“Saving Face”
Tom Spina Designs also offers restoration and stabilization of movie props and masks, specializing in foam latex restoration such as screen used pieces that have deteriorated with the passing of time. Each restoration has its own challenges, so please contact us to discuss potential projects. Several examples of past work are below.
Movie Prop and Mask Restoration Services
The original wolf from the makeup-Oscar-winning film: An American Werewolf in London. Before & after restoration
The lips, cheeks, temple, eyelids & bridge of nose all were repaired & reinforced. Gaps were rebuilt, painted & haired
Satisfied clients: Bob & Kathy Burns with Tom & the werewolf! More pics of this project can be seen in our "Scrapbook"
BEFORE: original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo costume w/many dry, cracked & brittle areas
AFTER restoration: Neck, crotch, inner shell & other areas have been rebuilt & blended. Peeling paint & many cracks addressed
At the client's request, the snout was repainted and blended to improve work that had been done prior to its arrival at TSD
BEFORE: An original Sir Didymus puppet from Labyrinth, movie prop sent to us for restoration.
AFTER restoration: Lip and eyelids were rebuilt and the teeth, snout and nose repaired.
Care was taken to keep the piece as original as possible and make all repairs visually consistent with the age of the piece
A Lord of the Rings, Return of the King Orc mask, prior to our work. It had been torn during removal from the actor.
The back splits were patched internally, several smaller cracks repaired and the ears reattached and blended.
With some light paint touch up, original teeth and our Deluxe Display Stand (available in the SHOP) this piece shines!
BEFORE/AFTER Original Gremlin puppet. The neck had completely torn/worn away leaving him decapitated!
AFTER restoration: Neck has been repaired, resculpted, textured & repainted to match the surrounding areas.
Other repairs were made but some areas were simply sealed, allowing the piece to retains vintage feel (and charm!).
"Evil Ash" foam latex mask used in the film Army of Darkness. Half of the face was severely damaged & caved in.
In addition to repairing the deteriorated face, the client also asked us to create custom eyes to complete the piece.
Rebuilding was a challenge as the piece was extremely inflexible & permanently stuck on a styrofoam head.
A "Scarran" foam latex mask from the Farscape TV Movie. Several areas were gouged & the mohawk had torn loose
The client requested a custom head form &glass eye insert to help display his mask on a mannequin w/the original wardrobe
Foam latex Maniac Cop 3 mask, before & after restoration & the addition of a custom eye insert to enhance the final display
BEFORE: Screen-used "Barbie" mask from Hellraiser III. Condition was very brittle and large sections had crumbled.
AFTER restoration: Large areas were rebuilt and the mask was permanently mounted to a foam head and sealed.
As always, care was taken not to make the repairs "too new" so that they'd blend in with this vintage prop
BEFORE: Landstrider from The Dark Crystal. Condition was very poor & fragile. Large sections missing or crumbling.
AFTER restoration: Face was rebuilt and many details had to be sculpted from scratch. Much of the neck is fresh material.
Painting of the restored areas was carefully matched to the existing colors and pearlescent look of the original work.
Original foam latex Yoda hand, prior to restoration. Overall condition was good, but several areas needed attention.
a BEFORE and AFTER look at the hand. Repairs were made to the finger, thumb tip and wrist.
Two more AFTER pics: Care was taken to blend the repairs to the aged texture and color tones of the surrounding areas.
A screen used mask from the Empire Strikes Back. The bridge of the nose had torn, and several areas had deteriorated.
Vintage on-set photos serve as excellent reference for the restoration work.
Missing areas have been resculpted and painstakingly color matched to the aged coloring of the mask.
BEFORE: Original mask used in both the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - in need of care
The restoration in progress, salvaging pieces and patching the missing areas
AFTER: The restored piece, carefully revived and repainted as a mix of 1982 & 2005.
hero ugnaught, as seen in Empire Strikes Back. When sent to TSD, the mask was in fragile & misshapen condition.
Focus was stabilization rather than restoration. Preservation of shape was achieved with a customized display head
Fabric holds formerly loose pieces in place & creates the impression of a complete mask while maintaining integrity.
Another original ugnaught used in The Empire Strikes Back, before and after restoration.
Condition was very dry and discolored, with chunks rotted away or crumbling
Restoration was extensive, yet kept as much of the original intact as possible
A screen used "Deadite" from the film Army of Darkness before & after restoration of the face and "bib"
The restoration of the face: areas of exposed orange foam were rebuilt, paint matched & missing teeth recreated
Original Ewok faces, fur, ears, eyes and dental pieces: production-made parts from the 1983's Return of the Jedi
Makeup legend, Stuart Freeborn, with an Ewok Tom Spina Designs created using parts he saved from 1983.
Tom Spina Designs has performed assembly, paint and finishing services on several of these Ewoks
The client requested a finished piece. Thin spots & holes were repaired & the piece was painted & haired in a "vintage" style.
Website, products and photos © Tom Spina Designs, your source for custom sculpture, mannequins, statues, busts, theme props, home theater art and furniture, foam latex mask restoration and movie prop displays.
All trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective
owners and are for reference purposes only.
Restoring and preserving screen used original television and movie props as well as foam latex masks and costumes is a painstaking process.
Our approach is always to maintain the integrity of the original and wherever possible to preserve the original "feel" of the piece and evidence of age and use in a production.
The goal is not a result that looks "brand new" (the way a replica might) but to gently bring a piece of history back to life... to make it look "great for its age."
We take a great deal of time to discuss these projects with our clients and based on the their desires and the condition of the original, we arrive at the proper techniques and style of restoration that is right for each particular piece of film history which we work to preserve.
