Alligator effects miniatures

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Work I did on, The Hunt for the Alligator show:

http://www.navyandmarine.org/alligator/hatchingalligator2.htm

[Von Hilde]

A- F- en mazing Dave, The helmet bolts made me blow my coffee out my nose all over the monitor. Details do it everytime. Your work space is what blows me away. I need more space and some more tools. I have access to a lot of bench tools at friends work shops, like Bridgeport mills and lathes, welders, drill press band saws ect but its nice to make the mess at your own place. Lost quit a bit of all my tools after the flood from hurricane Wilma in 04. Flood insurance only covered the contents of the house, nothing in out buildings like the sheds, and under the house, which in my case, the house is elevated on columes to make the main livingfloor at least 10 ft above MSL. Basiclly a storage space under at ground level. I kept the motorcycles, outboard motors washer dryer power tools rollaway toll bexes, golf clubs fishingpoles on and on. my estimate was over 100k the adjusters was 80. Insurance didnt pay a thing due to the under the house clause. Had to start out all over with a hammer and chisel in a cardboard box.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I love the detail work. ... but, it don't pay the bills!

I know what you mean -- it's impossible to do good, reliable work when you have to either job the work out, or have to use machines tools that are 'strange' to you; I hate the getting-to-know-you period between me and a machine as we learn to work as one. Now, that I have an outfitted work-shop, with machines I know, things get done in a timely, efficient manner.

Man, I would be devastated if a storm took out my shop -- we simply don't have the means to start again. We're one hurricane away from living in a house with wheels under it.

The work you do is excellent. Even more impressive knowing you're working with the basic hand-tools and occasional off-site machine tool use. Ouch!

M

[Von Hilde]

I love the detail work. [ATTACH=CONFIG]28850[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]28851[/ATTACH] ... but, it don't pay the bills!

I know what you mean -- it's impossible to do good, reliable work when you have to either job the work out, or have to use machines tools that are 'strange' to you; I hate the getting-to-know-you period between me and a machine as we learn to work as one. Now, that I have an outfitted work-shop, with machines I know, things get done in a timely, efficient manner.

Man, I would be devastated if a storm took out my shop -- we simply don't have the means to start again. We're one hurricane away from living in a house with wheels under it.

The work you do is excellent. Even more impressive knowing you're working with the basic hand-tools and occasional off-site machine tool use. Ouch!

M

It dont pay the bills, but I find its a helluva advertisment for your commercial endevor. I just did a freebe patch up , on a guys overhead mural in the master bedroom. My Bass player, in the band, is a painting and drywall contractor, and had a job to fix the cealing where the drywall got wet next to an A/C vent. The entire room has a mural of the sky with clouds, that are shaded to match the natural light from the west window in the afternoon, Rather simple task for me as to copying the style and colors of the orignal artist on an area 3x3 foot square. So, as a friend I helped out my buddie I spent a couple hours and went the extra mile with details and blended everything to the original art and even painted the bezels on the fixtures for lighting and A/C vents and louvers. The owner was exstatic, to say the least. I gave him a biz card and showed him a few paintings, now he wants to commission some art. Might mention, the house is a 4.5mil monsta and could turn out be a real lucrative proposition. "You reap what you sow" or at least you can if you want to. Oh, yeah. We were devistated for sure after that mess. It wasnt the first time Iv had to dig out from the rubble and maybe not the last. Get a little stronger from it as far as getting over the material loss. Falls into the " If I Shoulda-Coulda-Woulda" syndrom. I lost all my snivlin towels

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I agree with you Dave. I never would have gotten my Hollyweird contacts had I not first showed my stuff to the pro's, in the form of restoration and some freebee display pieces done for the 'right' people (Bob Burns, an Editor at Starlog, Bob Skotak, Tom Scherman, and Greg Jein, to mention a few). A developed skill is little more than articulated masturbation unless others know about it.

M

[Von Hilde]

I see theres a new reality show, "Museum Men" about replica and model makers, looks like it could be interesting. Its becoming a lost art, with all the S.E. stuff done in CG, now for videos. When IL&M shut the doors on the model shop a few years ago was the begining of the swan song. I still liked the old Flash Gordon V2 model hanging on some fine thread, on its side, in front of a fan. With a sparkler stuck in the pipe and sparks falling verticlly, but the smoke blowing back. Almost as good as the early "J.V's Earth to the Moon" A Pie, with the rocket stuck in the eye. Special effects in the raw. I did some property stuff for Viacom that did The tv sieries "Key West" no models tho. I worked on James Camron's "True Lies" crew. I was on loan from the Navy, who supplied the Harriers and support team. Spent some time on the seven mile bridge sequance. Did some extra work, in scenes, in between dealing with the jets. Generally 3 times a day for 15min at a time. Got to hang with the prop dept some. One Harrier was a fiberglass mock up. Incredible craftsmanship. Couldnt tell the real one from the repo, without tapping on it. The 7mile bridge blowing sequance was a composition of scale models of the bridge, The actual bridge, and CD. And of course my favorite part, The Pyro guys. blowing the 80ft replica bridge on Middle Torch key