GRIP Nº14

Euro Big Game scenario

High tech in scenario paintball

N.ยบ 14 | July 2015

scenario

TFX

review

Bitburg millennium

Danny interview

#10 01

T H E C H O I C E O F C H A M P I O N S TM

DY E PA I N T B A L L .CO M

14-15 Profile David Veltman

20-31 Interview Danny

index index 06–07 Team

Editorial

News

12–13

Highlight Jordy Smits

index

14–15

32-33

16-19

36-53

20-31

56-65

Profile David Veltman Path of the champoins Edu Cabellos Interview Danny

Gallery Danny #10 Millennium Bitburg Miss GRIP Patrícia Simões

36-53 Millennium Bitburg

66-74 Scenario

84-86 Review

Euro Big Game

TFX

32-33 Gallery

66-74

84-86

76-83

90-92

Scenario Euro Big Game Scenario High Tech in Scenario Paintball

Review TFX

56-65 Miss GRIP

Review Drom #athlete

Agna Oriana

84-85 Review GF Boomstick

index

RITA PEREIRA GRIP Magazine’s Art Director. She works as a professional graphic designer.

PEDRO SIMÕES GRIP Magazine’s photography editor. He’s also an accredited photojournalist.

DANIEL TEIXEIRA GRIP Magazine’s kid. He is the man in charge of our website and all bits and bytes.

ANDRÉ FARIA The scenario man. If we’re talking about camouflage, gun replicas and lots of fun, then that’s where he is.

VANESSA RAUSCHER She is everywhere and knows everything. She is our reporter on duty. If there is any paintball event going on you will probably see her there.

EDU CABELLOS Edu is accompanying Five Star Lleida in their quest to rise to CPL. All the adventures during this year will be told by our Spanish friend.

team

SIEGIE KELLY Who better to help out than one of the RSH designers? Any subject related to image, he’s your man!

NINA ANNA Probably the fastest rising photographer of our market. A good set of skills with amazing style makes her our preferred choice in terms of photography.

RITA RISCADO Our «Irishwoman» translates and puts up with us and all our doubts. Without her, you simply wouldn’t understand us!

JIM ZUUR He is a gentleman. Always polite but at the same with a total urge for news. If it is new in our sport, he is the right person to ask something about it.

ANDRÉ GOMES One of the “kids” of the team. Dominates the English language. and helps us translate a few thousand words per issue.

team

Property of André Filipe Sobreira Garrido NIF: 227215290 Legal address: Rua General Taborda Nº3 - 1º 1070-137 Lisboa ERC Registration Nº 126231 Frequency: Quarterly

DIRECTOR EDITOR MARKETING ADVERTISEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY

André Garrido (mail@grippaintball.com) André Garrido (mail@grippaintball.com) Carla Peixoto (carla.peixoto@grippaintball.com) GRIP - Photo Services

GRIP – Paintball Magazine or André Filipe Sobreira Garrido are not responsible for the content of the ads nor for the accuracy of the characteristics and features of the products and/or goods advertised. Their veracity and accordance with reality are fully and exclusively the responsibility of the advertisers and advertising agencies or companies.

IT IS STRICLY FORBIDEN TO COPY TEXTS AND IMAGES BY ALL MEANS advertisement

editorial By André Garrido Director GRIP

he paintball market is in a crisis! If we thought the recession had affected the market before, now it’s been run over by the debt and economic collapse bus.

Brands have low sales, prices are sky high and the sport is becoming prohibitively expensive. Never have the numbers of players been so low, with so many teams breaking up from lack of funds. But one thing’s for sure, we will be around to shoot everyone and tell this damned crisis to f**k off! The London event has happened some time ago but due to this environment we live in we were struggling to get the magazine working as it normally does. Several delays and cancellations have had chaos run amok in our headquarters and we had to opt for the safest options, whilst fulfilling all the desires of our readers. This time we decided to go full out on scenario games. If on one end we have Bitburg, the big event of speedball, we went to the other to explore what the Euro Big Game was like. We also decided for the first time to look at the technology developments in our sport, and how and when we will be able to improve it through the use of cell phones, computers and other technological systems. The main interview of this edition is with Danny. We have always distanced ourselves from the Portuguese paintball scene for strategic reasons, but we couldn’t avoid interviewing the family of the youngest paintball player to ever be fully endorsed by a brand. Review-wise we had to test out the latest features in the market. The amazing TFX from HK Army and the ultralight protective gear from DROM. As always our Miss GRIP is here to dazzle, the paintball beauty embodied by Patricia Simões who has one of the most beautiful faces our sport has ever had the privilege to see. Don’t miss out on all this and more.

editorial

Empire Axe Pro SE Just when you thought the Robust and sturdy Empire Axe couldn’t get any better. Empire upped its game by introducing improved weather proofing, an OLED board standard fitted and a 2 hex key system to name but a few of the improvements.

Valken Tactical 1000 round Paintball Hauler We all know the 2000 round paintball caddy’s that we use to fill our pods at tournaments, but now Valken has come out with a tactical variant. Shaped like a jerry can, the Tactical Hauler can hold a 1000 paintballs and comes in “tactical” colours.

Shocker RSX Talking about the Shocker is no longer a nostalgic sentiment or a thing of the past: with the re-launch of the Shocker platform, the beloved Shocker is back from the dead.

HK Army Ball breaker 2.0 Probably the most successful custom barrel sock producers, they have reinvented themselves with a 2.0 version. Smaller than its predecessor, the new and improved version looks even more stylish but is just as robust as the previous.

Nike CJ3 Flyweave «Paintball» Trainer Once again the big brands warm up to paintball and this time it is Nike that makes a special Paintball version of their CJ3 Flyweave Trainer. The Paintball version of the Flyweave was inspired by Calvin Johnson’s love of Paintball.

news

exclusive at

DRONE 2 Exclusive distributor for the european market Dealer request

MAXS GmbH | Am Strassbach 1 | 61169 Friedberg | www.maxs-sport.com info@maxs-international.com | www.maxs-international.com

highlight

13 13

David Veltman

David is not the common paintball player. As he says he is a giant wink emoji, where his nickname fits him like a glove. Lardo, his nickname, is a short for Lardass from one of the Stephen King movies. This is not the only thing that distinguishes him from most players nowadays. He started playing with 24 which proves that you are never too old to start playing paintball! As usual he started playing in the woods in 2004 and after three years he changed for the more competitive area of our sport. He

profile

stared the team GAKOcrew and in less than nine years he became the team captain of one of the best teams in Europe. Lardass believes that his team shouldn’t play with «mercenaries» and because of this he is amazed that they have held such a high position in the European paintball scene. Amsterdam Heat players are known for their sympathy and fun times. Even when they got stuck in Malaga due to Eyjafjallajökull volcano there was only one option available: playing drinking games for an entire week.•

NICKNAME Lardo DATE OF BIRTH 25-01-1980 OCCUPATION Senior Quality Expert STARTED PLAYING IN 2004 TEAM Amsterdam Heat INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DPL, NPL, BPL and Millennium Series EVENTS WON DPL2 league in 2013, 5x NPL and multiple podiums in the Millennium. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PAINTBALL Second place overall in SPL1 League and the sixth place in CPL Paris-Disney. FUNNIEST STORY INVOLVING PAINTBALL Winning a 4 on 1 against team Cyclone from Finland, but before I could hit the buzzer my teammates thrown the towel and we lost that point. That is only funny because we won the game!

Text: AndrĂŠ Garrido

profile

a new event, a new challenge! By Edu Cabellos

FiveStar Lleida went into the second event event. The paintball gun exceeded all of the Millennium with a second place in our expectations by far: it is light, small, the overall ranking. Despite not having very stable on the chrono and extremely achieved total victory in the Puget final accurate. The two teams went on to train against Vienna United, the team was very and win several points against Breakout confident of their chances in improving Spa, Houston Heat and Syndicate. their performance in Bitburg. On Thursday, the two FiveStar teams Two weeks before the event, the entire were able to start training on the team gathered to prepare for France in Millennium fields that they would be the paintball field of our friends Xtrem playing on during the weekend. Paintball Belcastel, for a first look at the The team was ready to hit the second layout and to correct the mistakes made event of the year at a full sprint. in Puget. There we could train with Dagnir The first match was against Ranger Dae and Toulouse Phoenix, running A clear revenge of the Puget drills between the two FiveStar game. This was probably the most teams. This training session was very important because the field important game of our season. design was unusual and the more training time the team had in this layout, Warsaw, who were defensively strong and the bigger their advantage over the other good in the breakouts. The victory was teams, and we needed all the time we ours by 3:1. could have to practice. The following games were against On the Wednesday of the week of the Outlaw Lille, who we won by 4:1 and the event, we met with the American Paintball last game of the group stage against Enrage players to train in Solms. Just before Dusseldorf, who we defeated 4:1. starting, the first FiveStar team received We had started the Millennium very the Shocker RSX as the markers for the strong with three wins we passed first in

paht of the champions

our group. We were next matched up with Hurricanes Cologne, which we beat 4:1. In the quarter-finals, we were up against Vienna United, the only team above us in the SPL1 ranking and the same team that we had lost against in the Puget finals. They had come second in their group yet beat Joe Bar PĂŠlissane 4-2. It was a vitally important game to keep our aspirations of going to CPL and there was no space for defeat for either team. We played a very focused and confident game, making no mistakes and taking advantage of theirs. As a clear revenge of the Puget game, we has a clear 4:0

victory. We managed to leave our direct opponents out of the competition with an 8th place in Bitburg which heavily reduced their chances of an overall victory at the end of the year. This was probably one of the, if not the most, important game for our season so far. Already in the semi-final with the morale through the roof, we would face the always difficult Scorpions Milano that had four players from the old Joy Division. We played very quickly and directly, allowing us to score the first three points in less than four minutes. The next point went to the Scorpions, but we outmanoeuvred them in the final game, finishing 4:1. We were again in the final for the second event, conceding only five points in six games. Manchester Firm were waiting for us in the final after pulling off a resounding 4:0 victory against Drammen Solid in the semi-finals.

paht of the champions

At the top were the two best teams in allowing Edu Cabellos in snake one to stall Bitburg. It was a very tactical match, with any of their dorito side movements. The both teams fighting for every centimetre minutes were flying off the clock until Tim of space. Each kill came at the sacrifice Montressor shot their snake two. Shortly of a lot of paint and a long grind. The first after, Edu managed to hit the Manchester point was ours after five intense and nonFirmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dorito player. We came in the stop minutes of paintball. last minute of game, and in one swift In the next match, The team was very confident of their Manchester Firm would push us very hard on the chances in improving their performance. snake side, placing up to three players shooting all the existing movement, Damian Ryan from Manchester lanes. We quickly lost a dorito side player came straight through to snake two, in the first few seconds of the game, but surprising Pablo. With 40 seconds left, we would grind their momentum to a halt there were three players on each side. as Pablo Lopez held the fort down in the Manchesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centre player tried to sneak snake corner, holding the English down, through the dorito side, but Sam Monville

paht of the champions

managed to mark him before he made any damage. At the same time, after only ten seconds had passed, Edu Cabellos surprised Manchester by bunkering Damian Ryan. 15 seconds left and the game was 2 vs 1 for FiveStar. Brad McCurley advanced to the 50 line and eliminated Tim, but when he was about to face Sam, the clock had finally reached zero. We had won the day in Bitburg! A tight result but just enough to ensure victory. On the other hand, our second team, suffered a loss at the last moment which left them with an

unbalanced formation. This injury was reflected in their result as they finished 8th. Nevertheless, they still hold 5th in the overall SPL2 standings and have all the skills needed to reach the finals in the next Millennium event, which would take them straight up to SPL1. We would like to give a big thanks to our main sponsors, without you all we would not have been able to do it. THANKS!!! We also want to thank the support received by Rosa Mediterranean Houses, half RSH, Bricketwood and Stater Park. â&#x20AC;˘ advertisement

Dan 20

interview

We interviewed the parents of the youngest paintball athlete to ever be fully sponsored. The passion for our sport is felt immediately, a passion that not many grown-ups can develop.

nny

Text: André Garrido

GRIP: Danny is crazy for paintball. Where does this passion come from? Pedro Brites: Danny has always been around paintball. With only six months of age he already went to tournaments. When he was one year old he was already coaching at the net, although he didn’t speak, he just yelled. His friends and family have always been in paintball. GRIP: When did you realise he had a passion for paintball? PB: Over time we saw that everything he did was about paintball: «If I behave can I have dinner with my harness on?», «Can I practice a bit more before I have to take a bath?», «Can I watch some paintball films in bed?». Danny would do anything to be around paintball. GRIP: Our sport can be dangerous at times. What kind of precautions have you taken for him in tournaments and training sessions? PB: Obviously Danny doesn’t play properly yet. He knows that he can’t run onto the field when players don’t have barrel covers on and when he does he should always have his goggles on. He has always been taught

interview

when he is around and nobody will shoot when he’s on the field. I’m just scared because he sees players diving and jumping around and he tries to copy them. GRIP: Are you feeding this «addiction» of his in any way? PB: Of course I am! I feel so proud every time I take Danny to training or to an event! He just exudes this passion that everyone around him can see and feel.

«Danny is happy in paintball! Only those that see him on the field can understand.» safety above anything else. When we’re training he is in the box or by the net with an adult supervising him. He is only four after all. GRIP: Aren’t you afraid he might get hurt? PB: Of course I am! But I’m not afraid of the paintballs because everyone is careful

interview

GRIP: What exactly do you do with him though? PB: During the week we get our gear ready for the weekend. He asks to watch paintball movies and when he wakes up on Saturday he doesn’t celebrate the weekend he just says: «It’s paintball day!» He also does other things but paintball is definitely his passion. GRIP: Roughly how often is he in contact with paintball over a month? PB: On the field, about two or three times a month. He practices every day at home, no day off! We have some bunkers at home for him to train with. GRIP: Aren’t you afraid that it’s so much that he’ll get tired of it? PB: He has never been forced or made to go to paintball. Danny also plays golf, loves football and riding a bicycle. He has chosen to be so connected to paintball but we always try to involve him in other activities. GRIP: He already has a sports page on

«Can I watch some paintball films in bed?» Facebook. Where did that idea come from? PB His mother works in marketing and the idea came from being able to show everyone how the passion for the sport can exist in someone as young as Danny. GRIP: In almost every country it is illegal for someone so young to play paintball. What are the rules in Portugal? PB: He doesn’t play paintball, he is around his father and his friends while they play.

The son of a Formula 1 driver won’t be driving, he’ll start off by playing with plastic cars! That’s the situation right now with Danny. His marker is a dummy. In Portugal I don’t know of any legislation that is against what we’re doing! There needs to be some rational behaviour from the parents’ side. I remember players that started playing when they were young, like Sven or Gui from Lisbon Benfica. GRIP: It must not be easy for a mother

interview

to live with all this commotion and potential danger for her son. How does she feel about this? PB: His mother has been around paintball since 2004 and she’s well aware of all the potential dangers. Obviously she’s afraid but not more than the risk of falling off a bicycle or getting hit with a golf ball. Paintball is a safe sport as long as all safety measures are followed. That has always been our motto and we instilled that lesson onto Danny from an early age.

interview

GRIP: You said he played golf. How has he been playing such different but demanding sports? PB: My parents-in-law are Korean and their favourite sport is golf. They have a house near a golf-course and are on it religiously every weekend. My son is always in the garden either playing paintball or hitting some golf balls. They’re two sports he’s been involved in since he was born. GRIP: Danny is very involved in the

PB: We were at the National Championship here in Portugal watching 5Man and Danny started coaching a friendly team. As you know you can’t coach the 5Man division. The EuroRef João Ramos had to come over and tell him he couldn’t do that. But Danny just tells him: «No no, everyone does it you don’t know what you are talking about!» There was also a time where the headref gave the ten seconds breakout warning and Danny shouted «GAME!» making the Metralhas team Do you have a false start and lose a point!

«At home he trains religiously every day! We have bunkers at home so he can practice.» speedball scene. Have you ever taken him to a scenario match? PB: Sometimes we go to the Nest, which is the scenario field of Blue Falcon. Since he can’t watch games as well as he can in speedball, he’s bored easily and he spends the whole day asking us to go shoot at the chrony with him. GRIP: There must be some funny stories with Danny in paintball. Could you tell us one of them?

GRIP: He recently became the youngest player to ever be fully sponsored by a paintball brand. How does that make you feel? PB: It was an unexpected situation, as it came from a conversation I had with you about finding some sponsors for Danny. In the Millennium DYE was very interested in him and agreed to sponsor him. It’s great because he now has gear like all the grownups, even a dummy marker that doesn’t shoot, but he’s fully kitted out to look like the Blue Falcon. In case Danny does want to continue his paintball career that’s definitely an open door for him. GRIP: Is he aware of what all of this actually means for him? PB: No! For him it’s paintball gear just like Blue Falcon and nothing else. That’s why I wanted to take him to the Paris Millennium so he could meet the people that have helped him. GRIP: Aren’t you afraid that might be

interview

Wow a real paintball gun? « Is this mine? Really? So I don’t have to play with plastic guns?» too much pressure for a kid his age? PB: Pressure? As a paintball legend once said, pressure is having to put food on the table every day. Danny has passion for the sport and who saw that and his potential like GRIP and DYE did will help by nurturing it. As a father I will always try to nurture this passion for paintball! GRIP: As parents would you want for Danny to become a paintball phenomenon?

interview

PB: Of course! But above all we would want him to have fun. We all know that at his age it’s important that children play sports, no matter what it is, as long as they’re happy… and Danny is happy in paintball! You can only see that if you see him on the field. GRIP: I know for a fact that you’ve had several offers on the table for other sponsorships but you chose to go with DYE. What were the reasons for that decision? PB: Besides sponsoring Blue Falcon, DYE is

one of the leading brands in the paintball market and they have the ability to provide support for Danny in the long term. I remember what they did with Marcello Margott for example. GRIP: DYE is known for their work with sponsored athletes. How would you feel if you saw Danny on a gigantic poster at the Millennium? PB: Like the proudest father in the world! GRIP: And how would he react? PB: I can’t even imagine how his reaction would be! GRIP: Have you taught him how to sign autographs? PB: Yeah! He signs «Danny 10» already! GRIP: So he’s already ready for the poster signing sessions at the Millennium! PB: Of course! And he’ll be handing out his phone number to all the six year olds there! GRIP: But are there any plans? PB: No, we’re both just messing about. It would be great, but it’s too early to tell. AT THIS POINT, PEDRO BRITES, DANNY’S FATHER, HAS TO LEAVE AND HIS MOTHER ARRIVES TO REPLACE HIM FOR THE INTERVIEW. GRIP: One of the advantages of being sponsored by DYE was a signed marker. Is it different from others? Young Soh: It’s a dummy gun, but for Daniel it’s like it was a real one. And since

«Can I practice a bit more before I have to take a bath?» interview

it’s customised with his name on it, he is drooling all over it. It’s a unique marker and Danny knows that. GRIP: But he also got a voucher… YS: Yes, a voucher that he can exchange for a paintball gun when he starts playing properly. Although he is four, he realised he can get a real marker with it, just like the grown-ups. GRIP: Before he used to play with fake guns. How did he react when he saw his DM for the first time? YS: «Wow a real paintball gun? Is this mine? Really? So I don’t have to play with plastic guns?» he said this as he hugged the marker. (Laughs) GRIP: Danny will be having a younger brother very soon. How did he react to this news? YS: Very well! He loves the idea! He has also decided to be his paintball and golf coach. GRIP: So you’re planning on forming a whole team? YS: (Laughs) For now they’ll play one on one! GRIP: At a time where there are less and less teams that are able to survive the high costs of the sport do you think that in the future there will be the chance for players to start playing at such a young age? YS: Of course! The children of players are the new generation of paintball players. As it’s an alternative sport compared to

interview

«It’s a shame we do U.S.! If we were the definitely been pick player as his paintb football or tennis, they are the ones that will be carrying on the sport. Danny goes to paintball, whether it’s an event or training session since he was young. He observes and copies his father playing. His admiration for the sport began at an early age. In my opinion Danny has been an example for all paintball parents that can

definitely happened by now. GRIP: Let’s dream for a bit… it could be possible that a kid like Danny in ten years’ time (when he’s 14) to be playing at a very high level, in the US for example. Would you be able and willing to support him in that situation? YS: I hope that in ten years’ time we will have the ability to make his dreams come true. However at the age of 14 we can’t forget that his main focus is studying.

on’t live in the ere he would have ked up by a pro ball godfather.» see how their passion for the sport can be passed down. GRIP: Would you like for him to be mentored by a great player so he could pass down all his experience? YS: That would be the best! It’s a shame we don’t live in the US. That would have

GRIP: With your successful testimony, what would you recommend for parents that aspire to have their children become super paintball players? YS: Children are a reflection of their parents. By taking Danny to paintball where his dad was playing, he quickly developed a passion and admiration for the sport. It’s a father-son experience. I would give other parents the advice of sharing their hobbies with their children. It’s very important! GRIP: What are the advantages that our sport have for young children? YS: It’s a great sport to develop camaraderie and teamwork. (At this moment the father comes in and intervenes) PB: … and who plays paintball doesn’t have money for drugs. (Laughs) GRIP: How many more years until you get your ass kicked by your son? PB: (Laughs) Slowly but surely Danny will

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«We know paintballs hurt and we don’t want Danny to lose his motivation.» have more contact with paintball fields and games. We know that paintballs hurt and we don’t want to demotivate him. There’s still some years left before he’s jumping into the field. But I will always be on the other side of the net giving him my full support… until my throat huts!

INTERVIEW WITH DANNY GRIP: What do you like about paintball? Danny: I love to play! When the older people go to play and then get off, the refs go on and then… then it’s my turn! GRIP: Who is your favourite player? Danny: All of the Blue Falcon!

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GRIP: Every single one? There’s a lot of them do you have one specific player? Danny: Hmmm… It’s Mangas! GRIP: Now you have your own paintball gun, with your name and everything… Danny: I have another one, but it doesn’t have my name (He is talking about his plastic gun) but this is the new one! GRIP: It’s from the brand that’s helping you out isn’t it? Danny: Yes, from DYE! GRIP: What do you want to be when you’re older? Danny: I don’t know, I’m too young yet. I’m going to help my brother sleep better! •

interview

Blue Falcon

#10

n a D

y n n elly

By Siegie K

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millennium

BITBURG

Bitburg is always the same! An amazing green lawn, the biggest venue in the whole Millennium, huge hotel complexes near the field and an amazing party with naked woman and beer. Why change it? For me Bitburg is a very special event of the Millennium Series. It is not only because I am a girl and German, no. I think it is a very special event for all of us. In Bitburg they let us play on top quality fields, where normally football or other more popular sports are played on. Then we arrive only to completely demolish it and transform it into a huge sea of mud. Especially when the

millennium

German unstable weather rains down, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough to water a soy field for a whole year, falling from the sky only for a few minutes in one weekend. That is awesome! I personally like playing on grass and I think this feeling is shared by many others, even if we are collecting core samples of soil, that we either take home or they break, crack or bend our markers, making us leave them in Bitburg so they can rest in peace. So even though the weather was sunny most of the time except for the few minutes when the apocalypse rang the doorbell, it was only partly cloudy during the weekend.

But there were dark clouds gathering over booth to find out about what consequences CPL in Bitburg just before the event. the roster change would cause for Comin’ We read on the Internet, that Marcello At Ya. Margott transferred to Dynasty. At first we As Marcello had been playing for Ironmen did not think about the consequences that DYE US - Factory Team and also been working were caused by that shift for the CPL. for DYE once in a while there was But taking a closer look it was no question of cooperating with obvious that Margott would not Comin’ At Ya. Last year they They let finish the Millennium this year had Alex Rodriguez who also us play on top with Comin’ At Ya. Right after went over to Dynasty at the quality grass, that we read about a very end of the season. So Margott which we turned disappointed and slightly angry would be replacing him which into a sea post on the Internet made by was arranged since December. of mud TC Sebastian Schubert telling the The whole team first met in Puget whole world that he had not been and trained together which worked informed about this polemical move. out perfectly. After the event Comin’ At Ya So right before watching any game I had dinner altogether and then separated. went to visit Sebastian Schubert at the DYE After that the team tried to contact

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Margott to hear his thoughts on Bitburg and anyway even if we had him with us. He would not have contributed very much.» he had not answered for days which was not So let’s take a closer look to what happened like him at all. Rumors began. Margott did in the CPL in Bitburg. Tontons and Heat, not answer any further mail or requests the ones from Houston, are again but two weeks later Comin’ At Ya read on the internet that he had on the finals. But although they both really deserved to be in shifted to Dynasty. Tontons the final, the game was quickly As Comin’ At Ya had no time were not only to prepare for this situation, beaten, they were settled in an astounding way. Tontons were not only beat, especially with a player who destroyed 5:0 they got destroyed 5:0. Several was intended to be starting towels were thrown in by the most games, they had to rethink Tontons, leading to Heat taking first and focus on new members. place yet still holding the same amount of This is a hard year for the team. They points as the French. lost three of their starters, where one quit, Nexus is again in last place as they lost two moved teams and now have to integrate all the preliminaries. Bitburg had no big three new members. According to Schubert: surprises for us in the CPL, with the only «Marcello’s move doesn’t affect us more than main change coming from GK Paris, going any other player leaving. In the game against from 9th to 15th. GK Paris for example, we would have lost it

millennium

MLKings went up three positions and season, so that they have to rebuild the Comin’ At Ya went down the same number. team every year. Some teams did not survive As every Millennium event has one Nations these changes, like the Netherlands, who Cup, we were excited to see the girls in came in 7th out of 8 teams. In the previous Bitburg after what we had seen in Puget. season they had finished in 3rd, however This is another reason why Bitburg is so this year their roster solely maintained two important for me. A girl playing paintball in girls from last year. On the other hand, the Germany is almost like being a unicorn. There Germans benefited from these changes. are many stories about it and you can see Previously finishing last in 2014, their training one once in a playing competitive paintball philosophy and roster changed, and this year but typically we become objects of these girls can really be proud of their amusement, with guys mocking performance. They made it to In the our dedication. So here we are 3rd place this year right after Turkish with our own Championship last years’ best teams Russia team, one of and the girls rocked it! and France who just switched the girls had Every national team has places so that France is 2015’s started playing the same problems to struggle champion. Another team paintball only with, which are mainly that each that should really be proud of one month female member is on a different themselves is Turkey. You might be before team which may all play well but can wondering why as they came last. But have radically different styles; so they need when I heard about the new national team to get together in a new way where every from Turkey joining the Championship this player has the chance to excel. They also year I was curious and made an appointment don’t train together as much as a normal CPLto meet their team captain Handan Yilmaz. or SPL-Team does, as the lack of time due to She told me that she initially wanted to their other teams’ commitments and often create the Turkish national team together large distances they must overcome to train. with her team captain Agah from Joker And of course one of the most important Paintball. She has now been playing paintball problems is that the roster changes every for eight years but always playing with boys. advertisement

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The girls she considered to represent Turkey overall. Sometimes it is even cancelled due in Bitburg are all friends and colleagues so to the lack of teams available for an event. they know each other very well. One of the Scenario is way more popular in Turkey than five girls started playing paintball only a speedball and their Federation is actually month before the event, which I personally a shooting and hunting federation so that consider to be very brave. paintball is neither independent nor They really worked hard, well supported. The practicing twice a week as they Yet today they have come Scorpions had planned to come to Bitburg to the point where the girls Milano are still since last year, which they 3rd overall, kicked should be proud. They do not would not have been able to have a huge or well-structured out of the finals do without the cooperation and group or organisation to support by Five Star support of Joker Paintball Team. them. They do it always on their Lleida The girls are now looking for own at the risk of performing badly new members to flesh out their roster and being disgraced in public. But they for next year. do it for paintball. They do it for the sport, I wanted to know why they had difficulties to make it more popular in Turkey. They finding more players and Handan tells want to show the world that it is fun to set a me that paintball is not very popular in good example which is so important to make Turkey. The league which was founded in paintball more popular. 2007 only consists of only 10 to 15 teams Again something really sad happened.

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Jordy Smits, 19 years old from the famous Dutch team Bad Boys did not make to the tournament. He died in a car accident on his way to Bitburg. The Bad Boys showed their respect right on the field before their games and also wrote for him on Facebook: «Our deepest and sincerest condolences to all of Jordy Smits’ family. Disaster struck as he was heading towards us to play the Millennium in Bitburg. Jordy got in a car accident and unfortunately didn’t survive. Words cannot begin to describe what went through us when we first heard the news. After careful thought we all decided

that heading to Bitburg is a thing that Jordy would have wanted us to do. We are going to dedicate this whole tournament in name of our beloved friend. Jordy, from all the Bad boys players, coaches and everyone else, Rest in Peace.» Although his team was sad they passed the preliminaries in SPL2 and did quite a good job there! In SPL 1 Five Star Lleida is now 1st overall after not losing a single game in Bitburg. They even beat up Vienna United 4:0 against whom they lost the finals in Puget. Vienna United is curently 8th overall. The

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Scorpions Milano are still 3rd overall again, kicked out of the finals by Five Star Lleida. We also have a huge surprise in SPL 1: Drammen Solid made it from 20th in Puget to 4th in Bitburg which means 10th overall. We are curious about what will happen in Basildon to those guys. Their loss against Manchester Firm and took their position from the last event by losing against the Scorpions. In SPL2, Dynamix Metz that came first in the last event went down 6 positions overall, as they only made it to 13th in Bitburg. Pugetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2nd placed team managed to come out worse in Germany. As they finished 23rd weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather not talk about that anymore.

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Rain of Fire NĂźrnberg used their reffing advantage, reaching 10th in Bitburg, now 3rd overall. But they are still a little behind Force Majeure Moscow who came second in Bitburg. Force Majeure lost no game except against the Lucky 15s from Staffordshire who are now 1st due to their same placed rank in the Bitburg event. In their first game of the event they kind of needed to wake up a little bit, as they lost 1-3 against PBS91, but after that they did not lose any other game so they could call themselves the real winners. In OD 1 Elite Ile Oleron kept second place and Copenhagen PB Club is now 1st after

finishing in the top in Bitburg. They achieved fun they are also known to be inconsistent in the same amount of point as Headshot their performance. Some teams donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even Moscow who are only 4 points behind after usually play together at home in a league but coming in 4th place in Bitburg. PB Club lost they come together once a year to play in their legs in the semi-finals. any Millennium event near their home. The Fat Lady Charms only came Due to the well-known fact that into the season in this event but Germany provides the biggest Germany they were torn apart. They paintball league in the world, provides the only won one point against Bitburg is the most crowded biggest league Wolverhampton Warped which spot of the Series. All the in the world, so leaves them in the penultimate Bitburg is the most German players just want spot overall. to have the special feeling crowded spot in The only divisions that are of competing internationally the Series missing now are OD 2 and OD 3. but cannot afford to play the These are the most difficult Divisions to whole series. Of course the events in make predictions about. As they are the most France and Great Britain are also stuffed convenient divisions for hobby players who with those kind of players but in Germany donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t train all the time and just want to have there are just way more teams. Playing

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paintball non-professionally means that you have to spend all the money you have on paint, equipment and fee. So if you want to compete internationally you also have to pay for the journey and accommodation. Paintball is expensive as we all know but we still want to take the chance to meet different people from different countries. What does that mean for the ranking? 14

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German teams joined OD 2 and another 14 German teams in OD 3. Assuming that they all are planning to play only in Bitburg, the ranking just gets thrown in the air. For example OD 2 winners P8 Family Vilvoorde had just joined in so that last eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winner Toulouse Dagnir Dae managed to keep their 1st place in the overall ranking. 2nd overall are now the Topcats who

played way better than their last event but points behind the lead, in 5th place. we have to admit that they were in a very In this Division there are only four teams easy preliminaries group which sent them to that have played both events so everything the quarter finals without breaking a sweat can change within the next two events. even though they only won three of five I can’t help myself but to mention all the games. One team who got hit by a hard group things that happen outside of the fields in is overall 3rd placed team the Saar Fanatics. Bitburg. In contrast to Puget, you didn’t With four wins and eight game points they have to pay entrance fee for the CPL stands got kicked out in the preliminaries and which makes it special for all the non-playing ended up as the best team that didn’t make guests to become acquainted with our it to the finals, finishing Bitburg in 9th. But sport. You can bring your friends and family as I explained many teams did not star in and watch high-class paintball for free Puget, so Saar Fanatics managed to which is awesome, and we should maintain their overall place from all try to raise awareness which Paintball is the last event. Let’s see what is such a big step for our sport expensive but will happen to OD 2 in Basildon. to become more popular. we still In OD 3 Berlin Damage Bitburg is also famous for want to take who made 1st place in Puget its parties, especially the ones the chance to were washed out by the in the strip club Tic Tac which meet different competition. Coming in 13th, is crowded by paintballers once people. they dropped down to 3rd overall. a year. You can see several team 2nd place overall went to the event’s shirts and jerseys from the field that you 2nd placed S.F. Damaiense from Lisbon. can meet again after the games. Ok of course They came up from 6th. 1st overall is now there are also boobs and beer which makes it Gladiatori Unicusano. They only made it to more attractive for players. 3rd in Bitburg, but the Divsion’s winner of Bitburg is not the most beautiful place the German event were the 69ers Wiesloch, in the world but everybody makes the best who only started playing the series in this out of it, making it a special place every stage and left out Puget so they are still 82 single year. • advertisement

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Patrícia simões

Model: Patrícia Simões | Photog rapher: Carlos Rodrigues | Mak eup & Hair: Sílv ia Ferreira

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EURO BIG GAME There are certain places in the world that are just begging for a Paintball game. We all know that one military base, that one abandoned factory or that amazing island that would make for a tremendous paintball battlefield. In the case of the EuroBigGame in Germany, it actually happened and it was one hell of a battlefield! Text: Miguel Brito

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The game takes place twice every year Upon arrival, our already high in Mahlwinkel, an abandoned Soviet expectations for flawless German military base that used to be part of the organization were exceeded as we former German Democratic Republic and witnessed a neatly set up registration was intended to supply and support an area with friendly staff and an interesting offensive in the famous Fulda Gap, in case system in place that gives players an the Cold War heated up. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking incentive to keep the site clean. After more than 500,000 square yards of EBG is one of the longest events barracks, helipads and ammo dumps that make for a tremendous Cold War worldwide with four consecutive themed paintball game between the days of paintball action. aptly named Blue and Red teams. It is also one of the longest events worldwide with four consecutive days of getting the ticket and the usual bag of paintball action, two of which are a classic goodies, you would proceed through a gate, large scale big game. guarded by a tank that would surely make GRIP went to the event between the short work of anyone not wearing their 14th and 17th of May this year and we have wristbands. to say, it was definitely worth the trip. As we drove down the main street

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towards the staging area, surrounded by tall trees and even taller wind generators that populated the area, we caught a glimpse of some of the campsites set up by the teams and there were some impressive ones indeed. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking military parachutes, radio antennas, sandbags, BBQs large enough to feed a small town and, of course, ridiculously over the top sound systems that had everyone singing along to some the best rock classics from the 70s. But enough about the surroundings, what about the game? It started quite early on Friday, so there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a lot of drinking the night before. It was clear people were here

to play Paintball first and get drunk second, despite the incredible beer available onsite. There was a major briefing given in front of the main stage and safety was well emphasized. Around nine in the morning players loaded up their kits, went to the starting points and soon after that paint started flying through the air. Within both the Red and Blue teams there were eight special forces groups (four on each side). On the blue side you had the Black Angels, Blue Eagles, Shock Troop Scorpions, Berserk Vikings and G.H.O.S.T. On the Red Team these groups were the Green Devils, Red Falcons, Viper Storm, Angry Pirates and Spartans. Most

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of these forces were made up of large and well known teams attending the event like Amsterdam Heat, Blue Falcon Squadron, Bushmasters, FUBAR, Northern Alliance, Sandbaggers, Ruffnecks, Team Tactics, Silberr端cken, BadBoyz, Berserker, among other big names in the world of Paintball. They were tasked with special missions that were crucial to the success of their respective teams and usually involved holding flags deep behind enemy lines until relieved or escorting the tank through treacherous roads. This lead to some intense and interesting skirmishes

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with special forces teams either getting overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught of enemy players or devising some interesting tactics to overcome their numerical disadvantage. One thing was clear though, everyone had a part to play in the battle and it was great to see how keen players were to overcome language barriers, work together, organize charges and flanks and tackle objectives. A crushing defeat was suffered by the Blue team on the first day of fighting, as the Reds absolutely dominated the battlefield, completing almost all of

the missions and pushing back the Blues sheer offensive force was apparent when on all fronts. They were clearly well they had to escort the tank and simply coordinated and their charges were an breezed through dug in Blue positions. The impressive sight to witness. Dozens of Red team was also aware of the importance smoke grenades followed by a long wave of of certain buildings and crossroads around players screaming their lungs out. A lot of the map and always seemed to keep them the special forcesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; teams on the Blue side under control throughout the first day, were actually forced to The Blue team charged out of the trenches, fight a sort of guerrilla warfare, hiding in screaming into the open. They scored the the woods, waiting in point, their mission was accomplished. ambush because they simply couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stand a frontal assault. The second and third games which again helped them control the flow of that day were less concentrated around of the battle. However, somebody up the the hotspots of the base and were focused chain of command on the Red team clearly more on capturing flags around the entire forgot to mention a tiny little detail that playable area, which clearly favoured the they had to actually capture flags, not just Red team. Their superior coordination and push the Blues away from them. A lot of

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points were needlessly lost that day, giving the Blue team a fighting chance in the upcoming battles. The second day began early once again, with the Blue team desperate to score some points and strengthened by some fresh reinforcements. Their first mission of the day was to hold a trench complex for half an hour. Now this was a truly intense battle! The Red players surrounded the trenches and started coming from all directions, focusing the bulk of their offensive on an approach covered by a large warehouse that led straight into the first line of trenches. Blue players tried desperately to cover all approaches and concentrated most of their players around a strategic tower that oversaw the whole area. The paintballs hit the sides of the trenches by the thousands and threw sand in the air, smoke grenades went off on every road and open space and the radio chatter was overwhelming. At the very last minute, the Blue special forces charged out of the trenches, screaming into the open, in a scene reminiscent of a First World War infantry charge. They scored the point, their mission was accomplished. Later that day it was the Blue teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turn to protect the tank, which looked like a Mad Max version of an old Ford van, and escorted it down a narrow road through a total of four checkpoints. This was a much tighter escort battle to witness than the one before, especially considering how both sides changed their tactics and adapted to enemy movements. Although the Blues managed to secure

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the first two points with ease, they soon ran into a stalemate close to the trench complex they had defended earlier. A wellpositioned Red force rained down paint

The tank looked like a Mad Max version of an old Ford van. from the tower and the trenches were covered by a line of Red players that hid in the woods, protecting the flanks. As the Blues tried to push outward to flank the

entrenched forces they kept running into the opposition. The line was soon stretched too thin and the tank left unguarded, eventually being destroyed by the Red team bringing one of the most intense battles of the game to an end. Finally, the game spread into the dense woodland that surrounded the chokepoints and buildings at the site, in a desperate rush by both teams to capture and secure flags. An hour of intense attacks and counterattacks followed, coming down to a single flag that was being defended by the Red team in the north-eastern corner of the site. The flag was out in the open, but the Reds had placed themselves well to

cover it, once again securing key buildings and fighting positions around the flag. The Blue team pushed hard, with Special Forces teams gathering large groups along the tree lines and leading the charge towards the flag. They kept screaming “If we take this flag we win!”, “Just one more flag!” they said over and over again, rallying their forces. After every Blue push there was a Red counterattack and soon there were Blue and Red players unknowingly standing next to each other. It was absolute chaos and ultimately the Red defence held strong, finally ending the game. You could feel the tension and suspense in the air when it was finally time to reveal the results later that evening. The

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hosts on stage explained that although prizes, auctions and music went on through the Blue team had taken a beating on the the night, with teams and players that had first day, they had made an impressive come from all corners of Europe and the comeback by completing important Beer, prizes, auctions and music missions and securing flags, so this would be a close one! And a close one went on through the night it was, 206 to 200 points, the Red team won! Red players cheered loudly and, World coming together to celebrate yet despite their defeat, Blue players held another great weekend of Paintball. If you their heads high as they had fought back truly want to experience what this sport with all they had. is like on a large scale, with multinational As usual, and in typical German fashion, teams and a great scenario setting, a massive playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; party with lots of beer, EuroBigGame is the place to be. â&#x20AC;˘

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High tech in sce

Often game organisers try different game formats, a to improve the playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the two most high tech pa

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Defcon3

and some even include new technology and gadgets GRIP went to investigate, in what were probably Text: AndrĂŠ Faria | Photos: Kurt KrĂ¤mer aintball games of the year!

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Project Alpha Gotchaspielfeld North Brozek | Poland 51.721826, 14.703704 | 1, 2 and 3/05/2015 Gotchaspielfeld North and Bertl, the game organizer, made it possible for the teams to use the newest BattleTac software in the Project Alpha scenario game. This software is mainly used by milsim events, with GPS tracking and messaging, which included useful information about the area, the position of teammates and Mission objects or destinations. It is an extensive Battlefield Information System for smartphones that even has a Commander function for controlling the outfield. Technically it was a challenge to make it work with coverage for the vast field, over half a kilometre radius to be more exact. GSM connections in smartphones made it possible, connecting the squads to HQ, allowing communication of objectives, positions, and mission updates. This software uses a mapbox system, which has more detailed and better looking topographic maps than what Google Earth offers, but it also accepts KMZ files too. The German team Defcon3

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provided the map of the game area in which the team commanders and squad leaders worked on all weekend. Project Alpha was now ready for 3 days of intense and high tech battles with more than 600 players showing up from UK, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Russia, Croatia, Turkey and Switzerland! These 3 days consisted in more than 25 hours of gameplay, including two evenings

Every player using the app in their smartphone would see the bottleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position. of Magfed tournament as night games, a Milsig Shooting Range and the Project Alpha scenario main games. The latter included several features, like the famous T-54 tank, 3 jeeps, a paintball MG, several artillery fires, storm shields and additional smoke support. A true feast for the player senses! In the main scenario game, the factions Guerillos United (GU) and Team Tactic

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(TT) could know the exact location of the objectives, the serum bottles, in the monitors placed in each staging area! As soon as it was grabbed by a faction, the other serum bottle location would pop up in the screen of Mission Control. Every player using this app in their smartphone would see the bottle’s position: ”Bottle at F6”…“bottle at C3”…“bottle at C7” making players fan out in a mad capture and secure these main objectives. This added a fast pace energetic boost to the game, making the players aware of what’s going on nearby, with inputs from other squads on the smartphone’s screen. In the main command centres the big picture was a plus, with players being able to mark enemy positions, and this way

helping to make coordinated attacks. As for the players’ feedback for this high tech system? The use of smartphones in the field was not easy, when you didn’t have a support on the marker for it. Using it in your pocket was not a great option, because you would only pick it up, when it wasn’t needed! But in the command

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Fotos Sheree Daniels

and control centre it worked like a charm, with big screens and an overall view of the action in real time. As a side event, Milsig set up a shooting range for the International Paintball Marksmanship Competition, with digital counters and target electronic control, making it possible for every magfed player to show his/her talent. A course had to be completed by

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two players, beating each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time. Bertl sums it up: â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me as a big game organiser the biggest challenge is to inform the players about the missions and to control the missions. Battletac is still at an early stage and we help the Battletac crew to develop a perfect tool for paintball events. Battletac works and for me it is the future for managing a paintball big game with a storylineâ&#x20AC;?.

Zero dark thirty Citadel | Givet | France 50.134653, 4.809450 - 9 and 10/05/2015 Scenario game zone they may secure a Shoreline put up a ‘Hybrid’ high tech paintball game where a Magfed event mobile phone and in the other Scenario game zone they may secure a phone and Scenario event were combined number. When all three factions returned at the same location, and integrated to the staging area after the mission together. What happened in the Magfed they could put their three ‘elements’ zones had an effect in the Scenario together to get the clue. So in this case zones and vice versa. they put the SIM card in the phone and The game’s scenario was based on the dialled the number, listening to the next movie Zero Dark 30, where a team was hunting a terrorist whilst the other team was protecting him. HUNTER FACTIONS: British MI6, Each side had three factions, American CIA and the German BND one Magfed faction each and two - (Magfed Faction) Scenario factions each, totaling about 300 players from UK, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, SHADOWS FACTIONS: Russian GRU, Belgium, France, Greece and The Operators and Blackwater Czech Republic. - (Magfed Faction) The identity of the terrorist was unknown and the teams had clue for the terrorist’s identity.” to complete missions to earn up to a To do this, each team had a tech total of seven clues, about the terrorist station with a laptop, a 42 inch plasma identity. To earn a clue they required screen, licensed radio system and a three ‘elements’ and one element would data analyst. The absolute dream game be available in each game zone. control centre for any Commander. As the game organiser Tim Barnett Several missions developed over explains: “In the Magfed game zone the event days, involving electronic they may secure a SIM card, in a

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decryption devices, USB drives and DVDs with intel, electronic flags and GPS tracked objectives, SIM cards and phones to make calls in order to get more intel, and all of this while running against a ticking timebomb! Just like in the movies! players fighting room to room. It was a The game raged on for two days with great end to the game. some amazing CQB action and also some Tim sums it up: “Would we do another larger game zones at the Each team had a tech station with rear of the Citadel. In the a laptop, a 42 inch plasma screen, final and seventh game both teams identified licensed radio system and a data analyst that the terrorist was in the hotel in the middle of the CQB ‘hybrid’ format game again? Probably not. area and an almighty battle raged with It was cool to try it and whilst Scenario

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Fotos Sheree Daniels

Players would take part, many Magfed players seem to prefer smaller scale games with only Magfed on offer. Personally I think this is a shame as I think Magfed should be more willing to integrate in to the rest of paintball instead of shutting themselves away in their own environment, but ultimately the players are the ones who have the last say. For us, we had delivered a very complex game design, we tried new technology, we tried new game concepts, everything was on time and delivered exactly as promised and most players loved the weekend â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so it was a great success for us and we will keep trying new things for the future.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘ advertisement

TFX Is the TFX able to face their competition? Come and find out!

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HK is the embodiment of the American Dream. Some rebel kids decided to make some sandanas for their team to pay for their expensive paintball habits and slowly they began to expand their empire to the point where they are one of the best and biggest brands in our sport today. Last year they released one of the meanest looking goggles on the market and now they have a new loader – the TFX. TFX stands for The Full Experience, promising players a new, and apparently complete, experience of what this piece of equipment should offer to all players. The first thing we noticed was the packaging within which it came in. Unlike other loaders, the TFX comes in a hard case to protect it when it’s rolling around in our bags. This way, every time you finish a long day of paintball you just place it in the box knowing it’s safe in there. We’re already happy with the product and we haven’t seen it! Unlike other loaders, this only has a feed of 22 balls per second, as if it needed more… and has a capacity of 216 paintballs. Electronic-wise, the board is fully protected and waterproof. For the

bravest of warriors, you can wash the TFX in your dishwasher, although we don’t recommend nor did we risk trying that out. Its battery life wasn’t fully tested although HK says two AA batteries can go through ten boxes of paint. The feed mechanism fits any paintball, be it high- or low-grade or even reballs. The loader excels especially in its design. As with everything in life, some like it and some don’t, but we are in the former group. There is a clear comparison to be made with the Spire, but the only similarity is the straight lateral milling, which is unlike the Rotor’s rounded peripheries. The TFX is elegant, with some aggressive and colourful details that make it stand out. It also has a reduced profile that is an obvious advantage in the game. The buttons on the back are very aesthetically pleasing. Mechanically, nothing was left to chance. There is a tension control that allows the user to control the strength that balls are fed by the loader. When there is a jammed ball, the three layered shovel system spins the balls round to allow for movement to flow again. Disassembly is like many other loaders, toolless is the way to go. It also has

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ADVANTAGES • • • •

Design Hard case Colour variety Waterproof

stock quick-feeds. Inside the It seems to us that this is TFX, there is a spring loaded a solid bet by HK that feeds DISADVANTAGES slope that places all the the market with some new • Price paintballs straight into the products every year, always feeding system. with an attractive design and The price is its biggest downfall, durable material. We have experienced currently sold at a staggering 226€. their excellent customer service which In a game situation, there is nothing to just exponentially raises their whole complain about. 100% reliable without a single product’s quality and credibility. jam. When it’s shot you can clearly hear the We have no doubts that in time the impact to avoid any unwarranted penalties. TFX will make a statement in the loader We were shaking the loader like crazy to market, as most players love the style cause some paintballs to break inside, and they’re bringing into the field which is even there it had an ace performance. backed up by high quality products. •

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Text: AndrĂŠ Garrido

DROM #athlete

Every time we mention DROM everyone remembers the most amazing running cleats that paintball has. The thing is that this brand is not only about their high performance shoes. Take a look at their new products.

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Today DROM have sneakers, jerseys, loader shields, tracksuits and sportswear. And in their pursuit to become one of the main paintball brands, they decided to invest in a new area: protective gear. DROM released the new #Athlete protections that consists in Knee Pads, Slide Shorts and of course elbow pads. At this moment you might be rolling your eyeballs and making a face that this is not a big deal, but it is! DROM decided that they should be different and not just release another product to make some money, especially because they are in a position that if they release something that everyone else is making they know that they will lose a lot of money. So how can someone improve such a simple part of our gear? Simple! Make it more athletic. Following the trend of

the Ultralite gear the first noticeable difference of this protective gear is that they are slimmer than the competition. But slimmer usually means less protective. Well, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not as clear cut as that. On one hand, slimmer means less bounces and less protection leading to some beautiful bruises; but on other hand our sport is more athletic than ever. Today for players to surpass competition they must be fast, agile and need the gear that can keep up with these demands. All the equipment has a thin layer of fabric that fits tight on the body with the padded protection sewn on. It is as simple as that! This way you are both comfortable and protected! The elbows have the usual protective half-glove with extra padding and the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logo.

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The fabric is durable as hell! We tested by sport specialists coming from several it directly on the ground without any other sports like rugby, soccer, basketball, other material over it and despite all the triathlon and of course paintball. dust and dirt they were like We would like to say it’s new. We tried to stretch not all about the positives, ADVANTAGES and rip the seams apart and and trust us we were looking • Comfort that was a hard job. Of for any possible faults, but • Flexibility course some stiches start there just weren’t any. You • Weight to complain after we were might like the design or almost tearing into it with not… but these items are DISADVANTAGES our teeth but everything to keep under your jersey • Nothing to point out held up in place. and pants. If you have any doubts that this would From our point of view this is the first work we should be more impressed if real athletic high-performance protective we say that this product was developed gear. •

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