Fibreglass mannequin question

[onrina903]

I currently have a oversized in height fibreglass mannequin (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-New-Lou...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item3ca4839917) description says it is 6ft2in but measures 6ft4in and a lot more in the footwear i would be using for it.

My question is,has anyone modified there fibreglass mannequins to make them smaller?and how would i go about doing it?

I would think limb shortening with a saw would be the way but i have no idea of how i would go about putting the new shorter parts together as strong as they where before i hacked it up.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[clonesix]

No, but I am in the same boat. I want to make my mannequin wider.

cutting it appart is easy; glassing it back together is a bit more of a trick. If you want to keep him "mannequin looking," then you need to glass from the inside, and bondo the outside. That will be harder in the arms and legs because there is a smaller amout of space to work with.

I will be cutting the torso in half lengthwise, and will need to create a door in the back to access the area to be glassed.

 

[kwalsh0000]

I had to cut the head off one of my mannequins before to make a helmet fit. It was messy and quite awkward but can be done. If you want to make him smaller then maybe just cut off the feet and smooth down the ankles (assuming you have a stand that goes into the calf) and you can still put boots on without the added height.

As for making it bigger....soft foam (like upholstry foam) and tape it on into the shape you need to flll out the shoulders, arms etc. If the arms are too close then maybe some PVC in between the arm and shoulder socket to space it out and again foam.

Alot less mess and then if you need it for something smaller down the line it makes life alot easier.

Oh also, just noticed I have the same mannequin as you posted up used for my jaffa. In that case then i'd just lob off the feet from the ankle if there are going to be boots or feet put over it

 

[onrina903]

Sounds like a good idea about cutting the feet off,that should drop it down a few inches.

Would there been any stability isues though or will it be fine?also you say you have the same mannequin,was yours in the 6ft4in region before you modified it?mine was a good 2 inches more than it was advertised,kinda puts me of using the same supplier if there going to be bigger than stated.

Also thanks for both replying.

 

[kwalsh0000]

I wouldnt think there should be any issues once you have the pole sticking into the calf and if there are boots on it would help stabalise it.

To be honest I didnt even notice any difference in height as mine h as a helmet on it. What I did though was to replace the glass base with some thin MDF and that brought the height down aswell. Out of all the mannequins I have bought though I have found this specific one to be the best quality out there.