Moostic Shoretrooper Grunt WIP (3D Printed)

[Moostic]

Been procrastinating this for far too long now, finally ripped the Band-Aid off and decided to get underway with it.

I am printing this using Mr Paul's Shoretrooper files. The helmet will be printed with Nico's files.

First order of business was getting the soft bits out of the way, so I got my gloves from Endor Finders, boots are Orca Bay and the M56 pouch is from a surplus seller on Ebay. 
Shirt and pants are still yet to come, I'll probably be getting those from GPPG as I'm already in the same garrison as her.

The velcro backing on the right glove was already coming off when I got them, I'll have to figure out how to sew that back on.

I'm printing my armor on an Anycubic Kobra Plus using M3D PLA+ in black. It's my first time printing a project of this scale, so I'm learning as I go, but I'm fairly content with results so far.

Sometimes minor printing mistakes or the occasional oopsie on my part (Those supports can be stubborn!)
I reckon I'll just simply fill it in when I start sanding and smoothing.

Finally, still debating what I want to do about the inside of the prints - leave them raw? Line it with fiberglass/resin?
Both arms are done now, so I think I'll start working on the chest and back, maybe work in smoothing these out while I do that.

[BikerScout007]

I usually spray the insides of prints with Plastidip just to smooth them out some.  Might help!

[Moostic]

11 hours ago, BikerScout007 said:

I usually spray the insides of prints with Plastidip just to smooth them out some.  Might help!

Interesting idea, how is it in terms of sandability and glue adhesion? Just trying to think ahead here with the straps and whatnot that'll be going in

[BikerScout007]

11 hours ago, Moostic said:

Interesting idea, how is it in terms of sandability and glue adhesion? Just trying to think ahead here with the straps and whatnot that'll be going in

Not great.  It's rubberized so you probably don't want to do much with it once you've sprayed it down

[Moostic]

Hey, been a while since I updated this.

The printer was out of commission for a few months, so I wasn't able to get much done in that time span. It's back working again now, and I've been making good progress since then.

I'm just getting the last few pieces printed now, which includes parts of the abdomen section and the belt/thermal detonators. Everything else has been printed out, and I've gotten some straps and greeblies courtesy of Mr. Paul.

I also printed out a R1 E-11 I found on the FISD website and finished it up. I'm gonna go back and hit it up with some weathering and some paint over the bare screws. But otherwise, it'll go very nicely with the armour!

 

Now while I'm waiting for the last few pieces to print, I figured I'd get started smoothing out some of the pieces and getting them ready for paint. I'm starting with the arms in this case.

For smoothing, my process is as follows:
-80/120 grit with a palm sander on the raw prints, going back with sandpaper in the areas the palm sander couldn't quite reach.
-Bondo plastic metal mixed with acetone, applied with a paintbrush. Sand with 220.
-Bondo glazing putty applied by hand, sand with 320.
-Apply filler-primer of choosing, go back with glazing putty over any areas that aren't sufficiently smooth. Apply one last normal primer coat over this.

This method has worked well for me when I tried it on a prototype helmet I did over the winter, being easy enough to apply and sand down, but not too time consuming either. We're not making anything glossy smooth here, so it doesn't need to be perfect. Once the primers and paints all go on, any small mistakes will get hidden.

Here's a bucket I threw together as a Christmas gift for a relative. This won't be the one I use for this costume, but it gave invaluable experience and taught me a lot of important things. Nothing gets wasted!

 

Back to the current build, I'm smoothing and painting whenever I get an opportunity. The unique geometry of the forearms provides unique challenges, like the spaces on the forearms. Sanding in them proves to be quite difficult, so I'm debating how much effort to give in regards to smoothing them. I figure I'll probably try to cover them up with plenty of gunk and weathering.

That's about all I've got right now - more progress coming in the near future hopefully! I'm very excited to get the ball rolling on this project again.
My goal is to hopefully have it done by the end of this year, depending on how much I can knock out over the summer before the Canadian winter sets in.

Back to sanding I go... stay frosty folks.