Frank Imperial commando build thread - armor completed

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

5 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I guess you could try some eva foam

 

 

I didn’t propose EVA foam as this part is sliding a lot under the chest plate and you need a durable material to avoid having a lot of dent when moving around with it.
I actually use EVA foam to protect components from hitting each other (hidden) on my  other 3D printed armor and it dents very easily. Maybe if you add a protective coating layer over the EVA, it could do the job. 

 

The material I have selected for the AB is high density, is very though and won’t dent under reasonable pressure. Time will tell, but so far so good.

 

I have added thin EVA foam under the chest plate / back plate of this build so that raw 3D print surface will not be in direct contact with the AB section. I will add those details on the main section.

Edited September 14, 2024 by Sithtrooper02

[Yiyo[501st]]

6 hours ago, Sithtrooper02 said:

I didn’t propose EVA foam as this part is sliding a lot under the chest plate and you need a durable material to avoid having a lot of dent when moving around with it.
I actually use EVA foam to protect components from hitting each other (hidden) on my  other 3D printed armor and it dents very easily. Maybe if you add a protective coating layer over the EVA, it could do the job. 

 

The material I have selected for the AB is high density, is very though and won’t dent under reasonable pressure. Time will tell, but so far so good.

 

I have added thin EVA foam under the chest plate / back plate of this build so that raw 3D print surface will not be in direct contact with the AB section. I will add those details on the main section.

Hey Francois, I firstly wanted to congratulate you on such a magnificent job getting this out of the door!

Quick question: when you state "no change to current vendor", who is the current vendor, I can't seem to locate the name. I have the Galactic Armory as I am a patreon, have just purchased you ab template, rigle and shins, but was wondering about the rest of the pieces.
 

Thanks!

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

5 hours ago, Yiyo said:

Hey Francois, I firstly wanted to congratulate you on such a magnificent job getting this out of the door!

Quick question: when you state "no change to current vendor", who is the current vendor, I can't seem to locate the name. I have the Galactic Armory as I am a patreon, have just purchased you ab template, rigle and shins, but was wondering about the rest of the pieces.
 

Thanks!

Thanks!

 

No Worries, I mentioned it at the beginning of my thread in the vendor list. I built the armor with some of big Fred custom parts, since he was the closest vendor, but as mentioned, some mods were needed on several of the components.

I did start with GA armory first because they were not expensive but after diving in details into the parts (and even printing the helmet), GA were not accurate enough on some of the major components.

[Yiyo[501st]]

53 minutes ago, Sithtrooper02 said:

Thanks!

 

No Worries, I mentioned it at the beginning of my thread in the vendor list. I built the armor with some of big Fred custom parts, since he was the closest vendor, but as mentioned, some mods were needed on several of the components.

I did start with GA armory first because they were not expensive but after diving in details into the parts (and even printing the helmet), GA were not accurate enough on some of the major components.

Thanks for answering mate! 

I agree, I started looking into GAs file last night after seeing your post and decided to invest in Big Fred's as well as your pieces, loving the blaster rifle (nearly finished printing), and the shins and JetPack look fantastic, will be printing them next

I am also going to try and make the rubber pieces myself following your instructios, so fingers crossed, I may be back with some questions.

Once again, great work on the CRL mate!

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

I have started adding details on a few things in the build thread above. Per @loyalImperialCitizen (Dylan) ask, I added the holster build details, with  on step by step how I did it, the 3D model and layout for cutting the material can be asked to me directly if you need it. Probably a 1000 way to do it, mine is for DYI without any skills n fabric/leather work   

 

I am working on getting the remaining parts of the full armor available, still some time to complete but if someone has immediate need, I can certainly accommodate with current work in progress to get them the complete armor.

 

I also worked on the Baton and shield as those are pretty simple and straight forward once I had the right pictures and fun to add. Below are the 3D models of the finished design, they will be available soon for everyone. I will start printing them in a few days. Any feedback is gladly welcome on things I would have missed/ didn't draw correctly from the reference pictures.

The baton will have working lights, so I designed it with battery holders, cable wiring and possibility to change the LED if they become defective.

I have designed it to be compatible with WS2812B LED strip (most common LED strip available., that way the color can  be perfectly tuned to screen reference. The availability of purple light is close to none, thus adjustable color LED is the best path to get the right color.

...Unfortunately, I didn't designed it to fold and unfold like the real one   ( too much time and complexity in 3D printing to make it work nicely )

 

Shield is nice but huge to print. I sized it in proportion with the reference pictures against my height (5'8''). It barely fits onto my printer 420x420mm bed in diagonal...! The triangular window will easily be cut from 1/8'' / 3mm transparent plastic and clamped between internal and external printed black seals

 

I am left handed, so I will print it mirror to the image below. Having seen several left handed IAC rifles in hand, I guess that having left handed shield should be approvable 

 

I will post the results and details on how I did the assembly and lighting when I have printed and completed them. The metallic colors of the shield are somehow different from Hot toys and reference pictures and I'll compromise when selecting the pain: it seems to be matte/ satin finish metal in both cases. It is shown as matte aluminum on Hot Toy images, but seems darker and more reflective in the reference images. 

- The baton is  more of a satin finish titanium color on the main body. I'll try to get this paint by mixing a couple, as I haven't seen this color readily available for airbrush. 

 

 

Edited June 5, 2025 by Sithtrooper02

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

It’s been a while but I finally got the Ab section with a new process done to my satisfaction. It took several trials and several weeks to get it right…! This new method gives an easy an very durable, flexible and lightweight Ab armor.

 

I researched and tested various products to get to what I desired: a method that gives 100% yield with a uniform color so that no paint is required, just colouring.

 

I stayed with urethane formulation as didn’t want to go with silicones as nothing adheres to it afterward( I have molded several parts of my Sith trooper armor and I wouldn’t repeat it )

 

I tried different hardness of flexible urethane to come up with the Smooth-on Vytaflex 40 as being the right hardness and viscosity to avoid bubbles and be rigid enough.

 

I also have tried using a 100% of vytaflex 40, but it would not keep perfectly its shape without requiring 8mm thickness which would have weighted probably 7-8lbs. So I started using vytaflex on surface and Tuff Stuff 15 foam urethane for the backing.

 

the best formulation is about 2mm thickness of Vytaflex ( with protruding shapes fully filled) and then a 5-6mm backing with Tuff Stuff. The total weight is about 3 lbs.

 

below are pictures of the mold after the Vytaflex is casted, a cross section of the Ab and the finished Ab. I’ll post other pictures when I put on my armor again.

I will order some more urethane soon to build at least 2 Ab sections for interested people. I have a trial version with 4mm thick Vytaflex with 5mm urethane foam (which weight about 5lbs if someone is interested by this one.l, it’s available now, just PM me.
 

this is a molded rubber part, so it is never perfectly even surface finish and will have tiny defects, so don’t set the expectations too high. Its doesn’t show from a couple of feet away.

 

I used smooth on mold release 2831 which is wax based.
***don’t use the universal mold

release even though they say it’s good for Vytaflex, it will go through the rubber and prevent the foam from sticking to it!

 

I use a full pint kit of Vytlaflex 40 (2lbs) for my mold. The colouring I used is the smooth on So-Strong white and black with 8 drops of white for each drop of black for the Vytaflex. I made the color a little lighter gray to better match screen color versus my previous Ab.

 

Wait at least 16h before pouring the tuff Stuff 15 on it. 1lbs of mix product is enough to get the right height on my 105cmx30cm mold. I color the tuff stuff with a few drop of black, just to give a similar grey finish to match the Vytaflex.

 

ll

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Edited November 23, 2024 by Sithtrooper02

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Great work Francois, looks amazing

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

1 minute ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Great work Francois, looks amazing

Thanks! It’s going to be very robust. After a couple of troops the urethane foam was having a few dents where the hard armor pinch. This new urethane is really resistant

[WiseManArsenal]

any chance you'll sell the ab casts on your etsy store?

 

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

On 11/17/2024 at 5:07 PM, WiseManArsenal said:

any chance you'll sell the ab casts on your etsy store?

 

Yes, I have a couple of ab in the process of being made that are probably 3-4 weeks out. Once they are done I will take pictures and post them on Etsy individually with specific details.

Edited December 10, 2024 by Sithtrooper02

[WiseManArsenal]

4 hours ago, Sithtrooper02 said:

Yes, I have a couple of ab in the process of being made that are probably 3-4 weeks out. Once they are done I will take pictures and post them on Etsy individually with specific details.

 

I have one already that I will discount that is a bit heavier (about 1lbs) than the other ones that are to be made, but is very nice result.

 

FYI on Etsy, it will be more expensive than buying directly from me as there are heavy fees that they charge.

 

the dimensions of the casting is 100cmx30cmx8-9mm so I strongly advise you check if it will fit you correctly.

Awesome! Myself and a friend will love to get them when you're ready to sell.

 

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

The first few ab for providing you guys with flexible and very robust material built to last are ready. Here are the details for those interested. I will post the purchasing details on my FB page. The first one below is the first out, but the others are much better (see picture in thread below and the one after)

 

Dimensions 105cm long x 30cm high x 6-9mm thick.

 

 There is a lot of material, prep and consumables to create this ab. I want this piece to be available to everyone, so I'm not really counting my time much in this  mostly want people to get them as it is really not easy to do.

 

I have tested to wrap it tightly for several days to see if I can ship it in a small footprint and it doesn't deform, so all good. I will probably ship them in a hard 3D printed cylinder to protect that you can use for carrying afterward just like I have.

 

This is a raw casting, you will need to trim it to your size with a very sharp razor blade (recommend that you don't cheap on them and use multiple to trim it completely to your size)

The wax used to release the rubber does create a bit of surface finish unevenness, but I have rubbed it on the other casting with some dishwashing soap and it gets way better. I'll try to take pictures of how I added straps and velcros on it. To have a nice joint on the right side to keep them together, I did make a special velcro with rigid sections.

 

The Ab is flexible, but not too much as you don't want any deformation while wearing it. I used a balance between rigidity and flexibility so that there are no 'pockets' while wearing. 

 

NOTE: The pictures below are with the worst lighting condition to expose the variations to a maximum, it's way better/ not noticeable with standard lighting, and when it's on you with the armor overlapping. This is a rubber casting so there are always tinny defects (the ones in the movie are way worst from up close :). The color is even everywhere on the casting, but the surface finish variation in these light conditions show like a bit of variation of color but is not showing when wearing . Also, don't forget that the bottom 5cm will not show, as the belt is overlapping it all around, same for the top portion. The  dust can easily be cleaned with soap and water of course. Try not to put water on the back side, as the foam rubber is porous and will retain water. 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2024 by Sithtrooper02

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

The second one got even better  and weights around 3.3lbs. 

Edited December 10, 2024 by Sithtrooper02

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Great work 

[RINZLERz]

Ive started building armored commando and came upon this thread by chance, majorly annoyed since I bought, printed, and prepped all the pieces from the galactic armory files and got my suit from keep on trooping. Can I possibly retain some of these pieces or is this a do over?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

12 minutes ago, RINZLERz said:

Ive started building armored commando and came upon this thread by chance, majorly annoyed since I bought, printed, and prepped all the pieces from the galactic armory files and got my suit from keep on trooping. Can I possibly retain some of these pieces or is this a do over?

You would need to compare your armor to the CRL (costume reference library) as well as screen references. Ultimately it is your GML (garrison membership liaison) that will approve or deny your costume for 501st legion inclusion. 

[Sithtrooper02[TK]]

On 1/29/2025 at 6:01 PM, RINZLERz said:

Ive started building armored commando and came upon this thread by chance, majorly annoyed since I bought, printed, and prepped all the pieces from the galactic armory files and got my suit from keep on trooping. Can I possibly retain some of these pieces or is this a do over?

Suit from keep trooping is what I used, it needed some tailoring and adjustments to be screen accurate but nothing complex to do.

GA is not far off for level 1 approval, as Glen said, you should compare each part to the CRL. The thread here will lead you to the most screen accurate build and level 3 requirements.

as needed I can provide you with the 3D parts your GML would not accept to complete your build, just PM me.