The Spyder Em1 is a outstanding marker.  Kingman moves out of the blow back semi auto world and into the true electronic world.  The spyder em1 is a true electro gun like an angel, shocker or bushmaster.  it is not to be confused with semi auto guns with a electric trigger like the flash e99 etc.  What makes the em1 such an outstanding marker is its high rate of fire (20 balls per second) WOW!!.(that depends on weather you have the 6 dip switch model or the 8.)  Then the em1 also has a fully adjustable trigger,  You can make it so all u have to do is gently shake the gun and it will fire.   The em1 may not be able to compete with angels right out of the box but when a new regulator is added and a new bolt then it is in my honest opinion that it easily competes if not out performs any angel. 

Custom mods and add-ons

Here is a sugested list of add ons and parts for the em1 and where you can find them.  the stock bolt is a peice of sh*t it swells when ever it gets damp that means oiling is out of the question and then the gun jams.  so you should invest in a Swan-creek n-bolt. The n-bolt gets rid of all swelling and will never jam.  Then there is a new regulator. However you will notice that you need a new vertical adapter for it so www.checkitproducts.com has one for you.  The vertical feed is also a peice of sh*t because you need that stupid plastic elbow.  www.checkitproducts.com has a new one for you also.

-Performance-

Out of the box and totaly stock the Compact isnt anything special, but no one would expect it to be.  The barrel is small and inacurate and the bolt directs to much blow on one spot of the ball.  However this gun does outperform any k-mart brand guns (talon's, stingrays, avengers,etc).  To areas wich i absolutley hate on this marker is.  The side cocking,  this makes absolutly no sence because now you cant get a beavertail, you cant get your faverate bolt and the most important thing is saftey.  the bolt will hurt if it strikes your thumb.  OUCH!!!.   the other thing on this gun that i hate is the feild stip pin.  the thing is held in by a little clip that you loose every game almost and then have to go out and replace.  I dont see why kingman doesnt learn from pmi piranhas and make a pin that snaps into place.  If you wish to compete with this marker then there are some changes that need to be made.

-Upgrades-

Basicly the first thing you should tackle is the barrel.  I would personaly recomend a cp one piece barrel or a smart parts all american.  Once that is done you will need to repleace the stock bolt, or at least remove the venturi.  The problem with compacts are that bolts are much harder to find because it is side cocking so regular spyder bolts have a hard time fitting.  Expansion chamber is very neccesary for this gun if you play in cold to mild temperatures.  Once those major needed upgrades are completed you can do whatever you want, make it electronic, replace the body, the valves etc.

-Look-

Out of the box the compact looks like any other semi automatic blow back marker, there is no unique stylings or milling jobs.  The compact lacks its own identity in terms or apperance.  However what would you expect out of the compact since it is a entry level marker.  But when you add the parts onto the gun and create your own custom color code it will look very impressive, (that is unless you have no sence of style)

-conclusion-

The kingman marker is a quality gun, however it is not worth its price.  I dont know what kingman was thinking with some of the stupid things they did with the gun like the side cocking and the feild strip pin.  In conclusion  the kingman marker is a good marker but if you want performance get the piranha vtl.(it is cheaper)  same gun just not side cocking and it has a lock in place pin.  but if you want the name brand (and you will pay more for it) then get a spyder, both guns will perform just as well.

-Looks-

Out of the box the flash is a very impressive looking marker with its color fades and custom annoed job.  Not to mention the muzzle, drop forward and beavertail wich all look impressive on this marker.  Kingman realized with this marker that the average paintball player is attracted to looks and they hit a home run with looks in my opinion.

-features-

The flash LCD comes stock with a barrel muzzle, drop forward, regulator, upgraded bolt, thumb velocity adjuster esp lcd trigger frame with 3 and 6 round busrts full auto and adjustable rate of fire.  The lcd has a shot counter, and game timmer amoung other features.  Last but not least there is the removable vertical feed wich makes it much easier to clean and finaly the stock trio barrel.

you will notice that the trio barrel comes with a insert.  well i do recomend upgrading the barrel to like a cp or all american, BUT hold on to the trio barrel because kingman is developing a insert kit for the trio barrel to compete with the freak.  just a FYI of things to come.

-performance-

The gun is nice, However there is alot of uneeded slack to the trigger pull, wich can be fixed by a custom mod, Email me at curtkakatruc@cox.net and i will do that for you.  And then there is the problem of consistency, now while the flash LCD is the more reliable over the chrono then any other spyder except the EM1, It is still a little speratic.  I recomed going to www.paintballgear.com and picking up a verical regulator from their selection,  (hint the vigilante is a very nice choice.)  Also i would recomend upgrading the drop forward because with the angled drop it has on it right now it makes it difficult to tuc the marker in tight.  once again www.paintballgear.com can help you with that.  Or www.checkitproducts.com has the tuc tight drop forward if you wish to keep the stock reg. 

Now the marker is verry fast but you need a 12v revvy or faster to keep up. Also because it is a blow back marker full auto and/or fanning the trigger is not recomended.  However with a new barrel the marker is verry acurate and quite.

-Conclusion-

The Flash Lcd is a marker that is stacked with upgrades and i would recomend it to any1.  It wont be a handicap to you on the feild right out of the box, but when the upgrades i mentioned are added the gun can compete with the big dogs.