Kit Ventriloquist Figures

   Scott Brekken says. . . The Fred figure castings are like a blank canvas for an artist. It is easy to shape, contour or add to the figure. As you can see I changed the eyes, cheeks, jaw, lips, eye brows and ears using apoxie sculpt, sand paper and a dremel tool. Super easy to work on and mistakes were easy to correct as well. Your book and Al Stevens web site were great resources. I took a different approach on the mechanics. Although he has only a moving jaw I kept both the eye tray and the jaw removable so I can change things and make adjustments or additions down the line. (Maybe blinkers, crossing eyes and a stick out tongue!)

I plan on making my next figure for and with my son Jacob. Thanks for a great kit! I have always wanted a full sized professional vent figure and now I have one.

Sincerely,

Scott Brekken

   Nick Yannotti says. . . just wanted to let you see the first dummy I built using your kit. And thank you for the great customer service! If he is good enough to use in your testimonials, go ahead and put him up on your site.

Nick Yannotti

   Mark Jones says. . . Hi Mike..... I am sending a couple of photo’s of my finished figure. His name is Hugo Fitch. The cast head and hands I bought from you are fantastic. I also found your book ‘Figure Making Can Be Fun’ to be of immense help. I was constantly referring to it through the whole process.

   I originally filed off the eyelids with the intention of putting blinking eye lids in, but changed my mind. I found when I was resculpting the eyelids that the material the casting is made from was very easy to work with. I intend to make another figure with your Little 'E' casting in the near future.

Thanks again, Mark Jones. United Kingdom.

   Billy Sobe says. . . Hi Mike. How are you? Heres some new pics of Chester, I repainted him with a Marshall type paint job. The paint job shows the re-sculpt better. I didn't really care for the other paint job I gave him before. What do you think? I'll be buying more heads from you soon. Maybe I'll even try the Little 'E'. For Christmas my parents bought me a sandblasting box. I'm going to mod it so I can do all the cutting and sanding in it. I have so many ideas for new figures and ways to sculpt. Take care. Billy

   Cindy Reynolds says. . . Hi Mike. I'm enclosing a couple pictures of my "friend" I made from your cast parts. It took me a long time to get my head around the mechanical aspects but after studying your book it finally made sense and I'm happy with the results. I was hoping you would post the pictures on your testimonial page. Her name is Lola Zadoinka [she's Irish].

I would like to add that the reason I made my own was I couldn't find any adult female vent figures [with cleavage] for sale. Also Lola Zadoinka.com is under construction and she will be looking for singing gigs some time next year. Thanks again for your generous feedback.

Thanks, Cindy.

   Mark Garrett says. . . My experience with your products and services has been nothing short of amazing. The castings arrived very quickly, were well packed and cleared customs easily (something that can be a hassle with some packages). The instructions were clear and easy to follow. Both figures required a minimum of preparation, and the fit of the jaws was very close. I used a lot of brass fittings for the workings and made them as adjustable as possible to ensure a quiet and reliable mechanism. Carson took about three weeks of evenings to complete, and "little C" took only two.(I guess I learned a little) I would recommend all of your products to anyone regardless of skill level. I look forward to your future offerings and enjoyed my building experience and enjoyed assisting Andrea even more. (Note: Andrea is another Puppets and Props customer that Mark assisted in building her figure)
Mark Garrett

   Billy Sobe says. . . This is my first time building a ventriloquist figure. I bought the Fred head, eyes, hands, body and book. I re-sculpted the head using Magic Sculp. It took me a few months to get him looking the way he does. He actually had several different looks, but this one I'm very happy with. My dad installed the mechanics. He has self-centering eyes and a moving mouth. We ran into a few problems so I sent him to Clinton Detweiler and he fixed them up. He also painted and wigged him. I'm very proud of myself. I never imagined I could do a sculpt like this. My Mom, Dad, and I consider Rodney to be part of the family. I'm really looking forward to performing with him. This is really a great kit. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to build their own ventriloquist figure.

Thank you Mike for making these kits. Because of you I was able to make my dream ventriloquist figure.

Billy Sobe

   Ken Souza says. . . Using the castings from Puppets and Props has been fantastic. I cannot say enough about the quality of these kits. Up until finding out about Mike and his web site, I had always dreamt of building my own Ventriloquist figure. With these wonderful Brose castings, my dream has become a reality! Figure building for me has always been a daunting task up until I read Mike's informative and essential book, "Figure Making Can Be fun." A big thank you goes out to you, Mike!

   It was so nice of you to take the time to answer my questions during my project. As for my figure, Randall, I chose to give him self-centering eyes, a Marshall inspired paint job, and shell blinkers. As a result, I absolutely love using this figure! The addition of blinkers (my favorite animation), really adds that extra dimension of bringing Randall to life and also opens up a whole range of possible emotions for him when used tastefully. I cannot wait to order more castings from you and wish you the best, Mike!

Regards,

Ken Souza & Randall

   Kenny Croes says. . . Working with the vent figure parts manufactured and supplied by Puppets and Props was a joy. The quality of the materials provided and the freely given advice was impressive. I even submitted an alternate plan for the eye mechanics based on an old Jerry Mahoney design, and owner Mike Brose was prompt and helpful with his evaluation. Building a vent figure with Puppets and Props castings is a great way to get started in this wonderful craft. And you'll end up with a first-rate professional vent figure in the bargain! Kenny

   Kenny also chronicles his figure making adventures on his blog.

   Gerry Snelson says. . . I just finished my third Mike Brose figure and have put all three temporarily in the living room where I and everyone else can see them. Through the bay window it looks as though my wife Jackie and I, have company. These are much better than, and took much less time than the three vent figures I built before them. The difference is that Mike's castings free me from most of the drudgery and headaches of the process and allow me to express some creativity in the facial sculpting. The cast hands alone save me lots of band-aids and grumbling. The body is just right for size four suits from discount department stores. The eyes are fabulous, and I may retrofit some earlier work with them. They are pre-bored precisely right for mounting and articulating. Very sincerely, Gerry Snelson.

   Eric Riggs says. . . Just finished putting the final touches on "Flik"! After all your input and guidance on my Marshall restoration, I had to get your cast parts to make a figure the way I wanted. With the help of your book (which Flik has a hard time putting down), and Al Stevens' web site -it was a snap! Flik has a 360* turnning head, slot jaw mouth, side to side self centering eyes and, shell blinkers. I was able to make all the eye movement work with one brass rod! The blinkers were made with ping pong balls (a lot easier than I ever imagined)! I also learned that Magic Sculpt can be your best friend if you want to do a major facelift......Fliks intire face was resculpted except for his chin. He was hand painted using artists oils, and I built a wooden body..., again following the directions in your book. I had so much fun with this project that I can't wait to build another one, and another one..........! I don't think I could EVER have afforded to buy a finished pro figure of this quality- Thank YOU Michael for such a wonderful product!