Facehugger Build -

I am presently building my first face hugger kit and have an issue with the tail. Presently the kit assumes it is put together to form a single straight piece, making it look like rigamortis has set in.

I want to introduce some curves up/down, left & right, but do not know the best way to do this. Warming the plastic allows bending, but the tail is triangular in cross section, which causes to buckle when bent

Any suggestions and pictures would be appreciated.

The picture attached is not of my kit, but shows the problem I'm trying to avoid.

Thanks

I read a build article (Apologies to the builder. I cannot remember but think they are a member here) who put piano wire into the tail and then used expanding foam. They cut off the excess foam and attached the tail. The combination allowed the tail to curve in a realistic fashion.

Good luck with the build.

Ted.

The only way you can curve the tail and make it look right, is to cut out material.

Do so carefully, I would put a wire in it, and NON expanding foam for a base Like Dean did for his builds. Then cut out " V " on the side you want to collapse.

When I did mine, I cast the tail in resin, and bent it while it was hot. It cracked in a few places, and I used epoxy putty to resculpt the missing sections.

Good luck!

Thanks Perfect42 and BrundelFly for such a speedy reply and explanations. I get the general idea, but any pictures of the process or finished item would be greatly appreciated.

Post whether you have the older Halcyon kit too, or one of the kits from Thailand.
Reason I ask is that the vinyl on the Halcyon kit was much more flexible, and will probably determine what answers and suggestions you get. :-)

Facehugger = hardest paint job I've ever done...

Space Jockey said:

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Post whether you have the older Halcyon kit too, or one of the kits from Thailand.
Reason I ask is that the vinyl on the Halcyon kit was much more flexible, and will probably determine what answers and suggestions you get. :-)

Not sure about the kit, as I picked it up at a garage sale and there was no box or instructions with it. I will have to post some pictures of progress so far and maybe someone can determine if it an original or recast.

BrundelFly said:

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Do so carefully, I would put a wire in it, and NON expanding foam for a base Like Dean did for his builds. Then cut out " V " on the side you want to collapse.

What type of 'Non expanding foam' would you suggest, and are there any precautions when using it.

Thanks

I filled the tail of mine with tightly rolled up sections of aluminum foil then inserted metal wire I bought from a hardware store. The wire helps hold the shape while the aluminum foil let the tail bend without collapsing.

After a several months, my facehugger project is done. As 'PHArchivist' said "Facehugger = hardest paint job I've ever done..." and I could not agree more. Who would have thought it was that difficult.

I tried to go for a flesh tone, but ended up slightly darker and also created a display base for it, somewhat inspired by the NECA headknocker.

Rather than ramble on, please have a look at the pictures and let me know what you think or if you have any questions.

Thanks to all those who gave advice.

Nick

Say, that looks really nice! Great work on the paint job and the display base!

That paint job came out pretty impressive. Love the stippling effect you added to the skin. Makes it look really realistic.

I love that build, I just wish you had put a bit more tail on so it would look like it was flying out

Nice job. Great display

Those recasts are awful, stiff as hell!
You might even be as well rerecasting the tail, and doing it in latex

tgreco said:

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I love that build, I just wish you had put a bit more tail on so it would look like it was flying out

I still have the rest of the tail and have plans to make it attach to the wooden dowel, so it can be viewed complete, without the egg. But this will have to wait awhile longer.

Thanks to everyone for the positive comments.