DIY Baby Yoda
Designing the Mechanisms
When making mechanisms, it’s best to start out with a sketch. Especially when you have multiple mechs that have to work together. Having a plan can save you a lot of headaches even if you have to make changes later as you are building.
The Eyes
For the eyes I used wooden spheres that were 2 inches in diameter. I pained them black and coated them with ColorShift spray paint. This makes the color change at different angles.
The Skull
When making mechanisms it’s important to have a sold framework for a foundation instead of just the foam head. I used this 4 inch diameter schedule 20 PVC pipe. It worked great!!!
Ear Mechanisms
For the ear mech I used spiral boning. It’s a material used in dress and corset making. It’s nice since it won’t get outstretched like a spring and won’t fatigue like wire.
Eye Blinks
To make these eyelids, I vacuum formed plastic over the wood eyes. Then I welded posts on the back to they could be controlled by the trigger.
Covering the Lids
I stretched Puppet Fleece over the eyelids and secured it down with contact cement.
Movement Test
Everything is working together nicely!
Adding Foam
Next I covered the skull with foam. I added more than I needed to I could sculpt into it to get the shapes I wanted.No Jams!
When adding foam sometimes the mechs can get jammed in ways you didn’t expect. Before moving on it important to constantly check that the mechanisms are working smoothly.
The Controls
This is the headstick I made. I cut it from a block of Delrin. It’s very strong.
Foam Details
I added some foam shapes to get even more detail before adding the fabric.
Fleece Covering
Click here to find where I get my Puppet Fleece!
Wardrobe
A quick robe! This was the closest fabric I had on hand.
Baby Yoda Time-Lapse Build
See more of my puppet builds on YouTube. Search “Adam Kreutinger”. #puppetbuilding #puppeteer
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Yours truly,
Adam
