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[AUSfrostbite]

Hi All,

The first parts of my kit have arrived with the flight suit, helmet and gauntlets. I think the sizing for the helmet has turned out well, I do have some questions with the gauntlets which were 3D printed and need a little further finishing. For those with more experience with 3D printed parts would the left over lines be resolved with a little spray filler and primer? I am open to any suggestions on how to properly finish them.

[Straka Zulu]

The first pic is kinda hard to tell, the backlighting puts most of you in shadow. The size of the helmet looks good, though.     The flat parts of the gauntlets might need a little more sanding or filler to even them out.   April Storm Death Watch ones, correct? 

[AUSfrostbite]

Apologies for the lighting on the first picture, the gauntlets are indeed from AprilStorm. The build quality is good but need a little more finishing.

[Straka Zulu]

I'm working on a set of her Sabine S3 gauntlets, and one of her phone holder designs.  Bought the files, just need to find a decent 3-d printing place.

[AUSfrostbite]

This is my first experience with 3D printed parts, they do require more effort to finish but look to be rewarding. The Sabine gauntlets look great, I hope they come out well

[footheboss]

I have the same gauntlets and this will be your best friend! Really easy stuff to work with. 

[Kol Varek]

I recommend sanding with a fine grit, and then going over the lines with spot filler and then sanding. After that, I recommend spraying with filler primer. You may need to hit certain spots again, it will take some time. You can do it!

[rlobrecht]

Pop onto Youtube and search for "How to finish 3d printed mandalorian aprilstorm gauntlets".  She has some great recommendations.

[AUSfrostbite]

I have completed preparing my first gauntlet with a combination of wood filler, primer and filler spray and lots of sanding. I'm surprised with how well it has turned out, What do you think of the result?

[Bryn Cin'Prudii]

Gauntlets look much better now dude!

[Fenn Beviin]

Gauntlets look much better now dude!

Agreed. Looking good! Also, you better get used to sanding lol you are going be to doing a ton of it and there is generally no escaping it

[AUSfrostbite]

I have to agree that sanding is something that cannot ever be skipped. After 3 days of putty, sanding, primer then repeat, i'm happy with the results. I have applied a metallic base coat ready for weathering using masking fluid. I plan to use a black spray next before I add the primary colour (dark blue).

[Fenn Beviin]

I have to agree that sanding is something that cannot ever be skipped. After 3 days of putty, sanding, primer then repeat, i'm happy with the results. I have applied a metallic base coat ready for weathering using masking fluid. I plan to use a black spray next before I add the primary colour (dark blue).

Sounds great. That is the same process I used for my armor as well though I also added a dark grey coat between the silver and black. That gives the armor more of an old scraped look with the grey and new scrapes with the silver. The black just helps to highlight the damage. I use toothpaste instead of masking fluid generally but a good tip with removing the masking fluid to get uneven realistic edges on the damage is to lightly sand it off instead of just peeling it off. Peeling it off typically leaves super smooth edges that don't really end up looking like scrapes/cuts/etc.

[AUSfrostbite]

I have finished the helmet, a lot of hard  lessons learnt along the way, the large bit of damage on the top right was not intentional, i went with it though.





I'm thinking of using a light black wash to dull the shininess of the metal, any recommendations?


Gauntlets now painted:




I definitely need to think of a way to dull down the shininess of the metal

[The Unknown Mando]

Matte clear coat may do what you want, a black wash may help bring out any details

[Icav Ribe]

Ink washes are your friend. If you don't mind paying a premium the Citadel paints washes are amazing if you are looking for something to add a little weathering and depth. Good for accumulated crud looks in the places with sharp corners.

Nuln oil is the black wash and Agrax Earthshade is a darker brown style if you find that meets your aesthetic.

[AUSfrostbite]

Thank you for the input, I actually do already have both Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade from my model painting days. I sold all my armies a while back but I kept the paints, I will give them a try.

I will definitely need a  few layers of clear coat as the paint is currently very easy to chip. I was thinking of the Rust-Oleum 2x, is there a better recommendation?

[The Unknown Mando]

With the chipping , how far back is it chipping? Back to plastic?
Was the rustoleum 2x your clear coat or blue that you used?
What was the temp like when you sprayed?

[AUSfrostbite]

The colour layers did not bond so well with the base metal coat, thankfully this made weathering easy but i want to avoid any more unnecessary chipping. It was a warm day here so the paint was drying quickly. I have not applied any clear coat yet so i'm hoping this will fix the issue.   

[The Unknown Mando]

Maybe a good clean, wipe off any oils or other crap that may affect the clear from biting into what's there
If you look at my work I like alot of weathering, dirty, stained and chipped....my approached may not suit you
I'd spray over the effected area, clean first, then spray., multi layers to help build details

[AUSfrostbite]

What clear coat brand would you recommend?

[The Unknown Mando]

I've tried a white knight crystal clear....cheap Bunnings crap ( I'm an Aussie)  and rustoleum I think, both seemed to work fine.
A lot of people recommend sticking with the same brand, but I tend to experiment, don't care too much how it turns out.....if it turns to crap, the challenge of turning it into something may lead to skill building

[AUSfrostbite]

I'm an Aussie as well, looks like another trip to Bunnings this week for me. I agree that anything that goes wrong is just a chance to learn. This armour has already taught  me a lot, usually the hard way. The large chip in the top left of my helmet was where i learned the hard way that the paint can peel easily if not handled carefully. I ran with it, cleaned it up and its now part of the battle damage.

Thank you for your input, ill post my results later in the week.

[Fenn Beviin]

I'm an Aussie as well, looks like another trip to Bunnings this week for me. I agree that anything that goes wrong is just a chance to learn. This armour has already taught  me a lot, usually the hard way. The large chip in the top left of my helmet was where i learned the hard way that the paint can peel easily if not handled carefully. I ran with it, cleaned it up and its now part of the battle damage.

Thank you for your input, ill post my results later in the week.

Yeah you learn a lot just by going through the process of trying things out personally. It's part knowledge part trial and error really ha. If you don't like that giant chipped part on the side you can always just remask the damaged bits and coat it again, though not sure if you were planning that or were going to strip the bucket and try again. The former end result will give you a nice layered damaged look but will allow you to keep the damage that you think turned out well. Also, be careful with how thick you spray rustoleum. That could be your problem. If you stayed to long in 1 spot the paint won't stick or dry properly due to the vapors not being able to escape. They get trapped and then cause issues like the one you faced

[Kol Varek]

Well done so far! Those gaunts look much better! Can't wait to see it all together! Keep up the good work!