Old boots, fresh feet

[AgentDarthMando]

Hi everyone,

Name's Ben, DS25594 of Knightfall Garrison. Recently a Death Trooper in our garrison made the hard decision to sell his kit, as wearing it was proving increasingly detrimental to his health. I bought it, minus the helmet as neither of the ones he had (an Anovos and 850 Armor Works) would fit me. Here's the photos we took on the first day when I came over to try it on: https://drive.google.com/open?id=19JNn8QWi9d2DXV4RK45oxPshm9emxxzL

Since these photos were taken we trimmed the butt plate's outside edges (making sure to round them off at the bottom), heat-formed the ab plate so it better conformed to my belly and tightened up the belt.

The current problem I'm trying to address is the lack of helmet. Since neither Anovos or 850 Armor Works' helmets seem to be a viable option, I've been looking into 3d-printing one; I have a printer of my own, it's just a matter of finding the best model I suppose! Our GML (who also happens to be the detachment's XO ?) recommended the helmet done by Tom Campbell of TDK props, but while I wait on his response I thought I'd ask if anyone else knows of any models (free or paid) that're good in the accuracy department.

Been eying up this one in particular ( https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/death-trooper-helmet-printable-3d-obj/1103938 ), as it seems fairly close to the Anovos helmet with the exception of the back-middle vent (which should be a fairly simple job to cut out and replace with an insert.

[amcclary[TX]]

I would reach out to Tom Campbell.  He has the best files.  

[AgentDarthMando]

1 hour ago, amcclary said:

I would reach out to Tom Campbell.  He has the best files.  

Yep, I've sent him a message at his TDK Props page on Facebook already. Just continuing to shop around while I wait for him to reply!

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

@AgentDarthMando  Ben, Denis at Armory Shop makes several different sized helmets. You might want to measure your head and see if he has one large enough for you.

[DHKnecht]

I am a new member of this forum (not an official 501st member yet) and purchased the files from Tom Campbell.  Tom is great and his files are superb.  I'm printing out a complete death trooper kit now.  I had to break up the main part of the helmet into 6 pieces to print it (my printer's print size is 10 x 8 x 8 in.), and I'm printing it in PETG for the strength and flexibility.  Once I get further underway I'll post a build on here, but for now, I can't recommend Tom enough.

[Devolver[501st]]

I agree, you can't do any better than Tom's files if you are wanting to print your own armor.

[AgentDarthMando]

Long time to have gone quiet, apologies!

Had a lot of time over the past few weeks (thanks to school holidays) in which I managed to get in a fair bit of work on a new helmet (printed from Tom's files, per everyone's recommendation )

An album that (roughly) documents my progress on it can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/KZoJgRP

The last couple of photos really show that there's some heinous levels of "orange peeling" going on with the dome in particular, as well as the stark difference in gloss levels between the helmet and chestplate. Plan at the moment is to go out tomorrow & procure some 2000 grit sandpaper and give 'er a light polishing. After that I'll either re-coat the dome or give it a gloss clear coat. Or both.

[DHKnecht]

Your prints look great form-wise.  What material did you use to print them, ABS?  Taking a look at your pics, though, I don't think 2000 grit sandpaper will be your savior.  You need to have a good flat layer sanded to 600 grit first, then work up to 2000 or higher to get your gloss shine.  Take a look at the post below.  Ensi does a great job explaining how to achieve that level of high gloss.  My suggestion would be to go over everything with a 320 or 600 grit and get it all smooth first, then work up to the shine like in Ensi's post.  (As a quick note, too, you might try some light filler in the ridges of the upper grille/nasal area.  It's a pain getting all of that out of 3d prints ... I'm doing the same myself.  Metal finishes make even the slightest imperfections stand out, even worse than gloss black).

 

[AgentDarthMando]

On 4/12/2020 at 1:19 PM, DHKnecht said:

Your prints look great form-wise.  What material did you use to print them, ABS?  Taking a look at your pics, though, I don't think 2000 grit sandpaper will be your savior.  You need to have a good flat layer sanded to 600 grit first, then work up to 2000 or higher to get your gloss shine.  Take a look at the post below.  Ensi does a great job explaining how to achieve that level of high gloss.  My suggestion would be to go over everything with a 320 or 600 grit and get it all smooth first, then work up to the shine like in Ensi's post.  (As a quick note, too, you might try some light filler in the ridges of the upper grille/nasal area.  It's a pain getting all of that out of 3d prints ... I'm doing the same myself.  Metal finishes make even the slightest imperfections stand out, even worse than gloss black).

 

Thanks mate! Your guess was on the money; I printed it in ABS. Prior to painting I'd done pretty much as you suggested; I sanded it with 180 grit, then 400 grit, then 800 grit. The surface itself felt pretty good and close, I honestly think I got the finish I did either from the conditions (the day I painted was a touch on the cool side, with not much sunlight), botched painting with the rattle can (too much too quickly, holding the can too close, inconsistent resprays) or a combination of the above.

 

Spent a couple of hours the day before yesterday going over it with 2500 grit. Rinsed it thoroughly and left it to sit all of yesterday - partly because of bad weather for spray painting, partly because I was feeling particularly lazy (^_^') - then masked and repainted the gloss black today. I know the lighting conditions aren't exactly the same between the two photos, but the difference is already night & day! https://imgur.com/a/bj4WQbE

 

Planning to leave it overnight to ensure it fully dries, then I'll re-check. If it still needs a pick-me-up, I've got a high-gloss clear coat ( https://www.autobarn.com.au/di11064 ) to hit it with.

[DHKnecht]

5 hours ago, AgentDarthMando said:

Thanks mate! Your guess was on the money; I printed it in ABS.

You are a braver person than I am, printing in ABS.  I've had ZERO luck with ABS (always getting warping, inconsistent prints, poor bed adhesion, you name it).  I'm printing my full armor set and weapons in PETG.  Once I progress more, I'll be posting a build thread.

Further, you are right, the difference is great.  The latest pic looks really spot on and so much better!  Good luck with the final clear coat.  These things are a *ton* of work but so rewarding when you get them finished!