SCENARIO ENTHUSIAST COMMUNICATIONS KIT
I will tell you up front that this review is going to be positive, but there is a legitimate reason for that. And it’s not because the product is being manufactured by a team mate and long time friend. It’s because the product is made just how I thought it should be made.
FRS and GMRS radios are very common in scenario paintball games, and come in very handy for a variety of reasons, but in the middle of the game, a radio going off can be a dead give-away to your position. It’s can also be inconvenient to hold the radio in one hand to operate it, since your hands are usually full of other things. For that reason most players will use some kind of headset, usually consisting of a microphone and earpiece. While a lot of the units sold as accessories for radios will work fine in a lot of conditions, scenario paintball can tend to be harsh on such equipment. Internal wires and flimsy connections often break after relatively little use. Guys on our team have went through any number of set-ups searching for a headset that would last more than just a few games. In an effort to combat some of these problems, Chris Demartini set out to build a more heavy duty headset that would not only last, but function well. His product resulted in the formation of Scenario Enthusiast.
The communication kit sold by Scenario Enthusiast for $29.95 consist of a connected speaker, microphone and push-to-talk switch which can be mounted inside of a paintball mask. Installation is easy, using zip-ties to secure each component in a location preferred by the owner. Heavy gauge wire is used throughout the kit to cut down on the chances of internal breakage which is so common with equipment like this. A heavy duty weather-proof connector allows the user to disconnect when taking off his paintball mask. The main wires are covered in shrink wrap and the external radio connections are coated in plastic for further protection. The connections are currently designed to be compatible with Midland LXT series and Cobra FRS 85 radios. (Scenario Enthusiast also sells a Midland LXT radio for $19.95)
While a lot of off-the shelf headsets require the user to put a small speaker in their ear, I personally find that method uncomfortable, especially after hours of on-field use. I also find the kind of headset worn over the head to be uncomfortable when worn under a face mask, which can be sort of binding. So for me, mounting everything inside the mask was the perfect solution. It’s comfortable and convenient to use. I never have to worry about where I put the headset, or if it will get tangled up with other gear, because it’s always right there in my face mask.
I have the push-to-talk switch mounted in the front of the mask, where it’s easily accessible. The switch is plenty big and easy to find. The speaker for the ear transfers a lot of volume when compared to other units 
I have tried. In fact, I have to turn the volume control on my radio down, where with other units I usually had to run at max volume. The rather over-sized microphone seems to work well mounted in the front of the mask. The audio transmissions I have heard from other team members using the system are very clear.
To me, the most important aspect of this kit is the heavy gauge wires, covered in shrink wrap. They are not extremely flexible, but this means they are less likely to fly all over the place and get hung on everything in sight, which translates less likelihood of damage. I keep my radio in a pouch on a tactical vest, but the standard 2-foot length of the wires allow the user to keep a radio in a pants pocket or on a belt.
Yes, I like this product, but that’s only natural since I had some input on how it was designed. After years of going through different configurations and products, I finally feel like I have something that will work for the long haul. For me, the durability and the fact that it’s designed to be used the way I am using it gives me some peace of mind and that makes this product worth the price.
CAMOUFLAGE
Oakleaf
This camo began life in Germany in the late 1930s in it’s original reversable form (both sides had the brown base color and both used the same camo pattern but one side had light and dark green colors over the brown for use in spring/summer and the reverse side had orange/yellow colors over the brown for use in the fall/winter). This pattern works best in woodland areas, but is effective in other areas as well. It’s a highly tested pattern that produced on average a 15% reduction in casualties in the Waffen SS units who wore it in WW2 as opposed to the units who did not wear camo. The actual camo in the picture is a non reversable copy made for paintball by Renegade in England.
44 Dot (aka “44 Peas”)
This is also a German camo pattern developed by the Waffen SS during WW2. It was used in 1943, 44 and 45. There were two main versions of it. Both were non reversable or sometimes reversed to white for use in snow. The main differences in the versions were the over all lightness or darkness of the pattern. The earlier version (43 Dot) was lighter and the later 44 version (shown) was darker over all. Both versions work very well in grassy areas but will also work in woodlands (the later darker version probably adapts to more different conditions better). Renegade made a version of this camo for paintball use (slightly darker than even the 44 version, though). They no longer produce it as far as I know. Reproductions of the original versions can still be bought from dealers in WW2 militaria, but it is quite expensive in comparison to most current paintball camos (don’t even bother thinking about the price of actual original non-reproduction camo in this pattern… it’s waaay too high to wear in a paintball game).
The hat on the left is German 43 Dot (mentioned above). The hat on the right is yet another of the several reversable camo patterns made in Germany during and immediately prior to WW2. This one is commonly called “Plane Tree” pattern in several english language books on militaria I’ve read over the course of the last 20 years or so. At first I had no idea why anyone would call the patten by that name, as it makes no sense. In the last several months however, I’ve spoken to a couple of guys from Germany who tell me that the name is incorrect and might be a corruption of the german word “Platane”. Looking in my trusty german-english dictionary, I see that Platane is a tree, so it would make good sense for it to be used in a name for this type of camouflage. With that being said, my guess is that some early researcher of camouflage development (who spoke no german) must have seen a note or something written somewhere that said “platane – tree”, and thought it said “Plane tree”, then proceeded to publish it as the proper name in their books. So there you have it… my guess as to the proper name of this camo: “Platane”. So…. In this photo the “fall” orange side is showing. You’ll notice that this pattern is very similar to the “oakleaf” pattern (eichenlaub auf deutsch). According to the sources I’ve seen, it is slightly older than the typical oakleaf pattern, but I’ve seen pictures of certain smocks that appear to be a mixture of the two patterns, so your guess is as good as mine as to when and if the original name changed. The bottom line is that most books on the subject of WW2 German camouflage (written in english) identify this more rounded pattern as the earlier version, and state that it was the very first of the WW2 German patterns. It was used (along with the other later patterns) all the way through the war. There were several minor variations of this pattern; one of which included the very first use of “carbon black” in the pattern in order to defeat early night vision devices. This is best used as a woodland pattern, but can be used in grassy areas as well.
Thanks to everyone who’s helped with correcting names, etc.
Danish
This is a Danish version (left) of the current German army (Bundeswehr) camo. This version has more green in it than the German version (right). The German version is much more common and has more browns/reds in it. I don’t know what the Danes call this camo, but the Germans call the original version “Flectarn” which just means “dot camos”. You’ll see a lot of this sold by surplus dealers who tend to incorrectly call it “flectar” pattern. It (the german version) can be bought for very reasonable prices these days. It’s a good pattern for a wide variety of areas. There is a lighter version with tans and browns that is intended for desert use. Renegade of England makes paintball specific camos in the brown/red German colors of this pattern. For some reason they call it “Belgium”. As far as I know, the Belgian air force bought some of it from the germans, but decided to use a verison of the British “DPM” pattern instead. They said that the german pattern looked “too aggressive”. Hmm… imagine that… an army that doesn’t want to be too agressive. No wonder they get overrun in every major war. 😉
Italian “San Marcos”
This pattern is very rare and expensive when you can find it at all. Great pattern for woodlands. Maybe someone will make a paintball version some day.
Syrian
Could make an interesting paintball camo..
Tiger Stripe
Everyone knows this pattern. It was made popular by US Special Forces during the Vietnam war. It was made for use in rain forrest areas. Several companies produce it specifically for paintball, but there are also several surplus versions available in both the “light” and “dark” styles.
Bushlan Spring
Bushlan camo of Camp Verde, Texas, began marketing this camo to paintball players in the early 1990’s. It is very efective woods camo, especially in areas with lots of green foliage. It also comes in brown.
US Woodland
This is by far the most common camo used in paintball in the usa since it is so widely available and inexpensive in surplus and new forms. Several companies make camos specifically for paintball in this pattern. The pattern was chosen by the US armed forces as a compromise camo. It is not the best camo in any given situation, but is reasonably good in several situations. The story goes that the army wanted to cut costs so rather than supply several different patterns for changing terrain, they chose the best “all around” camo and went with that. Obviously, it can’t be used in desert terrain very effectively though, which is why the army went (or attempted to go, since they didn’t have enough to go around) with a couple of other patterns during the persian gulf war. Woodland pattern is a decent pattern none the less. Especially for the money.
British DPM
British DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material) camo has become easily available the last few years in surplus stores. It’s a good pattern that seems to be Britains answer to the US Woodland camo. I believe it was first issued to British troops in the ’80’s (maybe late 70’s?).
Urban (grey)
I’ve always thought that they would make good winter/snow patterns. For the actual use as urban camo, I’m not too sure how effective they could be in reality, other than the fact that there’s a lot of grey/black pavement. I’d tend to believe that a larger “splinter” type pattern would probably work best for that sort of thing since there would be little possibility of hiding from something very close, but decent chances of not being seen from a distance.
Bundewehr
This is 1950’s Bundewehr (west german) splinter pattern that is quite similar to the WW2 Heer (Wehrmacht) pattern. Used as an all around camo, similar in theory to the US woodland pattern except for the sharper edges. The WW2 version was usually reversible from a lighter greenish side to a darker brownish side, or to white for snow use.
Trebark
These are two of the commercially available patterns produced by Trebark. They work well in areas with lots of pine trees and seem to simulate that sort of bark.
ChineeseReversible
Psycho Ballistics EM-98
The Psycho-Ballistics EM-98 kit transforms a Tippmann Model 98 into an electro-pneumatic paintball gun featuring 6 firing modes; semi-automatic, 3 shot burst, 6 shot burst, full auto, “Turbo” (goes full auto if you pull the trigger faster than about 5 rounds per second) and “Response” mode (fires one round when you pull the trigger and another one when you let go).
What it is
The actual electro-pneumatic trigger system is pretty cool. You have to change the bottom line to one with a hole in both sides (supplied in the kit). The air comes into the bottom line and is split there, with one line going to the trigger system and the rest going to the valve system. The air that goes to the trigger system system first goes to a Palmer regulator mounted on the right side of the bottom line and from there through a tiny little hose to a banjo type bolt that replaces the front bottom line screw. From there the line goes up into the grip frame to another little tiny hose that goes probably a quarter of an inch to the intake of the trigger valve. The trigger valve is electronically controlled by a circuit board with two pots; one for valve dwell time and the other for firing rate. There are 3 dip switches that control the firing modes. The electronics are powered by either two 6-volt batteries or a 9-volt adapter. From the trigger valve there is yet another tiny hose that goes up to the pneumatic hammer device which slams forward to hit a valve. The valve contains a lighter than stock spring that rides a smaller than stock spacer/guide. The hammer forces the stock valve pin open for a period of time determined by the dwell time setting.
Owning an older Model 98, I had to drill out a section of the metal grip frame under the outer (plastic) grip on the left side in order to allow for changing the settings on the three dip switches for the fire mode and also to change settings on the two pots that control rate of fire and dwell time. People who do the conversion on any of the newer Model 98 Customs won’t have to drill, though. The newer guns have pre-cut panels in the metal that just pop out with the tap of a hammer.
Disadvantages
One drawback I can see in this system is that it is not Co2 friendly. The tiny hoses are like fuel lines (the same as those used on the WGP Autococker pneumatics). They press on to little nipples and if the air/co2 were not regulated down to low pressure they would just blow right off. There is also a leaking problem when using Co2. As long as you don’t shoot it fast for more than a few shots (say 50-100 rounds) without giving it a break for a few minutes it’s ok. Otherwise the gas lines from the trigger valve to the pneumatic hammer contract at a different rate than the little nipples they attach to because of the co2 cooling as it moves through them and – three guesses – it leaks for a few minutes until it has time to recover.
Also, It would be wise to route the external air line that goes from the Palmer regulator to the pneumatic hammer controller in the grip frame in a way that doesn’t lend it’s self to getting hung up on branches and stuff.
As a side note, I stripped the threads in the valve body the second time I had the gun apart and had to call Tippmann to get another one. They were very good about helping out (as usual), but still, if the piece was made out of something other than light aluminum ( about the consistency of american cheese), it would be much easier to deal with maintenance on the gun. I mean, really.. common sense says that you should always make the actual parts out of something more substantial than the bolts and screws holding things together.
Advantanges
The advantages of the kit are the faster firing rate and unless my ears decieve me, a slightly quieter gun. When I say a faster firing rate, I not only mean the obvious addition of full auto, but that even in semi auto mode, the trigger action is incredible. Since the trigger is just an electrical connection, it’s very, very light. You can fire as fast as your fingers and your feed system will allow you to go. Really nice. – Oh yeah… since the thing runs on compressed air, the velocity is really consistent. I
usually don’t see more than 5 fps variation when chronoing – very often less than that. Another thing that is noticeable with the kit installed is that there seems to be less “recoil” when firing. I guess this is because there’s less mass in the pneumatic hammer than there was in the original one.
Opinion
The gun works flawlessly in the field as long as you don’t use co2. All in all, I really like the gun. I only wish you could use co2 instead of air. If they ever change the low pressure air line setup, you could do that. Maybe someone will come up with a modification for it.
