Rankin-Bass Rudolph puppets - re-creations?

I wanted to share my refrence drawings for Hermey.

I want to use a ball and socket armature on him but I don't see that happening for a while, so I'll stick with wire for now. I'm really hoping that I will be able to make Hermey look like he did in the special. When I look at things like toys and Christmas decorations Hermey never actually looks like he did in the special. Even in commercials and the 4D experience. This might end up being a challenge for me.
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I really wanted to get started on Hermey during the next few months and get him done by the end of spring. I unfortunately don't think I'll be able to get started on him until summer. I need to finish a Santa so I can take photos and send them to the owner of the Castle Noel museum. I still want to help them out to get a Rudolph Display set up. Also Sam is taking longer to finish than I expected. I'm not happy with how he's turning out, he looks to rough and not well crafted. I took a lot of short cuts when making him and that may be apart of the problem. I think I'm going to start over on his outfit, And on top of that I'm not even finished with Rudolph. A lot of my supplies unfortunately went missing when I was rearranging my room. Some paints, needles, felt, and glue are all things I need to finish Rudolph but can't find at the moment.

Can't wait to get started on Hermey soon!!!
 
Nice Hermey sketch. I never really paid much attention to Hermey until this last Christmas Eve watching a rerun. He is quite the dude with the moves. His facial expressions are also pretty funny. How tall will he be? I would imagine he’s 5-6” tall? What would his hair be made of?
 
UncleGranny said:
Nice Hermey sketch. I never really paid much attention to Hermey until this last Christmas Eve watching a rerun. He is quite the dude with the moves. His facial expressions are also pretty funny. How tall will he be? I would imagine he’s 5-6” tall? What would his hair be made of?
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Hermey is going to be around 6 inches tall, about as tall as my Rudolph. As for hair, I'm not so sure at the moment.
 
If you can, I had a fedora custom designed as a 3D model, and i.materlise allows you to do prints with flocking. Gives you very precise control over the result obviously, but expensive.
 
Rusty85 said:
If you can, I had a fedora custom designed as a 3D model, and i.materlise allows you to do prints with flocking. Gives you very precise control over the result obviously, but expensive.
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That sounds like a very interesting and awesome way of getting this part of the build done. Too bad it's the expensive way to go..... I guess I'll have to think of something else. Thanks for letting me know that 3D printing with flocking is a thing. IT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE!!!
 
Freedmeep1964 said:
Does anyone have any tips or idea on how I can make a Bowler Hat (Derby Hat)? I'm struggling a bit on this part of Sam's build.
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I agree, I'd felt the main hat shape, make a block for the final hat shape and block it like you would a regular sized hat... it'd just be smaller. A normal derby would have a have a lot of stiffener in it. Maybe put a thin wire in the edge of the brim.
 
This is my first go at a derby hat.
Screenshot_20210111-121741.png

It's a little too big for the head of Sam but it could probably work better if my Sam puppet was bigger. Anyway I made this by putting some felt over the top of a round deodorant top.
Screenshot_20210111-121727.png

After, I mixed some Elmer's glue with water and covered the felt in some of that. I applied a few coats and let it dry for 24 hours. After it was able to hold its round shape. I added some extra felt for the brim.
This isn't going to be the one I'm using, as the colors aren't correct, but I think this strategy worked really well. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I'll be making a smaller one soon.
 
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Sam's snow texture was an interesting part of the build to figure out. I started by trying to press Velcro in the rubber when it wasn't all the way set. It looked fine, but it would mess with the shape of the parts. So after a few weeks I found a granite texture spray paint and I gave it a try. I think it turned out great. I'll of course paint it white.
Screenshot_20210130-183710.png
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Hey everyone! Sorry I've been gone for a while. I have been doing other things not related to Rudolph or Rankin/Bass (hope you don't mind).
Anyways I'm gonna be working on Sam for the next week or so and hopefully get started on someone else (possibly Hermey) soon. Here is an image of how I attached Sam's wire arms. I used screws so they will be tight and not loose.
Screenshot_20210408-133827.png

I also gave him eyes!!!
Screenshot_20210409-132835.png
Screenshot_20210409-132812.png
Screenshot_20210409-132730.png

I'm not 100% sure I'm going to be using this set of eyes because they look off to me. But please let me know your thoughts and what you think I could do different with the eyes. I hope to get some advice from the thread. Thanks.
 

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