Approvable Shadow- / Blackholetrooper Armor

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

looks good to me for specialist but I’m no expert. In other news..

i messaged my garrison GML today and he said that, as of right now, he predicts that I will need to polish my armor that comes straight from rs before submission photos for approval. I found this very surprising but “I will do what I must”

[Halycon[PR-CMD]]

In my case, i finally got an answer, my GMO says i have to put some shiny clear lacquer on my armor cuz its not glossy enough...

i wrote a letter to RS Prop Masters, to ask if they can recommend a product that works fine with their ABS, their answer was: 

Hi Sebastian, 

 

I will ask the question, this should not stop you getting approved it isn't a requirement for the crl. 

We make to the original. 

 

I will let you know if any product can be added to the armour.

well it seems it is a requirement now.

i ordered some shiny clear lacquer on amazon, a product that works with ABS, at least that's what the description says.

I'll work on my armor next weekend, i let you see the results...

[Halycon[PR-CMD]]

5 hours ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

looks good to me for specialist but I’m no expert. In other news..

i messaged my garrison GML today and he said that, as of right now, he predicts that I will need to polish my armor that comes straight from rs before submission photos for approval. I found this very surprising but “I will do what I must”

Mason, since we two have the same Armor, just let me know when you get approved with it. In that case the CRL must be re-worked, if two guys have the same armor and only the gmo decides wich one has the right kind of gloss to be approved, then in my opinion it must be written like that in the CRL. And i will contact RS Props again and tell them their product is not anymore working with the german standards, like it was the years before.

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

I agree. We all should contact rs so this won’t be a problem in the future. Info@rspropmasters.com 

i ordered a three step abs polish called Novus. A TK recommended it to me so hopefully it works. 

Pretty disappointed though, thought the rs black was acceptable.

[Halycon[PR-CMD]]

14 minutes ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

I agree. We all should contact rs so this won’t be a problem in the future. Info@rspropmasters.com 

i ordered a three step abs polish called Novus. A TK recommended it to me so hopefully it works. 

Pretty disappointed though, thought the rs black was acceptable.

RS props gave me the advise to wait, they want to talk to the garrison why their armor isn’t glossy enough these days. 

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

I just sent an email to them too. If they can sweet talk the garrisons then that’s fine by me but I don’t think it’ll happen. Update when you find out more

[RAIDER[COTG]]

3 hours ago, Halycon said:

Mason, since we two have the same Armor, just let me know when you get approved with it. In that case the CRL must be re-worked, if two guys have the same armor and only the gmo decides wich one has the right kind of gloss to be approved, then in my opinion it must be written like that in the CRL. And i will contact RS Props again and tell them their product is not anymore working with the german standards, like it was the years before.

The CRL text does say “gloss.”. There is no way to clarify that further in the CRL in my opinion.

Within the Legion, GMLs apply the text through the lens of their garrison.  In Germany there is a large contingent of Shadow Troopers and my assumption would be they would like a standard uniformity in the appearance among the garrison.  

And so the level one garrison strives for may differ from one to another based on that interpretation.

Regarding RS statement, I would never recommend taking the word of a vendor on what will pass approval and wont.  They have no say.  In this case, they mention their kits are “made to the original.”. But there are no “original” Shadow Troopers” on screen...so this doesnt address the issue of a “gloss” sheen.  The armor may be correct to the details of a TK but thats unrelated to your question regarding gloss.  Always consult your local GML.

In this case though, the fix is fairly easy.  A clear coat of gloss spray paint or lacquer or a full repaint in gloss black should do it and its done.

NOTE: Im of the opinion that RS is not glossy enough.  But as you can see... @IcyTrooper (who is a GML in his garrison) thinks it is sufficient.  Interpretation will vary from garrison to garrison.

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

That’s unfortunate. I’ll probably just refund and buy elsewhere. 

Anyone have a recommendation?

[RAIDER[COTG]]

50 minutes ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

That’s unfortunate. I’ll probably just refund and buy elsewhere. 

Anyone have a recommendation?

I dont think thats necessary but it is your decision.  The armor itself looks fantastic.  Adding a gloss clear coat is minimal work.

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

@Raideri messaged them and they said the armor cannot be glossed. I would for sure gloss myself if I knew how to do it without possibilities or ruining the armor.

a video or something like that to show how would be great if you have one 

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

1 hour ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

@Raideri messaged them and they said the armor cannot be glossed. I would for sure gloss myself if I knew how to do it without possibilities or ruining the armor.

a video or something like that to show how would be great if you have one 

Disregard what I previously put, you stated you talked to your GML.

I'd see what it looks like when it comes in and go from there. May be better than what your GML is expecting.

Also, with clear coating it won't be as big of an issue because the plastic is already black and not painted black. Essentially you'll a light coat or two over each piece letting them dry between coats and it should make it glossy. 

[RAIDER[COTG]]

1 hour ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

@Raideri messaged them and they said the armor cannot be glossed. I would for sure gloss myself if I knew how to do it without possibilities or ruining the armor.

a video or something like that to show how would be great if you have one 

interesting.  if its just raw plastic im not sure why it couldnt.  that seems odd.

i just did a sand trooper w a testors clear lacquer over an Anovos kit (which is just plastic).

i dont have a vid. its basically just a rattle can.  spray on in thin even coat and let sit to dry then recoat.

but if they’re telling u not to do that (which i find strange...but it is their kit) then that puts you in a weird spot.

[Halycon[PR-CMD]]

1 hour ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

@Raideri messaged them and they said the armor cannot be glossed. I would for sure gloss myself if I knew how to do it without possibilities or ruining the armor.

a video or something like that to show how would be great if you have one 

I will spray my armor this weekend, i post the results here for all to see.

And for all you non glossy believers... im gonna buy this:

https://www.amazon.de/PCE-Instruments-Glanzmessgerät-PCE-GM-50/dp/B004PFZPW4

hope it translates in english if you klick the link.

I will make this device to my personal gloss detector and find all of you non-glossy shadows *hrhrhr*

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

Yes exactly @Raider

i am more than capable of flossing myself but they are telling me it can’t happen so I’m not sure what to do. 

I have Novus 3 kit gloss for abs that I may try anyways but the problem is that I have only a limited time for a refund. Do I risk getting the armor and possibly not being able to join 501st or do I refund it and take the loss of time ?

[RAIDER[COTG]]

12 minutes ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

Yes exactly @Raider

i am more than capable of flossing myself but they are telling me it can’t happen so I’m not sure what to do. 

I have Novus 3 kit gloss for abs that I may try anyways but the problem is that I have only a limited time for a refund. Do I risk getting the armor and possibly not being able to join 501st or do I refund it and take the loss of time ?

I suppose that would depend on the timeline you're working against.  If @Halycon is going to attempt gloss this weekend, maybe wait to see how that turns out.

When it comes to painting, I've learned that you can't really ruin something.  You can jack it up... but sanding and repainting normally fixes.  Here's an example of a painting debacle I experienced this past weekend...primer over the older paint coat (this primer was not applied to raw plastic) was a total wreck.  Sanded it all off, then used a 2 finer grits doing wetsanding to smooth it down more and then repainted.

 

That's why I'm not entirely certain why they are telling you it's impossible to apply a gloss clear coat.  If it's just plastic, it should work fine.  You shouldn't get the kind of reaction I had with the pics above because you wouldn't be spraying over a different type of paint...just plastic.

Do they paint their kits?  Is that the issue?

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

Im not sure @Raider

if it’s not painted then I will go on with the purchase and fix it at home. Can you link me the spray you recommend?

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

4 hours ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

Im not sure @Raider

if it’s not painted then I will go on with the purchase and fix it at home. Can you link me the spray you recommend?

I've used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch for the clear. 

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

Will this work if it was painted? 

The response of rs was “we have never and will never use acrylic capped” I’m not sure what that means.

[RAIDER[COTG]]

27 minutes ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

Will this work if it was painted? 

The response of rs was “we have never and will never use acrylic capped” I’m not sure what that means.

Im not a professional painter by any stretch.  @IcyTrooper your snow scout was made by RS right?  Did u paint it and/or clear coat it?

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

29 minutes ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

Will this work if it was painted? 

The response of rs was “we have never and will never use acrylic capped” I’m not sure what that means.

If it was painted then you would need to see what paint they used and try and use a clear coat from same manufacturer or test it on scrap pieces.

As far as acrylic capped vs uncapped my guess is maybe it has to do with cost to keep it lower for the consumer. 

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Just now, Raider said:

Im not a professional painter by any stretch.  @IcyTrooper your snow scout was made by RS right?  Did u paint it and/or clear coat it?

Yeah my snow scout was RS and I did not paint or clear it. I'll check when I'm off work but I'm pretty certain it is just white ABS.

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

I appreciate the help @Raider @IcyTrooper. I saved up all of this money to buy this armor and now it’s not seeming to be good enough. I already bought rubies before this armor so it’s ending up being almost 4,000$ 

My garrison GML said he will talk to the detachment leader and let me know. I don’t understand how some people were approved and now people aren’t from rs without there being a change in the CRL.

Hopefully my experience will start to get better 

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

10 minutes ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

I appreciate the help @Raider @IcyTrooper. I saved up all of this money to buy this armor and now it’s not seeming to be good enough. I already bought rubies before this armor so it’s ending up being almost 4,000$ 

My garrison GML said he will talk to the detachment leader and let me know. I don’t understand how some people were approved and now people aren’t from rs without there being a change in the CRL.

Hopefully my experience will start to get better 

I'm sorry that this has been such a mess for you. We'll get to the bottom of it, however, it will still be the GML or GCO call for it.

@Raider maybe we can both chat with the GML or GCO or have him post on the GML/GWL forum for guidance as well.

Here is my stance on this costume: If I can see any resemblance of an object in the armor it is shiny enough for me. If it is really matte and all you see is a light source then it isn't shiny enough. If yours looks like Halycon then in our garrison I'd approve it.

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

I guess my best bet then is to wait for the armor. It’s tricky because I can’t get even a partial refund if I go through with the shipping.

Hopefully my GML will work something out with either Rs or the detachment managers or whoever would be in change or a situation like this.

i appreciate the help

[Halycon[PR-CMD]]

6 minutes ago, ImperialLoyalty342 said:

I guess my best bet then is to wait for the armor. It’s tricky because I can’t get even a partial refund if I go through with the shipping.

Hopefully my GML will work something out with either Rs or the detachment managers or whoever would be in change or a situation like this.

i appreciate the help

Mason it totaly differs from garrison to garrison, maybe your GML/GMO is like IcyTrooper. then you will get approved.

In my case. it's just bad luck, most of the shadows have a super glossy armor, so my one does not fit in!

we also have different squads in germany, the RS Shadowtrooper was approved many times in diffferent squads but that do not help me today.

I can only clear coat it and i will do so... don't worry bro, you will make it in!