Making a Servo Driven Animatronic Mask (Bigfoot)

Creating a sculpture of a Bigfoot character head in WED clay. This sculpture is modelled on top of a head cast and designed to have a performer’s own eyes incorporated into the mask design.

Sealing the sculpture and dividing it up into mould sections using metal shim. Incorporating keys into the shim.

Fibreglass mould making: application of a release agent followed by a gel coat and laminating fibreglass matting to produce a durable, lightweight mould. Trimming and opening the mould.

The animatronics are built inside the core, which is also used for casting skins. This lesson covers making the core by laying a thickness of clay inside the mould that represents the thickness of the skin, then creating the core inside the mould using fibreglass.

Duplicating the core of the mould to produce an animatronic underskull: casting the core in silicone using the original mould as a jacket and casting a duplicate of the core to be used as the underskull in which the animatronics are built.

Splitting the animatronic skull and attaching fixings so that the inside can be accessed easily. Adding fixings to the skull cap so that it can be inserted easily into the animatronic skull.

Casting a copy of the underskull in rigid foam and modelling the teeth by carving them from the foam. Finishing the teeth with a layer of plastiline then moulding them in silicone. How to correctly hinge the jaw so the hinge points are perfectly aligned for smooth movement.

Casting the teeth in fibreglass and PU rubber in a way that creates a distinction in colour between the gums and teeth. Attaching the finished teeth into the animatronic skull in a way that allows them to be easily removed to facilitate the addition of other animatronic components.

Mechanising the jaw to open and close using radio-controlled servo motors: positioning a servo motor to get the maximum movement in the jaw and securely mounting the servo motor in the skull while also making it easy to remove if necessary.