The Angel One

The Angel One is WDP's newest flagship marker, replacing the G7 Fly and its more basic cousin, the '06 Speed.  The Angel One is a much larger evolutionary step in WDP's design philosophy than the G7 platform markers were.  The internal layout is significantly different, the electronics are much more advanced, and issues like 'Angel Lob' and accuracy have been dealt with in the One.  WDP also used the power of the Internet to get input on the Angel One's design, enlisting the users of www.angel-owners.com to give input as to what they'd like to see on a WDP marker.

The box the marker ships in has undergone major changes, with the box now being a cube rather than the flat box of previous markers.  Inside the cube securely nested in Styrofoam a new owner will find the marker, a barrel kit, and a well-written owner's manual, and a small tool kit.

Out of the box, the black-to-olive fade Angel One review unit showed very high build quality, which is to be expected from WDP, and the dust finish applied to the anodizing was flawless.  Oddly enough the trigger was right on for my preferences right out of the box, but it is adjustable to customize the trigger's weight, pull length and activation point for the player's preference.  Also included in the box was a small tool kit that has hex wrenches and a set of o-rings to keep things working. 

The Angel One is still recognizable as an Angel, but internally the marker’s design has undergone some radical changes.  While the basic architecture of the One is still as a 'three tube' design, in reality is more along the lines of two and a half tubes.  The Low Pressure Regulator has been moved to the back of the marker, freeing up a large amount of space in the front of the marker that WDP used to shrink the marker's overall size while increasing the space for regulated low pressure air to be stored.  The design's signature roto-breech has also been retained, with the major change there being that the breech seal is now in the body of the marker, rather than being housed in the roto-breech itself. 

Dale playing back with the Angel One

The bolt has undergone changes as well, now slightly lightened and now incorporating a cleaning feature to keep the marker's laser eyes clean in the event of a ball break in the breech.  The feature is deceptively simple, consisting of two holes drilled about mid-way down the bolt's side that direct a blast of air during the firing cycle directly to the eyes that blows debris and paint away from the transmitter and receiver.  The eye covers are designed to accommodate this blast of air, venting it and allowing debris and paint to leave the marker.  This necessitated abandoning the ball-and-spring detent that previous generation Angels had used, replaced with easily replaced nubbin type detents.

The Angel One's electronics have gotten a major update as well, with changes to every aspect of the board's design and operation.  Gone is the LCD display that showed about halfway down the grip panel, now replaced with an Organic LED display located at the top of the grip.   The interface to the board has changed as well, using a wheel type of switch turn the marker on and off, and change the settings on the board.  The OLED display was easy to read in all lighting conditions, including through a tinted mask lens on a bright Florida afternoon.   Significantly, the Angel One is the first flagship marker made by the company that uses a standard 9-volt battery, rather than the rechargeable battery used in previous generation Angels.

The Angel One now ships with an ASA already on the marker, which attaches to the bottom of the grip frame using a standard dovetail type of arrangement.  The former collet-type feed neck is now replaced with low/no rise lever locking clamp feed, which likely came about through requests by Angel users.  For some odd reason a large portion of the Angel using community despised the old collet-type feed.  The Angel One also ships with its' own barrel kit, a two-piece barrel with 3 backs in .691, .693, and .695 bore sizes.

For the review, the marker was fitted with a Centerflag Products 420SV low-pressure screw-in air system, while a Reloader B and VL VLocity shared the hopper duties.   The stock ASA and barrel kit were used.  The previous generation G7 Fly/'06 Speed barrels work in the Angel One, and a beauty ring is provided to cover the excess threads that show when a G7 Fly/'06 Speed barrel is used in the Angel One.   A variety of paint was used in the marker, including X.O. Industries Menace, DraxXus Blaze, and PMI Premium. 

Jacob working the snake

The first shot at the chrono station with the marker resulted in a blown ball in the breech.  We pulled the trigger back for 2 seconds to disable the eyes and fired the marker several more times to clear the breech break.  The break was attributed to the marker's velocity, which out of the box was at 365 feet per second.  The self-cleaning eyes worked as advertised, clearing the paint from the sensors and allowing the marker to work at full capacity once the eyes were reactivated after roughly 5 shots.  Once the inline regulator was adjusted to give acceptable velocity on the marker, we encountered no more breaks during the course of the test.  Consistency was plus or minus 4 feet per second, which is more than acceptable with fresh regulators on a brand new marker.

The marker made its' field debut at a Central Florida Paintball Fall Series tournament.  Lakeland, Florida based CFP is a well-known field, where pro players and newbies alike come to play and learn.  On the field, the Angel One's light weight and small size became a real factor in how I played bunkers.  I was able to squeeze into smaller spots, which helped in me staying the game longer and taking out opponents on the field.  Putting the VLocity on the marker really allowed us to take advantage of the One's small size and light weight.   The perceived accuracy of the new marker is a radical departure from earlier versions of the Angel.  Even with a mixed hopper full of Blaze and Premium, the marker was ball-on-ball accurate, allowing me to take advantage of any exposed portion of an opposing player. 

Front man Antonio "727 Hitman" Braccili took the marker out for a couple of games using X.O. Industries Menace and he described it as a "Frickin' Railgun".  He was very impressed with the accuracy of the stock barrel system, but noted that a .689 back would be handy to have in the future to accommodate smaller bore paint.   As of this writing, only SITE Manufacturing, the maker of the St!ff! barrel, is offering an aftermarket barrel specifically for the Angel One.

John moving up the field

On its' second outing at a team practice, the Angel One continued to impress me and the members of the 68Caliber.Com review crew, even spool valve fanatics like Jacob, who commented that the One was every bit as accurate as his PM5, while being lighter and easier to handle on-field.   Comments from the rest of the review crew indicated that they were impressed with the marker, especially in the accuracy department.  I noted that as expected, the marker was more accurate with higher quality paint.   Efficiency was more than adequate, with the 68 cubic inch 420SV giving roughly 1300 shots per 4500 psi fill.   

At the end of the day, WDP has a winner on their hands, literally.  Flagship teams Miami Rage and Stockholm Joy Division have taken wins at NPPL events with the Angel One, which is likely attributable to the marker's accuracy.  In the past teams facing a WDP team knew that the WDP team would have to get close to take them apart, but with the ball-on-ball accuracy of the One, teams are being forced to re-think how they strategize against a team equipped with WDP markers. Another departure for the Angel One is price.  MSRP for the Angel One is $1199, which is somewhat less expensive than previous markers.  The Angel One is available in a variety of colors and finishes, including fades.  For more information on the Angel One, check out www.wdp.tv and www.angel-owners.com  

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