Help Save Master Yoda (Life Size Statue Restore)

[jbootes]

Hi all. I just picked this little green guy up from a local Craigslist add, and I couldn't be more excited! Due to its condition I was able to get it for a very reasonable price. He is "life Size" standing just under three foot tall and appears to be made from some type of resin. He is VERY heavy, easily over 50lbs. From what I've gathered reading on line, these statues were made for Pepsi, by Gentle Giant, around the time Revenge of the Sith came out.

I'd like to start restoring him but I'm looking for a little advice from you experts first. I've taken pictures of the major issues. My best guess is that he was kept outside in the elements at some point (Breaks my heart!!!). The paint is quite faded and there are several cracks in the resin. The base is made of MDF and has obviously seen some water. He is also in need of a new lightsaber blade.

Painting should be fairly straight forward, and I have some ideas for the base and lightsaber blade.


My questions are in regards to the cracking:

Are the cracks from being outside in the weather, or is there something else at work here?

Will it continue to crack after being repaired?

Obviously they need to be filled, but with what? Bondo? Fiber Glass Resin? Two part Epoxy?

While the skin is smooth, any of the "Fabric" areas have a nice texture I've dubbed "Elephant Skin" (I hope it is visible in my pictures). How can I duplicate the texture seamlessly blend the repaired areas?


I'm looking forward to getting started on this but I want to make sure it's done right. I'll keep this tread updated with my progress.

I'd also be interested in any more information about this particular statue you might have.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Drac]

So sad to see a nice piece like this in such a state, unfortunately I can't really help with the questions, but good luck with it and hope you get it sorted.....plus free bump to the top so someone can help :thumbsup

 

[R2Dan]

Yoda looks really ill in these pictures, I hope you can bring him back up to full health
An idea for recreating the texture would be to make a stamp by pressing some air hardening clay or similar into an area that is still intact, let it dry a bit and peel it off before it cures fully so you can then use it to stamp the texture into the resculpted areas, while whatever you will be using to fill these damaged areas up is still pliable? Does that make sense?

 

[Duncanator]

Wow! Someone really didn't take care of that.
It looks to me like the cracking is mainly due to weather. The heating and cooling from being outdoors likely caused a lot of expanding and contracting of the materials that led to it cracking. If you keep it in a less variable climate, the cracking should cease. Some of it may be the resin itself cracking, but my guess is that it was not cast in one piece, so the filled seams between parts have the majority of crackage. The dissimilar materials (resin, glue, bondo, etc…) would be more prone to forming cracks.

You could fill the gaps with bondo filler, but I would suggest using MagicSculpt for a couple of reasons. First, it is an epoxy filler - so it is an adhesive which would hold things together better than bondo. Secondly, it works like a clay, so you can sculpt with it to create the textures you were talking about. You can create "texture pads" by brushing on a layer of latex to an area that has good texture, then peeling the latex off once it dries. Then you can press the latex texture pad onto the areas filled with Magicsculpt to replicate the lost texture. The Magicsculpt hardens over the course of an hour or two so you have time to work with it.

 

[jbootes]

Hey guys, thanks for the responses! Making a “stamp” from the existing texture seems so obvious now that you say it. I think the silicone will be my best bet. That way it will be flexible and allow me to contour the stamp to the different shapes of the statue. I don't have any “brush on” type silicone, but I'll give it a shot with some of the “pour on” stuff I have on hand and see how it goes!



I don't have any experience with MagicScultp or any “Epoxy Filler” for that matter, but it sounds like exactly what I need. I'll check it out!


Thanks again!