Yesterday’s work 3-16-2021

What a crazy day. I mean to tell you. The phone never stopped ringing and the emails coming in. From Adam, his assistant, and from other sources wanting to talk to us about everything from getting our launch site going to our motor home being ready after being serviced. I had a bunch of cosmetic work done to it. Seems our rear bumper people are attracted to when no one is looking. I can’t stand dings, dents, scrapes, scratches and rust on my cars. Especially when I didn’t do them. Being a gearhead as I am I like to take good care of my cars.

I had masks to pour, meetings on Zoom about our movie production and more. And in there while being on the phone as much as I was I got plaster on my iPhone and studio camera(Adam’s assistant Veronika called in the middle of it) while making the video about the eye of the beholder mask which I some how managed to finish. We are starting the Wright Flyer project next week for Adam. We got the go! So there was a lot of being on the phone to talk to Smith Brothers Hobby Center. Everything we need to build the first Wright Flyer is inbound.

I will open this on camera today and clean it out. This will complete part one of the In-depth video about this project.

I’m hoping the first chimp mask I can pull today. It was so cold in the back bay it wasn’t dry enough to pull so I could pour another.

As crazy busy as it was I can’t complain. Not one bit. I can’t believe sometimes at this point in my life and career I’m still this busy. Even busier than before at any point. I am truly grateful to the universe and to all of you that support us here at the studio by buying our products and giving us interesting projects to pursue.

Bless you all!

Masks! And More Masks

We get lots of orders weekly. Got some more orders for Apes masks. Seems I really do need to make the Orang and Gorilla’s next. I will start those next week.

Here’s a picture of a just poured Chimp mask. Poured more teeth. Today I pour some more.

Meanwhile I got an order for an Eye of the Beholder Mask. I found the mold a bit worn out so I got by half face life mask out and did a re-sculpt or new sculpture of the famous William Tuttle make-up. I just loved his stuff. The 2003 remake just didn’t haver the same charm of the original.

I documented the sculpture on video yesterday. Today I’ll cover the mold making process and in a day or two the casting, painting and finishing of the mask. This will be an in-depth video for our patrons at our Patreon website: Our Patreon Website anyone day a 1 and up a month gets access to our special in-depth videos and more.

It was a busy day and I managed to finish off the in-depth video build of this Little Joe 2 rocket we will fly at a rocket launch in Lucerne Dry lake bed April 10th. Love this 60’s rocket!

Next up a space shuttle that launches under rocket power and then radio controls back to earth for a controlled landing.

Here’s the model designed and flown here by my friend Frank Burke of Dynasoar Rocketry.

Werewolf of London Mask complete

We always make a scarf for this mask that really completes it. This one is in the box waiting for the post office to pick it up today.

I got a little more time into Little Joe 2 for the building video today too. Next up yet another Planet of the Apes Mask. I guess I should think about the Gorilla or Orangutan next.

More work on the mask and rocket and a production meeting

Yesterday was spent working more on the mask. Laying hair on the mask was a nice experience. I had been using these hair extensions for hair work lately with mixed results. It looked good, was reasonably priced but was just horrid to work with and glue.

I decide to use crape wool that I have used for years in my career. It costs more but it’s so much easier to work with! I ironed the wool and mixed with the hackle shades of brown and gray. What a difference. Mixing a bit of yak hair works well too.

I got more video of the Little Joe 2 being built also. I got pretty far on the model. I really like this kit. It goes together well and looks like a plastic kit model as so much is injected styrene. This will look good on display or flying high in the sky. The best of both worlds.

We had our first production meeting yesterday for the 2nd episode production of “But Something is There”. This episode called, “I know you are There” is a radical departure from the first film. It has that old time Twilight Zone feel to it. It is a story about how dreams can appear so real they can effect the real world and change it.

It was an extremely creative and productive meeting. It is such an honor to work once more with such a creative crew. In an hour and a half meeting on Zoom the film went from my script into an evolution of ideas from everyone that has transformed my idea and story into so much more. This is how the creative process of collaborating with great artists works.

We are officially in production. I’ll never stop being a film maker. More on this later as we progress.

Werewolf mask and Little Joe II building, the best of both worlds

Spent the day on this Werewolf of London mask order. Today the hair gets laid on and out it goes.

Started a new video about building Little Joe II the rocket that tested the Apollo Capsule and escape tower in the 60’s for our moon program. This is a medium sized rocket for D-E motors and will have a duel recovery system. The model is pretty scale and accurate to the actual full sized space craft.

SNG gets a new project-Adam Savage

SNG gets a new project-Adam Savage

I was just saying to myself the other day I wasn’t going to build anymore RC airplanes for awhile.. I have enough and I only want the simple joys of building free flight rubber powered models. I was just finishing the larger PA-20 Pacer and planning the next FF build.

So there I am and it’s Saturday morning and I’m on the way to get my first Covid shot. Mary is driving and I get an email from Adam Savage challenging me to build a 6 ft span Wright Flyer. Two in fact. Both radio controlled that he can fly. 

I can’t say what the builds are for yet, this is Adam’s secret for now, but it’s enough to say this will be one heck of an RC undertaking.

Although many will say right off it can’t be done with an RC model they would be dead wrong. It has been done with great success more than once. A lot of people pioneered getting this unstable, first powered man carrying aircraft to fly as a model.

This is Pat Tritle’s 40 inch span wright flyer. A kit that you can still buy and I have one on the way. Although not entirely scale to the original the anhedral has been removed. Dihedral added, just enough to allow the enlarged rudders to roll the airplane and turn reliably enough to avoid making complicated wing warping used on the original. Also the canards for pitch were enlarged and the length of the fuselage lengthened a bit to make it easier to achieve a proper center of gravity. Do all this and she flies very well.

Once I get the kit, we build it and fly it. Get all the date and then enlarge it about twice size and build two using carbon fiber and Depron foam for the wings. This will produce an ultralight airframe that will need little power to fly it. It will also be more durable than a balsa airframe so if anyone dumb thumbs it, it can survive. Also I’m putting in an onboard flight computer-gyro to make it easier to fly. It will nearly fly itself.

Then I have to teach Adam to fly it. That will mean driving up and staying in San Francisco. Should be fun.

This will keep the studio busy for months. I’ll document it all in posts and videos. I’m sure Adam’s crew will shoot video when we go north to my home town to fly it and teach Adam.

Sound interesting?