The KONG that NEVER WAS

This was for a Tony McVey project, back from many years ago,1996-97. I designed & built the armature, also, going fancy with it, I had the steel parts chrome plated and black anodized the aluminum parts. I did not want to attempt to construct the Kong skull, as Tony having way more expertise in anatomy & knowing exactly what he needed. Since I was a former dental lab technician, I advised him about materials for Kong's teeth/gums and gave him dental acrylic resins to cast the teeth & gums/jaw form. The Kong rib cage & pelvis form that Tony made was an intensive fabrication. He actually meticulously bent stiff steel rods to form the rib cage & pelvis curves & shape! I would never do that myself and I would construct the rib cage & pelvis differently, however, Tony's rib cage does look very 'anatomically' Cool!

Tony was going to do an 'interpretation' of some Kong sequences specifically the LOG Scene!?? All animated humans on a huge log big-ature (large miniature). Pretty ambitious! Just remember, many times, in general, with independent self-funded projects, sometimes 'life' gets in the way and pay the rent jobs takes priority!

Here are is the basic overall schematics I drafted for the Kong design. There were also other design drafts for the specific components of the armature such as the feet, hips, chest, hands, etc. With this Kong puppet standing fairly erect, as shown in the schematics ... he would be 17.25 inches tall (43.82 centimeters), from the top of head to feet.

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Later on, around 2012, Tony had another project brewing, "The Gardens of Miranda" - A Science Fiction fantasy stop motion series. He converted & modified the Kong armature and transformed it into a Sloth-like creature. You can see some images/photos here, Tony McVey's THE GARDENS OF MIRANDA

 

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