Mannequin help

dmount

Jr Hunter
Hey all!

So I'm nearing the end of my ESB Fett statue build! Its taken a couple years but the end is now in sight. Now pretty much all I need is a mannequin! I've done some looking around on the board and it looks like some/most of you have jerry-rigged your mannequins, and other have bought actual display mannequins.

I'm thinking of getting a TK Productions mannequin. I'm a fan of how posable it is, but also concerned about its free standing abilities. I don't really like how the base pole connects to it.
Amazon.com: Male Mannequin, Flexible Posable Bendable Full-size Soft -Black, by TK Products, Great for Costumes

Do you guys have any suggestions or recommendations on a good display mannequin? Thanks for the help guys!
 
dmount, I was actually looking at the same mannequin! I'm also worried about the free standing abilities and how long it'll be able to hold a pose over time.
 
I went to a local store that sells used store stuff and bought a mannequin fiberglass with straight legs and straight arms. (if you go to the mall or a department store that might be going out of business you might be able to pick one up pretty cheap) I think it was about 90 bucks after tax and then I bought two adjustable angle parts and removed the elbow area. I still need to shorten him up but i figured that since you cant see it, a budget mannequin is plenty... the RS prop guys were my main inspiration when making it.

The problem with buying online is the shipping costs.
 
Is your Fett for display only or will you also be wearing it? If you're going to wear it, making your own mannequin out of pvc and duct tape may be the way to go. Definitely cheaper and it's not difficult at all.
 
image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgA solid base for the mannequin is important when attaching the jetpack. I got this one on eBay. I went for the natural relax look.
 
Thanks for the tip Jimmy!

Yeah rnbuda, I kinda want to pull the trigger and get one, but still unsure. You should get one and tell me how you like it ;)

Bcurtis, I mostly plan on having it on display, but I had it tailored to me for the rare occasions I wear it. Pvc isn't a bad idea!

PistolSolid, yeah, thats what worries me about the TK productions one. I don't think it could stand with the jetpack. I could possibly jerry-rig the foot though, so thats where it attaches to the base instead of the hip. I just really like how posable it is.
 
Ha! My Boba is no where near the stage of having to buy a mannequin! I think you should bite the bullet for sure!
 
I bought the TK mannequin and I couldn't get it to stand up under the weight of the armor. The guy who sells them swore to me that he has a full on Fett with Jetpack on one of his mannequins but I just didn't trust that it wouldn't fall. I just wasn't willing to risk it falling and something breaking or worse hitting my toddler should she happen to be in there. It's nice that you can pose it but I really wanted something more significant. Two best options in my opinion is the duct tape mannequin or go to local stores and see what they might be throwing out. I know a lot of people found great mannequins that were gonna get thrown out. You not have to do a little "surgery" but it beats spending 100s.
 
Ah man, well that's unfortunate to hear Zon. So are you still currently using it? I think I might still get it because a) its actually quite affordable as far as mannequins go and b) its posable. I feel like this mannequin will be easier to customize vs other rigid ones. Though i have zero experience with mannequins :)
 
I have my jango on a PVC mannequin I made. seems to work ok for me. I just can't figure out a way to make a base for it without putting bolts through the boots.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1407688311.065985.jpg it looks funny because I haven't stuffed it
 
I agree that the support is very important, especially when you have the jetpack on him. I was looking into getting those arms too though as I'm not 100% with the altered mannequin arms on mine.
DSC_0095.jpg
 
I have 10 of these mannequins with various characters and I am sorry I bought them. I was even thinking of saying "I have some you could buy". I was sucked in by the ability to "pose". The stand looks ugly coming out the back and the legs buckle to the sides with any weight on them. I wish I would have went with a basic black muscular mannequin. The poses aren't that sweet anyway. They are limited and don't look natural.
 
Thanks for the quick review, hero44hire! Sorry to hear you have so many!

Verbal22 your Fett looks wonderful!
 
Ah man, well that's unfortunate to hear Zon. So are you still currently using it? I think I might still get it because a) its actually quite affordable as far as mannequins go and b) its posable. I feel like this mannequin will be easier to customize vs other rigid ones. Though i have zero experience with mannequins :)

I had sold my original one along with my sandtrooper. When I got the new mannequin, dressed it in Fett, and didn't think it would hold I traded back with the guy I sold the sandtrooper to. It's a SOLID mannequin (my old one that I have now) but it's a pain in the butt to dress. Seeing how it's displayed 99% of the time it's not too big a deal. I got the one from Mannequinhub.com but the website doesn't seem to work anymore. They've got some bad reviews but my experience with them was super easy and I got exactly what I ordered. You can't pose it but that's the trade off for having one that is gonna stand up under the weight of the armor.
 
I would recommend either buying a basic store mannequin and modding it or building one from scratch entirely. It's really, really hard to get costumes on mannequins to look right without a lot of customization. I would stay away from the posable ones. Like a lot of the other posters said, they don't really offer the support you need. I made mine from duct tape and expanding foam. Not fancy but it does the job. One thing you're going to want are anatomically correct posable hands. These guys will tell you getting a Fett mannequin to hold the blaster correctly is a pain. Bottom line, I don't think there is an easy solution. Customization is key. (y)

IMG_0271_zps81b6b47c.jpg
 
Thanks for the tips Matty matt! Your Fett is amazing. Having my fett displayed just like that is my end goal. I remember watching your WIP thread. What happened to your sweet display stand?
 
Thanks for the tips Matty matt! Your Fett is amazing. Having my fett displayed just like that is my end goal. I remember watching your WIP thread. What happened to your sweet display stand?

I still have it. I was just moving some stuff around in my basement. Thanks for the compliments.

Matty Matt how do you get yours to stand up by itself?

The legs are solid foam with wooden dowels going down them. He stands up just fine, but I have to attach him to the wall with a wire so he doesn't fall forward.
 
I struggled with this as well. I ended up buying one with poseable arms from Roxy Display. It feels solid, even with the jetpack. I think it was about $180 with shipping.
 
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