Paintball Express

Paintball Express was a New Zealand paintball importer and retailer operating during the mid-1990s. Based in Henderson, Auckland, the business sponsored the Saints paintball team and was an early commercial user of bulletin-board and World Wide Web services within New Zealand paintball.

History

Paintball Express was operating from 1 Buscomb Avenue, Henderson, by January 1995. A notice published in the New Zealand Gazette recorded an application by Paintball Express concerning the approval of paintball eye-protection goggles.[1]

Contemporary correspondence identified Lukas Kruesi as the proprietor of an Auckland paintball import and retail business associated with Paintball Express. The business sponsored the Saints, and Kruesi also played for the team.[2]

By late 1995, Paintball Express advertised locations in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney. Its New Zealand headquarters remained at 1 Buscomb Avenue, while the Wellington outlet was listed at 312 Mitchell Street, Brooklyn. The Australian address was Suite 3, 28 Langston Place, Epping, Sydney.[3]

A South Island outlet at 19 Fitzroy Street, Dunedin, was listed in 1996.[4]

Online services

In late 1995, Paintball Express advertised a dial-up bulletin-board service through which customers could obtain product listings. It also offered information by fax-on-demand and announced plans to establish a website during 1996.[3]

By the April–June 1996 issue of Australian Paintballer, the company was advertising the website paintball.co.nz. The site offered product prices, photographs, information and online ordering, with email addressed to pbexp@paintball.co.nz.[4]

Contemporary New Zealand Internet-domain directories continued to identify paintball.co.nz as the website of Paintball Express in October 1996 and March 1997.[5][6]

Paintball Express also promoted access to PaintNet through Mordor BBS. PaintNet was operated independently by members of the Auckland team Kamo Karzi and was not a Paintball Express service.[3][7]

Team associations

Paintball Express sponsored the Saints. Lukas Kruesi was both associated with the business and a player for the team.[2]

Kruesi was subsequently remembered as a member of Saints Grey, the veteran squad associated with the Saints organisation. A contemporary roster confirming this part of his playing history has not yet been located.

See also

• Early online paintball in New Zealand
• PaintNet (New Zealand)
• Saints (New Zealand paintball team)
• Paintball in New Zealand

References

1. New Zealand Gazette, issue 2, January 1995, p. 82. Notice concerning an application by Paintball Express regarding approved paintball eye-protection goggles.
2. Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, correspondence concerning New Zealand tournament paintball. Identifies Lukas Kruesi as a paintball importer and retailer whose business sponsored the Saints and who played for the team.
3. Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, Paintball Express advertisement. Lists company locations, bulletin-board access, fax-on-demand and plans for a website.
4. Australian Paintballer, April–June 1996, Paintball Express advertisement. Lists paintball.co.nz, online ordering, the company email address and its Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Sydney locations.
5. New Zealand Internet domain directory, October 1996. Lists paintball.co.nz as “Paintball Express (NZ), Auckland”.
6. New Zealand Internet domain directory, March 1997. Lists paintball.co.nz as “Paintball Express (NZ), Auckland”.
7. Rob Maddox, “Using the Net to Catch New Players”, Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996. Describes PaintNet, Mordor BBS and the involvement of Kamo Karzi members.