Movement Testing & Processes Leading to the Test

This project has been made out of so many parts that it feels most logical to explain each step as I took them, problem solving and all. The picture below is of the partly-assembled ball I made from 1/2" upholstery foam, which will be covered with fur to make the Dodo's tail. It is springy and light, much lighter than a solid ball.

This is a photograph from the long night I spent getting the frame together and secure. Positioning the pieces equally and symmetrically and then drilling through the curved frame before putting a bolt through was a fiddly process but paid off in making a strong and lightweight structure.

 At this point the body was holding up the head quite well but had a movement in it that felt a little unstable. I decided to use 20mmx2mm aluminium bar to brace the saddle back part I had made with some 20mm PVC tube and right angle elbow pieces against the bottom of the neck circle. The saddle I had made before was just far too big to fit in the gap in the body that had been made for the join between the saddle and the frame, and the pipes used in it felt they had been bended to capacity without popping open the pop rivets holding the tight curves together. The solution for this was to simplify the 'hard' parts of the saddle into just this basic, angular back brace. Because the shape was now perfectly symmetrical it also made it a lot easier to attach to the frame and brace efficiently. Now the majority of the saddle shaping will come from making a foam shape, not limited by the shape of the tubes underneath it.

Now that the frame is finished, the shell is test-fitted over the top. The fit seems quite good and self-stabilising, which is promising; any extreme misbalance in the costume would make it difficult to wear. The neck hoop is slightly bigger than I was planning to make it due to the limitations of the pipe bending without the pipe collapsing on itself, so to make up for this I will have to add some extra panels of foam around the neck seams so that they close without being under too much strain and potentially eventually ripping.

At this point the puppet feels fairly well-balanced and is comfortable to wear. I was worried about the weight of the costume but once it is on, the weight is less than that of a fully-packed backpack and is spread without any worrying pressure points. The straps from the camera holder are proving easy to adjust and comfortably padded and were a lucky find - they seem perfect for the purpose. In the image below you can see how I have attached the shell to the PVC frame; plastazote circles with slots cut in them on either side of the foam ensure that the cable ties don't rip the upholstery foam when tension is applied. You can also see that I'm testing the legs on the body; they don't quite sit right and give the illusion of weight currently but this is something I can continue working on between sewing the skin for the bird.

I first made the wings just out of 1" upholstery foam, traced from a paper pattern I drafted and then shaped with scissors. However, they were too floppy for what I was hoping for. to resolve this, I used plastazote in a similar way that I'd done for the 'pucks' which hold the shell onto the body frame. Strips of plastazote were cut in a way similar to the birds bone structure would be, and then cable tied onto both the wings and the body. This gives them a very satisfying wiggle and makes them look light and well attached.

This is a simple tape pattern I drafted to make the back of the head a rounder shape. I first cut the pattern out of 1" foam but it felt too thick and difficult to manipulate, so another was cut out of 1/2" foam. I plan to hot glue it to the back of the head to cover up the machine bolts holding the head cap on, and the lump in the head gap which keeps the head steady on the neck pole.

This short video showing the movement of the puppet has made this whole long process worthwhile - Beef the Dodo already has a lot of personality and I'm really excited to see how he'll look once he's been covered in soft furs and decorated with his saddle, bridle and reins.