First Build - My Own Reach Character

[Kusidai]

Hey everyone,
I’m new to making armor and could really use some guidance on how to tackle my first build. I’m planning to create my own Spartan. I’ve done a good amount of research on both 3D printing and foam builds, and I understand the basic steps for each method — but I’m still torn on which direction to take.


Here’s what I have access to:

• 2 Ender 3 printers
• A decent amount of EVA foam
• Armorsmith Designer (already purchased and getting familiar with it)

I’ve seen some amazing 3D printed suits and some incredible foam builds on here, and I’d love to hear from people who’ve done either (or both). I’m open to mixing the two as well if that’s recommended for certain pieces.


A few things I’d like advice on:

• Is it realistic to print an entire suit on 2 Ender 3s, or would that be too much hassle/time/maintenance?
• Would starting with a foam build be better for a first timer since it’s a little more forgiving?
• Are there certain parts of a suit people recommend printing vs. building out of foam?
• Any other general tips you wish you knew when starting your first armor build.

I’m excited to finally get started on this after all the research. Any help, advice, or recommendations would mean a lot!


Thanks so much, Spartans!

 

[SgtSaint]

SgtSaint's FAQ post

So I tend to post this response to the common or Frequently asked questions when people ask on the various social media channels. I copy/paste it to Facebook, or the Discord server and some folks urged me to post it here and just link it in the future. Ok, here goes. These are my tips and how...

www.405th.com

 

[Scrap Yard]

I 3D printed my suit and I would say that if you want it to look realistic I would do printing. There are some downsides like weight and price though. If you want a light and cheaper build I would do foam. If you plan on going to conventions, and wear it all day I would do foam.

 

[SgtSaint]

> If you plan on going to conventions, and wear it all day I would do foam.

Well... Numerous members wear their fully printed suits for 8-12 hour convention days. Saying that you need to go foam if you intend to wear it for a day at a convention isn't at all accurate.

 

[Scrap Yard]

> If you plan on going to conventions, and wear it all day I would do foam.

Well... Numerous members wear their fully printed suits for 8-12 hour convention days. Saying that you need to go foam if you intend to wear it for a day at a convention isn't at all accurate.

View attachment 365225

It's possible but very hard. If you intend to wear a suit all day and be comfortable do foam. I have worn a 3D printed suit all day and by the end of the day it was very hard to wear.

 

[Scrap Yard]

Both options can be comfortable and uncomfortable. If you try hard enough you could make 3D printed comfortable.

 

[SgtSaint]

It's possible but very hard. If you intend to wear a suit all day and be comfortable do foam. I have worn a 3D printed suit all day and by the end of the day it was very hard to wear.

Well... Everyone has their own experiences. I'm sorry your experience with your printed armor was problematic. My experience is that a badly made suit (my first spartan) was a problem because it fit poorly. Not because it was printed. My later suits benefited from the knowledge gained through that first badly fitted suit. In other words the mistakes of the first suit guided me on what to look for, how to fit better, what is important in the files, and so on. My later suits fit like... well… tailored suits and aren't a problem to wear all day.

Again though - everyone has their own experiences. A size-1 person with no muscle tone is going to have more trouble with weight. A very obese person might have issues with a too-small belt digging into their midsection. A person with already bad knees will have issues no matter what, and excessive weight and conflicting joints can exacerbate that. A person prone to dehydration already is going to have issues if they don't drink enough, and then have issues using a latrine if they DO drink enough.

We all have our own conditions and experiences and they're all true: for us. But its not right to make blanket statements about anything or anyone. Saying "a printed suit all day **is** hard" as a general statement that applies to all… to effectively make it a statement that applies to all printed suits just isn't right. Just like you wouldn't like it or think its fair or think its accurate if someone say "All foam suits have a limited lifespan because they all self destruct, split at the seams, paint flakes because of flex, and if you make one don't expect it to last more than 3 conventions." That might be true for Billy but isn't what Mary's experience was.

Do you get where I'm coming from here?

 

[xaero]

Hey everyone,
I’m new to making armor and could really use some guidance on how to tackle my first build. I’m planning to create my own Spartan. I’ve done a good amount of research on both 3D printing and foam builds, and I understand the basic steps for each method — but I’m still torn on which direction to take.


Here’s what I have access to:

• 2 Ender 3 printers
• A decent amount of EVA foam
• Armorsmith Designer (already purchased and getting familiar with it)

I’ve seen some amazing 3D printed suits and some incredible foam builds on here, and I’d love to hear from people who’ve done either (or both). I’m open to mixing the two as well if that’s recommended for certain pieces.


A few things I’d like advice on:

• Is it realistic to print an entire suit on 2 Ender 3s, or would that be too much hassle/time/maintenance?
• Would starting with a foam build be better for a first timer since it’s a little more forgiving?
• Are there certain parts of a suit people recommend printing vs. building out of foam?
• Any other general tips you wish you knew when starting your first armor build.

I’m excited to finally get started on this after all the research. Any help, advice, or recommendations would mean a lot!


Thanks so much, Spartans!

I personally reccomend 3d printing as it will come out symmetrical with little to no issues. Ender 3s are great for printing armor. What kind of filament are you running?

 

[Scrap Yard]

Well... Everyone has their own experiences. I'm sorry your experience with your printed armor was problematic. My experience is that a badly made suit (my first spartan) was a problem because it fit poorly. Not because it was printed. My later suits benefited from the knowledge gained through that first badly fitted suit. In other words the mistakes of the first suit guided me on what to look for, how to fit better, what is important in the files, and so on. My later suits fit like... well… tailored suits and aren't a problem to wear all day.

Again though - everyone has their own experiences. A size-1 person with no muscle tone is going to have more trouble with weight. A very obese person might have issues with a too-small belt digging into their midsection. A person with already bad knees will have issues no matter what, and excessive weight and conflicting joints can exacerbate that. A person prone to dehydration already is going to have issues if they don't drink enough, and then have issues using a latrine if they DO drink enough.

We all have our own conditions and experiences and they're all true: for us. But its not right to make blanket statements about anything or anyone. Saying "a printed suit all day **is** hard" as a general statement that applies to all… to effectively make it a statement that applies to all printed suits just isn't right. Just like you wouldn't like it or think its fair or think its accurate if someone say "All foam suits have a limited lifespan because they all self destruct, split at the seams, paint flakes because of flex, and if you make one don't expect it to last more than 3 conventions." That might be true for Billy but isn't what Mary's experience was.

Do you get where I'm coming from here?

View attachment 365231

That is true everyone does have their own experience. I do think if they spend some time learning how to rig 3D printed might be the better option.