A Tippmann...ugly duckling or pretty practical?

[Gravity Slave]

If you read enough PB articles (magazines or websites) or just over heard enough conversations by people at the fields you play at, you'd already know the stigma attached to the Tippmann marker. Most people...(usually tournement players) find the Tippmann line of markers just plain ugly. This may or may not be true, but it's all about the "Eye of the Beholder" right? Sure the average Tippmann, we'll focus on the 98/98c for now, doesn't look quite as stream lined as an Angel or even a Spyder. Ok, so the stock Tippmann doesn't have all the colors of the rainbow, as small of a profile or even double trigger (which is really a standard and preference). But what these guys don't understand is that some of the best things in life don't come in a pretty package. The Tippmann is basically the "Flag ship" of entry level markers, and the beauty of it is that are gratuitously upgradable to meet even the strictest of Speed ball standards. You can place a Tippmann in any element of Paintball perfectly, whether it's Speedball or a Scenario game. Granted a brightly colored flourescent green and silver Angel with all the fixin's will compete greatly in Speed ball, but guess what, try bringing that same paint and air hog to a wooded field and your widdled down to the average. You can wear all the camo you want at a scenario game, but as long as your beautiful Angel is lit up light a neon sign at a hair salon or christmas tree, your out in the open. Despite your 12-15 ball a second abilities, your gonna be the first to get shot. But in any case, price doesn't mean victory...I've seen a lot of high end marker users get tagged with a low ender marker user ( usually a rental). Keep your high end toy that looks like something the "Super Soaker" designed, It'll make eliminating you high end marker users that much more satisfying...

[jawpaul]

A stock tippmann looks ok in my opinion. They can be tricked out to look very cool, but the 98 & 98 custom still has the basic look to it. Tippmann's aren't known for their good looks but more for their dead on reliability and construction. Although not having that totally tricked look is sometimes good, like you don't worry as much about scratching or damaging your marker when you pull that unbelivable flying jumping bunker of death like the guys with the custom anodized tricked out gun. Looks are good, but when rubber meets the road, or in this case the bolt hits the paint, it better be able to perform.

[-=ReD-hAzE=-]

tippys look pretty nice any which way imo...

and then they can become very nice looking...

[arson51]

i want to see you try to anodize that stamped alumium

[tonysk83]

u can anno a tippy its very hard but possible, creek did it on
CD old tippy, that gun is probably power coated though

[Unicorn]

I like the look of Tippmanns. I also like the look of the Automag classic. Both are pretty plain looking, and pretty simple. I tend to like that for fomw reason. I do like the Angel IR3, and the Bob Long Dragon Intimidator is awesome, but many other guns look rediculous to me. Many have a wannabe Buck Rogers look to them, like they should have been used as the "ray guns" in some fifties sci-fi show. And as with many things, it's a personal preference. I think that Porches are pretty ugly. Most here probably disagree.

[tonysk83]

well im going to say a champange color ir3 is THE WORST, why would any one want that pos:D

[TippAtakFaction]

:pissed: ok ok some think tippmann guns are ugly...but youll have to admit that a scratched anodyzed gun doesnt look so great either...tippmann guns are built to last and theyre flat black usually so they dont reflect much. in my opinion i think the real gun look is the most astetically pleasing. oh yeah and theyre tippmann bashing at http://www.pbreview.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=101758

[Crime Dog]

I just read the thread. They're not Tippmann bashing. They're newbie bashing. A stock Tippy cannot shoot 10 bps. I'm sorry, but they're right. I can get that with my Blazer, but not with my old Tippy...

[TippAtakFaction]

true true...maybe my m98 will never reach 10+bps but i still love it none the less. ahh well. hey crime dog, nice job keeping the forum on topic and reader friendly. ive learned a lot here in the tippy forum.

[Alexi1337]

Personally I think my tippy is ugly as hell. But I love it. And people learn to give respect where respect is due. Sure my marker doesn't have a laser etched logo, or a double anodized finish, but it is definately a beast. I can go on the break without thinking "what if my timing slips" or "what if something goes wrong".

[Crime Dog]

I don't worry about it either. ;)

[Gravity Slave]

Listening to other peoples thoughts at the field are nice, albeit brief, but nice. But hearing extended opinions by people here at this forum hightens the satisfaction. Unlike at your local field, you can sit and hear hundreds of peoples thoughts and opinions pertaining to any of the various subjects pertaining to paintball at your leisure, and take your time to speak out. Anyway, My thoughts on the Tippmann line of markers (especially the model 98's) was just something that I noticed in the paintball community. All too often and unfortunatly the growing trend seems to be on the tornement level, especially speedball and hyperball. Although playing on wooded fields isn't lost, it seems there is a growing trend in the faster paced games like speed ball. At my local field when the Field host/owner says over the PA "Next game is at field 5a the Tower is next!...Four minutes!" I notice more than half the people (usually the younger crowd wearing JT or Dye jerseys totiong Cockers and Angles) groan: "Awww, why can't we just play speed ball instead?!" I, as well as my friends get somewhat flustered as to why playing a wooded field is such a problem for these guys. That was until we figured out why...These guys (or rather youths with the team jerseys and high end markers for tourneys) were just like us but on the opposite end of the spectrum. They groaned and complained about playing a wooded field like we did about playing speed/hyper ball. My first time playing was on a wooded field with rented equiptment, and seeing that group of 5 kids on the opposing team, all wearing the same team jerseys intimidated me and my friends, but after all was said and done, they got easily eliminated and were no match in the woods. The fear was gone, All their fansy equiptment and apparel was just show...atleast until we (me and my friends in camo) went up against them in speed ball. Like we owned them in the woods... They took us to town, we were like *****es in their arms. Just like any sport, there is always a preference, a choice of game...

[Alexi1337]

Hah I get nothing but respect from those little kids with cockers and impy's. But thats only AFTER the game :D

[Coenen]

My tippy is a thing of beauty in a pug ugly functional kind of way, not that I wouldn't mind a Dragon Timmy (blue-black fade) or a Black Magic 'cocker but my tippmann could probably take on either of them and with a few good moves and perhaps that unbelivable flying jumping bunker of death you'll make 'em notice that looks don't mean performance.

[nicsf50]

Pesonally, I like the all buisness look of all the Tippmann guns. I,ve never been into all of those expensive, "rainbow brite" lookin guns. Kinda *** if u ask me. Just my 2cents:D

[PAX IMPERIALIS]

Originally posted by nicsf50
Pesonally, I like the all buisness look of all the Tippmann guns. I,ve never been into all of those expensive, "rainbow brite" lookin guns. Kinda *** if u ask me. Just my 2cents:D

Amen :tup:

[bryanwiesendahl]

I'm not trying to bash tippmans but i will have to disagree. You said that a fully decked out tippman will fit just as well as an angel into a game of speedball. Nowadays tourney ball has become a game of sheer volume, not accuracy. Massive amounts of paint are laid down on a bunker just to keep him down so that he can be bunkered. Back players spend the whole game shooting down the tape to keep that line clear. Even the great bob long says that paintball is now a game of volume. Therefore, in my opinion, a tippy that can only obtain 10 bps max will not be as well suited to tourney ball as an angel.

[bryanwiesendahl]

sorry to double post but as well who said that you have to be camoflaged to play a good game of woodsball?? i'm never camoflaged and i spank a ton of people.

[Gravity Slave]

True, "volume" is an asset in the game of speed ball and such, but what's the good of laying down $20 dollars worth of paint to take out just one guy?! And that's if your lucky! Even though the decked out tippmann may not lay down the expected amount of paint used in tourneys or basic speedball, you still have to account for reliablity and accuracy, which a Tippy has. That's the problem with paintball today, everyone has this misconception that the more paint sprayed...the better...wrong! Just cause it's raining, doesn't mean the opposition isn't using an umbrella. Meaning: You can lay down all the paint you want, AND hope for the best, but if your hoping for a stray ball to hit just due to volume, your fooling yourselves. Chances are your opposition knows what your up to. You can spray and pray all you like, but I'd put my money on the guy taking even and tempered shots with a tippy rather than the Angel spraying paint like a malfunctioning car body paint sprayer at a Ford factory. I've seen it done before, you got guys with Angels coating every bunker on the field with indescrimintate and random shots, but at the same time, I've seen the other guys taking descriminate shots and getting their eliminations. The only good laying down massive amounts of paint is keeping the opposing team's head down and hoping one of those balls randomly hits their mark...Basically, one is working on luck, the other is working on strategy and calculation.

[arson51]

if you are palying against agressive palyers that arent afraid to pop out into incoming strings of paint and fire back at you. like in pro tournments than you better hope a random ball hits them.

it isnt foolish to spray but an aknowlegment that paintballs arent very accurate and as tom kay said "accuracy in volume"

the ametures and pros dont just spray they use stratagy and movent as well. if we could walk their shoes we would understand alot.

[bryanwiesendahl]

thats what i meant when i was talking about back players shooting up the tape to keep that lane free. Thats a place where volume is necessary for the teams strategy.