My Thunderbirds Puppet Replicas.

Face Ache said:

Finished my latest Lady Penelope puppet this week, so I thought I'd share her here. Also a couple of others. The build pics are a bit jumbled because I work on a few puppets simultaneously, but they all come together at the end.

My Penelope head cast is 2nd generation. I cast them myself.

http://i.imgur.com/TtOkkS2.jpg
The back of the head is held on with magnets. I make a ball and socket neck joint for the authentic Thunderbirds wibbly wobbly head. This Lady Penelope will have working eyes and a fixed mouth.

The standard feet that are available for female TB puppets are a bit rubbish (see right) so I re-sculpted them into something a bit more feminine.

http://i.imgur.com/Jzk4SQA.jpg

I wanted this Penelope to have a real fur coat, so I bought a vintage mink stole on eBay to chop up.

http://i.imgur.com/K88mCc7.jpg
No minks were harmed *after 1964* in the making of this puppet.

At this point I started getting distracted with making Parker(s).

http://i.imgur.com/ej7CUYS.jpg

Fabric choices.

http://i.imgur.com/7Rnc0VY.jpg

Making Parker's hat.

http://i.imgur.com/rho2IQw.jpg

Goofing off.

http://i.imgur.com/Dw03ONa.jpg
We don't have time for this, Parker!

The Scott I'm working on reclaimed his seat.
http://i.imgur.com/Cvw7PiZ.jpg

Like I don't have enough distractions, I started making Brains.

http://i.imgur.com/XI32p4J.jpg
Creepy looking, huh?

The glasses available for Brains are re-re-re-recasts from his TB6 movie glasses, and they're too wrong to use (IMO), so I made another pair from scratch. Not perfect but better. Here's my highly sophisticated moulding technique.

http://i.imgur.com/gQNhx2o.jpg
I'll make a proper pair later.

Back to Penelope.

http://i.imgur.com/ALW0dTq.jpg

Now back to Brains.

http://i.imgur.com/tdd1y3T.jpg
Brainssssss...

H-h-hey l-l-ladies.

http://i.imgur.com/0XMDB6R.jpg

Finally got Parker strung up. I use jewellers beading wire (nylon coated steel) for the main support strings. "Invisible" nylon thread for the rest.
http://i.imgur.com/73BPXgD.jpg

Penelopes and Tin-Tins in progress.

http://i.imgur.com/xDxU3jd.jpg

I get the eyes and wigs custom made. Eyes by these guys: Acrylic Human Glass Eyes, Animatronic Eyes, Doll Eyes, Mannequin Eyes, Puppet Eyes

http://i.imgur.com/HmWaRyw.jpg

Penny's head finished.

http://i.imgur.com/lZbzjDm.jpg

Puppet bits everywhere.

http://i.imgur.com/WZe8iB8.jpg

Okay, Brains strung up. Making progress!

http://i.imgur.com/EFE0g3x.jpg

Tin Tin getting her hair sorted.

http://i.imgur.com/7tAfNYD.jpg

Clothes by Awesome Wife.

http://i.imgur.com/bZ3HW1d.jpg

Hair and shoes by me. :$

http://i.imgur.com/nCc86y7.jpg

I love it when a plan comes together.

http://i.imgur.com/ShJBA4C.jpg
Hmmm. Knocked an eyelash loose while getting the wig on. It's one thing to get the wig on - it's entirely another to get the strings through the hairstyle without destroying it. And her hair-clip sits right over an eye string. Typical. :rolleyes

She has working eyes.

http://i.imgur.com/5IXSGex.jpg

Fixed that darned eyelash.

http://i.imgur.com/rH6zkrp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/bJ0koe0.jpg

Yes my Penelope still smokes. Smoking is cool.*

*Not really.

http://i.imgur.com/HOXa2ZW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KdAka5I.jpg

Puppet controllers.

http://i.imgur.com/H6iDMDA.jpg



Now to finish Scott and Tin-Tin...

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Colin Droidmilk said:

Just fantastic. They're better than the ones made for Thunderbird 6.

The Penelope... be still my heart...

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Dredgen said:

Will you doing the full main cast?

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chefhawk said:

I'm amazed as to how you've done this to a screen level accuracy ..

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