3D Printed, 1:5 Scale Timberwolf Battlemech Cosplay
3D Printed, 1:5 Scale Timberwolf Battlemech Cosplay
I have loved the Mech Warrior / Battletech universe ever since I started playing MechWarrior II, back when it was new. Something about calculating the weapons damage, the hardpoints, and the weight and seeing the results in battle is just so exciting to me. I watched this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC5UvITBfP0 and I was inspired to make my own battlemech costume. Originally I thought I should be an Atlas, but there is nothing more unmistakably battletech than a Timberwolf (Madcat for you Inner Sphere freebirths), which is pretty much the icon of the Battletech universe.
3D Model
I didn't want to model the whole thing by myself, so I just bought one online. It turned out to be a good decision. I just scaled it up a lot.
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I also used a phone app to scan my body and size the mech suit to fit me.
Material
I decided to use TPU, because it is damn near indestructible. However, it is also damn near unprintable too!
I learned a ton about printing TPU, and I wrote about it here:
https://www.hackster.io/Tylersuard/the-ultimate-guide-to-3d-printing-with-tpu-188191
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I had to print everything slowly, 30mm/s or slower. Large printers helped. I bought and build a RatRig 500 V-core 3, and then more recently an OrangeStorm Giga for this project.
Miniatures
One thing that really helped me diagnose issues: I would 3d print a 1/4 or 1/5 size model beforehand to find out where the problems might be. Once I fixed those problems I would print the full size part.
Weight
When I started out I didn't care about weight at all. I'm a big guy, I thought. I can take it!
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However, the fully printed torso turned out to be 85 lbs, with the whole costume weighing 135 lbs.
I needed to figure something else out.
Miniatures
One thing that really helped me diagnose issues: I would 3d print a 1/4 or 1/5 size model beforehand to find out where the problems might be. Once I fixed those problems I would print the full size part.
Paint
I didn't want to spend all my time painting on the little details, so I bought a few cans of spraypaint. The first coat was filler-primer (grey), and then I covered it in moss green spray paint. After that, I sprayed on some tempura black paint and then dabbed at it with a paper towel. The effect made the mech suit look like it had seen many years of battle.
Current Status
Right now, I am using my Elegoo OrangeStorm Giga to print the torso in one piece, hopefully to get its weight down from 55 lbs to 22 lbs or less.
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I tried printing in PLA and then fiberglassing the inside... it did not work! (Photo on the left) I am now using 64D TPU, hoping that will work.