Vlad gets buffed and pumped for '09

Vlad was a little on the spindly side last year, and he just stood there.

The first thing Vlad needed was some bulk. And who better to model for bulk, than our very bulky Creepy Chris. A packing-tape torso done up (way too happily) by Scaredy Cat herself. First a layer of plastic wrap (aka Saran Wrap) - followed by extensive wrapping with clear plastic packing tape. A variation on the common "duct tape dummy"; just lighter and transparent.

Once the wrapping was complete, the torso was cut off and removed. It was then placed over Vlad's pvc-tube frame. A 12 gauge copper wire run through some holes drilled in his PVC "arms" and formed into a "ring" around the body helped hold the new chest up.

Vlad was already mounted on a pneumatic popup mechanism we purchased online last year; we just ran out of time and didn't have a chance to actually animate him. This year he gets the works:

A PROP1 controller (from EFX-TEK - our prop controllers of choice) will be triggered by a PIR (motion sensor) then will trigger a solenoid that raises and lowers Vlad via a pneumatic popup mechanism from Gates of Terror. Additionally a mini LED spotlight will illuminate once he's been "raised" to light up his very scary mug. He's also going to get a sound track - as soon as EFX-TEK gets some AP-8s in stock - or I decide on something else...

The solenoid came from Brian Warner - the pneumatics expert at Evilusions; you can find the equivalent solenoid at his site here.

Stay tuned for more updates...