Blog Archives

I made a Baby Yoda!

11/27/2020

DIY Baby Yoda

A few months ago my subscribers challenged me made the Child from Mandalorian - AKA Baby Yoda.

Designing the Mechanisms

When making mechanisms, it’s best to start out with a sketch. Especially when you have multiple mechs that have to work together. Having a plan can save you a lot of headaches even if you have to make changes later as you are building.

The Eyes

For the eyes I used wooden spheres that were 2 inches in diameter. I pained them black and coated them with ColorShift spray paint. This makes the color change at different angles.

The Skull

When making mechanisms it’s important to have a sold framework for a foundation instead of just the foam head. I used this 4 inch diameter schedule 20 PVC pipe. It worked great!!!

Ear Mechanisms

For the ear mech I used spiral boning. It’s a material used in dress and corset making. It’s nice since it won’t get outstretched like a spring and won’t fatigue like wire.

Eye Blinks

To make these eyelids, I vacuum formed plastic over the wood eyes. Then I welded posts on the back to they could be controlled by the trigger.

Covering the Lids

I stretched fleece over the eyelids and secured it down with contact cement.

Movement Test

Everything is working together nicely!

Adding Foam

Next I covered the skull with foam. I added more than I needed to I could sculpt into it to get the shapes I wanted.

No Jams!

When adding foam sometimes the mechs can get jammed in ways you didn’t expect. Before moving on it important to constantly check that the mechanisms are working smoothly.