Mr Pauls Shoretrooper Build

[mr paul]

A reveal of the shins mocked up and rendered on a mannequin. Nice to be able to include details on the shins that all other makers have neglected to add to date. I suppose this is where 3D printing has its advantages. Other production processes offer limitation in the way things can be made.

[Tarok]

Yeah I have not looked too close yet but I don't think any of these armours have been displayed outside of these photos. If so it's good to see some new costumes and weathering.
 

Pity that b&w photo isn’t colourised. What stood out for me is what looks like a sienna sort of colour for the weathering on the grunt. And also the heavy weathering of the Captain’s armour.

The boots don’t look too beaten though - well no more than the Chelsea boots I wear to the office most days (other than maybe a bit of dirt).

Your guy has done a nice job on the greaves. What are some of the detail differences you have over the other blokes?
Are you going to have a rear or front closing clamshell on these?


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[mr paul]

11 hours ago, Tarok said:

Pity that b&w photo isn’t colourised. What stood out for me is what looks like a sienna sort of colour for the weathering on the grunt. And also the heavy weathering of the Captain’s armour.

The boots don’t look too beaten though - well no more than the Chelsea boots I wear to the office most days (other than maybe a bit of dirt).

Your guy has done a nice job on the greaves. What are some of the detail differences you have over the other blokes?
Are you going to have a rear or front closing clamshell on these?


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The brown mist across the chest I believe is the dark brown Dirty Down spray that I have mentioned before. I use it on the armoured skirts I make and across the armour in general. It is not often you see it used in such excess but I believe this is the case seen in this image. Yes the shins are not too heavily damaged and all the straps are intact.

With our shins they open at the back in exactly the same way as the screen used. The difference with the screen used is that they were made of a flexible rubbery material and so could expand further. Mine is printed in the more rigid PLA and will expand about 2.5 inches. Enough for my average sized calf and my size 9.5 foot to slide through. As out intention was to replicate the screen used we have imitated them precisely and have not opted to impose our own engineering on them.

The screen used shins were held together around the top with a sprung metal band that would pull them closed and velcro at the ankle to stop them flaring. My PLA does not need this as the material itself acts like a spring. We have however added engineering to the inside to allow a spring metal strip to be added if you wish. Same with the biceps.

What we also have on our shins is all the correct structure incorporated into the back of the shin armour visible down each side. Access points are included to allow the straps to be inserted. Our shins are also the correct shape, height, width etc as we were fortunate enough to have been provided with reference and measurements.

The straps of the screen used shins were rigid and made from a baked injection moulded PU and therefore we have chosen to make ours from rubber. This is not accurate however it is more practical for a costume and costuming. The overall look will be screen accurate and I have modified the correct found parts in the same way that Neil Ellis had done for the original costumes. There are lots of subtle changes he made that I have incorporated into my moulds.

11 hours ago, Tarok said:

 

[mr paul]

On 12/13/2018 at 12:14 AM, Tarok said:

Fantastic photos, Paul. What a great study in weathering too!


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I have had a closer look at these armours and the Captain seen on the right in both images is the same armour used for the Hasbro shoot and seen on page 153 of the Rogue One Visual Guide. The grunt (which I personally find more interesting) I believe is a different armour to one we have seen to date.

[Tarok]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply Paul


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[mr paul]

Started to receive some full armour renders from the designer. Absolutely fantastic to see the work all together. Here is another sneak peek.

[Aliaz]

Wow.


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[mr paul]

One of the back boxes with the cast rubber insert. The insert is made in the same spirit as the screen used with the same defects ie air bubbles trapped in the finished cast.

[Tarok]

That’s awesome mate.

So the insert: that’s the small grill, yeah?

Is that something you’ll be casting in rubber and selling?


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[mr paul]

16 minutes ago, Tarok said:

That’s awesome mate.

So the insert: that’s the small grill, yeah?

Is that something you’ll be casting in rubber and selling?


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The insert I am referring to is the dark brown rubber cast block of greeblies that insert into the black square back box seen in the picture.

The screen used greeblies were leftover parts from Bill Pearson (Red Dwarf) They arranged these found objects out flat and had silicone poured over them. Rubber was poured into the moulds to form a large sheet of greeblies that became the waist band/torso of the L1 droid seen in the background in Rogue One. If you look close at ref images you can see the same ST greeblies on the waist line of the droid.

During a visit Glyn Dillon decided that parts of the sheet of greeblies should be cut out and shoved in the back boxes of the Shoretrooper thus giving us the inserts seen in the left and right rear boxes of the ST.

The inserts were apparently cast quite rough and air bubbles were trapped. Other parts did not take the rubber well. 

The inserts will be available free for printing as will the back boxes themselves however I will be offering for sale a dark brown, rubber cast version including the casting defects for the accuracy hags amongst us.

[Tarok]

Thanks Paul.

Being somewhat new to the ST space I do appreciate you taking the time to explain the development history of this costume




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[mr paul]

A bunch of armoured faulds going out to customers this week.

The new moulds for the new belt boxes are brilliant. Seam lines are now in a much more discreet position. Some flash on one end where the the entrance to the mould is. Aside from that, very happy casts with minimal clean up and top finish. 

In the new year I will be looking to cast these in the appropriate colours to match that of the costume they are assigned to. Dark brown/Shoretrooper black/Mudtrooper and white/Tanker and Ac-Act.

[mr paul]

I am having to cut the armour files in pieces so that they are able to fit within the dimensions of my printer bed. Here are the abdominal tabs. The rest of the abdomen will be sectioned in the same way and welded back together to form the entire piece.

[mr paul]

The abdominal armour is complete from the printer. Currently being welded together. A little overkill with he clamps however the armour was printed in 6 parts and the tabs around the bottom edge were printed at 100% infill for strength and I want them fixed firmly in place. The rest of the ab/kidney was printed with 20% infill making it lightweight yet strong with a little flex to it.

There is a lot of sanding and finishing with this large lump and it would have been more efficient to have worked on it in it's separate components but the priority here is getting it together and making sure I can get it on. The screen used armours although looked solid were very flexible and the PLA I printed this with is not.

[mr paul]

Abdomen with 2 front box details, spine plate and belt cover. All assembled, working and more importantly I can get it on and off. That is the best I could have hoped for at this stage. It's looking very rough at present so lots of sanding over the holidays for me. 

I still have to add the rings for the braces and the ammo pouch. That will come after I have prepped this section. Happy days.

[Aliaz]

Awesome!


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[Tarok]

G’day Paul

Merry Christmas mate! I thought you were taking a break for Chrissie?

Lovely work as always.

When you say you “welded” the parts, do you mean literally heating the 2 edges and joining them? Or do you mean with an adhesive such as a PVC Weld or epoxy?

Will you be reinforcing the print with resin at all (ie apply paint on resin and then sand back blemishes)? Or just sanding and filling with Bondo or similar? We seem to have supporters of both camps in my garrison. I suppose both techniques have their pros and cons. Personally I’m all for the least effort approach


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[mr paul]

10 hours ago, Tarok said:

G’day Paul

Merry Christmas mate! I thought you were taking a break for Chrissie?

Lovely work as always.

When you say you “welded” the parts, do you mean literally heating the 2 edges and joining them? Or do you mean with an adhesive such as a PVC Weld or epoxy?

Will you be reinforcing the print with resin at all (ie apply paint on resin and then sand back blemishes)? Or just sanding and filling with Bondo or similar? We seem to have supporters of both camps in my garrison. I suppose both techniques have their pros and cons. Personally I’m all for the least effort approach


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Happy Christmas Rudi. Thank you. Yes I am having a break from making stuff for other folks but need to get on with the ST project as it is quite time consuming printing and prepping so have to keep at it regardless.

By "weld" I mean as you have correctly stated using an adhesive. I use Plastic Weld and it dissolves the 2 surfaces in seconds. Once they are pressed together they harden and form an unbreakable bond. The bond is generally stronger than the rest of the printed part.

I have not reinforced any of the parts so far and there seems to be no need to do so. The shins, forearms and abdomen are the parts that take the most forces and flex and the parts of my new kit are so far strong enough. What maybe an issue with other kits is the thickness of the armour itself. What we have done is replicate the thickness of the screen used armour and it is quite thick in parts. This certainly is beneficial in the armour being strong enough to wear and flex. Also we have paid attention to how the separate parts slot and fix together and we have replicated the screen used where we can. This also aids in a strong and well put together kit.

I have also taken care in how I have orientated the parts on the print bed and the infill used on certain parts. For example I have the striations of the print following the way a part may bend when being worn. On other parts I have chosen to print at 100% infill if the part is going to come under a lot of stress eg. the yolk and the underarm bridges. The spine plate itself I printed in 5 different segments so I could adjust the orientation and infill accordingly ie the top and bottom are printed with vertical striations and at 100% infill whilst the bulk of its main body area has horizontal print layers and 20% infill to keep the weight down.

I have applied this "logic" to the entire armour hoping this will keep the armour accurate to the files themselves without any modification plus optimising the strength, durability and flexibility of the costume.

So I suppose a lot of effort has gone into the thought behind it but hopefully it will be less effort when it comes to printing/building it.

[mr paul]

Popped the not quite finished abdomen and wide spine plate onto the mannequin with the rest of the armour for a quick mock up. So far so good I would say in regards to scale and fit.

[mr paul]

A nice profile comparison picture with the screen used armour.

[mr paul]

Another image for comparison with the screen used. I prefer to see the kit juxtaposed to armour being actually worn rather than that of armour being displayed on mannequins. I think it gives a more realistic view on how the armour sits on the body.

[mr paul]

Some more work to do on this before its ready for further assembly and paint but looking good. Most of the hard work done.

[Tarok]

Hi Paul

Happy New Year!

Been meaning to reply awhile, but every time I read through your last few posts I'm blown away again and again by your dedication to this project. Just as I think it can't get any better you reveal a new nugget of intel about your research and the armour, latest update on your own kit! Screw Harry Kane getting an OBE (or is it an MBE?) - I think you deserve one for this project!

You mentioned the thickness of the original armour - so was the film armour 3D printed then too?

Your finish on the abs is amazing! I think I read on FB that you have printed this at 0.01? Sorry, I'm following all the convos just forgetting where I read what I'm going to give the XTC-3D Joel mentioned in a ST Fam post a go on my bucket, but I reckon I may have other parts printed at a higher quality later.





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[mr paul]

Happy new year Rudi.

Thank you for your kind comments however I cannot take full credit for what you see above. My work would be nothing without the fantastic model provided by out talented designer and the intelligence we have been given thanks to our generous and supportive sources.

The screen used armour was conceived 2 dimensionally and then worked up into 3D in the Z Brush software. The armour would at first be 3D printed (all of the Shoretrooper was 3D printed except the shin straps, front shin armour, shin buckles, belt boxes, back box greeblies and possibly the armoured skirt too however I have not had that on confirmed as yet) The parts were then finished and prepped ready for moulding. They had 500 grands worth of injection moulding equipment at their disposal. The armour was cast in a very dense, rubbery PU resin that was hard but flexible when it needed to be. Suitable for stunt work etc.

I have not been 3D printing for long and neither do I spend any time in printing groups looking for advice or tips. Mainly because I am stubborn and not very tech savvy. My printer is still standard straight out of the box and I rarely alter my settings other than a few key options that I adjust per print. It seems whenever you post an image of a 3D print in FB you get inundated with other printers offering their advice on how they do their own printing/finishing which is great but whatever settings/techniques they prefer or whatever products they use to prep I would say do what works for you and the proof is always in the pudding.

What you rarely see is clear, close up images of a well finished prints with no visible striations across the surface. I am not a huge fan of printing but it is a means to an end and it is unavoidable when attempting to seriously replicate the symmetry and complicated geometry of something like these new generation SW costumes. Unless you have access to the expensive production processes of the screen used costumes you have no chance of capturing the Shoretrooper correctly.

I have used no filler in the above torso and very little across the rest of the armour. Instead I have printed in 0.1 for the larger pieces such as the torso and 0.06 for the smaller pieces. This gives me a good head start on finishing the print and print times are not extensive. I am careful and hopefully clever wrt the orientation and infill of a particular print thinking ahead of its needs and how it will be used in the costume.

I use an inexpensive matt black paint to overspray my sanded areas to highlight any imperfections. If further sanding does not rid them I will lay the paint on heavier and use this as a fine "filler". In fact I experimented with the torso and utilised the properties of the plastic weld. Instead of using thicker fillers to hide the deeper seams of the joined parts I used the plastic weld to dissolve the PLA and drag it across the gaps. This has been successful so far and also provided an even stronger structure.

For me personally I want to get a high polished finish with as little extra material added to achieve the finished result. Keeping the print strong, simple and prepared ready for paint.

[mr paul]

Calling the torso done.