Kyle's H20/Mako mermiads inspired tail with a splash of personality!!!

Update 23/2/2014
ATTENTION: this thread will no longer be updated as this tail never came to be. there were too many problems and i never had all the knowledge I needed in order to create and finish this tail. feel free to look through the thread to see how i went about things.. if you have any Q's feel free to PM me. I haven't given up completely on the extended tail, once i obtain and figure out how to go about it.. I will attempt again.

Ok 3rd times the charm. ive tired twice now to upload this and it doesn't do it. SO i thought it was about time i got in on the action and started to show off the project im working on. I started designing my tail of oct 2012 and offically started my manequin of my legs late November, I knew what i wanted and i had a rough idea on how to get there but i serioulsy didnt think there were going to be this many obstacles along the way. These obstacles have made me MAD, have made me rip my hair out and made me cry, however if I hadn't had these things to go though i probably wouldn't appreciate what ive learnt now not to mention what i have produced. I have been lurking on the forum for some time now but i really didn't follow anyones tutorials as i thought i had it all worked out, and usally once ive got an idea in my head or once ive made up my mind there is no changing it. you could say i can be stubbon at times but i personally have to go with the flow. Im not going to sit here and say that i havent made mistates as i have i wasted 600AUD on trying to get things right. do I regret it. Yes. but i suppose that's the way i learn, yes i make myself learn the hard way and there are so many members here that do it the EASY way. what am I? a sucker for punishment thats what. Now i decided to go with H20/mako Mermaids tail inspired desing but with a splash of personality the only thing im really copying is the layout of the tail and the asethetics. my fins are my desing the flpper has a touch of my personality. But lets not get too overly excited. Im not using Dragons skin as it will not be directly on the skin and its far too expensive here is AUS. So i do ask each and every one of you please do not stated i should be using dragons skin. I am aware of the risks if any. the silicone im using is the mold max 27T and has extreamly similiar characteristics to dragons skin, have alook at the msds sheet. now all this aside lets begin.

things i wanted when creating
easy to get in and out off
slimline, tight on the body
covers my boney knees and hides my ankles
looks realistic as possible with a splash of fantasy




My beautiful body:lol: Obviously this is what I will be using to create the suit and build it on.



prototype of flipper mold


experimenting with macopearl tint




now the creation of the flipper, I used poster cardboard to create my template, cut it out covered it in clear contact so the clay doesnt stick then started crafting. the pic below shows 10 hrs of work.




the flipper took me 1 month to do as i do work full time and all of the detail was only done during daylight hours due to inpropper lighting. the flipper took about 30hrs to complete there is deff alot of work involved.



Complete flipper ready for casting. I done the barrier the HARD way. the clay sits underneath the flipper, Instead of my me just laying it flat on the table.


covered in plaster, works great by the way brings out all the detail and is affordable.


what it looks like turned over after the plaster set. having the cardboard backing really helps with the extraction from the mold.


ta-da the mold has got silcone in it as I was testing to see how deep it was, turns out it wasn't deep enough and i had to make alternations.


moving on to the fins. one for left and right, casted the same way as above.




fins casted,


close up





more images to come later. im actaully alot more along than in the pics im actually up to putting it all together.
here is my neoprene suit i was playing around with my fins ;)




in this pic you pretty much see the final product of the flipper, it has been siliconed together then once it cured the sides were seamed. I used silicone out of the tub first to cover the seam then used a thicker silicone by mixing it up leaving out for 2hrs then leaving in freezer over night. NB doing this will allow the silicone to get very thick as when it cools to room temp it will start to cure.







in currently working on my scales.

Wow this looks incredible! :thumbs up: Can't wait to see it painted!

Pretty darn awesome!


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That's wonderful!

I know what you mean by being stubborn, but I've learned to observe others' processes and glean information and adapt and adjust...it really saves some hair pulling and tears!

Can't wait to see more!

PS: your avatar freaks me out! :D

THIS IS AMAZING! You should post videos of your progress! Very identical to their tails!

This is awesome!! :D Cant wait to see more! :D

this looks really close to the h2o tails. I can't wait to see how out turns out.

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Looking good so far! I cant wait to see how to paint it!

The detail on the fluke is just incredible! Everything is just so perfectly even! I'm in awe :) I can't wait to see more!

Gah I hate you! JK lol
But i am totes jealous at your progress and how well everything is coming out
It looks great
Hopefully I'll be able to start on my tail soon
Cant wait to see more of your progress

Thanks everyone for the lovely words. Ive got some more photos to show, some are just better photos than what ive posted. the flipper is complete, it has just finished curing today it has been sealed twice so hopefully no water gets in. Ive ordered my last gallon of sliicone and it should arrive this week. So my plans are to add the fins and flipper to the suit then set it in with a silicone skin over the neoprene, this will secure the fins and make it look apart of the suit as well as the flipper. once that has been done the suit will be tried on again to see how flexible my movement is. at this stage i can still bend my legs with ease with the fins down the middle. well i designed it so i could, the base of the fins (that connect to the suit) are thin enough so that they dont cause problems for my legs. as most are aware that the H20 tails do have an extension so they don't really move their knees. while im on the subject, i was going to create an extension for my tail however i feel that i wouldn't have complete control over the flipper. let me explain.. the h20 tails have a rod that connects to a foot plate so when they move their feet the flipper moves as well. I couldn;t create the same effect. however where my feet end in the suit there is a slight gap before the flipper starts so it allows a bit more flexibility but allowing me to have control over my flipper and of course hiding my boney ankles. Hopefully I should be adding my skin to the suit by christmas if everything goes well. ive been doing a test on a scale mold not to fancy but the aim of this what to ensure that it wasn't shallow enough and it would hold the silicone. I will be doing my scales individually then each one will be glued on. how i do my scales will depend on how flexible the suit is once the skin is done. either urethane or silicone. im hoping urethane as this will allow me to keep to the scaley look. At this stage im still deciding on colour schemes ive added a pic but the colour is missing something. thats pretty much what is happening.

template that I used to create the flipper. i used the butterfly effect I learnt in preschool, the best way to get things Symmetrical

fin mold close up

Detailed image of the flipper mold


A splash of colour, on a test piece

a scale test, using plaster of paris. the scale was created using thin cardboard. aim of this was to test to see if it was deep enough to hold silicone or urethane.
Completed flipper, all sides have been sealed twice.

Nice, words cannot even explain how awesome this is going to be :)

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Hahaha! I hope you didn't change your avatar on my account!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PearlieMae

Hahaha! I hope you didn't change your avatar on my account!

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haha, yeah i did :lol:

I've been doing a scale test and my objective was the following. make identical copies of the same thickeness and take the STRESS out of having to roll out MMG to get the right thickness. I DONT THINK SO. im going the easy way. my plan, to create basic shape, recast with MMC, add detail, recast then make several ones using the mold to create my sheet. (note im making my mold like an ice cube tray they wont be overlapped) what do people think, over done of just right? Itsz quiet difficult to come up with a design but i was thinking of handpainting some so i thought this detail would bring out colour quiet well.

mold of the two, larger and smaller one




detailed scales

I, too, am doing individual scales, but I want some variation among each scale. I have a pasta machine to roll out my clay to a uniform thickness, and I'm using a set of oval cookie cutters to cut uniform-sized disks of clay. For my scale texture, I'm pressing each one across a seashell - scallop, I think - peeling it off and laying it flat. They are pretty thin, and the silicone sets up nicely in the shallow scale mold. I've thinned the top end of each scale as well, so I don't build up a lot of bulk under the overlying row of scales.

I think we are on to something very different!

Scales, scales, scales. ok so this is what ive come up with, im very happy with them. they look better in person, what do you think?

Those look really cool!

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You're doing a great job!

Awesome! It's really encouraging to see another Aussie making a silicone tail. :group hug:

ok a little update, ive painted one of my fins only one coat at the moment but I finally decided on a Colour design this actaully has been doing my head in. all these colours to choose from and do you think i could come up with anything :crazy: all i can say is that its not bright colours im going for a realistic low key type of tail...... with a splash of colour so will see what happens. hoepfully I should have somenthing to show by boxing day. plans have changed once again as work keeps getting in the way. :mad:

A little Update. I am currently painting my flipper in the following colour scheme. the camera doesnt really show the true colour its slightly more vibrant than in the photo. Im not going for a Exotic tail im going to make mine look as realistic as possible. well colour wise. Some of you many hate it some may love it but im happy with what ive come up with. The photo shows only two coats of colour and what it will look like in the water.

That's wonderful!! The translucency is really beautiful. So I'm guessing you're using a clear/ lexan monofin?


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thats for your kind words. Im not using a monofin as i feel that i wont get the realism im looking for. not to mention they are extreamly expensive here.

Ah gotcha. How is the price of lexan? You could make your own and that only costs about 35-50 dollars depending on sales.


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IF you can find it in the size you need. I spent 67 bucks on a 36 x 48" piece at Home Depot last week.

Yeah, around here it's about 45 for the same size. I manages to catch a local man going out of business. I got 4 pieces 48x60 for 35 dollars cause they were big and he needed them gone


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add to the $67 the cost of zoomers or other booties and shipping

I Decided not to use a monofin at all as they are too expensive not to mention im very particular when it comes to fitting. I don't want it to rub on my heels. I can't add a monofin as the flipper has already been sealed. To my understanding a monofin allows complete control over the fluke which is great however i had to change alot of things in the creation process when things just wern't working out. my flipper will be starting at the end of my toes so think of it this way... a monofin with out the foot pockets being there. by doing it this way i should have control over my flipper, that's why i didnt end up adding a large extension as i wouldn't have had contol over it and by doing it this way i will. I think another reason why i didn't use a monofin is becasue my tail isnt; a silicone skin tail it has a neoprene underlay for reasons ive explained. so i kinda have a little leaway in creating this. I've nearly finished one side of painting my flipper it looks fab but its been extreamly HUMID here so its taking longer to cure. i will post a pic when i get a chance and try to get the REAL colour.

here are some pics. the camera just won't pic up the colour but the zoomed in shot is what the colour looks like. without flash. is it missing a colour?

I like it!

Thanks :D

This looks amazing so far! Can't wait to see the finished product! Good luck! :)

WOW, that fluke turned out beautifully!

This looks amazing! Can't wait to see more :) I'm hoping to make a H2o inspired tail one day so this just makes me wanna do it sooner rather than later :D

This looks amazing! I can't wait to see the finished product, I love your fluke!

Ok here is an update. Ive made my Extension. now i tried and tried to come up with a way to create it like the ones in H20 But failed as neoprene suit has already been made, thus not allowing enough space for me to build it. plus i would have to make a foot pocket to add the rod or spring. so i've came up with this. basically it will work as the extension. this starts where my feet end and its soild. so it will hold its shape. I had to make it a little longer than what i wanted as it tapers of nicely at this size. this in theory will move up and down as i move my legs and also as its made out of 12mm flexible foam it wont hold water and it will float so hopefully take of some of the weight from the flipper and make it a little bit easier to Manoeuvre. In theory of course. it feels like im never getting though this. inside foam has been siliconed in

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this is a test piece to see how well silicone sticks to the foam.

Very cool! Definitely will follow this to get some ideas for my tail:)

Are you worried that this might add too much buoyancy to the end of the tail?

not at all, im heavier than it so there shouldn't be a problem