Andy's ST Captian WIP

[Minimo]

Nice work!


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[Andy88]

7 minutes ago, Minimo said:

Nice work!


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Thanks! Really feels like I've got this whole thing down now and it's just a matter of doing the work. Almost feel like I should make a thank you speech now to thank the great community of people but don't want to Jinx myself at the final stretch.

[KOtrooper]

I'd try hitting the can greeblee with some silver dry brushing on the highlights. Almost a reverse weathering technique. Might be faster than carefully painting it over and then weathering.

You're doing a great job on your build. And yeah, don't focus on crisp lines everywhere. Weathering can hide a lot!

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[Andy88]

Update:

⛈️ing proceeding, I've been partial to a good quality exacto knife to make the chips versus latex paint and a brass drill brush to get the 'scratches' then followup with my brown/black wash over; The brass scratches capture the wash in the cuts making them highlighted.

Had to touchup inside the boxes with black for overspray.

I TRIED to weather the chest piece but unfortunately the tape also left adhesive on the paint which made it impossible. It was just sticking to the paint and not coming off so had to sand everything back down. What a pain. This is acutally my THIRD attempt at sanding it back down, first was finished with filler primer which cracked, then resin which didn't turn out great. Don't know what's going on here, I wiped everything down with 99% IPA each time but there is some kind of adhesion or surface prep thing going on that this '3rd time' charm seemed to fix with spot puddy. Wish me luck tomorrow in finishing.

Finally, Back piece weathered but I'm sad to report the collar came off after gently setting it down. Fortunately it happened now instead of while trooping and, there's no real damage to the plastic or visible paint . I used CA glue and hardener but, clearly the glue didn't grab a lot of surface area because, the parts don't have a lot of contact. It seems like they're designed to fit together better so I am guessing the CA from joining the back parts together prevented this piece from joining more fully with the back part and , therefore most of the CA didn't actually adhere to anything. My first thought is that I should really spend 3-4 hours digging it out and resurfacing but, I wonder if I should just E6000 this to give it some flex given this joins into the chest part? I'm going to reach out to the STL guy to ask his thoughts but, I would welcome recommendations here too.

 

 

Forearm first part raw shot!

[Andy88]

weekend update!
color perfected!

Chest part; Smooth as a twi'lek's bod

it was short lived;

2 part epoxy used to bond the collar

Test fit

 

[KOtrooper]

Looks great so far!!

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[Minimo]

Awesome work!! That collar takes a good amount of stress, i would suggest reinforcing the fix maybe by molding some plastic over it or fiberglass strips?

[Andy88]

Weekend update!

Printer failure,  hoping this wont set me back too far.

Very very sloppy test fit tonight. My observations;

I should have sized down to Medium on the undershirt. way too much bunching, it's causing my bicep pieces to open.

Shoulder bells are too low, going to raise them. hoping some adjustments in the velcro are enough.

Shoulder bell to bicep length is good?

The back really shows the bicep problem. I printed these in the open STL thinking I needed the size. Would this fail approval if open?
Accidentally Tucked the neck bib inside the shirt.

Let's not talk about the forearms. Lots wrong going on there

 

[Minimo]

Hey, that’s a bummer about the printer!!! As far as sizing, have you tried the ab piece under the chest yet? It looks like you have a pretty snug fit going on and the ab section will need a good amount of room.

I know the shirt struggle as well, have ordered 3 trying to get the look right… But you can probably make some alterations yourself to have it be more snug.

The biceps can be open in the back, my understanding is that they were held together with a cordlike material that allowed for flex and movement.  That being said, since you are not flexing, it looks like they would be open and you will have a gap the entire time, even in a relaxed stance?

I would recommend reaching out to your gml with that specific question, see what he/she thinks about it.

Here is a pic that may help you:




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[KOtrooper]

Taking in the shirt is pretty easy task, especially for the arms.

Your bells look to be a good size.

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[Andy88]

20 hours ago, Minimo said:

Hey, that’s a bummer about the printer!!! As far as sizing, have you tried the ab piece under the chest yet? It looks like you have a pretty snug fit going on and the ab section will need a good amount of room.

I know the shirt struggle as well, have ordered 3 trying to get the look right… But you can probably make some alterations yourself to have it be more snug.

The biceps can be open in the back, my understanding is that they were held together with a cordlike material that allowed for flex and movement.  That being said, since you are not flexing, it looks like they would be open and you will have a gap the entire time, even in a relaxed stance?

I would recommend reaching out to your gml with that specific question, see what he/she thinks about it.

Here is a pic that may help you:




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I've got the bottom part printed that has the cutouts for snap fittings and yes it will be tight as is! Not really too concerned about it. This is secondary also a goal for some weightloss. 15lbs since March! I'm not sure how I could resize it without expanding the dimensions in every direction.

I am flexing a bit in that picture and sort of shoved up the biceps /shoulder bells to make the chest to bell gap shorter so it probably will sit naturally a bit lower (and close more) . Something to come back to when I acutally go for an application.
 

[Andy88]

1 hour ago, KOtrooper said:

Taking in the shirt is pretty easy task, especially for the arms.

Your bells look to be a good size.

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I was thinking of buying my way out of it as I literally have 0 sewing skills. It took me a solid hour last night just to hand stitch some threading into the stretching bungle fabric to strengthen them for the shoulder bells. No sewing machine. Is it worth investing time/hardware into one for alterations? Not sure I would have the time to craft soft parts unfortunately. Tight on time so tough to decide to make the next wave order with IB or find someone local. :X

[KOtrooper]

I was thinking of buying my way out of it as I literally have 0 sewing skills. It took me a solid hour last night just to hand stitch some threading into the stretching bungle fabric to strengthen them for the shoulder bells. No sewing machine. Is it worth investing time/hardware into one for alterations? Not sure I would have the time to craft soft parts unfortunately. Tight on time so tough to decide to make the next wave order with IB or find someone local. :X

I'd find someone local. Ask around your garrison or circle of friends. Someone will help you out. Taking in the sleeves will be done in minutes and doesn't have to be a clean job.

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[Andy88]

On 5/2/2022 at 8:05 PM, KOtrooper said:

I'd find someone local. Ask around your garrison or circle of friends. Someone will help you out. Taking in the sleeves will be done in minutes and doesn't have to be a clean job.

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long term I've decided to invest into a good sewing machine and, developing that skill. A really good one is a lot less expensive than I originally believed.

I think I will take your suggestion and, find someone to hem in the sleeves for the con.

Printer is fixed- new Hotend, new Thermosister and heater soldered in, less than an hour of tuning and, first XYZ cube is flawless! I should pick lottery numbers tonight lol.

 

THE PRINTING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES.

[Minimo]

Awesome!


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[KOtrooper]

long term I've decided to invest into a good sewing machine and, developing that skill. A really good one is a lot less expensive than I originally believed.
I think I will take your suggestion and, find someone to hem in the sleeves for the con.
Printer is fixed- new Hotend, new Thermosister and heater soldered in, less than an hour of tuning and, first XYZ cube is flawless! I should pick lottery numbers tonight lol.


 
THE PRINTING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES.

You might be surprised how often you will use your sewing machine. It's very satisfying to make your costume soft goods. Turning yards of fabric into something usable is a neat feeling.

I made a small bag that snaps into the straps behind my leather ammo pouch to hold my cell phone/wallet. It was incredibly handy at cons. Would have been darn near impossible to do that without custom making it.

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[Andy88]

Not a lot this update, 3d printing problems persisted, definitively going to need to do a gag or just go helmet this Con.

Some small updates, elastic to close parts.

also, I'm re-evaluating my helmet situation and relocating everything for a better fit.

cable cord vs duct tape

 

Yes I did get a machine to delve into that hobby!

Found that using a big slim battery in the back part for helmet fans vs in the helmet would be better.

[KOtrooper]

You might want to consider using a hook and loop system to secure the wires in your bucket. It'll be easier to switch out the system (in case of a broken wire) than the hot glue.

[Andy88]

7 hours ago, KOtrooper said:

You might want to consider using a hook and loop system to secure the wires in your bucket. It'll be easier to switch out the system (in case of a broken wire) than the hot glue.

spoiler alert! that's exactly what I'm doing. moving stuff around I''ll definitely have room to stick some batteries for the helmet fans in my bucket now. I also used some mesh loom to tuck the excess wiring in. waiting on a new battery solution then I'll mesh loom the helmet fans too in the back. 10/10 would recommend mesh loom to a friend. cheap and you can use the excess around the house.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FXF12HC?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

[Andy88]

Okay, this is my bucket’s final form. 3xAA battery box with a usb cable. Li-pro rechargeable batteries. Compact, light weight, the box outputs slightly less than 5V but the fans were loud anyway so they’re quieter this way.

[Andy88]

Well Megacon Orlando has come and gone, I had the upper half done but no abdomen and, decided to wear the bucket for testing which was a great benefit!
Battery pack easily lasts 4-5 hours on a single charge with both fans. Nose padding could use some adjustment but not a huge deal.
Met my local Garrison's squad leader, the Chartiy Leader (also a ST!) Tom and, handed out a lot of lego Mini-figs for some sweet pics. 10/10 well worth it as a convo starter.

 

extra points if you get this reference!

Hard to see but this guy had a full Thrawn combat vest/helmet from Rebels inside as well. 10/10

 

the abdomen fits great! using a chemical bond on the joins vs CA really helps

[Andy88]

Project restarted ! Printer tuned to .6 nozzles means prints now take about 40% less time.

Abdomen part reprinted as there was layer shift I felt wouldn’t pass in the prior

Forearm parts getting reprinted for the same reason.

All goes well, printing will be done by the end of this week!

https://imgur.com/a/ML55k0Z


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[Andy88]

Perfect night! Literally finished weathering on the abdomen just before we left! Very messy fit so we didn’t miss the start but still managed to get a couple pic requests from a few passing by. Just shins to be done! I need to hem my undershirt too it is very baggy around the arms. :X