swman77's Death Trooper WIP

[swman77]

This week was pretty eventful. I dove headfirst into the world of 3D printing for the first time, got a printer, set it all up. It was very exciting. After a few test prints I started in on the armor, which is printing now. I have a local trooper who is showing me the ropes. I know I’m still a long way off but right now I’m very excited. 

I also went to a troop for the first time today, where I served as a handler. It was so much fun and as always all the troopers there were so welcoming. I’m so looking forward to joining your ranks! 

 

[MKE-Trooper[TX]]

16 hours ago, swman77 said:

This week was pretty eventful. I dove headfirst into the world of 3D printing for the first time, got a printer, set it all up. It was very exciting. After a few test prints I started in on the armor, which is printing now. I have a local trooper who is showing me the ropes. I know I’m still a long way off but right now I’m very excited. 

I also went to a troop for the first time today, where I served as a handler. It was so much fun and as always all the troopers there were so welcoming. I’m so looking forward to joining your ranks! 

 

Thanks for sharing @swman77  I never thought to start getting involved and serving as a handler while finish up my kit and getting approved. Great opportunity to meet the local group and learn. 

[swman77]

Update: My Jim Tripon undersuit came today. The material is pretty incredible, and it fits well, though I do have some trouble lifting my arms up. I tried it on with my boots and am happy with how it’s looking so far. 

I’m also in the midst of printing my armor pieces. I’ve done quite a few already, but still have a bunch of the big pieces left. I’m going over to a trooper’s house tomorrow to learn about sanding/post processing. 

 

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Jim's suit is awesome. I wouldn't worry about lifting your arms too much. Wait till you get the upper armor on. 😁

[swman77]

Yeah that’s what I figured 😂

[swman77]

Ok so I am nearing the end of printing, and have spent the past month sanding, priming, painting, gluing, etc. 

 

A couple things I am confused about are the panel behind the "ladder detailing" in the forearms how the cylinders attach to the forearm.

 

1. For anybody that has MCM (Tom Campbell) files, once the forearms are printed, there is no backing to the ladder detailing as shown in the photo below, the holes are just open. Is there a file I'm missing? If not, how do you recommend I make my own?

 

 

2. Also, I don't see any piece to connect the three cylinders to the forearm. Again, am I missing it or do you all do it a different way? 

 

 

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

I've never heard that MCM Design's files (Previously known as Tom's files) have the ladder recesses open. That's weird, I guess you could print a 2-3mm thick rectangle piece and glue it behind the ladder. As far as the arm cylinders, most just glue them to the arm or put screws thru the inside of the forearm into the cylinders. I have seen a mounting bracket in some ones 3D files but I don't know if Tom's has it. I sent him a message to inquire about your questions. When I hear back from him I will update my post.

[swman77]

Oh thanks @Chaos, that’s awesome! Good to know what others do. I’m interested to hear what he says. 

[Salwii[TX]]

On 4/27/2024 at 6:14 AM, swman77 said:

Update: My boots from KeepTrooping arrived today. I was shocked, since I only ordered them on April 12th and I was prepared to wait much longer to receive them.

They look pretty awesome. The only thing is that the laces are pretty short. Has anybody else switched them out for longer ones? I checked the CRL and I can't see why not, since they are hidden beneath the flap. 

 

got the full Undersuit Kit from Imperial Boots.

 

Yes the laces are a bit short. i just replaced them with some longer no hussle. My Advice: Cover the lower Edge from you shins. mine ripped the Bootcover while Walking. it looks worn but a but too much 🙈.

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

On 6/24/2024 at 6:03 AM, swman77 said:

Oh thanks @Chaos, that’s awesome! Good to know what others do. I’m interested to hear what he says. 

Jed, talked with Tom, he said he has nothing to do with MCM Design or the files that they are selling now. He said he could help. With that being said, if you have already printed the forearms, just print a 2-4mm thick backing strip and glue it on, or add the strip into the 3D file before you print them. 

[swman77]

Oh I thought those two were one and the same, I apologize for mixing that up. 
 

Thanks for the info, I guess I will just print a backing on my own then. 

[swman77]

Ok, so I tried on all the armor today for the first time. I still need to do the belt, and the cod is going to be attached to the belt, so those are not there. 
 

Also, looking at the photos I can see that I need to make sure that the ab plate sits lower and the back plate sits higher. 
 

Aside from that, does this look good? 
 

https://imgur.com/a/Fs8TqsG

 

 

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Looking good so far! You are on track with your self assessment of adjustments. A helpful hint: for pieces that are duplicates but have a left or right location, Paint an "L" or "R" on the inside so when you suit up they are in the correct location. (Hand plates) 😉

 

 

[swman77]

Ok so a lot has happened since my last post. 

I decided to order a new helmet that fit me better, and I ordered it from CyberCraft. I first printed and built my own helmet, but my build plate is too small, and consequently the helmet would not fit on my head. Now it is a display piece. But anyway, I ordered it from CyberCraft, and it took twice as long as they said it would. Also, I got a notification that it had been sent, I waited for it to arrive, and what I found in my mailbox was a letter saying that it was still coming. When I asked them about it, they said they sent a letter with the tracking number just so Etsy wouldn't penalize them for being late. It actually arrived almost a month after that. This seemed pretty shady to me. 

Anyway, I finally got it, and I had to install some wire mesh beneath the vents. Also, I had them custom paint to CRL standards. It would not have compliant otherwise. With my helmet done, I was finally ready for submission. 

I took photos and submitted:

 

After about a week, I heard back that I needed to do some revisions. I needed to paint the chest buckles to be more silver, then weather them. I also needed to weather the forearm cylinders, and all silver parts on the helmet. Also, I needed to add some foam inside the forearms so they fit better. I also needed to add two black elastic cords to bridge the gap on the inside of the bicep pieces. In case there's anyone else out there like me, since the cords are black and the armor is black, I didn't even see these cords on the CRL. But they are there, and so they need to be there on ours too. 

After I did these revisions, I submitted again:

 

 

 

After this, I was accepted. That just happened this past week. I was advised that I might want to do some more weathering on the silver parts, and maybe add some extra padding inside the helmet to reduce the bobblehead, but I was still accepted. It's been quite a journey. I'm sure there will be a million things I want to fix after my first troop, but we'll see. I've signed up for my first troop on April 5th. 

Thanks to everyone on here who has helped me in this journey. 

 

 

[MKE-Trooper[TX]]

1 hour ago, swman77 said:

Ok so a lot has happened since my last post. 

I decided to order a new helmet that fit me better, and I ordered it from CyberCraft. I first printed and built my own helmet, but my build plate is too small, and consequently the helmet would not fit on my head. Now it is a display piece. But anyway, I ordered it from CyberCraft, and it took twice as long as they said it would. Also, I got a notification that it had been sent, I waited for it to arrive, and what I found in my mailbox was a letter saying that it was still coming. When I asked them about it, they said they sent a letter with the tracking number just so Etsy wouldn't penalize them for being late. It actually arrived almost a month after that. This seemed pretty shady to me. 

Anyway, I finally got it, and I had to install some wire mesh beneath the vents. Also, I had them custom paint to CRL standards. It would not have compliant otherwise. With my helmet done, I was finally ready for submission. 

I took photos and submitted:

 

After about a week, I heard back that I needed to do some revisions. I needed to paint the chest buckles to be more silver, then weather them. I also needed to weather the forearm cylinders, and all silver parts on the helmet. Also, I needed to add some foam inside the forearms so they fit better. I also needed to add two black elastic cords to bridge the gap on the inside of the bicep pieces. In case there's anyone else out there like me, since the cords are black and the armor is black, I didn't even see these cords on the CRL. But they are there, and so they need to be there on ours too. 

After I did these revisions, I submitted again:

 

 

 

After this, I was accepted. That just happened this past week. I was advised that I might want to do some more weathering on the silver parts, and maybe add some extra padding inside the helmet to reduce the bobblehead, but I was still accepted. It's been quite a journey. I'm sure there will be a million things I want to fix after my first troop, but we'll see. I've signed up for my first troop on April 5th. 

Thanks to everyone one here who has helped me in this journey. 

 

 

Congratulations @swman77 Looks great!!

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Congratulations on your approval. I would not worry about the "weathering" of the silver. The CRL says "slightly weathered with black matt paint" the definition of "slightly" is open to interpretation. The Anovos helmet (made from having a screen used helmet) is pretty much the standard as far as paint scheme reference.

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

Congratulations Jed. 

[swman77]

Ok thanks for that insight.