Phase 7: prototype wax cast (continuation of my March motor bunny post).
The molds i poured from the clay master were rather rough (this was expected, as it is my very first attempt at urethane rubber - and creating an action figure from scratch), the wax casts turned out a bit bumpy and pitted...
...however, the wax casting was surprisingly easy and fast to do (only took about 2hrs to cure solid for each segment and de-molded painlessly). It was important to maintain the melted down the ingredients (from the previous bunny post) at around 170F, to prevent bubbles from forming or cracking/tearing as the wax cures.
Once de-molded, each segment had to be sanded, scraped and carved to achieve a smooth finish (i got some really cool looking dentistry-like tools for that)...
next step: build and insert the linking joints...
A Southern addition to my fish-car series - the catfish ford F100 red, white and blue pick-up...
I'm prototyping this one to debut my toy series (trying out 2 versions, traditional mold and casting, and 3D printing - lets see which is better)...
...here's a tribute to blue-blooded pick-ups and the great sport of noodling!
Phase 6: ingredients for the wax cast (continuation of my January motor bunny post).
Finally, after multiple moves, an eviction, 300+ horribly disfigured moving boxes, and a "Catch Me If You Can" romp with USPS - i finally received my ingredients to wax cast the bunny (right now the turn around time for creating this action figure is Guinness Record worthy)...
Upon opening the shipment i felt a bit like Walter White, getting ready for a cook-off à la "Breaking Bad" (see picture).
For an 8 inch figure i'll need a concoction consisting of the following:
3.30lbs Talc
3.00lbs Paraffin Wax
0.55lbs Candelilla Wax
0.55lbs Carnauba Wax
0.15lbs Bees Wax
some colored crayons
i must credit Scott Hensey, the toy maker behind the likes of TMNT, old school Happy Meals, and Biker Mice From Mars (anybody remember those???), for the original recipe...
once the wax prototype is cast, i can figure out the joints and also clean up the sculpt without having to worry about deforming it (the wax is much harder and more rigid than the original clay sculpt)...
...lets see what comes out!
together with
some really good local fish from a recent diner out (here in Savannah)
and my long-time interest in vintage transportation, the concept of the
fish-car was born...(i was contemplating more recent vehicles, but the
60s had some great lines without all the frills from previous decades).
the idea is rather simple...
select a car producing country, say France for example - pick a make (Citroën) and a more obscure model (H series van).
next, select a fish commonly found on the diner table of said country (carp).
join the two together and voilà; the fish-car...
here is my first set...
i think i will convert these into a limited edition 3D sculpt series (hard resin casts) in full color - would look cool on the mantel...
...a friend suggested i make them into toys (now there's an idea!), or a cartoon à la Pixar - hmm...
...stay tuned, these will go places!
...imperial forces strategically used the pea soup cover to conceal a land invasion.
i realized that during my almost two decade long creative career, i had never done anything Star Wars (and i call my self a sci-fi geek to boot). I decided to remedy this with an hour of Photoshop and some bacon and eggs over easy...
Phase 5: clay master demolded - ready for wax casting
(continuation of my October motor bunny post)
After moving to Savannah (still in our temporary apartment next door to a bunch of dead people from the 1700s) - i finally located the box (among 380 stacked in 2 storage units) marked "motorbunny - fragile"...
...the demolding was a success (only 5% of the master was damaged). now all these negatives need is some cleaning and a fresh coat of release spray prior to pouring in the wax mixture. i was so excited to pour the initial rubber molds (and way too generously at that) that i totally forgot to place the pour and vent channels into each and every mold...
...so how does this affect the process? well, i'll have to figure out the least invasive spot to drill a1/4inch hole in each of the molds and you'll have to wait for me to find my Black & Decker amongst the 380 boxes in the 2 storage units...
...with the shirt completed (USCSS Nostromo crew outfit - part 1: shirt), i started work on the pants - the white pairs worn by the folks left of Ripley...
...again, they are hand sewn (this time on the move from Seattle to Savannah over the Christmas holidays). i also found an olive drab army surplus belt - modified with the Nostromo science officer insignia and a pair of high-tops (like the white ones worn by Dallas, Ripley and Ash (the synthetic on the right - Ian Holmes)...
...close enough.
i still have to update the footwear a bit - remove the PF Flyer logo (yup, old school brand, well, the movie was made in the late 1970s). i also need to paint over some of the other markings along the back...
...the final step is going to be the flight jacket.
