11B30B4 Shoretrooper WIP (Mr. Paul's 3D Print Files)

[11b30b4]

ScaryGuy and Cricket,  thank you both for your suggestions. So about 2 weeks ago I decided the lack table was not stable enough and the vibration was transferring to my prints. I built a whole new cabinet out of plywood, 2x4s, and clear acrylic. this cabinet is fully enclosed and way more stable. Since I moved the printer I cleaned it and the nozzel, I lubricated it which I had not done for almost a year, and I needed to re-calibrate everything. XYZ and new first layer. I did all of  this correctly and got it tuned enough that a PLA benchy printed near perfect. Probably a 9 out of 10. The issues I have experienced (I believe) were related to first layer height for the ABS, the ABS temps, and the STL files themselves. Previously I have printed ABS from Matterhackers with the generic ABS temps in Prusa Slicer FL ext 255 bed 100 and OL ext 255 bed 110. I changed these temps based on MH tech sheet to FL ext 235 bed 95 OL ext 230 bed 90. I believe this was the main issue and I have since gone back to the higher temps for the current print. Also I am currently using the PEI flex bed with a glue stick. Once the powder coated beds arrive, adhesion will no longer be an issue for large parts. I always print with a brim. I do not think the supports were an issue once I changed to the grid and Cricket, I do understand that in some of the previous pics there is a metric ton of support material. All those prints were test to identify the issues I was having. I will be using way way less support material going forward. So my cabinet is fully enclosed and I am using the generic ABS profile in Prusa slicer. I will see how the current print performs and adjust from there. again thank you both for the suggestions. If I can not iron out the details, you can bet I will reach out for assistance.

[11b30b4]

The it looks like the temp was the main issue with delamination. A contributing factor was the PEI beds I have and the bubbles on them not providing a completely flat surface. The new powder coated beds came in and once I started using them, everything is a massive improvement.

 

Here are some pics of the two parts of the blast shield of the helmet that was printed with the updated temps but on the old PEI bed. I had a minor delamination on one part and two artifact lines on the other.

 

 

 

Once I had the powder coated beds, I used the same temps and here are some of the other parts. I am still getting some minor delamination on the sides but otherwise these parts are good to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So printing continues. Thanks for the interest.

[11b30b4]

Update 4-10-20

 

Since I was having the issue with delamination with the ABS, I decided to give the PETG a try. Switching to PETG comes with 3 issues based on my searching on the internet.

1.       PETG will stick to your build table and can cause damage when you remove the objects.

2.       Most adhesives do not work with PETG.

3.       Most paint will not stick to PETG.

 

The PETG I am using is Matter Hackers MH Build Series PETG black.

 

 

So, for the first issue I printed some sample objects and they adhered to the powder coated table just fine and when I removed them, they came off just fine. So, issue #1 was unfounded; however, I was experiencing the printer repeatedly telling me to unload and reload the filament. Searching the internet, I learned that the black PETG can cause the filament sensor to act up and not recognize the black PETG. Easy fix was to disable the filament sensor for this filament color.

 

Issue # 2 took a bit more time and money. After an exhaustive search on the internet I learned that some people had good results with CA glue and others had good results with gorilla glue. I needed to find an adhesive that would not require items to be clamped under pressure for a significant amount of time. I fond some people had good results with MEK chemical bonding, and some had good results with acrylic adhesive. A 2011 pdf document on Loctite’s web site test numerous Loctite brand adhesives on a variety of plastics to include PET and PE. Loctite has an industrial polyolefin two-component dual cartridge adhesive called Loctite AA3035. Several other manufacturers have similar products and all of them are in the $50.00 range and require an application gun and mixing nozzles. Given the cost involved and not a lot of real data to know what would work and what would not I decided to do my own test.

I made several 30mm x 50mm x 5mm blocks to test a butt joint with a variety of adhesives and methods. Once printed, I sanded (150 grit) the edges that were to be glued.

 

 

There may be other products that will perform just as well or better, but this is what I decided to test.

Why a butt joint? Because after having to split most of the models up for printing, they would need to be glued on the edges and remain rigid. Specifically, the abdominal plate was of particular concern to me.

 

I test the following adhesives:

CA Glue (FastCap 2P-10 thick)

CA Glue with Activator (FastCap 2P-10 thick and FastCap 2P-10 Activator)

2-part Paste Epoxy (PC-7)

MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone (Klean Strip)

Epoxy Plastic Bonder (Loctite)

3D printing pen with PETG filament

Polyolefin Adhesive (Loctite AA3035)

 

 

The test I wanted to perform was to glue two of these blocks along the 30mm sides and let them sit for 24 hours then place the outer edges on supports and apply weight to the glued seam.

 

 

 

If the glue held up to 27 pounds, then I would attempt to snap the two blocks apart by bending them.
 

So here are the results and some of them surprised me:

 

	2.6 lb	4.12 lb	7.12 lb	8.23 lb	9.34 lb	10.45 lb	27.6 lb
CA	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
CA + Activator	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
PC-7	Pass	Pass	Fail
MEK	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Fail
Epoxy Loctite	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
3D print pen	Pass	Pass	Fail
AA3035 Loctite	Pass	Fail

 

Only the CA, CA + Activator and the Loctite Epoxy Plastic Bonder survived test #1 27-pound test. They all failed test #2 (snap) and came apart at about the same amount of pressure. Next, I decided to back the joint with another block and apply it with CA glue.

 

 

This created a bond that I could not snap. So, it looks like CA glue on a sanded part and backed with something like small piece of HIPS CA glued to the seam will created an unbreakable bond. I am fairly sure the PETG will fail before the glued seam will. I honestly thought the AA3035 would provide the best bond and CA glue the weakest, but it was just the opposite.

 

While all this has been going on, I have been busy printing. The Abdominal plate parts are all printed.

 

 

And I am in the process of printing the back plate.

 

 

 

I will be testing paint adhesion on the PETG in the coming days.

 

I have gone through the 4 rolls of PETG I ordered from Matter Hackers and when I looked yesterday, PETG was on backorder until late May. Amazon has their brand in stock but there are quite a few bad reviews for their PETG so I ordered some gun metal grey PETG from COEX LLC. Never used them but they are an American company and make their own products so no backorder issues and good customer service when I called them. I will need to test to make sure the CA glue will work with their PETG but I expect it will. Should have the new filament in the next week.

 

Since I am working with Mr. Paul’s files the back plate does not come with the back box detail greebles. I have the greebles from the Sean Fields files but they are not completely accurate. So, I built my own 3d models of the detail parts, I will make the tubing for the left box out of a two-part epoxy putty.

 

 

 

That’s it for the update, stay safe everyone and thanks for the interest.

[mr paul]

On 4/11/2020 at 2:18 AM, 11b30b4 said:

 

[11b30b4]

There are many reasons I love 3D printing, one of them is the unexpected issues I run into and expanding my knowledge about 3D printers to diagnose and fix the issues.

 

So, I ran out of PETG and since everyone in the world is in home quarantine, the availability of PETG from my primary supplier (Matter Hackers) was projected to the end of May. To further compound the issue, there is the obvious halt of most trade with Asia so some of the other brands of filament I would normally use are also limited, and to drive the nail in the coffin, I really wanted to switch colors from black to something else so I could re-enable my filament sensor.

 

So, even on Amazon, there was very little PETG to be found and most of what was available was in black and was selling for almost $50.00 a roll. When I purchase my original PETG from Matter Hackers it was $24.99, so at close to double the price was not a prospect I was interested in.

 

Next, I looked for local (in the USA) manufacturers and there are quite a few. These guys are also a bit more expensive but not unreasonable. So, I did some research and settled on COEX. I ordered 4 rolls of gun metal grey PETG from them and since I needed a roll of PLA for some detailed parts, I added a roll of light brown PLA.

 

Once the filament arrived, I decided to print the detailed parts in the PLA first and this is where the problems really began. The print failed about an hour into it. Basically, the filament got stuck in the hot end. When I tried to unload the hot end, the filament broke just above the PTFE tube and below the bowden drive. This meant that a complete disassembly of the hot end was required. Not really knowing what I was doing, I managed to disassemble, clear and reassemble the hot end and re-start the print. Failure #2 at the exact same point occurred.

 

 

So, I though that perhaps the filament was the issue. This had me concerned since I just purchased 5 rolls from this company and everything, I found out about the company eluded to extremely tight tolerances with their filament. The industry standard is a Dimensional Accuracy: ±0.05mm and COEX states that their filament is ±0.03mm. There is evidence that they are actually ±0.02mm, which is amazing. Further, they use very high-end product to make their filament and no fillers. Regardless, I decided to go back to what I know works and used my Prusa PLA that came with my printer and resulted in failure #3, at nearly the same point.

 

 

Well crap, what in the hell is going on here. Perhaps the model is flawed, and this is causing the failure. Running several tests on the model did not reveal any issues. The parts I was printing were the nose and cheek vents from Nico Henderson’s Shore Trooper helmet. Then I remembered that I had successfully printed these parts in ABS at .2mm.

 

 

However, I did not like how the parts came out and wanted to use PLA and .1mm layer height. So, I tried a final print with the Prusa PLA and failure #4 happened. If you have not been keeping count that means that I disassembled, cleared and reassembled the hot end 4 freaking times.

 

At this point I have ruled out the filament, the model, and the slice g-code. The only thing left was the printer. I know all the parts of the hot end were clean and cleared (including the nozzle) since I took it all apart 4 times.

 

To the internet I went in search of answers. What I learned was that among other possible issues, the most probable one is that if you are printing a model with significant retractions, the Prusa E3d V6 hot end could be the issue. First, the most significant physical difference between a standard E3d V6 hot end and the Prusa version is the heat break. Prusa introduced a small expansion chamber inside the heat break to compensate for the multi material upgrade.

 

My printer was purchased as a I3 Mk3 but all I3 printers after the I3 Mk2s all come with the newer heat break. On the 4^th disassembly I took a picture of the filament. Here you can clearly see the expanded filament that was inside the heat break.

 

 

To compound the problem, there was also the possibility that my PTFE tube may have a very small amount of travel in it. E3d has a fix for this. A little blue collet clip locks the bowden coupling and stops all movement of the PTFE tube.

 

 

So, what was happening was due to the retractions and level of detail, the filament would retract into the expansion chamber and becomes annealed. Therefore, attempting to unclog the nozzle with an acupuncture needle as well as cranking up the heat all failed to clear the jam. Again, there was also the possibility that my PTFE tube was traveling during retraction which could provide a small gap for the filament to harden in as well.

 

So, I ordered a standard E3d heat break and when it arrived, I needed to disassemble the hot end for the fifth time. Unfortunately, two additional problems came up. First, I stripped out the set screw for the thermistor so removing that screw was now impossible and second, I broke the Prusa heat break off inside the heat block. Figuring I really needed to a second hot end as a spare, I ordered another Prusa hot end as well as some collet clips and 2 meters of PTFE tubing.

 

Once I had all the parts I switched out the Prusa heat break with the standard E3d one and printed out the detailed parts that had previously failed and presto, problem solved.

 

 

Next, I printed the back box detail parts and the pringles can detail. All of these models I built in Tinkercad.

 

 

Now I am printing the chest plate and cans, then its on to the appendages.

Thanks for the interest.

[Cricket]

Congrats on pushing through this challenge!  The latest prints you shared look great.  I had the same thing happen (air printing) with my Prusa once when printing out a part with a lot of small retractions.  I ended up repositioning the model (and doing a cold pull to clear the nozzle), but I know that sometimes that's not an option.

I do frequent cleanings on my printer with a cleaning filament, including cold pulls every week or so for maintenance, especially when I'm printing 24/7.  Often I'll see that weird clump at the end of the pull above the nozzle.  It's not nearly as large as the one in your pic, but it's definitely there.  Thanks to your detective work, I now know what that is!  I think I'll get an upgraded heatbreak ordered now.

I'll bet that you feel quite comfortable with the whole "hotend rebuild" process now.    Treat yourself to a big bag of gummy bears!

EDIT-
You can also print out those collet clips (print in ABS preferably)!  https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2585970

[11b30b4]

Cricket, thanks for the comments. Yep i did find the files for the clips during my investigation. As for comfortable with the hot end now, I can say with confidence that I am well versed on it now. If you order the heat break, just get the standard steel E3D heat break for the V6. there are a few sellers here in the US that I have them in stock. I have heard good and bad things about the titanium versions. Also I read somewhere that the Micro Swiss V6 heat break also has the expansion chamber. This video can better explain the issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSPPrb0J8CY

 

[11b30b4]

Update 5/7/2020

I printed the chest plate parts as well as the cans. I switched over the COEX PETG in gunmetal grey and I must admit, I love this filament. Anyone in the US, looking for a good consistent and very accurate filament made in the US, I highly recommend COEX.

 

 

 

 

Previously printed was the backplate parts, The abdomen parts, the back cover parts, and the neck and sides parts.

 

 

 

 

Since Mr. Pauls files did not come with buckles, I needed to modify the SF buckles to work with my parts and be more accurate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I performed a small paint test on some scrap parts since I was concerned that the paint would not stick to PETG and/or that using different colors of PETG may affect the look of the paint. Lastly, I wanted to test paint on urethane rubber since I will most likely be making my own straps.

 

 

After using a basic grey automotive primer, the paint stuck to everything and the different colors of PETG did not affect the paint. The paint did crack and chip on the urethane rubber once flexed.

 

 

I will need to continue to experiment with the urethane rubber. I have no idea how everyone else is getting paint to stick to the flexible straps they are using?

 

Next, I decided to begin sanding and assembly with the abdomen. I sanded all the parts with 150 grit and then glued them together.

 

 

After the abdomen was assembled, I reinforced all the seams with a 1” strip of ABS and/or styrene heated, shaped, and glued on the inside of the armor.

 

 

 

 

 

Next, I have sanded and assembled the back hard belt.

 

 

I have test fit the abdomen and once I assemble the chest and back plates, I will add more pictures. The abdomen can be flexed open and surprisingly it has not cracked on the seams, but I expect I will be just sliding the abdomen on over my head. Its best to not tempt the seams.

 

Once all the armor is assembled and test fit, the outside seams will be filled, and everything sanded to 220 before painting. I have also decided to reprint all the helmet parts in PETG to avoid all the lay separation issues with the ABS prints. I have also reworked a different buckle for the shins. So, more printing is in my future. That’s it for the update, thanks for the interest.

[11b30b4]

Update 6/5/20,

I sanded and assembled the chest plate.

 

 

 

Test fit with the chest plate and abdomen. The size looks good to me but Its hard to determine while wearing it.

 

 

I have continued to print additional parts:

Left bicep

 

 

Left forearm

 

 

Left shin

 

 

 

I built 3d models for the Belt Boxes and printed them

 

 

I also reprinted the helmet, this time in PETG and started assembly

 

 

I also reprinted the back plate; the previously printed back plate had some issues with orientation and distortion.

Well that’s it for the update.

Thanks for the interest.

[11b30b4]

Yes, I know I have been neglecting this build. Life happens…

 

I continued work on the helmet. I glued the all the lower portions together.

 

 

 

 

Next I coated the sanded dome with Plastic wood filler.

 

 

 

I will hopefully have more pics soon. Thanks for the interest.

[11b30b4]

Hello everyone, over the weekend I finished sanding all the helmet parts and applying the plastic wood filler to them.

 

 

Once the plastic wood was dry, I hand sanded all the parts with 220 grit. Next, I rinsed the parts, let them dry, then sprayed on several layers of primer.

Once the primer was dry, I looked for imperfections and sanded some more. Next, I sprayed another layer of primer.

 

 

 

I am able to slowly (between layers) work out some of the imperfections. The larger ones will require body filler. At this point it looks like the lower neck ring section will be the hardest part to fix.

 

More pics coming soon. Thanks for the interest.

 

 

[NegativeEleven]

Looks like you don't need help cause those parts are coming out looking good.

That said, for the future, my recommendation would be to glue stuff together before painting. At least make sure surfaces you're gluing don't have paint on them. PETG plastic sheets are known for not holding paint (I assume 3d prints are similar), so it doesn't matter how good your glue is when you're gluing paint to paint.

Another suggestion that would be more helpful 2 months ago, would be to use Bondo spot putty rather than wood filler. Wood filler is often water soluble, so when you get to wet sanding, it can dissolve. Bondo spot putty has a little acetone in there (keeps it liquid in the tube and dries quick in air) so it's real good for bonding to resin and ABS. It's not gonna break down when wet.

Again, looks like you are doing an amazing job so far. I avoid 3d prints because of the time consuming nature of sanding and filling those lines. I also worry about it being breakable, not just because of print strength, but because it's multiple pieces put together. I am starting to come around after seeing more fantastic builds like this. I'm here, wishing the armor kit I bought didn't have so many resin pieces cast from 3d prints. I had so many lines to sand, by the time I got to belt boxes, I did one of each and made molds to cast the others.

---------------------

Also, I'm not far away, in Charleston. If you guys get together to do some swamp/shore photoshoots this fall, PM me! I had to put the shoretrooper on hold cause my kitchen and livingroom flooded in July, so I have been dealing with that, but I have a Biker Scout and Mando I could bring! 

[11b30b4]

-11, thanks for the suggestions. I love Charleston, I lived in Irmo for several years and we would vacation in Charleston as well as Lake Murray, Wrightsville Beach and Sliding Rock in NC. Absolutely, if we head to the beach, I will hit you up. My fiend and I are working on his Rogue One TK currently and I only have limited time to work on the Shoretrooper. I didn’t take any pics this week, but I have most of the helmet assembled and ready for paint. As for glue, I am using a thicker CA glue along with an activator and that is working out great. I am reinforcing most of the seams on the inside when I assemble stiff so I think it will all stay together. As for Bondo, I was trying to stay aware from it since it has a tendency to crack when flexed and flexing is one of the reasons I used PETG. The use of the plastic wood filler was an attempt to avoid XTC 3D, I hate that stuff and the loss of detail you get from it. Everything considered, the wood filler did a great job and the print lines are all but invisible now. The primer will seal the wood filler and the paint will stick to the primer, so I think I am all sorted out. Gove the level of weathering that will be needed, anything I miss will be covered by the weathering, but I try to get a nice-looking product before weather just in case.

 

I will try to add some pics in the near future. I am a little apprehensive about making the lens for the helmet, but I not concerned enough to not give it a try.

 

Again, thanks for the comments.

[NegativeEleven]

Go to CycleGear (or their website). Get a $10-$15 helmet lens replacement and trim to fit.

[Tarok]

1 hour ago, NegativeEleven said:

Go to CycleGear (or their website). Get a $10-$15 helmet lens replacement and trim to fit.

 

The Nico helmet comes with a buck for the lenses, so Jeff will need to heat and shape any lense material first. I'm guessing that's where the apprehension lies.

[NegativeEleven]

It's a curved piece of dark see-through plastic. You can use anything. Skygun Bros told me to get a welding mask lens for the helmet I bought. I motorcycle helmet shield is similarly priced and thinner, so easier to bend with heat if needed.

[Tarok]

2 hours ago, NegativeEleven said:

It's a curved piece of dark see-through plastic. You can use anything. Skygun Bros told me to get a welding mask lens for the helmet I bought. I motorcycle helmet shield is similarly priced and thinner, so easier to bend with heat if needed.

Except this is the Nico Henderson 3D printed helmet. There are two versions of the front face, one with the eye bags and one without. The latter is more accurate as the eye bags are supposed to be part of the lens.

I may be wrong, but it appears from the orientation of the photos that Jeff has printed the front face without eye bags, which leaves him with the options of either shaping the lens himself, or buying one from Mr Paul. Worth noting though that the lens has a slight bubble shape to it too, it's not flat like an OT TK, so perhaps one might consider the shape a bit more complex. A heat gun is definitely required in this case.

Be that as it may, I'm sure Jeff has the situation in hand

@11b30b4, FWIW I use plastic wood filler on my prints too. Once it hardens it's tough as nails. I've been watching a few videos about the use of UV resin to coat FDM prints. Looks interesting, so I may give that a go soon.

[11b30b4]

-11 thanks for the suggestions but Tarok is correct. I have the buck printed and need to clean it up before vacuum forming the lens. The apprehension is that my vacuum forming machine is 24” x 24” and the plastic I will be forming is very thin and is 24” x 48”. I will only have two attempts to get this right unless I buy more plastic. Then there is the dying of the plastic. Honestly its not a big issue just something new for me (the dying of plastic not the vacuum forming). I have used the face shield lens from many of my Mandalorian T-visors but trying to get that to conform to the buck will prove problematic at best. This is the shied lens I am speaking of:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VECKRO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Tarok, again you are correct, I used the face without the bags and the buck with the bags since it looks more accurate to me. I do have a friend who says there are ways to thin the XTC 3D but at ~$30.00 per 24 oz, the plastic wood filler is way more cost effective and is easier to work with. -11 is correct that it is water soluble, but I do not wet sand after I apply it to the armor.

 

Thank you both for the suggestions. BTW, does yalls Montana Gold come out of the can extremely powdery? I had to use a whole can to just paint the helmet.

 

Ok so pics, here is the helmet painted. Obviously, I still need to paint all the details, add the greebles, lens, and blast shields then weather it.

 

 

 

Thanks for the interest.

[NegativeEleven]

That's why I said motorcycle helmet shield instead of welders lens. A motorcycle helmet shield will have that compound curve to it, not flat.

You can vac-form over a 3d print? I know you only need one, and PETG is thin, so it won't be tough to form, but won't the 3d print just get crushed? I also have a 24x22 vac-form setup. Had to do some bits and pieces on my shore build to replace the bad pulls in the kit I bought. Probably gonna have to make molds and do forearms myself cause the ones I have are pulled so soft you can barely see the detail.

As for the Montana gold, you really gotta shake that can a lot. So far, I have done hand plates, helmet, all the belt boxes and still have more in my can. I painted the dark walnut layer first and masked that for weathering (toothpaste like mandos do it). Most of my armor pieces have been on a mannequin painted dark walnut for 4 months now, cause I was gonna paint it all at once for consistent weathering.

[ScaryGuy]

3 hours ago, 11b30b4 said:

Thank you both for the suggestions. BTW, does yalls Montana Gold come out of the can extremely powdery? I had to use a whole can to just paint the helmet.

Maybe you hold the can too far away? You have to spray Montana Gold pretty close to the object since it's a low pressure can. Otherwise it dries quickly in the air and you get the powder effect. 

[11b30b4]

-11, I printed the bucks with thick walls and 35% infill. The bucks are not huge so I think they will survive one or two pulls. I will also be coating them with bond or something similar to adda layer of protection. There are a few videos on YT about vacuum forming and using 3D prints as bucks. The plastic I will be using is fairly thin so not a ton of heat for any period of time.

 

As for the Montana Gold, I guess I will give the next can an extreme shaking and see how it does.

 

ScaryGuy, I though the powder effect was what we were striving for? I could be wrong, but I seem to recall some pics from Mr. Paul that showed a texture to the paint?  

 

Thanks guys for the information.

[ScaryGuy]

51 minutes ago, 11b30b4 said:

ScaryGuy, I though the powder effect was what we were striving for? I could be wrong, but I seem to recall some pics from Mr. Paul that showed a texture to the paint?  

Thanks guys for the information.

Yes, you can give the helmet the powder effect if you want, but if you don’t want that to happen hold it closer 😃.

[NegativeEleven]

I know you don't like xtc3d, but Smooth-on makes EpoxAcoat which is great for vac-forming bucks. I coated a styrofoam half sphere with that and could easily vac-form multiple pieces from that with no damage. It is worse in the sense of losing detail, cause it goes on thick though. Coated my speeder bike with it too. Works better than fiberglass resin.

[11b30b4]

Guys, thanks for the information.

So, jumping the gun a bit when I painted the bucket. I can paint the underside of the brow in black, but the masking is going to be a pain, should have painted it black first then masked and painted sand. Anyway, looking over the CRLS, what is this talking about? Pictures would help?

(Optional) Under the blaster shield and above the lens, there is the black recess curve, at each end there are 3 oblong shaped recess each 5mm x 3mm.

 

-11 I just looked over your WIP. If you still need some of those paint questions answered, go to Mr. Pauls Shoretrooper Build Facebook Page, Photos, Commissioned Helmet Paints. Lots of good images from a variety of angles.

Also, have you found a suitable (suitable= available and cost effective) alternative for the Ford Nordic Blue?

Lastly, thanks for the suggestion on EpoxAcoat, I will try the bucks without it first and see if I can get some good pulls then, if needed get the EpoxAcoat and reprint the bucks for round two.

 

ScaryGuy, is there a paint guide for the armor and helmet that shows the width of the striping on chest, shoulder bells, biceps, and forearms?

Also is there a template for the Armoured fauld?

 

Thanks for the interest.

[Cricket]

13 minutes ago, 11b30b4 said:

Anyway, looking over the CRLS, what is this talking about? Pictures would help?

(Optional) Under the blaster shield and above the lens, there is the black recess curve, at each end there are 3 oblong shaped recess each 5mm x 3mm.

I think that this is what the CRL is referring to... This is the view from underneath, so think of the helmet turned upside down and looking down as if you were looking inside the helmet.  The image is showing the left side of the helmet upside down above the lens.  The green circled area is the recess curve (it goes all along the front), and the yellow circled area are the 3 oblong shaped recesses (it's the same on the opposite side).