Here we  will show you how to build  this prop step by step........
 
 

          First off you must build the chair to put the prop in. Get some 2x4's and a small piece of plywood for the seat. You can put other stuff on your chair if you would like.
We will show you some neat stuff that you can do with your chair as we get some newer one's done.

Once you have the basic chair done,take (Rotary tool) and put a high speed cutter in it , and start cutting chips out of the chair!  You want it to look old and beat up. Now get a 2 -1/8 hole saw and cut holes as seen in the pictures.
     At this point you are ready for the (Monster mud)as it is called. Get a 5 gal bucket of joint compound ,take a little out and put it in another 5 gal bucket and mix black paint with it, or any color you want, we have used all kinds of color's. When the mud dries it will be 2 or 3 shades lighter then the base color was. At this point let it dry over night. After it dries you can detail it the way you want. this can be done with an (Airbrush) (dry brush) or just freehand. For info on airbrushing and dry brushing goto Painting tips .

Now you can start to build the  monster body. Start  by getting a model skull from the hobby store ,and build it.  When you are done find an old broom stick and cut it, this will be your neck for the skull.



After you have cut the broom down to about  30" or so now you need to hook it up to the base of the skull. To do this I drilled  a small hole in one end of the broom stick ,and ran a four inch piece of coat hanger through the hole.  Use hot  glue or epoxy to hold the end of the broom stick on the inside of the skull. (only glue the wire to the inside of the skull, This will be what makes the head tilt up and down.
        At this point you can start adding the hardware.... You  will need two servo's two 4/40 rods that you also can get at the hobby store. A set of 4/40 ball & joint set they  dont cost  much so pickup a few bags, you will use them some other time..
         I thought  it  was cheaper to buy the  whole kit so I did you will need all of it anyway. The kit will have a remote control  Rc type and two to four servo motors, This Rc kit cost  me  around  $50 . The Rc kit  that  I  got will only run two motors, you can get one tha t will run more if you want  it s all up to you ...

         No you have to put it all together  start  by  hooking  one servo to the  broom stick, you can do this epoxy or  a  large hose  clamp (Hot glue doesn't  hold well)  after you do this hook the small gear head   that  came in the kit , and  hook it  to the servo motor. At  this point screw the  ball  and  joint  on to the grear head,, most have a little nut  that holds them on.  Once  you  have done that  take  one of the  gear heads  and epoxy it  in a small hole that you have cut in the base of the skull near the front , let it  dry. Now take  one of the 4/40 rods and cut it to fit  between both ball joints and screw into place.  Test  the motion to see if it is working right. now on to the jaw>>>>








Making the jaw move:    Get a piece of coat hanger and  cut it  to about  6" or so to form something like this




As you  can see  the coat hanger is going through the the part  of the  jaw bone that is coming through the skull.. Drill a small hole to fit  the wire , then hot glue or epoxy together... I should swing freely in place..  Now  glue the servo into place , I  put a little hot  glue on the motor  to hold it in place until I got the  control arm in place , then epoxy it......  Take a small piece of wire and  wrap it around the  coat hanger and the other end  through the gear arm ( Do not  glue) this should swing free. Now  you are  done ...  Note  you might have to strap a rubber band to the back of the skull to help the  servo a little... I did at first but took it off)  now  test every thing before gluing the top of the head on .......

      Now on to the fun stuff....The body:
you start  by  putting  the head & neck onto the chair .. to do this cut  two pieces of  2x4  and  drill holes in them the same size as the broom stick,,But  you want the stick to move  freely "Note only drill one of the 2x4's all the way through because the other one is the seat  so only drill half way through the other one!!!!!!



                        After this remove the skull  add monster mud and  paint!!!!

     After you have painted  put the head back on and  now its time for the last  motor  if  you don't  want to do this skip ahead !!!!!
    The motor to turn the head...


  The small gear motor that  I  got  whole sales is about 2" /2" it  turns about  4 to 5  turns a min  I  had to change the gear head a little but it worked great ! make sure that  you off set the screw so that  the motor doesn't  bind up . Mount  it  at  the  base of  the broom stick...   Had  enough  yet ????

           Now on to the last  part  get a   fake  hand  and  a 1x2 and epoxy it to the chair. and hook another model skull to it





        you can shape  the  1x2 to look like  a forarm this makes it look  nice...after  this  start  applying  the  burlap  and the mud ,,,cut and  shape  as you like . Let  dry  and  paint  . You can put  hair  on your prop if you  like.  But  remember  this is only to show you  how things can be  done..... And  most  of  all  Have Fun !!!!!!


News paper shot from last years haunted hall

 
 
 
 
 

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