Foam Sculpting My First Bio - Beyond The Final Rung

[xdmray]

i understand that he wants to put details on the inside.  my question is,  why mold it before the details are there.  the inside of his master is already super smooth and looks prepped for any detail work you would want to do.  you could just work in the details and then mold.   saves a step and silicone.  

 

[BonzRus]

That is turning into a seriously wicked looking mold! Thanks for all the update pics - this is fun to watch

Glad you like it Jason. I am having fun making it. I am enjoying this phase of it for sure and my anticipation is building to get that first pull.

may i ask why you are making a two part mold since there is no detail on the inside of the bio? and after you have made the back half, what is the plan for casting? you are the first person i have seen do this and i was wondering the plan.

SUper huge kudos on one of the cleanest looking molds ever. you did an amazing job on that. in fact this whole process you have done has been top notch.

Thanks Daman and not a problem...ask away. If you look back on about page 6 of this thread I chronicle the interior detail pieces that I plan to provide as an optional kit to be installed inside the helmet. There are also numerous pictures of the inside showing the "sockets" if you will for mounting the lenses. If I do not do a two part mold then I will not capture the curvature of the inside for my interior pieces to fit properly and the lenses will not fit cleanly either. My intention is to try and come close to the appearance of what the inside might have looked like based on this drawing.

I have taken a creative liberty with my design and changed the laser cover on the inside from the bulky cylindrical thing to something less obtrusive that makes more sense.

My plan here is to be able to offer what I will call a level 1 bio made from the front half of the mold and just slush cast as is typical. It would come with the tri-laser housing and the eyes would have to be cut out but you could install whatever lenses you wanted just like people are doing already with other bios. The inside of a level 1 would not accommodate the interior pieces or my lenses I have created for obvious reasons but would be an option for the more budget conscious folks out there. Then I want to also offer a level 2 bio which would be cast from the two part mold and provide my lenses and interior detail as options (complete with genuine leather) to make it look like the photo if desired for the more collector/die-hard detail people. The interior kit could even be gotten later than the bio if desired and added. So this is why I am going through all this fuss with the two part mold, to create something that looks like this...

Once I get the interior part of the mold done I will separate the mold halves and drill a couple holes in the front mother mold back up in the tip of the rear fins and then punch a hole through the silicone at each location with a sharpened brass tube. One will be a breather hole and the other will accept the tip of a small disposable funnel I will use to pour the resin in for casting in the two part mold. That is my plan anyway, I hope it helped to answer your questions.

Steve

 

[wonko]

i understand that he wants to put details on the inside.  my question is,  why mold it before the details are there.  the inside of his master is already super smooth and looks prepped for any detail work you would want to do.  you could just work in the details and then mold.   saves a step and silicone.  

Gottcha.  I sort of knew what he was planning, and forgot that some may not have known about the different bio options.  Sorry for jumping in on this Steve 

Brian

 

[BonzRus]

i understand that he wants to put details on the inside.  my question is,  why mold it before the details are there.  the inside of his master is already super smooth and looks prepped for any detail work you would want to do.  you could just work in the details and then mold.   saves a step and silicone.  

Another good question. I hope it was answered above in how I plan to make it available. Some might want the helmet with the lenses I can provide but not all the rest of the interior detail. Plus there is a 9V battery holder behind the center piece in the nose so it needs to be removable. Likewise with the cover for the laser compartment. Some of the pieces could have been molded in but I just decided to keep them all separate.

Steve

 

[BonzRus]

Gottcha.  I sort of knew what he was planning, and forgot that some may not have known about the different bio options.  Sorry for jumping in on this Steve 

Brian

Not a problem Brian.

 

[xdmray]

I get it now.

WOW!   that's some planning.     I didn't realize you were going to offer different options.  well,  i am completely amazed at the work you are doing to accomplish this.    your bios will all be cast exactly the same, and that's awesome.(read- no thickness differences)  if you lined up several it would look like they were mass produced by machine.

 

[Eaglewood]

I wanna be like Steve

 

[REYALS1]

You are going so far and beyond the norm of creating bio's Steve. I have a feeling you will be held in high respect for the lengths you are going to. Hell, you have my complete respect as it is. Keep on witcha bad self yo's. 

 

[BonzRus]

I get it now.

WOW! that's some planning. I didn't realize you were going to offer different options. well, i am completely amazed at the work you are doing to accomplish this. your bios will all be cast exactly the same, and that's awesome.(read- no thickness differences) if you lined up several it would look like they were mass produced by machine.

Thanks Daman. I am glad you like it and that i was able to explain well enough what I am doing with it. I can trip myself up at times in trying to explain something through a medium like this. Talking works much better but this is what we have to work with.

I wanna be like Steve

Blah ha ha... Clay, your killing me bro I look up to you!

You are going so far and beyond the norm of creating bio's Steve. I have a feeling you will be held in high respect for the lengths you are going to. Hell, you have my complete respect as it is. Keep on witcha bad self yo's.

Thanks Ricky, again I am humbled....


Last night I started to prepare the detail pieces for molding once I get more silicone. It is not much but this is the latest.

I will prepare another mold similar to this for the rest of the pieces over the weekend.

Steve

Update: I ordered more silicone today. YAYER!

 

[Usurper]

:------------------------------------O

awesome!!!

sorry just in awe of this still.

     

 

[sulaco1967]

I am so loving the evolution of this from your piece of Jablite. I also want add that you are one of the most genuine people on the Lair I have read so far ( Wonko a close second). Have noted that you appreciate every comment and give note and thanks think a lot of lair members should follow your example.

Sean

 

[wonko]

Simply awesome Steve. I don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said, but want to encourage you to continue on with more pred stuff. This is gonna look so good on the stand I've already started building for it

Brian

 

[BonzRus]

:------------------------------------O

awesome!!!

sorry just in awe of this still.

     

Hey Lee, I appreciate the comments and the emoticon...thanks for keeping up with this.

I am so loving the evolution of this from your piece of Jablite. I also want add that you are one of the most genuine people on the Lair I have read so far ( Wonko a close second). Have noted that you appreciate every comment and give note and thanks think a lot of lair members should follow your example.

Sean

Sean, you are so kind. Thanks you very much! Wow...what can I say...I am just trying to show my gratitude for the comments. They really stoke me up so I think it only appropriate to acknowledge what people are saying with a thank you.

Simply awesome Steve. I don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said, but want to encourage you to continue on with more pred stuff. This is gonna look so good on the stand I've already started building for it

Brian

Brian, ha! I am glad you are building a stand as I do not have anything designed up yet myself to mount it on. I need to do that...Let me know what you come up with as I will need ideas. I do plan to continue with more stuff...I want to get a skin started next so I can work on different pieces for it and I want to get a good airbrush and compressor so I can try my hand at painting everything I may be able to create. A DTD will be my next order of business and depending on how it goes I just may post picks of the process  out of respect for Sean... I also have a custom bio concept design in the works so.....there is plenty to do.

Steve

 

[wonko]

I'm thinking I'm gonna start a thread on the stand after I get the suit finished.  It will run off an arduino and will paly the clicks and growels, as well as turn the lasers on...all via a PIR sensor.  That way, when someone gets close to it, it will come alive. 

Brian

 

[ptgreek]

ha ..if you ever need a shop job in LA ..look me up ..i like the fact that you are thinking about the whole finished product when planning your mold ..many mold makers i know dont have the foresight

 

[AlphaTech686]

Steve those little pieces are very cool. They look machined and that is good.

 

[PredatrHuntr]

I love those fiddly little bits!!  Looks great and I can't wait to see how you proceed with the resin pouring stage.  Good luck - not that you'll need it because you're doing so freaking phenomenal so far anyway! 

 

[AlphaTech686]

Steve I just went up in my attic and snapped these photos. Your mold reminded me of this. I molded this bio over 20 years ago and sold
them in Sci-Fi Entertainment. There was no internet and no one was making bios that I new of. I wanted to be able to just pour them and
sell them. This is the mold. I had covered the bio with 3/4 of an inch of clay then molded that. I then demolded it cleaned of all the clay
off the bio and then placed it back in the shell I just cast, sealed it and filled it with poly mold compound. I then used a razor to split the mold,
drill a bunch holes, bolted it together and poured away. I did have to use mold release each time. So here it is. Like I said before my molds 
aren't nearly as pretty as yours.

 

[Usurper]

LOL Steve NO thank YOU, for showing this here,this is what the lair is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall about

 

[BonzRus]

I'm thinking I'm gonna start a thread on the stand after I get the suit finished.  It will run off an arduino and will paly the clicks and growels, as well as turn the lasers on...all via a PIR sensor.  That way, when someone gets close to it, it will come alive. 

Brian

Ha! I love it! Do it Brian. That would be so cool.

ha ..if you ever need a shop job in LA ..look me up ..i like the fact that you are thinking about the whole finished product when planning your mold ..many mold makers i know dont have the foresight

WOW! Thanks George. What a compliment! Believe me, if I were in a different situation in life I would take you up on that. It would be my dream job for sure but in some respects this forum is helping me to realize a bit of that in a way and it is one reason why I am enjoying being a part of this community.

Steve those little pieces are very cool. They look machined and that is good.

Thanks Jeff. Machined they are not and up close they are a tad bit rough but I think it will lend to the effect when complete. Thank you as well for the pictures of the mold you made. I can't believe you did that 20 years ago.....amazing. It still looks like it is in good shape. Have you ever considered making anymore pulls from it? They could be a bit of nostalgia for sure.

I love those fiddly little bits!!  Looks great and I can't wait to see how you proceed with the resin pouring stage.  Good luck - not that you'll need it because you're doing so freaking phenomenal so far anyway! 

Hey Jason, they were fun to make and I hope I am successful getting them molded and cast up. I am trying to be mindful of potential air pockets and where to place the sprues and all. Thanks for the well wishes. I am going to give it my best.

LOL Steve NO thank YOU, for showing this here,this is what the lair is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall about

I can't agree with you more Lee (see my reply to George above). Thanks again and thank you for being such a contributing factor to the Lair. Your contributions are invaluable.

Steve