Model TV stars baked
4 Oct 2010 by Evoluted New Media
Ever wondered how Postman Pat, Pingu and Bob the Builder were made? Laboratory News has the answer – they’re foam latex models baked in an oven, and manufacturer Mackinnon & Saunders have just installed two new ovens to help them create new puppets for future generations.
Ever wondered how Postman Pat, Pingu and Bob the Builder were made? Laboratory News has the answer – they’re foam latex models baked in an oven, and manufacturer Mackinnon & Saunders have just installed two new ovens to help them create new puppets for future generations.
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Raa Raa the Noisy Lion and friends, characters from a new TV show baked in Carbolite ovens |
The fan convection ovens – from standard laboratory and bespoke industrial oven supplier Carbolite – will be used to bake puppets at temperatures between 50°C and 90°C.
“The ovens are essentially used to bake foam latex so that it cures,” said Chris Bowden, producer at Mackinnon & Saunders, “A lot of our puppets are either made entirely from foam latex or have a foam latex centre to them. The ovens are an integral part of the process.”
Creating a puppet or model – such as the new Raa Raa the Noisy Lion (pictured) – can take between 12 to 20 weeks, and they can be in the oven for up to 18 hours if baked at 50°C.
“There are several used for the ovens. One of them is foam latex vulcanisation,” said Bethan Jones, lead foam technician, “We also use the ovens for curing moulds which can be made from rather epoxy, polyurethane, silicone, glass fibre or plastic.”
The company are also responsible for creating Fifi and the Flowertots, and several characters in films like Fantastic Mr Fox, Mars Attacks! and Corpse Bride.
