2008 heralds the beginning of a new era in South American paintball with the introduction of the LAPPL - Latin America Professional Paintball League.
The LAPPL will host 5 events in 2008 so make sure that you get these dates in your diary:
16 - 17 Feb: Santiago, Chile
26 - 27 April: Venezuela
12 - 13 July: Ecuador
13 - 14 September: Aruba
22 - 24 November: Bogota, Columbia
Check out http://www.lappl.tv/ for more info!
27th November 2007 - Official Planet Eclipse Press Release.
This press release applies to all Eclipse Ego8 paintball marker that were manufactured prior to 9th November 2007.
As a result of our continuous testing, we have recently discovered an Eclipse Ego8 paintball marker Inline Regulator Swivel Collar that displayed a defect that resulted in a leak that could only be stopped by replacing the swivel collar component.
Upon examining the faulty component, and with subsequent investigation, we have determined that there is a potential fault in a batch of material used to manufacture a number of Eclipse Ego8 paintball marker Inline Regulator Swivel Collars. As such these components will need to be replaced as soon as possible.
Swivel Collars with a potential fault are easily identifiable by the "ECLIPSE" engraving on the component, in particular the spacing between the "C" and the "L" (see bottom image) and the spacing between the "S" and the final "E" (see top image).
Please refer to the attached images to determine if your Eclipse Ego8 paintball marker Inline Regulator Swivel Collar is potentially faulty and if so please obtain a replacement using either of the methods outlined below:
Replacement Eclipse Ego8 paintball marker Inline Regulator Swivel Collars will be available from the Eclipse Tech Support Booth at the following events in 2007/8:
Replacement Eclipse Ego8 paintball marker Inline Regulator Swivel Collars will also be available after the San Diego NPPL event (Tuesday 4th December onwards) by contacting either of these Eclipse Service Centers:
When having your Eclipse Ego8 paintball marker Inline Regulator Swivel Collar replaced at either of the above Eclipse Service Centers, please contact the relevant Service Center prior to sending your Ego8 Inline Regulator in to inform them of your requirements and to ensure the fastest possible turnaround. You MUST also include a covering letter with your Ego8 Inline regulator that clearly states the following details:
Please note there will be no return postage charge for this service when dealing directly with either our Rhode Island or Manchester Service Centers and that wherever possible replacement Swivel Collars will match the color of your original Swivel Collar.
We apologize for any inconvenience or disruption that this Press Release may cause to your playing schedule and will do our utmost to ensure that your new parts are returned to you as swiftly as possible.
If you have any questions, our Customer Service department is on hand to assist you, so please contact Nicky T on: nick.t@planeteclipse.com
Kindest regards,
Planet Eclipse.
The Eclipse Etek Ego paintball marker has found a place in the hearts of many a player over the past 18 months. Its light weight yet sturdy construction. Its switch-on-and-go operation. Its super-simple maintenance and unparalleled reliability. Coupled to 24+bps rates of fire and 1700+ shot efficiency, and you have a marker that fulfils all-roles to all-men.
But there is always room for improvement, right?
So that is exactly what you get with the new Eclipse Etek2 Ego paintball marker. You still get all the great benefits of the original Etek but combined with a whole host of advancements passed down from its big brother, the Ego8 range. For example: both the LPR and HPR regulator sport the exact same internals as both the Eclipse Ego8 paintball marker and Eclipse Ego SL74 paintball marker. New lightweight hard anodized aluminium pistons, durable captured regulator seal and coil spring construction give the regulators high flow rates, improved shot-to-shot consistency and quicker recovery times. But not only have these changes improved the performance of the Eclipse Etek2 Ego paintball marker, but they also reduce the weight of each part as well as make maintenance a far simpler task. No more Bellville shim stacks to drop, count and arrange each time you lube and re-build your reg.
Then there is the new OOPS (On/Off/Purge) system with the integrated T-Rail mounting. The T-Rail offers the sturdiest possible connection between the OOPS and frame, yet still allows the positioning of the tank with over 1" of lateral adjustment. The new OOPS internals offer effortless operation, even under pressure from the air tank, yet durability has been improved and can be serviced without the need of tools.
The area of the Eclipse Etek2 Ego paintball marker that has seen one of the most radical changes is the frame assembly. Inside the frame, under the grips, the circuit board has been re-orientated to allow quick and easy removal, again without the use of tools. In addition to this the design has become more modular allowing, for example, the plug-n-play installation of different weights of micro-switch that will allow the player to tune the trigger feel to their personal preference. And to save any kind of confusion there is no way to accidentally plug the wrong device into the wrong socket on the board. Each socket and plug has a unique pin number that makes incorrect connection impossible.
Running down the rear you will find a new moulded rubber console that is flanged to lock into undercuts in the frame so that it can’t be accidentally removed or fall out of place. It houses the power and function button, and the same 3 tru-color LED display indicators as the original Etek. These 3 clever LEDs allow easy programming of all the user definable parameters by greatly simplifying the programming process. The top LED indicates 10s of units, the middle displays 1s and the bottom shows 0.1 increments. Need to set your dwell to 12.5ms? That’s 1 flash of the top LED, 2 flashes of the middle and 5 of the bottom. It couldn’t be easier.
As well as dwell, the Eclipse Etek2 Ego paintball marker has user definable settings for Ball-in-Place, Eyes Off ROF, Cap ROF (uncapped in Semi 1), Debounce, and Firing Mode. As standard the Etek2 has firing modes that should cover almost every tourney eventuality, with Uncapped Semi, Capped Semi as well as current CFOA, Millennium and PSP modes.
Other changes to the frame mean that the grip position at the rear of the frame, as well as the trigger pivot point, have been raised closer to the barrel axis allowing for a more intuitive and comfortable sighting line. The rear contours add an extra degree of comfort to the grip position, and an integrated snatch grip in the frame makes on-field transportation that little bit easier. Inside the XL trigger guard is a new trigger with a flatter face and no lower hook, and is interchangeable with previous Etek triggers.
Feeding into the frame from above, the BBSS (Break Beam Sensor System) and dual ball detents can be found beneath the contoured Nexus eye covers. For those after a little more bling in their breech, the BBSS assembly can be upgraded to the lazer eye system, available as an upgrade.
Staying in the area of the breech, clamping feed-tube attaches directly onto the feed stub machined out of the body billet. This not only produces an incredibly strong feed location for the loader, but also allows the incorporation of the Deftek technology feed tube. This neat little device massively reduces the chance of balls entering the breech and then bouncing back up, only to be chopped by the bolt coming forward. Without adding any ball-in-place delay you can confidently assume that the ball is neatly chambered every shot and initiate the firing cycle with the shortest possible delay. So not only does it prevent annoying breech breaks, but it aids firing at the very highest rates of fire.
In order to maximise the potential of all those loaded and fired paintballs, this year sees the Etek2 come fitted with a Shaft II 2-piece barrel, with its micro-honed and polished internal bores to provide the most accurate results possible. Supplied with a 0.693” bore back and 14” reverse threaded tip.
The body of the Eclipse Etek2 Ego paintball marker has been lightened and gently sculpted to distinguish it from the original Etek, with the new Etek logo machined directly into the body, and the machining of the regulators, caps, barrel and OOPS all designed to complement the whole.
So, the bottom line is that the Eclipse Etek2 Ego paintball marker has been overhauled in a way that makes it feel better, shoot better, make it easier to maintain and service, make it more reliable, make it more desirable, make it more robust and of course make it look better too. Not only has it accomplish all these things, but also managed to do it in a package that weighs 4.5oz less than the marker it replaces, hitting the scales, ready to go, at exactly 1kg.
At launch the Etek2 will be available in two strikingly different ranges of 2-tone colors as well as the classic combination of black black and black.
The Eclipse Etek2 Ego paintball marker . Technically Superior.
Available from Eclipse Dealers and Distributors from December '08
Features
Available Upgrades:
Technical Specifications
*Weight includes: Barrel, Battery, OOPS, Hoses, Fittings, Feedtube, Regulators, ready-to-go.
In late 2006 Planet Eclipse unveiled, to much public and critical acclaim, the new Eclipse Ego7. Derived from the operating principles of the previous two Egos, the Eclipse Ego7 demonstrated a new direction for the brand, redefining the standards that players should accept for performance, reliability, durability, weight and ergonomics. Add to that list peerless Customer Service and uber-simple user-maintenance, and the complete package becomes a formidable prospect.
This year the Eclipse Ego8 will push these boundaries even further, by building on the already impressive platform of the Eclipse Ego7, drawing on some of the experience gained from the highly-developed Eclipse Ego SL74, and moulding all the entities into a new marker with devastating effect.
Open up the glossy clam-shell packaging “Pod” and it is clear that the Eclipse Ego8 has retained all of the Egos visual traits. Aggressively angled eye covers, sleek sculpted lines and comfortable proportions. Yet the profile has been reduced again, with the rear “hook”, or heal of the frame moved up closer to the firing-line of the upper bore and barrel, and the whole frame raised up. This makes the gun feel even more “pointy” as the hand comes up even closer to the sighting-line of the barrel. This closeness of hand to the axis of the barrel gives a feeling of directness that is often lost in the design of most markers, making the Eclipse Ego8 feel, more than ever, like an extension of your arm.
The placement of the front frame screw to inside the trigger guard for the first time as well as a change to shorter frame screws has resulted in a smaller profile directly behind the FRM as well as more finger room between the FRM and trigger guard. In moving the frame up into the body, it has also allowed a flanged fitment between body and frame, which prevents ingress of dirt and paint, and aligns the 2 parts better for a superior fit.
Inside the trigger guard is a re-worked Eclipse Ego SL74 style trigger. A modification to the bearing carrier has allowed the fitment of a larger magnet which provides a greater range of adjustment for the trigger return force. The front trigger stop point has also been re-designed so that the complete trigger set-up can also be achieved with the frame removed from the marker body.
One of the main features of the Eclipse Ego8 that has enabled the reduction in body/frame profile and allowed the rear of the frame to come closer to the barrel axis is the development of a completely new QEV assembly. This new Q-Block assembly has been designed from the ground up to offer unparalleled Quick Exhausting performance for both the fore and aft ports of the rammer. Combined into one, small, low-profile block. Dual QEVS release used and unwanted gas from the Rammer chamber directly to atmosphere without having to pass through any restrictions such as threaded banjo screws, hollow bolts, solenoid or hosing. The Q-Block is fully strippable without tools, allowing quick access to the diaphragms for cleaning and maintenance.
Just above, and being fed by the Q-Block, the Eclipse Ego8 houses the rammer. The Eclipse Ego8 has borrowed technology directly from the Eclipse Ego SL74 of last season, and incorporates the highly effective Zick Kit (Zero Kick) Rammer system. Thought of by most as just a one-trick feature, the Zick technology actually offers exceptionally low kick, but also combines it with super-gentle paintball acceleration. This feature, when combined with the standard Cure Bolt system, enables the Eclipse Ego8 to shoot the most fragile tournament paint available with awesome accuracy with virtually zero barrel lift even at the very highest rates of fire.
Also making the cross-over from the Eclipse Ego SL74 are both sets of regulator internals. Where the LPR retains its dual gold-spring operation, it now includes the industrial hard anodised 7000 series grade aluminium piston assembly. In the Inline regulator the alterations have been even more radical, with the inclusion of not just the light-weight aluminium piston, but also the adoption of the coil spring design from the SL. This new design not only produces a lighter and more simple-to-maintain regulator, but also offers superior performance in every way over the old Bellville Spring Stack design. The new spring design offers quicker and more accurate recovery after every shot, and the single coil spring means that maintenance and lubrication of the inline regulator is easier and quicker, with no Bellville shims to lose or incorrectly orientate. A real win-win situation for this particular upgrade.
The Eclipse Ego8 also sees a change to the valve guide and internal bore geometry. With requests for quieter and quieter shot characteristics, without the compromise of reduced air efficiency, the Eclipse Ego8 incorporates a new “stepped” valve design. It was found in testing that most high end guns actually produce virtually identical decibel readings when firing a paintball. It is more the frequency-range produced by the shot that offended certain ears. By more tightly controlling the flow of air through and round the exhaust valve and valve guide we have attempted to reduce the higher, more irritating frequencies generated during firing, helping to reduced the perceived noise level. The real beauty of this new step valve design is that, together with the new Q-Block and Zick rammer, the Eclipse Ego8 has improved efficiency with reduced kick, increased rates of fire and quieter operation.
Of course the Eclipse Ego8 has retained its full range of electronic features, including the revolutionary Duel Trigger Sensing (micro-switch and optoelectronic sensors) enabled board, the head-up LCD display in the rear of the frame, fully adjustable semi and ramp modes, user definable Debounce settings and presets, tournament preset modes and training modes. The LCD display has the capability to allow users to view game timer and alarms, shot counter, peak and average rates of fire, as well as access all adjustable parameters either through an internal set-up button, or when unlocked, directly from the rear user-interface buttons. For the Eclipse Ego8 we have moved to a new Black on White LCD display that offers greater contrast to previous models. New icons and graphics in the user interface of the LCD have been improved, making them more legible in game-time scenarios. The Eclipse Ego8 board also has a new “Auxiliary Output” port that allows direct control and drive of aftermarket hardware such as the Pulse loader. Secondarily to that there is also interfacing on the board for the addition of expansion-board accessories, such as an audible game timer beeper.
Other aftermarket accessories that will be available from launch besides the Beeper board will be CCU kits and Laser Eyes. All 3 of these accessories are retro-fittable from Eclipse Ego7 to Eclipse Ego8, making them readily available in dealers around the globe right now. Aurora CCU kit on an Eclipse Ego8 anyone?
And of course the launch of a new Ego wouldn’t be the same without a mention of its vital statistics: If you go out and play with the Eclipse Ego8, come back in from the field, pull off the loader, unscrew the tank, and drop the gun onto the digital scales the Eclipse Ego8 weighs in at a staggeringly low 906g. That’s under the 2lb mark, fully laden, ready to play. No tricks, no special light weight batteries, or missing parts, just as it comes out of the box, with barrel, On/Off/Purge system and all.
So as the evolution of the Ego continues, are we getting any nearer to the perfect marker? Well, with the modifications and improvements that have been worked into the Eclipse Ego8, combined with the customer support, attention to detail, and customer driven direction that Planet Eclipse continues relentlessly to pursue it would be difficult to concede an area of this product that could be considered less than class-leading.
Does that make it the ultimate all-round package? Try it. You decide.
Technical Specifications
Features