Taking the plunge

[Ben626]

Hi, I finally decided that this would be the year I finally make a suit. I've made several helmets, but the idea if an entire armor set has both been exciting and daunting. The suit will primarily be 3D printed but I'm also trying to learn foam work as well. Wish me luck

Currently I have the forearms, biceps, and calfs printed out. But I think I'll have to rescale the forearms to be little shorter for mobility.

 

[Ulfhedinn073]

Good luck! There are a lot of resources here to help you on this journey, as I'm sure you know. Also, as a fellow 3d printed Spartan, you're in the right track for making sure mobility is taken into account - I can't take off my own helmet or salute while in my armor at the moment, so now I'm looking to do remakes. Definitely test fit everything together as much as possible! You'll get it functional, but also easy to put on after the annoyance of doing it all the time. Feel free to DM me if you have questions or need to vent following what feels like endless sanding.

 

[Negativecacti]

Welcome and if you have questions on foam work feel free to reach out and ask, thats what's I primarily work with

 

[Ben626]

Thanks guys.

I can't take off my own helmet or salute while in my armor at the moment

Even with the forearm scaled down I'm finding those movements to be pretty difficult, and if I make them too short it starts look funny, but for my first suit so far I'm pretty happy with it.

As my printer finishes the last few pieces of the chest, I think it's time to turn my attention the rigging/harness system. My current thought is to uses snaps in conjunctions with a suspender harness for vertical placement with strips of velcro to try and keep the pieces from twisting or shifting. At least that's the plan anyway, but it's going to be an evolving process.

 

[AnakinSkywalker]

What is your plan for sanding? I find that using a UV jewelry resin as an outer coat and then sanding that down can save you a lot of time later, but you can just sand the print itself, it just takes a bit more work, if you have any Sand related questions let me know!

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I Hate Sand
-Anakin

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[Ben626]

In the past, I've only used filler primer and spot putty but I'm going to try using resin for the initial smoothing and sanding.

 

[Nob1e Actua1]

Hi, I finally decided that this would be the year I finally make a suit. I've made several helmets, but the idea if an entire armor set has both been exciting and daunting. The suit will primarily be 3D printed but I'm also trying to learn foam work as well. Wish me luck

Currently I have the forearms, biceps, and calfs printed out. But I think I'll have to rescale the forearms to be little shorter for mobility.

What type of armor are you making?

 

[Ben626]

Just a few more pieces to print out then it's time for sanding.

 

[Legend 113]

This gonna be a Jeorge build or a grenadier armor build?

 

[Ben626]

This gonna be a Jeorge build or a grenadier armor build?

Awhile back I wanted to make Jorge, but this wont be it, and I'm still deciding if I want to use the grenadier helmet or not. I printed it out a while ago, and I've been meaning to finish it, but I've been thinking about the CQB, EOD or making a new Mark V for this suit.

 

[spartan114x]

Hi, I finally decided that this would be the year I finally make a suit. I've made several helmets, but the idea if an entire armor set has both been exciting and daunting. The suit will primarily be 3D printed but I'm also trying to learn foam work as well. Wish me luck

Currently I have the forearms, biceps, and calfs printed out. But I think I'll have to rescale the forearms to be little shorter for mobility.

Good luck soldier! I’m right behind you, except I have no printing experience at all. Excited to see your progress!

 

[spartan114x]

Good luck! There are a lot of resources here to help you on this journey, as I'm sure you know. Also, as a fellow 3d printed Spartan, you're in the right track for making sure mobility is taken into account - I can't take off my own helmet or salute while in my armor at the moment, so now I'm looking to do remakes. Definitely test fit everything together as much as possible! You'll get it functional, but also easy to put on after the annoyance of doing it all the time. Feel free to DM me if you have questions or need to vent following what feels like endless sanding.

I’ve seen others mention some kind of sizing software. Is that what you used?

 

[Ulfhedinn073]

I’ve seen others mention some kind of sizing software. Is that what you used?

Yep, sure did. I used Armorsmith - you'll see that one mentioned a lot around here. IIRC, it was 40 bucks for the full version, and I'd definitely recommend it.

That said, I used it to prioritize look and silhouette over comfort and wearability, knowing that I'd come back and alter it over time. You may not want to do that, depending on your intended use. Mine was "wear it sparingly, display it always", so look was the priority for me.

 

[Ben626]

I’ve seen others mention some kind of sizing software. Is that what you used?

I also used armorsmith for the rough dimensions. Then I printed out pieces for sizing usually using 1-2 walls with 0-5% infill and depending on the armor piece that could either be a sizing ring or the entire thing.

 

[Ulfhedinn073]

I also used armorsmith for the rough dimensions. Then I printed out pieces for sizing usually using 1-2 walls with 0-5% infill and depending on the armor piece that could either be a sizing ring or the entire thing.

Personally, when using Armorsmith, I found printing sizing rings were just a confirmation my sizing and personal measurements were correct in Armorsmith. I stopped printing those after the third correct one, I think.

 

[TC Wolfie]

i cant wait to see how this ends up the prints look clean i hope it all goes well

 

[Ben626]

Unfortunately I haven't have as much time as I'd like dedicated to this project, but that doesn't mean progress hasn't been made! I've started making steady gains on sanding, have a rough prototype for a harness system, I've got a vacuum forming table now, and I've finally decided on a helmet. I went with Security (the Mark V variant from Reach) with both the CBRN (mutton chops) and UA (forehead armor) attachments.

The pieces I've sanded, I've put a coat of a metallic spray paint in hopes it will show when natural wear occurs, I don't even know if that works, but I saw it once and thought it looked cool. Now to figure out what colors I'm going to use... and also the undersuit, but it's probably going to be pretty simple this time around.

 

[Shalidars]

Security is a good pick for a helmet! Will be interesting to see the finished visor; will you be posting pictures of it here when done with vacuum-forming?

 

[pinoyfiasco]

Titlewave Designs' models are so great. Easy, hassle-free prints. Looking super clean, too! Can't wait to see the helmet.

 

[Ben626]

Security is a good pick for a helmet! Will be interesting to see the finished visor; will you be posting pictures of it here when done with vacuum-forming?

Once I dye visor, I'll post a picture of it. Right now I'm still in the sanding phase so it isn't much to look at at the moment