New Recruit 1st Build Gen 3 MK-VI

[ThatADHDad]

This is a documentation of my first ever cosplay build. Im new here and to 3d Printing. As of the time of this post, I’ve only been printing about 2.5 months! Several folks have told me I’m nuts or “biting off more than I can chew” trying to do this so quickly. But, I’m a “Learn as you go” type of person, so we shall see. So, here is my progress so far:

First thing I made was the helmet, obviously lol. I used Galactic Armory’s original bulky file because the updated, slimmer, version hadn’t been released yet. Considering I’d only been printing like a week, barely knew how to use the slicing software, and my longest print to this point was like 3 hours whereas this one totaled something like 30 hours… it was rough, but definitely turned out much better than I thought it would. I learned a LOT from it, though. Including the importance of orientation, the line thickness I wanted to use for the suit, the importance of understanding support settings, and more.

After that, the new files came out and I started looking them over to figure out how I was going to need to adjust my already laid out plans. I shifted gears and printed the pistol while I figured that out. Once that was done, I attempted and succeeded at scaling the shoulder and forearms, I also printed out the hand pieces.

I took another short break, printed out some
Mandalorian stuff and got back to printing the biceps a couple weeks later. Then I test fit what I had and really liked how it was going.

At this point, I realized I actually have the ability do finish this project… so I decided to spend the $40 for armorsmith and got started printing a new helmet with the new GA files and updated knowledge.

The left is the first, if it wasn’t obvious by the poor quality, and the right is the new file with better orientation and layer lines.

After that I went on a bit of a printing bender. I got the chest, back, all the extras pieces for the torso, the groin pieces, and even a calf piece printed out. I even did a Wolverine cowl done and started on a Bo Katan armor set for my daughter!

Fast forward to now. All of my construction and post processing stuff finished coming in yesterday, I.e 3d Gloop!, CA and super glues, padding, straps, buckles, elastic straps, magnets, paints, various tools, and more. I spent a couple hours Glooping some of the torso together enough for me to do a very very loose test fit of all I have so far, minus the groin pieces to see where I’m at. Nothing is strapped or in its exact spot, but I did find issues that I need to resolve as well as next steps I think to think about while my calf and thigh pieces are printing.

Here’s what I found I need to resolve or figure out:

1. My scaling was a bit off on the torso. Even though it fits me really well and sits quite comfortably, it’s a tad bit wide. It doesn’t really move around, but it does make it so I can’t put my arms down with the bicep pieces on. So I need to decide if I want to reprint the entire torso piece a little more “V” shaped or if I want to reprint the biceps with the inside piece cut out and replaced with either a strap or EVA foam.

2. I know the shoulder piece is suppose to rest on the bicep, but I need to figure out how I want to accomplish that as well as how to fill it in a bit. I’d posted in the fb group and someone suggested spray foam, I think I’ll try that first.

3. I’m still not sure what I want to do with the boots. I do not like the new files that are more like shoe covers. I’d rather have the original files with the soles attached so it’s a full boot and put a shoe inside. I’m not sure how I’m going to accomplish this while also making sure it’s durable enough to hold my weight as well as not on the ground. I thought maybe scaling and printing the OG File minus the very bottom part of the sole print and replacing those with gluable sole repair parts cut to size. I also saw someone on here use Urethane 85 casting as the bottom half inch. That seems awesome but I don’t even begin to know how to look into that or do it.

4. Then the next steps of sanding, gluing, painting, padding, strapping, adding electronics like lights and fans.

Hopefully I can reach my deadline of about a month and a half from now as I’d like to have it for the planet anime con here in Kansas City in October as well as Halloween! I welcome any and all advice, tips, tricks, etc! I am a sponge for knowledge!

 

[N8TEBB]

1. My scaling was a bit off on the torso. Even though it fits me really well and sits quite comfortably, it’s a tad bit wide. It doesn’t really move around, but it does make it so I can’t put my arms down with the bicep pieces on. So I need to decide if I want to reprint the entire torso piece a little more “V” shaped or if I want to reprint the biceps with the inside piece cut out and replaced with either a strap or EVA foam.

The torso piece can look right but still feel wide just because of the nature of the piece. Some members elect to not have the parts that go under the arm entirely rigid, rather broken up into 2-3 sections and held together by an elastic strap to provide flexibility. I believe that's what JTF4 did with his mk VII suit. Here's a link to his thread.

2. I know the shoulder piece is suppose to rest on the bicep, but I need to figure out how I want to accomplish that as well as how to fill it in a bit. I’d posted in the fb group and someone suggested spray foam, I think I’ll try that first.

Upholstery foam is great for this!

3. I’m still not sure what I want to do with the boots. I do not like the new files that are more like shoe covers. I’d rather have the original files with the soles attached so it’s a full boot and put a shoe inside. I’m not sure how I’m going to accomplish this while also making sure it’s durable enough to hold my weight as well as not on the ground. I thought maybe scaling and printing the OG File minus the very bottom part of the sole print and replacing those with gluable sole repair parts cut to size. I also saw someone on here use Urethane 85 casting as the bottom half inch. That seems awesome but I don’t even begin to know how to look into that or do it.

I elect to use covers so the sole of the actual shoe is what is contacting the ground. Seeing as folks rarely will see the bottom of my shoe, I didn't think this would take away from the aestetic too much. The boots are one of the few places that sacrificing the look a bit to increase the durability is always worth it. I've been to many cons where folks have crafted the bottom of their shoe, whether with foam or flexible prints, and it failed mid-day, cutting their time in cosplay short. Not to say that it's impossible to make your own sole, just make sure its really durable and comfortable. You can see here that I just cover the outside of my boot, leaving the sole exposed:

Best of luck on your build!

 

[ThatADHDad]

The torso piece can look right but still feel wide just because of the nature of the piece. Some members elect to not have the parts that go under the arm entirely rigid, rather broken up into 2-3 sections and held together by an elastic strap to provide flexibility. I believe that's what JTF4 did with his mk VII suit. Here's a link to his thread.


Upholstery foam is great for this!


I elect to use covers so the sole of the actual shoe is what is contacting the ground. Seeing as folks rarely will see the bottom of my shoe, I didn't think this would take away from the aestetic too much. The boots are one of the few places that sacrificing the look a bit to increase the durability is always worth it. I've been to many cons where folks have crafted the bottom of their shoe, whether with foam or flexible prints, and it failed mid-day, cutting their time in cosplay short. Not to say that it's impossible to make your own sole, just make sure its really durable and comfortable. You can see here that I just cover the outside of my boot, leaving the sole exposed:
View attachment 349739

Best of luck on your build!

That’s genius! I’ll check his thread out. It had crossed my mind to cut the inside of my bicep or make a new bicep with 3 of the 4 panels and use Eva foam on the inside. I tried to make the torso piece I had work, but it was just too big. So I’m currently printing a skimmer piece and hoping it works. Seems a bit snug, but I have the chest printed in one piece and had to do the back in a top and bottom piece and the top is currently printing.

I’ll check into upholstery foam as well!

That makes sense about the boots. I did end up getting it sized right and printed the other day, overall I’m pretty happy with them. Used quite a bit of infil, walls, and thinner layer lines to try to make it as durable as possible after seeing your comment. Both are printed and my
Shoes are inside. I figured if I do them now and run into a problem somewhere I can print boot covers along the way! I looked up and saw one can purchase replacement boot sole material and other similar materials that I could glue on and shape, so that’s the plan as of right now!

Also, I have no idea how to reply individually yet or make the thread look as neat as your reply as I’m new here and this is my first reply lol. Thank you for the help and advice!!!

The torso piece can look right but still feel wide just because of the nature of the piece. Some members elect to not have the parts that go under the arm entirely rigid, rather broken up into 2-3 sections and held together by an elastic strap to provide flexibility. I believe that's what JTF4 did with his mk VII suit. Here's a link to his thread.


Upholstery foam is great for this!


I elect to use covers so the sole of the actual shoe is what is contacting the ground. Seeing as folks rarely will see the bottom of my shoe, I didn't think this would take away from the aestetic too much. The boots are one of the few places that sacrificing the look a bit to increase the durability is always worth it. I've been to many cons where folks have crafted the bottom of their shoe, whether with foam or flexible prints, and it failed mid-day, cutting their time in cosplay short. Not to say that it's impossible to make your own sole, just make sure its really durable and comfortable. You can see here that I just cover the outside of my boot, leaving the sole exposed:
View attachment 349739

Best of luck on your build!

 

[N8TEBB]

Glad I could be of help! I'm excited to see how the build progresses!

Also, I have no idea how to reply individually yet or make the thread look as neat as your reply as I’m new here and this is my first reply lol. Thank you for the help and advice!!!

To reply to just a small portion of a post, just highlight the text you want to reply to, a button will appear, just hit reply. A quote box will appear in your typing area with just the highlighted text, instead of the whole post. It's a neat little feature that I like using.

 

[ThatADHDad]

To reply to just a small portion of a post, just highlight the text you want to reply to, a button will appear, just hit reply. A quote box will appear in your typing area with just the highlighted text, instead of the whole post. It's a neat little feature that I like using.

That’s awesome!! Thank you so much!!

 

[ThatADHDad]

Quick update, good news and bad news. Lots of strapping and padding figuring out to do.

First off, I started sanding, filling, painting, etc. tested the process on the shoulder pads and they turned out excellent. I am excited to weather them as I sprayed a shiny silver under the green so I can sand it instead of painting over the top. I felt this would look more authentic. I messed up on one of the shoulders and had to sand it down after getting to the green due to me not shaking it well enough and while I was sanding, it looked really good. But, all green for now.

Next, bad news. Started on the helmet, was doing great. UV Resin and then put rust oleum filler primer over top. I didn’t know it needed to cure over night and I got a bit too excited with my new Seymour Primer (seen on one of Galactic Armory’s latest videos) and I started spraying before it was ready. So the helmet has cracks and stuff all over it, not sure if I can strip it somehow or if I just need to start over.

Next up, the torso pieces. This has been a real pain as this is my second full print out of this. The first one was way too wide, this one is much slimmer. Still having trouble getting my arms to side with the bicep pieces though. Anyway, now that it’s printed, glooped, and welded together, I got started figuring out how to clip the front/back torso pieces together. Idk if this is permanent or not, but I got magnets for the top. Still trying to figure out the bottom. I also thing I might run an elastic strap through the top hole where the buckle is, add an angled piece of PLA to it so it acts like a hook, and cut into the chest piece so the buckle can hook in as an added bit of security for the magnets.

Next up, got my other thigh piece printed finally. So I’m now needing to figure out how to pad it and the calf pieces as well as hold them in place. I also printed the internal part of the thigh piece separately and want to try my hand at using EVA foam. I may end up doing that for the inside of the biceps so my arms can sit to my sides better.

Finally, the boots. I’m super happy with how they turned out. I used the Legacy files from GA so an old pair of tennis shoes could fit in. I need to do some trimming on the inside as there’s a couple spots that dig into my feet, but ones those are down it’ll fit perfectly. Once that’s done, I have to get to work on how to get the front/back pieces to stay in line and the shoe inside as well as how to strap the top part in as well as what to use for the sole of the boot so I’m not slipping and sliding all over the place.

One final pic of everything finally printed out. I also reprinted the cod piece as I’m going to be trying something a little different with a belt and elastic on the sides. But not sure the plan on that either.

 

[SpartanSweed]

For the helmet, you should be able to just sand the primer off and reapply it once it’s sufficiently clean

 

[Jomgee]

Quick update, good news and bad news. Lots of stealing and padding figuring out to do.

First off, I started sanding, filling, painting, etc. tested the process on the shoulder pads and they turned out excellent. I am excited to weather them as I sprayed a shiny silver under the green so I can sand it instead of painting over the top. I felt this would look more authentic. I messed up on one of the shoulders and had to sand it down after getting to the green due to me not shaking it well enough and while I was sanding, it looked really good. But, all green for now. View attachment 351610

Next, bad news. Started on the helmet, was doing great. UV Resin and then put rust oleum filler primer over top. I didn’t know it needed to cure over night and I got a bit too excited with my new Seymour Primer (seen on one of Galactic Armory’s latest videos) and I started spraying before it was ready. So the helmet has cracks and stuff all over it, not sure if I can strip it somehow or if I just need to start over. View attachment 351611

Next up, the torso pieces. This has been a real pain as this is my second full print out of this. The first one was way too wide, this one is much slimmer. Still having trouble getting my arms to side with the bicep pieces though. Anyway, now that it’s printed, glooped, and welded together, I got started figuring out how to clip the front/back torso pieces together. Idk if this is permanent or not, but I got magnets for the top. Still trying to figure out the bottom. I also thing I might run an elastic strap through the top hole where the buckle is, add an angled piece of PLA to it so it acts like a hook, and cut into the chest piece so the buckle can hook in as an added bit of security for the magnets.
View attachment 351612
View attachment 351613

Next up, got my other thigh piece printed finally. So I’m now needing to figure out how to pad it and the calf pieces as well as hold them in place. I also printed the internal part of the thigh piece separately and want to try my hand at using EVA foam. I may end up doing that for the inside of the biceps so my arms can sit to my sides better.
View attachment 351614
View attachment 351615

Finally, the boots. I’m super happy with how they turned out. I used the Legacy files from GA so an old pair of tennis shoes could fit in. I need to do some trimming on the inside as there’s a couple spots that dig into my feet, but ones those are down it’ll fit perfectly. Once that’s done, I have to get to work on how to get the front/back pieces to stay in line and the shoe inside as well as how to strap the top part in as well as what to use for the sole of the boot so I’m not slipping and sliding all over the place. View attachment 351616

One final pic of everything finally printed out. I also reprinted the cod piece as I’m going to be trying something a little different with a belt and elastic on the sides. But not sure the plan on that either.
View attachment 351617

I'm always iffy about printing my Spartans boots and walking around on filament, I'm afraid it'll crack and break, very curious to see what happens when you walk in those boots. Very nice build!

 

[spartan114x]

Quick update, good news and bad news. Lots of stealing and padding figuring out to do.

First off, I started sanding, filling, painting, etc. tested the process on the shoulder pads and they turned out excellent. I am excited to weather them as I sprayed a shiny silver under the green so I can sand it instead of painting over the top. I felt this would look more authentic. I messed up on one of the shoulders and had to sand it down after getting to the green due to me not shaking it well enough and while I was sanding, it looked really good. But, all green for now. View attachment 351610

Next, bad news. Started on the helmet, was doing great. UV Resin and then put rust oleum filler primer over top. I didn’t know it needed to cure over night and I got a bit too excited with my new Seymour Primer (seen on one of Galactic Armory’s latest videos) and I started spraying before it was ready. So the helmet has cracks and stuff all over it, not sure if I can strip it somehow or if I just need to start over. View attachment 351611

Next up, the torso pieces. This has been a real pain as this is my second full print out of this. The first one was way too wide, this one is much slimmer. Still having trouble getting my arms to side with the bicep pieces though. Anyway, now that it’s printed, glooped, and welded together, I got started figuring out how to clip the front/back torso pieces together. Idk if this is permanent or not, but I got magnets for the top. Still trying to figure out the bottom. I also thing I might run an elastic strap through the top hole where the buckle is, add an angled piece of PLA to it so it acts like a hook, and cut into the chest piece so the buckle can hook in as an added bit of security for the magnets.
View attachment 351612
View attachment 351613

Next up, got my other thigh piece printed finally. So I’m now needing to figure out how to pad it and the calf pieces as well as hold them in place. I also printed the internal part of the thigh piece separately and want to try my hand at using EVA foam. I may end up doing that for the inside of the biceps so my arms can sit to my sides better.
View attachment 351614
View attachment 351615

Finally, the boots. I’m super happy with how they turned out. I used the Legacy files from GA so an old pair of tennis shoes could fit in. I need to do some trimming on the inside as there’s a couple spots that dig into my feet, but ones those are down it’ll fit perfectly. Once that’s done, I have to get to work on how to get the front/back pieces to stay in line and the shoe inside as well as how to strap the top part in as well as what to use for the sole of the boot so I’m not slipping and sliding all over the place. View attachment 351616

One final pic of everything finally printed out. I also reprinted the cod piece as I’m going to be trying something a little different with a belt and elastic on the sides. But not sure the plan on that either.
View attachment 351617

Do you have any tips or recommendations for UV resin brand or equipment? Definitely want to use that reinforcement on my pieces and looking for advice. Thank you! Your suit is looking awesome.

 

[N8TEBB]

I didn’t know it needed to cure over night and I got a bit too excited with my new Seymour Primer (seen on one of Galactic Armory’s latest videos) and I started spraying before it was ready. So the helmet has cracks and stuff all over it, not sure if I can strip it somehow or if I just need to start over.

Paint cracking is likely because the surface underneath was not fully cured. It is recoverable, just sand it down and re-apply filler primer to fill in the cracks.

Idk if this is permanent or not, but I got magnets for the top. Still trying to figure out the bottom. I also thing I might run an elastic strap through the top hole where the buckle is, add an angled piece of PLA to it so it acts like a hook, and cut into the chest piece so the buckle can hook in as an added bit of security for the magnets.

I think you will find the added security of a buckle/strap will be a good choice. If you use magnets along, there is a chance the whole torso piece can come undone if too much force is applied to it. Better to be safe XD

 

[ThatADHDad]

For the helmet, you should be able to just sand the primer off and reapply it once it’s sufficiently clean

I ended up reprinting it and just saving that one as a back up in case I mess up the newer one. Which I kind of did but I think I managed fix it. We’ll see after everything dries

 

[ThatADHDad]

I'm always iffy about printing my Spartans boots and walking around on filament, I'm afraid it'll crack and break, very curious to see what happens when you walk in those boots. Very nice build!

That’s fair. I wondered about that as well. I upped the walls and infil on the boots so hopefully that helps

 

[ThatADHDad]

Do you have any tips or recommendations for UV resin brand or equipment? Definitely want to use that reinforcement on my pieces and looking for advice. Thank you! Your suit is looking awesome.

I’m still very new to this so take what I say with a grain of salt lol. I’m just using Elegoo UV Resin. That’s what I saw a lot of people using on YouTube. I’m also mixing it with baby powder to stiffen it up a bit. Make sure you have ventilation, wear a mask, gloves, and don’t do it in direct sunlight!

 

[ThatADHDad]

Paint cracking is likely because the surface underneath was not fully cured. It is recoverable, just sand it down and re-apply filler primer to fill in the cracks.

I did try that a couple times and it kept cracking. I’m thinking it’s because I used two different primers and they aren’t meshing very well.

I think you will find the added security of a buckle/strap will be a good choice. If you use magnets along, there is a chance the whole torso piece can come undone if too much force is applied to it. Better to be safe XD

That makes perfect sense. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do to strap it together or how I’m going to attach the bottom part, but I have a few ideas.

 

[ThatADHDad]

Small update:

Time has been a hot commodity here so I haven’t been able to accomplish much since my last update. I’ve also had some issues painting the helmet so it’s wasted a lot of time. BUT, I have been able to test fit everything as well as get the boots figured out. I’m digging how they fit, feel, and move. I have some 1/2 in thick slip resistant rubber that will be used as soles. Just will have to cut it and clean it up once the boots are painted.

I also went and grabbed a harness I’d seen shared from Draxes post. He later said he’d recommend using a tac belt, but I like the idea of the harness to clip the bicep and shoulder pieces as well as hold up the thighs. I’ve got a rough outline of how I’m going to strap everything up and had an idea for padding, but I won’t be able to test that until after paint is done.

Speaking of, I just got the first cost of primer on and need to get to sanding, pudding, and painting on some resin asap if I’m going to make the photo shoot on the 28th. Not looking good, but I’m hoping I can find the time.

I’m in Kansas City if anyone wants to come help haha! I’m joking… sort of. Wish me luck

 

[ThatADHDad]

Update:

I’m super bummed and frustrated at myself bc I missed my first target deadline to join some of you for a photo shoot here in Kansas City the other day. On the positive side, I did spend several days straight getting the suit from primed, sanded, primed, to resin’, sanded again, and primed again. It didn’t turn out as good as my perfectionist brain would like, but I know I’ll be making another one out of PETG once this one is done so I just wanted it done and ready for planet anime in a few weeks and Halloween so I can focus on my daughters.

Anyway, I got it all painted and ready to get padding and straps. I laid the paint on a bit thicker than I was suppose so, according to google, bc it’s taking more than the 24-48 hours to cure and stop being tacky. First timer problems, amirite? All that’s left for paint on the suit is the black accents. Just have to wait for it to finish curing so I can tape.

Once those were painted, I moved into the helmet since it had had plenty of time to cure. I think it turned out alright, minus the couple of spots I didn’t get the proper tape coverage, smh. Now I need to figure out how to get the padding kit I have onto it and what fans, lights, and charger to use to last an entire day or longer!

The dye showed up yesterday with the chrome so I need to go grab my buddies air brush to complete the visor. I have 2 that I vacuum formed, the first one had a hair in it so I’m going to practice on that one first and hopefully be good enough to do the second and make it look good as well as see out of it.

My suit padding, shoe height inserts, and several of final things showed up so I can get started putting the boots together and padding everything. I need to find a product to put between some of the parts that clang and bang or rub so they aren’t so loud or damage the suit. I also need to figure out how to mess with EVA foam to make the inner part of the thigh piece.

Lots left to do, wish me luck

 

[SpartanSweed]

I can’t wait to see how this looks altogether, it’s going to be great to have a Master Chief that’s local!

 

[SgtSaint]

A word of advice: Racing your printer as fast as you can *costs* you time, it does not make the entire process faster.
An afternoon or even an entire weekend spent dialing in your machine and your settings pays for itself in your first big project.
If you spend 10 hours dialing in, then add on slower printer that costs you another few hours per job... So what? That's all machine time while you sleep. All this echo/ringing probably cost you 50 hours in manual labor and reduced part quality. And you also had to resin coat everything adding time, cost and weight.

I figure every added hour on the printer is a savings of 3 hours of my time so the machine is welcome to take as long as it takes to do a good job. I'll take parts that come off the printer looking like this even if its more machine time, any day.

 

[ThatADHDad]

I can’t wait to see how this looks altogether, it’s going to be great to have a Master Chief that’s local!

I hope it ends up worth being a local Master Chief!

Are you here in KC??

 

[ThatADHDad]

A word of advice: Racing your printer as fast as you can *costs* you time, it does not make the entire process faster.
An afternoon or even an entire weekend spent dialing in your machine and your settings pays for itself in your first big project.
If you spend 10 hours dialing in, then add on slower printer that costs you another few hours per job... So what? That's all machine time while you sleep. All this echo/ringing probably cost you 50 hours in manual labor and reduced part quality. And you also had to resin coat everything adding time, cost and weight.
View attachment 352967

I figure every added hour on the printer is a savings of 3 hours of my time so the machine is welcome to take as long as it takes to do a good job. I'll take parts that come off the printer looking like this even if its more machine time, any day.
View attachment 352968

Yeah, I get that. I really do. And you’re 100% correct. However, I started this suit 2 weeks into starting this hobby. I learn as I do things better than any other way. Sure, I did quite a bit of research to level and such, but I need to be hands on or have someone like a coach there with me helping in order for me to really grasp things considering, as my username suggests, I have a big case of the ADHD’s lol.

On top of that, I knew I wanted to make this suit AND one for my daughter when I started printing. So unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of taking my time and I knew I wouldn’t get anything done in the summer as I’m very involved with my kids and we do stuff a lot away from home.

And finally, after a few months in I learned PLA wasn’t the best for cosplay. So I knew then I’d be making another suit relatively soon out of PETG, more than likely replacing parts piece by piece. So I’m using this suit to learn how to use the printer, the software, troubleshoot, and learn all the post processing.