Alien

Alien Paintball was an American paintball equipment manufacturer founded by Jack Rice. The company developed electronically operated tournament paintball markers, including the Alien Interceptor, Alien Remains, Alien Independence, Alien Invasion and Alien Deception.

Alien was known for developing unconventional pneumatic operating systems, including its Sweep Bolt and Sweep Valve arrangements and the later Morph Valve. Its earliest project, the Alien Revelation, was an experimental boltless marker developed during the early 2000s.[1][2]

History

Origins and Revelation

Jack Rice began developing the company's first marker, originally known as the A1 or Alien 1, around 2002.

The project subsequently became known as the Revelation. It featured an unconventional boltless design using a mechanically operated breech door to load paintballs into the firing chamber.

Rice worked with machinist Duane Parsons, who contributed computer-aided design and machining work to the project.[1]

The Revelation was publicly exhibited at the International Amateur Open in July 2003.

Contemporary reporting by WARPIG documented Rice demonstrating the marker at the event's industry conference, where it was presented as a new electronic design featuring a compact body and unusual feeding system.[3]

Development continued following its public demonstration.

Although approximately 100 Revelation bodies were manufactured, problems with the revised breech mechanism prevented the design from entering normal commercial distribution.

Rice and Parsons subsequently abandoned the boltless configuration in favour of a more conventional stacked-tube electronic marker.[1]

Interceptor

The resulting Alien Interceptor was introduced in 2005.

The Interceptor incorporated an electronically controlled pneumatic ram, a conventional moving bolt and Alien's proprietary Sweep Air System.

The system was designed to direct compressed air around and beneath the paintball during firing, with the manufacturer's literature claiming improvements in consistency and trajectory.[1][4]

The Interceptor was used in professional paintball during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Players associated with Miami Effect and New England Hurricanes were among those documented using or testing Alien equipment during this period.[1][5]

Remains and Independence

Alien expanded its marker range with the Alien Remains in 2006.

The Remains retained the company's electronically controlled, open-bolt operating arrangement, including an integrated ram and solenoid assembly.

The design placed the ram assembly outside the main marker body, allowing a compact receiver configuration.[5]

Alien subsequently developed the Alien Independence, which was publicly demonstrated in 2006 and 2007 before the introduction of the 2008 model.

The Independence featured a revised body, integrated feed neck, redesigned ram assembly and other improvements.

VintageRex catalogues both the 2008 and 2009 versions of the Independence.[6]

The company continued developing and marketing the Independence through 2010.

In February 2010, Alien announced a sponsorship agreement with professional team Sacramento XSV, whose players were to use the 2010 Independence during the tournament season.

The announcement also identified Kee Action Sports as a distributor of Alien markers.[7]

Invasion

The Alien Invasion followed in 2011.

It replaced the Independence as the company's principal marker design and incorporated a hoseless air system, eliminating the external air line connecting the regulator and air-source adaptor.

The Invasion retained a pneumatic operating arrangement related to the earlier Independence platform.

VintageRex records the marker with either Virtue or Hater electronic control boards.[6]

Contemporary marketing during 2012 advertised the Invasion at approximately US$599, positioning it below the company's earlier high-end electronic models.[8]

Deception

Alien subsequently developed the Alien Deception, a redesigned electronic marker introduced during the mid-2010s.

The Deception incorporated the company's new Morph Valve, which combined characteristics of conventional poppet and spool-valve systems.

Unlike a conventional poppet valve requiring the hammer to overcome pressure holding a valve face closed, the Morph Valve used a balanced sliding spool arrangement.

This reduced the force required to open the firing valve and allowed a lighter pneumatic ram.[9]

The Deception was exhibited at Paintball Extravaganza in 2014 and reviewed by Paintball Magazine in June 2015.[9]

The manufacturer's operating manual documented its electronic firing system, Morph Valve and Sweep Bolt technology.[10]

Paintball markers

Alien produced several electronic paintball markers between the early 2000s and mid-2010s.

The following list includes the principal documented models and variants.

Marker	Documented year	Description
Alien Revelation	2003	Experimental boltless electronic marker using a breech door mechanism. Did not enter normal commercial distribution.
Alien Interceptor	2005	Electronic stacked-tube marker incorporating the Sweep Air System.
Alien Remains	2006	Electronic marker featuring an externally mounted integrated ram and solenoid assembly.
Alien Independence	2008	Revised electronic marker developed from the Interceptor and Remains platforms.
Independence 09	2009	Updated version of the Independence.
Alien Invasion	2011	Electronic marker featuring a hoseless air system.
Alien Deception	2014	Electronic marker incorporating the Morph Valve and Sweep Bolt.

VintageRex lists the Independence, Independence 08, Independence 09, Interceptor, Invasion and Remains. The Revelation and Deception are documented in other contemporary and historical sources.[1][6][9]

Technology

Sweep Air System

Alien developed a firing system incorporating a specially designed bolt and valve intended to control the movement of compressed air around the paintball.

The system was marketed as the Sweep Air System and incorporated components referred to as the Sweep Valve and Sweep Bolt.

The manufacturer claimed that the arrangement reduced turbulence and improved paintball trajectory.

These performance claims were part of Alien's marketing and should not be treated as independently demonstrated improvements over competing equipment.[4]

Independent ram design

The Interceptor, Remains and Independence used variations of an electronically controlled pneumatic ram arrangement.

The design separated the ram assembly from the main firing valve and positioned the ram and solenoid together in a compact module.

Jack Rice received United States patents relating to structurally independent pneumatic ram assemblies and high-efficiency airflow systems.

Patent 7,258,114 was issued on 21 August 2007, followed by Patent 7,490,598 on 17 February 2009.[11]

Morph Valve

The Morph Valve was introduced with the Deception.

It used an impacted, balanced spool arrangement in place of a conventional poppet valve.

The design reduced the opening force required from the pneumatic ram and incorporated a sliding O-ring seal.

Alien promoted the system as a means of producing a quieter, smoother firing cycle while maintaining gas efficiency.[9][10]

Tournament involvement

Alien supplied equipment to professional and amateur tournament teams during the 2000s and early 2010s.

The Interceptor and Remains were used by players associated with professional teams during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

In 2010, the company announced that Sacramento XSV, captained by Rich Telford, would compete using the Independence.

The agreement included participation in the Paintball Sports Promotions and National Professional Paintball League tournament circuits.[7]

References

External links