The Official Customizing MR Animal Thread

[Ignohippo]

I have Animal on his way and thought it'd be great if we had a dedicated thread where people who have him would show off what they've done to get their Animal looking the way they want (oddly enough, since I had the idea someone else has requested this info in the other thread).

This way, this thread can be about customizing and the other thread can be about reviews and showing him off. And step by step pics if you've got 'em! I know a lot of this may have been gone over in the other thread, but now it will be easier to find this info.

So specifically:
• What did you do to cover the whites of his eyelids? If you added more black fur, where did you get it and how did you apply it?

• Did you replace his pupils? How?

• What have you done to his hair? If you used some kind of hair gel or wax, what kind did you use?

• Where have you found accessories for him – like drumsticks or shackles!

Thanks peoples!

 

[frogboy4]

• Also mouth/tongue custom info would be nice.

 

[MuppetCaper]

After the tongue that I am working on, I am going to the hardware store to get something to make his collar and shackles. I am not going to change is pupils since Terry told me that they are the right size....1/2". Guys, I posted these in another thread, so I will post them here as well. I finally made a "foam" tongue, thanks to Terry's help. I just need to dye it and I will post that next. Hope you all like it.


http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/tsmert/IMG_0048Small.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/tsmert/IMG_0047Small.jpghttp://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/tsmert/IMG_0047Small.jpg

 

[Ignohippo]

That new tongue looks great MC. I'm thinking about cutting the thickness down with an Xacto knife along the seam and then using an orbital sander to take some more of the depth down and make sure it is smooth. I'll post pics as soon as I get it done (it may be a couple of days though because my sander is at my other house where I'm doing rennovations).

And for the record, my Animal's tongue was very difficult to take out. Luckily, I didn't tear the felt, but it left quite a bit of the tongue and glue resedue. I'm not too worried about it though because I expect to put the tongue back in as soon as it's thinner.

 

[MuppetCaper]

That new tongue looks great MC. I'm thinking about cutting the thickness down with an Xacto knife along the seam and then using an orbital sander to take some more of the depth down and make sure it is smooth. I'll post pics as soon as I get it done (it may be a couple of days though because my sander is at my other house where I'm doing rennovations).

And for the record, my Animal's tongue was very difficult to take out. Luckily, I didn't tear the felt, but it left quite a bit of the tongue and glue resedue. I'm not too worried about it though because I expect to put the tongue back in as soon as it's thinner.

This was the problem with mine as well. The tongue was a REAL you know what getting out. I am about ready to dye the foam tongue Rit Rose Pink and then letting it dry. I am so happy that I actually made a authentic Terry Angus tongue. He is such an awesome guy. I want to thank him for his tips on making it. Now that I love to work with foam....bring on my next project!

 

[IsabellaPrice]

Customizing the MR Animal

Hey everyone! I am a little late in the game getting my Animal replica (which is a good thing! I could never afford the original price!), and he's been sitting on my bed here staring at me for a week.

The first thing I noticed about him was the super high quality. And the second thing I noticed...he doesn't really look like Animal. Sure, if you look at him you'll know who he is right away, but there are tiny things that are just off about him. So I began to customize mine to make him look a little more like he should.

The first thing I did was get his hair down. I used water and gently pulled the feathers down. It looked great, but then a few days later they began to rise back up. So I took some hot glue and applied it to the very base of the feathers on the back of his neck and pushed them down. Then I did the same for the feathers close to his cheeks, and some feathers throughout his hair. Now his hair looks even better than before! And it's permanent! No reapplying water to keep 'em down!

The main thing, in my opinion, that's off about him is his eyes. And I think the problem is the massive bags under his eyes. They made them waaay too far up. Fortunately, they're easily removable! They're just reticulated foam glued to his eyes. So I slid a knife and pulled the bags away from his eyeballs. Then I inserted the nozzle of the glue gun between the foam and his eye and pushed them down. Now they're not up so high, and he looks A LOT better, and a lot more accurate!

The third thing I did was remove his tongue (which was very easy!) and cut it in half. I didn't do the greatest job, but it's not very noticeable. His mouth still doesn't close all the way (it doesn't close all the way WITHOUT his tongue in his mouth), but his mouth isn't wide open anymore.

Right now I'm removing the foam on the back of his eyelids and replacing it with stretchy golden-yellow fabric. I also plan to get more feathers to add to his mustache and cheeks, and I want to replace the orange fur behind his eyes with some long yellow fur. And then he needs his collar and spiked cuffs...and a chain! I'm also making him a new outfit (a raglan shirt & jeans).

Whew....that was a long post. I'll try to get some pictures when I'm done modifying him.

 

[GonzoLover85]

Sounds great.
I look forward to some pictures.
I was also hoping to do something with the bags under the eyes, but I think I'll wait to see what you did.

 

[Dearth]

We definitely need some good comparison pics of this project...

But it occurs to me that it sounds like you might have been better off to just build him from scratch!

And I mean that in a very complimentary way. You know exactly how you want him to look, and it sounds like you have the talent and ingenuity to realise your mental image.

I bet with an investment in the materials, you could have made one that blows theirs out of the water.

Dearth

 

[IsabellaPrice]

We definitely need some good comparison pics of this project...

But it occurs to me that it sounds like you might have been better off to just build him from scratch!

And I mean that in a very complimentary way. You know exactly how you want him to look, and it sounds like you have the talent and ingenuity to realise your mental image.

I bet with an investment in the materials, you could have made one that blows theirs out of the water.

Dearth

I was actually thinking the same thing last night. I'd definitely love to try to build a replica of him.

But I'm glad I altered this one. I loved him out of the box, but I was a little sad at how much the likeness was off.

I'll get some pictures once I finish his outfit and add the rest of the feathers.

I wish I would have taken a picture of him right out of the box to have a before/after shot, but I didn't. Fortunately, many other people did so we're all good!

 

[lithiumbrain]

Can't wait to see the finished pics. I thought about the eyebag adjustment as well but was too scared to do it. Be sure to check out my thread post regarding the Animal spiked collar and chain replicas I make. Photos are up. I used my customized Animal for the photos.