Author Archives: Mike
Ghost Train
Becky saw some examples of ghostly figures, formed from chicken wire, and bathed in a rippling light, appearing like spectral apparitions at the back of the yard. I thought it would be even cooler if they could move around. So I started trying to figure out how I could make a device that would move …
Stanley’s Mausoleum
We needed a new place for Stanley to hang out. It needed to be tall enough that he could travel his full range of motion (over 2 feet), be protected from wind and rain, and… well… look cool. Putting together the structure wasn’t the challenge. The challenge would be building it in a modular way …
“Cal” The Cauldron Creep
Peter Pumpkinhead
Step 1 – Making a Great Pumpkin How many cans of spray foam does it take to cover a garbage bag full of shredded newspaper with a thick enough surface that you’ll be able to carve a reasonable facsimile of a real, live pumpkin? I lost count. A dozen? This was a messy job. I …
Gar 3.0
This was the pinnacle of Gar’s evolution. It was also the last time he went outside. When the wings were redesigned they could become entangled in the horns, so the horns were removed from the prop. The linear actuators inside pulled strings to deploy wings, work the jaw, and incline the head. By the end …
Ground Breakers 2.0
We needed more zombies. The first step is making skeleton armatures. Materials: 1/2 ” PVC pipe 12-Gauge solid-core household wire (or equivalent) Cotton Batting Masking Tape Foam Skull A PVC spine has 7 holes drilled through it one inch apart. The second step is “realistic” pose-able hands. After a little corpsing, the finished product hits …
Gar 2.0 – Duct Tape Double
Gar was always meant to be a bit more formidable than he appeared in 2007. The metal frame that housed the wing armature, and turned the gargoyle’s head was basically mounted inside a duct-tape double of me, that was covered in monster mud. This version of Gar had the parts he needed to move the …
Grim 2.0
The plastic cloak on the pneumatic startle prop had to go. Grim would get a prominent place in the display, at the lower corner of the graveyard. Here are some pictures of the under structure, as well as the new garment that Becky fashioned for him. The shovel and fake grave completed his look. My …
Cain – Ground Breaker
Cain was ground breaking on a couple of fronts. Our first ground-breaker zombie. And our first attempt at corpsing something. The skeleton was made completely from scratch. It is a twisted, misshapen mess, and it kind-of works like that.