Foam Latex VS Silicone Skin
Hi everyone!
I'm planning a Pikachu animatronic build. My main hang up right now is the choice of material for skin. I'm torn between the choice of foam latex and silicone, since both have pros and cons. My main concerns are:
1. I'm reading that foam latex degrades over time. I would be completely covering the foam latex skin with fur using the fur transfer technique, as well as flocking shorter areas like the entirety of the face, hands, and feet. I'm worried about the possibility of the foam latex degrading over time, especially because this is something I plan on using more frequently (I plan on bringing him to events, so he will be running more often, as well as being handled a bit). It also makes me sad to think about putting a ton of hard work into this, for it to give out on me in the future haha. I'm wondering how the professional animatronics, especially used in the course videos, held up over time.
2. Foam latex is pretty hard to actually get right and working, especially because you have to bake it, and it can be a complicated process to mix and inject it into molds. I'm not totally sure I'd have the space to mix and bake it, especially in a temperature controlled environment.
3. If I went a silicone skin route instead, weight has been brought up as an issue. I'm not sure how much of an issue this would be if I just made the skin a bit thinner, keeping in mind that the entirety of the skin will be covered by fur/flocking anyway.
4. Silicone is a pain to glue down to things, and I'm wondering how I would attach it to my 3D printed mech and glue tabs underneath. I also am unsure the prosaide cream for flocking would still work on the silicone skin, and I don't know what glues would be a substitute for silicone. I read on another forum post that Deborah Galvez is still trying to crack the code for working with fur on silicone, which introduces a lot of doubt in my mind that I would be able to pull it off.
I've seen a few people flock silicone skins with prosaide, but they haven't reported in on the results of how it held up over time. I've also seen people use silicone skin for animatronics online, but struggle to glue it down to their mechs effectively. I know the folks at Stan Winston recommend foam latex for the skins, and that was what I was planning on using to begin with, but I have to admit I'm getting a bit nervous about it the more I research - the main concern being the fact that it may not hold up over time. Does anyone have any input on which material I should go with, advice on any of the methods/concerns I listed above, or an answer to how well a foam latex skin would hold up? SOS haha
2. Foam latex is pretty hard to actually get right and working, especially because you have to bake it, and it can be a complicated process to mix and inject it into molds. I'm not totally sure I'd have the space to mix and bake it, especially in a temperature controlled environment.
3. If I went a silicone skin route instead, weight has been brought up as an issue. I'm not sure how much of an issue this would be if I just made the skin a bit thinner, keeping in mind that the entirety of the skin will be covered by fur/flocking anyway.
4. Silicone is a pain to glue down to things, and I'm wondering how I would attach it to my 3D printed mech and glue tabs underneath. I also am unsure the prosaide cream for flocking would still work on the silicone skin, and I don't know what glues would be a substitute for silicone. I read on another forum post that Deborah Galvez is still trying to crack the code for working with fur on silicone, which introduces a lot of doubt in my mind that I would be able to pull it off.
I've seen a few people flock silicone skins with prosaide, but they haven't reported in on the results of how it held up over time. I've also seen people use silicone skin for animatronics online, but struggle to glue it down to their mechs effectively. I know the folks at Stan Winston recommend foam latex for the skins, and that was what I was planning on using to begin with, but I have to admit I'm getting a bit nervous about it the more I research - the main concern being the fact that it may not hold up over time. Does anyone have any input on which material I should go with, advice on any of the methods/concerns I listed above, or an answer to how well a foam latex skin would hold up? SOS haha
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