We just finished this series! Enjoy.

Part 10 of the video series brings us to the conclusion of a long two weeks of making the mask.

Here’s a picture of me wearing it for now. The video will be posted soon.

The mask is now available in the store and the first ones go out next week. Thanks for the pre-orders!

I did a rather long video as requested of the painting process involved in these masks that is currently uploading to Youtube. It will be posted later today. 

But in the meantime here’s the painted Gorilla and two chimps for customers. 

Today I’m putting hair on the Gorilla only using a different hair from crepe hair. I ordered hair from burmans 4 dyas ago now from Van Nuys not Pitsburge and it’s still not here in the US mail. Normally they use UPS and it would have been here the next day. hopefully it will show up today so I can finish the chimps and ship them.

This was the moment for me. For three years I have been working to get a decent flight out of one of these stick and tissue wonders. As you all know it’s not easy at first. I say at first because after flying Rc successfully for years I found something really challenging in flight. Free Flight. I thought to myself, “how hard could this be after scratch building and flying things that should fly well in RC?” I have flown everything from the X-1 to the SR-71. You may also know it as the Sled. 😉 

I thought again, “I already know how to build and fly well. Winding up and getting a free flight plane to fly should be the easy part”. I laugh at myself now thinking back on that. Just getting the CG right and the declege is clearly not enough. It takes a lot of knowledge, but moreover and sense, a finesse , a feel for these planes that verge on a  magic touch. 

I’ve seen some struggle and never achieved much more than a brief hop through the sky. And I have seen others launch a plane that stops the field in silence as everyone there watches in awe a magical moment. And when this moment one day happens to you? You are forever captured in that moment as you pursue undaunted more such moments.

It happens with RC too. But with a plane you can control and all the electronic aids to assist you it just does have that same magic. And one can never know this until they try free flight themselves. 

This picture I took myself with my phone. I had just launched George Bredehofts Square Eagle P-30. As I watched mesmerized I suddenly realized for the first time I could grab my camera and take pictures! For the first time it was really flying long enough as it circled the Grassy Knoll to do so.

And as I watched it land perfectly on it’s belly I thought to myself, “I’m starting to get this”. 

I get asked often, “Why Free Flight when you have radio control?” I think I just answered that question. Build, dream, and fly. There’s nothing like it.

Yesterday it was overdue to make a new mold of the X-15 nose cone. With orders being held up by the rotting molds I had to move on it.

The original molds were one piece and promoted trapped air that eventually revealed small air bubbles beneath the surface of the skin. Even with air evacuation over time they would happen again.

This time I made a two piece mold. This way each side of the mold would allow the air bubbles to rise up away from the surface skin. It takes longer to make the mold and you have a seam to sand away but overall it makes for a better product and it’s consistent.

Today I’ll make the second side mold and tomorrow I can make the kits.

I also pulled another POTA Chimp mask and the first Gorilla mask. Today I’ll paint them.

first mask comes out of the mold.

The day was spent working on orders. Before I can fill orders for the X-15’s I need to fix the original master for the X-15. I fixed all the dings and scrapes and now it’s ready for a new mold I’ll make today. The old mold was worn out from lots of sales.

I also poured the first gorilla mask and another chimp. I pulled the first chimp out of the mold in the morning. Today I’ll have two to paint. And perhaps the gorilla.

I’ll be needing a new mold of the Chimp too. Thanks for all the orders out there!

Lastly it’s my plan to make foam prosthetics of the apes starting with the chimp. You’ll be able to collect or wear these and they replicate the originals used in the movies. Made from urethane these can be reused and will have a longer shelf life than foam rubber.

These will be shipped on a vacuum formed life mask of myself as they were done for the movies. The appliances were stored on life masks of the actors.