Life-Sized Iron Man MK 46 Build

[JoshBear]

Hi everyone,

Here is my latest 3D printing project: a life-sized Iron Man MK 46! This build was a labour of love, frustration and effort .

The Model and Scaling
I started with a model from Gamebody and scaled it up by 723% to reach a full height of 6’1” (185 cm). The scaling alone was a challenge, as it required careful slicing to ensure all parts fit together smoothly and minimized gaps that would need sanding and filling.

Printers and Filament
I used two Bambu Labs X1C printers for this project, which worked like a charm. For filament, I chose Bambu Labs Matte PLA, which I tend to use for most things without issue. Overall, the project took 27 rolls of 1KG filament.

Printing Schedule
The printing process ran across six weeks, including several overnight prints. But it wasn’t every day.

Painting
For the Iron Man colours, I used:

• Montana Gold Metallic Red or the red panels
  -Rustoleum Bright Gold for the gold sections
  -Rustoleum Gun Metal for the darker accents

I painted the gun metal first, then the red and then the gold. I went for gold last as I have found that even when I use yellow frog tape on the gold it leaves a residue.

I haven’t applied a lacquer spray yet, as I’m concerned it might dull the vibrant gold paint. If anyone has experience with this, I’d love to hear your advice!

Electronics
To bring Iron Man to life, I added functional lights:

• The arc reactor is a NeoPixel Jewel with 7 pixels.
• The eyes use flexible cosplay lights with an LED in each
  I have attached the circuit diagram I made in Tinkercad.

Both lights are controlled by an Arduino Nano, allowing me to customize light patterns and boot-up sequences. To accommodate the electronics, I used the hollow chest piece option from the model file and routed the cables through the body. I drilled a hole in the lower back to allow the wires to run to an external box to house the Arduino and battery for easy access.

Challenges
The biggest hurdle was slicing the files to make assembly easier while minimizing gaps between parts. Despite my best efforts, there are a few blemishes that I’m still learning to sand and smooth out effectively. It’s not perfect, but I’m really happy with the overall finish. . There is a gap where the left arm / chest part connects to the rest but that will go when I glue it in place.

Final Thoughts
This has been an incredibly rewarding project, and it’s amazing to see a life-sized Iron Man standing in my workspace. There’s still room for improvement, especially in finishing techniques, but I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. Thanks to all on this platform who post as it has taught me a lot about 3d printing etc.

If anyone has tips on lacquering metallic paints or improving sanding techniques, I’m all ears.

Thanks for reading, and happy printing! . Now I just need to get it in the house from the workshop without my other half seeing it.

[MZip]

That looks great! Congratulations on that print!

And love the neopixel use! Makes special lighting effects really easy!

[user_440178010]

Nice job.
All my lacquering experience has been with automobiles. I would expect the process to be the same. Multiple thin coats in a dust free room. And a quality spray tool setup. If you can’t replicate those conditions, then would suggest talking to a body shop or a shop specializing in custom painting.

[cesare.tanassi]

I love your comment about your “other half”, but your work looks amazing! She will love it!

[JoshBear]

Thanks. But I am already on a “Final warning” due to all the helmets I have made and then brought into the house .

Josh

[cesare.tanassi]

Now I understand, the measure is almost full.
Good luck

[V6CMG]

Looks Brilliant…I only just got into 3D printing, but I know I will never be able to do the quality of work and time you put in to this is amazing. If your girlfriend will not let you in the house with it, we will all come round to have a word with her lol…

[JoshBear]

Quick update.

I have added sound and voice to go with the lights. I also decided to add remote control via an IR remote. And best news have just got it into the house today. My wife is out for the day so I saw an opportunity and took it . Looking forward to a spirited discussion later .

If anyone wants the arduino code for the lights, sound and IR remote just let me know.
Josh

[V6CMG]

Tell her its IronMan, or there’s the door. lol
Just tell her you love Just hope that works You never know…

[JoshBear]

Hi all, Have taken some new photos so just updating this thread. Love my Bambu X1C.

Josh

[takezo]

I cant get over how good this looks! I ordered an X1C last night (first 3d printer for me) and am excited to get going on this project soon.

What did you use for priming? Anything in particular work best for filling in the gaps where pieces connect?

[hradford5]

Great job! Good luck getting that past your wife

[JoshBear]

Hi
Thanks. I have no idea as to your skills and creative experience but a life size Iron Man is a heck of a first print! Would strongly suggest learning your slicer by making some smaller prints and even an Iron Man helmet first.

This will also help you hone your sanding, welding and painting skills. There are lots of people in you tube with much better skills than me. I followed this one to get going. https://www.youtube.com/@FranklyBuilt

Have also attached some photos of some of the fillers and paints I use. I also hear bondo is great but hard to get in the UK where I am. Oh and for any model where you are printing multiple parts have a look at the connector tool in Bambu Studio. I have found it very useful.

Hope that helps.

Josh

[Ziknazoo]

That looks sooooo cool! As an aside, an auto-body golden rule is to never put lacquer over enamel. The lacquer contains strong solvents that will soften the enamel. Me, I’d have an autobody shop clearcoat it for you with two stage clear (test it on a sample with all three paints first.) As an aside, it looks awesome as it is. Unless you want a super high gloss finish, I’d suggest leaving it be.

[JoshBear]

Hi. thanks. The final photos are after a a couple of coats of Polar Flawless Clear Lacquer Spray. As you said I did test first as I have had orange peel effect issues with various lacquer and paint combos before. Did not want that issue with this!

Josh

[takezo]

Thank you so much for this wealth of information! I am very excited about the project, but also weirdly nervous lol. Every tip and bit of information you have given will hope me so much. I will defintiely follow your advice in grtting up to speed on things. It is definitely a big endeavor for me but it was the type of challenge and adventure i was looking for. I am telling myself it will be a year long project. If it is shorter then great

[JoshBear]

Enjoy the project.

If you are using the model I used and want lights / sounds then don’t forget to print the head and chest using the hollow option in the STL folder. Then think ahead how you want to run the wires before you print.

Josh

[Super_3D_Printer]

Great work! I’ve only printed Star Wars droids but have always wanted to do Iron Man. My droids are all designed for easy printing with parts cut to fit beds and connectors that already work. It sounds like you had to do a lot of work to get these to fit on your bed and then connect with ease afterwards. How much work did you have to do?
How do you feel about sharing those Bambu 3mf files? I have shared my cuts and settings with others on my droids for ease of use. I know I need to buy the files, and I can, but I think we can find a way to share settings and cuts for simplicity sakes.