Boomer Fett Mannequin Tutorial

Here it is everyone, sorry for the delay. But this is the tutorial for chopping down and piecing together your new Boomer Fett Mannequin.

So guys the first thing you want to make sure you get are these materials:

Magic Marker

Masking Tape and Duct Tape

Dremel with Cutting discs

Expanding Foam Sealant x2 cans

PVC Pipe 1/2" width

Hacksaw (or long bladed cutting tool for flattening out the foam)

Fiberglass Mesh Screen ( you can get this at walmart by the hardware/paint area )

http://underbid.com/action/display/i...ku/148221.html


Alright: The first thing you will want to do is determine the height of what your mannequin is going to be. The torso is 26.5 inches tall where the legs are 43 inches tall. That makes a staggering 69.5 inches tall which equals to 5'8'' WITHOUT A HEAD! So that would make your Mannequin close to 6'6", so if you are evan4218, then I'm sure your mannequin is going to be a little too tall. So measure up to the middle of your neck and get a good estimate of how tall you are. Now some simple math.

Take the length of the Mannequin (69.5) minus your height measured at the neck (in this case with mine to my neck is 60) so for you visual learners:

69.5
-60.0
9.5

So, off mine I will be taking 9.5 inches off of the legs.

We will be taking the excess off of the legs. Because the torso has the joint coupler already mounted, we will be adding the male adapter to the legs. At this time we will be measuring out the excess we will be removing with a dremel. So go ahead and begin by measuring your remander amount from the top of the legs down and measure a line all the way around the mannequin like this:



Once you have that line marked evenly around the waist of the mannequin legs, go ahead and cut the excess from the mannequin.

** WARNING WARNING **

These mannequins are made in China and the resin dust from cutting these can be VERY irritating and harmful to you so take proper precautions while cutting these.



(SAFETY FIRST! WEAR PROPER VENTILATION PROTECTION AND EYE WEAR!)

After you cut them you should have a good hollow shell. This is where you want to get your mesh screen ready. You will want to cut 2 pieces the full width of the roll about 6 inches wide.



Take them and wad them up and stuff them down each leg...



then cut a piece that is the width of legs and place it in to the mannequin.



Here I used the duct tape to tape the mesh down onto the inner portion of the shell, this way the foam does not weigh down the mesh and the foam stays in place.

Now you are ready to begin foaming.


Go ahead and cut your PVC to about a foot long and grab the masking tape. On my first attempt I simply centered the PVC and taped it down to keep it in place while I applied the foam around it. After it cured and I placed the torso over it, I found it to be off center. So to alleviate this problem, I removed the piping and placed it into the Mannequin torso's adapter with the locking screw.



I then lined up the torso to best sit evenly with the body *NOTE: It does not sit flush, they are 2 different sculpted pieces, but with clothes over it, you will not be able to tell whatsoever.* I then jammed the piping into the foam to ensure I had a hole where I would reset the torso.

At this point I suggest placing a layer of foam down so you can do the same method. This will give you the best line up for the two pieces.
Once that layer has cured, with the piping secured in the torso, line it up with your legs, and jam it into the foam to ensure your best alignment. Now remove the torso, and remove the piping form the torso. Place the pipe into the hole you just made in the foam. Make sure that your mannequin is level and tape down the pipe length-wise and width-wise to ensure it stays put. Now grab your foam and begin fill up your mannequin like so...



Tape it down well!



Let this stuff cure and if you have any excess overflow, go ahead and hacksaw that off real flat and even.

Now take your Mannequin torso and place it onto the male adapter now attached on your mannequin legs. A flush line isn't really able to work, because both pieces are for individual displays. But for displaying Fett or just about anything else these work great. This one will be displaying my 300 which the seam is covered by the Spartan Speedo, so hopefully you guys enjoy. As you can see here is where I have gaps...







Now with arms attached and ready for some new clothing!!



The next tutorial I will post will be for making articulate hands that will work on your Boomer Fett supplied mannequin arms. Thanks everyone! Have fun!

nice! looks like a fun time!

sweet Gilmore, thanks for doing that for us!! very helpful indeed...

Dude you nailed it! This is easier than I thought and you still have the ability to adjust the height! Now for those people that don't plan on seperating them could you fiber glass them at the right height or even use duct tape to fix it in position?

Yes, duct would be easy or fiberglass as well, I left it alone due to the fact that I might break down the manny if i take it anywhere for a con or such.

Smart man!!!

Excellent Gilmore !

You are one brave, bad, motherfetter. We love you!

I have a mannequin I have to mod for my stormtrooper armor.This thread will help alot.Thanks for posting.

Dave

He is da man!!!!

Here is what I did on my beautiful Saturday in the shop. I cut two arms to different poses and made my own aposable hand. Here is what I used.

Dremel tool
Epoxy
Fiber glass mesh
epoxy putty
2 dry cleaning type hangers
bored cop on saturday..

Another quick pose I threw together....Gimme your thoughts.

I like em both!!! I like the second one where he's holding the gun, sort of like an attention position

El1te

I have figured out that with about an hour I can make his arms just about any shape I want with some epoxy and fiberglass mesh. I want to decide on the best pose possible for Boba and re-create it. Any suggestions???

I saw Handstand... seriously tho, I always liked the gun on the hip pose, the standing there holding it pose. or the look of how hes just chillin in jabbas palace. heh

El1te

when i´m finished with my boba i´ve got to do a mannequin like yours myself!
very nice!!!

Thanks brother, I like how they are turning out too.

Originally Posted by tb5656

when i´m finished with my boba i´ve got to do a mannequin like yours myself!
very nice!!!

even better shots..

Im about to do the cutting but im a tad bit confused. im aiming for a fett display of about 6'0 6'1 in height. so that means i take off about 5 or 6 inches off the legs, right? problem with that is that puts my cutting line down further than yours & you said you took off 9.5 inches. i just wanna make sure i dont mess this up

It's like killing a person except different

ok i did the cut & its at about 6'1.5 Just alittle more & itl be perfect

Figured I would add a couple mods I did. First, I cut it down using Gilmore's method. The only thing I did a little different was to move the slide bolt on the left leg up and a little to the left-



This makes him stand straighter(stock he is leaning to the left a little. I then kind of broke it at the crotch to move his right leg to the right to give him a little wider stance. When I did the cut to shorten the manne, I had to take a little more off the left side to make him stand straight. I will have to get some more pics up.

Next, I suited him up then decided to build a head. I was going to try and find a foam head, but I am impatient and didn't feel like buying a head when I have free scrap laying around First I trace out the top of the neck on a piece of paper and used it as a template to cut out a piece of wood for the base. Then I screwed a square of 2x4 to the top of it. I then drilled a 7/8 hole through it



I then mounted to the top of the neck-



Then used a piece of broom handle, the same broom handle I used to piece the 2 body halves together. I then cut another piece of 2x4 for the top, and drilled the 7/8 hole halfway through it. It took a couple tries to cut the broom handle at the right length.-

THis thing stands on its own! I have the base for it, but it is all by itself..LOL!

Both hands are adjustable but I don't have any other fake guns...

Originally Posted by mrgr8ness

Figured I would add a couple mods I did. First, I cut it down using Gilmore's method. The only thing I did a little different was to move the slide bolt on the left leg up and a little to the left-



This makes him stand straighter(stock he is leaning to the left a little. I then kind of broke it at the crotch to move his right leg to the right to give him a little wider stance. When I did the cut to shorten the manne, I had to take a little more off the left side to make him stand straight. I will have to get some more pics up.

Next, I suited him up then decided to build a head. I was going to try and find a foam head, but I am impatient and didn't feel like buying a head when I have free scrap laying around First I trace out the top of the neck on a piece of paper and used it as a template to cut out a piece of wood for the base. Then I screwed a square of 2x4 to the top of it. I then drilled a 7/8 hole through it



I then mounted to the top of the neck-



Then used a piece of broom handle, the same broom handle I used to piece the 2 body halves together. I then cut another piece of 2x4 for the top, and drilled the 7/8 hole halfway through it. It took a couple tries to cut the broom handle at the right length.-

Great work Nic! I think I will follow your lead on the head adjustment. Good call

Thanks bro. One final trick-I drilled the top block at an angle, so depending on the direction that I swivel the block, tilts his head foward or backward, even to the side if you want I will take shots of the costume mounted, but working on my gauntlets. I cracked one of my gauntlets trying to mount it and hide the velcro Had to make the repair and reworking the velcro a bit so it doesn't show, especially the left one near the wrist. Want to have it as complete as I can before pics.

Great work on the Jango pose

Dude! Awesome work man, I love the stances!!!

G-Fett

Here's my manne all suited with what I have. He stands about 6ft tall with no helmet on. I am about 5'9 so he is a bit taller than me, but wears the costume pretty good I think. When I strip it down to work on installing the jp harness, I will probably try and shorten it another inch or 2, make him just slightly taller than me. Still need to work the hands-

You are making me look bad! This rocks brother!!!

That looks great!!! Boomer, if you have a manny left in about 4 months when I finish Fett.. let me know! haha

El1te

looks fantastic, brother!!! cant wait to get after mine!

Originally Posted by TehEl1te

That looks great!!! Boomer, if you have a manny left in about 4 months when I finish Fett.. let me know! haha

El1te

If I have them by then I will probably be single...sorry but the wife wants them gone and I have to do what I can to move them. I have about 10 left.

Thank you, that looks really good!!

You can buy the last ones here.

http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/showthread.php?t=30388

How are you guys going to put gloves on those mannequins?

Originally Posted by GCNgamer128

How are you guys going to put gloves on those mannequins?

Well if you just use the regular hands without articulating them then you have to cut the thumb off then re-insert it once the glove is on the hand. On my hands that I made articulate you have to bend the thumb backwards to after you smash it flat to the palm. Once the gloves are on you can gently (using plyers) reposition them to the shape you want as long as you don't break them away from where they are glued. It takes a little while to get used to the fact that it is just cardboard fingers attached to the plastic hands with epoxy. I might start using some fiberglass mesh in the mix to try and strengthen them further. Hope that helps...

Originally Posted by Boomer Fett

I have figured out that with about an hour I can make his arms just about any shape I want with some epoxy and fiberglass mesh. I want to decide on the best pose possible for Boba and re-create it. Any suggestions???

I always favored this pose!!!! it just screams uber coolness... what do you guys think??

Give me more shots of it at straight on and the other side and I will recreate it!!! MUHAHAHAHAH!!!!

I am diggin all the poses you are getting out of these. Great work buddy. I can't wait to get to work on mine. Hopefully the end of next month I will get started.

That pose does rock. It would make a very cool pose indeed!

this is the only other good pose of that statue I could find.. the key points of his pose is... he is arching his back and giving the "come get some" look..... that is sooo cool..

Nice so now I have somewhere to put the cardboard armor i made for halloween!

Here is my starting point...It should be easy...

Originally Posted by GCNgamer128

How are you guys going to put gloves on those mannequins?

I am working on that now. I am cutting all the fingers off, then filling the hole left over with fiberglass. Then I plan on using wire or coat hangers to build fingers and insert them into left over hose from my gauntlets. Cut the hose and wire to finger length, drill holes in the fiberglass, and insert the wires into the holes. Probably JB weld them in there. I will post pics when I do it, maybe this weekend

Remember that the hose is not very flexible. You might want to use medical tape instead. Just a thought brother.

Yep, you are correct. The trick is to make some joints in the fingers. I am going to cut some "v's" in the hose. Hard to describe, so I will do some pics. I saw someone do this is a thread long ago, not sure if I could find it again. So I can't take credit for the idea

Well I think I got close. What do you guys think???

I love it!!!! that's as about as good as it gets!!!

Been lurking on here on and off for a long time just doing some mental filing for when I ever get do diving into any of this stuff.

But this thread sparked a question because I'm not really sure where to look to buy a mannequin.

I have a partially finished Stormtrooper armor set that I'd like to primarily display on a mannequin. I don't have plans to currently wear the armor since it may not fit me as I didn't build it but I'm 6' 200lbs. I'd certainly love to pose it to hold the E-11 along the lines of the Life-Size Don Post statue.

Any suggestions of online sellers or where to look locally? I live in Boston and I feel someone has to have mannequins for sale. I'm sure shipping a mannequin isnt the cheapest thing!

Much appreciated!

You are talking to the man brother. I have like 3 left. They are $105 shipped to your door. They are height adjustable following this thread. This thread was made to show people how to rework the mannes I have for sale. I started with 73 and I am down to 3...PM me for further details.

Here is a little preview on the hands I am working on. First I cut the hose into finger lengths and cut the "v's" for joints-


Next, cut the fingers off the hand and fiberglass filled the hand. Then drilled holes for the coathanger wires-


Then, put the fingers on the wires.-


I am actually a little farther now. I have the thumb on and glued all the fingers at the base and tips with Goop. I am going to shape where the fingers meet the hands a little, and round the tips of the fingers, so they look natural in the glove. I can get quite a bit of dexterity with the fingers because of the joints. I will have more pics up soon, as soon as I get the hand finished up-

From doing the math from above, I will have to take 12 inches off. Yeah, I guess I'm short.(shorter than I thought anyways). So to take 12 inches off of the waist, that takes his whole crotch out of the picture. Which if I cut all of that off will be left with two separated legs.

Am I missing something here, because the pic above that is showing 9.5 inches marked looks to be more like 9.5 cm on my manny. Has anyone else have this problem yet with their mannequin and what did you do? I'm thinking that maybe taking 12 inches out of the thighs might be a way to go, but that would make him very weak at the knees (literally ).

I am very confused about this one and any suggestions would be appreciated.

Stussy

I think there is def a problem with math around here. I cut about 6 inches off of my legs and about 4 inches off of my torso and got a manne around 5'7". My costume made for my 5'8" height went on a manne that was 6'2" with the lid on. I would suggest starting with about 4 in iff of the leggs, put it together, cut more, try again, etc. Just cut about 1 inch or less at a time.

Originally Posted by stussy

From doing the math from above, I will have to take 12 inches off. Yeah, I guess I'm short.(shorter than I thought anyways). So to take 12 inches off of the waist, that takes his whole crotch out of the picture. Which if I cut all of that off will be left with two separated legs.

Am I missing something here, because the pic above that is showing 9.5 inches marked looks to be more like 9.5 cm on my manny. Has anyone else have this problem yet with their mannequin and what did you do? I'm thinking that maybe taking 12 inches out of the thighs might be a way to go, but that would make him very weak at the knees (literally ).

I am very confused about this one and any suggestions would be appreciated.

Stussy

I see what you are saying. I guess I was just thinking of taking it all off of the legs. I will try that along with what you told me in your PM.

Thanks,
Stussy

My manne is slightly taller than me, 5'10 1/2 or so, compared to me just under 5'9. I cut the bottom part about halfway through the groin, didn't want to go much farther for the same fears that you have. I didn't take any off the torso, but probably could have to get it at my exact height. I am ok with it being a little taller, still wears my suit just fine, and is actually closer to cannon height than myself

Originally Posted by mrgr8ness

My manne is slightly taller than me, 5'10 1/2 or so, compared to me just under 5'9. I cut the bottom part about halfway through the groin, didn't want to go much farther for the same fears that you have. I didn't take any off the torso, but probably could have to get it at my exact height. I am ok with it being a little taller, still wears my suit just fine, and is actually closer to cannon height than myself

"cannon height"!!! That is what I was looking for! My 5'9" manne just doesn't look quite as good as the 6'3" I had it on. It just doesn't have that "Fett" feel even though it looks good.

Thanks for the input guys. I will definitely take the added inches into consideration when sizing mine.

Now if I could just get Canada Post to send me my torso, I would be all set to start.

Wow! I am embarrassed for my cruddie work so far D. You are blowing me out of the water. And making me want to redo Dave's hands. GREAT WORK BROTHER!!!

Oh yes! Make sure you can get your flight suit on the lower before perminately fixing the feet in place.

thanks man! and thanks to you for even making this possible, brother... and hey, you did your mannequins quickly, so as to get them posted up since you needed to get that army out the door!! you did a great job on your manne's, brother, i have just had time to sit back and evaluate what i was going to do with mine....

Darrell,

Your hands remind me of terminator hands. Hasta la Vista buddy.
Good stuff.

ya, they do kinda look like terminator's...thanks for not saying, "baby", by the way...

ok, got both arms on, with the hands as well...i also got the waist section partly fiberglassed onto the legs, to where i can put the torso on top to get a pic and an idea of how this pose is going to look...

Where are the rest of the pics D???

[COLOR=#000000]I wanted to commend you on making a mannequin from scratch to display your Fett. It takes a lot of time and practice to get something like this to work right, however there is a far easier way then trying to put together pieces from scratch to have something makeshift and become a pain if it needs to be moved. Trust me I know because I work for a mannequin company and repair mannequins if they have been damaged. Believe it or not mannequins are very affordable. You could probably get a very good used one for less then a $100. This would have all its pieces too so you wouldn’t have to mess around trying to get it to fit your outfits. You would only have to work on pieces that you wanted to make custom, like holding a gun, ect. I don’t know about you but if I am going to spend 2k for the real outfit what is a few dollars more and the most important part, there are no chemicals in a mannequin that are going to break down the uniform over time. When you make shift something you always have issues with chemicals breaking down the fabric. I have worked with NASA on getting mannequins for their space suits and it really does matter.

I just wanted to send a post on here to give everyone a source if they are in need of a full mannequin or mannequin parts for your movie memorabilia. As I said before, you did an amazing job on putting your mannequin together, but not everyone has the time to dedicate to it and there is a lot of trail and error if you are to really make it work and look real. www.lvmannequins.com is the site if anyone is interested.

Thanks[/COLOR]

Apologies for the necro-bump, but while I wait to get some of my hard parts painted, I was wondering if anybody has done any of this recently. The mannequin I used for Jango was fine since he looked ready to pull out his blasters, but it's just a shame if Boba can't hold his blaster, so I was wondering if there were any other alternatives to get arms similar to Boomer Fett's?

Well smart! Good work.

Does anyone have any more of their finished pics? I have a guy grabbing up the last few and I would love to show him how you all did with yours. There was 105 mannequins sold and I know there are some serious skilld out there.

Ivan