crashmann

I'll be there with my son looking for Sandtroopers sporting awesome backpacks I was very lucky to snag a spot at the Red Roof Inn with the R2 Builders. Hopefully we can finally find those droids we've been looking for Charlie

I love the fact that you are using another toilet part for the backpack I foresee this topic becoming sticky Charlie

The parts were printed using Somos 11122 and cast in Mold Max 40 silicone. I think because of the way the parts are grown, one micro-thin layer at a time, this creates ridges on the vertical surfaces, and if it is not sealed with paint, then the silicone grips onto it. This past weekend I continued plucking, scraping, and cleaning the little bits off the faceplate. Sanded the edges and valleys with 320 grit sandpaper. Then I hit it with Testors gray primer and sanded with 600 grit between coats. Once the primer was cured, I put on a couple layers of Rustoleum Satin Black. Warning - Do not put 3D printed parts in your hot car to cure the paint! Funky warping and craziness will ensue! So I wrestled to get that straightened out... I layed on two coats of Mann's Ease Release and used a medium paintbrush to ensure it got into all of the corners. Mixed up the remainder of the Mold Max 40 and de-gassed it on the vac table: I carefully poured the silicone onto the radio faceplate and started the 24 hour clock, waiting for it to cure. This evening I was very pleased to find the silicone mold separated from the faceplate with ease, and every detail was captured! Time to pour some Black Onyx! Supposedly it has a pot life of 2 1/2 minutes. But at 87 degrees Fahrenheit, it's only 90 seconds! Fortunately, it came out of the mold very easily. Take two turned out this beauty: So, the faceplate mold is good to go, and I can ramp up and make a bunch of them. However, the big knob did not survive the sticky silicone extraction, so we have to get that one printed again Depending on when the big knob arrives, I should have kits ready to go in two weeks! Charlie

The new faceplate looks amazing in person. Because it is printed in a translucent material, pictures don't do it justice, but here goes: The ribs on the side of the knob came out perfect! I mounted the parts to styrene, built a box to cast them in silicone, and poured the warm sticky goo all over the parts. I waited a little longer than 24 hours to ensure it was completely cured. Then began the extraction - which was met with a great deal of resistance. What's going on here? I used a light coating of Ease Release... Oh noes!!! Apparently, silicone likes to stick to the edges of 3D printed parts. So I've been gently scraping, poking, digging, and doing my best to clean up the parts in preparation for another casting. Hopefully my next posting will be fully cured black resin reproductions Charlie

Wow, that looks great Lou! Nice job joining the Tupperware hamburger stackers with the cistern from Gordonator. The best of both worlds I'd wager that if there was a 6th backpack during production, it would look just like this configuration with the Tupperware Stow-N-Go container on the top left. Remember, when the prop guys were putting together the original backpacks, they would just look around the shop and grab random parts to cover up the blank spots. Get some 3/4" PVC for the shotgun shells, a little mud on the tires, and you'll be golden! (I just saw Brad Paisley last weekend ) Charlie

Why yes, as a matter of fact We had a good session on Friday night tweaking the size of the panels around the speaker grill so they line up just right. Then we modified the big knob so the middle layer actually angles down rather than just being a flat surface. Next, we will hollow out the radio faceplate from the back to reduce the amount of material required to print the radio in 3D = reducing cost Almost there... Charlie

Very nice work John, and that's a beautiful backpack! I would recommend adjusting the backpack straps to have it sit a little higher. Maybe you could use binder clips to cinch up the straps and adjust until you find the right length. Looking good! Charlie

We had a very good session last night. First we converted the CAD drawing to use metric for the units of measure - it's a lot easier to use millipedes than fractions of an inch We worked on the details in the upper boxes - adding the ring around the dial, the depression for the big knob, the ring around the slide switches, and we moved the dimples in the corners. Todd also separated the radial lines from the inner circle of the speaker grill. Our next session will focus on the rest of the speaker grill. There's a lot of trim line detail to adjust in the four panels Thanks again for your patience! Charlie Do you have one of these?!?

Excellent! Let the tweaking begin Charlie

I am grateful for Seth and all of his contributions to the Sandy Side of the Empire. Without him and Mike working together, there wouldn't be a screen accurate backpack kit available! Happy Birthday Seth! Charlie

Thank you all very much for your support of this project, and I am sorry of the continuing wait. We had a decision to make when the new picture was made available of the found Sonix radio - Do we continue with what we have produced, knowing that a better version would be in development? Or, do we go back and modify the CAD drawing to add in new details, but make people wait another month? I had to look at it from a customer point of view. Yes, it would be great to get a beautiful looking radio, but to hand over my hard earned money to buy something that would be replaced with an improved version less than 6 months down the road just would not be right. My name is not GL, and I'm not going to sell you the same thing 5 times - Is there anyone that is not going to buy Star Wars on Blu-Ray when it's released? I'll be adding the Blu-Ray box set to my collection, right next to my VHS Platinum Trilogy, individual Star Wars DVD's, and snuggled up against the Collector's Edition box set DVD's So, Todd and I are going to work on the CAD drawing a little more, and by the end of May, we will have the radio ready to go! Thanks again for your patience Charlie

Very handsome build! The time and effort you have put into the prop makes it much more than just a toy. It's almost too nice to troop with Keep up the great work, and I look forward to seeing a coat of black paint there! Charlie

The faceplate is 6.5" wide by 8.3" tall, but don't build your boxes just yet. With the new details from the high resolution photo, we may rework the faceplate. Charlie

You are correct, 29 1/2" is the length that I've been cutting my tubes. Charlie

Wow, that is some incredible detail on a handsome boat! Beautiful work Woodchuck, and congratulations! Charlie

I remember someone else asking about mounting the cistern and I replied with pictures. After digging, I've found them! I actually glued a bolt to the side of the curvy pipes. Be sure to scuff up the plastic so the JB Weld can bite into it I cut a hole in the top hamburger stacker, mounted a screw through the side of it, and bolted it from the inside of the seed tray. I used a right angle screwdriver to hold the screw in place, but you could probably just cut a larger hole for a regular screwdriver Here's one of my favorite quotes: I cut it two times, and it was still too short! Charlie

Definitely angled. When I asked Mike about this, he runs a screw through the top hamburger stacker and the curvy pipes where they make contact with the seed tray. I used a huge glob of JB Weld to reinforce the area where the screw entered the curvy pipe. Good luck! Charlie

That is just downright fantastic! I don't know of a sexier piece of plastic Charlie

I apologize for the slow progress. Things have been rather busy on the home front lately There's a couple of light scratches that I am smoothing out on the upper right square and middle rectangles. Also, I'm smoothing out the ridges on the lines radiating out in the speaker grill. I might ask Todd to order a new set of knobs as the ridges on the small ones need more definition. We'll see if I can clean them up. And monstrously huge image if you dare: http://tk386.com/remotepix/sandtrooper/zenix_sonix_radio_faceplate_primered.jpg I'll keep you posted as I continue along. Charlie

Yes, the 2" wide elastic is to be used for the backpack straps. Split it in half and attach them to the frame. Congratulations on your armor Diana - it looks great! Maybe you could put the foam padding inside your armor to help cushion and spread the weight of the backpack on your lower spine. Charlie

Here's a drawing of where I would recommend attaching the straps to the frame: You've got a couple of options to attach the straps to the frame. The easiest is to wrap the elastic strap around the frame and use some thick clear goopy glue to secure it - such as E-6000, Shoo-Goo, etc... Another option is to drill a couple of holes for rivets. I don't like that idea since it breaks the elastic in the webbing. Good luck! Charlie

Beautiful work Tim! I love it when a backpack comes together. It brings a tear to my eye Charlie

The Smooth-Cast Onyx looks like some good stuff! It's the same Shore Hardness as Task 2, has lower viscosity so it will flow into the nooks and crannies, and it's already black without having to add pigment. Yup, I'll be ordering a one gallon set Charlie

Your backpack looks good to me! I also believe it is more than acceptable for 501st membership. Ultimately, that decision rests in the hands of your Garrison Membership Liaison Officer. For MEPD deployed status, there are higher standards than the Legion. A whole bunch of details are here: http://forum.mepd.net/index.php?showtopic=3890 I'd say your pack is close enough for strict screen accuracy, especially considering most of the documentation for the backpack is blurry! However, "Deployed Status" is decided by the MEPD Deployment Officer, theGreatSot. Good luck! Charlie

I put a full kit on the scale (with mounting screws), and it came out to 1 pound 4 ounces (580 grams) The weight of the original vacuum formed faceplate is 3 ounces (90 grams) versus 8.8 ounces (250 grams) for the resin faceplate mounted to a sheet of plastic. So, it will be an extra 5 ounces (160 grams). If you notice that difference, then you're probably related to that princess who couldn't sleep on the stack of mattresses with the pea underneath I'm working on cleaning up the castings - There's some surface lines leftover from the 3D rendering process that need to be smoothed out. Then I will make new silicone molds and be ready for the production run. I haven't worked up the ears yet. Do you have pictures of the ones you made Mike? Charlie