When people saw The Mandalorian walking around MegaCon Manchester this weekend, one of the questions we heard over and over again was…
“Where did you get that suit?”
The honest answer?
It didn’t exist.
We had to build it.
It All Started With AI
Like most creative projects, this one started with a simple question…
“What would happen if you mashed together some of our favourite heroes into one character?”
The Mandalorian was always going to be the heart of the design, but hidden throughout the suit are influences from several iconic superheroes and franchises.
We’ll let you try and spot them all.
Can you name every inspiration?
Five Versions Before We Got It Right
The first version wasn’t even 3D printed.
In fact, the first ‘five’ body armour prototypes were built entirely from EVA foam.
Some were painted.
Some were wrapped in faux leather.
Each one taught us something, but none of them quite captured the look we had in our heads.
They were good…
Just not *The Mancdalorian*.
Enter the 3D Printer
Everything changed when a Bambu Lab 3D printer arrived in the office.
We took our AI concept, turned it into a 3D model and started printing.
Because of the printer size, the chest armour alone had to be split into six separate pieces before being carefully assembled into one complete body.
Our first printed version looked fantastic…
Until we painted it.
Suddenly we’d accidentally built something that looked far more like Iron Man than the bounty hunter we were aiming for.
Back to the drawing board.
Or in our case…
Back to the printer.
There were plenty of broken parts, failed prints, glue-covered evenings and more than a few colourful words along the way, but every version got us one step closer.
Keeping It As Manc As Possible
One thing was important from day one.
If we were calling him The Mancdalorian, we wanted Manchester to be part of every step of the journey.
The footwear came from KOI Footwear, an independent Manchester brand whose style fitted the project perfectly.
Our fabrics, leather and materials came from Leon’s Fabric Superstore in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, a place that many local creators already know and love.
Apart from the PLA filament used for the printer, almost everything else was sourced, built, painted, wrapped, glued and assembled right here in our Manchester office.
That made the finished suit feel even more special.
Hidden Details You Might Have Missed
There are a few little Easter eggs built into the armour.
The Manchester Bee proudly sits on the chest plate as a tribute to the city.
Inside the armour are the words:
Hope. Strength. Peace.
You’ll never see them while the suit is being worn, but they’re there every time it goes on.
Hidden inside the chest is also an NFC tag, adding a little bit of technology to a galaxy far, far away.
The MegaCon Reception Was Incredible
The first official outing for The Mancdalorian was at MegaCon Manchester, where Comic Movie DB had been invited along as press.
We honestly didn’t know what to expect.
The response completely blew us away.
People stopped us for photos all day.
Cosplayers wanted to know how the armour had been made.
Families came over to chat.
Kids queued up for pictures…
Which, thankfully, meant we hadn’t accidentally created nightmare fuel.
Although, if we’re being completely honest…
Grogu stole the show.
Every.
Single.
Time.
We’re okay with that.
This Is Only The Beginning
The Mancdalorian has completed his first mission, but there’s plenty more to come.
We’ll be making improvements, adding new features, taking him to more conventions and continuing to celebrate everything we love about geek culture.
And if you spot us at a future Comic Con, don’t be shy.
Come over and say hello.
Just don’t be offended if Grogu gets all the attention.
