It was kinda like a "real doll" only a man. I still don't know why you had to make him anatomically correct, if you were just going to dress him as a Sparten. :confused
Talk about coming aat the middle of a conversation, sheesh, lol.
As one of the original founding members of sci-fire (all those years ago it seems now yet no longer affiliated with them) I know all about the process as I learned it from scratch, sourced much of the original parts and then made most of the molds and parts myself (again back then, no idea what they are doing with the new people involved as of now).
The silicone is top of the line as is the rubber involved. EVERYTHING is done by hand and eye with very hazardous raw materials. Chemical burns to the skin, eyes and lungs are a constant danger with the said raw materials until they have been cured. Another danger is heat. Ive burned my hands to a pulp not only mixing and brushing the materials but pulling the parts from the molds.
There is also the trial and error period of new molds and pieces, sourcing original parts or fabricating them from scratch. The MG34, Lewis Gun, MG42 and the Sterling are all cast from real guns. There is the fact that the size of each piece = material cost in rubber and armatures (having already mentioned the cost of silicone and sourcing the original parts) and even materials needed to use/apply the aforementioned materials.
Few may know this but the Lewis Gun project cost roughly $5000 to make happen as it was a live fire automatic weapon. There was a good trial and error period with that project. You have a four foot tall piece thats made of durable lightweight rubber yet needs armatures strong enough to support not only its weight but the duties of costuming. There is also the volatile nature of the materials and implosion due to heat. I remember making parts then watching them implode on themselves, back to the drawing board....
The Fett rifles were parts I mainly helped source but didnt get too involved with other than molding and I seem to recall where the main problems started in regards to shipment. There was a serious problem to overcome with internal armatures. John, being the genious that he is came up with laser cut steel as the solution. The only downfall was the added cost of each piece but it was a fair trade off for durability.
I enjoyed doing the projects and didnt make money off the pieces. It was something I looked forward to until others became involved and it turned into more an mad rush to keep up with sales and non shipment but thats another story. It started out as offering the most accurate pieces possible for the best price with profits being returned to new projects. Ive no idea where the money goes now a days.
