This week was mainly all about finishing the second model in my two model commission. The K-7 took less time because it was already built years ago for myself. Knowing the deadline of June 14th was fast approaching I knew as fast as I am, it was unlikely I could build the model from the provided kit.

So I took apart my personal model and replaced all the lights and added a circuit board from voodoofx.com and it made a fine refit. One day I’ll build the new kit for myself. Problem solved and it turned out very well.

Here are the two models I built.

Both models are done.  I am now getting back to the laser cutter. I got these commissions at the same time I received the laser cutter. I took a few days and learned how to use it but then covered it  and for the last 5 weeks couldn’t touch it.

Yesterday, like a little kid, I had an hour left in my day at the studio. I hopped over to the cutter, opened up the laptop, plugged it into the laser cutter and activated it. I looked blankly at the Lightburn software for a moment trying to remember after all those weeks what I had learned. To my joy, it flooded back to me and I was doing an engraving test of a sign for fun.

I plan more cool things for my Fiat sport car obsession.This was a start. It was simple.I can already see how I can burn this next.

This shouldn’t be hard to burn now that I have figured all this out. But I do plan to do designs like this as my own and offer them to Fiat owners as one of our new products.

BTW, for our new readers, here is our classic 1977 Fiat 124 Spider at our studio garage.

Mary and I plan many adventures in this wonderful real sports car. I say real, because for me, modern sports cars lack soul. This is a driver’s car that lets you really feel the road and tests your skills as a driver. No computers here or power anything to drive for you. And you have to know how to shift, double clutch, toe and heel and a few other things. My kind of car.

Back to the laser cutter, I am designing art with the machine. I have designs in mind from my sci-fi and horror film career that will be lighted shadow boxes of various sizes you can display in your homes. These are for collectors or if you just want a really cool night light shadow box with a vista of the lunar surface with a lighted spacecraft on the surface and the stars in the sky. I’m also planning slot car track buildings, haunted houses, display shelves for slot cars and more. These will be mostly kits to be assembled. There are a thousand things to do with a Laser cutter to make products and art. This is just the beginning. 

I am planning a visit to my friend Rob Burman soon to cast up a proper head life cast for mask making. It’s time to lighten up .That is to say, as I get older, manipulating 40 pound life casting in plaster and adding 20 pounds of clay isn’t so easy anymore. When making the eventual mold of my sculpture it gets heavier. A rigid poly foam life cast is so much lighter and easier to work with. Although masks don’t sell much these days, because of the high cost of materials, in my 50 years of monster making for film, TV, and mask companies, I have never made my favorite monster of all time. The Frankenstein monster from the Bride of Frankenstein. Mary and I just want one and, because we will have the molds, if someone else wants one it will be in the store. Like classic sports cars, classic monsters have a soul that is lacking in today’s CGI push button world of creatures and monsters.

For our new readers, these are some of the masks at our studio on display in my office.

Great things are ahead, and if all goes well, we should be able to keep the place going with new tech and ideas for the future.

Here is this weeks studio update video:  

https://youtu.be/GYVLWlbufsU

In fact, because we have new readers new to SNG Studio and the mermaid  of things, I mean myriad,  we do and make, here is the channel with all our videos and movies:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc2nfrlEW4jbNINjuGc5muw

With regards to our latest film, “A Conversation with my Father”, the final cut is in the hands of our friend and sound editor Raul Arteaga. Steve Altman is working on the score. It won’t be long before we release it free to the public.

Mary and I have both opened up accounts on  substack.com. There we will write about what we do, post pictures, videos and we plan on starting up a podcast there as well. The writers there are amazing. Check it out.This is in addition to FaceBook, Instagram and Youtube. 

Steve Neills SNG Studio on Substack

Art by Cacciapaglia on Substack

It’s free to subscribe. Mary and I both agree we need to reach a larger audience than we have for our studio to survive. We need friend’s help to recommend our work. Friends listen to friends. Social media is not enough.  Help us get a larger readership for people to see our work. Forward the newsletter to a friend you think might enjoy it.  

Thank you for your kindness, love and your support

Love you Bunches!

Steve and Mary

The Art of Steve Neill

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Mary’s Blog

I finished the K-7 yesterday and it came out well. I re-painted it and as I said before, re-painted the base too.

These models never really fit together well but with the right paint job a bit of weathering the eye is distracted from the seams. However if a space station was built in space wouldn’t it have seams if constructed by humans? I think so. Sometimes as modelers we get so obsessed with filling and eliminating seams we forget this fact.

These pictures don’t do it justice but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the weekly video that shows it in action with the lights blinking. I did catch this one shot where they are in a blink.

Yesterday I finished the base for the K-7 and filled in some gaps and it’s ready today for some touch ups and it’s done.

At this point I need to move on and move on quickly. The studio hasn’t been bringing in any new projects or selling any products or masks at all. I attribute this to our failing economy. No matter what our government tells us it’s only the truth for those in the upper ranks.

For the middle classes and their smaller businesses( the real backbone of this country) things are not so stellar. Greed has been the driving force in all of this. My costs have doubled and triple and none of it was necessary in my opinion.

So it’s time to come up with less expensive things to make and sell. Our recently acquired Laser cutter may be the answer. It is our plan to make things to adore and add comfort to your surroudings. Creative lighted models and dioramas to delight Sci-fi and horror fans. Slot car buildings. Shadow boxes and more from the mind of Steve Neill. I’m giggling there but it’s true.

I’m going to sign them to like any of my art. The simplicity of design and the execution will be practical and low cost. But the end result is something that will be a must have. 

This is the main drive now. Our lease is up in 2 years and we want to be able to renew it. Not close SNG.

The K-7 is coming along. I have been shooting video of this project I’ll post this weekend. Blinking lights and all. Clips are allowing the glue to set overnight.

Yesterday I put a few finishing touches on the enterprise and removed it from the “to do” list on our kitchen wall.

I started in on the refit of the K-7 Space Station from the original Star Trek series. I built this years ago for myself but my friend Glen gave me two kits when he was here in April and hoped I could have them done by the 24th of this month. 

The enterprise took longer than I had thought to complete and that’s when it struck me I could renew my build and give it new life and lighting. I’m using a VooDoofx board with blinking strobes and colored NAV lights.

The base is a custom that I made from scratch. I will have this finished by tomorrow.

This then clears my to do list and for the first time in weeks frees me up to get back to the Laser cutter. I’ll be designing and making interesting model kits with it of all kinds. Also useful products. I’m looking forward to it.

I also plan to start another classic monster sculpture. More on that later.

For the history channel. Hard to believe it’s been this long.