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

[11b30b4]

Hello, I will be documenting my WIP here. My previous approved costume builds include two Mandalorians and a Rogue One TK.
Mando 1 here: http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=144162.0

Mando 2 here: http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=159316.0

Rogue One TK here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44463-11b30b4’s-rotk-build/

I was planning on doing a Rogue One Sandtrooper but I have decided to do a Shoretrooper instead.

Planning for this build I have researched Mr. Paul’s build and FB page (Total Grunt). I have developed a spreadsheet for planning purposes.
Armor Files-Mr. Paul    $200.00
Helmet Files-Nico    $70.00
helmet visor    $32.50
Montana Gold Sahara Beige Paint-6cans    $46.50
MH build ABS Brown Filiment-4 Rolls    $70.60
Shin strap and shin buckle set    $71.50
Shoulder strap and shoulder buckle set    $45.50
Captain belt box set    $71.50
Rear slugs/shotgun cartridges    $19.50
Vertical can cap greeble    $6.50
Armored skirt    $123.50
Left and right back box insert greebles    $36.40
Top w/neck seal    $145.00
Jodhpurs Pattern    $8.47
Jodhpurs Fabric     
1.5" Coyote Brn webbing #17337     
Frye Jackson Brn Boots    $68.31
M49 - M56 ammo pouch    $19.95
Ford 1401a paint-1can     
Toyota Super Red II 3E5-1can    $10.99
Montana Gold Red Orange Paint-1can    $7.75
      
Total    $1,035.73 ish

I will be making my own Jodhpurs, soft belt, and metal slider.
Hopefully everything will be built to Vanguard level except the boots. I disagree with the level 2 requirement for a specific product (ex. Orca Bay Boots). Even OT TKs do not require you use Stuart brand boots or even require you get black boots and paint them white. Regardless, in the states we can order Orca Bay boots form the UK but the exchange rate and shipping make the boots the most expensive part of the costume. Besides there are more than enough analogs available under $100.00. 
Here is a picture of the Frye Jackson boot I have ordered:

Making costumes is not new for me and I have been 3D printing for several years now; however, 3D printing the entire costume will be something new. I am planning on using Armorsmith to resize any of the armor that may need it. My biggest concern is spending all the time it takes to print, glue, sand, and paint the armor and have it break while wearing it. I will be using Matter Hackers MH build series ABS filament in brown so I hope it will stand up to the abuse. I have experienced a fair amount of issues with my Jimmiroquai Rogue One armor cracking at stress points; however, I feel a lot of that has to do with how I built the armor and not understanding how the ROTK were assembled with things like the bungie cord system etc… So, I am hoping to construct this kit in a way that it will not crack as much. I plan on starting printing in the coming weeks so we will see how this goes.
 

[ScaryGuy]

Welcome Jeffery! Looking forward to your build!

[Cricket]

Woo hoo!  More Shores in the GA Garrison!  I'll be following your progress, Jeff.   You're gonna love Paul's files!

Seeing your estimated costs for everything made me cringe because I know I've spent more on mine so far... haha... I don't like thinking about how much I've sunk into this build!  

[11b30b4]

ScaryGuy, thank you.

Cricket, now once these are done, all the RO kits need to plan a trip to jekyll island for a day of photo shoots. Perhaps make a weekend of it.

Also, don't sweat the cost, my ROTK cost about 2k with paint and that was before the Crystal Patrol Pack, E-11, T-21, Sandtrooper Pack, Pauldrons, etc....................

 

[Cricket]

19 hours ago, 11b30b4 said:

Cricket, now once these are done, all the RO kits need to plan a trip to jekyll island for a day of photo shoots. Perhaps make a weekend of it.

We love Jekyll Island!  That location would make for some EPIC photo shoots.  This is an awesome idea!!!

[Tarok]

Fantastic cost breakdown

Does the metal shoulder strap to armour connector come with the strap and buckle set? If not you may want to factor that in too.

Also, don’t forget about the foam which sits under the chest.


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[TK8271 Rogue Trooper]

Welcome Jeffery

The ST is a great costume build and I look forward to your build.

Level 2 boots
The reason we have the named boot for level 2 is because there is a clear logo seen on the heel of boot which brings it to screen accurate.
Going for level 2 is a personal choice and not a requirement, some go all the way following the requirements and some go as far as they see fit and thats cool also, but to achieve level 2 status the requirements need to be achieved.

Good luck with your build and if you have any questions , please just ask.


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[11b30b4]

Tarok, can you provide a picture of the metal shoulder strap to armor connector? I am not familiar with this part.

 

I will be fabricating all the strapping myself. This includes shock cord or what is commonly referred to as bungie cord. It is used in the manufacturing of military gear and I am very familiar with it. Not sure why they did not go with Coyote brown on this stuff as well since its widely available, but I can get white shock cord in size from 1/8” – 1”. Given the use of Plastazote, I am assuming they used some elastic cordage from the medical industry rather than military applications. 

 

As for the Plastazote for the fauldes, chest and back plates. I am looking for a US supplier and found several, but the minimum required order is quite substantial. Apparently the LD33 is manufactured in 28.5750mm or 1 and 1/8” thick. This can be scalped to any thickness; however, finding it in ¼” thick black sheets is proving to be difficult here in the USA. I know a lot of people use Neoprene, but I want the actual Plastazote. 
As I was writing this I found a place that will sell me a 34”x34” sheet of ¼” black Plastazote. Oddly, they do not know the density of the product and they categorize the Plastazote they sell as Medium, Firm, X-Firm, and Rigid. This ¼” thick stuff will be Firm so it may be LD45 or another density, but it will be Plastazote. The price I paid was just shy of $20.00 plus shipping. They only had one sheet in stock, and they do not normally sell to the general consumer so they made an exception for me. I will continue to look for other suppliers as I continue my build. If I locate a supplier that you can all order from, I will post it. 

 

TK8271 Rogue Trooper, thank you for the explanation. I understand the reason for it but I still feel that making a specific product a requirement at any level of a CRL is problematic. What happens when Orca Bay stops making that boot? I would think a better solution would have been to require the Orca Bay logo to be branded on the boot. Afterall, its how it looks not who made it. Regardless, I am not trying to rattle any cages over something like this. I was just pointing out how I viewed this requirement as a new member of the detachment. When you consider all the other CRLs in the 501st, even when there is a specific product identified such as the 1943 M38 scope or the correct Hengstler counter on an E-11, analogs that are resin cast or 3D printed are approvable for level 2 and 3. There are CRLs that require specific materials be used such as leather rather than vinyl or a correct weave in fabric and I am fine with these requirements but specifying a sole source supplier is unfair to the majority of the membership. That’s just my 2cents on this.

 

So good news bad news.
The bad news is that my order of filament arrived Tuesday and it looked like this.

 

So another shipment was sent out yesterday and should arrive Thursday.

 

The Good news is my 6 cans of MG SB paint arrived Tuesday as well. 

 

Also, the boots should arrive today, and the Jodhpurs patter should arrive this week.

 

I have all the 3D files for the armor and helmet. I am in the process of determining if they need to be resized and split for printing. 

That’s it for the update. Thanks for the interest.
 

[Tarok]

Hey mate

Have a look on Shoretrooper Fam for Frank Fraga’s Mr Pauls build photos. I think it was this week he did the shoulders.


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[11b30b4]

Tarok, I found the pictures on Mr. Paul’s FB Page. 

This looks to be fairly simple to fabricate; however, unless I missed something this plate is not a requirement for level 1 or 2. I strapped my ROTK differently, but I will probably strap my ST with this included. Thank you for pointing this out, I would have never known about it had you not mentioned it.

Good news, the boots arrived. They fit and are a bit stiff now but will feel more comfortable after I break them in. 

Obviously, there are three differences with these boots from the actual Orca Bay boots. 1. These boots are made from 4 pieces of leather; the front, the back left, the back right, and the cover strip center back. 2. The Orca Bay Logo. 3. The rear pull strap is nylon webbing instead of leather. 

The Orca Bay boot is constructed of 5 pieces of leather and have a leather pull strap. Overall, I feel these are a very close match. Even the elastic is similar in shape and color.

Well that is it for the update. Thanks for the interest.
 

[11b30b4]

Another quick update. The ABS filament arrived.

 

 

I picked up some 1.5" Coyote Brown 17337 webbing.

 

 

The Plastazote arrived and it will be perfect for the fauldes

 

Lastly, the pattern for the Jodhpurs arrived. So I will start printing this week most likely.

 

Thanks for the interest.

 

 

 

 

[Cricket]

On 2/3/2020 at 1:17 PM, 11b30b4 said:

Making costumes is not new for me and I have been 3D printing for several years now; however, 3D printing the entire costume will be something new. I am planning on using Armorsmith to resize any of the armor that may need it. My biggest concern is spending all the time it takes to print, glue, sand, and paint the armor and have it break while wearing it. ...So, I am hoping to construct this kit in a way that it will not crack as much. I plan on starting printing in the coming weeks so we will see how this goes.
 

Just something I wanted to share with you since you're planning on printing in ABS...  I'm sure you already know that I'm currently printing mine in ABS, 3 walls, 20% infill at a .3 layer height.  I have sliced my parts into lots of smallish pieces to fit my smallish print bed, so I've been assembling/gluing/filling/sanding quite a bit.  From the many hours I've spent working with the ABS prints of the MPSB files, I feel that I can confidently say that you shouldn't have any issues regarding the parts cracking or breaking.  ABS can really take a beating.  The nice thing is that it's strong but flexible.  I've dropped my fully assembled ABS parts on more than one occasion, and they just bounced off the ground like gravity didn't count.  

I printed my ab too small for my torso (currently printing a new larger one). I had to literally stretch it around my waist to get it on- a LOT.  The first time I tried it on, I was terrified that the whole thing would split because I had to stretch it so much.  But it didn't even crack!  I tried it on dozens more times after that before I decided that it was too small, and it never cracked anywhere at all.  ABS is awesome!

And  you can always print with less perimeters and have more flexibility, too.  Just another option for ya!  Looking forward to seeing your shore come together!

 

[11b30b4]

Cricket, yep the biggest concern I had was stretching the ab plate. I am glad that you have tried this several times without a failure. Thanks for the printing info. for several years now I have had printed gauntlets for my Mandalorian kits but those were hinged and I was more concerned about the ab plate than any other part.

[KOtrooper]

On 2/6/2020 at 7:25 AM, 11b30b4 said:

Good news, the boots arrived. They fit and are a bit stiff now but will feel more comfortable after I break them in. 

Obviously, there are three differences with these boots from the actual Orca Bay boots. 1. These boots are made from 4 pieces of leather; the front, the back left, the back right, and the cover strip center back. 2. The Orca Bay Logo. 3. The rear pull strap is nylon webbing instead of leather. 

The Orca Bay boot is constructed of 5 pieces of leather and have a leather pull strap. Overall, I feel these are a very close match. Even the elastic is similar in shape and color.

Well that is it for the update. Thanks for the interest.
 

I'd check with your local GML on the boots before you weather them. Some can be picky about the stitching details on shoes - even for basic approval.

[11b30b4]

KOtrooper, thanks and I will but I do not see how they can require something that is not a CRL requirement. Isn't that why we have the CRL requirements?

 

[Cricket]

51 minutes ago, 11b30b4 said:

KOtrooper, thanks and I will but I do not see how they can require something that is not a CRL requirement. Isn't that why we have the CRL requirements?

 

According to the CRL: "Text descriptions are only one part of the guideline. GML's and costumers must consider both text and pictures (CRL and Reference) when reviewing the costume."

And the pic of the boots in the CRL show a boot with seams.  It also says "Similar matching style brown boots are acceptable."  It wouldn't be a leap for a GML to look at the boot in the CRL with seams and expect a boot with similar seam locations, even if it's not explicitly outlined in the text of the CRL.  Just my 2 cents, though.

[TK8271 Rogue Trooper]

According to the CRL: "Text descriptions are only one part of the guideline. GML's and costumers must consider both text and pictures (CRL and Reference) when reviewing the costume."

And the pic of the boots in the CRL show a boot with seams.  It also says "Similar matching style brown boots are acceptable."  It wouldn't be a leap for a GML to look at the boot in the CRL with seams and expect a boot with similar seam locations, even if it's not explicitly outlined in the text of the CRL.  Just my 2 cents, though.

This exactly

As one of the members who wrote the CRL, there is only so much you can write in a CRL when it comes to detail. Believe me I had the CRL thrown back at me a few times because it had to much written detail.

The builders are meant to research and use the CRL as a guide whilst matching screen pictures

The reason similar matching style was put in was because not everyone could get hold off or even want to pay for screen used Orca Bay Boots.
We would expect similar style boots to have the same look which would include : cut shape , stitching , sole and heel and of course colour.


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[KOtrooper]

2 hours ago, 11b30b4 said:

KOtrooper, thanks and I will but I do not see how they can require something that is not a CRL requirement. Isn't that why we have the CRL requirements?

 

In addition to what others said, some GMLs *cough* sometimes me *cough* would be picky about the seams on the shoes. Just all depends on the GML team of your Garrison.

[11b30b4]

Thank you all for the information. Well that sucks, I feel the CRLs should have just said that "only" Orca Bay or IB are approvable because as far as I know, they are the only two sources of the boots with seams.

On 2/11/2020 at 12:10 PM, TK8271 Rogue Trooper said:

The reason similar matching style was put in was because not everyone could get hold off or even want to pay for screen used Orca Bay Boots.
We would expect similar style boots to have the same look which would include : cut shape , stitching , sole and heel and of course colour.

And the only other source is IB, which is in China and has a complete halt on all exports due to the coronavirus outbreak. So, once again I am back to the Orca Bay boot which after shipping will be $200.00 ish USD. Not liking these CRLs at all, but will do what I need to do to get approved. 

 

Also, kind of wished someone had chimed in when I posted my intent to get the Frye boot and informed me that that boot would most likely not be approvable before I purchased it. Not blaming yall, just venting and pissed I dropped 50 bucks on boots I will never wear.

 

Anyway, back to the build. does anyone have a pattern for the fauldes, if not I will make one but figured someone had one out there. BTW, the Plastazote I got is LD70, It should work just fine. 

 

 

SO, I have sliced the Nico helmet and will print a test at a lower definition (for time sake) and assemble it to see how it fits then adjust scale if needed then print the helmet I will use for the build. It has been raining here in GA practically non-stop for the past week so the humidity is very high but for test print it should not be an issue.

[BikerScout007]

As far as I am concerned, the boots you have are fine for Basic approval.  We've always used a Level 2 trooper for our CRL photos because we want to show what the best possible version of the costume is.  It's not to imply that every detail be exactly the same for basic approval.  If your GML gives you a hard time about the boots, have them contact me.

Frankly, given the work you've done on your costume thus far, I'm surprised you didn't just throw down for the right boots (Ardmoor runs 10% off sales all the time).  But you're fine with the ones you have for basic.

 

[11b30b4]

BikerScout007, thanks for the information. I hear what you are saying and honestly it was just one of those “another $200.00 bucks!” issues on why I did not go that route to begin with. You are right, after what I already spent, what is just another 200? I suppose another issue was the difficulty with returning the boots if they did not fit well. I have trooped with ill-fitting boots before and vowed to never do that again. I expect I will order the Orca Bay boots regardless of cost and reason at some point.

I never intended my WIP thread to turn into a discussion over the CRLs; however, I am glad that everyone here has shared their perspective on the boots and CRLs here. Better to hash out stuff like this before someone builds a kit and later finds out that they are out of compliance. We see this in MMCC a lot and people are never happy about it.

I was lucky enough that when I built my ROTK on FISD, I had the opportunity to participate in the CRLs discussion for the ROTK. After reading MR. Paul’s Shoretrooper build on his FB page, I learned a lot more about the RO kits and honestly feel we could revise some of the CRLs for level 2 and 3 to more accurately reflect the screen used kits, but that is a discussion for FISD.

I still feel the requirement for the Orca Bay for Vanguard is unfair only because it requires a member to purchase a specific product and does not allow for substitution of a replica. If the CRLs simply said the seams and logo were required for Vanguard, then it would at least open the opportunity for a member to get the Orca Bay or the IB version and add the logo to be in compliance. At least there would be two options available; however, that is just my opinion on this issue.

Ok, back to the build, the “rough draft” of the helmet is printing and excluding any issues, I should know this coming week if I need to resize. Then I will be moving on to the armor.

Again, thank you everyone for your input and know that I value all of your experience.

[11b30b4]

Update 3/21/2020

 

With the Covid 19 stay at home order, normally I would still be going to work; however, due to unexpected circumstances I am home and will be her for another week or two. I have spent the past 2 weeks reorganizing my workshop and building a new cabinet for my Prusa so now I can start printing all the armor for this build.

 

As previously stated, I purchased some brown ABS filament and I have split and sliced all the parts of Nico’s Mk2 helmet. Once I started printing the parts I began to notice some serious delamination as well issue with bed adhesion. At first, I tried printing without supports then after some failures I tried with limited supports. This also failed, the supports collapsed if not anchored to the wall of the mesh. I changed the support pattern from rectilinear to rectilinear grid and this fixed the supports, but I also noticed that when the supports were anchored to the mesh, I experienced more delamination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So looking at the temps for the extruder and the bed and ensuring that the fan was off, I made some changes and the prints are coming out better now.

 

 

If this last print comes out nice, then I will reprint the other parts that are too delaminated to work with.

 

This has been a weird experience for me since I mostly print with ABS and have had almost no issues with it up till now. I also ordered three things that should make this process easier. First, I ordered two of the powder coated beds for my printer and that should eliminate any adhesion issues. Second, I ordered 4 rolls of PET-G. I will play with the PET-G and use it for the armor. Lastly, I have acquired simplify 3D so slicing can be more specific, and I will have more control of the supports.

 

I will start on the sewing while parts are printing, and I hope to make some headway in the coming weeks.

 

Thanks for the interest.

[ScaryGuy]

I recently had an issue with delaminating that started out of the blue. It turned out the nozzle was a bit clogged so not enough filament was being extruded which resulted in bad layer adhesion.

[Cricket]

I know you mentioned that you've printed with ABS before.  What are your print settings?  Is your LACK table fully enclosed?  What are your print speeds/temps?  Maybe heat it up a little, and slow down your speeds?  Also to Theo's point, check your nozzle.  Are you underextruding, possibly? I've never had to use such dense support on Nico's helmet parts (I had far fewer, TBH!);  I doubt that the supports are the cause of the delamination.  

I love Simplify3D!  Let me know if you'd like my ABS profile in S3D for what I use with Hatchbox black ABS.  I have great luck with it.   

[Cricket]

Also, something I've noticed on the few times that I had some very minor delamination issues.... I've ever only had delamination when the parts wouldn't stick to the bed, namely around the corners.  This caused lifting at the very base corners, causing the entire print to warp slightly due to the corners curling up.  Anyhow, the delamination (small splits, if you will) tended to happen in the areas above where any slight lift from the bed was occurring.  It's like the bottom lifted corner was a weak part of the foundation, which caused the rest of the structure to also be weak as it printed because the base wasn't flat.  Does that make sense?

Since then, I always use a glue stick on my bed (Elmers washable glue stick, purple), 12 line skirt around the base, two layers, 110 bed temp 1st layer, 105 after that.  Nozzle runs at 237. 150% first layer, 30% speed for first layer.  Normal speed for print is 40mm/sec on the powder coated bed.  Never had a warp/lift since using these settings.