1st Build MJOLNIR Mark V [B] Custom

[BRVSTR]

Forgive me if this write-up is a bit jumbled and lacking in visual aids! I've been backing up my photos and some of the older images I needed haven't been sorted yet.

ODST shoulder is pained and weathered. Right now it's just a collection of flat greys, though I'm thinking of putting a painted stripe in there just to break up the monotony a little.

The pain point I'm trying to address right now is my undersuit. Suit 1.0 used TPU for the soft parts: neck seal, shoulders, ab wrap. Long story short, TPU was just not the ideal material for this application - at least, not wholesale. TPU is flexible, but not in a way that can supplement mobility around the joints and extremities. I can get more long-winded about this if you'd like, but maybe another time.
The shoulders were a huge pain point. The TPU was just not flexible enough for me to comfortably put my arms down. They dug into my armpits, which was a nuisance. My bicep armor kept getting forced down, which prevented me from flexing my elbows well. I also wanted a boxier silhouette around the shoulders, and I just couldn't shape them well. All in all, not ideal. None of this is the designer's fault - it's just the material and how those particular pieces fit my body.

I decided to go a different route and try my hand at silicone. InstinctCreative3D has some specially designed undersuit molds, and I've seen them used to great effect when Noble Team showed up at DragonCon. With how challenging my suit's shoulder/bicep mobility is already, this really seems like the way to go.
I've got one shoulder mold printed, which will need to be assembled (had to plane cut them for my P1S), seams filled, and sanded. I don't need to go crazy with the layer lines, fortunately, since I'll be applying a coat of truck bed liner on the inside so the silicone can take on the texture. The nice thing about this, too, is I can easily line the shoulder pads with foam to help it maintain its shape without sacrificing its pliability.

Granted, I could be biting off way more than I can chew with Halloween being my deadline (with two other suits I'm working on, lol). For now I'm just trying to get shoulders and a neck seal done, and I can worry about the ab wrap later. I have some Dragonskin 10 on the way. Should I fail to finish this up, my backup solution is a BDU which will be easier to don and walk around in.

I did try a quick little solo sunrise shoot the other days. Unfortunately I was alone so I wasn't able to get the whole suit on by myself, and I opted to just wear everything over a hoodie. Needless to say it's hard to operate a camera like this! I'm happy with the couple of photos I was able to get, though, since I get to show off a bit of my new chestplate and left shoulder, as well as my new resin printed visor.

 

[MooseCast89]

This is amazing my dude. Keep up the great work. also bookmarking this for the TPU Silicone crossover when I get that far so thanks for that my brother.

 

[BRVSTR]

Small update.

I started reprinting some of the smaller detail pieces in resin. While it's certainly a messier, more involved process, it's hard to deny the results really speak for themselves. Other than cleaning up any support scarring, the prints come out ready for paint with very little post-processing needed since the layer lines are practically non-existent.

The first ones I got done were the side pieces on the chest plate, which I painted with matte black acrylic and dry-brushed for edge wear.

I'll be doing the same thing with these back vents.

Quick test fit. They slipped right in. No fitment issues whatsoever.

 

[Alhoida]

Everything looks really good man. Great work.

 

[BRVSTR]

I've got both shoulder molds printed, but I still need to get silicone. I'm thinking I'm going to have to spring for the full gallon buckets of Dragonskin 10 Fast. It won't be cheap, but the good thing is I may have enough to even do the neck seal and ab wrap. Fingers crossed.

Before and after of the torso. I've been going over every piece of my suit and "updating" the paint job to add more details using acrylics. Nothing major, just bringing in more parts separation so each piece has more of a layered, multi-part look. For very little work I think it really brings each piece to life.

As you can see I've also begun adding lights (finally). Titlewave Designs supplies STLs for the clear "lenses" that cover the light ports, so I printed those in clear blue resin. Well, technically, clear resin that I dumped a bunch of blue alcohol dye into. I haven't gotten the wiring quite figured out, though I do have the power supply and blue LEDs on hand. I did, however, have these stick-on LEDs that I bought last year when I was rushing to get this suit done for Halloween. History repeats itself, but they work pretty well in a pinch. They're supposed to have 17h of life in them, which will be plenty for trick-or-treating.

There are a couple more spots on the backpack that are supposed to be lit up, but they're not modeled in. At the very least I want to hole out those three little pips on the bottom right and cut slits into the vent array in the middle to match this in-game screengrab.

That's all for now!

 

[Brother Drim]

I've got both shoulder molds printed, but I still need to get silicone. I'm thinking I'm going to have to spring for the full gallon buckets of Dragonskin 10 Fast. It won't be cheap, but the good thing is I may have enough to even do the neck seal and ab wrap. Fingers crossed.

View attachment 367090​

Before and after of the torso. I've been going over every piece of my suit and "updating" the paint job to add more details using acrylics. Nothing major, just bringing in more parts separation so each piece has more of a layered, multi-part look. For very little work I think it really brings each piece to life.

View attachment 367091View attachment 367092​

As you can see I've also begun adding lights (finally). Titlewave Designs supplies STLs for the clear "lenses" that cover the light ports, so I printed those in clear blue resin. Well, technically, clear resin that I dumped a bunch of blue alcohol dye into. I haven't gotten the wiring quite figured out, though I do have the power supply and blue LEDs on hand. I did, however, have these stick-on LEDs that I bought last year when I was rushing to get this suit done for Halloween. History repeats itself, but they work pretty well in a pinch. They're supposed to have 17h of life in them, which will be plenty for trick-or-treating.

View attachment 367095​

There are a couple more spots on the backpack that are supposed to be lit up, but they're not modeled in. At the very least I want to hole out those three little pips on the bottom right and cut slits into the vent array in the middle to match this in-game screengrab.

View attachment 367093​

That's all for now!

You will need the full gallon but it should be enough for both shoulders and the neck seal easily. (Both parts of the neck seal even). I would need to go back and check my notes, but I think I ended up using nearly 3 gallons to make all of the pieces of mine. So worth it though. The detail is next level!

 

[BRVSTR]

You will need the full gallon but it should be enough for both shoulders and the neck seal easily. (Both parts of the neck seal even). I would need to go back and check my notes, but I think I ended up using nearly 3 gallons to make all of the pieces of mine. So worth it though. The detail is next level!

I figured I would need at least that much! My priority right now are the shoulders and neck seal, since I still have my TPU ab wrap and it worked fine last year. Depending on how much I have left over I'll try to tackle the ab wrap. I'm not too concerned about the elbows, knees, et cetera.

 

[Brother Drim]

I figured I would need at least that much! My priority right now are the shoulders and neck seal, since I still have my TPU ab wrap and it worked fine last year. Depending on how much I have left over I'll try to tackle the ab wrap. I'm not too concerned about the elbows, knees, et cetera.

Feel you about the elbows and knees. I made them, but I rarely wear them. They become too constricting. Used them for photos and that's about it

 

[BRVSTR]

Feel you about the elbows and knees. I made them, but I rarely wear them. They become too constricting. Used them for photos and that's about it

Right, like maybe for a con I'd do it, but for now it's just trick-or-treating with the kids and an ab wrap/shoulders would more than suffice. I'm not trying to go that hard with it.

 

[zekybomb]

Your details in how you are keeping everything connected and up are very helpful!
but, how do you manage to take photos with such aura? Your first photos look like they were taken as part of a photo-shoot, the shadows, the selective focus, it just gives such gravitas... I'm so jealous

 

[ArcaneGhoul]

Figured I'd swing by and look through your build thread after you gave me very helpful TPU advice in the Discord and holy crow!! Your suit and build breakdown are both phenomenal!! Definitely keeping this thread marked for when I start my armor for tips and tricks.

 

[Zackurai]

Figure I peep at your build since you peeped at mine, gotta say, very clean, I see why you love the 3D print stuff, I could never, but I get it, guess I’ll watch your thread.

Also sexy bucket, I don’t recognize it, wanna say Artaius but like manlier angles

 

[ct5953]

Absolutely amazing work, you should be proud
You make the whole UNSC proud

 

[BRVSTR]

Your details in how you are keeping everything connected and up are very helpful!
but, how do you manage to take photos with such aura? Your first photos look like they were taken as part of a photo-shoot, the shadows, the selective focus, it just gives such gravitas... I'm so jealous

Thank you! I'm a part-time photographer/videographer. It's fun to find ways to bring my hobbies together.

Figured I'd swing by and look through your build thread after you gave me very helpful TPU advice in the Discord and holy crow!! Your suit and build breakdown are both phenomenal!! Definitely keeping this thread marked for when I start my armor for tips and tricks.

Glad I could help some! TPU's a fun material to work with. I just bought a couple rolls of Siraya Tech's new TPU Air so hopefully I can find a good way to incorporate that into my build.

Figure I peep at your build since you peeped at mine, gotta say, very clean, I see why you love the 3D print stuff, I could never, but I get it, guess I’ll watch your thread.

Also sexy bucket, I don’t recognize it, wanna say Artaius but like manlier angles

Thanks! That's the Morrigan by Titlewave Designs! It's based on the original concept art for Fred-104 by Kory Lynn Hubbell. MoeSizzlac has his own model of the concept helmet here, which I'd love to build sometime when I'm not crunching on this suit.

Absolutely amazing work, you should be proud
You make the whole UNSC proud

Thank you! It's getting there and I've been learning a lot here.

 

[Crimson]

I'm very impressed with your scaling, seems bang on!

 

[BRVSTR]

I'm very impressed with your scaling, seems bang on!

Thanks! I really lucked out with Titlewave's files as they were already perfectly sized for me (5'10").

 

[BRVSTR]

I decided to reprint the "chest rig core" in a flexible material. Originally it was printed in PLA because it's such a large piece and my Kobra Max couldn't print TPU. In order to put it on I used a rotary tool to split the front open and used elastic webbing as "hinges." While this worked, it was incredibly uncomfortable and difficult to put on.
So, naturally, when I heard about this new foaming TPU Air from Siraya Tech, I jumped at the chance to revisit that particular piece of my build. TPU Air is a foaming TPU that changes its shore hardness (i.e. pliability) depending on the temperature it's printed in, so it can range anywhere from 65A to 82A. In principle, it's comparable to Colorfabb's Varioshore TPU.
Naturally I went for the lowest shore hardness at 65A by printing at 270°C, which also causes the TPU to foam and expand during printing which yields a matte texture.

Because my P1S has a somewhat smaller bed size at 256³ I had to split the chest rig into 8 pieces. These were joined together using CA glue with activator spray. It does hold up to flexing, though that has more to do with the material itself being so pliable that not much stress is placed on the seams.

The new chest rig is much easier to put on and is much more comfortable. It also weighs next to nothing compared to my old one. To fasten the back seam I'll use some velcro tabs.

A few things to note about this material:

• ADHESION - TPU is notorious for sticking to the print plate a little too well, and can damage PEI coatings if you're not careful. Make sure to use an intermediary layer for easier, risk-free removal. Adhesion aids like Magigoo or 3DLac work great. Glue sticks can also work in a pinch, and you can use IPA to thin it out. You can also use painter's tape over the print plate - just ensure that the strips don't overlap or have gaps between them.
• SETTINGS - Siraya Tech offers print profiles on their website for their products, and TPU Air is no different. They're a great starting point for tuning your printer for this material. What's nice is they offer specific TPU Air print profiles for different printing temperatures, which is crucial because the flow rate needs to be adjusted to account for material expansion. Make sure you're selecting the correct profile for your desired temp/shore hardness.
• SUPPORTS - Supports have been a bit challenging for this material. For generic 95A TPU I've been able to use organic supports with one layer's z-distance (0.2mm). Not so for this stuff. Organic supports at 0.2mm adhered too well. I even doubled the z-distance (0.4mm) with very little improvement. I've found that Grid supports (not Snug supports - too many small, unstable towers) worked the best for me at 0.4mm z-distance, since the support interfaces had a more continuous structure that way which made them easier to peel off. I might give it a shot at 0.6 to see if I can get better removal without sacrificing surface quality.
• STABILITY - When printing for 65A shore hardness, I found that any tall, thin structures can get really unstable and will wobble during the print, which results in some unevenness in the walls. I believe slowing down the print/travel speeds will mitigate this. Luckily for me, none of these areas will be visible with the suit on.

Also, worth mentioning, I was able to print this whole thing with less than 1kg of filament, compared to almost twice that in PLA (maybe more, I can't recall). My assumption is that due to the expansion during foaming, the filament has to be printed at half the flow rate which uses less material overall.

 

[BRVSTR]

Figured I'd post a comparison between my old chest rig and my new one, now that the arm seals are done.

The arm seals are the ribbed section around the shoulders. These are printed in individual pieces that are meant to be assembled around the arm holes to fill out that cavity.

On the original chest rig they were printed with Overture 95A TPU and were attached using contact cement. Of course, because I had to cut the front open that meant that these pieces had to line up perfectly or the front wouldn't close, and had to be held in place while putting the armor on around it. Not a fun process, especially unassisted.

For the new rig, I printed them with the same foaming TPU and attached using CA glue/activator. This assembly was significantly easier and faster and I was able to not just attach each individual piece to the chest rig, but also glue them to each other end-to-end which was the intention behind this design. Looks so much better.

What's nice is I'm able to slip this on like a sweatervest. I used velcro tabs to fasten the back. I did a quick test fit with the chest armor and it took me less than a minute to get everything on. I'm really glad I went this route.

On another note my Dragonskin 10 Fast silicone, pigment, and thickening agent all got here yesterday so I'm excited to hop on that this week.

 

[Zackurai]

The more I look through your build the more I get “the damn, I should call her” feeling (ya know finishing my Mk V(B) it’s just in one of my closets taunting me) but sooo beautiful, good job man

 

[EternalSentinel]

Love the build! Funny to see that you went through similar troubles for the undersuit and we both ended up printing the molds looking stellar so far!