Shift Into Turbo! A Power Ranger/Carranger Log (Red Racer)

[3DVagabond]

It kind of depends on what the spots are. If it's accumulated powder that didn't fully dissolve in the dye water, you might be able to wash it off and have minimal staining. If it's points that accumulated due to contact of the visor to the dye pot, your hangar or something else it may be a little bit harder.

Dye in general won't be able to be scrubbed off easily so you might have to re-do the visor. Depending on the severity of colour inconsistencies though you might be able to get away with having a few spots though since there won't be light coming from the inside of your helmet which will help limit differences in the shade of black since it'll be dark inside the bucket. It's definitely worth doing a dry fit before scrapping anything.

I had it boiling for 45 minutes, but from the looks of it, I have no choice but to do it again. However, I'm down to my last pack so I will have to adjust the water in accordance to the packet because...

It looks like an oil painting at this point. Alright, I hope I can get it right this time. So this time around should I just keep dipping it instead of dipping it once?

 

[3DVagabond]

Thursday October 31, 2019
Time: 4:20 PM

In the past 24 hours, I was able to make due with what I had and moved on into the final stretch. After salvaging the left over PETG sheets and remade the visor again, I went back to the next step of the process, the LED Lighting system. So after take a look back at my previous setup, I took the same setup and used some mounting puddy to mount the switch. From there, I added in the elastic bands on the helmet and behold!

Finally! After 1 year and 2 effing weeks later, Gen 5 of this helmet is FINALLY DUCKING DONE! Oy! Ohhhhhhhh, so much filament! So much time...

SO MUCH MONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! And to top things off..

We are shining, bay-beeeeeeey!

However, alas, there was a bit of a hiccup on the final minutes creating this...

The first hiccup was the fact that using all Neodyainum magnets. So the original plan was to have the helmet have a locking mechanism so strong, it COULD stay on during a roller coaster ride. In fact, it was so strong, the Gorilla Super Glue that was using didn't stand a chance of holding them together and the magnets stayed together in different halves of the helmet.

The second hiccup was when I tried to perform the alternative.

I needed to get some metal parts and glue them on one half of the helmet to prevent this from happening again. So I used my dremel and got the pieces I needed and damned nearly burned myself in the process! Remember kids! If you used a dremel to cut metal at a high speed, count to 60 seconds for a cool down.

Anyway, just when I thought I was through, a third hiccup occurred! One of the plastic registration keys broke off! In retrospect, it was a designer flaw! I don't make it big enough to withstand the force needed when putting the helmet together. Sooooo, I'm going to have to change that when I revise it. Any way, once every thing is done with the super glue again, it should be ready to go... I hope.

I will give another report of the helmet at later time and will give the conclusion of this project soon.

See you around.

 

[TurboCharizard]

Thursday October 31, 2019
Time: 4:20 PM

In the past 24 hours, I was able to make due with what I had and moved on into the final stretch. After salvaging the left over PETG sheets and remade the visor again, I went back to the next step of the process, the LED Lighting system. So after take a look back at my previous setup, I took the same setup and used some mounting puddy to mount the switch. From there, I added in the elastic bands on the helmet and behold!

View attachment 280192

Finally! After 1 year and 2 effing weeks later, Gen 5 of this helmet is FINALLY DUCKING DONE! Oy! Ohhhhhhhh, so much filament! So much time...

SO MUCH MONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! And to top things off..

View attachment 280193

We are shining, bay-beeeeeeey!

However, alas, there was a bit of a hiccup on the final minutes creating this...

The first hiccup was the fact that using all Neodyainum magnets. So the original plan was to have the helmet have a locking mechanism so strong, it COULD stay on during a roller coaster ride. In fact, it was so strong, the Gorilla Super Glue that was using didn't stand a chance of holding them together and the magnets stayed together in different halves of the helmet.

The second hiccup was when I tried to perform the alternative.

View attachment 280194

I needed to get some metal parts and glue them on one half of the helmet to prevent this from happening again. So I used my dremel and got the pieces I needed and damned nearly burned myself in the process! Remember kids! If you used a dremel to cut metal at a high speed, count to 60 seconds for a cool down.

Anyway, just when I thought I was through, a third hiccup occurred! One of the plastic registration keys broke off! In retrospect, it was a designer flaw! I don't make it big enough to withstand the force needed when putting the helmet together. Sooooo, I'm going to have to change that when I revise it. Any way, once every thing is done with the super glue again, it should be ready to go... I hope.

I will give another report of the helmet at later time and will give the conclusion of this project soon.

See you around.

Well done good sir, I can't wait for the final suit up pics with the sword and all!

 

[3DVagabond]

Well, the Gen 1 Suit is done, but the sword will take some time to be completed given warmer weather.

 

[3DVagabond]

Hello! This would be the final entry of, what I will now call it, the Red Lighting Turbo Helmet Custom. After taking it out for a spin over the past 3 days, I was able to get a lot of praise on the quality and design of the print which made me glad because my main concern was the paint job where it flaked off a bit. That's just me rushing into things trying to meet the deadline. Along the way, some people were so interested, I gave them my card, just in case. Anyway, I think it's time for me to total up all the things bought to make this ensemble and see how much my account has suffered up to this point.

Equipment: (As of 11/4/19)

Amazon and Creality
Official Creality3d CR-10 3D Printer 359.00 Currently 379.00
Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Aluminum DIY with Resume Print Design, 220x220x250mm 219.00 Currently 229.00

From Home Depot
Dremel 200 Series Rotary Tool Kit 50.00
Dremel Carbine Wheel 15.99

Materials:

3d Filament: (as of 11/4/2019)
Micro Center
Inland Premium 1.75mm White PLA+ 3D Printer Filament - 1kg Spool (2.2 lbs) Currently 18.99, but it was 16.99 before the price hike.
Inland Reusable Filament Spool 5.99


Paint (as of 11/4/2019)
From Home Depot
Rust-Oleum 11 oz. Metallic Silver Protective Spray Paint 5.49
Rust-Oleum 12 oz. Protective Enamel Gloss Sunrise Red Spray Paint 4.27
Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X 12 oz. Gloss Black General Purpose Spray Paint 3.98
Everbilt 1/2 in. Neodymium Rare-Earth Magnet Discs (6 per Pack) 3.98 Currently 4.47

From Blicks Art Supply store: (as of 11/4/19)

Akua Printmaking Plates PETG Sheets .030 inch thick. 16.29
IDye Poly Black Dye Packets 3.61
Gorilla Glue Super Glue 5.49

Repair and Fill: (As of 11/4/19)

Home Depot and ORiley's
Bondo Spot Putty 9.99
Bondo 1 Pint Body Filler 12.99

So after rounding up the cents and totaling everything out, in a perfect world where I only needed to do this one time, it WOULD have cost me only 750.40 to make. Now, keep in mind that I have spent at used over 20 boxes to get the current helmet as it is. So that cost would have been closer to 900 to 1000 bucks. But since that was only in the experimental phase, I'm going to stay at the current price I mentioned. Now, let's take that total for the moment, 750.40. If I were able to take the printers out of the equation, it would drop to 172.40. Now, if I can make this at 300 a pop, it would take me at least 3 helmets to break even if this helmet was requested.

Now for the grade on the design.

Once again as far as functionality goes, I can still see through the helmet, I can still talk through the helmet, but the breathing issues came back not because of limitation. I was actually able to breath inside the helmet for 20 minutes at a time! That's a new record and far surpasses the previous record by 15 minutes. That idea actually works. I should have create two more on the sides at a different length. Had I decided to add in the fan, I would be able to bring the temperature down easy and I would not have to worry about fogging.

Final grade A. It remains there due to the fact that I had difficulty putting it on after the elastic was installed. Cut it too short and one of the tabs broke off from that result.

As for design, it's an A+. I was able to separate the parts of the helmet that allows me to get a better paint job. Since the reflection of the paint job is also reflected, it gets an A+ as well. Despite the fact that the metallic paint still bled through when I had to do a touch up, that threw me off slightly.

The overall grade of the project is an A+. Some people mistook it my helmet as an item that was being bought, so that helped my personal critical score of it. It was an annoying, but fun little project and if I had to do it again, with the things I learned, I would definitely take that road again.

Well, this is the end of this road! Until next time! See you around...

To be Continued!

Ba bum BAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[TurboCharizard]

It's been a wild ride through this chapter of the story but I'm glad you got it to a wearable state for the con. Can't wait to see all the upgrades and additions that come to the suit in the next story arc!

Well done good sir.

 

[ButterBacon3000]

Dude this cosplay looks great! I looooove power rangers... I have actualy been thinking about maybe doing the green turbo ranger, but I need to finish my noble six costume first.

 

[Rusty 714]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

 

[3DVagabond]

As successful as this costume was, there were still a few improvements I would like to make. Better paint job, better visor through vacuum forming and most importantly, a better representation of the suit. There are a couple of ideas I have in mind such as creating a pattern for using a base.

So here's the idea I have in mind. I can create a pattern of the suit using Blender, but this is where the "translation issue" comes in. In order to get the suit from the virtual world to the real one, I have to find a way to print it out. So far, I have no idea where to go or if it's even possible to print it out at home. Even if I can print it at home, what extra adjustments are needed for the seam to make this idea work. I want it to conform to the body like a second skin and that's issue number 1.

I think I almost solved issue number 2 which is the paint job. In order for me to get the chrome, I'm going to have to invest in some chrome car paint, for the "silver parts" of the helmet, but the application is going to be a bit expensive. Spray cans are good when you don't have the funds to invest in a professional job. And as good as the helmet looks now, I need to do better. I need this suit to make it look like I went to Japan and stole the damn thing in the middle of the night! Even weeks after the convention was over, I kept hearing "sirens" enticing me to come back. I will eventually...

But there's an idea that I am currently working on and I'm about 50 percent done with it. It will be adjacent, but still Super Sentai related so stay tuned!

As always, I'm open to the suggestions to the body suit translation if anyone has any ideas.

 

[ButterBacon3000]

When you say you need to print the helmet... do you mean pepakura? Or on a 3d printer?

 

[3DVagabond]

When you say you need to print the helmet... do you mean pepakura? Or on a 3d printer?

Well, the helmet was already printed. I was referring to printing the suit pattern.

 

[ButterBacon3000]

Well, the helmet was already printed. I was referring to printing the suit pattern.

But do you mean pepakura or 3d?

 

[3DVagabond]

But do you mean pepakura or 3d?

In 3d. I can only make the pattern in Blender. That way I can deal that way I can deal with the measurement parts later.

 

[ButterBacon3000]

Do you have your own 3d printer? Or are you saying you need someone else to print it for you?

 

[3DVagabond]

Do you have your own 3d printer? Or are you saying you need someone else to print it for you?

I have my own 3d printer. 2 of them in fact. But as the concept for making the pattern, I have to see if I have to get someone to print it out on tissue paper, card board or paperboard if I can't print it myself.

 

[3DVagabond]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERY BODY!

It's been a long time since the last posting and I've been hard a work on a crazy idea I wanted to work on since the Red Racer costume idea. More on that later. But this idea might be my most ambitious one yet! Once again, my imagination is overplaying practicality...

BEHOLD THE DELOREAN RANGER HELMET!

So this the first mashup I've ever created and I've hit a snag! Like the fabled Delorean Time Machine from Back to the Future, I need a power source to run the lights of the helmet AND the suit to get it going. The lights on the helmet will be using LED strips, but I will need a portable power source to run it and a separate power source for the rest of the lights and the internal cooling system. I had an idea of using a specialized LED strip for the suit, but the product will cost me 500 dollars. I'll have to post more information based on that product on a later posting.

Now, back to the Red Racer costume. I had a total blast with it last year, but I feel like I can do better than that this time around. Last year in December, I actually came across a web site that does exactly what I was trying to do.

Digital Patterns for Sewing

This project was motivated by a CAD noob in my wife's sewing club. She asked me if I could show her how to design patterns for clothes in 3D CAD and then plot out 2D patterns for cutting the fabric. Apparently patterns that you purchase at sewing stores are designed for the average shape and...

hackaday.io

So now that I know that the idea is possible, I know exactly what I need to do to make it more form fitting. As for the helmet, I'm going to rotocast a test piece to see if I can get that auto room shine, I have a couple of videos that can help me out with it and will post it upon request. For this test casting, I'm going to see if it can be done in comparison with spray cans and automotive paint. The hunt for the reflective shine begins anew in the not to distant future! So that's all for now, I'll post again when the suit pattern is modeled.

Until next time, see you around!

 

[Rusty 714]

my two favorite things rolled into one!

 

[3DVagabond]

Okay, so I was able to "create" the suit. It really didn't take me that long. My only set back was trying to get the topology right for me to create a good pattern. So this is what it looks like as a render. It does not represent the final result.

Now, I have gone through the process of creating UV maps to create the pattern, but I have hit a snag. I was able to create the back and front of the suit in the torso, but I am a bit lost on making the bottom part correctly.

Take a look at the current setup.

I was thinking about trying to make the back of the "pants" into a pants block, but I don't know if a reference to a typical block could work and all I would have to do is rearrange the vertices to match it. Suggestions or ideas are welcomed at this point because I am not sure if I should do what I was suggesting.

 

[3DVagabond]

Alright, it's about time I created an update for this journey. After creating UV textures for all the parts of the suit, I was stuck for at least a day trying to figure out how to create the pattern from at least one of the pieces. Under normal circumstances, I would have created all of the pieces in Adobe Illustrator. However, that company is still under the ideal where if you use old software and don't bother to upgrade with their subscription service, they could sue you...

*Pffft* Forget that! I haven't used that program as much since that declaration. But, then I found myself searching the web for days trying to find alternatives. Couldn't get the same function of using artboards like Illustrator until I came across an idea! If I can just change the size of the area I'm working on, I can still create the pattern. Sure that sounds a great idea, but how am I suppose to format it to cut it out into a pattern?
Well, this morning, I just so happen to come across a website that does just that!

Drafting vintage block patterns with Inkscape – A tutorial

Hello everyone, Today it is time for another tutorial. As I have mentioned in my previous post, I found some early-1900s block patterns at the library. Now I finally got around to enlarging them. U…

sewingempire.wordpress.com

Upon reading this page, I was able to understand the setup inside of Inkscape and thought to myself, "If I can adjust the size of the canvas in according to the measurements I had to get for my torso, I might have a chance to put it into action in the same fashion as the tutorial!"

So that's what I did. I created a layer for the UV Mapped pattern, created a path on top of it. Now, the most difficult part is to convert measurement from pixels to inches and to get the sleeves down to the right shape. Perhaps I can find something like that soon.

 

[3DVagabond]

Okay, a small update. Inkscape is one tricky beast. Some times it works in your favor and other times, it makes you want to punch the screen. SO as far as getting the conversion from pixels to inches, all you have to do is to change the units through File menu and choose Document Settings. From there in the in the right hand corner, there's a drop down menu. Choose that arrow, select inches and escape out of it. After that you do a bit of work, save the file, and restart the program. Apparently, any changes are made once you restart the program.

On my next post, I'm going to try and get all of the patterns drawn out and cut out before I move on to the next step, the sewing process.