Stealth Modded Hoppers

Well, I went and did it. This idea is now posted on the 98OG and SpecOps forums. Hopefully it creates a good enough stir among the communities as I continue to develop it.

Keep those reviews coming!

I've got the 98OG clan jumping on the field testing now. A couple are pending, but grab your spots guys.

A5 Participants:
1. StormyKnight
2. The Guy(reviewed)
3. Yomillio and Matt(reviewed)
4. Nagash1959(reviewed)
5. ctchofday

X7 Participants:
1. Reb Cpl(reviewed)
2. nchittendon[98OG]
3.
4.
5.

Ricochet R5 Participants:
1. oldpnoob
2.
3.
4.
5.

Revvy Participants:
COMING SOON!

Edited by techietaichi - 21 June 2008 at 7:51pm

yo il take a spot on the gravity feed list when you get em done.

Nagash1959 wrote: PM sent, review is in!

Here's Nagash1959's review, drawn from the PM he sent:

Capacity: Pre-mod I emptied and filled the hopper 3 times and got the average number boiled down to 203 (funny I know, but hey we are talking averages..). Post-mod'ed the capacity average after three tests hit 178 -so a loss of 25 balls. Not too much to worry about there. This is from simply pouring them in, with a little jiggling you can get more in there, but unless your loading off-field between games your not too likely to waste the extra time worrying about 10 rounds.

Movement quiality: Tested at a walking, jogging and running pace, with full, 1/3,1/2 and 1/4 full. As both modded and unmodded. Unmoded results we're expectedly loud and in a wooded area that noise likes to throw out really loud to players nearby and drop off quickly when further away. Modded results At entirely full the hopper stands up flawlessly. The nearby noise drops to less then a leaf underfoot. At a jogging or running pace your other gear is likely to be the problem, anlong with the huffing and puffing :-) At 3/4 full I notice an issue. The walking pace is just fine, but the jogging and running definately cause more hits against the lid then you'd want without the lid modded. Once the hopper reaches 1/2 or lower the balls in there are less likely to hit the lid. So I find the real danger zone to be around 3/4 full for anyone with a lid modded, or anyone moving too fast.

Resistance to wear: Put a small piece into a plastic bag with three balls in it, then smashed it with a baseball bat (no, not kidding here) and left it to soak in for about 30 hours. Washed right out, with only the most barely noticeable discoloration to the material. This was with plain old tap water, no soap on cold. A little more water and some scrubbing by hand took the color right out.

Adhesive material: Held up well, peeled a very small amount on one or two of the smaller pieces, but pushed back into place. THe pieces have sense stayed in place. Possilbly only happened to me putting them on at a bad angle.

Other things I noticed. Behind the lid in that small groove to the front (in the direction the lid opens too) I placed a small piece of the neoprene. Now when the lid opens it doesnt make that pop noise that the people I was playing with were listening for.

Other peoples opinion: The found that the normal noise they could listen for, the balls in the hopper, was deminished when nearby by enough to significantly throw them off early on. They started to "jump at every little noise" mistaking it for my approach. After a good amount of play time together they started to actively travel together to use more visual tracking, which was a great way to get people grouped together and hose em down.

Over-all review. The changes made to normal way one tracks opponents out-doors was significant enough that I would definately say that liner works well and was worth the time invested to install it. Thanks for letting me be a part of the test team!

ammolord wrote: i dont have money for another hopper.

Hopper? I have patterns to apply to your hopper if you have the right one. A5's are closed out for the time being, but X7's and R5's are wide open man. You agree to review my mod and I'll send you one for free, np.

techietaichi wrote: ammolord wrote: i dont have money for another hopper. Hopper? I have patterns to apply to your hopper if you have the right one. A5's are closed out for the time being, but X7's and R5's are wide open man. You agree to review my mod and I'll send you one for free, np.

no im sayin that i dident have money to buy a diffrent hopper so i have a gravity feed. when you get those done (if you do em) il gladly review one for ya.

This is a PM from 'The Guy' stating his findings which I received a day or two ago:

Here is the end of my report. Probably not what you want to hear, but I did all the math and stuff.

Conclusion.

This is a good MK1 trial. It has room for improvement, however. In the spin test there was almost no difference in the sounds because of the paintballs hitting the lid of the loader. The difference in capacity is significant. The padded hopper holds only 85% of the volume that a normal loader does. The current configuration of the padded hopper, sines in the loading test. The sound from the paint as it enters the hopper is next to nothing, as it only hits foam on the way in and not any bare plastic.

Recommendations

Include a diagram when you market this, and label the foam pieces. It will ease installation for those that have not seen a completed hopper. Also include instructions on how to either secure the lid to the spring does not pop out, or how to replace the spring easily. Either works fine since the spring is not under much tension. I have already been informed of a MK2, that includes a lid pad, I would recommend that you go with this configuration, since the dark gray lid is nearly impossible to see through anyway.

------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------

Hell, I'm pleased with it and as far as the diagram for installation goes, it's in the works. Guys, I have some good news. I've managed to get my mods into my local PB store. I'm moving in the right direction thanks to your input. Keep them coming.

------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------

I've got the 98OG clan jumping on the field testing now. A couple are pending, but grab your spots guys.

A5 Participants:
1. StormyKnight
2. The Guy(reviewed)
3. Yomillio and Matt(reviewed)
4. Nagash1959(reviewed)
5. ctchofday(reviewed)

X7 Participants:
1. Reb Cpl(reviewed)
2. nchittendon[98OG]
3. greasegun1964[98OG]
4.
5.

Ricochet R5 Participants:
1. oldpnoob
2.
3.
4.
5.

Revvy Participants:
COMING SOON!

Edited by techietaichi - 22 June 2008 at 8:29pm

Thanks for the review 'ctchofday' and for the time you committed to doing it. Most of all, I'm glad you like it. If you don't mind, could you come back and tell us how it worked out in the field for you? I'd love to hear about it. Never know, it might make for a good tale.

The lost capacity isn't too bad. If you fully load your hopper before the game like normal then you won't be missing too much. And as I have never seen a 200 round pod you won't feel like you got shorted when you reload either. I have the 160 Dye pods and there is still room when I dump that in for more, so in game feels pretty much the same.

how much do you plan on selling them for?