Themaninthesuitcase Denuo Novo TLJ Build

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Let's try this again.  Trying to 3D print a suit didn't work out so I made use of the May 4th sale this year and got a DN kit.

 

 

Helmet: Denuo Novo TLJ Standard Helmet

Armour: Denuo Novo TLJ

Neck Seal: Denuo Novo

Gloves: Imperial Boots

Boots: Imperial Boots 

 

The fact I have IB boots and gloves, shows how long I have had them as they rebranded and then stopped selling the gloves!

 

I picked the standard helmet over the premier, partly due to cost but also to save the weight one my neck. I know the premier is slightly ,more accurate but I also want to be able to wear it all day.

 

I still have some decisions to make. I am definitely aiming for EIB, but centurion means a rubber gaskets so that will need to be looked into.

 

Glory to the First Order!

 

 

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

The DN TD is a pretty hefty lump of resin so I am going to use the Jessie M replacement printed on my nice new Bambu P1S.

 

I did try print the outer initially but the white eSun PETG doesn't want to play nice with the new printer and so the support failed.  

 

However the black eSun PETG prints wonderfully, so I made a start on the tube. I initially went for strength as this needs to troop and so will get knocked.  4 perimeters, 15% cubic, and I completely forgot to check the estimated weight.  260g  Whilst I am sure this would be less when finished compared to the resin cast it was a bit on the heavy side.

 

So I reprinted it at 2 perimeters, 5% "cubic support" which came out at 87g, 66% saved!  Cubic support is a clever pattern that uses no infill initially and then slowly builds to the stated percentage. This left the part almost hollow.  It seems up to the job, I should have added an extra bottom layer or two as the default was 3 which flexed a lot. Though when glued you get 1.2mm which is probably fine.  Worst case it breaks and I can make a new one somewhere in the middle.

 

 

My printer wasn't tall enough to do the 1 shot part, so I needed to glue the 2 sections together.  The model has a small hole in each end, which is perfect for a short section of 1.75mm filament. 

 

 

Once a short section was glued into 1 side I then used some thick CA to join them forever. As mentioned there was some flex to the mating faces so I used a reasonable amount of thick CA and spun it to spread it over as much surface as possible. This should give a nice solid join, though I want to try source some water thin to try wick in the edges just in case.

 

The end result is a perfectly aligned tube, I even aligned the seam.

 

 

I'll get some new white soon and print the holder. Then I need to source a close white paint match.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking forward to seeing your progress

 

One of us, one of us

[Sly11[Admin]]

Great start Chris.

I understand why they probably went with a resin TD as the original TFA TD's were solid resin and the weight substantial at almost 1.5kg

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Finally opened it all up and took inventory. The pulls all seem reasonable, few marks in places that hopefully won't cause too many issues, though the back triangles need a little work. The trim lines on the shoulders are borderline invisible, which will be fun to deal with.

 

Biggest worry remains the proper trim line on the forearms, but others have managed so I am sure I can too.

 

Guess I need to start cutting bits out, I have set my self a goal of being done by November and that's only going to happen if I actually start.

 

What's the glue of choice on these builds? Still E6000?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, themaninthesuitcase said:

Still E6000?

Depends on the area, I used E6000 on areas that would need some give, like the shins and forearms and JB weld for a more solid join yoke, abdomen, biceps etc. JB weld can be sanded too which is handing if you've applied too much or used to fill gaps before ABS slurry (or filler paint for some)

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Still not started trimming as trying to find time is proving hard.

 

I did have an issue that I thought was resolved but alas not.

 

I ordered the Denuo Novo neck seal. It was actually the first thing to arrive but it was clearly not the right size.  Seems I had been sent a 2XL that was marked up as an XL on the box and label.  Whilst slow to reply to their support DN resolved this well and sent me a new seal in the correct XL I ordered, and when it turned up it was actually an XL.  

 

Alas that's not where it ends.

 

After trying it on maybe 2-3 times the neoprene has torn 😢Hard to show but essentially where the seam is has cause the neoprene to tear:

 

 

 

What I think has happened is the sewing has introduced a weak spot in the neoprene. Then as the velcro is pretty strong the force of un-doing it has caused it to tear.

 

I really can't decide if I am going to make another claim at this point, or just write it off to experience. I probably should just make a 2nd claim but need to build my self up to do so. At least it would then match the included gaskets.

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

I've ben trying to work on this in a sort of "little and often" manner. I know I can get overwhelmed, or start making silly mistakes if I try do too much at once. I'd actually like to finish this so getting angry and abandoning it is not a great plan 

 

Made a start on the rough trimming, most parts will need a 2nd look to either smooth off a bit or for the bigger parts remove some in areas where score and snap was just not working.  I did start using lexan scissors but it was proving to be a bit troublesome, score and snap was mostly easier so most of the parts have been trimmed that way.

 

The left forearm was a bit of a soft pull so have left more meat on that one to come back to later to clean up. Comparing it to the Right I think trimming where I need to remove the edge will be about perfect.

 

I have approximated the correct curve on the forearms. It's not perfect and I think what I will end up doing is removing this section and splicing in a new section cut from a suitable flat section cut from one of the large body panels.  This means I won't have to fight with the rough finish left from the moulding. I will also be able to make a template and get something a lot close to symmetrical that what I have eyeballed with a pen.

 

 

The plastic for the shins was nice and thick, which is great apart from when trying to trim it.  Score and snap only works if you can flex it to snap it, which I couldn't inside the areas your leg and ancle goes. I'll come back to these with a dremel sanding drum later. I have a simlar issue with the wrists as well but was able to get closer to where I wanted them to be.

 

 

The other thing I've noticed is that there are a couple of nasty black dings on corners.  I am hoping I can clean these up with a bit of light sanding. Worst case I'll have to rebuild with some ABS paste.  I also have noticed some recesses could be cleaner. I'll see what I can do with a nice round tool to push them back into place.

 

12/39 parts rough trimmed.

 

Progress continues on the TD. I sand, I die, I sand again. Then fill all the bits I missed, rinse and repeat. 

 

I am following @OddViking327 excellent video but I am using 3M Acril green as I can get that here. If I could get Bondo here I would use that as it sounds like it's easier to apply and sand after.

 

 

This is a couple of passes of neat filler on both, and the 1st pass of diluted on the holder. The tube had 2-3 coats before rough sanding and filler primer.  This, combined with my terrible painting skills, needed to be taken back and a few more rounds of filler.

 

 

One tip I learnt from the tube, is to apply a light chamfer to the edges that will be glued together. It's much easier to fill this small defect than sand off the lip.

 

I compared an off cut to my SE-44C which is painted in the paint I plan to use to see if it's a close enough match.  This is Halfords "Appliance White", which sadly has been discontinued but there is a replacement "Gloss white" that I hope will be the same tone.

 

 

It's not perfect but I think close enough. This was artificial light but I have also checked in daylight and it was not visibly any different.

 

And I'll end with a photo dump of the other trimmed parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

I have been plodding away on this, completely missed my initial deadline shocking absolutely no one 🙃

 

Today I managed to finish rough trimming the last pulls. As these we more than "completely boring" I'll do a quick update on them.

 

First was the shoulder bells.  The trim line on this was "soft" to say the least. It was okay at the top but by the bottom was all but invisible even on the back.  I ended up adding a few dots on the back side where it was JUST visible using an ultra fine sharpie.  Then I held this up to a light and played join the dots on the front to be able to trim it.

 

 

This was then trimmed with a mix of score and snap and some curved laxan scissors.

 

The last parts I did was the abdomen shells.  For these I was worried about flex at the "petals" causing cracks into the main armour so I started by using a 3mm drill to add a "crack stop" in all the corners. This gives a nice clean end to the runs and stops cracks forming in the first place. 

 

 

I then went back added all the trim lines and got to work on the rest, Again a mix of score and snap and the scissors.

 

 

This shows the purpose of the drill holes. The trim is a bit rough but you can see how the drill left a nice clean corner with no chance of a crack running.  I'll clean up with some sandpaper and files before gluing.

 

 

With all the parts trimmed I did the obligatory "am I too fat" check. And I think I am okay. I expect I'll need about 1-2" of gap at the back but shouldn't need any shims.

 

I am have some leave booked to use up each week this year in a "use it or lose it" situation so I am hoping to get a bit more done on this but Christmas looms large and there is shopping I'll need to do.

 

I think my next goal is to get the abdomen cleaned up, test fit and see where that gets me. This part seems to from the core of the armour with other bits hanging off or fitting over so seems like a reasonable start point.