President of the Assembly, Planet of the Apes

[jessica]

I have concluded that the middle portion of the helmet is messing up getting my proportions to mirror each other, so I have decided to remove it and get the shape perfected first.

[Chris]

That is stellar. Without the flaps and leather it looks like the head gear that Yule Brenner wore in The Ten Commandments.

[Captain_Mego]

yeah thats cool I am totally digging this.

[jessica]

Viewed from above:



Really glad I took down the middle of the helmet and just got the left and right balanced. The middle piece was really making it hard to adjust the shape evenly. Now I'm going to adjust the bottom edge and smooth everything out before I add the middle portion of the helmet. I can't wait. This helmet is going to eat a lot of molding material. Getting the leather flap to lay correctly is going to be an adventure in itself. I have heard horror stories...but I think I know how to cut out the leather to make it lay properly. That's what happens when one of your peculiar habits is seeing how darts and seams affect the lay of the garment.

[LAST SON OF KRYPTON]

That is one BIG amazing project you're doing there!!

[jessica]

Behold...my General Ursus helmet...slowly comes to life. I can't wait to work on the hieroglyphs.



I'm not really digging these superhero legs for Cornelius (Zica body), so I decided to trim the muscles down and make it more realistic. I need to smooth them down some more, but since he won't be naked anytime soon I don't think it's necessary.

[Meule]

Great job so far on that helmet Jess, looking forward to seeing it done

[jessica]

My sister asked what was under the helmet. I told her a ball of newspaper. She saw me taping it up. Guess she didn't remember. Anyhoo...I am stalling now with the helmet wondering what to do next...fiberglass (which I have no clue about--which means I should do more homework) vs. resin (have minor experience but only 1:9 or 1:6 scale). Do I make the hieroglyphs now or do them later when the leather wraps up the helmet? Decisions, decisions! I can't wait to wrap it in leather. I really love leather and working with leather.

I was embarassed to post this, but here's my ghetto setup of the helmet's armature. Believe it or not, that's how the helmet started.


Check this out! Mego scale ape's new suit...


Still futzing with this guy. Happier now with him than before, but not ecstatically happy.







May 6--I just splurged for some leather paint from turtle feathers. I need that to paint my embossed leather hieroglyphs and also the leather of my Ursus helmet, so that I can color it gun metal purple/blue.

Teaser shots. Not going to pursue helmet though. Just was bored and decided to take a stab at it. I've got way too much unfinished business to take care of.




I thought this Link was garbage, but I guess he can be salvaged! The sculpt was oversized for a teen-age sized figure, but sits OK on a full grown male body. I guess I will have to try to put something together in my spare time...


UGH! Sewing dresses for the daycare production. Six total dresses to be made, but material is fussy and sparkly and has lots of tule to be gathered. I've already gone through 20 yards of tule and need to get 8 more yards. Tomorrow I will purchase more fabric, cut out the dresses based on the measurements taken, and gather all the frou-frou. My sewing partner will sew together the dresses and add the frou frou. Think dreamgirls. Double ugh. After this, I can go back to working on my dollies and other people's dollies. I am dying to sculpt an ape though. That will have to wait.

[jessica]

This is what I will be working on as soon as daycare costumes are done:

Mego scale:


1:6 scale:


I am planning on real leather for this one:


And I'm still futzing with this, but I will make it happen:


Yay! I just finished 2 dresses for daycare. The other 4 dresses are with my sewing partner. Looks like I will have to buy more tulle. :(

I'm going to study the boiler suit for Chris's gorilla, so I can cut out the fabric tomorrow, if I have time I would like to finish it so I can start my other sewing projects. I just wish I knew where I put Caesar's jumpsuit. If I had it in hand it would make the sewing so much faster since I can just eyeball it.

[Chris]

The red jumpsuit is going to look great. If you want to make Ceasar's leather jacket in 1:6 I'd be interested.

[jessica]

I was able to bake another Urko foam latex successfully today. Today I tried to bake a Zira, and she did not turn out as well as I wanted. I think she's fix-able though--there were some bubbles because the foam latex started to gel on me in the bowl and I really had to work fast. I've washed out the Zira foam latex, squeezed it dry, and it's now drying on a towel. There is a small convention I am planning on attending Saturday in costume. The last time I went to that convention, it was two years ago and I had the travelling Custom Mego with me. I wonder whatever happened to that figure? I am craving to go ape, and painting my nails black is not cutting it. I have to go all out. Like my sister says, go big or go home.

[MEGO_SUPERMAN]

AWESOME STUFF! Damn Dirty Apes!

[jessica]

Whoo! 40-gun salute in Ape City. Perfect cast, using the last drops of my foam latex. It took 3 hours before I found out it was perfect cause that's how long I had to bake her. Yay! Going to have to order some more...anybody need any super fancy sewing done? Just kidding.

[Fire Marshal Bill]

...anybody need any super fancy sewing done

Why, yes i do as a matter of fact.......... . See my thread in the Custom Mego Discussion forum.

Glad your cast came out well. Can't wait to see the finished product!

[MEGO_SUPERMAN]

Man that is some quality stuff!