kman
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Posts posted by kman
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Going to need some photos to give any assembly help, really.
What material is printed with? (probably PLA or PETG) If it's PLA you're going to want to be VERY careful to never leave the piece in a hot car, or just sitting out in the sun for long periods of time on a hot day... it's very easy to get PLA up to it's melting point (or at least it's softening point and have it be ruined.
For gluing, most people use standard superglue (CA glue, cyanoacrylate). You can hit Home Depot and just pick up some regular super glue (Gorilla glue and the like), but you might be better served by picking up a larger bottle of better stuff, like Zap a Gap or anything from Bob Smith Industries (most real pros seem to use Bob Smith, although Zap A Gap has a strong following too) For parts where structural hold could be an issue and they'll take a lot of stress, you may want to pick up some 5 minute epoxy instead. (The stuff from Home Depot is fine)
Note that you probably have a lot of sanding in your future to get rid of the 3D printing lines. Sanding the parts directly can work, but be careful with any power tools because they'll get the piece hot enough to start melting the plastic. You might also consider picking up a can of Rustoelum (or Krylon) Filler Primer, which is a thick primer you spray on, let dry, and then sand down... the primer fills in the lines and gives you a smoother surface. Ultimate options include Bondo (or glazing putty), which sands beautifully but is a mess, or even painting on resin and sanding that down, which can give the ultimate glossy smooth surface but is pretty involved... perhaps not for a beginner.
Final coat is up to you. Most common is probably a simple flat / matte black. Sometimes it can be nice to do a few pieces in like a satin black, which gives some nice contrast. I find Krylon tends to be the best on plastics, better than Rustoleum, but I use plenty of Rustoleum, too. It often doesn't matter which. For the silver part, you have lots of options... I like Rustoleum "Bright Coat" metallic chome, and have used it on a number of blasters, but getting true metal finishes on plastics can be hard.
Adding weathering is a whole 'nother discussion. Look up dry brushing on YouTube and you'll find tons of instructional videos. Silver Rub N'Buff can produce some amazing results, but go light, because when it comes to weathering a little goes a long way... it's really easy to overdo it, and repainting the whole thing sucks, so start light and live with it before you add more. Actually you can get some very nice stuff done with just a silver sharpie, too, although it's not quite as realistic as rub n buff.
Finally, in the end you'll want to clear coat it. (Especially if you use rub n buff, which is a waxy material that never entirely dries and will get everywhere if you don't seal it) Use a matte (best for most) or sometimes satin clearcoat. Again, Rustoleum and Krylon as both just fine.
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On 3/30/2024 at 10:06 AM, RogalDom said:
Dose anyone have a template for his cloak, so i can make it myself? Also dose anyone know how to attach it to to the uniform?
No one has drafted a pattern (and shared it) that I know of, but there is a cloak detail page on the CRL that shows quite a bit of the general construction requirements.
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@chicken45 Should we start pulling together some text on this?
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On 3/22/2024 at 7:10 AM, chicken45 said:
I'm good with making it a L2 thing.
How about this new line for L2:
- Metal loops connecting the hat's leather band sections should be approximately 1cm wide, matching screen references, and closely fit the leather band.
Further, I think we should edit the L1 line, to clean up the language (these are NOT buckles, for one thing, and there's only one on each side):
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The leather band features
tworectangulara roughly square metalbucklesloop on each sideboth sides.
We'll need LMO approval to edit that basic requirement, but I doubt they'll object.
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A range of fabric is acceptable... but there is good reason why most use a sturdy fabric like a twill. I'm not sure a finer material like Gabardine would stand up well over time, and wrinkles might be something of a nightmare. Finally, I'm also not sure how it would drape and look, compared to the sturdier options.
Soooo... I don't think I would advise it, necessarily... but if you decide you want to take a gamble on it, I'd be curious to see how it turns out? Can't promise your GML will pass it, especially if the fabric ends up looking not-quite-right. You may want to see what they have to say on the matter, since basic approval is in their hands.
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Bumping this thread, as it has recently come to my attention.
@chicken45 what are your thoughts on the matter?
Screenshot for reference. Note the metal loops on that hat band are significantly smaller than in the current CRL photos. I think noting a more specific size and/or shape is probably a good idea, for Level 3, or perhaps even Level 2.
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On 3/8/2024 at 5:09 PM, ImperialAgentSim said:
Anyone know where they might have a 3D print of these or who can do it? I have been asking around but nothing so far. It looks to be around 3 inches long and 2 inches wide.
There was someone on Etsy selling a 3D model that you could print or have printed elsewhere. Unfortunately is was only *meh* accurate. I can dig up the link, I think, if you'd like.
One of these days I may dust off my modelling skills and see if I can model one, but that won't be on a short timetable. Or Ezra (@Alay) threatened to do one, at one point, but I'm not sure what happened with that.
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Sorry for the delay in responding.
Hmm, for the collar pins, I might consider using pin back and clutches, like enamel pins usually have? You can get a bunch for cheap on Amazon or REALLY cheap on eBay (slower shipping). Two on each to avoid rotating.
Another option might be magnets, but reversed from the usual with rank bars... put a thin layer of steel on the back, like from an old metal sign, cut up with some tin snips, and use the magnets on the inside. Or if you want to re-do the 3D models (sometimes that's easy and people don't mind), you could add an inset cavity in the model so it's not any deeper, and put magnets on both sides for a stronger hold.
For the code cylinders, assuming its not simple to get inside and add interfacing to the fabric itself... hard to say. Perhaps some thin semi-stiff (but still flexible) plastic, like the kind they use for those cheap thin cutting boards? Cut a piece the full size of the inside of your code cylinder pockets (width and depth) to spread out the load a little. You could experiment with some simple cardboard (like posterboard) as a proof of concept, to see if that might work. Just a thought. Others might have some ideas, too.
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The trickiest parts to get right are the main tunic, and boots, as for any officer. With Krennic in particular, depending on which version you are doing, the cape or poncho add additional hurdles.
As Danny noted, which version were you looking at doing? What do you have so far? Can you show us some photos?
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I don't recall getting an applicant with the completed costume, which would be required to submit the CRL for approval.
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On 2/17/2024 at 5:34 AM, Hask said:
Amnesty officers were rejected for 501st inclusion. Whilst the person wearing it may be of a shady character the uniform is still New Republic issue.
The person wearing it, in this case, is literally an imperial officer, Elia Kane. Who, it turned out (sorry if spoilers) was very much still working for the Empire, just in disguise.
Wasn't there a joint Legion decision to allow "disguise characters" a few years ago?
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On 3/3/2024 at 11:37 PM, KGriffen said:
Hello everyone. Just settling in from ECCC and would like to share some photos of my Rae Sloane so far. I will still need to find knee high boots and a better way to fasten the collar pins. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Looks great! Can you provide a quick closeup shot of how the collar pins are, now? It's a little hard to tell in the full length photos. (And what are they made of?) Then perhaps we can come up with some suggestions.
What sort of help can we offer, in terms of boots? Vendors? Did you have a budget in mind?
One tip I would recommend, if possible: Can some sort of stiffener be employed in the code cylinder pockets, to help them sag less? Dual code cylinders is a fair amount of weight. This would not prevent approval, but it rather intended as a hopefully helpful tip that can help improve an already excellent costume.
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On 3/4/2024 at 11:33 AM, Mesh said:
sorry for the potential necro,
My ISB and Staff Officer are Cossky and both L3 before this, are they grandfathered?
The only issue is the green ones. Black and white are still fine.
(And nothing is ever taken away... had you been approved to L3 in green before, it would still be valid, but no new applications for L3 in this green will be approved)
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The official rank chart covers the options pretty well.
You cannot mix and match costume items from different CRL versions... tabs are there for convenience, but v1 is a wholly separate CRL to v2, for instance.
Each branch is comprised of various colors of uniform, so that's not the determiner.
For basic approval, any of these ranks is fine. For higher level approvals you'll want to emulate the configuration of a specific officer from authorized sources.
The "mix-and-match" aspect is normal in pretty much every real world military. Just because you see an officer not wearing a hat, doesn't mean they don't have one somewhere. Ditto for gloves, trench coats, ponchos, you name it. Collared undershirts, too. Unless it's a formal inspection, officers will wear uniform basics from the selection on hand that are suitable to the situation.
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Might be worth asking again after the dust settles from the elections.
I can't see how they would have a rationale for turning down Elia Kane as a face character, if still unwilling to do a generic.
Someone has to make the costume for a CRL to be created, however, so we'll need someone who wants to do face character for Kane in this costume, to move forward, if greenlit.
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On 2/15/2024 at 8:45 AM, IBC976 said:
Fast forward a few years!
This is fantastic Ben! Thanks for having it up here.
I'm currently doing something similar for my Imperial Bridge Crew build. I have a resource for the ear pieces if anyone is interested.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0829RZ62X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These are a good substitute and reasonably cheap.
Nice find! I found similar ones on eBay a few years back, but those are definitely cheaper.
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I concur, "ask your GML" is probably the best advice, if you're concerned about being approved specifically with a specific piece.
Personally, as long as it looks reasonably in the right ballpark, we tend to not get too into the weeds with blaster detail, particularly since Officer blasters spend the majority of their life in holsters anyway.
As to the scope mount, the CRL language (which I suspect was copied from the Death Trooper language verbatim, but I have not double checked that yet), simply says "The scope mount looks similar to the magazine but smaller in size." It doesn't spefically call out the grooves, so that would again be a GML call on how THEY interpret the language. I'm not against modifying the line to allow for both grooved and ungrooved variants, though.
I would not use the Stormtrooper SE14R as an example... that particular blaster only appeared in that one promo photo, and was never seen in ANH (aside from the Dr. Ezran model which was yet another different variant). We would care more about the models actually seen in officer's hands, which I believe are usually more consistent. Still, different productions have had different propmasters who sometimes made some slight variations, so none of these are set in stone the same way other blasters have been. (noting that few blasters have ever been 100% consistent across even the same movie or show).
The ones I can think of that would apply all have the charging handle on the right (costumer's right, when holding the blaster in hand). I've seen scope adjustment knobs facing both ways, always up, but the second to the left or right. From a shooting perspective, this would be end user preference. (along with right-handed vs left handed differences)
Here, it's to the right, and yet many other references show it to the left, so clearly there's an amount of dealer's choice at play. On my own SE-14R, I set it up with the knob to my right, as below, because I just thought it looked better. (It also holsters better with the bumpy bits facing the outside)
@chicken45 Perhaps we should tweak the CRL language a little, for clarity on some of these points? (The changes could affect several CRLs, though). Or did the text block come completely canned from the Death Trooper CRL?
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Yup, looks like a totally new compad style. Beltloops on the flightsuit, too... that's another first, I think.
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On 1/31/2024 at 1:38 PM, ChrisLie said:
Usually Maz and Clothears can be more expensive. Cloth I don't remember the price, but MazCave can be up to 750 euro for a set. But I think it's a fair price consider the quality and costum order
Clothears is around $1k and a good year wait, last I saw
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Cossky's costumes are surprisingly decent quality for the money, but that doesn't mean there are no compromises made. Their black uniforms are fairly decent, IF they fit you (off the rack sizing only, and sometimes their work can be wonky). Tailoring sometimes helps, but there's very little seam allowance, so fixing the neck tends to be impossible. Their olive uniform... well, for all that it's the same construction as the black, the color is rather bad. You'll notice it's no longer accepted for higher level approvals. It suffices for basic... for now. (assuming it fits correctly, as always)
Magnoli's is ok. People have had mixed results with that vendor. If there's a problem, good customer service is... unlikely. The quality of work is quite good, and the uniforms meet CRL requirements, last I checked. The fabric they use is not as good as some others, however. If you need a full custom suit, which is Magnoli's main selling point, I would look to MazCave or Clothears as superior options.
If you fit off the rack sizing, I would look at WampaWear over Magnoli, personally (although their hats are rather off, while approvable, and buying fabric to have one made to match definitely bring the cost up). Frankly, I'd look at ImperialBoots over Magnoli, too. (Magnoli's quality is better but WW and IB use more accurate fabric)
I'm not a fan of Magnoli's accessories. I'd recommend BaileyBuilds (on Etsy, sold in our sales forums, or at ezrabaileybuilds.com) instead.
Magnoli's boots are good, but you can easily do better, price-wise. (And def don't waste money on their $800 custom ones)
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If it helps any, here's mine. Different 3D file source, printed myself, but many of the basics are the same. I later applied minor weathering and replaced the ejection port cover.
Using a real scope helps tremendously, IMO. A simple 4x rimfire scope from Walmart did the trick for me... I think they may be a little more than the $20 I paid now, but still quite affordable. And yes, mounted backwards is canon!
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If Maz took their store down, they're taking a break. Normally I'd message them on Etsy for best response, since that's the business.
PilotBay is worth reaching out, perhaps? Message them from their Etsy store... I'm not sure if they list the hats (or most of the stuff they do)
ISB Datapad
in Costume Questions - Ask Here!
Posted
Is that an official source, or fan art? I've never seen that datapad before. Not aware of any sources, but Etsy (and Thingieverse) are vast and deep...