8
Dec
Star Trek The Next Generation Solanagen Costume Display
A Custom Mannequin to Create a Life-Sized Statue for an Original Next Generation Solanagen Life-Form Costume
This Star Trek: The Next Generation Solanagen alien costume and mask came to us for a custom mannequin, replica hands and a preservation mount for the mask. The Solanagen-based life-form was seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, “Schisms” in 1992. The layered costume is fabricated from translucent shimmering golden fabrics and one of our favorite clients brought us the costume and mask to combine with recreated hands and bring this alien back to life!
We combined fiberglass work and practical mannequin building with latex conservation mounting and even 3D modeling and 3D printing for this project to take this TV prop retro gold costume and foam latex mask and turn them into a life-sized. Tony Cipriano 3D modeled the hands, allowing us to previsualize their exact look with the client before outputting them on an MSLA printer. Tony matched the texture and sculpting shown on the mask and in screengrabs of the alien life forms in the television episode. The large hands were printed on our Peopoly Phenom resin printer, creating beautiful, highly detailed hands. Maria Teran assembled and finished them, hand-painting each to match the color tones of the prop mask we were conserving.
The mask was sealed inside and out, reinforced in thin areas, and carefully mounted to a custom form that was made by Patrick Louie to fit the mask perfectly. The mask support has straps that allow it to be displayed independently, or attached to the head form of the mannequin. That customized mannequin was crafted by Pierre Briel, who also retrofitted the newly-made hands with removable connectors to allow the costume to be safely dressed (as the giant pincer hands were too large to fit through the costume’s sleeves!)
The finished result is just one of many original Star Trek costumes we’ve gotten to display and preserve. Be sure to check out some of our other Star Trek restoration, display and sculpture projects!
Have an original movie or television prop in need of a unique or themed display? Email or call today and let’s discuss your project!
Bodly go… and check out the full Next Generation series!
