Pirates of the Caribbean Skull and Crossbones

[ChickenHaunt]

Dead men tell no tales...
Here’s a fun little project. I was asked to recreate the skull and crossbones seen in the caves on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (last picture). I started with one of the excellent skulls from The Skull Shoppe and retooled it a little into more of a portrait the original noggin. A little paint and a velvet backing, and he’s off to his new home!

Fun fact: rumor has it that when the ride debuted, the skeletons were all real, and this one was never replaced when they switched to plastic skeletons.

 

[McFlyte]

That looks really good

Did you use any particular painting prep or process?

 

[division 6]

Nice.

Yeah, they borrowed the skeletons from a medical university since at the time they couldn't afford quality made replicas.
Later they where all returned accept for the one on the headboard.

 

[ChickenHaunt]

That looks really good

Did you use any particular painting prep or process?

Thanks. I just lightly scuffed the resin with a very fine sanding sponge, hit it with Bulldog adhesion promoter, then airbrushed a base coat of Createx acrylic. The rest was just washy passes of cheap craft store acrylics, a satin acrylic sealer coat, and a gold leaf tooth.

 

[PHArchivist]

Nice.

Yeah, they borrowed the skeletons from a medical university since at the time they couldn't afford quality made replicas.
Later they where all returned accept for the one on the headboard.

Wait - what...?

Disney...!? Couldn't afford...!?

 

[PHArchivist]

Dead men tell no tales...
Here’s a fun little project. I was asked to recreate the skull and crossbones seen in the caves on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (last picture). I started with one of the excellent skulls from The Skull Shoppe and retooled it a little into more of a portrait the original noggin. A little paint and a velvet backing, and he’s off to his new home!

Fun fact: rumor has it that when the ride debuted, the skeletons were all real, and this one was never replaced when they switched to plastic skeletons.

Just over-the-top awesome project...

For the longest while, I had aspriations of doing a "real" version of the POTC COTBP logo. Have the skull, and other accesories stuffed away in a box somewhere. Even found a child-sized calvary sword (with the correect hilt)...

Would require re-shaping the eyes with Apoxie Sculpt (or other medium) to make them more "sunglass shaped".

 

[ChickenHaunt]

Wait - what...?

Disney...!? Couldn't afford...!?

Haha! It's not totally unheard of, though. Remember that Poltergeist used real skeletons, and that was 20 years later!

Hope you get around to your skull project. That should be fun!

 

[division 6]

Disney was really struggling at the beginning.
If 20,000 LutS didn't make a profit they would have lost the park that was still in the construction phase and studio.
That whole thing is talked about in the making of video.

I've always wanted to so the skull at the beginning for the ride.
At Halloween Target sells a skull and cross bone piece that always sells out before I can grab one.

 

[PHArchivist]

Disney was really struggling at the beginning.
If 20,000 LutS didn't make a profit they would have lost the park that was still in the construction phase and studio.
That whole thing is talked about in the making of video.

I've always wanted to so the skull at the beginning for the ride.
At Halloween Target sells a skull and cross bone piece that always sells out before I can grab one.

Yup... Not always the money-magnet and cash cow it is now...

 

[division 6]

Yeah and early on Potc was to just be a walk around wax museum.
IIRC that changed after the debut of Small World at the Worlds Fair.

 

[ChickenHaunt]

Here it is installed in the vintage frame that was used in the ride.

 

[division 6]

Nice.

 

[SpaceCrawler]

Cool. Where did you get the frame?

Sean

 

[ChickenHaunt]

Cool. Where did you get the frame?

Sean

I don't know. The collector I did the skull for sourced the frame.

 

[howlingwind13]

This is fantastic! Great job on the skull.

 

[PHArchivist]

I don't know. The collector I did the skull for sourced the frame.

Should mold and cast it...