TOPIC: Before the stage is made.

Heya!

Many of you have asked how we make our things. This is a very brief introduction to the design and build of our Elder Orb for GenCon 2016.

We wanted to make our Elder Orb as close to the first edition D&D Beholder as we could without reproducing such creature directly.

With some ingenuity and minor frustrations, we decided that putting two geodesic half hemispheres together, your basic jungle gyms, to form a spheroid, we could then add chicken wire and landscaping fabric around the structure to form a more spherical shape. We then used Great Stuff insulation foam, lots of it, to produce the skin of said creature. We then went in with some enamel spray paint for the base red and a pink-ish latex paint for dry brushing.

The eye stalks are formed from 3/4 inch conduit mounted to the frame by 1/2 inch flanged pipes connected to plywood just below the skin. We then placed carved pool noodles over the pipes and fused plastic half hemisphere globes for each of the eight stalk eyes and used Great Stuff foam to fill in and sculpt the gaps.

The big eye is a huge poly-carbonate light fixture with an RGB LED dmx controlled light. It was designed to have a full range of motion but due to the elliptical nature of the globe, it was most practical to limit the motions to side to side rather than up, down, and side to side. A pole is attached to this eye with a bike handle in the back to allow our blue hands to move the eye. We also added a baby monitor, cctv, to the inside of the mouth with the monitor just below the handle so our blue hands could see the combat board and players for their saucy banter. There are also speakers mounted to their cheeks with a microphone added above the monitor.

The teeth of this creature were carved from a single chunk of 2"X4" and duplicated by a silicone mold and resin casting. They were fused in the plywood base with gorilla glue then painted with a combination of acrylic, enamel, and latex paints. The gums were formed by stirring acrylic paint into non-cured Great Stuff foam and applied with a pallet knife. Once the gums were cured, they were then dry brushed with acrylic and latex paint then sprayed with polyurethane along with the teeth.

Did you guys also make the Beholder in 2008?

I think the production quality of the new Elder Orb is a lot better than what we saw in 2008! Kudos!

I was indeed impressed and glad to see it on both sides (combat and puzzle)!

Don't quote me on this, but I think one of our volunteers made that beholder. I've only been around since 2012 and have never thought to ask. That other one did look cool, though I think these guys were definitely a step up when it comes to monster/player interactions.

Troy L. Coots wrote: Don't quote me on this, but I think one of our volunteers made that beholder. I've only been around since 2012 and have never thought to ask. That other one did look cool, though I think these guys were definitely a step up when it comes to monster/player interactions.

IIRC, the 2008 Beholder was made out of paper mache or something.

They reused it one more time (maybe in 2009 True Realm?). But after that, it was such a pain to transport it they simply gave it away to someone willing to take it off their hands.

Wow - thanks for sharing those pics!

It's fascinating to see the creative process behind some of these monsters.

Question: I know the eyestalks were detachable. How did you do that? You mentioned flanged pipes... were they just shoved/forced in, or was there a latch or screw system to secure them?

I liked the 2008 beholder, but these monsters were really a step above!

Great photos, truly the beholders were much improved from their 2008 incarnations.

I liked both incarnations, but this one took the cake. Dare I say, it was a wonderful thing to behold...

Incognito wrote: ... they simply gave it away to someone willing to take it off their hands.

Nooo... That's soo sad!

I really enjoyed the entrance of the original beholder. Let me distract you on this side of the room. While you watch the monitor, we will silently draw back the curtain a move in this GIANT monster suspended from an elevated track behind you. Muwahahahahaha....

With this new beholder, I was hoping to see a side by side comparison of the new vs old.

Does anyone have a photo of the old one?

I understand the original plan was for the beholders to move in some way?

Look what I found! The file was labeled "Beholder and creator" although I don't know the person.

binia wrote: Look what I found! The file was labeled "Beholder and creator" although I don't know the person.

Its that awkward tweenager stage the babies should be reaching about this time next year. The one in the picture does look a little bit hangery.