Vanguard Paintball

Vanguard Paintball was a paintball equipment brand specialising in electronic tournament paintball markers. Originating in the United Kingdom, Vanguard became known for the Creed, a ram-driven poppet-valve marker marketed in 2009, and the Demon, a spool-valve marker used in professional tournament competition by 2011.[1][2]

In July 2012, American professional player Frank Connell announced his acquisition of Vanguard's assets. The business subsequently operated under the Vanguard USA name, with Connell planning further development of its markers and customer-support services.[3]

History

Vanguard Creed

The Vanguard Creed was being promoted commercially by July 2009.

The marker used an electronically controlled ram-driven operating system with a poppet-type valve.

Its published features included an aluminium body, integrated regulator, rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, USB charging connection and colour OLED display.[1]

The Creed was intended for the competitive electronic marker market.

Surviving manufacturer instructions document its operating procedures, compressed-air requirements, electronic controls and maintenance.[4]

Vanguard Demon

Vanguard subsequently developed the Demon, an electronic spool-valve marker.

The Demon used a different firing mechanism from the Creed and represented a separate marker platform rather than a conventional revision of the earlier model.

The professional team Avalanche used Vanguard markers during the 2011 season, changing from the Creed to early Demon models during the year.

A contemporary review documented an Avalanche Edition Demon incorporating customised body milling, regulator housing and anodising.[2]

The marker was also offered in standard configurations.

Acquisition by Frank Connell (2012)

On 4 July 2012, professional paintball player Frank Connell announced that he had acquired Vanguard's assets.

The acquisition was publicly reported by Social Paintball on 9 July 2012.

Connell was a former Philadelphia Americans player and owner of the professional team New England Avalanche.

According to the announcement, Avalanche had used Vanguard Creed and Demon markers during the preceding two tournament seasons.[3]

Connell stated that his plans included further development of the Demon, the creation of additional markers, improvements to customer service and expansion of the company's dealer network.

The announcement identified the business under his ownership as Vanguard USA and stated that existing marker warranties would continue to be supported during the transition.[3]

Later activity

Vanguard's marker range continued to be associated with the Creed and Demon platforms following the 2012 acquisition.

Later examples and replacement components continued circulating among paintball players and collectors.

The precise date on which Vanguard ceased regular marker production has not been independently established.

Products

Marker	Documented period	Operating system	Notes
Creed	2009 onwards	Electronic ram-driven poppet valve	Rechargeable battery and colour OLED display
Demon	By 2011	Electronic spool valve	Tournament marker used by Avalanche
Avalanche Demon	2011–2012	Electronic spool valve	Team edition with customised body milling and anodising

Tournament involvement

Vanguard supplied markers to professional tournament teams, particularly Avalanche.

During 2011, Avalanche competed in the National Professional Paintball League using Vanguard equipment.

The team initially used the Creed before adopting the Demon.

Vanguard also produced customised Avalanche Demon markers for the team.[2][3]

Connell's acquisition of the brand in 2012 brought Vanguard under the ownership of an established professional player and team operator.

References

External links