Armor help

[Phil0352]

Ok I just ordered my suit l, I hope I am one of the lucky ones who responded soon enough to claim one. There will be one problem with the suit though. It is white, the maker is not planning on making TX armor in the near future. So my question is; Do I stay a TK or is there a way to paint it and have it look good?

[Master Tej]

There are excellent ways to paint it to a shiny, gloss black so that you can't even tell it was originally white . . . if you know what you're doing. Unfortunately, I do not, but I'm sure somebody else (hem, Dizzy) can step in and give a recommendation on how to do it!

 

- Master Tej -

[dougiedad7]

There is i a guy on here Xanthis is his screen name and he took his TK armor to a gentleman who paints cars for a living and turned it into a Magma and it looks great. Not just saying that because he and I are friends. It is spot on.

[DizzyStormtrooper[501st]]

the only reason i don't paint armor parts black is because after troops they'll be areas where paint rubs off. between the thighs near the crotch and the biceps under the shoulder bells. even if you pile on the clear coat you'll have to constantly maintain it.its not worth the trouble.

[toddo[TX]]

If i'm not mistaken, Griffinx painted his shadow black. I'm sure he might be able to shed some light on this. My shadow helmet was originally white. I layered on the primer before layering on the paint, and it has stood up to countless troops.

[Phil0352]

I should be getting the TK armor soon. Should I paint before I cut or after I get it fitted to myself. Also it's the new NE design.

[xanthis02[501st]]

to be honest my magma is a white suit painted it's very time consuming to maintain if you can source a black plastic suit i would to anwser your question you paint after it's fitted though also are you signed up on the va garrison boards

[DizzyStormtrooper[501st]]

the abs they use is great stuff personally i would keep white as its acrylic capped. now the matte hips scootch uses i would paint since its already a little rough. anyway though, make it fit then paint it. you dont have to do the inside and i would avoid getting any on the inside for the sake of not adhering thus flaking paint all over your undersuit.

 

srsly though its going to be a lot of work. to prep the surface wetsand with around 400 grit, preferably with a random orbital sander to make things faster, and a sanding sponge for the smaller recessed and curved areas. then theres 2 options, spray the krylon paint+primer then clear it and polish after dry, or use a thin coat of cheap primer but spray rustoleum professional enamel as a base. i used rustoleum for my helmet but without clear. if you clear it lay at least 3 coats, but its glossy and durable enough where i felt it wasnt needed. like i said you might just want to hold off and stay white.

 

another option is using vinyl wrap, like advertisements on cars and window decals. you can get black in bulk and will survive trooping easier, plus if it tears its easy peel off and replace. cheaper and less work than paint as you dont need to sand or anything, but you have to be careful about air bubbles, so use a heat gun to help form around detailed areas.

[crazas[TX]]

GO BLACK!!!!

 

You need to know you will need to "do maintenence" after trooping, that is almost sure, but if you use Krylon fusion paint you'll have better results than with regular paint, I used it to paint my wife's white biker helmet and it still looks great.

[Darth Emphatic[CMD-DWM]]

Going black is the way to go. If money is no object (when is that ever the case), an auto shop can add an awesome black gloss coat to armor. I did this with a bucket and it was beautiful. Then I ruined the bucket :|

[Phil0352]

Has anyone have any experience with the NE style armor? TKTUPPERWARE builds only the NE style now and is not planning on any black armor in the future.