TMNT Mouser build

[Zombegon]

For an upcoming art show based on the Ninja turtles I decided to make a life-sized Mouser.

I've been creeping on this site for months now and I'm excited to finally have a project to display. I started coming here back in October, looking for tips and tricks on building a DROID X based PiPBOY 3000. I was hooked after that.

The show is in a couple of weeks so I'm pretty short on time. However, if I don't finish in time for the show I plan to push forward and complete the thing for myself. So for starters this is what I have accomplished so far...

I decided to base my design of the Mouser off of the look of the original from Eastman and Laird's black and white series. Actually it ended up being based on alot of different Mouser designs; mostly that of Sideshow's amazing statue. I like the round body and huge head on that one. The single big "tooth" in the front is awesome. I can imagine a Mouser snipping the head off a rat in one bite. Because I'm playing Portal 2 at the moment I had to slip some of its influence in there. So, ultimately my Mouser will be Baxter Stockman by way of Aperture Science!

I started with the body. I made a frame out of bisecting foam core. I work at a movie theatre so I have an infinite supply of foam core from standees.

I decided on using spray foam as a cheap fill. Not necessarily working this on a budget, just curious how different materials work. After spraying it down though I had an urge to start over and make a life-sized Krang instead! Maybe next time. No, definitely next time.

Now its shaved and ready. Now I have questions....

I need to cover that foam with something so I can sand it down into a nice sphere. I tried Bondo first but it began to settle in to the foam. Pretty sure it was melting. I don't have time to wait for Apoxie Sculpt to be delivered so I need something else. I found something at Lowe's called Locite, which is an apoxie clay. Its fantastic BUT It is prohibitively expensive and a last resort.

So what else could I use? Wall spackle? I need it to dry within 12 hours of application and be sandable.

 

[Wicked]

It's been a long time since I did any but what about paper mache? If it's for an art piece it wouldn't need to be THAT durable so, but I can't remember what the drying time is like on that. Plain old wall spackle might work too. It really all comes down to durability vs time limit.

 

[Zombegon]

The spray foam was a great filler at first but after a few days nearly all of the sections had "collapsed" into themselves, leaving me with alot of space to fill and little time to do so. I tried Vinyl Wall Spackle and that worked but the spackle would crack after drying. The spray foam underneath might still have been compressing at that point.

Eventually, I got the rough form of the body and began sawing off one end for the hip of the leg. Doing so destroyed the body. The spackle was far too brittle and crumbled with every cut. Also, after sawing completly through, I found that most of the spackle a few layers in was still wet; although it had dried before I applied the second layer. I think it absorbed some moisture from the upper layers, or maybe my basement is more humid than I thought.

Anyway, I've halted production until I can collect my thoughts. I've bought rigid insulation foam and have been planning out a different design. I've also ordered the materials I couldn't get before because of the time constraints. So, within a week I should be ready to give this another shot. Once I'm back in production I'll post some picks of the failed version.

 

[Nintendophile]

A few months ago, I was tasked with making a prop cartoon-style bomb, and the method I used was a styrofoam ball covered in plaster.

The styrofoam ball I got from Michael's Craft Store, though I know they have them at other craft stores, usually used as planets when making models of the solar system. There's two kinds of foam, though. One with a smooth texture, like a packing peanut, and one with a very rough texture. You want the kind with the rough texture, because you can sand it and shape it, and you need that texture for the plaster to "stick" to. They've got multiple sizes to choose from.

I used just plain old DAP brand Plaster of Paris, the dry powder in the red and white bucket. (You want to use plaster instead of spackle, because spackle air dries, but plaster creates an endothermic reaction when mixed with water, creating it's own heat to cure.) Mix it with just a little more water than it calls for, so it's a tiny bit runny. Then just paint it on in multiple thin coats. The first two or three coats will "soak" into the styrofoam, but any coats after that should start to build up on each other, filling in all the little nooks and crannies. After you've got a good base, just sand it smooth and you're good to go!

If you're going to be shaping the ball into anything OTHER than a sphere, I'd suggest cutting the foam ball before plastering it, because if you try to cut into it after applying the plaster, you risk cracking your plaster shell.

To strengthen everything up after sanding, you can use many different products. But if this is just for a sculpture, a coat of Krylon primer should give it enough strength.

Hope this helps! ^_^

 

[SPS]

I love the idea of this. I used to think these little guys from the original animated series were so cool. I wouldn't mind having a crack at this myself one day. One project at a time... :lol

 

[Zombegon]

Hope this helps! ^_^

It does, thank you. Prior to my first attempt I looked for an appropriatly sized foam ball at Dick Blick but couldn't find the right size.

I will be building the body in three pieces this go-around (the main body and the left and right "hips") instead of trying to slice up the finished piece.

I'll take another look around for a proper sized foam ball until my Apoxie Sculpt arrives. Ill be using that to build up the outside. If I can't find a foam ball I will be making another foam core frame, filling that with blue insulation foam board which I will then sand down and cover with the apoxie.

One of the good things about starting this project over is I have time to fully detail the head. Because of the show deadline I was not going to have time to do what I wanted. I missed the deadline, so now I can articulate the jaw and put in rows of gears to grind up rats!

 

[Kavan]

Any new progress on this?