New 98c Flatlines

[ltgir]

Hey everyone haven't logged into this site for about 2 and a half years or so. Don't know if anyone remembers me but hope everyone is doing great!

Anyways, i have been out of the paintball loop for quite awhile now. I recently found out that my step-dad is being deployed to Afghanistan in a few months, so me, him, and my best friend decided to plan one more trip down to Skirmish USA in June.

So the story is my step-dad asked me to find him a flatline for his 98c because he wants one for this trip. But my question is what is different about the new 98c "Platinum" Flatlines? I notice that they don't have that part of the hand guard that extends over the top and all the way to the back of the marker. Did they fix the alignment problem? and with the Platinum flatline fit on a regular old 98 custom?

Thanks in advance guys, sorry for the noob question. Like i said, i have been out of the loop for quite a while.

[Ironman289]

it should fit, they also have a picatiny rail that goes on top of the gun, like the old flatline shroud did.Tell your step-dad good luck over there and come back safe and sound!

[Corrupted355]

The "new" Flatline does all the same stuff, it's just been redesigned a bit. They took some ideas and some barrel geometry from the A-5/X-7 Flatlines and applied it to the original 98 series Flatline. This means it's supposed to be easier to install, easier on paint, and it's got a Picatinny rail up there for attaching crap. Basically it's supposed to be easier to live with.

The only real downside I see on the "Platinum" version versus the original is that the new one won't have as much punch. Old 98 Flatlines were capable of throwing paint a little further than an A-5 Flatty. The reason it can do this is be cause it's a little more violent, which causes the host of annoyances associated with the Flatline in the first place. While the A-5 Flatline hasn't fixed the problem outright, it is still much more hospitable than the old 98 version.

Since the new Platinum Flatline has the A-5's geometry, it can be assumed that performance will be similar.

While we're on the subject, you should seriously look into the BT Apex barrel. It does the same thing a Flatline does, but it does it better. It can fling paint farther than even the old 98 version, is generally more accurate, is much easier on paint, and has a massive amount of adjustability in comparison to the Flatty.

The Apex is basically a normal barrel with a rubber ramp on the end that's designed to spin the paintball much like the Flatline does. This ramp is adjustable, so the spin rate can be increased or decreased, changing the magnitude of the Magnus Effect in the process (effectively changing the strength of the Flatline-ness). The power of the Apex goes from a very light spin to much stronger than a Flatline. Also, the rubber ramp is contained within a plastic housing at the end of the barrel so the whole tip of the barrel can be rotated for a whole host of curving effects, including a bunker-busting dive bomb. You can adjust it so that the paint literally curves out of the barrel high up in the air, then shoots back down at about 80* to the horizontal, landing about 50-70 feet in front of you. It's seriously cool.