66cm+ Dolls Navi

Long time ago i almost finished a 1/6 scale Neytiri figure to match the 1/6 scale HotToys Jake. During that build i actually learned about BJD's! I started using snap-in and friction based joints back then (with lots of trouble, they were to tight or got loose over time, etc) Then started to add little strings to keep them tight and when i talked about it people pointed me to BJD
Made a new head and body using balljoints and updated the three faceplates (will add a closed eyes faceplate version as well). They now connect to the head with two 5mm magnets and there also is a backplate with magnets.

Now the base level is more or less done the next step is to sculpt in the details and do some test prints (have 5kg blue PLA ready to go)!

 

And without a faceplate attached.

 

Time for an update! When i was adding some details and finishing everything up i changed my mind and decided to try and do a more detailed build this time. Might go even a little further and see what makes it in the print. Also made different feet and added room for magnets in the ankle and feet so switching is easy.

 

Another update, five faceplats more or less done. Think i'm pretty close to where i want to be. Now to take a little step back and then do a last round of tweaking

-smirk/closed smile

-asleep

-open smile

-angry

-neutral

-other side

The faceplaces have room for two tiny magnets and clips to make sure they center fully to the head of the model.

 

Faceplates printed. Now to clean them up while the printer is busy with the next parts

 

Thanks so much! Yeah i feel the same way everytime a part comes out of the printer

 

Ai, it seems my pics disappeared.. But i have a few new ones

 

First assembly!







Now to test some poses, see how everything moves and fits. Also printing out a few more hands and other accessoires.

 

Few updated pics with a wig i had lying around:

 

Ceremonial bow printed and was quite surprised she can hold it on her own

 

Thanks so much! Its straight out of the printer. I have spend alot of time tweaking and test printing the joints (i have about 3 boxes full of test legs, arms and torso's). And i don't use double joints everywhere. I don't because i want to hide the joints as much as possible but that probably makes standing and posing a good bit easier as well (at the cost of some flexibility ofc).

 

Thx! I'm not using any resin atm. She's printed using a filament printer with standard PLA (but with a smaller nozzle and on a high detail then average). You can see it in the shiny, sometimes a bit weird reflections in some of my pics. But it prints easy (and cheap) and this way i can easily reprint and keep improving parts like the joints further.
For example in the pic below she has new upper legs, wrists and elbows. Its also quite sturdy, when she falls over its rare for something to break (didn't happen yet).

When i'm happy i'll either start sanding all the parts or print them in resin (or a bit of both) for a "final" version.



And an extra pic with my kitten Luna

 

After a round of sanding and a coat of very blue primer:

 

Thanks so much! Yeah she is pretty big ...even a bit too big for her outfit in the pic below
Not easy to find or guess clothes for a custom bjd. But i'm pretty happy with the new wig. Was supposed to be black but the red color actually goes pretty nice with the blue skin color.



And she matches pretty well with my other alien!

 

Sorry been a bit late on my updates. Some time ago i was able to go to my first (little) doll meet and i had to quickly update her a bit so she could come along to the meet. Below are a few pics. Was great fun and now a great template to use to improve things further

 

Update: fixed some minor issues and added a bit more detail. Just finished printing her in resin (Saturn 2).

 

Can't leave her all alone, going to add Jake as well Still a bit early on but it gives an idea where its going. I wanted faceplates again (and do a few different emotes) but his mohawk hairstyle would make the faceplate lines too visible (and ugly) so i came up with one that hopefully works better.

 

Thx! Currently struggling with stringing Trying both leg-to-leg and legs-to-head. Sofar it seems unfortunatly there isn't really a winner, both have pros and cons.. Few recent pics:



Below: the left one is printed in Elegoo ABS-like, right one in Resione anti-impact.

 

Thx! Well it depends. Elegoo ABS-like is really easy to print. Little failures and easy on the FEP/FPE. Its also in most cases pretty durable. Can hold a bit of direct sunlight (still recommended to keep it out of the sun) and if you accidentally drop an item it's fine in most cases. It also has a tiny bit more detail and sharpness. Downside is the powdery like scratches you get easily around joints etc (Often you can finger rub these away or a very quick 2000 grit wetsand removes it, few wipes is enough).. Suede or something on the joints is probably recommended or its a great mastercopy to make a mold and cast from.

The Resione Anti impact resin on the other hand is difficult to print (oa need (pre)heating), more expensive, more failures and very hard on the FEP/FPE. Also after printing it can be a bit troublesome staying somewhat unstable causing it to deform from pressure. So you might havo to put it in an oven and cure extra long.
But once printed it is very tough. Can't even compare. Almost completely scratch proof. And although i wouldnt recommend it i have thrown (not just dropped) parts like a face or hand at the ground with zero issues. I only have seen some slow deformation from the string (multiple thick strings in this 73 cm tall doll) on some thin parts so something to be aware of when designing or (can for example be solved by adding support or printing thicker). In the oven at a low temp (50+ celsius) it went easily back to its original shape. This might only be an issue with this design+large doll+thick string tho (not common and i maybe went a little too far with the string i used).
So basically the entire build is more difficult and expensive. But once done its great. The doll feels like something you could buy in a store or let a child play with without much stress. So i guess not for casting but better if you want one or two (very low volume) unique dolls printed (to use or even play! with).

Oh and i think both of these resins are less brittle then most store bought resin dolls (but for the Elegoo one this is very much at the cost of hardness). The Resione one also feels different, they call it Nylon-like. Also the Resione resin had no problem with the added color dye. ABS-Like comes in a lot of colors already so i havent tried it.

 

Thanks! Here she is showing off her bioluminescence

 

Jake update! Well everything is done, only need to add the the last high (or asymmetrical) details and some cleanup. If i can stop tinkering...

Here are the faceplates:




Think this way his mohawk hairstyle will also work (hopefully):



Full body pics (tail is done as well, just not added here):

 

Yeah they are a lot of fun to make and use later on. Only the technical part took some time to make it work. But hopefully i can now start printing soon

Quick pose with tail added:

 

Thx, really interesting feedback! I tried to do a quick comparison. Was more difficult then i thought and i rotated the (top)chest back what i shouldn't have done. Still tho, its ok for a comparison i guess

What i noticed, head is slightly too big, i did this on purpose (for detail, because many people already think its too small for the body and i guess doll heads are often slightly too big?). Lower arms are too short. I remember doing this because i thought it looked better but maybe that was wrong. And the knees are too thin (well spotted!). Its not in the pic but overal the height matches pretty good. This was fun sort of review to do! Now i better not try and adjust these things or other projects never get done!

Oh and there is something else as well, my phone's camera seems really made for portraits and the lens distorts the image a little bit too much..

 

Thanks! Yeah i guess making your own interpretation is part of the fun! Especially facial emotes are a lot of fun to add. But also for example the hands and feet also are slightly less weird then they are in the movie. You hardly see it in the movie but on a doll it stands out a lot more. Fun things to balance out a little. Also I tried to use my phone's camera's deformation i mentioned earlier to my advantage in this pic

 

Took a while waiting for the weather to be a bit warmer. Now there is a bit less added heating required for printing Anyway here are the first bits out of the printer (printed in resione anti-impact + blue dye). Idea of this faceplate is that it also works with his mohawk hairstyle.

 

Thanks!

 

With a few more parts out of the printer i couldnt wait to do a quick faceplate test

 

Thanks! They are a lot of work to do... But so much fun! Big update as well, Jake fully assembled!
Just a test, there are still a ton of little things to do



Finally together (spare Neytiri so a bit different outfit/hair ).