatmaster at the 2019 SC Village Paintball History Display.
It’s important to realize that at this time designers were not as much thinking about the features that would make their marker stand out or surpass the others, but instead trying to get a design to the paintball market that wasn’t junk and could be sold in massive quantities. The Nelspot and the PG pistol mostly all lasted the test of time internally and externally.
The Splatmaster can typically be found in the 20-50 dollar range. Trouble shooting is not as straight forward as the PG and Nelspot but on the other hand more Splatmaster valves likely remain functioning (at a low velocity) than Nelspots and PG’s today.
Splatmaster pictured is from our Paintball History display at SC Village last month. I covered up the date because I had written the wrong year!
