Bob Long sells BLAST (manufacturer of the iconic Intimidator) to Eric Crandall



The Intimidator is THE marker that won the electronic paintball gun ams race in the early aughts. It was simply one of the fastest, dependable and easy to maintain paintball guns on the planet and it revolutionized how tournament paintball was played. Eric is looking to revitalize the brand. We have the exclusive interview with Bob and Eric.



Bob Long said, "I think this is the best thing for me and the company. I've got a lot going on, and this allows me to focus on what I enjoy the most like designing guns and going to events while someone else is responsible for running the business. I'm excited for this new chapter, and look forward to seeing people at some of the big events next year."





Interview with Eric Crandall of BLAST:



Thanks for taking the time to talk! To the people who don't know you, how long have you been in paintball and what else do you do in paintball?



A: I’ve been in paintball since 1996 when I owned a paintball field in the San Francisco Bay Area. I even played tournament paintball once upon a time including on the Ironkids, and have been involved in the industry one way or another since then.





Anything you want to say directly to the fans of BLAST to let them know Bob’s legacy is in good hands?



A: I’ve known Bob for a little over 20 years now. Bob is still involved in the company, and will continue to be involved in product development and design as well as attending events. I believe he’ll actually be more involved moving forward than he has in a number of years.





Are you changing the name of BLAST?



A: For now it’s business as usual. Field One Paintball is the name of the newly formed company, so we’ll see what names we go with moving forward.





So did you purchase the assets, the whole company, inventory, what?



A: It’s a complicated situation. Bob is still involved in the company, and I am now running it. It’s a brand new company that owns everything, so I guess technically it was an asset purchase.





What attracted you to buying BLAST?



A: I’ve known Bob for a long time, and think he has great products. Getting involved with him was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.





Is this a conflict of interest with Dynasty’s current gun sponsor: Planet Eclipse?



I have worked in an advisory role with Dynasty, which I am removing myself from to avoid a conflict of interest. Dynasty are a true professional Paintball team and will be conducting themselves as professionals. Dynasty is under contract with Planet Eclipse through the end of the 2016 season. Traditionally after World Cup they look at the next years sponsorships. We have already been in discussion with Planet Eclipse about my involvement with BLAST and what this means to Dynasty going forward. Actually, maybe Planet Eclipse can give you a better answer to this question? Can you ask Ledz or Jacko from Planet direct?





Quote: Originally Posted by Ledz of Planet Eclipse Eric has been very upfront with Planet Eclipse and we have been talking for a while so we’re very much abreast of the situation. But, for now Dynasty are currently contracted to Planet Eclipse and we, as well as Dynasty, are both working hard towards the NXL World Cup to hopefully bring home back-to-back World Cup victories. After World Cup, Dynasty and Planet Eclipse will sit down to talk more about the future. Until then our focus for Dynasty, as it is for all of our teams, is to ‘Win World Cup’…



Ledz

What's the plan for new products Eric? Anything in the works you can share?



A: We hope to have some new stuff an Extravaganza in February, but I’ll wait to make any kind of announcement until we have a firm eta.





BLAST hasn’t sponsored teams in a while either, do you plan to sponsor any for 2017?



A: We’re planning on being more active which means looking at attending events again and sponsoring teams.





Thanks for taking the time to talk Eric. I want to wish you Dynasty good luck for the rest of the season, even if you are going to be less involved the rest of the year. Good luck with the new business venture, we will all be watching! Keep us posted on how it is going.



Does anyone have anything they want to ask Eric?



What does this mean for Dynasty?



What products do you think they should be concentrating on? Eric Crandall recently purchased Bob Long Technologies (also called BLAST Paintball) from Bob Long.The Intimidator is THE marker that won the electronic paintball gun ams race in the early aughts. It was simply one of the fastest, dependable and easy to maintain paintball guns on the planet and it revolutionized how tournament paintball was played. Eric is looking to revitalize the brand. We have the exclusive interview with Bob and Eric.Bob Long said, "I think this is the best thing for me and the company. I've got a lot going on, and this allows me to focus on what I enjoy the most like designing guns and going to events while someone else is responsible for running the business. I'm excited for this new chapter, and look forward to seeing people at some of the big events next year."A: I’ve been in paintball since 1996 when I owned a paintball field in the San Francisco Bay Area. I even played tournament paintball once upon a time including on the Ironkids, and have been involved in the industry one way or another since then.A: I’ve known Bob for a little over 20 years now. Bob is still involved in the company, and will continue to be involved in product development and design as well as attending events. I believe he’ll actually be more involved moving forward than he has in a number of years.A: For now it’s business as usual. Field One Paintball is the name of the newly formed company, so we’ll see what names we go with moving forward.A: It’s a complicated situation. Bob is still involved in the company, and I am now running it. It’s a brand new company that owns everything, so I guess technically it was an asset purchase.A: I’ve known Bob for a long time, and think he has great products. Getting involved with him was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.I have worked in an advisory role with Dynasty, which I am removing myself from to avoid a conflict of interest. Dynasty are a true professional Paintball team and will be conducting themselves as professionals. Dynasty is under contract with Planet Eclipse through the end of the 2016 season. Traditionally after World Cup they look at the next years sponsorships. We have already been in discussion with Planet Eclipse about my involvement with BLAST and what this means to Dynasty going forward. Actually, maybe Planet Eclipse can give you a better answer to this question? Can you ask Ledz or Jacko from Planet direct?A: We hope to have some new stuff an Extravaganza in February, but I’ll wait to make any kind of announcement until we have a firm eta.A: We’re planning on being more active which means looking at attending events again and sponsoring teams.Thanks for taking the time to talk Eric. I want to wish you Dynasty good luck for the rest of the season, even if you are going to be less involved the rest of the year. Good luck with the new business venture, we will all be watching! Keep us posted on how it is going.Does anyone have anything they want to ask Eric?What does this mean for Dynasty?What products do you think they should be concentrating on?

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