Planet Eclipse Anodizing Pattern Thread

[Bunny]

AO: I have been working on trying to track down the names of the Planet Eclipse / Smart Parts anodizing finishes today and I think I did a pretty good job trying to get the official names organized. If you haven't caught on by now, my main passion is E/X/SFL emags, but I'm intrigued by the P.E splash kits at the moment. I'm seeing a lot of kits come up for sale and many of them get scooped up pretty quick. I have probably spent around 6-7 hours today scouring different forums (US and EU) and realized that many people misidentify what type of splash kit they actually have. I'm not sure if people didn't know what the actual color was called, but I felt like I needed to get a list going for people to reference. Luckily a few paintballers have scanned in some of the old ads that identify the types of splashes are out there. I also used the wayback machine to see exactly what you could order from P.E back in 1998. All the names that are currently compiled have been referenced by either a magazine ad or on a website. Take a look and let me know what you think. I know we have a ton of splash anodizing collectors out there so please chime in and let me know if anything is incorrect or you want to add a "One-Off" anodizing pattern.

From my article I'm currently writing up for the archives...

Here is a running list of a few Planet Eclipse / Smart Parts splash names and examples. It gets a bit confusing trying to research all the different types of finishes since both companies shared the anodizing patterns. Below are a list of the "official" names of the colors. These were found from magazine articles and using "the wayback machine" to browse the old websites to see what was available in 1998.

Planet Eclipse Anodizing Examples: Circa 1998



Photos provided by KingAcquisitions & uzielgal.

• Speedy Blue
• Fire
• Electric Skies
• Ice
• Banzai Green
• Black & Chrome

In 1999, Planet Eclipse had a contest to come up with your own anodizing idea. We are currently researching which color actually won the contest.

Special Color Contest: http://web.archive.org/web/199905030...co.uk/comp.htm

Planet Eclipse / Smart Parts Anodizing Examples: Around 1999-2001



Photo provided by groquick

• Crazy Black Splash (Black Base, Red Splash, White Splash)
• Midnight Blue (Blue Base, Black Splash, White Splash)
• Red, White & Blue (Burgundy Base, Blue Splash, White Splash)
• British Racing Green (Dark Green Base, Black Sponge, Gold Splash)
• Camo Splash (Brown Base, Tan Sponge, Dark Green Sponge, Gold Splash)
• Gray Splash (Black Base, Gray Sponge, White Splash)
• Midnight Green (Dark Green Base, Black Sponge, White Splash)
• Blue Splash
  
• Purple Splash
  
• Red Splash
  
• Midnight Purple (Black Base, Purple Sponge, White Splash)
  
• Old Gray Splash Need picture
• Cobalt Blue Need picture

Solid Colors: Early

P.E also offered solid colors as well. We have found examples of both Green and Silver.

Smart Parts Example:


Smart Parts Golden Line: Circa 1994

• Purple Base, Black Sponge, Gold Splash
• Brown Base, Green Sponge, Gold Splash
• Blue Base, Black Sponge, Gold Splash
• Red Base, Black Sponge, Gold Splash
• Pewter Base, Black Sponge, Gold Splash
• Green Base, Black Sponge, Gold Splash

One-Off Anodizing Patterns Circa 1998-2001
Since P.E was a custom shop they would often let customers come up with their own ideas as well. You will see many slight variations of colors, but unfortunately we could not find the "official" name of the finish.

• Purple Base, White Sponge, Light Blue Splash (Unofficial Name: Speedy Purple)