The year is 2003, and you’re in the back of your parents Honda Odyssey on the longest road trip of your life. You’re traveling through the winding mountains of West Virginia, and the tree line doesn’t stop. Finally! A break in the foliage, your eyes lay upon the shining refuge that is Uncle Jim-Bob’s Camping Gear and Gem Mining Company. Hundreds of cars are lined up in neat rows within the gravel lot to stretch their legs and rest their eyes on something easier than the unforgiving road.
Laying within the log cabin walls, is a mecca of oddities. Curios and creatures aplenty reside within Jim-Bob’s shop. Come and see the newest critter’s Jim-Bob’s rustled-up: The Cage Fight between the Crazy Cryptids the Yeti and the Mothman! Newly "captured" (installed) and ready to fight, insert a coin into the machine for your choice of champion to come alive and fight.
This project is a year-long design and build, resulting in the completion of zBrush models of both the Yeti and the Mothman characters, a model box of their environment (a storefront window), and a build of a scaled, animatronic version of one of the characters with at least three functions. Currently, I have completed the design portion, while the actual animatronic of the Mothman is currently in the works and undergoing build. Look below to check out my sketches, zBrush sculpts, and model box and tune in soon to see more about my physical build process!
Final model box with 3D models of animatronics.
Mood board for "Uncle Jim-Bob's" storefront where the animatronics will be featured.
Initial character sketches of Mothman, exploring shape and form to inform character.
Initial character sketches of the Yeti, exploring how muscle mass informs movement and weight distribution.
Mothman wing shape thumbnail sketches. After being reviewed by my peers, I chose to sculpt a shape close to #2
Final Mothman sculpt turnaround.
Final Yeti sculpt turnaround. Fur was added after sculpt was 3D printed in resin.