Thread: Looking for a torso

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Has anyone purchased a non-bucky torso with moveable arms? I'm looking for a decent one, the only one I have found is below, and I can't tell how the arms move.

This would be perfect if the arms have good movement:

Actually looking at skeleton factory, they have a good deal on a budget bart and I would have so much more control on movement, I may have to go with that, and then I would have the lower half to use as I feel fit!

What I want to do is recreate this prop, but with movement:



What I want to do is have the head pan left to right and have one of the hands grasping a board that is going up and down looking like he is trying to break out, this prop is only $40 which isn't bad, but I think adding movement would be so much better! I don't know when I will get to this prop, but of course will post my progress!

I think that one looks pretty good. Is it made of foam?

I believe so, its nice I think it would be cool to have some movement is all.

Here is one link:

Escaping Skeleton w/ Coffin - Amazing Party & Costume

Empty_W,

I bought a latex rubber skeleton torso last year similar to what's sold here:
SKELETON TORSO - Skeletons & Ghouls by eTrickShop (which matches the photo you posted).

The actual product looks a bit different from the photo. I used the torso in my pirate display as shown below:



The arms are completely flexible but need to be supported. The fingers come molded together but a little careful work with a utility knife can separate them. I cut a small slit at the base of the spine and inserted a rebar rod so he stands upright, wrapped his newly separated fingers around a sword hilt, and inserted another rod into the sword to pose the arm.

A few things you might not like. Latex rubber does not hold its shape all that well. For example, the rib cage does not extend out like it does on a rigid bucky. Also, you can see in the photo that the skull sags a bit and is subject to dimpling like rubber masks. For next year, I'm considering carefully injecting some Great Stuff expanding foam into the hollow skull so it keeps its shape. I say "carefully" because I don't want to squirt to much inside and create a skeleton bobblehead. :-)

Hope this helps.

I agree. It would be easier to animate than a bucky because of it's light weight. Unfortunately realistic and/or cool looking foam skeletons are few, and far between. I like the skull on that one, though. I just might have to pick up one of these. Thanks!

Apologies for going slightly off topic, but MassMax, you may find it easier to pack your rubber skull out with paper or plastic grocery bags to keep it's shape.
Expanding foam can be tricky stuff when it comes to judging quantities, and its very easy to overdo it..

By the way, I absolutely love those chests! where did you aquire them?

I'm thinking for the desired result, I may go with a budget bart, but I'd have to buy it soon, not sure how long the price will be what it is. Though with the latex one it seems like I can do with the hands what I want to, not so much the head.

What I want to do is have the ground breaker coffin with the skeleton popping out the center, Then I want the head to pan from side to side, and then have one hand grasping a board going up and down like it's trying to break out.

My next big question, does anyone think I can get both motions with one motor and using custom linkage, I have no idea, I lack experience but I was hoping someone might know.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

Apologies for going slightly off topic, but MassMax, you may find it easier to pack your rubber skull out with paper or plastic grocery bags to keep it's shape.
Expanding foam can be tricky stuff when it comes to judging quantities, and its very easy to overdo it..

By the way, I absolutely love those chests! where did you aquire them?

Thanks Baron - excellent tip! I save plastic grocery bags for recycling, but I never would of thought to use them to stuff the skull. You're right on - that's a much more controllable solution than expanding foam.

I bought the small leather-wrapped chest containing the booty from Pier 1 Imports years ago. The three large chests were each obtained separately using Craigslist.com. I live in Massachusetts, and it's pretty easy to find antique chests like this for sale, either in antique shops, flea markets, yard sales, or online. The trick is finding slightly decrepit ones that the sellers don't price very well. I intentionally went for chests that showed their age and a little damage, to create the impression that they were just dug up. I also avoided any attempt to seriously clean or "fix" them up, because that only ruins their future resale value as antiques.

There are two kinds of expanding foam. The Great Stuff I pick up usually expands quite a bit but my contractor said he was planning on using a different version to fill our door frame gaps that didn't expand as much. Might want to check that out.