First Build - Recon MKV(B)
- Thread starter MrBones
- Start date
MrBones
Jr Member
Shameless plug for titlewave cause I love his simplicity and how he made the stls for alot of stuff super easy to use and slice
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1580329224/mc5-tac-pad-arm-attachment-3d-print-file?crt=1&sts=1
MrBones
Jr Member
Maybe somebody might know, but I need some help in reference to attachment on my shoulder pieces to my bicep. They are a little heavy since they are 3D printed and I am worried contact cement won't hold for them since vertical cementing doesn't hold weight well. Anyone have any ideas?
I know someone mentioned to me to screw them in in 2 spots minimum for both pieces. Not sure if that's a great solution but it is a solution.
Also I have my shin pieces separated per katanabeatspaper.industries suggested and will be trying out the elastic and buckle method. I'm a little concerned over how I can attach the knees to the shin as they printed a little bigger though. So hopefully it goes well
I know someone mentioned to me to screw them in in 2 spots minimum for both pieces. Not sure if that's a great solution but it is a solution.
Also I have my shin pieces separated per katanabeatspaper.industries suggested and will be trying out the elastic and buckle method. I'm a little concerned over how I can attach the knees to the shin as they printed a little bigger though. So hopefully it goes well
N8TEBB
Sr Member
- Member DIN
- S410
eeeeh my suit's foam and therefore my shoulders are light as a feather and contact cement hold just fine... but for you perhaps super glue may work? I like the idea of using screws or tensions pins to give it some more support. Ideally, the piece would be modelled to accept a pin or dowel to support it. It's a bit trickier to reinforce after it's printed.
- Member DIN
- S098
2 part epoxy is your best bet for making sure they stay secured. I agree with adding a screw/pin/dowel connecting the 2 in addition to the epoxy to prevent shearing!
WarWuff
Jr Member
- Member DIN
- S536
i asked for the tac case, not the tac pad xd but found it in his store, thx alot <3 :3Shameless plug for titlewave cause I love his simplicity and how he made the stls for alot of stuff super easy to use and slice
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1580329224/mc5-tac-pad-arm-attachment-3d-print-file?crt=1&sts=1
MrBones
Jr Member
I never thought to use epoxy with the screw but even then using e6000 with the screw might work to secure it?? I might try that. Unless epoxy is better in the long run?
- Member DIN
- S098
epoxy will be better in the longer run. e600 is a more flexible adhesive meant for attaching "Soft" parts to "hard" parts.
Ex: strap to printed/foam piece
Epoxy is a "Hard" to "hard" part attachment and will have the most durable bond between the 2.
MrBones
Jr Member
Just ordered some cause I just broke my knife with e6000 attached on it and that reenforces your point fully haha
MrBones
Jr Member
It has been a long time since I updated my progress here!
That is partially due to multiple conventions, life and honestly burn out from the sound of my printer cause it needed grease, and new belts....
I will be spitting this up between two posts at least since there is so many photos.
So without further ado:
The tac case:
It is lined on the inside for shuffling around and magnetized lid. I do need to add foam on the back for when I stick it to the thigh piece as it is not the one that has a opening already made for it. I will likely be screwing it into the thigh piece for stability instead of just epoxy and chancing it.
The Cod / Belt:
Honestly might make foam pouches for the middle piece as its slightly to big for me, but that should make it smaller and more manageable.
The Forearms:
One of my favorite pieces of the whole armor. While a little big, it will be nice to have around the con and someplace for my phone to sit for the one arm. I still need to make the seal for the from and back of the forearms tighter though, but it is fully padded inside so it is comfy.
That is partially due to multiple conventions, life and honestly burn out from the sound of my printer cause it needed grease, and new belts....
I will be spitting this up between two posts at least since there is so many photos.
So without further ado:
The tac case:
It is lined on the inside for shuffling around and magnetized lid. I do need to add foam on the back for when I stick it to the thigh piece as it is not the one that has a opening already made for it. I will likely be screwing it into the thigh piece for stability instead of just epoxy and chancing it.
The Cod / Belt:
Honestly might make foam pouches for the middle piece as its slightly to big for me, but that should make it smaller and more manageable.
The Forearms:
One of my favorite pieces of the whole armor. While a little big, it will be nice to have around the con and someplace for my phone to sit for the one arm. I still need to make the seal for the from and back of the forearms tighter though, but it is fully padded inside so it is comfy.
MrBones
Jr Member
The Shoulders have been a big challenge. Both sides weight about 2.5lbs and no glue would hold the pieces on, so I used screws which actually worked fantastic. It will also be nice cause I can swap out different shoulder pieces or just skip them all together and just have 2 simple holes that no one really sees. When making the harness, I will be using the screws as a focal point of contact where I have a hole in the cording and it will be X shaped sewn together so that it holds on both screws. maybe even X with a _ under it like a bridge.
The knife has faux leather glued on, I will be weathering it a little later for the black in between leather. It was initially magnetized but I had a slight issue where you could see the magnet, and also couldn't remove it from the magnet it was to strong.
The dragon shoulder was a PAIN for painting / bondo, I gave up after the 25th coat, it is next to unnoticed for one cut line. Besides that, if anyone has tips on how to travel and keep the horns safe, would love to know, they're slightly sharp tipped and might snap.
The Shoulders:
Right:
Left:
These are my biggest struggle, I added clips with epoxy for the top and will be adding elastic for the bottom connection, I have no idea how to secure these to me, and I need some suggestions. I saw someone say use velcro but is it attached to the top, top and bottom or both sides etc. I need a reference haha They will be padded later though just need more 10mm /5mm foam.
The shins:
I need to know should I stay open thigh gang or add the foam for the wrap around? Let me know thoughts! This one also took over 20 coats and I gave up on the singular line issue on one side and just weathered it lol
The Thighs:
Also if anyone has foam patterns for shoes / the knee pads, I would appreciate links! I decided to not attach the 3D print of those as they are too heavy!!
The knife has faux leather glued on, I will be weathering it a little later for the black in between leather. It was initially magnetized but I had a slight issue where you could see the magnet, and also couldn't remove it from the magnet it was to strong.
The dragon shoulder was a PAIN for painting / bondo, I gave up after the 25th coat, it is next to unnoticed for one cut line. Besides that, if anyone has tips on how to travel and keep the horns safe, would love to know, they're slightly sharp tipped and might snap.
The Shoulders:
Right:
Left:
These are my biggest struggle, I added clips with epoxy for the top and will be adding elastic for the bottom connection, I have no idea how to secure these to me, and I need some suggestions. I saw someone say use velcro but is it attached to the top, top and bottom or both sides etc. I need a reference haha They will be padded later though just need more 10mm /5mm foam.
The shins:
I need to know should I stay open thigh gang or add the foam for the wrap around? Let me know thoughts! This one also took over 20 coats and I gave up on the singular line issue on one side and just weathered it lol
The Thighs:
Also if anyone has foam patterns for shoes / the knee pads, I would appreciate links! I decided to not attach the 3D print of those as they are too heavy!!
Barbcelona
New Member
This is gonna be sick
MrBones
Jr Member
Small update. So my printer has basically been a broken mess since my last update and I have almost nothing worked on due to it. However I did manage to get my knee pieces redone and actually 3d printed with an idea on how I wanted to wear them! I will be using epoxy to add straps to the back of the knee cap pieces and buckles most likely. The bottom half I attached directly to the shin itself.
Yes I tried to weather them but I still am not the best at it
I will be using epoxy to add straps to the back of the knee cap pieces and buckles most likely. The bottom half I attached directly to the shin itself.Yes I tried to weather them but I still am not the best at it
spartan114x
Member
Following your build now since I’m printing my Reach armor as well! Stuff’s looking really good. For the knees I saw someone use an elastic band to keep the kneecaps against the leg, but I have yet to get a shin printed that fits me so I can’t tackle that yet. I’m super intimidated by the undersuit. What are you planning for that?
MrBones
Jr Member
The shins are a little big on me and I am hoping that I can either use some foam to fix that / I will reprint them at a later date in a more accurate size. I redid my shins multiple times and the knee pieces about 8 times total before I was happy with them. It was a big eye opener for how hard armory can be to use when your adjustments aren't perfect / adding in clothes etc.
For my undersuit, I plan on compression top and bottoms. Then for the chest piece, I am looking to do a foam underside to it. Kitkatgoose on instagram has a crazy good foam top undersuit and I want to try my hand at that.
(I don't know if that will make it to the first run of the suit but that's fine for me since this is such a big project haha)
MrBones
Jr Member
I am back with a very large update!
So I got my chestpiece almost completed, I need to print out a few more detail pieces and also wait till it gets warmer to spray paint in the garage. However, I have made great progress on it. Currently I need to sand some stuff, paint it, add magnets (Maybe interior straps too) and then the foam. So still quite a bit left to be done.
However I did notice something crucial, I may need a different shoulder piece then my dragon one. Its been causing issues.
Also took the time during thanksgiving week to actually learn to sew and made myself an undersuit harness! (It does go to the thighs I promise)
Now this was done in a few different steps. The top, The back, and then the legs.
So I got my chestpiece almost completed, I need to print out a few more detail pieces and also wait till it gets warmer to spray paint in the garage. However, I have made great progress on it. Currently I need to sand some stuff, paint it, add magnets (Maybe interior straps too) and then the foam. So still quite a bit left to be done.
However I did notice something crucial, I may need a different shoulder piece then my dragon one. Its been causing issues.
Also took the time during thanksgiving week to actually learn to sew and made myself an undersuit harness! (It does go to the thighs I promise)
Now this was done in a few different steps. The top, The back, and then the legs.
- The top I have a picture of where I finished up and that was one section I used as the base for the back.
- The underarms do have a strap to make sure the front and back hold, its not super tight so there is flexibility
- The back as you can see has the butt plate sewed into it. That gives me the ability to sit with my gear on as it will naturally lift when I go to sit. However downfall is I don't know how well it will hold up to wear and tear yet.
- As you can see the back has a flat line at the bottom of my shoulder blade and the X for mobility.
- The legs (Not pictured) Have 3 point of contact spots due to how I made it, not exactly what I was aiming for but it will hold what I need them to hold lol
Attachments
CTN04529
Jr Member
Looks fantastic!!(Forgot to post this)
I don't have many pictures on how assembly went for this but it was a pain honestly due to print failures. Mainly brim and support issues. It was definitely a good prop to learn on and will help my understanding going forward
I do want to sand it and rough it up a little and add some extra action spots at some point, but I feel like that would be fine to do after everything has been assembled!
Magnum
View attachment 344616
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CTN04529
Jr Member
Great work so far! Welcome to the 405th!!
