3D Printed Rogue One TK Build Thread

[Platinum Lex]

Hi there, I am trying to create a Rogue One stormtrooper armor set and have been recommended multiple times to post on the FISD forums. I have printed the pieces to my size (5’8”, 131 lbs.) using Galactic Armory’s files. I am not trying to reach Centurion levels but rather basic certification as of right now. Below is a photo of my helmet, and I talked with my garrison and they said that it seems certifiable for basic acceptance. I bought the correct shoes for about $60 and am trying to finish the armor while I still have time.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome, there are some issues with the accuracy of the GA files, I would make your GML aware of your build as they will be the ones looking after your application. 

 

Good luck

[Platinum Lex]

I finished the chest plate recently but I worry I’ll need to redo the piece because of some discoloration in the center and some bumps and marks.

Also sorry for the poor photo quality it won’t let me upload high quality images.

[revlimiter[Staff]]

Do yourself a favor and get a free imgur account. You can share posts from that. You'll blow through the 2mb (or whatever) post attachment allowance very quickly. Imgur is unlimited. 

https://imgur.com/

 

Good looking prints!!! Looks like you're doing some great finishing work on them.  

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Comparison with screen used armor

Note how wide the angle of the lower wings

 

 

 

 

[Platinum Lex]

Yeah I’ve been looking at references and the lower wings do look wider but I also have a larger chest and short torso in comparison with the rest of my body. Hopefully it doesn’t impede my attempt for basic certification but I’ll try to form the prints if I redo it or change the files (I used GA’s because I’m in his Patreon and have a budget of about $500).

[Platinum Lex]

Here is a slightly higher quality photo of my chestplate, you can see in the middle top there is large stain where the white paint was sanded down too hard, revealing some of the red Bondo. I want to redo the chestplate because of the imperfections and marks where a bug died on it because I don't want it to stand out, but this will set me back a couple days and dollars.

[Platinum Lex]

I finished up the backpiece yesterday which I'm much more happy with, so after redoing the chestplate, I will be moving on to the shoulders.

[Platinum Lex]

I also bought a pair of First Order TK boots made by KeepTrooping for about half off and they fit surprisingly well and are comfortable to walk around in. I got really lucky with these because they would have been a pain to buy normally and would have completely destroyed my budget.

[Platinum Lex]

I am testing out the black extensions pieces for the front and back pieces of my armor and I'm not sure I'm doing it correctly. It might be an issue with the files or the way I'm doing it but it seems to push the chestplate out far too much. The optional level two certification states, "The chest and back sides shall be connected by black extensions pieces." I believe it is referring to this piece so if someone could tell me if this is required to be accepted it would help a lot, thanks.

I aim to go as high of a certification as I can with what I have, even if it's just basic acceptance, so I would like to add these but if they're not required then I will have to think about it.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

They are required for L2 and above, no idea why they aren't for basic as that is the connections holding them together. I doubt you would get basic approval without them.

 

As I mentioned previously it's the "wings" of the chest and back plates which are angled outwards and won't allow the inner black strips to sit flush, you may be able to bend them to match up better. 

 

References

 

 

 

[Platinum Lex]

PLEASE READ:
I finished the rest of my armor and wore it on Halloween, but when fitting I realized I had struggled with some proportions, especially with the chest and back pieces. The back piece was broken by someone else so I'm going to have to redo that and figured I might as well redo the chest as some people noted that it was practically hanging off of me. Here are some photos of my armor:

I'm planning on making the thighs longer as well as make the chest droop more over the abdomen. Following what other users have said, I'll edit the chestplate more to conform around the sides and have the backplate more towards my back, so if anyone has any recommendations on resizing or how to, I'm all ears. I was making some adjustments to the calves which is why they are inconsistent throughout the photos, and if anyone would like more photos from a different angle I should have additional.

[bTonyd]

Hi @Platinum Lex. I am a beginner around here and was wondering if you have any advice on strapping because i feel lost on every step. I haven't been able to print or sand all the parts but the strapping part doesn't "click" with me since the youtube tutorials are all about ABS and i have 3d printed the Galactic Armory files (same as you) but in PETG.

 

For example how did you strap the calves and thighs? Do you have photos? 

 

More questions are coming but i am really lost around here :(. I am not trying to get certified or anything, i just want a decent costume for East European Comicon to show off from time to time.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, bTonyd said:

Hi @Platinum Lex. I am a beginner around here and was wondering if you have any advice on strapping because i feel lost on every step. I haven't been able to print or sand all the parts but the strapping part doesn't "click" with me since the youtube tutorials are all about ABS and i have 3d printed the Galactic Armory files (same as you) but in PETG.

 

For example how did you strap the calves and thighs? Do you have photos? 

 

More questions are coming but i am really lost around here :(. I am not trying to get certified or anything, i just want a decent costume for East European Comicon to show off from time to time.

Jason has a good 3D printed build thread you may find useful 

 

[bTonyd]

@gmrhodes13thanks a lot! I'm going to check it.

[Platinum Lex]

Since some of the proportions of my armor weren't that great, I decided to redo the chest, back, thighs, and forearms because multiple people noticed that they were too big. I scaled all of these down so that they wouldn't hang off me and am hoping to begin working on them within the next month or so during the summer (I am a full time student).

Here are my updated stormtrooper pieces:

 

 

 

 

One of my first questions is over the shoulder straps and whether or not anyone has any tips for them overall, including attachment, how they should look, and most importantly if there are good printer settings in order to print them in PLA or PETG.

 

Another project that I was planning on involves remaking the helmet. After looking through multiple build threads and reading about Nico Henderson and NTX3D have some of the best STL's, and I was planning on buying one (most likely Nico's) and really putting a lot of effort into it.




I've looked through all of Sayless's 3D printed ROTK build thread for his helmet, and any and all advice for this helmet is greatly appreciated. Additionally, I am looking for help for the best spray paint colors for the whites and grays (I have been using Rustoleum's charcoal gray and brilliant blue), any issues with the helmet that can be modified such as scaling (I saw another thread that TKModder421 made a lot of modifications for accuracy), and I own some chicken wire that I was hoping to form into the aerators but I just don't know where to find a model to form the wire into the correct shape to fit it in.

Any and all advice is really appreciated as I take all constructive criticism. Please keep in mind that I am going for a level 1 certification and I doubt I will upgrade to level two anytime soon, thanks.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Most tend to use Nico's files, DM @TKModder421 with a copy of your Nico purchase and he will happily share (say pretty please) .

You can find his build 

 

And here

 

@TheRascalKing helmet painting 

 

 

 

 

 

Some go for flexible shoulder straps 

 

Shoulder Strap 3D files printed in TPU 

 

Unfortunately the seller of flexible shoulder straps is no longer supplying them

 

[Platinum Lex]

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Most tend to use Nico's files, DM @TKModder421 with a copy of your Nico purchase and he will happily share (say pretty please) .

You can find his build 

 

And here

 

@TheRascalKing helmet painting 

 

 

 

 

 

Some go for flexible shoulder straps 

 

Shoulder Strap 3D files printed in TPU 

 

Unfortunately the seller of flexible shoulder straps is no longer supplying them

 

Wow thank you so much for all this I really appreciate it.

[Sayless]

2 hours ago, Platinum Lex said:

Another project that I was planning on involves remaking the helmet. After looking through multiple build threads and reading about Nico Henderson and NTX3D have some of the best STL's, and I was planning on buying one (most likely Nico's) and really putting a lot of effort into it.




I've looked through all of Sayless's 3D printed ROTK build thread for his helmet, and any and all advice for this helmet is greatly appreciated. Additionally, I am looking for help for the best spray paint colors for the whites and grays (I have been using Rustoleum's charcoal gray and brilliant blue), any issues with the helmet that can be modified such as scaling (I saw another thread that TKModder421 made a lot of modifications for accuracy), and I own some chicken wire that I was hoping to form into the aerators but I just don't know where to find a model to form the wire into the correct shape to fit it in.

Any and all advice is really appreciated as I take all constructive criticism. Please keep in mind that I am going for a level 1 certification and I doubt I will upgrade to level two anytime soon, thanks.

 

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.

 

2 hours ago, Platinum Lex said:

One of my first questions is over the shoulder straps and whether or not anyone has any tips for them overall, including attachment, how they should look, and most importantly if there are good printer settings in order to print them in PLA or PETG.

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.

[Platinum Lex]

Thanks, believe it or not I was actually going through your build thread when you sent this. I'll try to test out the Behr white when I get the chance if I print this helmet over the summer.

I've also noticed some people saying that TKModder hasn't been responding, but since these files are already accurate enough I wouldn't really be disappointed in just printing Nico's.

 

I 3D printed the shoulder straps for my last stormtrooper outfit in the photos above (got ran over and some armor got crushed on Halloween) but they were WAY too long but before cracking they worked out pretty well and had a bit of flex in them. Also I'm not trying to be smarty-pants when I say this but I noticed that on the CRL it doesn't say that the shoulder straps have to be made of rubber, or at least I can't find where it does. Same with the black side connectors that most people swear on their grandmama's soul is absolutely required although it's only needed for levels 2 and up, but I just thought that was interesting.

[Sayless]

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.

[Platinum Lex]

Went ahead and bought Nico's helmet. I messaged TKModder for the updated helmet files (obviously I said please) so I'll just be waiting on those before printing and this time I'll try to put more updates on my build process in case someone catches an issue I didn't see myself.
 

Edited May 4 by Platinum Lex

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

[Platinum Lex]

 

Mini update of the week because I'm starting to get addicted to posting in here, I've printed most of the main body of the helmet but for some reason I just can't see to get the dome printed. I've been printing for around 5 years and have printed dozens of domes like this but can't seem to figure out the problem, gonna keep working on it to hopefully get it finished over the weekend.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looks like it's not printing or blocking on one side