Sayless

This is the way. After much deliberation with several Legion members—and after seeing some of the newer Remnant TKs on the big screen this weekend—it became pretty obvious that my models needed a bit more massaging. Most notably, the chest proportions and overall silhouette needed a bit less volume and softer contouring in a few areas. So, back into Blender I went. I ended up making some fairly substantial revisions to the chest plate “pecks,” as well as lowering and reshaping the arch at the base of the chest itself since mine was sitting a bit too high for my liking. Similarly, I wanted to smooth out some of the line work on the back plate and refine the insert panel to better match some new reference material I recently got my hands on. One of my primary goals throughout this project has been ensuring screen accuracy with practical printability and assembly—and that balancing act continues to be the hardest part of this entire process. Updated Chest Updated Back I also finally went ahead and modeled the… honestly, I’m still not entirely sure what these are officially called. I’ve heard “side wings,” “chest bridges,” and probably three other names at this point, so until corrected they remain “side wings” in my head. I’m still refining these a bit, but the current plan is to integrate some form of alignment pin system for mounting to the chest plate (I'll make mine "work" since I had started printing before this), while offering a few different attachment options for the back armor (snaps, velcro, etc.) based on suggestions from others. And then, of course, it was finally time to start printing. Even with the K2+ being as large as it is, these updated pieces unfortunately still didn’t fully fit my print bed once scaled to my frame. Because of that, I had to strategically split them in areas that should experience the least amount of stress once assembled. Those sections were later glued, plastic welded, and will get brushed over with some acetone slurry for a bit of added strength before I move into sanding and priming. Printed Chest (Vapor smoothed) (Quick 220 grit pass before primer/filler) Printed Back, Insert & Greebles (Raw off the printed) (Quick 220 grit pass before primer/filler) (Insert panel with greebles, no post processing yet) Honestly, seeing these printed at scale for the first time felt like a pretty major milestone. Now that most of this is finally in a workable state, I’m moving on to modeling the thighs, cod, and posterior armor in between my sanding and primer sessions—which honestly serves as a pretty good mental break from staring at topology lines or sniffing primer for hours at a time. Oh—and because apparently I didn’t already have enough going on with this build, I also printed Greg’s newest helmet files. I figure… fourth time’s the charm? I’m in absolutely no rush to complete this helmet since my previous version would probably be more than enough for basic approval (minus a few little tweaks to complete), but there are still a few mistakes on it that I’m personally not thrilled with—so now feels like the right time to correct those while I'm still relatively motivated.

Thank you tremendously! Blender has honestly been a hassle, truthfully. Some of my earlier screenshots were visually “finished” pieces that I later realized weren’t even printable because of topology issues—which was a very humbling discovery. But I suppose that’s part of the learning process. Fusion, like you mentioned, definitely feels easier for more precise mechanical-style parts where tolerances matter. I actually used it for my thermal detonator redesign and the revised thigh cover strips as well. And I completely agree that there’s a very fine line when it comes to charging for files. There are definitely some sets out there priced a bit… optimistically (including some I’ve personally purchased), and I think if you’re going to charge premium prices, the files really need to justify it through quality, support, accuracy, and proper testing. Personally, if I do go that route (of releasing these files for sale), I’d rather offer something genuinely useful and reasonably accessible to the community than create files that only a small handful of people can justify buying. And you said it best: Non-Saga armor is still a minority. I’ve spoken with several Legion members while trying to sort out parts of my build, and I know there are at least a couple other modelers actively working toward more accurate Anthology TK files as well. Honestly, I think all of that is ultimately a great thing for the community. I’d absolutely love to throw my own hat into that ring eventually, but time will tell. Right now, the chest and back armor are honestly the “easy” pieces. The deeper I get into this armor, the more I realize just how intricate these suits actually are compared to the OT designs—but honestly, that complexity is part of what makes them so beautiful. And funny enough, I literally just finished printing my newest chest plate attempt this afternoon. I only checked the printer camera remotely, but even through the blurry 480p feed… I’m honestly kind of impressed with how it turned out. I’ll update the thread with proper photos once I get home tonight. EDIT: As you can tell by my happy face... I got my scaling measurements wrong, and unfortunately... this means it's time for yet another 17 hour print. I'm also taking this opportunity to smooth out a high spot on the bottom edge of the chest plate which should hopefully close up the below gap between it and the abdomen armor. Next post will showcase the proper scaled chest piece, and hopefully... the back piece (if I don't lose my sanity).

This is the (no pun intended) million-dollar question. Truthfully, I don’t fully know yet. Right now, the main goal is simply to finish a set of files that I’m personally happy with. I’m now five months into this build and have essentially restarted multiple times because I keep finding things I’m not content with accuracy-wise (thigh armor, I'm looking at you). A huge part of this process has also just been learning. A a little over a month ago, I had basically zero Blender experience, so a lot of this has been trial, error, and figuring things out as I go. At the moment, these are primarily being built as supplemental pieces to pair with the MPSB files since a lot of the geometry and compatibility already exists there. Out of respect for Paul’s work and licensing, I can see a use-case where modeling my own files makes sense, as I cannot (and will not) distribute the necessary mods they need in order to comply with the TK CRLs. That said, long-term? I’d absolutely like to eventually release my own files in some capacity. Not because I’m trying to become a major armor vendor or anything, but because there really does seem to be a gap for highly accurate Anthology/New-Era TK files that are also printable and reasonably accessible. If I ever do release anything publicly, I’d want it to be: heavily tested (working on this now) accuracy-focused easy enough to print and reasonably priced Especially since the deeper I get into this project, the more I realize how many cool remnant/remixed TK variations could eventually be built from the same foundation (thank you Mando & Grogu). This is probably what excites me the most about this project if I'm being honest. But that’s a looong road away. Right now I’m still in the: “Does this print correctly?” followed immediately by: “Why does this still look wrong?” phase of development/modeling. So short-term answer: I honestly don’t know yet. Long-term answer: If I can eventually build something accurate, reliable, and genuinely useful to the community, then yes—I’d absolutely consider releasing them someday, but likely for a modest fee to help offset the absurd amount of time this rabbit hole has consumed.

Backwards progress update! I essentially scrapped the files I previously showed… and started over. ...then I did that two more times. However, after several failed attempts (and an unhealthy amount of staring at reference photos on airplanes), I think I’ve finally landed somewhere presentable. I also learned what a “matcap” was in Blender, which ended up being instrumental in helping me spot some pretty nasty high and low points throughout the surfaces. Once I finally understood what I was looking at, I was able to correct a lot of those inconsistencies—and honestly, I think the results are starting to speak for themselves. Again, I’m by no means a professional modeler here. I’m just someone who got frustrated after spending a good chunk of money on files that still didn’t quite capture the look of the screen-used armor. I’m not claiming these are 100% accurate… but visually, I do think I’m making solid progress. The chestplate: The backplate: I’d still argue neither of these are fully “done” yet, and there are absolutely areas I could still refine depending on how many hours I want to dedicate. But provided I can get clean prints and finish them properly with paint and post-processing, I’m hopeful these should at least get me through basic approval. That said, if anything looks off—or if I’m missing details—please don’t hesitate to call it out. I’m hoping to start test printing these at full scale relatively soon… assuming I can first figure out what keeps clogging my printer nozzles.

I've printed the helmet now 3 times on a 256mm cubed printer without issues... a lot of it comes down to orientation and patience, but it's doable!

May the Fourth be with you! It’s not often I get to say that in my day-to-day life, so it feels fitting to drop it here today. Anyway… this is a bit of a little-big-ish update. I’ve officially hit a wall with this build. Shocking, I know. After chasing what feels like every “most accurate TK file” out there, I’ve reached a point where I’m just… tired of spending money on files that claim accuracy, but miss the mark on the exact pieces I need. So instead of continuing down that path, I made a decision: I’m just going to design my own. I’m building these using the gallery references (Celebration photos/R1 photos), a ton of 4K screen grabs (thanks @fernferro for the help here!), and a Sideshow Artillery Trooper as a physical reference. In their current state… I think they’re getting close. But I’ll be the first to admit—I’m very much learning as I go. My only real “formal” experience was a three-week crash course in Fusion360 when I reworked my thermal detonator. Blender? This is very much trial by fire. Is this overly ambitious? Yes. Am I probably risking my Halloween deadline? Also yes. Have I gotten much sleep leading up to this update? Absolutely not. Let’s move away from the wall of text (I’m starting to sound like Jason) and into what actually matters. The chest plate: And the back plate: These aren’t finished yet—but I think they’re getting close. Still left to tackle: back greebles (cog + “II”) shoulder slots (currently the bane of my existence) general refinement and cleanup Like others have done, the back piece will be designed as an insert to make printing more manageable. That’s really the core goal with all of this: Make it accurate—but also make it easily printable. (First attempt (of 8), you can see some inconsistencies in the diamond recess that I’ve since corrected.) I’m choosing to look at this as a minor setback for a much bigger payoff. This is probably the second biggest undertaking in this entire build (first being to start). I have zero formal experience in this space—but honestly, it’s been a blast figuring it out along the way. That said, updates may slow down a bit while I go deeper into this rabbit hole. I’m definitely chasing perfection more than I was before… and I’m not entirely sure how far that’s going to take me. As always, feedback is more than welcome (and greatly appreciated).

Alright... I'm ready to print helmet #4. These are AWESOME!

Nico’s files are basically the go-to in the community for overall accuracy, but it’s been shown a few times they’re not a perfect 1:1 to what we see on screen. That’s where guys like Greg/TKModder have been stepping in to refine things. It’s mostly small details—teeth, tears/traps, Hovi mics, ear greeblies—but for basic/Level 1 approval, Nico’s files are more than solid. The reason I brought up the CRL with shoulder straps is the “no visible layer lines” rule for 3D prints. That’s where TPU gets tricky—you can’t really sand those out cleanly. PLA and PETG don’t have that issue since they’re much easier to sand and finish. That said, if your strap files already have a natural curve, those materials can work fine. But for designs like the ones Glen shared (and the set I printed), you need some flexibility to get the bend, which PLA and PETG just don’t handle well. Rubber isn’t required, but it’s definitely a better option than those two if you’re thinking long-term durability. As for the side wings—yeah, it doesn't look they're required for basic (odd, but good catch), but they do help stabilize the chest and back so things aren’t flopping around. My approach has been to permanently fix one end (either chest or back) with adhesive, then use Velcro or magnets on the other side. You can also trim the wings down since there’s no strict requirement on how much needs to be visible. Just be a bit careful if your print isn’t 100% infill—but they’re usually thin enough that a quick pass with a Dremel won’t cause any issues.

Hey man! After going through three helmets (and somehow gearing up for a fourth… long story), the biggest tip I can give is to paint everything fully disassembled, then assemble it after your paint and clear coat are done. It seriously cuts down the chances of runs, and if you need to do touch-ups later, you won’t have to respray the whole helmet—just the sections that need it. For paint, I’ve had really solid results with Rust-Oleum Acrylic Lacquer White. Lately though, I’ve been testing Home Depot’s Behr #52 White (shoutout to @TheRascalKingfor the recommendation), and honestly—it’s been phenomenal (and it's in stock locally for most stores). And if you’re planning on printing Nico’s helmet, definitely hit up TKModder for the updated files. It makes the whole process way easier. It technically goes against the CRL… but TPU is honestly your best bet for printed shoulder straps. The main downside is the layer lines—I still haven’t found a great way to smooth those out cleanly. PLA is just too brittle for this instance, so unless you’re okay risking cracks, I’d avoid it. At a minimum, PETG is a better middle ground—it can be post-processed more easily than TPU, but just keep in mind it won’t have the same flexibility.

I swear, these thighs are going to be the bane of my existence! (..hah) Here's the current back of mine: I think it'll be close, but I'm redesigning the rear cover strips to be a bit longer as my earlier rendition came just above the bottom edge as previously shown. Angle wise, they are a bit more "outward" but not nearly as much as the Celebration reference shots. Looking at the shots from Andor(?), the files seem to be a bit more in line with those references, but still are a bit off. While I'm aware of some of the inaccuracies, I did go ahead and pickup a Hot Toys Artillery Stormtrooper to help with some references I'm struggling to find (namely the back plate, still) and this is what it's got in comparison: I might try to see if I can finesse the files a bit down the road, or inevitably go about trying to design some of my own. I do like on the toy model that the thigh ammo boxes are offset by some added material. I'm sure this wasn't used specifically on screen, but, it would certainly help with adhering these to the thigh as there's minimal surface area for glue... Appreciate the references as always Glen!

Alright, let’s get this build back on track! I had a couple of obstacles I wanted to overcome—and I think I finally made some real progress. The biggest one being the dreaded thighs (yes, these again). After picking up Modsuhels’ files, I quickly realized (once again) that my pursuit of screen accuracy… was still a bit off. While the clamshell design actually works this time (unlike Akira’s, at least for me), the cover strips themselves weren’t quite right. I probably spent a solid four hours staring at reference photos and comparison shots (fronts, backs… all mixed together) before finally coming to the conclusion: I’ll just make my own. And honestly? They’re still not 100% accurate—but they’re close enough that I can live with it. Let’s call it high 90%. To get there, I separated the original strips from the files in Meshmixer (don’t ask how long that took), printed those as a reference and took some measurements as I scaled these to fit me, and finally I designed my own revised versions of the cover strips themselves. From everything I’ve researched, Paul’s kit seems to be one of the most accurate out there currently for a lot of this bits, so I used his parts as a general reference—especially since I’m already incorporating a good portion of the Shoretrooper kit into this build anyway. This, unfortunately, took a couple of tries to get my measurements dialed in. How's that saying go? Print twice, measure once? But, after a few (emphasis on "few") failed attempts, I was met with success! It only took me 3 attempts to get it right the first time. I had planned to chemically weld the pieces together using acetone… but between the curved surfaces and underestimating how long it actually takes to properly set, that didn’t quite pan out. So instead, I pivoted to using a good 'ole plastic epoxy, which has been much more reliable. I’ve also gotten a bit better with timing my vapor smoothing… and by “gotten better,” I mean I now set alarms on my phone or watch so I don’t accidentally melt parts into abstract art overnight. I'm hopeful this will make my post-processing a *bit* quicker. Which more or less wraps up the thighs—which means… We’re back to everyone’s favorite stage: sand → putty → primer → repeat → eventually paint. This go around, I'll skip sharing the boring parts, and we can just fast forward to paint. You might've even caught some peeks at some parts I've been slowly painting for the next build update/entry. While I’m working through that, I’ve also got my printers queued up for the next project: the E11 blaster, which I’m planning to fully print in black ABS. (Sneak peak of the assembled barrel) I’m cautiously optimistic that sanding the blaster will be slightly less miserable than the armor has been… but we’ll see. That said, it’s almost fully printed, so expect to see that here shortly. On top of that, a strong majority of the materials for my strapping system have finally arrived—which is exciting, because it means I’m getting very close to actually wearing the armor I’ve spent the last 4½ months building. I’m finally starting to get the hang of this whole “armor building” thing… now let’s just hope it’s as accurate as I keep telling myself it is.

Sent! Happy to support the FISD, y'all have been awesome.

Hey Nick! This is an awesome place to start. Akira’s files are definitely a solid entry point, but they do come with some quirks—which is why you’ll see a lot of builders mixing in Mr. Paul’s Shoretrooper files to fill in the gaps. From what I’ve seen (and experienced), Paul’s files really shine in terms of accuracy, especially for the arms (shoulders, biceps, forearms, and hand guards), shins and the abdomen. Paul also sells the TK shin strips so you won't need to print these! A lot of builds still lean on Akira for things like the chest, back, posterior, cod, and some smaller components, so it’s pretty common to end up with a hybrid setup. The one area I personally struggled with was the thighs. I couldn’t get Akira’s to work for me fitment-wise, which is why I’ve ended up testing a few different alternatives—but that’s just my experience. For helmets, I’d highly recommend looking at Nico Henderson's R1 bucket files (DesertFareCosplay on Etsy). His is separated into some of the more major parts like the dome, face, shin, back and then the various greebles and inserts. If you want to push things further toward screen accuracy, Greg (@TKModder421) has done a ton of work refining those files—things like adjusting proportions and adding proper cutouts (teeth, cheeks, ventilation, etc.). Last I checked, if you show proof of purchase from Etsy, he’ll share his updated files—which is a huge upgrade. A lot of the smaller greebles from that set would also be perfect candidates for resin printing. He's got a whole breakdown here: As for Galactic Armory… they may be great for more general cosplay builds, but for this specific armor, they’re not the most accurate option. Like you mentioned, the chest plate is usually where that becomes most noticeable. If I could offer one piece of advice: take your measurements, scale your files, and just start printing. Once you have physical parts in hand, everything starts to make a lot more sense—and it becomes much easier to adjust from there.

This is looking amazing! I love the attention to detail on the back plate/armor, as so few modelers seem to tackle this to the fullest. Keep up the awesome work, excited to see this get printed in the future.

Well… not entirely sure how to intro this update, other than with a quick before and after. Before: After: So… all I have to say is: don’t attempt acetone vapor smoothing while dozing off in the evening. I unfortunately left the posterior plate sitting in my Home Depot tote overnight and woke up to… well… that. The piece has completely lost its complete structural integrity, and even after sitting out of the tote for the past nine hours (in an attempt to "solidify"), it can still be folded into a ball (I’m honestly not even sure how I managed to take this photo). I can’t say I’m entirely surprised, but this was a good (and expensive) experiment to say the least. Here’s what I’ve learned so far: Acetone smoothing is a slow burn (no pun intended?), but when you get the timing right, it’s absolutely worth it. YouTube tutorials are… not really tutorials. They’re more “this worked for me, but I won’t tell you all the things I’m leaving out.” ASA seems to take longer to soften than ABS (at least in my experience). ASA can either come out beautifully smoothed—or end up… like the photos above. Now with that said, I did have one "success" from this process: the new kidney plate. (Yes, the print failed a bit early, but this is all covered by the rear belt! *phew*) I probably left it in a touch too long, as it started to soften more than I’d like, and the stainless rack left a few small grooves—but those are easy fixes. The big win here is that while it still looks wavy, the surface is actually incredibly smooth. I’m genuinely confident that with some very light sanding, this might be one of my cleanest prints yet. The biggest takeaway, though, is just how strong this piece feels now. With some of my other parts, I’ve been able to flex them just enough to hear the infill starting to separate—but this process essentially fused all of the layers and infill together. That’s exactly what I want, especially for a part like this. But, because I enjoy documenting my own mistakes almost as much as making them, I also managed to melt the outermost ammo boxes. All of that to say: I’m now reprinting the posterior armor for the third time… and I’ll be keeping a much closer eye on anything sitting in a sealed tote full of acetone from here on out. I have spoken.

I haven’t done much research on the fuzzy skin effect (I’m using Orca and Creality slicer, both of which support it), but it’s definitely something I want to experiment with down the road if I can find the right application for it. With ABS/ASA, I’m leaning more toward smoothing and finishing rather than introducing texture, especially since most of the armor will be sanded and painted anyway. That said, I could definitely see it working well for other builds where a slightly grittier finish makes sense. For most of my prints, I’m running a 0.20 layer height, and for larger structural pieces like the kidney plate, cod, and posterior, I’ve been using 4–5 walls with 35% wall overlap for added strength. From what I’ve read, vapor smoothing should also help chemically bond those outer layers a bit more as well, which I’m hoping will add some durability to the finished parts. I’m actually about to test vapor smoothing on some ASA parts in a couple of hours, so I’ll report back with how that turns out.

I would love to pick up a resin printer down the road—especially for helmets and some of the smaller detail parts where that level of resolution really shines. My biggest hang-up right now is just the cost when it comes to larger build volumes (and material cost). Elegoo just announced the Jupiter 2, which I’ll be keeping an eye on, but it’s definitely one of those “maybe someday” purchases. That said, I’m definitely not opposed to it—and honestly, I’d probably end up with more than one if I went down that road. Looking forward to your ROTK build as well—we definitely need more TKs being 3D printed to keep proving this is a viable route!

My mentality was definitely “go big or go home” with the print bed, but I also hit a point where I was getting tired of fusing together parts that just want to snap at the seams (the posterior plate being the main offender). This felt like the long-term fix. Really appreciate the feedback on the TD too—that was exactly the goal with this one. After working through Greg’s helmet files, I’ve been paying a lot more attention to how other parts/files are broken down and assembled, so this was kind of my test run in that direction. And I’m with you on ASA so far. Aside from the heat requirements, it’s been noticeably cleaner than PETG (could be the new printer helping too), and I’m curious to see how it sands once I get some time with it this weekend. I’ve also got a metal rack on the way so I can safely try acetone smoothing without accidentally turning everything into a puddle. I’ve started to notice that too—namely the red buttons(?). You’ve got some really solid screen grabs from R1 that I’ve been referencing as well, and a lot of those seem to confirm that the control panel really should sit closer to that ~¾ wrap around the detonator tube (especially around that second red circle from the left, which I was originally trying to avoid). I’ll likely go back and model that out as well—if nothing else, it’s good practice. The costume accuracy rabbit hole is… bad. Really bad. So much so that I went ahead and picked up a set of files from CGTrader this afternoon after noticing their back armor incorporates that same recessed channel along the raised section (not sure what that area is actually called?). It’s similar to Jimmiroquai's fiberglass kits, which caught my attention right away. Some of the other pieces aren’t entirely accurate—but the back plate (minus the II's being "inverted"), thighs, and a few others definitely stood out when compared against references from Andor and Rogue One. EDIT: Okay, it was bugging me. I made the larger cuff variation. Honestly, I eyeballed as best as I could from the reference photos available, but I think this looks really good (obvious bias).

Okay, now I’m getting excited. After receiving notice that my Anycubic order was being delayed immediately after paying (I have a lot to say about this, but won't here), I jumped ship and picked up a Creality K2 Plus instead. I was looking for similar features, but from a company with a slightly better reputation—and I’m very excited to finally put this beast to work, and utilize that heated chamber. For scale, an MPSB abdomen at 100% scale fits perfectly on the print bed of this 350mm³ behemoth, which is wild coming from my previous setup (of 256mm³). This was originally printed in 8-pieces on my Centauri Carbon... but I do wonder if down the road a 1-piece print would be better for longevity... or a Shoretrooper build. With the new printer, I also decided to move away from PETG for the remainder of the armor—not because of any major issues, but because I wanted to try ASA (and potentially ABS later) for its acetone vapor smoothing capabilities. For those unfamiliar, ASA/ABS can be vapor smoothed by placing the print in a sealed container with acetone (typically soaked into paper towels). Over time, this helps soften and smooth the outer layer, reducing most of the obvious visible layer lines. For armor at this scale, that’s a massive advantage—especially since I’ve grown to strongly dislike sanding. Quick disclaimer: this build thread is not a direct tutorial—just a documentation of my own process. I’m still learning as I go, so take everything here with a grain of salt, and always handle chemicals safely with proper PPE. With the new ASA, I reprinted both the posterior and cod armor. My original prints had some issues—most notably fitment (and some infill separation). The posterior armor was… tight. I only realized how tight when I tried to flex it into place and it snapped down the middle on the seam (now welded twice...). I repaired it, then promptly snapped it in two more places shortly after. Lesson learned: scaling matters. A lot. The cod armor had similar proportional issues, so I rescaled and reprinted both pieces to better fit my frame. Both of these are pre-vapor smoothing (future update), so here’s the before (minor layer lines, nearly "perfect" prints): Now, while waiting on these prints (because the K2 Plus is not exactly a “fast” printer), I revisited my good friend: the thermal detonator. It’s funny how such a small part can have so many intricate details—but after spending time studying references (especially while working on the belt), I realized that neither Akira’s files nor Jason’s updated versions were quite where I wanted them. Now—I’m not claiming mine is more accurate, especially as a first-time builder—but I decided to take a shot at improving it. This past week I had to learn Fusion360 for a project at work (designing an "LED sign"), so I used that as an opportunity to try fixing some aspects of the control plate. My main focus areas were: correcting the rounded recess seen in Celebration reference photos avoiding the hard 90° edges present in most files (even Akira’s) giving the oval greeble more breathing room by shifting it slightly inward After about 10 minutes of trying to tweak the existing model (because I don’t fully know what I’m doing yet), I gave up and started from scratch—which ended up being great practice. That quickly spiraled into a bit of a rabbit hole of “I can keep improving this,” and before I knew it, I had re-modeled the entire thermal detonator assembly. The most notable changes: added slots for the oval greeble and control panel buttons to properly nest into the control panel for assembly refined the oval greeble “knurling” to better match reference photos smoothed out the end cap chamfers and rounded the edges on the ident detail added chamfers to the control panel buttons And with that… here’s the result of about 8 hours of not fully knowing what I’m doing and filling in the gaps with tutorials: Again, I’m not claiming it’s perfect—this is only my second real modeling attempt—but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I printed it first at 50% scale in some leftover PETG as a proof of concept, then it'll be re-printed in some leftover ASA soon for the actual armor. It was only after finishing all of this that I realized Jason had actually included two different versions of the control panel: a simpler plate (~¼ coverage) a larger cuff (~¾ wrap around the detonator tube) At first, I wasn’t entirely sure which was more accurate when I began printing—and then re-designing—these. After going back through reference photos from Celebration EU and Celebration 2022 more closely, it does appear that the larger cuff-style piece is closer to what’s seen on screen. That said, a lot other new-era TK builds I’ve come across still lean toward the simplified, non-cuffed control plate, which—for now—is the direction I’m sticking with too. If that ends up being the wrong call, I suppose it just gives me another opportunity to revisit this and refine the model later on. Thankfully, I’m not completely strapped for time this month—my April travel plans have been put on pause (and potentially June as well, TBD)—so I’ve got a bit more breathing room to make adjustments if needed while continuing to focus on the rest of the armor. I may very well be getting lost in the minor details instead of focusing on the bigger picture… (but if I’m being honest, that’s probably just procrastination kicking in). While continuing to avoid fully committing to paint (shocking, I know), my latest shipment from Mr. Paul finally arrived from across the pond: These pieces are awesome. I originally had it in my head that I wanted to print absolutely everything myself, but in this case, this was 100% worth ordering. So Paul—if you happen to see this—thank you! Anyways, this update has been a bit all over the place while waiting for the new printer (plus a massive printing project for work), but things are finally getting back on track. With these new shoulder brackets in hand, I’m ready to finally move into the strapping phase, and once fitment is sorted, we’ll be pushing into base coat.

Sorry for missing this yesterday, but thank you! I'm wanting to use either ABS or ASA on my future E-11 build for that very reason! Thank you! It's been tedious, and while it isn't nearly perfect, I love it.

There hasn’t been as much progress as I’d hoped this week, as work has picked up—but that hasn’t stopped me from trying! First up, I did attempt to make some semi-concave lenses for the helmet. Truthfully, I’m not in love with them, and they’ll likely serve as a temporary solution until I either commit to buying a vacuum forming machine or commission a proper set that I can dye myself. That said, they’re decent for now, and I believe all that’s left on the helmet is outlining the greebles with black, adding mesh behind the teeth, and installing the rubber neck trim (which I’m still deciding how to adhere). While I haven’t had as much time this week to tackle the usual bondo → sand → primer cycle, I have been looking more closely at how everything fits together in preparation for ordering nylon webbing—and I’ve hit a bit of a roadblock. Like others working with newer-era armor, I’ve noticed some of the inconsistencies with the upper thighs and their cuts, so I took some liberty to improve mobility… which meant removing a healthy amount of material. On one thigh, I attempted to plastic weld over the exposed infill, which gave mixed results and led to some delamination. On the other thigh, I used leftover plastic bonder from the helmet—which, honestly, worked much, much better. This led to two new issues I’ve been putting off: Fitment (likely scaling-related) of the thighs Mounting the thigh ammo boxes The first issue likely ties directly to the second. As it stands, the thighs are pinching just above my knee (not pictured). I was able to improve mobility by trimming the upper portion, but it also confirmed that my scaling may not be quite right after all. Then there’s the ammo boxes… which, at the moment, I don’t believe fit at all. There’s very little usable surface area to mount them, aside from the lower trim near the knee. Looking at @BigJasoni’s build, he secures his using a nut and bolt, which may still be the best approach. I’ve been digging through other builds to see if this is specific to Akira’s files, but unfortunately it seems to be a fairly common issue with 3D printed armor. One option is to use something like E6000 and hope for the best, but since my thighs are a single solid piece (which I’m starting to regret), I’d prefer something more secure. After hitting that wall, I took a couple days to reset and came back to the build with something a bit more productive: the belt. This has actually been one of the more enjoyable parts so far—especially after realizing Akira's belt design still hasn't improved since Jason's build in 2020ish. The first step involved a lot of measuring to determine spacing above and below the ammo boxes. I ultimately landed on: 1/8” gaps top & bottom 3/8” tall teeth …resulting in a belt height of roughly 4 1/8” including the tabs. Once that was dialed in, I started marking out placement for the ammo boxes using a mix of SW Celebration references, production/screen images, and other build threads. I also began mapping out the teeth placement, though I plan to trim those gradually to ensure a proper fit. Progress has been a bit slower in this stage—partly due to time, and partly due to a bit of procrastination. While working on the belt, I realized I could clean up some excess glue on the circular details of the abdomen, so I’ll likely revisit those with a Dremel before moving forward (last picture, shown above). Looking ahead, I’m debating whether it’s worth reprinting a few parts once the new printer arrives—potentially using ABS or ASA for added durability and the ability to vapor smooth. I’ve cracked a few PETG parts already (notably the cod and posterior armor), mostly from sanding pressure and dry fitting. That said, those prints were done before I started properly drying filament, so that could absolutely be a contributing factor (95% odds I'd say). Anyways, back to it. The goal now is to finish shaping the belt (including cutting out and shaping the rear portion), revisit a few areas that need additional sanding before paint, and start finalizing a shopping list for nylon webbing, elastic, and snaps so I can begin working on the strapping system. Oh—and here’s an embarrassing amount of leftover filament (minus the nearly full rolls of TPU and PLA in the top right). I’ve found one of the biggest downsides of printing armor without an AMS-style system is ending up with a bunch of spools like this—each with just enough filament left to be annoying, but not quite enough for another full part. The plan is to start burning through these on smaller, around-the-house prints (like chip clips or fridge magnets) so it doesn’t all go to waste.

I’ve definitely heard mixed things about Anycubic as well. There’s already been a fair amount of “bad” surrounding the S1 Max (already)—mainly delays with shipping—but for now I’ve still got my trusty Elegoo holding things down. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t see the new printer until summer, and by that point I’m hoping to have the armor finished in some capacity—at the very least enough for basic approval. At this point, the theme of this build seems to be slow and steady, so this feels pretty on brand.

This is a moment that feels like it’s been a long time coming for me—at least since I started this project back in December—but the third iteration of my helmet is finally “complete” (-ish). I’m still waiting on the rubber neck trim/seal to arrive, along with a temporary green visor until I feel ready to tackle vacuum forming, but this is my first fully completed attempt. Then in a couple of days, I'll go through and outline the greebles with black paint, and throw in the mesh behind the teeth. It’s not perfect, and there are definitely a few things I’d still like to go back and refine, but for now… it’s good enough for me. While this isn’t a major progress update, I have made some moves behind the scenes. I went ahead and pre-ordered the Anycubic Kobra S1 Max, which will give me a much larger build volume, heated chamber, and I opted for the AMS system to run multiple spools for longer prints. The goal there is to eventually reprint certain parts of my armor (and helmet potentially) using ABS or ASA so I can take advantage of acetone vapor smoothing and push the finish even further. Long term, I’d also love to either invest in a large-format resin printer or potentially commission a shop to print the helmet components, just so I can really take my time and chase a more refined end result. That said, I am genuinely proud of this one. All things considered, this came together in about three weeks of actual work time (with a vacation in the middle while the clear coat cured), and it’s a massive improvement over where I started. There are still things I’m not entirely happy with—but for now, this feels like a big step in the right direction. Anyways, back to the agenda—more sanding and primer, because apparently this stage never ends.

Chris, I appreciate the insight. I’m slowly starting to rethink clear coating the armor itself. The more I read and hear from others, the more it seems like leaving it closer to the raw paint finish might actually be the better route for accuracy and long-term maintenance. So I’m definitely going to keep digging into that before I commit to anything on the armor (thankfully, I've got some time!). That said, I do still think I’m going to proceed with clearing the helmet regardless, simply because of the amount of work that’s gone into it at this point. I’d hate to damage the finish after finally getting the paint where I want it. With the little bit of research I’ve done this afternoon, I’ve seen some recommendations to clear coat and then wet sand with something like 1500–2000 grit to knock down the shine. My only hesitation there is that I assume that would start pushing things toward more of a matte finish rather than the satin/semi-gloss look the armor seems to have. And circling back to the dropping-parts discussion… this definitely isn’t the first casualty. Helmet #2 cracked after a drop, and I also managed to drop one half of a calf during the primer stage. At this point it almost feels like a rite of passage to drop at least one piece per phase of the build. I’m definitely curious to see how the Rustoleum acrylic ends up holding up long-term compared to something like the Behr paint you mentioned—or even some of the higher-end finishes others are spraying through proper paint guns.

You learn something new every day—I had no idea the original armor was simply the raw material, but that actually makes a lot of sense. If I’m putting in all this work, I’d definitely like it to stay looking new for as long as possible. Sounds like I’ve got a bit more research (and probably some trial and error) ahead of me to land on the right finish. Appreciate the info! Whoa, build spoilers! Kidding—but it sounds like you and Tony are in very similar boats when it comes to finishing. Honestly, I had no idea SprayMax offered 2K paints with color infused. I’d be tempted to borrow the idea, but I already have several cans of white that I’ll probably end up using. It definitely sounds like you’ve got your hands full—but congrats on the second baby! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for updates on your build as well. I love seeing other builders taking the 3D-printed approach. It might be unconventional, but the ability to resize everything so easily is a huge advantage. I’m also considering lining the inside of parts of the armor with white foam or felt (in places where it won’t be visible) to help reduce some of the wear that comes from armor rubbing together. Nothing in the CRL explicitly says not to, though I realize it probably moves things a little further away from screen accuracy.