"The Engineer" from Hellraiser. Large foam latex movie prop puppet restored by artists Tom Spina and Mike Thomas
This movie prop was initially cracked, dry & fragile. Steps were taken to both repair & strengthen the piece.
The prop: before & after restoration. Recreating the missing eye to match the original, aged eye was a challenge
Gremlins 2 Animatronic "Daffy". The toe & some small pieces of finger were saved to incorporate into the work.
After! Finger rebuilt, toe repaired. Face & hand cracks patched and the paint touched up. The eyes were also opened.
A before and after look at "Lenny" from Gremlins 2, who's face was touched up so he'd display much more nicely
The original wolf from the makeup-Oscar-winning film, An American Werewolf in London. Before & after restoration
The lips, cheeks, temple, eyelids & bridge of nose all were repaired & reinforced. Gaps were rebuilt, painted & haired
Satisfied clients: Bob & Kathy Burns with Tom & the werewolf! More pics of this project can be seen in our "Scrapbook"
BEFORE: original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo costume w/many dry, cracked & brittle areas
AFTER restoration: Neck, crotch, inner shell & other areas have been rebuilt & blended. Peeling paint & many cracks addressed
At the client's request, the snout was repainted and blended to improve work that had been done prior to its arrival at TSD
BEFORE/AFTER Original Gremlin puppet. The neck had completely torn/worn away leaving him decapitated!
AFTER restoration: Neck has been repaired, resculpted, textured & repainted to match the surrounding areas.
Other repairs were made but some areas were simply sealed, allowing the piece to retains vintage feel (and charm!).
Tom working on an oversized "Rambo Gizmo" used in the film, Gremlins 2, The New Batch
This over-sized animatronic was used for insert shots in the film requiring a greater range of expression.
We repaired the foam latex mouth area, sealed the ears and did some cleaning of his fur, giving him a fresher look.
BEFORE/AFTER Gremlins 2 style puppet with custom display base. Repairs included the wrist, ears & leg joints.
BEFORE our restoration:
An ear was fused to a shoulder, requiring careful removal & repair to the ear & shoulder
AFTER: In addition to the major work, cracks, tears & flaked paint were gently restored to improve look while retaining character.
A Lord of the Rings, Return of the King Orc mask, prior to our work. It had been torn during removal from the actor.
The back splits were patched internally, several smaller cracks repaired and the ears reattached and blended.
With some light paint touch up, original teeth and our Deluxe Display Stand (available in the SHOP) this piece shines!
BEFORE: An original Sir Didymus puppet from Labyrinth, movie prop sent to us for restoration.
AFTER restoration: Lip and eyelids were rebuilt and the teeth, snout and nose repaired.
Care was taken to keep the piece as original as possible and make all repairs visually consistent with the age of the piece
An original prop Critter puppet from the 1986 film Critters, seen before and after our restoration work
We worked very hard to maintain the "feel" of the original sculpt and paint by the extremely talented Chiodo Brothers.
Only the repaired areas were repainted, leaving as much of the original paint work intact as possible.
With the client's input, we designed a custom acrylic base & plaque to beautifully display this original movie prop.
Film wardrobe from Dune. Initially crumpled & stuck to itself, great care was taken in mounting it to a customized form
Missing bits were rebuilt & each quilted panel was emptied of deteriorated foam, filled with a more stable material & reglued.
"Evil Ash" foam latex mask used in the film Army of Darkness. Half of the face was severely damaged & caved in.
In addition to repairing the deteriorated face, the client also asked us to create custom eyes to complete the piece.
Rebuilding was a challenge as the piece was extremely inflexible & permanently stuck on a styrofoam head.
BEFORE: Screen-used "Barbie" mask from Hellraiser III. Condition was very brittle and large sections had crumbled.
AFTER restoration: Large areas were rebuilt and the mask was permanently mounted to a foam head and sealed.
As always, care was taken not to make the repairs "too new" so that they'd blend in with this vintage prop
BEFORE: Landstrider from The Dark Crystal. Condition was very poor & fragile. Large sections missing or crumbling.
AFTER restoration: Face was rebuilt and many details had to be sculpted from scratch. Much of the neck is fresh material.
Painting of the restored areas was carefully matched to the existing colors and pearlescent look of the original work.
Original foam latex Yoda hand, prior to restoration. Overall condition was good, but several areas needed attention.
a BEFORE and AFTER look at the hand. Repairs were made to the finger, thumb tip and wrist.
Two more AFTER pics: Care was taken to blend the repairs to the aged texture and color tones of the surrounding areas.
A screen used mask from the Empire Strikes Back. The bridge of the nose had torn, and several areas had deteriorated.
Vintage on-set photos serve as excellent reference for the restoration work.
Missing areas have been resculpted and painstakingly color matched to the aged coloring of the mask.
BEFORE: Original mask used in both the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - in need of care
The restoration in progress, salvaging pieces and patching the missing areas
AFTER: The restored piece, carefully revived and repainted as a mix of 1982 & 2005.
hero ugnaught, as seen in Empire Strikes Back. When sent to TSD, the mask was in fragile & misshapen condition.
Focus was stabilization rather than restoration. Preservation of shape was achieved with a customized display head
Fabric holds formerly loose pieces in place & creates the impression of a complete mask while maintaining integrity.
Another original ugnaught used in The Empire Strikes Back, before and after restoration.
Condition was very dry and discolored, with chunks rotted away or crumbling
Restoration was extensive, yet kept as much of the original intact as possible
Foam latex Maniac Cop 3 mask, before & after restoration & the addition of a custom eye insert to enhance the final display
A "Scarran" foam latex mask from the Farscape TV Movie. Several areas were gouged & the mohawk had torn loose
The client requested a custom head form &glass eye insert to help display his mask on a mannequin w/the original wardrobe
Return of the Jedi Ewok mask created using original production-made materials. Paint and assembly by TSD
Original Ewok faces, fur, ears, eyes and dental pieces: production-made parts from the 1983's Return of the Jedi
Makeup legend, Stuart Freeborn, with an Ewok Tom Spina Designs created using parts he saved from 1983.
Tom Spina Designs has performed assembly, paint and finishing services on several of these Ewoks
A screen used "Deadite" from the film Army of Darkness before & after restoration of the face and "bib"
The restoration of the face: areas of exposed orange foam were rebuilt, paint matched & missing teeth recreated
BEFORE & AFTER rare latex head casting from Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein. Brought in for repair, finish & display
The client requested a finished piece. Thin spots & holes were repaired & the piece was painted & haired in a "vintage" style.
Restoring and preserving screen used original television and movie props as well as foam latex masks and costumes is a painstaking process.
Our approach emphasizes maintaining the integrity of the original and wherever possible preserving the original "feel" of the piece and evidence of age and use in a production.
The goal is not a result that looks "brand new" (the way a replica might look) but to gently bring a piece of history back to life... to make it look "great for its age."
LATEST ADDITION
Website, products and photos © Tom Spina Designs, your source for custom sculpture, mannequins, statues, busts, theme props, home theater art and furniture, foam latex mask restoration and movie props displays. All trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners and are for reference purposes only.
We take a great deal of time to discuss these projects with our clients and based on the their desires and the condition of the original, we arrive at the proper techniques and style of restoration that is right for each particular piece of film history which we work to preserve.
Our services are respected throughout the collecting community.
We've restored a variety of pieces from many films!
Many collectors won't trust their cherished possessions to anyone else!
View examples of our recent work below!
View examples of our recent work below!
Movie Prop and Mask Restoration Services
Tom Spina Designs offers restoration and stabilization of movie props and masks, specializing in foam latex restoration such as screen used pieces that have deteriorated with the passing of time.
Each restoration has its own challenges, so please contact us to discuss potential projects or availability for on-site work.
Star Wars
The Empire
Strikes Back
An American
Werewolf in London
Gremlins
Tom Spina Designs provides custom sculpture, furniture, mannequins, movie prop and wardrobe displays & restoration and other unique items for collectors, home theaters, businesses, museums and more!
