Life Size Jack Skellington WIP

Been here for a while watching everyone else make amazing props, so I decided to start posting some of my builds.

This build kind of kills two birds with one stone. My fiance wanted to have a life size Jack for display during Halloween. And our son's 5th birthday is in October, Nightmare Before Christmas themed of course. So we set out to build a budget minded Jack replica.

We found a guy who built one out of PVC online, but of course could not find any measurements, only a basic materials list. So I uploaded a photo to Sketchup and scaled it to be about 6'3", then took all the measurements down for the various body parts. We decided 1.5" PVC would be the best option for the body since it was inexpensive and durable. The fiance is sculpting Jack's head from a craft store pumpkin and air dry clay, the whole head will be covered in plaster cloth, sanded down and painted.

Materials we used:

Torso, Arms, Legs
- 1.5" PVC - 16ft will be enough for the body

- 4-way 1.5" PVC - 1

- 3-way 1.5" PVC - 1

- 45 deg. 1.5" PVC - 6, we got extra to change the poses

- 90 deg. 1.5" PVC - 6, we got extra to change the poses

- 1.25" threaded flange - 2 for the feet

- 1.5" non threaded to 1.25" threaded PVC adapter - 2 for the feet (you can use the 1.5" flanges, but they are almost $8 more for the pair)

- MDF Basboard - We picked it up in the scrap section at Home Depot for $0.50

- Lag bolts - 8, to screw the flanges to the baseboard


Fingers, Hands

- .5" PVC - 8ft should be enough for the fingers

- Wooden craft balls 5/8" - 1 bag of 16 should be the perfect amount, you will need 4 per finger

- 16 gauge guy wire - I picked up a 50ft roll, you wont need that much

- 1.5" PVC end caps - 2


Head

- Craft store fake pumpkin - used for the head, but you can use whatever you want

- Air dry clay

- Plaster tape

- 1.5" non threaded to threaded PVC adapter


We do not have a materials list for the clothing yet, but when we find out what we are using I will post it up.


Measurements - The pose we have him in, he stands about 6' 3", straitened out he is closer to 7'

Neck - 3"

Shoulder width - 8"

Upper arm - 1' 6"

Lower arm - 1' 2"

Waist width - 5"

Upper leg - 1' 8"

Lower leg - 2' .5"

Thumb - Base: 1.25", Middle: 1.375", End: 1.875"

Fingers - Base: 1.75", Middle: 2.5", End: 1.75"


Here are some progress pics:

Very very cool!..I went as jack for hallowen 2yrs ago, he may look easy but its a pretty tough build. He's definately one of the best Burton characters.

Have you sourced a suit for this guy?.. Im looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Wow, this is coming along great. And it's huge! I used a PVC frame for my C3PO, and although it was a bit of a pain, I think it makes for a great under-structure. Your base looks excellent too.

So will you be using real clothes on it? What are you guys doing for the body?

Awesome! Great work on Jack's skull, can't wait to see the finished effort.

Clothing wise, the fiance is looking to make from scratch using fabric from the craft store. Possibly something that is modular so it can be taken apart for storage if needed. We still are not 100% if he will fit in the movie room.

The torso area will most likely be shaped out with chicken wire and covered in plaster cloth.

So far the build has not been too bad, the body as you see it took less than an hour. The head and hands are turning out to be the beast of the project. I am making the fingers pose able so I am in the middle of creating the inner wire structure and mount for the wrist. We should have some more progress this week.

Updated the original post with measurements and materials used so far.

That's funny. I've been entertaining the idea the past few years of doing that. Keeping it up from Halloween, through Christmas and just changing it a bit to reflect the holidays

We are planning the same thing, changing the outfit to his Christmas clothes for December, and then seeing if he will fit in the movie/prop room.

Got some work done for the hand prototype, need to round out the hand more then cover the mesh wire plaster tape. Fingers are poseable, woohoo!

one of my favorite films ever. I cant wait to see how this turns out.

Fiance finished wrapping the head with plaster tape, just gotta let it dry, smooth it out, and paint it.

Hands are finished, and did a test fit of the hands and head. Still need to finish filling and sanding the head, create the wireframe chest and feet, and then work out the costume. Sorry for the crappy pics, the lighting was horrible in the garage.

Totaly watching this thread closely! Can't wait to do my own now.

Got a little more work done on Jack. Haven't had much time due to our sons ghostbuster costume build and prepping for spooky empire. Chest and feet have been created, head is almost done being filled and sanded.

That's coming along nicely. Can't wait to see it finished.

More progress done tonight, he is about 90% done.

BADASS!!!

people will go nuts for that! very creative

Test fit of the head and tie, still need to paint the mouth

I just did some more touch up work on him... he'll be finished tonight for sure!