Cheese

I will definitely be submitting for Lancer but I can tell I need some practice putting it on and getting things looking correct. It’s a bit harder than I expected. I did build it with the Lancer specs in mind though.

Just got the approval email this morning. My first so I have to fill out the 501st app now. Thanks again.

Adjustments made and pictures retaken. Sent the application off. Thanks again for the help, tips and direction in completing this build.

Suited up fully for the first time. My daughter helped me with the pictures and of course was in a bit of a rush. I wished I had looked closer at these before she left. I noticed my belt is too low (not even with the bund), and after walking around, a bit of boot drop even though I have an elastic and Velcro strap inside the boot. It’s positioned about center of the holster. Maybe that’s too low? I can’t redo that at this point but I can slap some Velcro in there and on the leg of the flightsuit I suppose. Bicep armor is rotated too far back as well I think. I’ll let the experienced and more keen eyes let me know what you think.

The boots took a little longer than I thought but are finished up. Just have to install the holster and weather them. Planning on taking pictures and submitting to my GML tomorrow after posting here for feedback on basic approval.

Working on the butt flap. First pic is what I started with, definitely too long but it seemed too wide as well. I trimmed 1.5” off the length and .75” off each side. Hoping to get some input as to whether or not it needs any more taken off. Thanks.

IGetting closer to finishing this up. Spent the past few days priming, sanding and painting most of the armor. Just have to finish up the holster, back and belt. Had a paint malfunction on the holster trying to put on another coat. No idea why it reacted (had been 3 days since the previous coat) but as with this gloss enamel, it’s not surprising. So will have to wait to sand it down some and redcoat. Just curious, but has anyone used Montana Gold gloss white? I know it’s an acrylic so it won’t look quite the same nor wear like an enamel but it seems like it would be easier to work with. I know that’s the paint of choice for the Shore trooper build but that’s flat and fairly weathered. I also decided to just jump in and weather these parts. No sense in waiting. It is more pronounced than in the photos. They make it look really subtle. Last week I finished printing @Jesus.Salmeron‘s helmet files. Saved so much time and effort printing it in 3 pieces. Here is the mostly finished lid. Should have the snout greeblie from ukswrath here this week then I can finish it up with that install and helmet padding. Here are the two 3d printed helmets side by side. I was thinking of making a post on the armor/helmet forum to do a comparison of the two with measurements. Not sure if there’s any interest in me doing that or not. Working on the boots this week with the hope of wrapping it all up but it may be into next week for that.

Finishing up painting the armor this week. I have a love/hate relationship with gloss white paint. When it works, it looks great, but one hiccup from dust, temp, humidity, etc and it takes time to fix. Anyway, my dilemma is weathering. After the time and effort to get a gloss finish, it pains me to entertain weathering but it does look great if done right. Did most of you guys weather yours? Do most lancer builds do it? Just looking for some thoughts regarding it. Thanks.

Thanks for the link Dennis, that will be helpful very soon. Started work on the boots. I got the ones recommended but have a question regarding the sole color. The CRL states tan just for basic clearance. These seem more of a gum color to me but in many builds it appears that the soles are left as is. Is this correct or should I paint them?

Some decent progress this week. I had finished the vest but wasn’t happy with the tightness across the front and the lighter material I had used for the chest and back parts. Ripped the seams and redid the chest and back with a heavier cotton material, made the chest just a bit wider and lengthened it as well. Much happier with it. Finished up the cod, cummerbund and pouches as well. Haven’t attached the pouches to the cb yet. I was going to use Velcro on the backs of the tabs and the front top edge of the cb. Is this the best way? I’ve seen some pictures with Velcro on the front of the pouch tabs. Not sure where that is Velcroing to though. I still haven’t trimmed the butt flap. Want to wait until the belt is finished. I think it’s still long but the cod strap made a big difference in how it looks. Glad I didn’t trim it yet. Thoughts or critiques in any of this please. Thanks again for all the guidance and help. Armor is coming along. Finished printing everything. Chest and back printed perfectly in one piece (thanks Mr Poopie!). Having a minor paint issue with the gloss white curing on a few pieces. Not sure if it was the primer or something else. Going to have to wet sand it down pretty far and restart the coats on the shoulders, knees, and arm pieces.

Small update. I pulled the riding patch quarters with the gaps off and redid them. Much easier to sew all four together, then pin and sew to the flight suit. Looks much better as well. Pretty sure the butt flap is too long, but want to wait to trim it until I get the cod strap attached to the vest to confirm how much. Finished the vest as well. Used a raglan shirt pattern and adjusted the length, neckline and sleeves. It wasn’t easy attempting to size it to fit over the flight suit, but seems ok.

I haven’t zipped up the outer seams yet so I have plenty of suede to redo, which I may do regardless. So much of this is learn as you go. Appreciate the feedback @Retrofire

Quick question for anyone that may know. Is there any issue with a gap on the inner seam of the riding patches? I ended up sewing them in quarters which may have been a mistake although I know others have done that. The inner coverall seam is pretty thick and that combined with the suede, snapped a needle so I tried to avoid that seam. By doing so I have a bit of a gap between the front and back panels on each side. Not sure if I should have sewn the quarters of each leg together and then put it on the suit. Got the collar done.

The work is progressing. Finished the TD. Armor is printed except for the chest, back and tank. Which are in progress. This is the raw PETG with some sanding then a coat of resin. Have to sand them and then prime/paint tomorrow. Also I figure it’s time to dust off the sewing machine and get into the soft stuff. Starting with the elastic/Velcro for the armor pieces, flight suit and vest. Should keep me busy for quite a while. For installing rivets through fabric, elastic,etc do you guys use a punch to make a hole or just use a knife to make a small hole? Just wondering about fraying down the road or if it’s even an issue? Replacing rivets is something I’d like to avoid. Full chest printed sideways. Fingers crossed this thing makes it over the two plus day print.

Corey, thanks for that. I totally understand and one of the things that seems great about all this is the high standard to the CRL. I knew putting that helmet together that while it looks nice, it’s just not quite in keeping with the true shape. I’ll keep it around as a display but will work on Jesus’ model for my build. I had really been leaning that way but with yours and others comments on it, it’s an easy decision.

I think initially I didn’t realize the work and time that would be involved with it. And you are correct, a lot of putty and sanding time. Probably 75% of the time spent on it was for that part. Printing in one piece for each part, the mask, visor and helmet would have saved hours of time. If I do another it will be that way since I have a larger printer now. With all that said, I almost did stop early on in the process because of the uncertainty of getting approval for that model. I agree that some aspects of it aren’t the same. I just decided to commit to it and finish it since I have the time right now (winter being indoors a lot and still working a lot less due to the pandemic). I’m not against buying one of the established helmets and I may go that route eventually. Just wanted to give this a try. If nothing else it was fun and a huge learning process figuring out how to take a print and post process it all. A couple of updated pics with the ears painted in. Looks much better and I think is in line with the CRL description.

Hey thanks, that was one thing I wondered with this helmet design. It’s different in being that the ears have a curved open channel instead of just a hole to the helmet interior. Should everything behind the front edge of the ear hole be painted black or just at the back of the channel (if that makes sense)?

I’m just getting started on this build which will be my first. I have to say that without this forum and all of the great posts with so much helpful information, it would be pretty hard to take on this project. So thanks to all who have posted their builds and all of the help provided. Shout out and many thanks to @MrPoopie, who I had contacted on Thingiverse (before I joined here) and graciously sent me a link to his armor print files. Awesome stuff. Going to try to print the chest and back each in one piece. I’m using PETG for the armor. I’ll probably reprint the helmet I made with Jesus’ model instead of the one I used. The one I made has been posted here, but I haven’t been able to find out if anyone ever got basic approval with it. Here is the helmet. Printed in multiple pieces, glued and plastic welded together. I used PLA+ on this but wish I had used PETG. I had started it before getting the PETG to print reliably. Just can’t leave it in a hot car. J Had some decent sized gaps to deal with. When I print the next one it will be in one shot. Here is the finished product. This is the 3d model with the open nose and back vent which I filled in to use the decals. I pieced it together, filled in gaps with Bondo spot putty and DAP wood filler. Then used A couple of coats of Rustoleum filler primer. Painting was quite a learning process. Getting an all around smooth and glossy finish is quite a challenge. Finding the right distance and amount to apply without getting runs or a less glossy finish is tough. I used three coats in total, wet sanding in between. I had to stop at three coats because getting it perfect was too elusive. Especially when I’ve decided to likely use the other 3d model for my submission. I’d like to hear thoughts on the likelihood of this one getting approval though. The only other complete piece I have is the EC-17 blaster. Printed from @MrPoopie’s file. I’m working on the armor pieces for now but have most of the material for the soft goods production so will be onto that soon. It seems like Wampawear was the thing to do for gloves so I bought those. Happy to be here and again many thanks to all who have posted previously. This place is an amazing collection of info and instruction.