Building the Iron Man MK42. Mixing it up: Foam and 3d printing!

Dirtsen

Dirtsen

Well-Known Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Since I have made some space on my workbench by giving away some half finished projects of mine I finally have the time and space to actually get on with this.

I have been kind of obsessed with the Iron Man MK42 suit and I would like to build a very detailed one for myself soon. I have several ideas of how to go about it. Since I started 3d modeling last year I finally decided to get my own printer which will arrive in March... I hope.
I have had the opportunity to work together with the local University and their 3d development office has been very nice and interested when I sent them the 3D model for the MK42 Helmet. A friend and I modeled this after gimpee's original pepakura file.
The model had to be sliced to be printable in their actual printer. Here is the result so far. I have yet to put it all together and sand it down to get rid of the printing layers showing on the model.
2014-01-01 18.41.25.jpg2014-01-01 18.41.34.jpg2014-01-01 18.41.57.jpg2014-01-01 18.42.06.jpg2014-01-01 18.42.12.jpg

So the helmet will be molded and cast in resin to be wearable. The rest of the suit is going to be a mix between a foam build and some 3d printed parts that will be incorporated. Especially the small details that are hard to get when using foam will be 3d printed.
I currently have a commissioned suit going on and I plan on finishing it by the end of January. This is where I am right now:

progress1.pngprogress2.pngprogress3.png
The idea is to incorporate the detailed areas as 3d prints like the chest details or the small details on the abs for example.

That way i get a high level of accuracy and still be able to build at a good speed. Has anyone tried something like this and wants to share some experience?
 
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Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Thank you! I have to admit that I did not do that without help. I have a friend who works in 3D design and he helped me with it a lot. We modeled this using gimpee's original pepakura file as the base reference.
Also the guys at the University helped with making it 3d printable. I learnt a lot through the whole ordeal. I am currently working on a HD version of the Master Chief Helmet from Halo 4. Getting all the small details right is so much fun... after you figure out how to do it.
I am still using Blender but my friend who helped me with the model recommended Cinema 4D and after watching some tutorials online I am tempted to try it out.
 
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Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Hey man that helmet looks amazing! Also some really clean foam work :) gonna be watching your progress on this!

-Mili
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

foam work looks amazing, nice clean lines and cuts.

admiring.
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

God that helmet is incredible. I wish people were selling them at an affordable price. I really want one. At least a local shop can print them. Is the file available to share?
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

schrodinger555 said:
Hey man that helmet looks amazing! Also some really clean foam work :) gonna be watching your progress on this!

-Mili
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. Tonight I will have some time for the biceps.

torx said:
foam work looks amazing, nice clean lines and cuts.

admiring.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I always use sharp blades and i don't draw the single pieces onto the foam. I use pins to hold the paper parts in place and trace them with an exacto knife. That gives me the best results.

Dumontrudisel said:
God that helmet is incredible. I wish people were selling them at an affordable price. I really want one. At least a local shop can print them. Is the file available to share?
Click to expand...

Hey, thank you! I will pass on the compliments. Please understand that I can not share the files unless I have the permission of my friend to do so. I will ask him when I see him next week. I do have a thread going in the Junkyard for a run of this helmet if you are interested.
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

quovadis0920 said:
That's really really amazing. I love seeing new ideas for the mk42!
Click to expand...

Thank you! I have been following your Sintra build thread too! I like the idea of incorporating different materials. I guess with the right mix it is possible to make a pretty awesome armor at a small to medium budget. I might try out some of your ideas. I am really looking forward to your take on the abs section to make them collapsible or add some articulation. I have tried something similaron an early MK7 abdominal region of mine but it never worked out as awesome as the one from Pauloroberto. We will see.
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Dirtsen said:
Thank you! I have been following your Sintra build thread too! I like the idea of incorporating different materials. I guess with the right mix it is possible to make a pretty awesome armor at a small to medium budget. I might try out some of your ideas. I am really looking forward to your take on the abs section to make them collapsible or add some articulation. I have tried something similaron an early MK7 abdominal region of mine but it never worked out as awesome as the one from Pauloroberto. We will see.
Click to expand...

Yup. Lurking here in the forum will teach you not to stick with one medium alone. Other pieces that make excellent builds excellent are sometimes made from scrap. That's the thing that separates us from other builders, thinking outside the box :thumbsup

I have them on the drawing board yet just need to clear my orders and I'll resume them. Hopefully you can incorporate it with your build. Looking at your material I'm sure you can reinforce it with fiberglass. By the way buddy a little advise, run the detail lines first with a sharp tip pen [4 times will do with medium pressure], run your cutter thru it with light pressure then run it with the soldering iron. That will make the lines crisp and clean. Hope that helps.

Oh and make sure your soldering's really hot. :)
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Ha! Thank you! That was the only thing bothering me on this build. The soldering iron made some small slips and it really isn't much of a problem when it is painted but I will definetly follow your advice on the next pieces. Always looking for perfection ;)
I also got a new soldering iron since the old one was crap (that is right, a good player always blames the material... at least that is what André Agassi used to say :D )

quovadis0920 said:
Yup. Lurking here in the forum will teach you not to stick with one medium alone. Other pieces that make excellent builds excellent are sometimes made from scrap. That's the thing that separates us from other builders, thinking outside the box :thumbsup

I have them on the drawing board yet just need to clear my orders and I'll resume them. Hopefully you can incorporate it with your build. Looking at your material I'm sure you can reinforce it with fiberglass. By the way buddy a little advise, run the detail lines first with a sharp tip pen [4 times will do with medium pressure], run your cutter thru it with light pressure then run it with the soldering iron. That will make the lines crisp and clean. Hope that helps.

Oh and make sure your soldering's really hot. :)
Click to expand...
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Dirtsen said:
Thank you very much. Tonight I will have some time for the biceps.



Thank you! I always use sharp blades and i don't draw the single pieces onto the foam. I use pins to hold the paper parts in place and trace them with an exacto knife. That gives me the best results.



Hey, thank you! I will pass on the compliments. Please understand that I can not share the files unless I have the permission of my friend to do so. I will ask him when I see him next week. I do have a thread going in the Junkyard for a run of this helmet if you are interested.
Click to expand...

Link to thread?
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Small update with the commissioned suit. I finished the arms. I used Polystyrene sheets to build a double joint to attach the pieces without loosing articulation.
Arme1.jpg
hello.jpg

I also got the permission from Jackieisrockin to use his files to create the 3d printed details for the following suit. I have started working on the chest/ribs details. I will post a render of that later.
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Dirtsen said:
Small update with the commissioned suit. I finished the arms. I used Polystyrene sheets to build a double joint to attach the pieces without loosing articulation.
View attachment 271751
View attachment 271752

I also got the permission from Jackieisrockin to use his files to create the 3d printed details for the following suit. I have started working on the chest/ribs details. I will post a render of that later.
Click to expand...

Dang that looks flawless!
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

And here it is.

renderJ7ve5o.png

That is the part right here:

chestdetail2.png

Using just foam it is hard to get right and it doesn't hold shape that well if you use thinner foam (I used 3mm thickness). We'll see how that works out.
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Contemplating about adding a knee joint. This is a prototype. Any ideas?
uploadfromtaptalk1390077660893.jpg

Gesendet von meinem GT-I9100 mit Tapatalk 2
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

And done with number two... Man you think the abs are a pain... The thighs are too...

leg1.jpgleg2.jpgleg3.jpg

Here is how I solved the problem with the ankle area being too tight for the foot.

legclosed.jpglegopen.jpg

So I am almost done with this commission. Next up will be the suit with the 3d printed parts added.
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

And my 3d printed hands are done! I used Kenlandrums files to make these.

hands1.jpghands2.jpghands3.jpg
 
Re: Building the Iron Man MK42. No.1: 3d printed Helmet.

Dirtsen, do you plan on releasing any of your files? Looks awesome by the way!
 
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