Editing KAPP


'''KAPP''' ('''Kick Ass Paintball Products''') was an American [[paintball]] equipment brand based in Santa Rosa, California. Associated with [[Pacific Paintball]], KAPP manufactured customised [[Autococker]] markers, aftermarket components and paintball apparel during the 1990s and early 2000s.[1][2]

The brand became associated with the '''KAPP Factory''' tournament team, whose players included [[Ryan Greenspan]] and [[Alex Fraige]]. Original KAPP markers, accessories and team jerseys remain of interest to collectors of vintage paintball equipment.[3][4]

== History ==

=== Pacific Paintball origins ===

KAPP developed from the equipment manufacturing and customisation activities of Pacific Paintball, a paintball business based in Santa Rosa, California.

Pacific Paintball was operating by 1992. Historical interviews preserved by paintball researcher [[Daniel Bacci]] identify Chris Haggin and Richard Mansfield as co-owners of the business.[1]

During the early 1990s, Pacific Paintball customised [[Worr Game Products]] Autococker markers, including modifications to bodies, bolts and pneumatic components.

Examples of its custom Autocockers from approximately 1994 and 1995 survive in historical equipment collections.[2]

The business subsequently marketed products under the KAPP name.

The precise date when the KAPP brand was introduced has not been independently established.

=== Expansion during the late 1990s ===

KAPP developed a range of aftermarket components for Autocockers and other tournament markers.

At the 1998 [[National Professional Paintball League]] Las Vegas Open, Pacific Paintball and owner Chris Haggin exhibited the KAPP product range.[5]

The company's products included custom Autocockers, trigger frames, regulators, pneumatic components and compressed-air mounting accessories.

At the 2000 [[Paintball World Cup]], KAPP shared a trade-show display with [[Extreme Rage]]. Contemporary reporting by [[WARPIG]] documented both manufacturers exhibiting their products at the event.[6]

By the early 2000s, KAPP components were distributed through paintball retailers and used in customised tournament markers.

=== Later activity ===

KAPP continued appearing in tournament records and product coverage during the early 2000s.

At the 2002 Millennium Series event in Toulouse, France, WARPIG documented a Matrix LCD marker featuring KAPP flame-style body milling.[7]

The brand's original manufacturing operations subsequently ended, although the precise date and circumstances have not been reliably established.

Surviving original KAPP components continue to be sold through specialist vintage paintball retailers.[8]

== Products ==

=== Custom markers and components ===

KAPP was particularly associated with custom Autococker markers and aftermarket components.

Its products included:

* KAPP custom Autocockers, including Classic and Razor body designs.
* Groovy single-trigger frames.
* Autococker front blocks, back blocks and pneumatic components.
* Regulators and air-system adapters.
* Drop Zone compressed-air mounting systems.
* Accessories for the [[Automag]] and [[WDP Angel]].

Surviving products and components have been documented by [[Bacci Paintball]] and specialist retailers.[8][9]

=== Clothing and jerseys ===

KAPP also became associated with distinctive tournament jerseys, particularly those worn by KAPP Factory players.

Original factory jerseys incorporated KAPP branding and team-specific designs.

A surviving KAPP Factory jersey attributed to Alex Fraige, dated approximately 2000–2001 by its seller, has been documented through Paintball Vault.[4]

Original KAPP Factory jerseys remain sought after by collectors of early tournament paintball apparel.[10]

== KAPP Factory ==

'''KAPP Factory''' was a tournament paintball team supported by Kick Ass Paintball Products.

The team competed in regional and national events during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

At the 2000 Spyder Cup in California, KAPP Factory won the five-player tournament, finishing two points ahead of Team Strange.

The winning squad included Brian Cole, Ryan Greenspan, Alex Fraige, Kenny Chamberlain and Yosh Rau.[3]

KAPP Factory also competed in the NPPL and other tournament circuits.

At the 2003 NPPL Huntington Beach Open, the team finished second in the amateur division behind Evil Factory.[11]

The KAPP Factory name has subsequently appeared in classic paintball competitions, including the [[International Classic Paintball League]]. Its later tournament activity should be distinguished from the original equipment manufacturer's operations.[12]

== Collecting ==

Original KAPP Autocockers and aftermarket components remain documented in specialist paintball collections.

Products such as KAPP trigger frames, Drop Zone systems and custom-milled bodies are identifiable examples of the aftermarket equipment produced during the Autococker's period of widespread tournament use.

KAPP Factory jerseys also have a secondary market among collectors of early professional and amateur tournament apparel.

Discussions among vintage paintball collectors continue to identify KAPP as a discontinued brand of interest.[10]

== See also ==

* [[Autococker]]
* [[Worr Game Products]]
* [[Ryan Greenspan]]
* [[Alex Fraige]]
* [[National Professional Paintball League]]
* [[Bacci Paintball]]

== References ==

# [https://paintballhistory.com/darryl-trent-ironmen-store-wars-iii-c-1992/ Darryl Trent of the Ironmen Interview, at Store Wars III c.1992]. ''Paintball History'', Daniel Bacci, 18 September 2014. Identifies Chris Haggin and Richard Mansfield as co-owners of Pacific Paintball.
# [https://paintballhistory.com/identifying-carter-machine-autocockers/ Identifying Carter Machine Autocockers]. ''Paintball History'', Daniel Bacci, 10 April 2014. Documents early Pacific Paintball Autocockers and recollections from former shop manager Tony Meno.
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/spydercup2000/index.shtml Spyder Cup 2000]. ''WARPIG'', 2000. Contemporary account of KAPP Factory's victory, sponsorship and team members.
# [https://pbvault.com/products/alex-fraige-kapp-factory-jersey Alex Fraige KAPP Factory Jersey]. ''Paintball Vault''. Collector listing documenting an original KAPP Factory jersey.
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/vegas98/index.shtml 1998 Las Vegas NPPL Tournament]. ''WARPIG'', 1998. Identifies Chris Haggin and Pacific Paintball displaying the KAPP product range.
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/wc00/index.shtml World Cup 2000 Product Showcase]. ''WARPIG'', Bill Mills, 2000. Contemporary report documenting the joint KAPP and Extreme Rage trade-show display.
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/milleniumseries/2002/toulouse/ Toulouse 2002]. ''WARPIG'', 2002. Documents a KAPP flame-style Matrix LCD marker.
# [https://detroit-paintball.myshopify.com/collections/kapp-kick-ass-paintball-products KAPP (Kick Ass Paintball Products)]. ''Detroit Paintball''. Historical product catalogue identifying KAPP Autococker components manufactured by Pacific Paintball in Santa Rosa.
# [https://baccipaintball.com/air-bottomlines/drops/manufactuers/kapp-drops.html KAPP Drop Forwards]. ''Bacci Paintball''. Catalogue of surviving KAPP compressed-air mounting accessories.
# [https://www.reddit.com/r/paintball/comments/1b60vfv/you_are_now_emperor_of_paintball_what/ You Are Now Emperor of Paintball: What Brand Are You Bringing Back?]. ''Reddit r/paintball'', 4 March 2024. Collector discussion expressing continuing interest in KAPP and its factory jerseys.
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/nppl/2003/HuntingtonBeach/index.shtml NPPL Huntington Beach Open 2003]. ''WARPIG'', February 2003. Tournament report confirming KAPP Factory's second-place amateur finish.
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/post/kapp-factory-nearly-perfect-in-icpl-old-bay-classic-win-behind-forster-and-squires KAPP Factory Nearly Perfect in ICPL Old Bay Classic Win]. ''International Classic Paintball League''. Documents later competitive use of the KAPP Factory name.

== External links ==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.kickasspaintball.com/ Historical KAPP website archives]
* [https://paintballhistory.com/identifying-carter-machine-autocockers/ Pacific Paintball historical research]
* [https://baccipaintball.com/ Bacci Paintball]

[[Category:Paintball manufacturers]]
[[Category:Paintball clothing]]
[[Category:Paintball equipment]]
[[Category:Paintball businesses]]
[[Category:Paintball history]]
[[Category:Paintball in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct paintball businesses]]