For those of you who haven't seen a Vac-U-Maker set, here's a few
pictures detailing the various stages of creating the exclusive Turtles and
Beetles. I included the Bugs too (flies, dragonflies, butterflies, etc),
because making their wings using the Vacuformed plastic is a lot more fun than
using the flat clear plastic sheets that came with the Creepy Crawlers sets
later on.
Update: 4/22/04 If you're looking for refill Vac-U-Form sheets, scroll to the
bottom for information on where to purchase some today. I have pictures of things I have made with the new sheets too.
No, that mold on the left isn't
for a new species of skinny lizard, and headless walking claws. These are the
molds for the Turtle and Beetle. The one on the left is obviously the one you
cook Plastigoop in, and the one on the right is the one for Vacuforming.
This is right after Vacuforming
the shells.
Using a scribe, you score the
edges, until the shells separate. Then you can smooth down the edges with a
small file, or fine sandpaper.
They sure look naked at this
point.
The finished Turtle and
Beetle.
Now for some Bugs:
These are the plastic Vacuform
molds for the Butterfly, Dragonfly, Fly & Moth.
The bug bodies come from the
standard metal Creepy Crawlers mold.
After Vacuforming.
After trimming. I didn't have to
use a scribe on these, scissors worked fine. Probably because these are flat.
Finished. (Click for a close-up)
Click either above picture to see
the actual Vac-U-Maker instructions.
You can now purchase new replacement Vac-U-Form sheets for Mattel's old Vac-U-Form. Mike Dammen makes replacement sheets that work very well with nice detail, and at reasonable prices too! But the coolest thing, is that he has made colored transparent sheets also. There is transparent blue, red, green and more. Great for bug wings! Plus regular clear, and a bunch of opaque colors too. See the pictures below for examples of how nice these sheets work.
(Click the pics for close-ups)
and tell him I sent you.
You can go directly to his web site by clicking here.
