AGD Super Tour - Come One Come All!!!

[skipdogg]

Word

4 playaz from MKE

[irbodden]

I am coming, and PM if you want some hotel information or anything about the area. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want a tech class Forget CC, I want a neato certificate saying I am Jr. Tech


-Rick

[krafty]

Confirming 1 inbound.

[Snap_Dogg]

yo i havnt been on in a while cause my net has been down and just got back up like 3 seconds ago but i love that idea

[Snap_Dogg]

thats tyte i want to go and i havnt been on for a while cause my net has been down and that sucks

[Xzion]

with any luck I'll show up... id love to make it, still talking my father into giving me a ride to wheeling... I hate not having my own car

[SHAG]

Hi,

First off, very nice to how the forums look. It is taking me a while to get use to the new features AO has provided the Automag community.

I would like to make the AGD factory tour. Being from New Jersey, presents its own set of unique problems. Time is going to be on my side though. I figure this tour being on November 17th (3 days after my 24th Birthday) I should be able to make the journey via a plane. I will keep the members of the AO informed in whether or not I am going to make the trip. I would like to help out getting the 20 people together for a tech class for AOers. I would be interested in the teching and tour as well as the playing against Tom Kaye.

Later,
Alan

[slushee]

I can't wait .. I'll be there .. will drive down from canada - southern ontario ... anyone need a lift?

[cphilip]

Originally posted by slushee
... anyone need a lift?

Sure slushee! come on by and pick me up. I'm in South Carolina. That's on the way isn't it?

OK you guys...since I can't come I hearby order all of you not to have any fun! OK?

[Xzion]

slushee; Im 30 min north of Belleville; and might need a ride, presuming I can spare the time/money to actually make the trip.

[irbodden]

Slushee, wanna give me a ride to Country Club, I'll pay my share of the gas.

-Rick

[the123]

Without a doubt, i'll make the tour and funtime afterwards. I live about 45 minutes from AGD and can help if a couple people need a lift. I can't wait!

[slushee]

Xzion - no problem .. Email me to set a p/u date/time

irbodden - no problem pickin you up .. how far are you from Wheeling anyhow? Think you could book me a room somewhere? Hell, maby I could get Xzion to go in on it too..

[Xzion]

slushee; Id be up for splitting a room, as I said before, presuming I do manage to be able to make it in the first place. was also thinking perhaps you and I could meet in advance, kinda a get to know eachother meeting or something... perhaps at Top Gun paintball in belleville?

[slushee]

i'll have to p/u my gear from back home but sure.. Email me and we'll set something up. BTW - where is Top Gun?

[Xzion]

slushee; if it'll be a problem, getting your gear here, im sure we could either just meet somehwere. As for Top Gun, I dont really know myself... ive gotta give em a call one of these days, not to mention visit their field lol... heard its pretty good though. if worst comes to worst, could always lend you my backup mag.

[irbodden]

I am very close to wheeling, and probly can meet you where your staying. If you want, I'll get the hotels rates and phone numbers for you.

-Rick

[kman32]

oh how i wish i couold go!

[wilddog]

17th would be best

[Gambit1106]

Anyone driving/flying in and staying in hotels let some of us IL people know. I know I can give a few people a lift if its needed. I saw the123 said the same, carpooling would be a good idea.

Darren

PS Or if anyone in IL wants to carpoll let me know I can get 3 mabey 4(uncomforably) in my truck.

[ozric2001]

Wow, feels good to be back. Ive been offline for a while, so the changes were quite a suprise. The site is better than ever! Thanks Tom for your time on Sat at Bad Boys. How do I sign up for the tour?

[Techpriest]

Slushee? are you serios? I'm in kitchener and/or london depending on where I am (dads or moms) are either of these on the way? I can't confirm or nething, but a drive would actually make this a possibility, and I would be able to meet tom kaye :-[/

lemme know man

[slushee]

Techpriest - yeah .. i'll be comming up with wilddog and xzion. We do have room but it'll be a tight fit in my jetta! PM me to set up a time/date for pick up in London .. and about accomodations..

[Techpriest]

ok man, I'll see what I can do for arranging here, it might not be able to fly, but either way, I"m appreciative man. Thanks for atleast makin this a possibility.

[skirts]

Hey tommy,
a couple of boyz from Butterscotch Yo will be there. it sounds like fun, do you have an idea as to how many people are allready planning on attending?

agdjon,
well see you this weekend at the next cpsa event. Get fired up folks and everyone better bring flowers for joanne

[hitmanng]

If I can get the OK from the wife I will drive the van. Then I can ferry 6 other people around.
Hope to see you there.
Hitmanng

[slushee]

good luck techpreist!

[Doobie]

I was going to Chicago to help out the area's Army recruiters, I am a Drill Sergeant and I was telling High School kids about Basic Training, so I decided I would make a side trip to visit AGD. I knew it would be hard to fit in and that it would probably be last minute for AGD, but the worse they could say was no...right?
I called one morning before going into a school and talked with Joanne. Originally, the answer was no because they were quite busy. She did thank me for calling first and not just stopping by, like some people do. (Make a note if you ever plan on visiting!) I explained that I was not going to be able to make the AO open house because I would be teaching trainees and this was the best chance I would get. There was a moment of silent contemplation, and then she said she would see what she could do. After a short discussion, they would be able to fit me in that afternoon! After receiving excellent directions (thanks again Joanne!) I went to the AGDHQ that afternoon.
I was met at the door by Joanne herself and after a few short phone calls (hey, she has a job to do besides show schmoes like me around the place!) she brought me back to meet the man...the myth...the legend...Tom Kaye himself! He was busy in the assembly area trying to sort out a computer problem, but he still dropped what he was doing and greeted me with a big smile and a handshake. After starting some projects going while he would be giving me the tour, and getting me a Coke (thank), we began the almost 2hr. tour! I'm going to break it down into the different areas of the factory (?) as best as I can remember. Hey...I saw a lot!
One of the first things I got to see was all of the entries for the Intelliframe package contest submitted by some of my fellow AO members. They look real good in the boxes and asked Tom if he had a favorite so far. He did...but I'm not tellin'. For those that have not seen or held one, they look and feel real nice and will ship with DYE sticky grips. By the way, they really appreciate the AO members at AGD and that was part of the reason Tom went out of his way for me, besides being an all around nice guy!
The assembly area was occupied with about 5 employees assembling E-mags. (Drool!) It was quite efficient as expected from AGD. The parts area was filled with rows of bins stacked to near the ceiling with every part for all the AGD markers. Tom told me the parts are all made off site by contractors and assembled; QC'd, and packed on site. AGD is one of the only manufacturers that has blue prints that contractors must follow to meet their exacting standards, Tom explained.
I saw the machine that makes the perfect circle paintball that they sell to the military and on that day it was being filled with a marking fill. On the days the fill is going to be pepper agent, for riot control use, they wear respirators in the room as well as "clean suits" like you see on TV. The room is also ventilated to the outside.
As some of you know, AGD was involved in a police training program on the grounds of AGD. It is currently being dismantled due to lack of interest. Main reason being, the officers could not explain to their chiefs, in a way they could understand, what they were learning. Tom showed me I might not be as quick on the draw as I thought. They used Sydarms with a lightbulb installed above the barrel that would turn on when the trigger was pulled. Through the use of videotape, the argument of who pulled the trigger first was solved.
At this point, I asked Tom why the Sydarm was no longer made. He explained that there was a microscopic o-ring that was difficult to install, and expensive. It also only fires ten round at a time and if re-loaded quickly and rapid fired again, the CO2 could freeze the valve. Then, we would have players running around in scenario games and the like complaining about how their $300+ gun is freezing up. Not to mention the cost of replacing the microscopic seal between the air supply and the valve!
Tom showed me his "hobby room". If some of you did not know, he is way into Astronomy (the big brain physics stuff) and Archeology! He is in the process of building a large telescope of his own design. I didn't ask if it would be powered by HP and have an LCD display! He then showed me his fossil collection. I'm not talking about shells trapped in mud here. I'm talking about full heads and feet and stuff! The one he seemed most proud of was something like a Rhino, although not related. If this is how he treats his hobbies, I'd hate to see how he relaxes! I'm kidding Tom, we all have our way of relaxing.
Now on to the real good stuff, the up and coming and experimental stuff! Tom showed me a new rail and mainbody for a new version of the 'mag. These were made out of lightweight aluminum and would now allow the body to be anodized! I also got to see the new lightweight AND YES, lower pressure valve. The three combined with the Intelliframe should make a very lightweight and nice shooting gun. I also got to gander at the longer throw bolt. This will slow down the rate of fire that the 'mags are famous for but, will almost eliminate ball chop. Tom and I then talked about ROF. Would the difference between 13bps and 11bps really effect the average player's game? I don't think anyone could run through a stream of paint flying 11bps. Timing and accuracy are the big factors in a one on one, so we agreed shooting paint at 11bps is better than shooting goo at 13goos per second. They are also in the process of milling over a pound off of the E-mag, so that the weight of a Warpfeed would be negligible. Tom believes that to be entirely possible. He also told me about some changes to the Warpfeed. I guess there have been some feed problems at times at the point before the ball enters the tube and there is a fix in the works for that. Also, there have been complaints about the gray color of the feed tube for the warp. Some people want a color option. The only tube that AGD has found that will take a different color during manufacture is much softer than the stock feed tube. So it looks like people will have a choice, a hard but durable gray tube, or a soft and pliable colored one. Some people will always sacrifice reliability for aesthetics.
Tom also showed me the new modular feed E-mags that debuted at the IAO. All I can say is... Vedy Niiiice!
Tom also showed, and tried his best to explain to a dumb grunt like me, all of the high tech testing and measuring equipment that AGD uses in the development of new equipment. It made my head hurt. All of you AGD owners who have registered your equipment need not worry about a loss of your information. I was shown the server computers that manage and store all of this stuff. Tom has two servers with the same info stored in them for redundancy. There were more wires running through there than I would like to deal with. My VCR confuses me! It is obvious that an extreme amount of thought goes into every single thing that AGD does.
For those of you who are planning on attending the AO open house in November, you are in for a treat! I'm sure they are going to pull out all the stops for an event like that because it is obvious to me they really appreciate all the AO members. Even lurkers like myself. Once again, I would like to express my extreme gratitude to Tom, Joanne, and the rest of the AGD team for taking the time to talk to me and letting me behind the scenes of this great company. You have to like a company that has employees that read APG on their breaks! AGD has been on the cutting edge of Paintball for years and will continue to lead the way into the future of our sport by thinking outside the box. Thanks again guys!

[the123]

WEll, Doobie, I do-be lieve you spoiled that quite nicely.

[Doobie]

Sorry guys, Tom told me to post about the tour. Plus, i know that they will have some good stuff for you guys going to the AO open house that i didn't get. I really enjoyed myself and hoped this would have you guys looking forward too it. Sorry.