This is not a reply to anyone so if it is posted incorrectly save your sarcasm or negativity please. Got my SS Stormtrooper last week. He is awesome and I am very satisfied. Collecting and appreciating the things we do is art where beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, hence many opinions about the Sideshow, Medicom and Marmit Stormtroopers. To me, part of the fun is futzing with the figure until he looks just right, adding my interpretation as to how it should look. If I want to or need I can customize which is my favoite part of the collecting hobby. The SS Stormtrooper doesn't need any customization. This figure is such a beautiful combination of engineering, sculpting and craftmanship I do not want to risk doing much to it. Since I am getting a few more Troopers I will risk clear coating one. I like to use on non rubbery types of plastic such as the ABS SS Stormtrooper armor a clear acrylic gloss spray. I am not going to risk spraying the utility belt as it may be an RTV type plastic. I wash the armor or other parts in warm water with just a bit of mild soap to get any mold release agents or oily residues from production off the armor. I then rinse and dry the pieces to be painted completely and mask the areas I don't want painted/clear coated. Carefully spray each piece while suspended with some type of stand so the pieces can be painted on all sides without waiting for a coat to dry to spray another side. I want no part being sprayed to touch anything. Shaking any spray paint can long enough is vital and keeping the spray nozzle a certain distance from the subject while spraying even coats is paramount so please follow the instructions on the can closely. Spraying two light coats is better than one coat that is too heavy and prone to drip. Much like painting a car, the real work is in the preparation and th more prep the btter the results. The harder the plastic the better it takes paint unless it is an RTV type plastic, and remember, if you primer it before painting you will lose detail. Clear sprays require no primer and you won't want to anyway. To to do the spraying in as dust free an environment as possible and when the humidity is low, like in your basement (if dry) in the winter time when you are running the furnace regularly which dries the air. If fuzz , hairs or other contaminants land on your freshly sprayed surface, remove it quickly and do not be tempted to touch the finish to feel if it is dry. Wait at least the recommended period before doing that. I tried this method way back when on a Marmit Stormtrooper and a TIE PILOTto get him even shinier than he came and the acrylic spray I used holds up very well where Future floor wax does not. Future looks good at first though it can be easisly scratched. I used to use it on my army boots for a quick sheen on suprise barracks inspections so I know the stuff wears off even when not wearing the those brand new for inspection only boots. If you scratch the Future coat too much you will have to strip it off your figure and re-apply or use something else and I am not sure what you would use to strip it off with so sufficed to say spraying with an acrylic clear gloss for about 3 bucks works for me. Again, do not use any spray paints on an RTV type plastic(these are the rubbery types). For some reason only toy manufacturers have some special paint they can use on RTV types used for heads and other rubbery plastic types. On RTV types, the paint may never dry due to the chemical reaction between the two plastics (that in the paint and in the piece painted) and will always be tacky until enough dirt and dust accumulates on the finish. I tried this on a Hasbro Deathstar Gunner and ruined it with black gloss paint and the clear gloss coat. Before I spray my Sideshow Trooper I am going to sand the casting/mold lines or seams smooth with some fine sand paper before I wash the parts. The spray I use is Krylon and it need not be acrylic though acrylic is plastic itself and it likes non RTV hard plastics very much. I am shopping for a new camera so mybe I can soon share some pics with you as that is another of my favorite parts of the collecting hobby, posing and taking numerous shots of my art/figures/toys.
Those wanting a slimy/wet look on other parts can spray an excess of gloss clear coat in a wide lid and use a brush or get the kind in a small bottle (not spray can)in the crafts department at wal mart and brush it on those parts like pupils or anything you want glossy or even slimy looking. Several coats may be needed to actually look slimy. There are satin sprays as well as flat or matte sprays you can use for less gloss or no gloss and if you choose acrylic it will protect your pieces as well. I am a smoker and I have some yellowing figures though this clear coat I used on the Marmit Trooper did not yellow. Practice spraying on things you can discard to insure an even coat on all sides of your pieces and to avoid drips at all costs. I said quite a bit here today without disrepect to anyone's preferences. My preferences are mine and all yours are yours and that is also art so have fun and I hope you all enjoys your Sideshow Stormtroopers as much as I do and of course your Marmits and Medicoms. I already promissed a Cincinatti Bengals fan friend of mine I would paint his trooper orange with the black stripes. I know this has been done before with an actual 1:1 scale suit and I thought it was great though I am a Steelers fan.
On yet another note, Hot Toys is coming out with The Octopus character 12" figure from the movie The Spirit so I am hoping to make a mold of that head as the likeness to Samuel Jackson is extraordinary. I will sand off his go-T from my casting them make a mold of that and cast a few off and paint the most perfect one to retro-fit him onto my Sideshow Mace Windu which will hopefully get a new Hot Toys body soon if I can find one without paying 25 bucks for shipping out of Hong Kong.
My opinion on the speakers/areators on the Sideshow Stormtrooper is that too much(for me) silver paint was used so they look large. I am going to use black to paint over the silver areas and repaint what I want silver to make them look smaller. I did this already in Photoshop and the results were very good. I already bent the chest armor without heating it. I was over zealous and bent it too much so I bent it back a bit. Seems no matter how much heat I used(even boiling water) the plastic does not give into heat very well which means these pieces will be difficult to break so the plastic can not be too cheap. I thought the set/studio lights are what gave the Stormtrooper the glossy look? That's just me. Take care everyone and have fun!
