PaintballX3 Magazine February 2015 | Page 65

65 Part Three - PaintballX3 Magazine, February, 2015 target is, the less likely the ball is to rels to Deadlywind and many others. But Smart Parts did it first. break, all other things being equal. All of that said, the Flatline quickly became a favorite of woodsballers worldwide. Within a few short months the Flatline was available for a bevy of markers, not just TIppmanns. And today you still see Flatline Barrels on the field. You may remember Tex Christopher as a member of the 1990s Pro paintball team Texas Storm or as an employee of Viewloader in the mid to late 90s (or as a member of the Naughty Dogs if you have a really good memory). After Brass Eagle acquired Viewloader/ CM Support, Tex (with some new found cash in his pocket) started a new company called Odyssey Sports where he quickly went on to work on his new loader/hopper, the HALO (Highly Advanced Loader Operations). 2001, HALO Loader from Odyssey Sports 2000, Smart Parts Freak Barrel System Like other conventional hoppers/loaders the HALO sits in the traditional part of the marker above the main body, connected to the feed neck (unlike the Warp Feed for example). The HALO is a force-feed loader that uses a plastic wheel to capture paintballs and them into the feed neck. The “cone” At a time when paintball marker tech(and gravity) forces the paintballs into nology was developing and changing quickly, paintballs were still inconsistent compartments on the outer edge of the wheel. The HALO doesn’t actually in size, shape and even weight. When force-feed paintballs into the marker; Smart Parts released their Freak Barrel System players found a new way to it sorts/moves them from the loader compartment into the feed neck where match their paintballs to their barrels. gravity drops them into the marker. The original Smart Parts Freak BarUnlike other loaders of its time, the rel system offered play