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[Ravlin Todric]

Did you sand the spoon before using the primer? I'm not exactly sure of the specifics, but I do know it can make a significant difference.

I think the fumes or not adhering can affect primer as well. Some materials just don't like paint, and I kind of think plastic spoons are made of one of them. Very little sticks to them anyway, sort of by design - I would actually guess it's somewhat hydrophobic.

I would highly recommend test pieces of the actual Sintra, or at least some old PVC pipe you've sanded. That's not to say you won't learn from painting other materials, I just think you'll learn more from the actual pieces.

Keep at it, though! Little tiny baby steps are the key to making progress. Every new fact you learn gives you more ammo for your end project.

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

Ravlin, great to hear from you!

I did sand the spoons, as well as allow 24 hours cure time to air out the fumes for each layer, but no dice. When researching different chrome paints I kept seeing people sample them on spoons – the smooth surface and dome shape show off aspects of the colors really well – so I kind of assumed I was “supposed” to test on spoons. But you guys make great points, plus sintra will be much easier to sand. So, I’ve cut and shaped some sintra swatches to start priming once the weather gets paintable again. Between the weather and the paint cure time, all this waiting is driving me nuts!


Here’s the results of yesterday’s experiments. After sanding both back, I did a third layer of black on the left, and a layer of clearcoat on the right:



The left is a mix of layers 1 and 2, with a bit of wrinkling and pinholes. The right is the best yet, though it does show sanding scratches through.

Hopefully the paint does better with sintra, but these are nice to know for reference.


Aside from watching paint dry, I’ve been working on more chest plate mockups. I seem to be in a goldilocks situation right now, with V3 being on the large side, and V4 being a bit small. Still, I’m happier with each successive version, so it’s time well spent. I’ll have to rope somebody in to taking pics.

I’ve thoroughly washed my thrifted boots, so it’s about time for me to start on gaiters in my soft parts thread. I need to get back on my Mandalorian rewatch to get inspiration for soft parts designs!

I’ve also spent some time trying to alter a Din Djarin helmet from Thingiverse. Seems the free version of F360 doesn’t allow you to modify STL files the way I wanted, so I’m playing with Tinkercad. Modelling software doesn’t click very quickly for me, so to avoid getting overwhelmed, I’m setting my altering goals low: Cut out some designs and the keyholes for ventilation, and don’t go nuts! If I really want more customizations, I can do V2 later, but let’s just get that helmet made!

[Ravlin Todric]

Well, if the standard for chrome-like paint check is spoons, then it's spoons! As usual I'm coming from a generalist's perspective. You're doing way more research, which is good, because it's your kit! I'm confident your armor will look good - it sounds like you're doing all the prep work right.

A Goldilocks situation isn't the worst position to be in, since you have your upper and lower thresholds defined.

Learning new software can be a bear. You're approaching it right - although might I suggest "doodling" a simpler object to get a feel for the system? I found that building a footlocker (so, basically just a hollow cube) in SketchUp helped me figure out its features and limitations. Then again, my end goal was to actually build said footlocker out of plywood, so...your results may vary.

Ravlin, great to hear from you!

D'aww, thanks! It's always great to hear from you, too.

[Arkham]

Are you using the same brands of paint across all of your different layers (Filler primer, primer, base coat, color coat)?

If not, that could be why you are getting those results.

Also, in my experience, it sometimes take about 72 hours for the paints to fully cure. So you could try extending your time between layer from 1 day to 3.

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

I’m using Rustoleum for the primer and basecoat, and the basecoat’s the one that’s causing the problem! Spaz Stix is the color coat (both chrome + candy colors), but they are applied with an airbrush, so I don’t anticipate problems (my previous rushed experiments suggest they take on the qualities of the basecoat). I’ve considered using an airbrush primer and basecoat too, but from what I’ve read, Rustoleum gloss black is the preferred pick… Who knows, maybe my climate would deal with the airbrushed basecoat better. I’ll have to be mindful of the clearcoat too, since it will add yet another brand into the mix – chrome notoriously does NOT mix with clearcoats, but Alclad’s aqua gloss is the one that supposedly messes it up the least.

Aw maaan! Waiting three days between each layer will really test my patience. It’ll be worth it if there’s no orange peel, though…


I’ve started to get the hang of Tinkercad after jumping straight in. Here’s my first draft of edits:

• I cut out the keyslot entirely. The model has them closed, but I think I’ll just make open slots out of sintra.
• I added cutouts to the cheeks near the ears, finally deciding on a half-diamond shape.
• I cut out slots on the earcaps to help with ventilation and hearing. Perhaps I will add LEDs later?

I initially had mirrored half-diamond cutouts along the comb, but my clan suggested the overhanging cutouts won’t print well. Not only that, it may be counterproductive as far as cooling goes, as the fan’s airflow may leave the first vent it comes across rather than go the full length of the helmet. So, I removed them for now!






Working on the model really hit home how much blank space is on the helmet -- I have options for paint designs! Perhaps some narglatch-y spike patterns along the back… I should see if there's a blank template I could start coloring.

[Catra Veshok]

What about the triangle on Din’s hand / various helmets?

Maybe someone else already answered this. But here's my two cents. I think the blue triangles on Din's hands are a reference to Avatar the Last Airbender, since Dave Filoni worked on that show before he was hired on for Clone Wars. There's also a clone who has a blue arrow on his helmet. It makes me think of the airbender tattoos. I don't know if there's a specific meaning for these in the Star Wars universe or for Mandos. But I wouldn't put it past Dave Filoni to come up with something. He seems to use shapes as motifs a lot. Like the triangles and circles in the World Between Worlds. And in our world, the triangle often means change or transformation, which is what Din's story is about. It's interesting that, along with his helmet, those hand guards are the only things he kept from his original set of armor. Anyway, now I'm rambling.

Your kit concept looks really cool! Excited to see it finished! One step at a time, right? (I have to keep telling myself that too.) Oya!

[Cattriss Wren]

Hey Arco, I like the look of the helmet!! It's cool. I am excited to what colors and design your going to paint on it!!

[Ravlin Todric]

Whatever the reason for the blue triangles, it's the same shade of blue on the shoretrooper squad leader's armor. In-universe, that's likely at least part of the reason, given Din's shin armor and original shoulders are apparently repurposed shoretrooper armor.

Nice work on the helmet, Arco! I might recommend adding a strut or two in the visor between the mandibles - you can remove it later, but for printing, sanding, and painting it might be nice to have a little structure there so there's not as much flex.

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

I’m loving the triangle talk, it’s the question that still haunts me. It's on Din's hand plates and on Boba's helmet, so surely there's some super special meaning and I'm not just hyper-fixating on an unimportant detail. I’ve been getting caught up on other SW media and whenever I see a triangle, I’m like



And great idea, Ravlin! I’ll go ahead and add a brace, considering I'll be hand-sanding my heart out.


Alrighty, so I’m having a bit of a helmet file conundrum!

I’ve been trying different free files. I like the one above, but nobody has made it, and the maker hasn’t tried printing it, so given my lack of experience I decided to look around for one that’s more tried-and-true. Of the other files, this one is my favorite, but perhaps you can see the potential visor issue:



This is the model pictured next to one of the makes. It looks seamless from the front, but from the sides there is a noticeable gap since the cheeks jut forward from the brow. My ruus says that gap should be acceptable, but I’d like to minimize it if possible. Any tips, or should I just expect that gap if I use the file?

[Ravlin Todric]

Y'know, now you mention it, the Sector Rangers in Star Wars have a golden triangle as part of their badge....

...and I think some astro droids also have some triangles somewhere on their domes. Honestly, I don't think there's anything special or symbolic about triangles in the Star Wars universe - it's just a design thing. Take Boba's helmet, for example - would those tiny detail triangles look better as circles? Squares? In my opinion, no, but then aesthetic design is largely subjective. Something something, triangles are second only to the golden ratio, something something graphic design something.

Tl;dr people like triangles, if you do too then super! If not, then super! You do you, you crazy zebu.

As far as the helmet gap is concerned, my first thought is backfilling the edge with a small Sintra panel. I saw that somewhere, maybe on one of the Rubie's conversion threads. You could use epoxy, perhaps, but you'd never be able to replace the visor. I hear that's a good thing to keep replaceable. Maybe a silicon rubber adhesive, if you're familiar with using it - creates a good seal and can be torn/broken off later with relative ease, but it can be messy.

I can't tell for sure on the angles, but I wonder if the mandibles on that helmet should be bent back to contact the visor. They don't seem to line up with the brim. Again, I might not be seeing the picture correctly.

I know very little about 3d-printing, but if it's not costly for you, I think I'd recommend test-printing the file you like. Someone's gotta do it first. Maybe it'll work if you scale it down for a test run? Resolution changes your result, though, and the strength of the plastic doesn't scale either. If it's at half-size, and half as thick, it'll be flimsier than the real one; half-size but full thickness and the inside proportions will be distorted, giving it too much strength for its size. Scale is one of the hardest things to get right, because things like gravity, tensile strength, and resilience just don't scale. Molecules of a given material are always the same size, unfortunately.

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

Yeah, I’ve long accepted that it’s probably just a boring triangle. But it’s become my dumb joke / hill to be dramatic on whenever I see it. Surely it will have a meaning like jaig eyes someday…

Yes, it looks like the problem with the model is that the cheeks jut forward compared to the brow. I was wondering if it would be possible to heat form it and bend it closer, but there’s no way to know if that would make the problem worse without ruining the print. If I had a 3D printer, I’d love to do some test prints, or even play around with shrinking the cheek measurements to match the brow. But since I’ll be commissioning a clan member to print for me, I think I’ll have to take this version of the model for now.

I like the idea of filling it with a sintra panel! I think that may be the solution…

Although I'd prefer a free file, I've also considered purchasing a file. Great Ape Studio has a fantastic screen-accurate Din Djarin helmet, and I'm quite fond of Alter Ego Armory's The Architect and The Foreman designs. Decisions are hard!


I made some sintra swatches, getting some extra practice with curves and beveled edges. After sanding the primer coat to a beautifully flat finish, I went ahead and did two layers of gloss black, and drumroll:



More orange peel! The audacity!!

Well, I’ve had it with the hours of sanding, delicate light spray coats, and three days of waiting between layers in hopes that the orange peel will decide not to show up. I’m bringing out the big guns.



It’s time to use car polish!

The idea is to use very fine sandpaper on the top color layer to gently wet sand away the texture, then bring the shine back with the compound. Ideally I’d have proper polishing equipment, but since I don’t, it’s likely some sanding scratches will show through the compound. For hand sanding, you go back and forth rather than in a circular motion, so if any scratches show through, it will look more like a “brushed aluminum” texture rather than chaotic swirls. Although I’d prefer a pure gloss look, I’m not opposed to “brushed beskar”!

Once you have a smooth surface, add the compound to a microfiber cloth and go nuts, pausing to wipe it away every so often. The result is quite nice! Here’s a before / after:



I noticed the compound results in a slightly lighter / milkier color than the original paint. It’s still clearly a gloss black though, and since the orange peel is gone, my guess is it will result in a clearer chrome layer despite the lighter color.

I’m pleased with the overall results, but it’s worth noting that it’s not a flawless finish. Since I didn’t have polishing or sanding tools, the sanding scratches still "show through" (as seen in the slight wavy texture at the edge of the reflection). That was with wet sanding 2k grit only. Also, when you sand through a layer of paint, it can result in problems. You can see it when sanding, but when polished, sometimes it goes away, other times it does not. The first piece here looked fine after it was polished, but the second one still shows the separate layers:





Interesting how that happens. It’s easier to sand through the edges, both because the sandpaper naturally curls around the edge, and also because heated sintra tends to curl upwards so the edge is raised a little. For my chrome sintra pieces, it’ll be very important to sand that as flat as I can. Maybe armor parties will be in session and I can borrow somebody’s palm sander?

I've read conflicting accounts on what to do after adding the compound. I'll try a layer or two of clearcoat for protection and see if that reacts well.

I’m dying to know what the chrome layer looks like on top of this finish. The weather needs to get better so I can paint!




Question: would the level of orange peel in the first image be acceptable for durasteel plates, or would I have to sand those flat, too?

[Ravlin Todric]

Whoa.

Well done.

Personal dumb jokes are cool, keep it! I wasn't trying to rain on your parade.

You're way above my pay grade with both the 3D-printing and the painting now, so I'll shut up for once and let more experienced Mandos weigh in. I like where your head's at, though, so keep at it.

Beautiful test pieces, though. Sintra seems to like that stuff, even if it textures up.

[Cattriss Wren]

Su'cuy Arco, that's looking sick!! The car polish gives it a beautiful gloss.

[Karson Wren]

I do like that architect helm, but still bit pricey. I'd say go with the free din.

Loving your project! 

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

Thanks guys! 

Been a while! I thought I'd give an update on where I am.

My motivation has been rather scrambled -- I want to work on this project, but it's tough to bring myself to get started. My perfectionism is my main roadblock, but that shouldn't stop me from working on mockups at least. I still dream of running around in my kit, but I'm a bit concerned that this will end up in the "I'll do it later" pile of amazing project concepts that never get completed. I gotta get back into it.

When I left off, I was working on paint swatches. It's too cold to paint now, so I'll have to switch focus.

My short-term goals for the moment: Start on my scrubs. Be more active on the forums. Get back to my The Mandalorian rewatch for screenshots and inspiration!

[Matchstick1021]

I understand hitting road blocks, one thing that helped me to overcome perfectionism was I reminded myself that star wars isn't a perfect galaxy. That is to say very little about star wars is 'perfect". The used and cobbled together look is everywhere in universe.

Just something that helped me!   

[EricL]

I hit those same kind of roadblocks! It’s tough. But you’ve got a good plan to just start something. I recently finished tailoring my scrubs (mostly) and that had been the biggest kick in the pants so far to get me moving forward! Nothing motivates like a little success.

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

I do need to take advantage of how grungy the Star Wars aesthetic is! I think I have it in my head that I need to make it perfect before weathering it, but I should really allow the weathering stage to cover the inevitable imperfections instead of obsessing.

The scrubs will be great to get done! My aspirations have bitten off more than my skill level can chew, so my first iteration will be just plain tailored scrubs with simple (remember, me: simple!) PI detail stitching. I'd love to make a full screen-accurate Din Djarin flight suit, but I need to allow myself the simple version to practice, or I'll forever be too intimidated to get started.


I have something exciting to share! As part of a belated family Christmas present, I got a giant cardboard box for mockups!

Also, the box contained a 3D printer! Ah, the possibilities...



Naturally, any PI kit needs a Mythosaur pendant. Should be great practice for 3D print finishing!

I'll be printing the helmet and pulse rifle (and perhaps a gauntlet?), and I'll want those in PETG for durability, so I'll have to play around with PETG when that comes in.

I'm working on customizing TheBrokenNerd83's helmet file in the meantime. Perhaps I should start a helmet WIP thread. Or, an armor thread that includes the helmet? Honestly, I'm still not sure how I want to split my build across the forums.

[Matchstick1021]

Honestly my entire build wip is only on my clans forum page. But depending on how active your clan is that might not be a great idea.

[Second Son]

Drop a WIP bomb on the clan page, Arco - it'll wake em up!

TBH one unified WIP thread seems like a decent plan, keeps eyes on and will draw more focused attention on the many aspects of your build. I've made a few WIP threads but I am mostly updating my main armor WIP at this point as the sub-items (helmet, gauntlets, soft kit) are more or less 'done' and I'm working on getting it all together as a unit. One thread seems like you have less things to keep track of, and then use the other boards to field directed questions about process etc.

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

Oho! The new BoBF episode gave me some kit ideas! I posted my thoughts in the lounge, I'll probably avoid talking about them for a week or so in here to avoid spoiling people.

After too much struggle, I've customized the helmet file the way I wanted. Just gotta add a brace on the mandibles and read up on PETG, and I think I'm good to print a scale model. Anyone have sizing tips for people with glasses?

I'll start organizing a "hard parts" WIP thread to go along with my soft parts (maybe not on the dead clan page, but I'll be sure to spam our group chat!). Regarding separate WIPs, I think it's nice for the App team and people browsing for ideas, but when following a single build it's probably tricky to juggle them all. Perhaps I'll post separate threads with the complete build process when I go to apply.

Now, to go watch that episode again... 

[Noot Braska]

i think im probably going to order a set of contacts honestly.  youd have to have a somewhat oversized helmet to fit glases under if they dont already fit.

[Cattriss Wren]

Glad to see you back at it Arco'thyel !!! Looking forward to seeing some progress

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

i think im probably going to order a set of contacts honestly.  youd have to have a somewhat oversized helmet to fit glases under if they dont already fit.

Jealous! I wish I could wear contacts, but I tried three brands and none of them fit -- they all kept sliding down and blurring my vision. I hope I'll be able to fit a helmet that's not too bobble-y.

Glad to see you back at it Arco'thyel !!! Looking forward to seeing some progress

Oya Triss! I gotta get caught up on your thread and see what you've been up to!

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

I need to stop perfectionism-procrastinating.

Vode, it is time. Pray for me.



"Hey guys, is it supposed to look like-"



*Nyoooom*



Taking pics is hard when that print bed is flying!

As of just now, 13 hours in and 13% complete:



Got a bit of lift, but my clan doesn't seem too concerned...



Props to my clan for putting up with my helicopter parenting. "Guys, is my helmet OK?" "Guys, is it supposed to be doing this?" "Guys, is my helmet OK?" "Guys, the supports look scraggly, am I doomed?"

Anyway, more overly concerned pics to come, I'm sure. Hopefully by Monday afternoon I will have a bucket!

...Monday afternoon?? I have to worry for that long???