What Does It REALLY cost to 3D Print Cosplay?

[@Costronica]

to people asking about EU brands about "Bondo" etc, get the brand "Motip" they usually sell all those variants under that name over here in Europe. (including putties etc) Motip and Duplicolor (the brand of the steel rattlecan in this video), fused together in 1998 into the MOTIP DUPLI group, so if your looking for stuff, just include MOTIP in your search query. example: Motip putty / spot putty / 1k finishing putty

[@astrophysicistguy]

Using a 3D printer is like buying almost anything else. The more you invest the less hassles you typically have but that doesn't mean you can't accomplish the same thing on less expensive items. It's a matter of do you want to invest your money or your time in a project.

[@BuckyMF]

This depends entirely on the specific 3D printer. Buying a CR-10 or similar, if you even can anymore, wouldn’t be so simple.

[@jann.5099]

I did your full Helldivers 2 Armor on a 150€ Ender 3. 😂 Took a while but looked awesome ☺️

[@Natkonichiwa]

I used an Anycubic Vyper to print the entire helldiver costume for halloween this year. you can do it. Just takes time. Plus the Anycubic was more expensive and isn't as high of quality (in my experience) print wise as the Bambu. You can do it, just have to start!

[@TheTurnipKing]

I've had a Kobra 2 Neo for about a week, and price/performance I've been quite impressed,

[@sealdoggydog]

Bought a Creality Ender 3 Pro off eBay a couple of months ago for like £100. Aside from the constant reconfiguring, bed levelling, tinkering, and other materials which came with a few costs (mostly due to my own inexperience), I have been loving the experience. I gather that by today's standards the Ender 3 is now a little outdated, but it has a large community and lots of modification options. Not ideal for a 'plug in and play' experience, but for approx. £150 all in, it has been a great introduction into the world of 3D printing. (btw also joined a Patreon and received a commercial licence to sell a few prints, and have subsequently made back all of my upfront investment!!)

[@tyler_stab]

A lot of us started on the Ender 3 Pro! I think those skills are really valuable. Is it a pain? Yeah, a little- especially when you're diving into Marlin or recoding your printer's config, but I'm glad I slugged it out in the trenches of early 3D Printing.

[@SaitoGray]

@@tyler_stab Exactly, it's really hell in the beginning, but they're invaluable skill that transfert on new machine. I finally bought a K1 max 2month ago, and all that tinkering on the ender 3 allowed me to dials that thing down perfectly.

[@crystalmiller9530]

I just got my A1 mini in the mail yesterday and printed out a bunch of stuff and it’s really nice. I do have an elegoo three max. So I don’t need to print my helmets on it, but it is a nice printer from the little time. I’ve had it and it has reallygood print quality.

[@ibalisticcat4439]

love the intro, seems like you guys had a lot of fun with it

[@heatherpayne1995]

I bought a Bambu P1S in October. Spent $600 on it. Bambu started their black Friday sale a few weeks later and they gave me a $50 credit when I asked. I put that towards an AMS. Also, I tried printing a few free STL cosplay files and they were really horrible. I ended up buying a file from you guys so it wouldn't suck. I should go check my printer now to see how it's going.

[@matthewkelly9012]

How is your progress?

[@heatherpayne1995]

​@@matthewkelly9012I bought a Westar 35 STL from them. I started by printing the grip and it turned out really nice. The rest of the parts are printing now. I tried a free one from Makerlab and I guess you get what you pay for. It was a waste of PETG.

[@heatherpayne1995]

​@@matthewkelly9012I bought a Bo Katan Westar 35 STL. I started by printing the grip and it turned out really well. The rest of the parts are printing now. I tried a free one from Bambu and it just was a waste of PETG. I guess you get what you pay for.

[@matthewkelly9012]

@@heatherpayne1995 I'm glad to hear it's going well! I may have to buy some files soon. Thank you! And happy printing!

[@seekertosecrets]

0:32 Jamie is a wild one! I watch that part of the video twice before continuing! 17:54 I just want to know how Jamie made that 1 way visor!

[@SuicideNeil]

They have videos from a few years ago explaining the process.

[@mrfochs]

Let's be honest, anyone who thinks printers cost $1000's are completely clueless. The Creality Cr-10 was only a few hundred back in 2016/17 and the race to the bottom of Ender 3 copies in 2019-2020 made it so a decent printer shouldn't cost more than $250. The prices have started to creep up but the quality and reliability increase is the reason for that.

[@davestir5743]

I use a longer 5kPro it prints 400mmx400mmx400mm. I can do the whole mask in one shot, it may take 5 days to print but it works. The printer costs Less than $300. It prints really well once you set it up properly, which doesn't cost any money, just time to dial in everything for the plastic you are using. I printed a Wolverine Cowl for Halloween, and didn't even paint it, it came off the printer and from 3ft away you can't see the lines and it looks good enough to wear out at night while trick or treating, the kiddo took it out that night. Peoples biggest problem is they want the print to go fast, fast equals more problems with the way the print looks. Go slow and it comes out really good. If you can't get a good print form your 3d Printer, the printer isn't the problem, the way you have it set up is the problem. Trail and error, might take some time, you might burn through a roll or two of filament to get it right; however, once dialed in you'll love your printer. I have printed Wolverines cowl, Bo Katans helmet, the Mandalorian helmet, A dragon head helmet, a wolfs head helmet. Spend the extra time in the setup and you can have a really cheap printer print well.

[@rasse30]

Thank you guys for putting this out there, much appreciated

[@Steelstriker]

I have question, could I print the helmet parts on a resin printer?

[@robclarke1098]

You could, but it would use a ton of resin. I would guess about 5-6 kg of resin, which would be very difficult to wear and very brittle.

[@GalacticArmory]

Wouldn't recommend. We use Ministry of Resin's Durable Resin with their Bang additive for all our detail parts on normal builds. They are very tough, but a full helmet in that wouldn't be realistic for the cost. That's why we focus on parts that need the detail or strength- helmet chin details, blaster barrels, triggers...etc. -Tyler

[@8acondorf]

Great content! Just picked up a P1S and this makes the process seem very doable. I would really love a sort of "Part II" to this video regarding helmet visors, and the different entry points and methods to building your own visors.

[@kaiengrail]

I got an anycubic vyper from a thrift shop fairly recently and i just have to troubleshoot to make sure everything works correctly but im excited to start making helmets and cosplay stuff from it. My nieces and nephews are about to get an upgrade in costumes for Halloween (And conventions for me)

[@MrStrykerVenom]

This is an amazing breakdown for new 3d printers

[@WiseManArsenal]

That was a handsome ODST 😍

[@rlockset9]

Just subbed to the patreon a couple of weeks ago. Love your content guys keep up the great work.

[@GamingMuItiverse]

Hi, when will you continue cutting figurines and make a SW airbone trooper model?

[@Millenniumworkshop]

Now this was a fun video! Great job

[@zakspop]

I bought an Elegoo Neptune 4 Max from Ebay for $185. It is one of the largest 3D Printers you can get.

[@cfeauto5938]

Suuper interested in getting this model though i didnt see it in any of the patreon previews did this helmet come from somewhere else or is it new with the Patreon?

[@GalacticArmory]

The Chaplain is apart of the Space Marine contest that we're currently doing, so it has been extended to the end of this month. If you sign up now, you will get the Chaplain in the 'Contest Eligible' folder along with other Space Marine helmets.

[@Gurty]

Thank you for the tutorial, that is very informative. The only issue that iam walking in is that the Bondo Spot Putty isn't available in the EU. Do you have maybe other suggestions?

[@flatlineforge5119]

Baby powder and UV set resin works really well as an alternative!

[@GalacticArmory]

Acrylic putty is also a popular alternative!

[@peterclegg2609]

I bought some bondo on Amazon uk

[@TenaciousTiger]

This video is basically how I described to my friend about how cheap 3d printing really can be. I just got into it 3 weeks ago and I was shocked how cheap printing a helmet can be. I printed your guy's Legacy Mark V Halo Helmet. I was shocked it only took a 1 spool and maybe a quarter. So like $20 CAD (I buy the 8 spool bulk refills for $16.99) minus the printer, but like you say its a one time purchase and its cost only gets more effective the more you print. Although I wish I bought the bigger size printer. The A1 Mini is very small. Lots of Seams.

[@Cheddar-420]

Have you finished the helmet? Because ya printing it costs $20. But filler primer in Canada is $24 a can, probably 2 cans to do a helmet the first time, maybe 3. Bondo at Can Tire is 12.99 a tube. You're going to use a hole tube probably. If you do it the conventional way it's going to be a HUGE PITA. You will hate it, unless you're like an auto body guy. My first helmet took 40hrs of finishing. I sprayed it with crap rustoleum black, then went to hit it with another clear and it spider webbed all over the helmet. I had to sand it all down and do it again. Because people said to use bad quality paint. Protips coming up : Use an orbital sander. with like 220. Don't stay in one spot long but do the entire helmet. After that, wet sand that down with a 400. to take the 'fuzz' off left by sanding. WEARING A MASK WHILE ORBITAL SANDING Buy acetone at Canadian tire. Thin the bondo Glazing putty to a near water like consistency. Paint layers on your helmet to cover layer lines. It's going to make your life SOOO much freaking easier when it comes to sanding. Probably 3-5. I'd say a 1:10 mix of bondo to acetone. You can go less as far as ratio, but you will sand more. It's a trade off. WET SAND. Don't breath in the dust. wet sand man. 3m Automotive wet sanding multipacks at Can Tire are like $7-13 or something like that 320-1000 I think. The grit doesn't come off the paper into the print and make your finished paint job look awful like cheap wet sanding paper will. Buy the good stuff. Rinse it after sanding paints and you can use it for quite a while. Prime it BUT DON'T USE FILLER PRIMER. You save $10 a can. Buy the Rustoleum black Primer, primer is primer. don't waste money here. It's 13.99 at home depot or 14.99 at Can tire. Spray a thin prime layer. See if you need to rebondo anywhere. IMHO you shouldn't be applying full strength bondo unless you are filling a crack/layer that didn't adhere. Or smoothing seem transitions. But if you used pegs in your slicer, you shouldn't have nasty transitions. All the grey primer does is make it slightly easier over the black to see the layer lines. Use a good light, like a range hood in your kitchen and you'll be fine with the cheaper primer. In order to get a real glass like finish on a helmet you need to sand off the filler primer, it's nonsensical to use it. IMHO. Use Montana Gold Paints from michaels. It's the same price as Rustoleum, it doesn't contain clear. But the paints are just better. Period. Their metallics like gold are amazing. Get a clear and do 2-3 coats with a light wet sand between all layers. Then follow the directions on your clear of choice, you can put a 2k on it and have great protection for all your hard work. This stuff is a labour of love. There's a lot of learning. Hopefully this saves you time and money. I was almost $350 into my first helmet after bondo, mask, filler primer x3, paint, clear, filament, gloves tape and a big roll of paper to block off the areas and use less tape. It adds up. If you can save money on mistakes you can save so much time and money.

[@TenaciousTiger]

@Cheddar-420 I was only talking about printing it. And Yeah It's finished. Probably about $70 total to fully finish it.

[@Cheddar-420]

@@TenaciousTiger That's a heck of a lot better than I managed on my first attempt lol.

[@TenaciousTiger]

@Cheddar-420 Thanks! Lol. I did a lot research. I also had some help from my girlfriend's dad. He taught me a lot of tricks for airbrushing.

[@mrburns366]

I'm still rocking an ender 3.. I've upgraded the hot end added a BL touch and that's about it.. Prints consistently good parts all the time. 🤷

[@masterj5082]

Bought an elegoo neptune 3 pro. Bought an stl file for a big ass Sauron helmet, downloaded a few free ones, got me some nice quality filament. That was 4 months ago. Spent more time tinkering with the hot plastic spitter than actually getting anything done. I just can't figure it out, so now I have 2 helmets which I CAN'T print alongside with many small failures. Was it temperature, flowrate, speed or maybe the stars weren't aligned properly? Demotivated, I've given up on it, should have saved up for a bamboo or a prusa, sigh...

[@MrWolfFenrir]

Which problems, exactly?

[@masterj5082]

@@MrWolfFenrir Well apart for some minor problems, there's one that still boggles me, since it's structural = a problem. When a new perimeter begins, there's underextrusion it seems for like 5 cm, when I have 3 walls, all of them begin this way, which results in delamination, I can literally stick a knife between the perimeter walls. I've tried retraction, temperature, and some other minor adjustments, for all I know it could be the pressure in the nozzle chamber? It's weird, it even created holes in the print right where the seam was.

[@MrWolfFenrir]

@ 1) Calibrate rotation distance for extruder 2) calibrate linear advance 3) calibrate flow (or set around 0,97 for tests)

[@northwales1000]

Thinking of joining the patreon. Do you get access to everything or only so far back?

[@GalacticArmory]

@@northwales1000 if you join annually at the specialist tier you get everything I've ever made

[@5FSF]

You guys seem like you are something of an authority on making cosplay pieces, do you have any thoughts on PLA? Have you not had melting issues?

[@GalacticArmory]

Tips and tricks video coming soon

[@rubenverster250]

Seriously dope! I have 3 printers and I'm definitely not using them for their full capacity :/

[@anetrom]

Bondo body filler isnt available in Norway. Anything else I can use? Wallfiller? epoxy glue?

[@robclarke1098]

I used car body filler mixed with a little acetone to fill any big gaps and then ceramic powder mixed with 3d printing resin (cured with a UV lamp) to smooth out the layer lines.

[@CyborgOTS]

Woodfiller works

[@Neknoh]

How did you do the non-resin lenses?

[@slashv2]

Not only do i want it, i NEED it... Looking at your patreon and im confused if i was to buy the Specialist right now, monthly pay. would i get access to the Chaplain or would i need to buy for the annual package? (Out of my budget atm)

[@GalacticArmory]

The Chaplain is apart of the Space Marine contest that we're currently doing, so it has been extended to the end of this month. If you sign up now, you will get the Chaplain in the 'Contest Eligible' folder along with other Space Marine helmets.

[@slashv2]

@@GalacticArmory Perfect :) Just signed up for the monthly :P

[@bluehodd]

What did you use for the eyes of the helmet?

[@GalacticArmory]

If you choose to buy your lenses, we make them and they can be found on our site. galacticarmory.net/products/chaplain-lenses-diy?srsltid=AfmBOop_zd2-mJxTf8U1Yr_FI8Fwt3UaFdLCgx7pS6Dvh7W3k_3gz_gY

[@Elmaxhappy]

People who say you need a thousands of dollar professional printer to make cosplay have no idea. I have Paz Vizsla's full armor, including his machine gun, as well as several helmets, such as Darth Vader, Boba Fet, and Sandtrooper. My printer is a first generation Ender 3 purchased on Aliexpress on Black Friday for $185 4 years ago... It took me a long time to print it? Yeah. Was it hard and difficult at times? Hell yes. But IT IS POSSIBLE.

[@IMChrisThom]

I would love to have you guys share your printer settings for the XC. Looks pretty remarkable from what I can see.

[@GalacticArmory]

They're included in all our recent files! We started putting Bambu Project and GCODE files with each helmet release

[@Wingman771]

@@GalacticArmorydoes this include sliced versions for A1/A1 mini build volume size printers? Alternatively, any recommendations on how to slice yalls files into multiple build plates?

[@FALLEN_CERBERUS]

but thats so expensive and so much work (im about to buy an x1 carbon in a few weeks)

[@gruntkilla3894]

Where are the files for the SPI at?

[@tombudgen7115]

Could you guys maybe try using products available globally when post-processing?? BONDO isnt available in UK and nobody has a clear cut replacement

[@MjrProps]

Repair Products Ltd sells Bondo in the UK. Halfords sells knifing putty. Sorted 👍

[@GalacticArmory]

acrylic putty is also a popular alternative.

[@robclarke1098]

I used Holts knifing putty mixed with a bit of acetone. Worked a treat

[@brentcox6201]

I can't believe people say that, my first printer was 300 bucks and I get filament for around 16.99 for 1kg, it's actually one of the cheaper hobbies out there

[@EvilDxtreme]

Where is the best place to buy these models?

[@GalacticArmory]

We have tons of models on our Patreon. A annual memberships gets you every model Galactic Armory has ever made and all the models we will release for the duration of your membership.

[@jmack5363]

I use creality max neo and a ender 3 v3se to print in smaller pieces

[@garfieldwithissuez]

We can do business when you have a full set or 40k armor.

[@stra1n408]

Sick shirt jamie

[@lokiwolfwood7942]

Is the Chaplin in this months Pack or did I miss it?

[@GalacticArmory]

It's in the contest folder- but only until the end of the month.

[@andrewtaylor2369]

I bought 5 Elegoo saturns maybe I should have rethinked it 😂😂

[@NoMercyFtw]

I would rather print it in one go and not paint it, nowadays you could just print a helmet in one piece and have it look good straight off the printer no paint required

[@ebers0]

How about printing on something that normally costs $200. Feels like a cheat to go the a1 on a black Friday sale.🤨

[@shawnferguson5121]

It's a wish machine to a point

[@joerazorwire6223]

I use a Neptune 4 and have made 5 space marine helmets a ironman helmet, Mando helmet already with zero issues. Yeah you have to break it down into smaller pieces but who cares. Filament is cheap so who cries about that.

[@3d_picasso]

cool video

[@aladar8ko]

What type of filament do you use for making helmets?

[@GalacticArmory]

We use Bambu Basic PLA for most of our helmets, but we have been messing with HF PETG by Bambu as well for a sturdier filament type. Both of these helmet used Bambu Basic PLA.

[@aladar8ko]

@GalacticArmory would u say pla+ is a good filament to use?

[@beckyMansfield00]

What helmet is this?

[@GalacticArmory]

This is the Chaplain helmet from 40K

[@Dramure]

It's not even about the cost of the print it turns into time prepping and fitting and painting and sanding n gluing and so on lol.

[@MjrProps]

That's called having a hobby! 😝

[@mrmidnight32]

I bought a A1 mini, I lost 2 fingers. Instructions not clear.

[@MoustacheTex]

Have you tried printing new ones? I keep hearing they're good for prosthetics. Maybe you can even turn this into a net gain!

[@GtFqt]

Cool advertisement.

[@normanbarud]

But the bone texture 😭

[@blackc1479]

Bambu as your first printer? Laughs in ender3s1...

[@GalacticArmory]

We grew up in these trenches, brother.

[@Kitbash.Carnage]

❤️🤘🔥👍

[@CopperStateCustomAdmin]

litterally only watched this vid to see what you used for eyes..... its the only thing you skipped. lol

[@GalacticArmory]

Lenses are linked in the description

[@MedicineSkyFeathersProductions]

Too expensive they say? Sounds like a skill issue

[@crabbit00]

🙃

[@ash4374]

Damn 666 likes

[@TaceMorten]

first!!! (also love the videos)❤

[@GalacticArmory]

Glad you like them!

[@LochneyRBLX]

Too much, that's what it costs kids, too much.

[@mariospanayiotou6644]

The machine is a one time cost that will print you thousands of hours the material can be a LOT cheaper if you buy from a company that gives you a 5-10 roll discounts, so you get 10 for 100 bucks instead of 5 at 20 bucks a piece. With the 10 rolls you can make around 15-20 helmets that are normal sized, and not so bulky like this one and can be finished from the get go with minimal or even 0 sanding and painting, for example Deadpool wolverine batman moon knight masks and lots more (all those examples need 0 sanding and 0 painting unless you want to add some weathering to them which can be done with dirt cheap brushes and kid water paints, still no sanding no primer)

[@medievilassassin]

One thing you have massively overlooked is a PC or laptop , I don’t know about anybody else but the last time I even used a computer was about 10 years ago as I just use my phone , you can’t slice and size your prints properly from a phone , I have to spend £400.00 on a laptop , chromebooks and old computers will not run the slicing software properly

[@GalacticArmory]

Seeing as how that's not a dedicated 3d printing tool, or that hard to find a free to use machine at a school or library, it didn't cross our minds

[@medievilassassin]

@ yes but a school or a library won’t let you download slicing software , you could only download a file to a flash drive and print , also the computers in those places are no we’re near powerful enough to slice and size a file like a helmet, Also in a library well at least hear in UK your only allocated a certain amount of time like 1 hour per sign in so that’s not viable unless your literally just pressing print on a file and that’s it.

[@donutdude363]

I think massive overlook is a bit of an overstatement, but you are right you will need a PC. If you don’t have one look at getting a refurbished corporate pc. Things like the Lenovo think center or dell optiplex usually only run about $200

[@GalacticArmory]

@@medievilassassin You can also use the MakerWorld App. That's entirely on mobile. We have a couple of helmets and figures on there, but you can choose from a variety of creators. You choose your printer materials, and the various build plates you want to print. It uploads straight to your printer, and you can even monitor your print when not at home.

[@Neknoh]

I mean, depends on your printer. Bambuhandy will let you do a LOT of stuff over wifi without needing a dedicated slicer. You can't split a print up however.

[@williammorrin7933]

𝙸𝚏 𝙸 𝚐𝚎𝚝 the money I'mma look into this🤣🤣