14
Aug
Gremlins 2 Mohawk Puppet Restoration
Restoration and custom display of a Gremlins 2 Mohawk Puppet
The years had not exactly been kind to this Gremlins 2 Mohawk Puppet, more then 25 years of storage had taken their toll on the foam latex. But we have seen our fair share of Gremlins puppets and props in various states, and our movie prop restoration experience made us feel confident that we could bring him back to his original glory.
We were lucky enough to source several spare production castings of the Gremlin’s fingers from our friends at Prop Store of London, who originally handled the Rick Baker auction, so that we could replace the missing material from the hands with original prop foam pieces. We carefully blended the old and new material together creating a virtually seamless transition. We also started patching any areas that were missing material.
For this movie prop puppet, as with most creature pieces from the films we love, we had to focus a lot of attention on to the areas that won’t ever been seen – the underlying structure. A fair amount of the damage was due in part to a lack of interior support within the puppet, which was made to function on set but not really designed for long-term display. As we were repairing and restoring the various areas on the Gremlin, we made sure that going forward they would be better supported.
All of the patched areas were paint matched to the surrounding material, so that the repairs became basically invisible. We also carefully repaired his “fin” which had been latex that deteriorated over time. Our replacement was made from a slightly translucent silk fabric to capture a similar look but be a more long-term solution. A creative, effective solution which really highlights how we like to use our FX artist techniques mixed with the conservator’s mindset.
The client wanted a base which gave the impression of the train controls which mohawk uses to run over our poor hero Gizmo. We went with a slightly simplified black laminate version, with the controls and the control lights. We also added the Clamp Enterprises logo to the front of the base. To take some of the pressure and weight off of the arms we created two acrylic stands to hold them up and relieve that pressure.
Have an original movie or television prop, creature or puppet that needs repair or restoration? Email or call today and let’s discuss your project!
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A few words from our client…
WOW!!! He looks amazing and I love the base, it works so well and loving the lights.
I honestly can’t thank you and your team enough for all the hard work and effort put into bringing him back to life and giving me the enjoyment of actually owning a grail piece from my favorite film.
Not only have you done an exceptional job but the communication and trust you gave me was above and beyond any company I’ve ever dealt with.
So thank you!
Matt