Paintball Buyer’s Blog

Every time someone tells me that the blowback marker is dead, I laugh and think of Kingman. The Spyder line of paintball markers became an institution, quality semi auto at a price anyone could afford. The key is in its simplicity and efficiency. A stack-tubed blowback typically requires about two minutes of maintanence after playing. Less o-rings, less fragile wires and connectors and not finicky over the proper amount of grease makes it easier for kids and beginners to maintain over spool-valve markers. At approximately 100 shots per oz of CO2 or 30 shots per cubic inch of 4500psi HPA the average player can play all day on one air fill! Based on the number of Spyders sold it has been estimated that 33%… a full one third… of all the paintball players in the world either use or have owned a Spyder in the playing career. How’s that for a success story?

This month Kingman is releasing two new models, the 08 Spyder Electra with Eye and the 08 Spyder Pilot with Eye. Both models feature changes that have been suggested for some time now, significant improvements instead of cosmetic.

Their first major feature is the new LEAP board designed by Tadao. The new electronics and solenoid means you can now use a standard 9v battery instead of the once required 9.6v rechargeable. No more under or overcharging… you can just toss a new battery in there and go. You can carry a spare 9v in your gear bag and have plenty of juice with no worries. There is still a charger jack if one wishes to purchase and use the Kingman rechargeable 9.6v battery but these are no longer supplied with the marker. The CAMD (Color Access Mode Display) is a bright and easy to navigate readout to see what mode you are in (Semi, PSP or Millennium Ramping) protected by a clear panel. The two mode buttons are covered with a rubber membrane. They have a nice ‘clicky’ feel to them, easy to manipulate but not so clumsy as a slide switch. The red lockout plug is still there if one needs to lock the marker into semi-only mode.

As the name implies, the new Electra and Pilot both feature breakbeam anti-chop eyes. When activated, a paintball has to drop completely into the chamber before a signal sent to the circuit board allows the bolt to come forward. This helps to prevent “chop”, or the bolt slicing the paintball in half and requiring a full breakdown to clean. Dual rubber ball detents prevents double feeding and the bolt is a non o-ring type with a captured pull-pin. That means the pin has a detent to keep it in place and you don’t lose it. Non o-ring bolts cycle faster and are less maintanence because they require no lubrication and no o-rings to get shredded passing over the breech. However, they do tend to have a bit more ‘blow by’ into the feedneck. That means air pressure forced back up into your hopper, pushing your paintballs up instead of down and slowing your feed rate. To combat this, I suggest using a fast forcefeed loader like the Kingman 18v Fasta or the VL Vlocity Jr… but really, good loaders have come so far down in price there is no reason not to have one!

The trigger is a sweeping arc of aluminum using magnets to return the trigger to rest. Triggerpull weight, pretravel and overtravel are all externally adjustable so you can set up the trigger exactly how you like. The gripframe is still a bit larger than most markers because it needs to house the board, battery and a large pancake solenoid but they did redesign it to become progressively slimmer from front to back for better comfort and smaller hands.

Both the Electra and the Pilot will accept CO2 or compressed air (aka nitro or HPA), with compressed air being the preferred pressure source. It doesn’t freeze up like CO2 during periods of heavy shooting and remains consistent through the day in any weather conditions. Notice there is no more LPC, or Low Pressure Cel, forward of the valve under the barrel? Kingman’s new valves made it unnecessary so its been replaced with a flush valve plug. More aesthetically pleasing, less weight and more comfortable for players who like to wrap their thumb over the barrel for stability when shooting. The vertical ASA is standard tank threaded so if you want to replace the foregrip or regulator with your own favorite model you can without an adapter.

Barrel covers, not barrel plugs! Thank you, Kingman!

There you have it… two new Spyders with the improvements we’ve all been wanting. Hats off to Kingman, they know how to make a solid, good looking marker loaded with features and still make it accessible to every player out there

The 08 Spyder Pilot with Eye features a composite gripframe and eye covers, angled bottomline ASA, vertical foregrip, 1 piece 12″ barrel and vertical feed with plastic elbow. The 08 Electra with Eye features an aluminum gripframe and eye covers, on/off ASA, vertical regulator with tournament lock, 2 piece 12″ barrel, clamping vertical feed and more 3D milling.

Notes:

- The feedneck threads on both models is the same threads as the older Ion theading if one wishes to change it.

- The eye covers house the ball detent and the eye sensor with channels under the body for the eye wires. I found squeezing the covers in place the easiest way to align the wires when reassembling to prevent the wires getting crimped.

- That little red o-ring that comes with the spare seals pack? That is the striker o-ring. Even though it works as a tank o-ring you better not use it for that, because a tank o-ring does not work for a striker o-ring. Save the red one for when your striker does need a replacement.

- As always, please read the manual!