duomaxwell1017's attempt to make an Iron Man costume

duomaxwell1017

New Member
So today I finally decided to join the RPF boards. I first learned about the pepakura way of making costumes from my wife’s cousin. He was working on the Iron Man Mark VI, unfortunately he only had the right thigh and bottom part finished. He passed away on April 12th 2017 of a heart attack. He was my best friend, and he was the one that got me into Hot Toys Iron Man figures.

After his passing his wife asked if I wanted his Iron Man costume parts that he was working on. Of course I said yes, and now I feel that I should complete his work. I have downloaded the pepakura programs, and I downloaded a few files for the Mark VI, Mark VII and a few others. Now I have no idea of what I am doing, but I’m hoping to make a few new friends here so I can get help if needed.

So after checking out the boards for a little while seeing what everyone else has done. Now I see that people can actually 3d print costumes. So I checked out Amazon to see how much 3d printers are, and found out if I wanted a 3d printer that print big pieces are going to cost a good deal of money.

Does anyone have any recommendations on an efficient and cost effective 3d printer? Also what other kind of materials am I going to need? What kind of program am I going to need to use to scale the costume so it will fit me? I'm new to all of this so, I won't get all the technical terms yet.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
Printing big shouldn't be a deal breaker on selecting and purchasing a printer. A 10x10x10 platform is fine. You'll just have to slice up the pieces (which there is software that does that) and print and glue them together. Honestly it's not a pain either and safer. It sucks if you get a large print started and something goes wrong 10 hours into the print and the entire piece is messed up. My advice, don't worry about the volume, worry about the quality. Slice up larger prints and glue them together. Add bondo later to fill in the seams and sand (you'll have to sand anyway). This is not going to be an easy project. Just take you time and enjoy the process. Good luck.
 
Creality CR-10 about $399 from TinyMachines in the US. Fairly simple to use and a huge print volume for your money.

I have been using a Hictop Prusa 3DP-11. Don't expect a lot of support but there are some Facebook groups that help. Its also $269 on amazon.


Hey guys thanks for the recommendations for the printers!! I appreciate it. Now I have another question do I get a printer that has the ability to auto level? Now when something is printed. Can I take a 3d model and break it up. For example if I am printing one of the arms. I would just separate it into several pieces and then glue it together?

What program should I use that will allow me to take a 3D model and print in several pieces?
 
Hey guys thanks for the recommendations for the printers!! I appreciate it. Now I have another question do I get a printer that has the ability to auto level? Now when something is printed. Can I take a 3d model and break it up. For example if I am printing one of the arms. I would just separate it into several pieces and then glue it together?

What program should I use that will allow me to take a 3D model and print in several pieces?

Your best bet is spend some time on youtube. You will need to learn how to cut parts into printable sizes.

Also be prepared to sand, fill, sand, sand, prime, sand, and paint. Printing isn't the time consuming part. 3M has a green filler that doesn't need mixing that I like better than bondo.
 
Your best bet is spend some time on youtube. You will need to learn how to cut parts into printable sizes.

Also be prepared to sand, fill, sand, sand, prime, sand, and paint. Printing isn't the time consuming part. 3M has a green filler that doesn't need mixing that I like better than bondo.

What he said.

I doubt anyone on this forum has the time to teach basic 3D printing for cosplay and props. There are other, better, places to learn those skills. Sorry.
 
What he said.

I doubt anyone on this forum has the time to teach basic 3D printing for cosplay and props. There are other, better, places to learn those skills. Sorry.

What color filament should I use? Black, Silver, or Red. I know I have to prime sand, sand and sand some more.
 
Does anyone know where I can get Iron Man Mark XLII (or XLIII since they are the same armor) 3D files? I have found bits and pieces of the Mark XLII. I have the helmet, forearm, upper arm, and fingers.
 
every 3D printer is slightly different - so is the filament.
It's just a case of getting used to how yours works

perseverance and patience are the keys, but the benefits are well worth it.

Don't expect pristine results unless you pay mega bucks for the professional printers. Have a budget and work from there.

Good luck
 
as for getting the armour to fit you - scaling works in all directions, so if you want to make a part for a taller person - the width will scale up too. you'll end up inserting extra material or cutting down to suit your shape.

the only way to work around this (if you're tall & slim or short & stocky) is to design or buy the actual cad files and make them suit you.
 
I can't believe I missed this...Hi Max and welcome to the RPF.
I think it's awesome that you wish to complete your cousin's Iron Man armor and you're in the right place to do it.Lots of people around here who are experienced builders,and those who are not (yet experienced) make up for that more than enough with their enthusiasm.

As suggested before,read and watch a lot of material on the forum and on youtube to get to know your ways,tools and materials.That being said,it wouldn't hurt to point a new guy in the right direction (this post refers to foam building):

-As Uridium mentioned : JfCustom's foam files thread ;with lots of trips,tricks and files.A good place to start your adventure/classes;
-Evil Ted + Punished Props on youtube.Sometimes it helps to look at (moving) images rather than words to get a better understanding.These guys are two good examples of how to get things done the right way;
-Any W(ork) I(n) P(rogress) thread that you may encounter in and of itself is already a treasure trove of information and an awesome adventure of someone who then later becomes the new Evil Ted :D

So welcome,grab a cup of coffee and do some reading/viewing for starters.Gather info about tools and techniques first.Go slow and above all: enjoy the ride :cool
 
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Thanks everyone for the tips and advice. I sent a request to see how much the Mark XLII 3D STL files will cost to do3d.com.

The idea I have when making the Mark XLII, is to make half of the suit. I will make the helmet minus the faceplate, the complete right arm, left hand and gauntlet, top part of the chest, the cod piece, complete left leg, and both boots. And I could dress like Tony Stark in Iron Man 3 at the Mansion, and I could say I am waiting for the rest of my armor to arrive.
 
Yeah, 3D printing from a company can be expensive.

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=255611
That is an awesomely detailed walkthrough of a Pepakura build. I really suggest reading that thread, and maybe giving it a go.
There are plenty of pep files for Iron Man out there for free, pretty sure there is a thread somewhere here with a link to loads of available files.
 
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