Duomaxwell1017's Adventure in Completing a 3D printed Iron Man Mark VII Armor

duomaxwell1017

New Member
This is going to get a little pic heavy.

The reason I am doing this costume is to honor my cousin Barrett Pote who passed away suddenly on April 12th, 2017.

So recently I purchased a 3d printed suit off of eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/ALL-PLASTI...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649. I currently don't own a 3d printer, but I am saving up to get one. I have received most of the pieces, still waiting for the helmet to get reprinted. (last one was way to big) I've already sanded down most of the pieces using 80 and 100 grit sand paper. Most of the pieces have had a few coats of primer on them. I recently got some spot putty to help remove some of the layer lines. I still need to get some bondo to help cover the really rough spots and to cover some of the seams that are visible.

I have attached some pics of what the pieces look like before I sanded and primed them.
 

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So here is an update. As you can see most of the pieces have been sanded, and primed. I still have to sand the entire suit again, hit it with another coat of primer, then I need to break out the spot putty and regular bondo. I have a lot of layer lines to remove.

I still need to take a hair dryer to a few pieces to make them fit better. I need to make the chest piece wrap around my chest and ribs a little better, and I need to make the cod piece fit a little more comfortably.

To combine the arms and leg pieces together, I am planning on gorilla gluing 1" metal button snaps to elastic straps to help hold the pieces up.I am planning on using this for the straps https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071D37ZDS/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AZVBPHC1JLMB0 hopefully its strong enough to hold up the pieces. Also for the biceps I am adding some foam to make the bicep a little longer, so I can connect the biceps to the shoulders.

I plan on putting some polyurethane resin in the boots to add strength, and I would like to add resin to the back piece and shoulder to add extra strength.

Still have lots to do, but I push onward!!

Any suggestions you have please let me know.
 

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Got around to do some work on this. I reattached some of the pieces that broke off the back piece. I covered the biceps, forearms, part of one boot, the cod piece, one of the shin pieces different parts of the chest piece, and back piece in Bondo Spot Putty. Sanded most of the spot putty off. (Now I realize that I need to get an electric mouse sander.) After hours of sanding, I put on a layer of primer. Those pieces are currently drying. Last night I decided to coat the biceps and on one of the thighs in Bondo. I still need to sand off the Bondo, but I'm going to wait till I either get a sanding block or electric mouse sander. Still have a long way to go! Hopefully I can get rid of the layer lines and gashes.
 

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Worked on the fingers today, sanded, and added a layer of primer. Also I added the first layer of primer on the abs section.
 

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So this project has been put on hold. I am have a ton of different issues. First the chest piece is too wide, and I can't put my arms down. I need to curve the chest piece more, but that is going to be difficult since I've bondoed, and primed the chest. Also I am have issues linking the should bells to the chest piece. I just can't figure it out. Also the weather has been really crappy out. It's either raining a lot, or its really humid turning the red paint pink. I'm also worried about the straps that I have linking the pieces together, (bicep to forearm) won't hold. I've tried screwing the straps to the pieces, but some of the screws are going to be in tight spots, and my drill won't fit. I've spent soo much time, and money on this and I am really depressed that I had to shelve this project for now. I also don't have a lot of work space to work on this as well. I live in a condo, so I am working outside, and I don't have a garage to put the piece somewhere to dry.

I do have pictures, I just need to upload them here.
 
This is a real problem with buying a printed suit. Was it sized correctly for you, or was it bought as is? Buy the printer first, and print your own sized to fit you. This kind of thing happens don’t let it discourage you. It’s all part of learning how to build one of these suits.
 
This is a real problem with buying a printed suit. Was it sized correctly for you, or was it bought as is? Buy the printer first, and print your own sized to fit you. This kind of thing happens don’t let it discourage you. It’s all part of learning how to build one of these suits.

I gave the guy my measurements, but I think he scaled it a little too big. Like I said before I live in a condo, and I don't have a space for a 3d printer yet, but when my wife and I get a bigger house, I am planning on getting a 3d printer.
 
I gave the guy my measurements, but I think he scaled it a little too big. Like I said before I live in a condo, and I don't have a space for a 3d printer yet, but when my wife and I get a bigger house, I am planning on getting a 3d printer.

Apartments or Condos don't have to mean you can't get a printer, it just means you've got to make compromises with the printer.
DSC_0037-1024x576.jpg
This is the kind of printer that I've got - a Monoprice Select Mini. Very small, compact, and about as presentable as a printer can be (we had this in our living room for a while before we moved to a bigger apartment). And since it's all one piece and decently compact if you need to store it away in a closet or something that's no issue. It even has WiFi support so you don't have to carry the micro SD card around.

Now, the downside is it's print volume is tiny (120mm cube) and it's slow (55mm/s max speed), but at $200 I think it's a pretty decent first printer. I haven't attempted printing exterior parts of a suit (only interior mechanics so far), but in theory the principle would be the same as on a larger and faster printer - cut up all the 3D files into pieces the printer can manage, wait forever for all the parts to finish printing, then glue them together. Who knows, maybe smaller sections would be better for making alterations, as you could reprint some smaller segments that need modified and keep the other segments that are the right size.

It may be a printer to consider if you don't have any imminent plans to move out of the condo.
 
Apartments or Condos don't have to mean you can't get a printer, it just means you've got to make compromises with the printer.
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This is the kind of printer that I've got - a Monoprice Select Mini. Very small, compact, and about as presentable as a printer can be (we had this in our living room for a while before we moved to a bigger apartment). And since it's all one piece and decently compact if you need to store it away in a closet or something that's no issue. It even has WiFi support so you don't have to carry the micro SD card around.

Now, the downside is it's print volume is tiny (120mm cube) and it's slow (55mm/s max speed), but at $200 I think it's a pretty decent first printer. I haven't attempted printing exterior parts of a suit (only interior mechanics so far), but in theory the principle would be the same as on a larger and faster printer - cut up all the 3D files into pieces the printer can manage, wait forever for all the parts to finish printing, then glue them together. Who knows, maybe smaller sections would be better for making alterations, as you could reprint some smaller segments that need modified and keep the other segments that are the right size.

It may be a printer to consider if you don't have any imminent plans to move out of the condo.

I was looking at this one https://store.printm3d.com/collecti...the-micro-plus-3d-printer?variant=42931566662 It's currently $150.00 off, so this would be just under $200 before taxes. Print volume is kinda small 4.3" x 4.5" x 4.6" with lots of gluing. It's something to consider.
4.3" x 4.5" x 4.6"
 
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I was looking at this one https://store.printm3d.com/collecti...the-micro-plus-3d-printer?variant=42931566662 It's currently $150.00 off, so this would be just under $200 before taxes. Print volume is kinda small 4.3" x 4.5" x 4.6" with lots of gluing. It's something to consider.
4.3" x 4.5" x 4.6"

That comes out to 110mm x 114mm x 116mm (all printing is done in mm, idk why a manufacturer wouldn't list their build volume in mm), and at only 45mm/s it's comparable but a little worse on all those fronts, even if you do get it on sale. It also looks like they might be locked into using their specialized software to print, which could be a pain later. The manufacturer says you can print at 50 microns vs the 100 microns of the Monoprice Select Mini, but in my personal experience I think the Mini might be able to do that small (I typed the wrong settings once, the print took forever but looks amazing). I'm also not seeing if the M3D printer has a heated bed, which would lock you out of being able to ever use ABS for future projects.

For comparison: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=21711

IDK, if I was you I'd look around a bit more. There's probably something better than both of these printers by now, but I don't know if the M3D would be worth it.
 
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I use an Ender 3 and like it a lot. It has a good build volume and doesn't take a ton of counter space. You should be about to find room if it's important.

I'd avoid those tiny printers, you're going to have a huge headache trying to glue everything together and fill the seams. Not worth it imho
 
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