Need moral support for my next creature

[GOT]

I am looking to do something this year that is out of my league. But the only way to put this into my league is try and fail and try and fail. I want to build an animatronic creature similar to this (it will not be an alien creature).

YouTube- Alien Animatronic mandibles

I want the make the snarling lips and the drool. I have decided to make the teeth jet black. I hope that is not a mistake. They look nasty but they need to be very visible in a dark room. I might illuminate its mouth from the inside with some red LEDs to make the teeth pop. Here is what I have so far. It needs more teeth and, of course, skin, animatronic machinery, jaw hinges, eyes, etc. Wish me luck.

[hedg12]

Go for it! No matter how it turns out, it'll be 10 times cooler than anything you could buy. Not to mention the satisfaction you'll get from "pushing the envelope" of your own abilities. You don't need luck - you can do it.

[Bascombe]

When Frank Oz did "Little Shop of Horrors", and the Audrey II had all the drool, the way he did it was with KY jelly.

I used that technique on an animal skin I had to make look like a freshly skinned rabbit for "The Wild Duck".

The drool on the vid you posted almost looked like water, but the KY jelly would be more viscous and perhaps more sinister. It would ooze out rather than pour.

[GOT]

Thanks for the tip, except this guy will be drooling on the floor of the room and a little bit on the kids (it will appear behind and above them, reaching into the room with a long, snake-like neck). I think it would be best NOT to be drooling KY jelly onto my neighbor's kids.

[Frighteners Entertainment]

quick dry epoxy will also do the trick, unless you need it to be flexible...then hot glue will work.

[Bone Dancer]

Well, puff up you courage and just give it a try.Remember, not only will you be learning new skills to use later, but you will help to inspire all of us that wish we could do animation like that. Take a ton of pic and vids so you can make a great how-to later. Looking forward to seeing you work on this project.

[RoxyBlue]

Like hedg12 said - go for it! Think of the video as an inspiration piece and just see how close you can come. It will be uniquely your own and you'll learn something new with every step.

[The Watcher]

I like the head you are working with. Have you already installed the mechanical for the jaw? What kind of power will it use, air , servos?

[fritz42_male]

Thanks for the tip, except this guy will be drooling on the floor of the room and a little bit on the kids (it will appear behind and above them, reaching into the room with a long, snake-like neck). I think it would be best NOT to be drooling KY jelly onto my neighbor's kids.

How about water thickened with wallpaper paste?

[Dark Angel 27]

go for it and don't give up! i wish i could be of more help, but i'd be useless when it comes to mechanics...can't wait to see updates though! Ive seen this video before and its currently in my favorites on my old youtube account. Go for it with all you got!

[GOT]

I hope to do most of it with servos. My current plan is one servo for the jaw, one for the top lip (the video has independent left-right snarl, I won't), one for the bottom lip. I will have glowing LED eyes and probably LEDs inside the mouth. The eyes won't move but I think I have a good way to make them look like they are always looking at you. The drool (I will stick with water because I do want to drool on a few kids) I will do with a squeeze bulb and the neck will be done by hand. I will use Dragon Skin for the skin. Latex would be easier, I think, but latex will break down after a few years and I want thins guy to last a while.

[Psyc0 Walrus]

quick dry epoxy will also do the trick, unless you need it to be flexible...then hot glue will work.

Silicone and latex will work as well to get that stretchy/flexible look.. However Silicone is a lot of money compaired to hot glue but would probably give a better look.. Either way its going to look really good though :D

[madmomma]

Wow, GOT, seems like you have your plans and ideas in order. Like others said, GO FOR IT! Lots of great props are trial and error and may take even another season to get just right...but the error is in NOT trying for something you really want to do. GOOD LUCK! Looking forward to seeing the progress!

[IMU]

WOW ... that's some wild project! Go for it and good luck!

[Denhaunt]

Great project...I've got a few of these sorts of ideas on my list too (none quite so ambitious). Just bought a new batch of Gel-10 which is basically the same as the dragon skin. Keep us posted on how things are progressing and kudos to you.

[Dark Carver]

I suggest you go for a bioluminescent (bright-white [LEDS] or blue-ish) lights to highlight the teeth and possibly the face. Some lights could be shown through a thin layer of something like a lanternfish. Lanternfish (http://squid.tepapa.govt.nz/images/gallery/the-deep/article-03/image-05.jpg) BTW I'm pretty educated with the deep sea.

[GOT]

Here is an update...
The black teeth were just too dark. So I bought some silver Testors enamel paint and thinned it down a lot. I then painted the teeth with the thinned paint to lighten them up some, but not make them silver. Unfortunately, this also highlighted all the imperfections in the teeth molds. Here is a question: should I back up and try to polish the teeth to a nice sheen (I have sucked every time I have tried to polish anything) or just leave them a nasty jagged teeth?
I have also made the eyeballs. They are clear acrylic with a small amount of black pigment added. I embedded a small red LED at the very center of the ball. You will notice that it looks like it is looking right at you. This is true no matter the angle of viewing.


Well, I can't figure out how to embed pictures so you will have to look at my Garage of Terror album here at the forum.

http://www.hauntforum.com/album.php?albumid=185