Review of StarBreather's 3D printed donut

[OddViking (Colin Adams)]

I just finished replacing my donut on my Endor Rebel Trooper costume. I was feeling like my current size large one from Droidwelder didn't look quite right in a some photos, so I was looking for a donut that was closer fitting. On the "Star Wars Costume and Prop Sale Forum" section, I found a new 3D print by Starbreather: http://www.forum.rebellegion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=90302

Update: He updated his print to a V2, to be even more screen-accurate, with new smaller ear-cup holes and more narrow at the front. The new version is here: http://www.forum.rebellegion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=100113

I really liked finishing it, and I have my full review below. Here are the high-level points:

Cost: $70 [new V2 version]
Type: 3D printed in olive plastic (he will print it custom to any size you specify). Comes with decals.
Prep: Sand and fill, paint. I added "dents" with some other techniques, detailed below.
Pros: Overall shape seems more accurate to the movie props than some other donuts. Thick plastic feels stronger than vacuform. Made to any size required. At $60, price is very reasonable. Comes with a decal (seen in the original listing, I used a different one).
Cons: 3D prints require some prep before painting. Ear cup cutouts may be too long. The front of the donut height should taper in more compared to the back. Included decal is not the most accurate. [UPDATE: StarBreather updated the new V2 version to address the ear cup cutout length and front taper, so it even more accurate than this version I built].




Longer review (in most browsers click on images for larger images):

I was looking for a donut that was more accurate, as my previous one was too long from the brow to front edge dimension, and on the sides outside of the ear cups. Here are some movie stills showing the original props:


You can see how the bit just in front of the bill is fairly small before it turns up.


The ear-cups are cut into the donut, but it doesn't go too far past them. The back 8 vents, while actually just painted in black on a smooth donut in the films, have a hard rectangular shape. This 3D print has this exact look.


Comparing my Droidwelder donut to the StarBreather one:


You can see these two compared here. While the photos are not exactly the same, you can see compare the shapes.


I added some colored circles for reference. The Droidwelder one is on top with attached brim (so I added lines where the underlying donut is). The sides are about three times as wide. The front is twice the distance.


Preparation of the 3D model:

The 3D print comes with very tight lines. It needed some cleaning up where the "stepping lines" were, but overall there were very few of them. I sanded down the high points, and filled in the low points, so it met in the middle with minimal work before painting.


This is how it arrives. First I used a flap wheel on my drill to take down the higher points and "stepping lines" shown on the side of the back view. Along with some finer hand sanding in a few spots on the back panel, this step took about 30 minutes.


I used Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty to fill in the lower troughs of the fine lines. Use a few scrap pieces of card stock (like a business card) to put it on quickly. It is okay if you go over, it sands very easily like spackle. The middle image shows it after sanding with 320 sandpaper. This takes about ten minutes or less. Wash off the dust and let it dry before the next step. Even though you still see "lines" on the top, once it was painted it was actually flat. Because I wanted to add "dents" so I uses some of this plastic weld putty to add to the inside, to create areas I would grind into with my belt sander without going through. This putty is one you mix until the two colors blend, and have only a few minutes to put on. This helmet ended up being fairly thick plastic, so most of these were not needed.


I ground using the edges of my belt sander and a few spots with a large drill bit. This exposes some of the rougher interior of the print, so I used more Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty to fill and hand sand back to smooth. This can take a few back and forth treatments after drying, but doesn't take to long as an actual process. It only ground through in two deeper spots, so you could add the plastic weld putty as-needed during the process rather than before. After priming, you can see how it looks fairly smooth and unified.


I finished this using the "mustard technique" I showed in this build, where you can also see how I attached the bill: http://www.forum.rebellegion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=88040 . I added scratches with files and an awl, and some 60 grit sandpaper to give some scuffs. I added some acrylic blackish brown paint and wiped it off to dirty it up. I didn't think the included decal was as accurate as the tk560 "Vinyl Commando Donut Insignia" so I used that instead, found here: http://tk560.com/catalog.html .

I am very happy with how this came out, and how much more accurate it looks with my costume.

[kman ()]

That looks pretty great! Where did you get the skullcap and ear cups?
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[OddViking (Colin Adams)]

Those are detailed in my previous build, an authentic AN-H 15 cap that I added the top panel and leather to.

[Ritin Kornas ()]

Big question, which plastic did he used for 3D print ? Was it PLA or ABS ?
Would tend to say PLA. If so take REALLY CARE, not to let it in the car went it's warm summer, or in the sun in front of a window... Or you will come back in front of a completely deformed helmet :s
That's why I print mines in ABS always.
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[kman ()]

[Ritin Kornas ()]

[Sigurd (Kevin)]

Looks really good bud, nice job.

[OddViking (Colin Adams)]

From a recent troop, it shows the donut pretty well. Photo by @artfulCaptures on Instagram:

[abraandr ()]

Looks really great! I am looking to make 2 just like this. I was hoping to contact you to get some tips as I feel like your end product is one of the best reproductions out there! I was also hoping to find out if you had a contact for the 3D print, as I would love to order 2.

Best,
Andrew

[OddViking (Colin Adams)]

A link to the 3D print in the forums is at the start of my review. A link to my weathering technique (on a previous donut, but the same process) is at the bottom of the post. You should have everything you need there, but of course, happy to answer any questions by PM.

[Arkos ()]

Nice job mate!
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[Sigurd (Kevin)]

Looks awesome dude, nice work

[navarre1095 (CHARLES GRAY)]

Good job!
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