RTP history info?

[BrickHaus]

In my love for sheridan based shooters and old guns, Ive developed a fondness for old airsmith work. I now have collected two RTP Vipers of different configurations, but I honestly know very little of the history of RTP.

Bacci's Paintball history talks briefly about Paintball Pro Shop. RTP, team Viper, and other bits, but Im still not entirely sure about the history of the brand.

Does anyone have some knowledge they would be willing to drop on us about these beauties?

How many may have been made? How long did they produce markers? When was the first RTP viper or intimidator created? How many vipers exist? How many teams shot RTP guns? Is Rick still with us today? Was Rick really a prick? ECT..

Anything you can divulge on the topic, Id love to read. These seem to be a really obscure and rare marker. Even the picture thread is a short list of photos, and Bacci talks very little of the history on his website. I assume this was all published on MCB 1.0 or 2.0, but is now into the wind.

bacci has many videos about Mac-1 as he had a nice sit down session with Tim McMurry, but only a few posts on RTP. so it only makes this topic more intriguing.

thanks for your time.

[jacob0]

I used to visit the shop as a teenager starting around '89 or so. I played at Weekend Warriors east of San Diego, which was Team Viper's home field. For years I was amazed at the long distance hits I would take from these guns. I couldn't afford a Viper as a teenager, and years later when I could afford it I had one built around '95 or so. When mine was built you practically had to pull their arm to get one, and it was around that time or shortly after that they stopped building the guns. If I remember correctly, my viper was in the 500 or 600 serial number range, so that is about how many total vipers they had built. At the time I had never seen anything more accurate. They were also tinkering with autococking versions towards the end, and I'm guessing they never really got all the kinks out. I remember Rick having some health issues long ago, so I would guess that he might not still be with us. I was fortunate to personally know Colin Thompson as well, and had one of his prototype AutoSpirits that I begged him for until he agreed to make me one, which was my all time favorite gun. Colin is the one who got me into paintball. The only thing he liked more than paintball was his computers and cats.

[BrickHaus]

Thanks for the input!! Bacci and he said he had been meaning to sit down with Rick and interview him much like he did Tim McMurry. So I take that notion that Rick is still with us today. I have been waiting with baited breath for the RTP interviews.

[scottieb]

OP, posts such as yours are my favorite kind of posts. Thank you for sharing.

[scottieb]

1 Viper and 1 autococking Viper were up for sale on the prior version of MCB. The tread showed them for sale up until the crash. If they are still around I'd love to get them.