I finished my latest custom build recently (with a Dye NT frame and a nice rail), and for the first time ever, I was struck by this weird, profound sense of guilt. I really, really like the way everything came together. It's light. It's comfortable. It looks slick. But I felt regret. Why? Because I'm one of the very few who will ever have a chance to own something like this. The NT frame was hard to find. I haven't seen another splinter rail for sale in forever. Basically, even if I wanted to build another for someone else, I probably couldn't. And it got me wondering a very profound question:
Why don't all new Automags look like this?
I get why the Automag was designed the way it was. It's functional and simple. And when I'm buying used parts that were made 10-20 years ago, I don't really mind. But when I go to AGD's website, the markers still look/feel mostly the same. Functional. Utilitarian. And that's fine for something cheap like a Tippmann, but this is an Automag. We've proven time and time again on the MOTM threads that Automags can look like art. I think it's time that AGD picked up on that.
And yes, I do appreciate what AGD has been doing recently. The custom FX bodies were very cool. The x-frame is nice. But it's still a little...old looking. Some people obviously love that. But others don't. And there are no new products for that group. Just a long, exhausting hunt for parts that might never be found.
This ties back into another topic of conversation that pops up from time to time. Is AGD dead? Why doesn't AGD sell more? And I've been holding back for a long time with my opinion, because I wasn't sure, but I don't think the answer is that people don't want mechanical guns. Or that people can't afford $600 for a new marker. I think it's because people don't want to pay $600 for a mechanical marker that still looks like something from 1995. If I'm paying $600 for a new mechanical marker, I want it to be beautiful. Sexy. I want it to look something like the Resurrection, or an M2. Not an Automag.
I'm not saying to abandon the old, classic line. There are obviously still people out there that want that. But I wish AGD would design a new, sexy custom marker. Charge more for it, but all means. But make it available.
My vision is basically very similar to something I just built. An x-valve; a ULE body (with the front slant trimmed off, of course, like the Pariah body), a long, simple ULE rail (like the RPG shadow or recon rail), and a really comfortable frame. I wonder. Would AGD get into legal trouble if they designed a frame to mimic the Dye NT frame? It wouldn't be a perfect copy, of course. They would have to move the screw holes and change the trigger. But it could very close....maybe even use the same grips.
If AGD could do that, make a new, sexy marker, and maybe do some advertising on PBN and MCB, I don't think it would have trouble selling. Of course, it would make all our custom markers that much less rare and special, but that's a hit I'm willing to take.
Why don't all new Automags look like this?
I get why the Automag was designed the way it was. It's functional and simple. And when I'm buying used parts that were made 10-20 years ago, I don't really mind. But when I go to AGD's website, the markers still look/feel mostly the same. Functional. Utilitarian. And that's fine for something cheap like a Tippmann, but this is an Automag. We've proven time and time again on the MOTM threads that Automags can look like art. I think it's time that AGD picked up on that.
And yes, I do appreciate what AGD has been doing recently. The custom FX bodies were very cool. The x-frame is nice. But it's still a little...old looking. Some people obviously love that. But others don't. And there are no new products for that group. Just a long, exhausting hunt for parts that might never be found.
This ties back into another topic of conversation that pops up from time to time. Is AGD dead? Why doesn't AGD sell more? And I've been holding back for a long time with my opinion, because I wasn't sure, but I don't think the answer is that people don't want mechanical guns. Or that people can't afford $600 for a new marker. I think it's because people don't want to pay $600 for a mechanical marker that still looks like something from 1995. If I'm paying $600 for a new mechanical marker, I want it to be beautiful. Sexy. I want it to look something like the Resurrection, or an M2. Not an Automag.
I'm not saying to abandon the old, classic line. There are obviously still people out there that want that. But I wish AGD would design a new, sexy custom marker. Charge more for it, but all means. But make it available.
My vision is basically very similar to something I just built. An x-valve; a ULE body (with the front slant trimmed off, of course, like the Pariah body), a long, simple ULE rail (like the RPG shadow or recon rail), and a really comfortable frame. I wonder. Would AGD get into legal trouble if they designed a frame to mimic the Dye NT frame? It wouldn't be a perfect copy, of course. They would have to move the screw holes and change the trigger. But it could very close....maybe even use the same grips.
If AGD could do that, make a new, sexy marker, and maybe do some advertising on PBN and MCB, I don't think it would have trouble selling. Of course, it would make all our custom markers that much less rare and special, but that's a hit I'm willing to take.
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