Tom Clancy's The Division (original character build)

UPDATE #13: COMMS DEVICE (90% COMPLETE)

Very appropriate that the most special update of this build happens to be my favorite number.

Anyway, this one is about the comms device, obviously. The pieces of the 3D prints from [the other] Keelan over in Australia came in, but they needed to be put together and cleaned up a bit. Anyone who has worked with 3D printed pieces before knows the pain in the ass the sanding process is, so I was glad after a few days to have gotten that task to a point where I felt pleased with moving on.

Here's an in-progress pic of the two halves of the body. You can see on the "cover" that I started to primer it, but wasn't too pleased with some of the sanding and decided to strip some off and go at it again. I started (at this point) to use the dremel with the cotton polishing wheel attached; this helped me to warm up the surface of the plastic a bit quicker so that the sanding had a better affect. There's some black gaffer tape on the bottom of the body section, and the purpose for that will be explained in a moment, but first...

This is the look of the updated antenna. I added another dowel piece to be an "arm" between the antenna and the unit body. Attached to the "fin" at the bottom is a piece of scrap wire from an old headphone jack, which the other end will be attached to the unit body as well. Added to the center area I have a couple of bits of foil tape to give it a nice metal look.

These are the paints used. The self etching primer was chosen because it would sort of fill in the little imperfections on the surface in the sanding process, but without worrying it would fill in any of the small details that I WANTED to be seen. The paint+primer is used for the obvious reasons, so nothing special there. The PlastiDip is the reason why I used the tape on the bottom of the unit body: I wanted to have a portion of it look like it was rubber, to help break up the surface textures a bit among a couple of other aesthetic reasons. A good number of coats of this were used before it stopped looking so much like PlastiDip covered plastic, but I eventually got it to look decent and was able to remove the tape.

This here is a mid-progress pic. You can see (the blue area) where the tape was removed after an acceptable affect was accomplished with the PlastiDip. We also have the fully primered cover placed on top, just to give a bit of a visual reference what things are shaping up to look like.

Now comes the exciting stuff:
Things are finally given a few coats of paint and pieced together! The bolt/nut that holds the cover to the body is put in place, and the caps for the ends are glued in place as well. The side panels to the unit body are glued and screwed (totally did NOT mean for that to rhyme!), and the other little bits are put in place on the bottom of the unit. To help break up the look of the side of the unit without the antenna, I added a small piece of foil tape over the "buttons."

This was the solution on the back of the unit to how it would secure on the costume, wherever it would be chosen to be mounted. I know, I know, I'm gonna get crap from some people for my choosing to not fully sand and smooth the back of the unit. Deal with it!

Here's the [nearly] finished unit! The inside of the ring was painted with a light coat of metallic silver paint, which was then gone over with a coat of acrylic clear orange (I'm hoping this bit of reflective surface will assist with the glow of the EL wire). Obviously, I need to make a few small adjustments before affixing the antenna, and I need to get the EL wire set up. So pretty much, I should have one functional unit for use when it comes to filming the pilot of the webseries.

[Mini] Update #14: IT GLOWS NOW!

The soldering kit finally came in. Thanks to doing plenty of research ahead of time, I was able to get a decent grasp on the soldering technique, at least well enough that it actually worked!



Using the acrylic clear orange over the ring definitely got rid of the annoying aqua glow of the phospor through the cheap casing on the EL wire. I just have to do a better/cleaner job with securing and gluing the EL wire in place with the next unit pieced together. Hopefully, the glow of the ring reads well enough on camera when filming, but it for sure gets the job done in person.

[mini] Update #15: Arm Band/Patch


Just a quick test for an arm patch. Not the greatest, but I think it'll do well enough until I can get an embroidered patch made up.



This one was done the absolute simplest way imaginable: I just took the armband for my iPod, and printed out on the computer on a sheet of paper an image of the SHD logo with a black background. Cut out the image, slip it into where the iPod would go, and BAM. Got me an armband for the time being.

[mini] Update #16: Earpiece/Headset

So, I was randomly thinking about how the radio communication works. Surely, the operatives have to talk to each other somehow! But in all the footage and artwork we've seen, we've never seen any sort of headset or microphone. I figured the simplest way to explain this away would be small bluetooth headsets paired with the comms devices. (or sub-dermal implants like in the Splinter Cell series...)

So, this being my solution to this overlooked detail, I decided to try this as a solution.

First step was to purchase an inexpensive bluetooth headset. The set looked nearly perfect in the photos when I ordered it, but the piece in reality was MUCH larger than it was believed to be...


Looking over the piece to figure out what I could do with it, and loving the feel/size of the rubber piece that actually fit in the ear, I started to think of a plan...


I decided to dissect it a little; I would use the rubber piece, but I liked the small speaker. Also, it would put something INSIDE the rubber piece so that it didn't just look like a hollow piece of rubber stuck in my ear...


Once the speaker and the plastic around it were severed from the rest of the headset, I simply put it back inside the rubber piece, though BACKWARDS (this way, the "screen" of the speaker would be facing outward). In keeping with the color scheme of the tech from the game, I applied a thin coat of clear orange acrylic paint (the same used with painting the EL wire of the comms device). This is the end result:


May not be much, and I'm sure as the game comes out there will be some sort of explanation to how the communications works that will void this little thing out of existence. But I think for the most part it works. It's subtle and "covert" enough to fit in, the colors work, and it's quite comfortable. Plus, this way my OCD doesn't kick in and I don't feel there's some detail I've overlooked.

[mini] Update #17: K'NIFE! ;D

Not anything super important, but this little fella just came in and I felt like sharing the new addition with everyone.



Just a few select items to go, and I think the costume will be complete. If I can get it all together, I'll hopefully have some full shots to share from WonderCon.

[mini] Update #18: Mag Pouch and Hoodie

Got a few things in the mail today (one somewhat related to this project, just not actually being used for it).

The first is that I got a double-mag pouch for M4 magazines; this one was a little tricky to find, as the place I wanted to mount it with the MOLLE weaving would require it to go on sideways. Thank you Google, for helping me track one down! ;D



Hangs a bit weird, given the size of it versus where on the gearsling it's mounted, but it does the trick.

Also, I got in the hoodie. The original one in burgundy was no longer available, but I was able to get one in maroon. It's still a bit on the baggy side in terms of fitting, and I might darker the color some if I have the time/means.



Just for kicks, here's a shot of the hoodie placed with the gearsling (with the knife re-mounted).


With all this, I do believe that the build is pretty much 95% complete! Just got a few little things to add here and there (nothing major, and easily found/purchased within a few minutes notice). Unless there's any huge changes or adjustments, I'll likely save the next update to be a full dress. Look forward to sharing with everyone!

ADDENDUM (3-1-2015):

Just realized, I still have the shell for the Seeker Mine to do. Guess I'm not done quite yet.

Keelan, THIS is awesome. I wanted to put something together for a Division cosplay last year in April but I could not find anything that looked right for the comms device and the closest I came with the smart watch was gluing some neon orange rubber band to a cheap watch I found online that looked pretty close. Now that I've seen this, I might contact 105 about having them print another comms device for me!

Wish I was still in Cali - I would totally team up with you at WonderCon! But we need more pics of you in your awesome build!

Thanks, MythMaker!

A buddy of mine met up with me at WonderCon and posted a pic on Twitter that Saturday.

https://twitter.com/imjorgeadam/status/584502505251319808

Not my best picture, but it gets the job done.



If things go well MythMaker and we can both attend next year, I'm totally down to suit up again with you!

I've had my eye on this game for a long time and love the ideals and story they are putting in it. For my build, I'd like to just add to your thread, if you don't mind, Keelan, because I'll be doing some of the same things you have, and putting a different spin on some things!

I've been scouring images and thinking a lot about how I want to do my SHD operator/agent. The very first thing I realized was that, being in Houston, I would HAVE to lighten the outfit if I hoped to survive trooping around for any length of time. So, no jacket, knit cap, etc. Instead, hoodie, baseball cap, fingerless gloves; anything I can think of to not trap body heat.

However, I wanted to keep the colors dark. I found some cargo pants I dyed a nice dark brown for a Sam Fisher (Conviction) costume awhile back, and a dark burgundy hoodie with shoulder stripes. I think the combination will work with the bright orange accents and black tactical gear.

I already have a big, cheap watch that I can gut. Although it doesn't have the angles it should, it will work. However, since I don't anticipate wearing this at night or for filming, I'm thinking about using neon orange materials or paint, rather than bothering with LEDs that won't show up on camera in daytime. Will post pics of this after I try it, and see if it works or not.

I have a lot of components for this, although I need to upgrade or replace some of them. I need a new holster but I wonder if I should try something different than a drop leg holster, and have a drop-leg pouch instead. I took a picture tonight and started photoshopping to get a better feel for the colors and work ahead of me.



More to come.

Absolutely fine by me, buddy!

And looking good with the mock-up, Matt!

And yeah, the whole light-up feature on the gadgets only really works in dark-lit environments. Found that out pretty fast at WonderCon.

For one of the characters in the pilot we're filming weekend after this coming one, we went the route of having a drop-leg pouch for some M16 mags (originally was going to have a drop-leg holster for a revolver, but after watching a little old school Resident Evil and seeing Barry Burton, we opted for something closer to a cross-draw holster).

Keep up the great work and be sure to update things here or on a new thread if you create one! Looking forward to seeing how you build comes along!

I had a cute idea today about how to cosplay this build.

In the first gameplay trailer, they walk past some civilians and somehow Bronson scans them and can tell that the woman is sick.

"She's critical. I'm low on packs, we'll have to come back" or something like that. So, why not "scan" people as you walk around, and then hand out tiny baggies of orange tic-tacs (packs)? Heh heh.

MythMaker said:

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DUDE! That is friggin' brilliant!

I'm totally stealing this idea.

Got home after a long day... and my hats had arrived! The quality of the embroidery is about what I paid for (not much), but if this cosplay plays well, I might get a better hat later.

A few progress pics! This week I got my sling pack and a hat I had custom-made with the SHD logo! I ordered an airsoft gun and some other chotchkies for my pack, PLUS I emailed Antoine at Massive to inquire if they could export a model of the agent comms device that could be 3D printed by anyone wanting to cosplay. We'll see what happens!

Here's the little sling pack. I put my water bottle horizontal, and it looks kind of cool that way. But I want to get one of two pouches for the pack to bulk it up a little more. I threw a mini-mag flashlight and some glowsticks in there for good measure, but I'll have a lot more chotchkies before I'm done.



Here's a pic of me from the front with my hat and pack. I mentioned before that I'm thinking about trying to holster the pistol somewhere not on the thigh, so I photoshopped a holster onto the sling pack strap to see how it would look. *Edit: I think it would look better to put a compass, a rubber knife in molle sheath, and one or two other little things on the chest here.*


Here's some back views of the pack (photoshopped the comms device on there). Easier to see here the size of the pack. Found a bluetooth earpiece that I might use. I don't see agents wearing them, but their ears are usually covered by their caps. Mask with filters is on its way, too.

Lookin' good, Matt! You're definitely off to a great start!

Working on a 3D model of the comms device in Sketchup. Not sure if I'm going to pepakura it or 3D print it somewhere, but its coming along nicely.

Big progress update! Got some stuff in the mail and its really coming together.



Got a mask, a gun, some caribiners and elastic velcro straps. A little detail I wanted to integrate: the roll of tape hanging off the back of the pack.

Some things I am still working on: I want some SHD patches; one for the front, one for upper arm, one for back of the pack. However, I am trying to finish up the outfit without spending too much, so I might end up getting an Ipod armband and printing the logo on paper and sticking it in there. I still need a fake knife and sheath, some spare rifle mags, and I'd love to have a flare gun replica if I can find one cheap. Of course, I still need to paint an orange circle on my watch and get a comms device as well.

Exciting piece of news: I contacted Antoine Emond at Massive and asked him if they could release a 3D model of the agents' comms device for fans, so that anyone could 3D print their own. He and Yannick thought it was a brilliant idea, but admitted that they won't be able to do it for probably two months, as they don't have the bandwidth. SO I decided to try my hand at Sketchup and have actually had a lot of fun putting my own 3D model together. Not sure if I'm going to 3D print or pepakura at this point, but here's a couple pics at this stage:



A note for others trying this build: my biggest frustration so far has actually been figuring out a good way to hang the mask on my bag. I had originally wanted to put my water bottle on my pack horizontally just because it looked cool, but the mask would NOT hang straight or securely off of the pack with it there. Check out the pics - once I put the water bottle on the side, the mask fits quite snugly under some straps built into the pack!



I am also going to try painting three of those half-sized soda cans black, with orange circles on the sides, so I can have some cheap "smart grenades" that will actually roll along the ground. With all this plus the orange tic tac baggies I mentioned earlier, I'll have a pretty nice build.

Awesome work, Matt!

Love the smartgrenade! Very simple and smart way of doing it on the quick.

And yeah, getting the respirator to have in a good position is a big pain in the ass.

The comms unit is looking good! Can't wait to see how it looks when you make a physical version!

Almost done with designing the comms device, which I have taken to calling "the brick." This week I realized that the design I was building was a little too flat at 1 1/8", so I rebuilt it from scratch to be 1 1/2". It was just going to be too hard to stretch it upwards and reposition/redraw everything that was effected by that. I think the extra quarter of an inch makes a big difference. Just a few more chotchkies to add and I think its ready for 3D printing.
*EDIT* Added some pics here to show slight redesign. Realized I had tried to flatten/streamline the front end too much. I think it makes it look a little cooler than the actual design, but throws off the proportions too much; makes the front end look shorter than it is.

Here's the artist's rendition.

A good start, but too flat. Need to fatten him up.

Now an 1 1/2 inch thick. Proportions looking good, except the front end looks too short.

3/4 view

Unflattened and simplified the front end. Lengthens the look of it. I kind of want to pull the front end out 1/4 inch, but then the proportions on other sections are thrown off. DAMN YOU ARTIST RENDITION!

3/4 view

Awesome, Matt!!!

Yeah, when designing the 3D prop with [other] Keelan, we looked at the same piece of concept art and all the game footage. Once we could look at the model in the cinematic trailer, we started to alter a lot of small details, including the top end; sort of had to mix all the looks together, then alter it for the 3D printer.

Can't wait to see how the test prints come out!