December 20 , 2007 - The Hellions can now be seen in most major paintball magazines beginning with the February 2008 issue of Action Pursuit Games. Team Captain Lonnie "Grendel" Colson was selected by Tippmann Sports to be the new face of their X7 Marker advertisement campaign under the heading "One Team. One Marker. One Thousand Looks." He was approached during the summer by Tippmann's advertising agency expressing interest in using him for future X7 paintball ads after seeing his "Featured Player" submission to the Tippmann web site. Grendel accepted before anyone could change their minds and was gracious enough to shamelessly promote the team in the player commentary section. The Hellions' home field, CPX Sports, was chosen to serve as the back drop.
“My team and I play tactical scenario paintball. It’s not enough just to put on some camouflage in order to play our game. You need a marker that looks as good as it performs. That’s why every one of my Hellions carry an X7 on the field. Now, if we see a group of speedballers heading our way, we can flip the switch to ‘auto’ on our E-Grips and let the paint fly.”
Photos: On the left is a peek behind the scenes of the Tippmann photo shoot on site at CPX Sports back in September. The X7 marker and Empire E'Vents in the picture are the actual ones Grendel uses on the field, although several different X7 set-ups were tested to find the right look. In the end, they liked Grendel's personal favorite--the MP5SD with Commando Air-Thru Stock. The woodsball digi-cam uniform and vest were provided by Special Ops Paintball in lieu of the Hellions' ACUPAT uniform. The third photo is the later "Strength in Numbers" combined ad followed by the recent TPX campaign, which was also shot at CPX Sports during a product field test. The later images are of some of the first magazines to carry the original ad spot.
Photo Shoot at CPX Sports
First Magazine Ad
Update: Grendel made his official Tippmann debut in the form of a two-page layout in the December edition of Paintball News and then became a regular feature in several major paintball publications during the spring. The two-page spot lasted for several months until Tippmann introduced new mods and needed a new ad. Late in 2008, the ad even found its way overseas. In mid-2009, Grendel picked up a copy of Paintball Maxs Magalog in Germany which featured the "Strength in Numbers. Pride in Individuality" ad that used another pose from the CPX Sports photo shoot. The same images have been produced in laminate mats on the counters in many paintball retail stores.
Disclaimer: For more information about their products or the contest, visit their official web site at: WWW.TIPPMANN.COM.
