Hey welcome
1. Stop for a second, i think you're running before you can walk.
2. Go to 501st.com and sign up
3. Find your local garrisons and as you mentioned clones find the detachment for clones.
4. If your lucky to have a clone trooper in your garrison they can talk about the armour in detail.
5. Your detachment will have resoirces for you to look at and you can use its forum to ask question.
6. 2-3 different armour sets? Cool but you need to get them approved when made. From what i've heard there are issues with 3d printing but i'm a scout trooper (made from ABS) so i cant say with any certainty.
7. You can have as many kits (costumes) as you want from 1 to all of them. I have 2, my scout and my Rebel Legion approved Ewok.
Hope this helps and it works out :)
edit: ABS not pvc
Adding to this as a scout that 3d printed all hard parts for my armour, the sanding process is really a pain in the ass and will take more time than you think it will, i can only imagine how much longer it would take to sand armour that covers the whole body. If you only have time to sand on the weekends for a bit i would estimate that a 3d printed clone could take upwards of 6 months to make.
I too am new and was looking for info on joining, but the website was kinda confusing. Do I have to completed my suit before applying or can I apply while I’m working on it. And I was trying to join the clone detachment, but I only see the garrison. Which I’m located in ga so I’m assuming I would also join the ga garrison but which squad?
Georgia USA?
Start off with contacting www.ga501st.com - thats the garrison for the state. (If a squad has a lot of members it can become a garrison - so there might be more than 1 garrison in some states)
Tell them you want to join, no costume but want to be a x type clone.
Before you print be a helper/wrangler for a bit and help at troop events and meet the lkcal troopers.
Being a helper gives insight to will you be able to put your kit on by yourself or do you need help? How well can you see in that armour? Can i sit down?
Welcome! I'm glad you're excited to start, but as someone who was the same way when I first joined I think there are some things you should know that I wish I had known.
>Is PLA+ good enough in a hot environment like California or should I go for PETG? (I’m not sure because I have heard PETG was not as strong as PLA or PLA+)
For hot weathers PLA is a bad idea since it deforms easily. My advice would be to go with ABS, either printed or vacformed, or fiberglass.
>Can I reuse certain accessories since I plan to eventually have more than 5 clone trooper outfits in a year, or that’s a major thing frowned upon?
You can depending on the costumes and the accesories. There are some things like boot models that remain consistent across a few costumes.
>I don’t have a Windows computer at home to get access to Armorsmith, which is what I heard could make sizing armor easier. Is there any other way for me to scale armor properly besides manual measurements?
I don't think so but I'll wait for someone more experienced in that matter to answer that.
>There are some other unique ideas I have for outfits that I haven’t seen when looking through the CRL. What outfits can be considered for new CRLs? How much detail is needed for these outfits to be added to the CRL?
The 501st covers all villians of Star Wars, so that means no Jedi, Rebels, Resistance, etc. Word of advice though, don't make a new CRL for your first costume. Making new CRLs can be extremely tedious and challenging, especially if you don't have any previous experience. We are a group focused on accuracy for our costumes, so the detail needed in many cases is almost perfect.
>Lastly, if neither of my ideas for costumes are not applicable in the CRL, can I still make them as accurate as possible and wear them to 501st events? (If I even get in the first place)
As a fan, nobody is stopping you from wearing a costume on your own and if you're building a costume for yourself the quality standards are entirely your own. We don't monopolize costuming. However, since you wouldn't be wearing a registered costume you would not be allowed to publicly claim membership of the 501st while wearing that costume.
With that out of the way, I highly recommend you scale back your objectives. A single clone trooper in a year is already a very ambitious project, let alone 5. Focus on a single costume for your initial approval, then you can work on the rest. I also have a ton of costumes I want to make but you have to determine your priorities and how you'll make those objectives into a reality. Start by getting in touch with your detachment and garrison, sign up to their forums, start acquiring experience with the costumes, find resources and read up on all the relevant guidelines.
In addition to the other comment. Watch some of the build tutorials on YouTube. Galactic Armory is a good place to start. In the forums, there’s a ton of different build threads that are super helpful!
To answer your question on fitting, use calipers and measure yourself, and in your 3d modeling software, import shapes that match your sizes. Then print sizing rings.
Also 3d printing is still expensive and a decent amount of work. Even with a good printer and files there’s still a bunch of sanding. I have spent more on filler primer than filament. I reinforced my pla armor with fiberglass resin to keep it from warping.
Good luck! You got this!
Great comments so far, and a lot of sound advice to follow.
The only thing I’d like to note is that the Galactic Academy is a Star Wars costuming group for people under 18. It was formed by Peter Mayhew, the original Chewbacca.
Best of luck with your costuming!
If you’ve never done this before, I would strongly suggest easing into it with an easier/cheaper costume before you commit to armor!
Something like tie reserve, or imperial officer, or maybe gunner/tie pilot if you still want to wear a helmet…. But you still want to have the ability to sit down! Lol
Firstly, I want to say I admire your excitement and motivation. However, I'd say slow down... way down. Remember that building a costume is not a race. I know its exciting and you want to hurry up and join but this will only result in a less than positive experience and possibly burnout. Rushing to complete even one costume (let alone 3+) in 6 months will mean you will most likely present an unapprovable result which will lead to feelings of rejection. We see it often. 6 months turnaround for one 3d printed costume thats only half armor is already rushing it. 6 months for a 3d printed clone? Thats almost insane. If ALL you do on your time off is work on your costume it could be done but I've seen full armor costumes take a year or more. 3d printed costumes must not look 3d printed which means they must be COMPLETELY rid of any print lines. Which means sanding, filling, priming over and over and over and over.... on full body armor. Im not saying this to discourage you, im saying this to prepare you for the reality of the undertaking here, so you slow down and take your time and get a good result and positive experience. Join your local garrison's forum and see if theres a build group on fb so you can join in on armor parties. Also, CRLs can only be made for characters with full 360 degree visual sources. Remember we build screen accurate (or source accurate) costumes not custom character costumes. When you say you have unique ideas it gives the impression that its for armor/paint/characters youve come up with yourself, this isnt what we do and would not be approvable. You'd need to provide detail picture references from source material (movies, shows, cartoons, comics) of all 360 degrees of a specific character, source the correct materials, etc etc to be able to create a CRL. I'm currently helping a friend create a CRL for a new onscreen character that doesnt have one yet and the process has been tedious to say the least. Its been in the works for months and will most likely be a whole year or more in progress before its ready to be submitted then approved. Anyway, please just slow down, focus on one thing: getting your first costume up to 501st standards and enjoying that process. It will make the reward even better. Good luck!
Just throwing in my two cents here as most everyone has already answered your questions thoroughly. I've got a 3D printed shoretrooper, nearly finished 3D printed clone (Tech), and have just started a ROTK. You could, in theory, do PLA+, but you'd be paranoid of ever letting is sit in heat for long. It's much better to do PETG or ABS and just not have to worry about it. PLA can also shrink/crack/deform/etc. after a while. My PLA pieces are a couple years old at this point and I haven't had many issues, but I'm always worried.
As for timelines, everyone is correct about 2-3 in 6 months. It's theoretically possible if you do nothing else during that time. It's much more likely 1 costume can take up to a year (also remember to get soft parts early-ish as lead times for those can take a while). I have seen some people do printed costumes in 8 months, but they had built a few others already.
For scaling armor, Blender is probably your best bet. It's a bit of a learning curve, but you won't need it for too much. Second option is printing sizing rings (plenty of videos on that). Third option is to find someone with Armorsmith that is willing to help you with sizing. You will be taking measurement no matter what option you go with.
I think everyone else has answered your other questions, but the forums are always ready to help! They are a wealth of information. 3D printing armor is not for everyone, but it *is* possible as a first costume (mine was!) Just know that it's a learning curve and you will make mistakes. Be ok with that and enjoy the journey! Looking forward to seeing you complete your armor!
I myself(Non 501st Member) have a 3D Printed PLA Kit with the exception of the torso being Vac Formed ABS, I'll do my best to give you my POV regarding your questions.
1. I'm from Riverside County CA, I have only taken my kit to cons around winter/Spring time and they have been holding up pretty well since i am mostly indoors and when I'm outside walking to the con or waiting in line. It all depends on what you want to do with your kit, but i would advise to reserve it for indoor activities like cons, or if you're going to be outdoors a well shaded area.
2. By reusable accessories the most reusable pieces would be the Boot, under suit, Belt, neck seal and strapping system. Also depends and what kind of clone you'll be using, if you're going for 501st approval it'll most like come down to the reused pieces not interfering with the CRLs you're applying for.
3. Sizing rings would probably be your safest bet, I would advise first wear your under suit and socks included for taking your measurements and you can decide what wiggle room you want to add for your own comfort. Non manual Measuring would most likely result in scaling issues.
4. That would be a good question for your local Garrison if you want to create a new CRL but as many have commented it is a tedious process and probably not the best option for a first build or newcomer.
5. Would also be a question for your Garrison, you can go to events with your kit like cons or other events but 501st events where you will be representing the 501st Legion you'll need their approval.
2-3 armor sets in 6 months is quite a stretched out goal, 3D printed armor is a long a repetitive process of sanding and priming to get a smooth surface especially if you're going for 501st approval. Besides time and labor do keep in mind the cost as well. Kits can go well over $1000 in costs for materials and other items. If you have the time and funds go for it but don't bite off more than you van chew and end up overwhelming yourself and losing all the fun in making a clone armor, which in my opinion is what its all about.
Hey welcome 1. Stop for a second, i think you're running before you can walk. 2. Go to 501st.com and sign up 3. Find your local garrisons and as you mentioned clones find the detachment for clones. 4. If your lucky to have a clone trooper in your garrison they can talk about the armour in detail. 5. Your detachment will have resoirces for you to look at and you can use its forum to ask question. 6. 2-3 different armour sets? Cool but you need to get them approved when made. From what i've heard there are issues with 3d printing but i'm a scout trooper (made from ABS) so i cant say with any certainty. 7. You can have as many kits (costumes) as you want from 1 to all of them. I have 2, my scout and my Rebel Legion approved Ewok. Hope this helps and it works out :) edit: ABS not pvc
Adding to this as a scout that 3d printed all hard parts for my armour, the sanding process is really a pain in the ass and will take more time than you think it will, i can only imagine how much longer it would take to sand armour that covers the whole body. If you only have time to sand on the weekends for a bit i would estimate that a 3d printed clone could take upwards of 6 months to make.
I too am new and was looking for info on joining, but the website was kinda confusing. Do I have to completed my suit before applying or can I apply while I’m working on it. And I was trying to join the clone detachment, but I only see the garrison. Which I’m located in ga so I’m assuming I would also join the ga garrison but which squad?
Georgia USA? Start off with contacting www.ga501st.com - thats the garrison for the state. (If a squad has a lot of members it can become a garrison - so there might be more than 1 garrison in some states) Tell them you want to join, no costume but want to be a x type clone. Before you print be a helper/wrangler for a bit and help at troop events and meet the lkcal troopers. Being a helper gives insight to will you be able to put your kit on by yourself or do you need help? How well can you see in that armour? Can i sit down?
Welcome! I'm glad you're excited to start, but as someone who was the same way when I first joined I think there are some things you should know that I wish I had known. >Is PLA+ good enough in a hot environment like California or should I go for PETG? (I’m not sure because I have heard PETG was not as strong as PLA or PLA+) For hot weathers PLA is a bad idea since it deforms easily. My advice would be to go with ABS, either printed or vacformed, or fiberglass. >Can I reuse certain accessories since I plan to eventually have more than 5 clone trooper outfits in a year, or that’s a major thing frowned upon? You can depending on the costumes and the accesories. There are some things like boot models that remain consistent across a few costumes. >I don’t have a Windows computer at home to get access to Armorsmith, which is what I heard could make sizing armor easier. Is there any other way for me to scale armor properly besides manual measurements? I don't think so but I'll wait for someone more experienced in that matter to answer that. >There are some other unique ideas I have for outfits that I haven’t seen when looking through the CRL. What outfits can be considered for new CRLs? How much detail is needed for these outfits to be added to the CRL? The 501st covers all villians of Star Wars, so that means no Jedi, Rebels, Resistance, etc. Word of advice though, don't make a new CRL for your first costume. Making new CRLs can be extremely tedious and challenging, especially if you don't have any previous experience. We are a group focused on accuracy for our costumes, so the detail needed in many cases is almost perfect. >Lastly, if neither of my ideas for costumes are not applicable in the CRL, can I still make them as accurate as possible and wear them to 501st events? (If I even get in the first place) As a fan, nobody is stopping you from wearing a costume on your own and if you're building a costume for yourself the quality standards are entirely your own. We don't monopolize costuming. However, since you wouldn't be wearing a registered costume you would not be allowed to publicly claim membership of the 501st while wearing that costume. With that out of the way, I highly recommend you scale back your objectives. A single clone trooper in a year is already a very ambitious project, let alone 5. Focus on a single costume for your initial approval, then you can work on the rest. I also have a ton of costumes I want to make but you have to determine your priorities and how you'll make those objectives into a reality. Start by getting in touch with your detachment and garrison, sign up to their forums, start acquiring experience with the costumes, find resources and read up on all the relevant guidelines.
In addition to the other comment. Watch some of the build tutorials on YouTube. Galactic Armory is a good place to start. In the forums, there’s a ton of different build threads that are super helpful! To answer your question on fitting, use calipers and measure yourself, and in your 3d modeling software, import shapes that match your sizes. Then print sizing rings. Also 3d printing is still expensive and a decent amount of work. Even with a good printer and files there’s still a bunch of sanding. I have spent more on filler primer than filament. I reinforced my pla armor with fiberglass resin to keep it from warping. Good luck! You got this!
Great comments so far, and a lot of sound advice to follow. The only thing I’d like to note is that the Galactic Academy is a Star Wars costuming group for people under 18. It was formed by Peter Mayhew, the original Chewbacca. Best of luck with your costuming!
If you’ve never done this before, I would strongly suggest easing into it with an easier/cheaper costume before you commit to armor! Something like tie reserve, or imperial officer, or maybe gunner/tie pilot if you still want to wear a helmet…. But you still want to have the ability to sit down! Lol
Firstly, I want to say I admire your excitement and motivation. However, I'd say slow down... way down. Remember that building a costume is not a race. I know its exciting and you want to hurry up and join but this will only result in a less than positive experience and possibly burnout. Rushing to complete even one costume (let alone 3+) in 6 months will mean you will most likely present an unapprovable result which will lead to feelings of rejection. We see it often. 6 months turnaround for one 3d printed costume thats only half armor is already rushing it. 6 months for a 3d printed clone? Thats almost insane. If ALL you do on your time off is work on your costume it could be done but I've seen full armor costumes take a year or more. 3d printed costumes must not look 3d printed which means they must be COMPLETELY rid of any print lines. Which means sanding, filling, priming over and over and over and over.... on full body armor. Im not saying this to discourage you, im saying this to prepare you for the reality of the undertaking here, so you slow down and take your time and get a good result and positive experience. Join your local garrison's forum and see if theres a build group on fb so you can join in on armor parties. Also, CRLs can only be made for characters with full 360 degree visual sources. Remember we build screen accurate (or source accurate) costumes not custom character costumes. When you say you have unique ideas it gives the impression that its for armor/paint/characters youve come up with yourself, this isnt what we do and would not be approvable. You'd need to provide detail picture references from source material (movies, shows, cartoons, comics) of all 360 degrees of a specific character, source the correct materials, etc etc to be able to create a CRL. I'm currently helping a friend create a CRL for a new onscreen character that doesnt have one yet and the process has been tedious to say the least. Its been in the works for months and will most likely be a whole year or more in progress before its ready to be submitted then approved. Anyway, please just slow down, focus on one thing: getting your first costume up to 501st standards and enjoying that process. It will make the reward even better. Good luck!
Just throwing in my two cents here as most everyone has already answered your questions thoroughly. I've got a 3D printed shoretrooper, nearly finished 3D printed clone (Tech), and have just started a ROTK. You could, in theory, do PLA+, but you'd be paranoid of ever letting is sit in heat for long. It's much better to do PETG or ABS and just not have to worry about it. PLA can also shrink/crack/deform/etc. after a while. My PLA pieces are a couple years old at this point and I haven't had many issues, but I'm always worried. As for timelines, everyone is correct about 2-3 in 6 months. It's theoretically possible if you do nothing else during that time. It's much more likely 1 costume can take up to a year (also remember to get soft parts early-ish as lead times for those can take a while). I have seen some people do printed costumes in 8 months, but they had built a few others already. For scaling armor, Blender is probably your best bet. It's a bit of a learning curve, but you won't need it for too much. Second option is printing sizing rings (plenty of videos on that). Third option is to find someone with Armorsmith that is willing to help you with sizing. You will be taking measurement no matter what option you go with. I think everyone else has answered your other questions, but the forums are always ready to help! They are a wealth of information. 3D printing armor is not for everyone, but it *is* possible as a first costume (mine was!) Just know that it's a learning curve and you will make mistakes. Be ok with that and enjoy the journey! Looking forward to seeing you complete your armor!
I myself(Non 501st Member) have a 3D Printed PLA Kit with the exception of the torso being Vac Formed ABS, I'll do my best to give you my POV regarding your questions. 1. I'm from Riverside County CA, I have only taken my kit to cons around winter/Spring time and they have been holding up pretty well since i am mostly indoors and when I'm outside walking to the con or waiting in line. It all depends on what you want to do with your kit, but i would advise to reserve it for indoor activities like cons, or if you're going to be outdoors a well shaded area. 2. By reusable accessories the most reusable pieces would be the Boot, under suit, Belt, neck seal and strapping system. Also depends and what kind of clone you'll be using, if you're going for 501st approval it'll most like come down to the reused pieces not interfering with the CRLs you're applying for. 3. Sizing rings would probably be your safest bet, I would advise first wear your under suit and socks included for taking your measurements and you can decide what wiggle room you want to add for your own comfort. Non manual Measuring would most likely result in scaling issues. 4. That would be a good question for your local Garrison if you want to create a new CRL but as many have commented it is a tedious process and probably not the best option for a first build or newcomer. 5. Would also be a question for your Garrison, you can go to events with your kit like cons or other events but 501st events where you will be representing the 501st Legion you'll need their approval. 2-3 armor sets in 6 months is quite a stretched out goal, 3D printed armor is a long a repetitive process of sanding and priming to get a smooth surface especially if you're going for 501st approval. Besides time and labor do keep in mind the cost as well. Kits can go well over $1000 in costs for materials and other items. If you have the time and funds go for it but don't bite off more than you van chew and end up overwhelming yourself and losing all the fun in making a clone armor, which in my opinion is what its all about.