Saturday, July 21, 2012

MLTA's Season Wrapping Up

Well, Summer is nearing it's end, which means the Fight Night events for the Midwest Laser Tag Association are nearly over.  We've been having great games at our home park as well as special events at other locations that have been enjoyable for everyone.  The full switch to the Lazer Tag brand (LTTO, LTX, LTAR) has been received well and our veterans continue to work on modifications and customized blasters for this new line of blasters.



We've been battling eachother, but also battling mother nature as a relentless heatwave has been gripping much of the midwest for a good portion of the summer.  Still, we have managed to stay hydrated and have great turnout at our games throughout the season.  Many new players have been returning game after game, so retaining our new members has been exceptionally good for us this season.  The age range for our players spans from the Middle School age to recently graduated college and grad students.

It wouldn't be the MLTA without some fun customized blasters.  There are a few notable blasters making the rounds out there.  The first one to the left is the CTDYNE LTX.  It's actually got quite the list of laser taggers who have worked on it.  The Combo Mount stock is built by Mike Yates of CTDYNE.  The Red Dot sight was purchased from 1 Source Laser Tag that Dave Roman runs.  The Lens on there is custom built by LazerBait, and the paintjob/aesthetics were my doing.  My good friend and longtime MLTA veteran has been making use of all it's features in recent games.

The other blaster to the left is Sundawg's Ultimate LTX.  Equipped with a lens we've named "Stumpy" (for it's shorter-than-usual length) and a custom built folding stock that he's been working on, this blaster has been making the rounds at our games.

I've also managed to pump out another blaster: the LTX EF5.  While still being tested and nearing completion, this blaster is a lot of fun to use.  It's first successful game claimed wins in all 4 of the games we played that night, so I'd say it's doing pretty good!  The EF5, the Ultimate LTX, and the CTDYNE LTX are all using lenses built by LazerBait, and they are truly excellent for precision and range.  All three of these blasters can easily achieve consistent ranges of over 1,000 feet, so if you can see it, you can hit it.

Other players have also been investing in their own gear, buying Phoenix LTXs and customizing them to their own liking.  From paint jobs to custom sights mounted, mods are finally starting to spread from our veterans to our new players.  Coming up, the MLTA has quite the surprise as I unveil the newest addition to the Lazer Tag brand!  I'll be sharing that here as well, so keep it tuned in to Tactical Tag for the latest on the evolution of laser tag!

10 comments:

  1. What's that globe in the background?

    ReplyDelete
  2. 2 months left of summer! Keep playing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only a month left of our regular season. The MLTA operates regular season games from Mid-May to late August. We follow the local school's schedules around here, and kids start going back to school in mid-to-late August.

      Delete
  3. Hey Zook, sorta of topic but I'm kinda a nerf veteran who is now also into laser tag. I picked up two phoenix ltx taggers just recently. Do you know any VERY SIMPLE MODS that even a noob like me could perform?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laser Tag mods aren't that difficult, but most of them require some understanding/experience with a soldering iron and basic electronic knowledge. Doing things like replacing the reload function with a simple push button for faster reloads is common. Paint jobs are technically a "mod", but I've also seen folks make "dimmers" for their LED displays on the blaster so they're not so bright at night. Simply using a thin plastic or electrical tape to cover the lights enough so that they still shine through but don't kill your night vision can be helpful if you'replaying in the evenings.

      Delete
    2. Thanks Zook, one more thing no offense to the other phoenix ltx mod videos the quality is terrible. Can you work on a mod tutorial for the phoenix ltx please?

      Delete
    3. I suppose I could. What specifically would you like to see? Also what vids have you been watching?

      Delete
    4. So far I have seen the automatic reload vid, reload push button mod, and some other really complex ones i just want a simple, easy mod that has a good quality camera. And keep in mind that I DON'T HAVE THE SHOTGUN THINGY IN THE FRONT OR THE PINPOINT SIGHT.

      Delete
  4. One thing I WOULD LOVE to see is an automatic tagger in a hydro cannon. It would help me out, too.

    ReplyDelete