The Wild World of TB!

You won't find anything like this on the net yet and maybe never in a magazine. I take you inside the SP1 and while some people will read this as HYPE, I only quote what I know. After the 24 hour game here in a few weeks when multiple people paw it and shoot it and generally monkey fuck it, I will let you know how it stands up as I attempt to put this thing through a true scenario torture test. Why? Because before I sign off on anything I have to see it for myself and beat on it. However this will be what it looks like gutted (because I like to do that) and I will talk about my inital impressions and issues. Just because I am sponsored doesn't give Smart Parts a free ride regardless of what some people think.

So here is the upclose and personal pictures of the Smart Parts SP1:

As you can see, it is steel braided hose. The reason is that this marker is designed to be shot with CO2 or HPA but the marker is designed to handle any dangerous items caused by CO2, liquid or otherwise. I didn't pull the reg apart, but this is the new Inline reg that is designed to vent CO2 and if you don't have a anti-siphon tank, to lessen the harm caused by Liquid CO2. I shot a tank at World Cup down to nothing, it was frozen over, the gun froze then in about 5 seconds, it went right back to firing with no issues. I even got to see the CO2 burns on Darryl Trents and Adam Gardner's arms from shooting CO2 down to the frozen over liquid state and the marker still performed with no issues.

Here is how you take it apart:

As you can see it comes apart similar to an ION, but there are differences. The biggest is the board is mounted horizontally instead of in the grip and the solenoid is a lot smaller as well. One of the drawbacks is the LED cover, it will fall out. They should membrane it anyway to try and keep water out, but that be something that has to be later, or in the next revision. It would also be nice to have a hole cut into the grip frame to make removal of that hex bolt a lot easier. My biggest bitch is the 90 degree angles on the back two rails. This is proven to not be effective in test after test, I have been told there is a mount that will kick it up to a 45 degree angle, but I did let Billy know that the further the sight is away from the tube the less accuracy you get, the further away you are. Now I don't mind shooting people up close, but after 20 feet you have to aim at the far left side of their body to hit center mass. And putting a qloader or warpfeed and stacking the sight 3 inches above that isn't any better. Because all paintball guns are so inaccurate, you have to get that closeness and the 45 degree angle is the best. It's the reason we shoot the DTI Tactical Body from Deadlywind vs the other bodies out there. And since so many people want to say that they are 'copying' but other people can make whatever body they want, then they should do the same.

Deadlywind Body:

Other bodies:

Another potential issue is the way the rails are mounted, they are glued on and screwed in. I havent put my stuff on for a 24 hour game but we will see what it looks like when I get done with it. My Deadlywind body is single cast so there is no single point of failure bit the feedneck (which a teammate of mine has broken) where as the SP1 has almost 6. I would much prefer longer screws with 3 insertion points and even in the upgrade path moving to a lightweight single cast aluminium body, maybe with even a few less rails.

Now take that with a grain of salt, because this is an entry level marker and most people aren't going to beat the gun as much as I do or Thunderstruck does. But I do want to mention all aspects as well.

Here is a look at the internals:

AS you can see even the internal hoses are now nylon and gone are the macroline fittings. Again this marker is made for CO2 but performs just as well on HPA. It has the impulse On/Off which is a much better switch then the ION that so many people are prone to breaking off. Another cool thing is that the soleniod is removable. 2 Screws and it comes off. This will help the aftermarket board makers as well as allow you to replace the solenoid without have to replace the whole board. Bolt out the back now, of course makes it a snap to clean your marker as well as lubricate it. Of course some of the upgrades include a Blackheart board with eyes and a new milled breech. A double trigger for those that like that sort of thing and QEV's or the ultimate Epiphinany firing cans/chamber. Add on the metal body and a clip enclosure for the ref and you got the makings of a really neat mil-sim marker.

Here are the last ones:

As you can see, with no stacked blowback or hammer in the way, a few quick turns and you pull the whole assembly out and can replace O-rings or lubricate any of the moving parts quick fast and in a hurry. In the front there is also a removable plug that fits a Maglite mini perfect and locks it in so you don't lose it. It's a neat little feature, not super useful, but very cool nonetheless.

All in all, so far I am impressed for a marker that is $149 retail, out of the box and can do all of this and has the upgrade path available that this one does. It is capped at 11 BPS semi-auto only with no eyes. However, Smart Corps did win the SPPL Championships with this marker. Not a super-upgraded one, these markers right out of the freaking box. And that is saying something, when all the crying about how the Smart Corps did this, this, that or the other thing. They tool their entry level marker and whooped monkey asses against Tippmanns, Spyders and other guns with no issues. And that makes it a great back up gun for me, thats for sure. I will give you more in a few weeks when the true scenario test comes about. But here are the specs as they are posted on their site. I am hoping to be able to announce that you will be able to buy them here and through Thunderstruck's website with a coupon code to give you a little more discount. And if you want to shoot it or give it a go, give me a shout at Viper's game here in Texas, I'll hook you up for a little bit!

A fresh take on tactical. With its military styling and ultra rugged lightweight construction, the SP-1 is built for speed and made to last.

Features:
Mil-spec accessory rails at every angle and integrated mount points for a stock, the SP-1 is ready for a limitless variety of accessories.
Equipped with an integrated tactical flashlight mount right below the barrel, which accepts inexpensive focused beam flashlights at a fraction of the cost of expensive tactical flashlights.
Low pressure electropneumatic operation replaces the outdated spring and hammer designs that power competing tactical markers, and allows the SP-1 to deliver a fast , accurate and quiet hailstorm of paint.
Weight (marker only): 2 lbs. 6 oz.
Length (w/out barrel): 12.5 in.
Operating Pressure: 180psi
Gas Source: HPA or CO2
Anti-Chop System: Low force bolt
Trigger Pivot: Stainless steel pin
Ball Detent: Dual rubber style
Semi auto firing mode
Max Rate of fire: 11bps
Field legal mode lock
Runs on one 9 volt battery
Standard ASA included
One piece 10 inch barrel
Feedneck: Vertical clamping
Glass fiber reinforced nylon grip frame/body

Need a stocking stuffer? Want to get your kid in the game but don't want to drop a buttload on a X-7? Then you might want to look at this marker, I think that it might indeed be the Tippmann killer that Tom/AGD was looking for in the Tac-One. If they can just get those little things that I don't like fixed I think that this thing will go a hell of a lot further then the Tac-Ones did, just based on price and type of marker. But I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I do ask that you not copy them and that if you link back you put the website up as well.

Per a request since I left some information out. It takes Ion/Impulse threaded barrels. The board upgrade will be Smart Parts Blackheart (new board design) and I am sure that some 3rd party guys will be on this one soon as well. Here are the shots of the manual that deal with adjusting the reg as well as seing the blow-up of the marker.