kman
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Posts posted by kman
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Wow, those look great!
The only details I would nitpick are:
1) What's the rectangular block on top of the scope?
2) The area under the scope rail is not cut out. Is that possible to cut out? Or perhaps replace the rail with aluminum, if that would make it too floppy?
3) Similarly, the front sights aren't cut out, inside.
Otherwise, that looks amazing!
Is there any way to add glass (plastic) lenses to the scopes? Functional or not, something other than black rubber there goes a long way towards increasing the realism, I've seen.
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1 hour ago, Airborne Trooper said:
I believe it's close to 2". Mine lasted 2 troops and I ripped it out. I like to put my forearms on after I put my helmet on.
I put my biceps and forearms on last, as well. Just slide them both on as one, very simple. Easy to remove them both in one shot when extra mobility is needed (backstage), too.
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Most people I've seen tend to use either 2" elastic or 1" webbing. I use 2" elastic. I'd guess the strap is about 6" long?
I don't have any great shots of the arm connections for mine, because there wasn't much drama in setting it up, but you can see it a bit in this shot:
I do recall that for determining positioning during my build, this video was very helpful:
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Agreed. A private FB group is a good resource (lots of garrisons and detachments use them), and the name change makes everything clear. Not to mention being an exceptionally appropriate name anyway.
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Interesting printer, Michael. That's an impressively large build space for $1k (or less). I'll have to look into it!
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1 hour ago, henselmonster said:
Time alone. Good god hahah so much time. It has been worth it to save the $$ but I agree, 3D printing is totally not a magical solution. It's frustrating at times, especially after spending hours filing and sanding PLA.....my arms hurt thinking about it. Also dealing with failed prints and clogged extrudes and leveling build plates and troubleshooting for different filaments, and all of the other super fun things you have to do when you printer won't print correctly. The end result is worth it though.
Heck yeah! I love my printer. I can't imagine printing an entire set of armor, though. That's some masochism, right there. LOL
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Yeah, armor is certainly possible, I didn't mean to imply it's not. It's just not as ideal and simple as some people seem to think: 3D printing is not really the magoc solution to all problems that some people imagine it is. Just in terms of time alone, think about how much more you've spent 3D printing to save $450-650, and then how much extra finishing work was needed compared to a "normal" kit. If you have LOTS of free time, I suppose it could be worth it, but for me, 3D printing is much better suited to the smaller tasks: Props, blasters, parts, just like we both said. You can do a LOT with even a small printer like mine (6x6x6) so the nearly 8x8" platform seems pretty luxurious to me.
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10 hours ago, dutchy said:
Troops, I'ved moved this thread to the Off topic section.
IMO it's not actually off topic, since these printers would be getting used to print armor and Star Wars props (like blasters, binoculars, pack parts, etc.), but since it it actually could go in any number of subforums governing any of those, I guess it really doesn't matter where it ends up. You da boss!
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6 hours ago, Airborne Trooper said:
So would the Maker Select Plus be a good choice to print things such as armor, accessories, etc. or would I need the more expensive Maker Ultimate? Both of these options are much cheaper than some of the other ones I was looking at on Amazon that was in the 1-2k range.
I would debate whether most Star Wars armor is well suited to 3D printing... I don't think it is, really. Otherwise, the main determiner is build plate size: How big a part you can actually print. The biggest measurement is around 8" on the both, Ultimate is 7.9" x 7.9" x 6.9", a hair less than on the Select Plus (7.9" x 7.9" x 7.1") due to the enclosed design. That's pretty normal in this range... the printers with substantially larger print areas get stupid expensive really fast. So if you think about a helmet or chest plate, you would need to slice your model into many pieces that fit in that print area, and then sand the edges and bond the pieces together to make the whole section complete. THEN you get to start sanding and finishing them. Same applies with larger props like larger blasters (esp rifles) and such, but that's pretty normal, and it's simpler to stack pieces of a long tube than the complex curves of armor. Small parts are simple with either. You CAN print armor, I just don't think it's an especially good application for it. The amount of filament to print a full set of armor gets pretty expensive, and it's heavy compared to vacuformed ABS sheets, and less durable.
All that said, they're both good printers that are pretty well regarded. Either would likely do well for you. There are some nicer features that the extra money gets you, which are pretty much laid out in the product website. But they're not really NECESSARY features. There's nothing you "can't print" with the Select Plus that owning the Ultimate would enable, unless perhaps you want to print insanely detailed miniature figures (Warhammer and the like). Both have the critical features that you really need. Both have heated build plates, both print PLA or ABS or most other normal 3D printing materials. Both have similar size build platforms and similar resolutions and capabilities. The Ultimate might print faster? A bit quieter? The Ultimate is higher resolution (100 microns (0.1mm) vs. 20 microns (0.02mm)) but for most Star Wars props it's rare that you would use the extra resolution. The Ultimate's enclosed frame design is more rigid than the open design of the Select, which helps reduce shake while printing and theoretically produces a bit cleaner prints as a result, but I suspect the real world difference is not substantial, especially since your average SW props aren't going to use anything approaching the highest resolutions the Ultimate is capable of. (most common resolutions tend to be 100-200 microns for average props like blasters, blaster parts, and various greeblies, which is well within the capability of either)
Hackaday has a pretty good review of the Ultimate:
https://hackaday.com/2016/08/30/review-monoprice-maker-ultimate-3d-printer/
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I have a PrintrBot which I love, but buying today, I'd second the recommendation for the MonoPrice printers. Avoid the bottom one if you can, but if that's all you can do, even that can do some amazing things, for the price.
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10 hours ago, Felice said:
looking good but also Need some modifications (t-tracks for example) and some Price modifications too:-)
doopydoos is one of the best blaster kist you can get for a really good Price!
Until you drop it... *eek*
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Thanks, Dutchy!
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I was working on my bucket during the dry spell, after Echo stopped making fan brackets and before Ukswrath picked up the mantle. So I replicated Echo's setup as well as I could, in terms of bracket shape, working from photos in his sales thread. I made a few cardboard mockups before I dialed in the size I liked for the bracket. Then I took a cheap black plastic bin from Walmart and sacrificed it to the scrap plastic gods, cutting my bracket out of it. Covered it in Gaffers tape to soften the sharp edges.
Simple 5v blower fans (squirrel fans) from Amazon, a couple of switches from Radio Shack, a 5V lipstick-style cellphone charging battery (3000 mAh) and some quick disconnects for the wiring completed the setup. I chopped up some old USB cords (an old keyboard and mouse that didn't work very well anymore sacrificed their USB connectors) to connect the fan wiring to the battery packs.
Clean side, all mounted up:
Under-side, hidden behind the bracker while wearing:
Here it in, in place: (I was still toying with wire routing at the time this was taken)
I loved the toggled switches I used, but they proved to be a bit fragile on the underside, as they're a little deep. I toyed with 3D printing a housing for them, but ultimately decided to give Ukswrath's brackets a try, once he started selling Echo's original design (with permission). His switches aren't as easy to actuate as my toggle switches, but the form factor is better and they're more durable, so that's what I've been trooping with since.
I still use those same phone charger batteries to power it, though. They're velcro'd in place with industrial Velcro. Works great! I get 8+ hours of runtime off of a charge.
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Modified, I see now reason why it wouldn't pass. Need to move the counter and scope to the proper position, at least. Then likely approvable.
That said, while these would be awesome for airsoft (assuming they actually shoot well enough), I don't think they'd be very good for trooping, because they're heavy. I was told they're over 6 lbs, which is pretty heavy for a trooping blaster. And frankly, being functional airsoft guns, there are probably quite a few events where they would not be welcome. They'd be pretty great for display, though.
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On 8/13/2016 at 1:34 AM, kman said:
Has this issue been resolved yet? I have a new trooper who is wanting to register and get working on his build here, but can't get registered and logged into the forums.
Any chance someone can contact him over on FISD? He was going to PM Darth Aloha on FISD but apparently can't do that, either, over there as DA is "unable to receive new messages".
http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/38244-hello-from-socal/page-2#entry514516
Hi, I got a note from the same new member. He's still unable to register. Is there a way someone can get in touch with him?
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31 minutes ago, Punisha said:
Can the iComm be modified to work more than 6 months?
I haven't tried it yet. But once the battery is external, it's really simple to swap in fresh batteries on an as-needed basis. (or prophylacticly, if your fear is having it die mid-troop, since it doesn't matter with rechargables)
It also depends on how much you're trooping, and how much your voice rig is used on those troops. That's going to vary greatly from trooper to trooper, depending on how much they troop and what type of troops they choose.
Of course, once you have external access to battery connections, you can attach however big a battery you want, as long as you get the voltage correct.
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4 hours ago, Airborne Trooper said:
The big issue with iComms is the internal battery dies at the worst time. They also aren't able to be customized.
My setup is a bit unique but really you just need a simple 5v power supply to power it. A small USB battery pack would be sufficient.
iComm can be modded to use an external battery. There's a pinned post on FISD showing how.
http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/37188-modding-the-icomm-with-an-external-battery/
(not that the teensy setup isn't very cool, but the bit about the iComm was not accurate)
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6 hours ago, Airborne Trooper said:
FISD & MEPD collaborate!
We're all brothers after all!
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48 minutes ago, dutchy said:
And we'll have to keep in touch with our brothers of the FISD as well.
True that. They're working on a CRL, in an active thread. It's tough, since obviously no one actually makes the armor yet. But it looks like you'll be able to cobble together something that should pass basic approval (REALLY basic, IMO) by collecting a bunch of armor parts from various armor makers, modifying the heck out of them, and similarly modifying the Black Series helmet (substantially!).
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Yay for sigs! Get those two images below the avatars fixed, and that'll go a looong way towards making things at least look back to normal around here.
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8 minutes ago, deckard1138 said:
Ok thanks, looks like a good alternative to the Icomm. Especially with a Bluetooth set up.
Bluetooth does not work due to latency issues.
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Darman Props, for sure. Sales thread at FISD, or they have a FB page, too.
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^^ That's the link.
4 digit numbers are long gone, and IDs are assigned permanently, so they don't come back up as available again.
A New rubber E-11 is HERE! "Praetorian Blasters"
in E-11 and Bapty Blasters
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Looks like they actually added the scope inserts already, which is awesome!
My Hyperfirm didn't have them either (under the scope), but it turns out it's pretty simple to cut out.
I left the area immediately under the scope since the counter is on the other side anyway, which gives support to the heavy part. But it adds considerably to the look, I think, to allow light to show through under there.
I agree I probably wouldn't want to cut out inside fill in the front sights of the Hyperfirm. I don't think the material is robust enough to handle that. I was wondering if this rubber might be better, though. And I'd rather have them experiment (and possibly ruin an already bad cast as an experiment) to see if it's a feasible mode, than me risk ruining my personal blaster. LOL