RogueFactor
02-26-2009, 10:59 AM
The RPG Chimera was the first RPG trigger frame ever offered.
I originally had no intention of ever making a trigger frame. At the time, there was already a 90*/Vert frame being offered. However, many AGD enthusiasts wanted a frame with a trigger safety, something the other frame did not offer. I made the suggestion to the other manufacturer to include a safety, a suggestion that was rebuffed. As I recall, he saw it as a greater benefit to save the customer $5 rather than include a safety.
This was a sizeable undertaking at the time, to say the least. Most of the products I had previously offered were quite a bit simpler than a trigger frame. They were also easier and more inexpensive to bring to market.
The road to a final product was rife with issue. Originally, I did not have AGD specs to work from. I sent a few AGD frames to a fellow paintballer who was to mock them up in CAD to spec. That was a disaster. After 4 months of delays, what I got was CAD files that were unusable due to them being HUGELY out of spec in critical areas.
Rather than belabor the issue, I moved on to acquire AGD frame specs from the factory. Having found another CAD designer, the frame was set in motion. It wasnt long before I had CAD mockups to show AO. The frame was well received, and went on to do very well. It even got some press over at 68Caliber.com.
As part of the competition between myself and my comptetitor, a v2 of his frame was hurried to release WITH a safety in an attempt to release before my frame hit the market. I guess he realized that a safety was something the customer required. Unfortunately, to my best recollection the ~8 frames he attempted to bring to market to claim the "first frame with a safety' became paperweights. And in the process, he fried the controller to his milling machine(twice).
Personally, I didnt care about being first. It was more important to be the best. Which is what I try to do with all the products I offer. Sometimes I am successful, other times I fall short.
To some of my detractors, it seemed important that I didnt 'design' this frame. Strangely enough, Ive always given credit of the design to 2 companies 1) AGD, & 2) WDP(Angel Sports). The specs for this frame were AGD, and the Vert Frame was pioneered in paintball by WDP. So in reality, nobody can take credit for an original design to a Vert Frame in paintball besides WDP, and all Vert Frames must give credit to WDP.
The Chimera frame was marketed as being to AGD spec(and was). As a result, my competitor also marketed his frames(v1&v2) as being to AGD spec. This just wasnt the case, as those frames did not take AGD triggers.
On a mechanical mag frame, the single most important spec part is the trigger. Unlike electro frames that activate a switch, the trigger on mag frames come in direct contact with the sear, also a critical spec part. If either of these parts are out of spec, they can cause misfire/malfunction of the marker as well as premature wear to the bolt and sear. Fortunately, this is all largely water under the bridge.
Even though the last of the Chimera frames sold quite a few years ago, and the Chimera was retired to be replaced with the RPG Triton, they are still popular. Over the years, Ive been asked repeatedly to make more. However, the demand had waned and it was time to move on. But to give a crack at the prospect, threads have been started on PBL, MCB, PBN, and others to see if there is the minimal demand to do another short production run.
Here is some of the promotional graphics created for the frame back when...
I originally had no intention of ever making a trigger frame. At the time, there was already a 90*/Vert frame being offered. However, many AGD enthusiasts wanted a frame with a trigger safety, something the other frame did not offer. I made the suggestion to the other manufacturer to include a safety, a suggestion that was rebuffed. As I recall, he saw it as a greater benefit to save the customer $5 rather than include a safety.
This was a sizeable undertaking at the time, to say the least. Most of the products I had previously offered were quite a bit simpler than a trigger frame. They were also easier and more inexpensive to bring to market.
The road to a final product was rife with issue. Originally, I did not have AGD specs to work from. I sent a few AGD frames to a fellow paintballer who was to mock them up in CAD to spec. That was a disaster. After 4 months of delays, what I got was CAD files that were unusable due to them being HUGELY out of spec in critical areas.
Rather than belabor the issue, I moved on to acquire AGD frame specs from the factory. Having found another CAD designer, the frame was set in motion. It wasnt long before I had CAD mockups to show AO. The frame was well received, and went on to do very well. It even got some press over at 68Caliber.com.
As part of the competition between myself and my comptetitor, a v2 of his frame was hurried to release WITH a safety in an attempt to release before my frame hit the market. I guess he realized that a safety was something the customer required. Unfortunately, to my best recollection the ~8 frames he attempted to bring to market to claim the "first frame with a safety' became paperweights. And in the process, he fried the controller to his milling machine(twice).
Personally, I didnt care about being first. It was more important to be the best. Which is what I try to do with all the products I offer. Sometimes I am successful, other times I fall short.
To some of my detractors, it seemed important that I didnt 'design' this frame. Strangely enough, Ive always given credit of the design to 2 companies 1) AGD, & 2) WDP(Angel Sports). The specs for this frame were AGD, and the Vert Frame was pioneered in paintball by WDP. So in reality, nobody can take credit for an original design to a Vert Frame in paintball besides WDP, and all Vert Frames must give credit to WDP.
The Chimera frame was marketed as being to AGD spec(and was). As a result, my competitor also marketed his frames(v1&v2) as being to AGD spec. This just wasnt the case, as those frames did not take AGD triggers.
On a mechanical mag frame, the single most important spec part is the trigger. Unlike electro frames that activate a switch, the trigger on mag frames come in direct contact with the sear, also a critical spec part. If either of these parts are out of spec, they can cause misfire/malfunction of the marker as well as premature wear to the bolt and sear. Fortunately, this is all largely water under the bridge.
Even though the last of the Chimera frames sold quite a few years ago, and the Chimera was retired to be replaced with the RPG Triton, they are still popular. Over the years, Ive been asked repeatedly to make more. However, the demand had waned and it was time to move on. But to give a crack at the prospect, threads have been started on PBL, MCB, PBN, and others to see if there is the minimal demand to do another short production run.
Here is some of the promotional graphics created for the frame back when...