lopez17
08-25-2007, 07:53 PM
This is intended to serve as a guide for new Intimidator Owners who feel the urge to tinker or upgrade their marker right out of the box.
We've all been there, we buy a new marker and immediately want to start putting new items on it to max out it's performance. Intimidators are no exception. They're amazing markers and have a great deal of capability in terms of performance, yet there are always upgrades on the market that can help us shoot a little faster, straighter or with less kick. I'll cover a few of my recommendations.
MANDATORY UPGRADES
These are the upgrades that every Intimidator Owner should put on their marker right out of the box, BEFORE shooting.
Hard Detents - The stock detents are one of the weakest points of an Intimidator. They were originally designed when Revy's were top of the line loaders. Today's force-fed and high speed loaders (Halo's, Pulses, Reloader B's) put enough torque on the ball stack that the ball in the breach can often be pushed past the stock detents. This leads to double feeds, chops and breaks. When it comes to upgraded detents you have three options.
Clear Spyder Detents - These are in the intermediate range in terms of hardness and Halo's and Reloader B's will still often push through them. They're easily found and cost about $1 each.
PBK Hard Blue Detents - My personal favorite. These run $2 each but they're firm enough to hold the ball firmly in place. With a slotted bolt, and frequent play you're not likely to run through more than 2 sets a year.
Kila Detents - These detents use magnets to allow the user to adjust the tension of the detent as it holds the ball into place. While this is a permanent detent fix, the cost is in the $40 range.
Adjustable Ram Cap - One of the biggest Intimidator design flaws was the need for a ram cap to properly position the ram (and thereby the bolt) in the breach. Without this addition owners would frequently encounter rollback which lead to double feeds, half feeds and chops. A properly adjusted ram enables one and only one ball to feed into the breach. 2K2 Generation Adjustable Ram caps were often capped in aluminum or brass and the ram bumper would bounce off the cap. In later versions the bumper was integrated with the ram cap. These are called Bumperless Ram Caps as they allow you to use your ram without a bumper. The Hybrid and Bob Long Adjustable Ram Caps are some of the best on the market. CP, Hybrid and several other companies have their own versions as well.
NICE TO HAVE UPGRADES
Barrels - This is a matter for personal preference. The stock barrel is a Bob Long Assassins barrel which is made by CP and is generally a 12" .689 bore size. There were also some longer, 14" assassins barrels in a .691 bore.
Triggers - This is often a matter of personal preference as well. Older intimidators had triggers that didn't use bearings. Most of the top of the line triggers now include some type of bearing for a smooth and consistent pull. The most popular style is the Scythe or curve forward design. This was pioneered by Techna in their Scythe 2 design. CP also has a light aluminum trigger with a wider face. Critical's trigger is a bit heavier but also has a similar design. There's no one trigger that's better than another and many people use the stock one.
Boards - The board you go with may, in part, be decided by the gripframe you have.
Classic and 2K2 Gripframes - These frames utilized 2K2 wiring including the 12 and 14 point harnesses. Most of these came with the SFB or SOB boards stock. These had inferior code. Later 2K2 models came with either WAS Equalizer boards or Frenzy boards. Used WAS boards can be found for reasonable prices as can Frenzy 110, 113 and 127 boards. Vaporworks also put out the Entropy Board. Tadao put out a 2K2 board in 2005. The Frenzy 127 and Equalizer 2.9 boards have ramping code as does the Tadao.
Gen3 and Gen4 gripframes - These frames had a much better wiring configuration and came stock with the Frenzy boards. (Version 110, 116 127, Infamous/Empire 1.5 code). Depending on the version it may or may not have ramping code. The other options for Intimidator Owners are Tadao Infamous boards (M3, M5, M6) and Virtue boards. The Lucky and Predator boards are now out of production.
Again, when it comes to boards you have a lot of options. Recently Kila put out the Vibe board which, when coupled with an upgraded eye system, allows you to put 4 eyes in the marker like a Marq. The $200 price tag may be prohibitive to some users.
Rams - While the stock ram works well for most people, lighter rams are making a huge splash. When properly configured they help reduce kick issues in older markers. The Gen4's don't really suffer from this issue, but upgrades are available. The big three options are the Epek Ram Kit, the Eigenram and the Kapp Thumper Ram (now out of production). Only the Eigenram is available for Gen4 markers. Most other rams aren't worth the upgrade over the stock one. Consult the manufacturer for how to set up and adjust your marker to optimize the use of a lightened ram.
Regulators - Your stock Torpedo reg is/will be quite amazing. However, many people have chosen to upgrade to other regs for a variety of reasons. One reason is that people like to have the fitting in another location or like to have the fitting at the bottom. For performance issues, the AKA Sidewinder and 2-Liters are generally considered the gold standard of regulators. CP's also have a large following as do MacDev Gladiators, however your Torpedo is pretty darn solid.
In the LPR area, you have the SCM3 by AKA and the Palmer Rock Reg. Both do an amazing job however I've found the LPR to be a solid and consistent performer on all of my markers. In some cases people will attach a volumizer (more frequent with 2K2 gen markers).
One thing to take into consideration, if you wish to 2K5 a marker and put a 2K5 LPR block on an older Intimidator (2K2 Generation or before) you will need to have your body tapped to accept the set screw.
Feednecks - Another item that many people replace from it's stock configurations. Some people want a clamping feedneck, some want a lever lock, some like higher, others prefer a lower one. CCM, FBM, Hybrid, Empire, Redz and several other manufacturers make excellent feednecks.
Bolts - For older Intimidators (Classics and 2nd Gen) I'd look into getting something with detent slots milled in. Something like a Violent Products Bolt or a Shocktech bolt. For Gen3 and Gen4's you'll be hard pressed to find something that does the trick as well ast he stock bolt. The only exception may be Bob Long's pillow bolt.
Ram Sleeve - On older Intimidators that have a lightened ram inside, you may want to upgrade to an Alias poppet/ram sleeve. This will allow the lightened ram to work more effectively and enable you to better achieve velocity. With 2K2 sleeves you may want to consider getting an empire poppet with integrated cupseal. Most of the aftermarket sleeves to reduce kick were all hype (EBPRS and Lucky AAV in particular) and are a waste of money. The reduce kick they promised is easier accomplished with a lighter ram rather than a quirky, flawed ram sleeve.
Solenoid - This isn't an upgrade that I'd recommend to most intimidator owners. The stock Humphreys noids are amazingly fast. If you're thinking about upgrading this there are options such as the Race F1/ASCO and WAS noids, but frankly I'm not sold on the need to do it and in the ones I've seen locally the performance gains, if any, have been negligable.
Eyes - Another area where hype comes into play a lot. The stock eyes are amazing and allow for some misalignment. The latest trend has been laser eyes which, in addition to drawing more battery power also have less versatility and allow less misalignment. When it comes to the eyes, stick with the stock ones.
Tanks - There are a ton of options out there. Intimidators work equally well with HP or LP output tanks. I prefer Crossfire as I find them to be consistent. Find one you like and roll with it.
Hope this helps...remember the only two "mandatory" upgrades for all intimidators are hard detents and an adjustable ram cap. On Gen 4's it's only the detents! :cheers:
We've all been there, we buy a new marker and immediately want to start putting new items on it to max out it's performance. Intimidators are no exception. They're amazing markers and have a great deal of capability in terms of performance, yet there are always upgrades on the market that can help us shoot a little faster, straighter or with less kick. I'll cover a few of my recommendations.
MANDATORY UPGRADES
These are the upgrades that every Intimidator Owner should put on their marker right out of the box, BEFORE shooting.
Hard Detents - The stock detents are one of the weakest points of an Intimidator. They were originally designed when Revy's were top of the line loaders. Today's force-fed and high speed loaders (Halo's, Pulses, Reloader B's) put enough torque on the ball stack that the ball in the breach can often be pushed past the stock detents. This leads to double feeds, chops and breaks. When it comes to upgraded detents you have three options.
Clear Spyder Detents - These are in the intermediate range in terms of hardness and Halo's and Reloader B's will still often push through them. They're easily found and cost about $1 each.
PBK Hard Blue Detents - My personal favorite. These run $2 each but they're firm enough to hold the ball firmly in place. With a slotted bolt, and frequent play you're not likely to run through more than 2 sets a year.
Kila Detents - These detents use magnets to allow the user to adjust the tension of the detent as it holds the ball into place. While this is a permanent detent fix, the cost is in the $40 range.
Adjustable Ram Cap - One of the biggest Intimidator design flaws was the need for a ram cap to properly position the ram (and thereby the bolt) in the breach. Without this addition owners would frequently encounter rollback which lead to double feeds, half feeds and chops. A properly adjusted ram enables one and only one ball to feed into the breach. 2K2 Generation Adjustable Ram caps were often capped in aluminum or brass and the ram bumper would bounce off the cap. In later versions the bumper was integrated with the ram cap. These are called Bumperless Ram Caps as they allow you to use your ram without a bumper. The Hybrid and Bob Long Adjustable Ram Caps are some of the best on the market. CP, Hybrid and several other companies have their own versions as well.
NICE TO HAVE UPGRADES
Barrels - This is a matter for personal preference. The stock barrel is a Bob Long Assassins barrel which is made by CP and is generally a 12" .689 bore size. There were also some longer, 14" assassins barrels in a .691 bore.
Triggers - This is often a matter of personal preference as well. Older intimidators had triggers that didn't use bearings. Most of the top of the line triggers now include some type of bearing for a smooth and consistent pull. The most popular style is the Scythe or curve forward design. This was pioneered by Techna in their Scythe 2 design. CP also has a light aluminum trigger with a wider face. Critical's trigger is a bit heavier but also has a similar design. There's no one trigger that's better than another and many people use the stock one.
Boards - The board you go with may, in part, be decided by the gripframe you have.
Classic and 2K2 Gripframes - These frames utilized 2K2 wiring including the 12 and 14 point harnesses. Most of these came with the SFB or SOB boards stock. These had inferior code. Later 2K2 models came with either WAS Equalizer boards or Frenzy boards. Used WAS boards can be found for reasonable prices as can Frenzy 110, 113 and 127 boards. Vaporworks also put out the Entropy Board. Tadao put out a 2K2 board in 2005. The Frenzy 127 and Equalizer 2.9 boards have ramping code as does the Tadao.
Gen3 and Gen4 gripframes - These frames had a much better wiring configuration and came stock with the Frenzy boards. (Version 110, 116 127, Infamous/Empire 1.5 code). Depending on the version it may or may not have ramping code. The other options for Intimidator Owners are Tadao Infamous boards (M3, M5, M6) and Virtue boards. The Lucky and Predator boards are now out of production.
Again, when it comes to boards you have a lot of options. Recently Kila put out the Vibe board which, when coupled with an upgraded eye system, allows you to put 4 eyes in the marker like a Marq. The $200 price tag may be prohibitive to some users.
Rams - While the stock ram works well for most people, lighter rams are making a huge splash. When properly configured they help reduce kick issues in older markers. The Gen4's don't really suffer from this issue, but upgrades are available. The big three options are the Epek Ram Kit, the Eigenram and the Kapp Thumper Ram (now out of production). Only the Eigenram is available for Gen4 markers. Most other rams aren't worth the upgrade over the stock one. Consult the manufacturer for how to set up and adjust your marker to optimize the use of a lightened ram.
Regulators - Your stock Torpedo reg is/will be quite amazing. However, many people have chosen to upgrade to other regs for a variety of reasons. One reason is that people like to have the fitting in another location or like to have the fitting at the bottom. For performance issues, the AKA Sidewinder and 2-Liters are generally considered the gold standard of regulators. CP's also have a large following as do MacDev Gladiators, however your Torpedo is pretty darn solid.
In the LPR area, you have the SCM3 by AKA and the Palmer Rock Reg. Both do an amazing job however I've found the LPR to be a solid and consistent performer on all of my markers. In some cases people will attach a volumizer (more frequent with 2K2 gen markers).
One thing to take into consideration, if you wish to 2K5 a marker and put a 2K5 LPR block on an older Intimidator (2K2 Generation or before) you will need to have your body tapped to accept the set screw.
Feednecks - Another item that many people replace from it's stock configurations. Some people want a clamping feedneck, some want a lever lock, some like higher, others prefer a lower one. CCM, FBM, Hybrid, Empire, Redz and several other manufacturers make excellent feednecks.
Bolts - For older Intimidators (Classics and 2nd Gen) I'd look into getting something with detent slots milled in. Something like a Violent Products Bolt or a Shocktech bolt. For Gen3 and Gen4's you'll be hard pressed to find something that does the trick as well ast he stock bolt. The only exception may be Bob Long's pillow bolt.
Ram Sleeve - On older Intimidators that have a lightened ram inside, you may want to upgrade to an Alias poppet/ram sleeve. This will allow the lightened ram to work more effectively and enable you to better achieve velocity. With 2K2 sleeves you may want to consider getting an empire poppet with integrated cupseal. Most of the aftermarket sleeves to reduce kick were all hype (EBPRS and Lucky AAV in particular) and are a waste of money. The reduce kick they promised is easier accomplished with a lighter ram rather than a quirky, flawed ram sleeve.
Solenoid - This isn't an upgrade that I'd recommend to most intimidator owners. The stock Humphreys noids are amazingly fast. If you're thinking about upgrading this there are options such as the Race F1/ASCO and WAS noids, but frankly I'm not sold on the need to do it and in the ones I've seen locally the performance gains, if any, have been negligable.
Eyes - Another area where hype comes into play a lot. The stock eyes are amazing and allow for some misalignment. The latest trend has been laser eyes which, in addition to drawing more battery power also have less versatility and allow less misalignment. When it comes to the eyes, stick with the stock ones.
Tanks - There are a ton of options out there. Intimidators work equally well with HP or LP output tanks. I prefer Crossfire as I find them to be consistent. Find one you like and roll with it.
Hope this helps...remember the only two "mandatory" upgrades for all intimidators are hard detents and an adjustable ram cap. On Gen 4's it's only the detents! :cheers: