Am I the only one somewhat very bothered, by the lack of fairly accurate yet affordable hands to go with the Great Universal Monster masks available today? Vintage DP hands were the best in my opinion, but even if I did see them offered, I could not afford them. Sure we can find rather durable Paper Magic hands---but they are not really good enough to place next to the magnificent offerings from TOTS . Re-purposing obscure character hands of good quality by modification and painting seems to be a valid option. Now do not get me wrong, I also enjoy cheap old K-mart type generic hands just to have around, but not seeing great companion pieces to go with great masks---bodes me ill.
TOTS does have hands for their Creature Walks mask, but I wish they had them for their CFTBL mask. Mole Man hands would be really nice, too.
Precisely so Mike! I do not relish having to make my own Mole Man hands; what a fantastic mask! I really do have to win the lotto sooner than I eventually am scheduled to.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/72/grouponpatiorn8.png)
'Great topic, GeorgeHere.
I love monster hands but any professional maskmaker will tell you they're labor-intensive to mass produce.
Nowadays, there are probably liability issues in wearing them as well. The monsterkid generation had it best.
http://rubberroom101.com/donpost/hands.html (http://rubberroom101.com/donpost/hands.html)
That is a lot of Monster Hands Sir Masksalot! Of all the cheap hands one can find, the old Topstone classic iconic hands, as well the thick copies still made today I think, are --once painted, haired with the scar filed in---quite adequate to use with the Don Post Mr. Hyde and or Phantom. Cannot compare to the original DP hands, but can be made to make a presentable presentation. https://live.staticflickr.com/2248/2303894212_bd8b0ec1f4_z.jpg (https://live.staticflickr.com/2248/2303894212_bd8b0ec1f4_z.jpg)
In 2004, I came to work as the Wolf Man -- but couldn't find any hands to match my Illusive Concepts mask's color. In all fairness, the mask is green for some reason so I found the hands to be more "accurate." I no longer have them; I think I lent them to a coworker whom I haven't seen in 10 or more years...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51941514384_e2700c53a8_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n8TQBs)
Death Studios has some cool hands & i think they will paint them different colors if you ask (or at least they used to)
http://www.deathstudios.com/Masks/Index.cfm/go:site.Group/Group:5/ID:1/index.html (http://www.deathstudios.com/Masks/Index.cfm/go:site.Group/Group:5/ID:1/index.html)
so does horrordome:
https://www.thehorrordome.com/collections/hands-feet-accessories (https://www.thehorrordome.com/collections/hands-feet-accessories)
also darkside studios:
https://dssmasks.com/product-category/hands-and-apron/ (https://dssmasks.com/product-category/hands-and-apron/)
They do have some great hands there Spinal Remains! Some could definitely be used for the Frankenstein monster, though they do not seem to have any with stitches.
Thanks for the links, Spinal! Might be time for me to replace my werewolf hands.
'Thought I'd share pics of a restoration project from earlier this week.
While digging through storage, an old pair of giant monster gloves
came lunging out at me. I've had them since the late 1980s, sculpted
by Dwight Shundo for Alvarez Wax Models. They were originally intended
as Werewolf hands but I acquired mine as blanks for custom finishing.
They were fully wearable back then but, over time, had crisped and
flattened. I cut away the damaged areas, stuffed them full of foam and
polyfluff, embedded tubestands into the forearms, and fashioned a
custom display base >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/923/iwllJE.jpg)
The mounted hands now measure nearly 23 inches in height!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/924/iC29Kh.jpg)
They probably won't last much longer than a few more years but I'm determined
to see them play their last act strong and scary.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/923/rYDYku.jpg)
Those are FANTASTIC! Sir Masksalot! I've been busy these days painting those copies of Ben Cooper Frankenstein hands that were produced by Rubies I think, that came in black, Red, and perhaps some other colours. I am painting them to match one of my Frankenstein masks. I decided to paint the fingernails an off white for a somewhat different look. Still working on posting pictures: got a tad frustrated the way I was going about it---but will soon make the attempt again.
Don't forget to show us your hands after you finish.
Hello Kidagain! . . .I just realized the fingernails were already white on these hands, whereas the original Ben Cooper hands were dark green with black fingernails. These Rubies copies of those---come in black with white fingernails and knuckle areas, and red with black nails and knuckles---and a possible green or flesh that I have yet to see evidence of. As an aside, it seems like Seasons---the producers of those half masks, made a damn good copy of the Don Post Wolf Man hands! I found a set of those, and intend to paint and hair them (they have no hair).
Let's take a look at three rarely seen pairs from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s:
Don Post Gorilla hands have undergone several style changes over the decades.
My first pair was originally sculpted by Marcel Delgado for DPS in the 1960s >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/923/JkTJTT.jpg)
They were last available in the early '70s when I scored mine.
'Got plenty of wear out of them for years afterwards >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/85/kgrimmgorilla.jpg) (https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/299/gorillapalsso3.png)
They remain in my collection today, still in displayable condition >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/922/mTDe2P.jpg)
See how they measure up sculpturally with a later DPS style >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/923/AZBkup.jpg)
Every once in a while, a pair of these unusual Frankenstein hands passes before my camera lens >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/923/mRezEM.jpg)
We're fairly certain that Barry Crane sculpted them for Post Studios in the 1980s
although they were never catalogued. Adding to its mystery is the cryptic insignia
"NO-NA-ME", molded into both wrists >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/923/lCXeff.jpg)
As if that stitching doesn't look painful enough, two of the fingernails are split as well >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/923/u8ScHz.jpg)
Earlier this month, I unearthed an old pair of Mummy hands from deep storage >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/924/uPlAXt.jpg)
They only cost me $14 retail in the mid 1990s. I used to wear them with my "Kharis" costume at masquerades back then >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/534/underwraps.png) (https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/208/bigdiffmummyta9.png)
I haven't found a catalog image of them yet because I don't even know who made them.
They're similar to a pair Savage Eye produced many years earlier. If you have any clue
as to whose they are, do tell.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/924/rjKQzO.jpg)
Love those Mummy hands. I think they are the 2nd Savage Eye hands.
The cracked nails are interesting, Ive seen them being worn by Uni park walkaround Franks and they diid appear, advertised with Karloff Frank, in a Morris caralog. Along with those bulbous finger creech hands. Thats why I think DPS was still involved with the walkarounds at this point.
(https://i.postimg.cc/90F6VkN3/s-l1600-209.jpg)
Would love to finf a pair of the Delgado hands.
In the UK Smiffys offers a pair of licensed Frank hands that .are a nice substitute for the 60s Post hands.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0Qy54zfC/received-9032404453467838.jpg)
Quote from: Dr.Terror on March 19, 2023, 04:04:03 PM
Would love to finf a pair of the Delgado hands
He did the feet as well, Dr Terror. Mr Delgado sculpted all the separate elements
of that 1967 costume seen in Universal's "The Perils of Pauline" >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/923/JkTJTT.jpg)
The best shots I have of them are actually from early DPS catalogs >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/320x240q70/924/mQymrP.jpg) (https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/320x240q70/923/zluO4X.jpg)
Post Studios later marketed resized versions at which time I bought two pair because they fit me better.
The set I wore with my own suit had applied hair although they were never produced as such. I added it
to conceal some damaged areas before selling them to another collector in 2010 >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/922/wUoPr7.jpg)
My "archival" set remains with me today. Aside from a big crease above the left ankle,
they're in great condition at nearly fifty years old >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/924/FHKHOZ.jpg)
If they ever do crumble to pieces, it's a comfort that the original plaster molds may still exist ... somewhere ...
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/923/hJ50tg.jpg)
Cracked nails/no name from morris ad.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLfaDTR93mY/U9bz4-BV8uI/AAAAAAAAQAM/PqCIJ7cMPdk/s1600/1983_DPS_FrankensteinMask.jpg)
While we're still on the subject, I think birthday wishes are in order. No, not for me ...
my oldest surviving pair of Frankenstein hands is turning fifty this year >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/924/xHlYvt.jpg)
Over the decades, I've worn them at conventions, parties, and a variety of other occasions >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/924/HbicD9.jpg) (https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/519/krlfffrankthree.jpg)
They've been stretched, cut, torn, scuffed, smudged, repainted, and generally abused for ages.
Do you see that thumb-sized notch in the left wrist? That chunk tore away the last time
I tried pulling them on and had to be taped/glued back in place! :-\
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/924/Gddw6m.jpg)
I haven't attempted to wear them since ... and couldn't anyway. They're stiff as boards now.
If I tried, they'd probably shatter to bits.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/923/m6czvl.jpg)
I used to have a pair even older but all that's left of them is a couple of fossilized fragments,
retained in my archive for sentimental reasons >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/923/yv6s5w.jpg)
I've got a really old pair of Wolfman hands from the same era which I'll post about later on.
Nice hands, Sir! Would you be able to foam fill something that old, or are they too fragile?
Quote from: Doh! on March 30, 2023, 12:26:07 AM
Would you be able to foam fill something that old, or are they too fragile?
That's risky business. The old crisp latex could easily fracture due to the foam's expansion.
'Best to stuff gently with cotton balls or just leave as is.
I'd really love to show you all fresh new digital images of my very first pair of
DPS Wolfman hands but they're long gone and no close-up pics ever existed >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/87/curbwolfhandsjq5.jpg)
Luckily, my second oldest pair lasted into the phase when I began considering DP masks collectibles rather than toys >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/924/fKKwU2.jpg)
They've turned rigid over the decades and are missing paint in a few areas but they're still here. :)
I keep the hair brushed so it doesn't get matted, a vital preservative measure for all DP masks with hair >
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q70/924/Ge16tG.jpg)
Wow, those hands still look new!
Those hands definitely look great.
Funny how back when the Calendar Masks were reproduced by Don Post Studios, they tried scanning them and then reproducing a master by taking that scan and carving it into foam, but that didn't really work so they resorted to grey market casts of originals and then resculpted in all the details in clay.
With modern technology and 3d printers, they might be able to make exact copies of all the masks and hands. they could even reproduce them as busts or in vinyl since latex rubber doesn't last.
That is so desirable for the next Re-Posting of these classic sculpts !
In fact, a few yrs before Post Studios rereleased the '90s Calendar Masks, I called Post Studios and talked directly to Don Jr himself. I asked him then if he might release these masks in resin as a more stable and lasting product. He said he had actually thought of that too, but found out that each mold would have to be huge and heavier than the largest plaster molds they worked with at that time.
I too often think now this current tech of computer 3D scanning etc holds such fascinating promise in bringing these sculpts/masks back to life.
I don't understand why the molds would be so much bigger and heavier than a masks plaster mold. Essentially they took the clay mask sculpture, made a front and back plaster mold of that sculpt. Depending on the mask, the mold would be about 2 - 3 inches thick. so 2-3 inches bigger and being plaster heavy. With model kits, they take the model part and make a silicone rubber mold of that part - usually a front and a back. So with a mask, the mold would likely be the same thickness as a plaster mold, but silicone is lighter than plaster. Now it would likely need a "mother mold" outside of the silicone mold, just to hold the shape. It could be made of plaster, thus that would be a lot thicker, but they could use plaster or plastic impregnated bandages like makeup artists do when making silicone rubber molds. it just needs to make sure the silicone rubber retains its shape.
And with modern 3D scanning, they could scan the mask, clean it up in the computer, and then using a 3D printer print it out in plastic at any size. Vinyl masks use a metal mold, usually 1 piece for masks. they pour in hot vinyl, spin it around to get it in all cracks and crevices, and let it cool, and peal it out of the mold. Great thing about that - the molds, being metal, don't wear out.
Always wondered why the early Uni walkarounds didnt wear hands?
(https://i.postimg.cc/pLD11HjT/s-l1600-8.png)
Nice group of hands there!
I was thinking about the fact that the clenched Mummy hand is the right. Seems like that would make for clumsy manipulation for the actor.
Was Lon Chaney, Jr. left-handed?
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on April 16, 2023, 03:09:33 AM
I was thinking about the fact that the clenched Mummy hand is the right. Seems like that would make for clumsy manipulation for the actor.
Was Lon Chaney, Jr. left-handed?
Not sure but apparently Lon got a bit too real in some scenes with his left hand.😉
MonsterBaker666, yes my guess that the 'mother mold' used to hold the silicone sculpt mold on these would be bigger/thicker than normally used for latex rubber pulls. That would also mean some back braking pouring and moving of these large molds around. At that time I think Don Jr saw it just wasn't feasible for his studio to do.
Much later companies did offer their own sculpted 1:1 monster heads as the tech and materials advanced. We are talking of old masks sculpts, and hands being offered in resins for a more lasting collectible.
Again very excited in what maybe possible with the new computer tech. I'm wondering how close we could be to bringing some of these classic, and so desirable lost masks sculpts back without the original molds. How close are we to scanning old pics of these masks from say catalogs or old pics and rebuild it in computer and 3D print a master piece for remolding...makes me daydream of nightmares !
Youd have to get the owners of the original Newman stuff to allow it to be scanned. Without it being an actual Don Post Studios project (not just in name) I doubt that will happen again.
The reissues didnt exactly break sales records at $100 a pop. Fully painted and haired resin heads would cost much more all around to produce and sell than a latex mask. Once you start getting into higher prices most would sooner get a screen accurate artists piece than something they can track down for much less in latex.
We'll probably see some computer tweeked and retooled latex masks from TOTS using whatever available masters they could obtain from the reissue.