Your Animal Replica Pictures

[antonydavanzo]

Hey all,

I thought a new thread for this would be ok as a lot of us will have him within 2 days!
CANT WAIT TO SEE THE PICS

[frogboy4]

Aaaargh! I came here expecting to see some pics. Oh, well. We can wait a bit longer. Just thought it warranted an Animal angsty, "Aaaaaargh!" :halo:

[Lab Rat]

My Animal has arrived he's fantastic i'm just taking some pic's i'll post them shortly

[Lab Rat]

Hi folks here area few pic's of Animal http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=gluvets&Submit.x=10&Submit.y=12

[doc hopper]

Sweet! looks pretty good!

[mrsieve]

AMAZING ! Great poses.:halo:

[antonydavanzo]

hey all......I got nimal at 12 and we have had him in the office all day..gonna go home now and get some snaps for ya! PS He is amazing and the hair sorts out so it doesnt look so boufont!

[Kermieuk]

Excellent, Mine didnt come today? Do Parcelforce deliver on Saturday?

He looks fantastic, the final item looks so much better than the proto?

Chris

[antonydavanzo]

My thoughts

The product is soooooo good. Yes he has very bouncy hair byt it settles after a while. For me he looks like a 100% true replica. My only niggle is that you cannot keeep his eyes open, this is a must buy !

[muppetperson]

Fantastic. But I see he still has those leatherette pants!

[Lab Rat]

yeah he has the leatherette pants they look great in person so does the waistecoat, i've just tweaked the eyebrows a bit to cover the edge of the eyelid shell.

[Mistersuperstar]

Looks better than the MR website makes it look. I new they wouldn't let us down with the quality. Great pics as usual Lab Rat!

[MuppetCaper]

Oh Lab Rat....Makes me want to go home and tear mine open right now, but first I have to get through work and I am heading home for ANIMAL! He looks so awesome and we where worried for nothing! :halo:

[Beauregard]

Wow! The colouring is amazingly brilliant!

But...I simply cannot live with the design.

[antonydavanzo]

Oh Lab Rat....Makes me want to go home and tear mine open right now, but first I have to get through work and I am heading home for ANIMAL! He looks so awesome and we where worried for nothing! :halo:
Too right.......MC you are gonna love him....not long now and we will have Gonzo to put along side them. I cannot believe how big Animal is!:halo:

[Mistersuperstar]

My thoughts

The product is soooooo good. Yes he has very bouncy hair byt it settles after a while. For me he looks like a 100% true replica. My only niggle is that you cannot keeep his eyes open, this is a must buy !

Did I hear a suggestion about using clothes pins to keep the eyes open? Would it work?

[antonydavanzo]

So what number do you have? Mine is number 467

[antonydavanzo]

Did I hear a suggestion about using clothes pins to keep the eyes open? Would it work?
Just done it and yes it does......when they said this ages back I went mad and protested against it but he looks better wide eyes. I am waiting for the hair to settle a bit more then Ill post some pics!

[Mistersuperstar]

Excellent, Mine didnt come today? Do Parcelforce deliver on Saturday?

I certainly hope so! :concern:

[MuppetDanny]

Hi folks here area few pic's of Animal http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=gluvets&Submit.x=10&Submit.y=12

Great pics Labrat, I haven't ordered mine yet - hope I am not too late!

[antonydavanzo]

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!
My wife has taken my cam so I cannot take pics! Ill wait until 2morrow, in the meantime I cant wait to see everyone elses, MC hurry up and post yours

[MWoO]

I don't care what anyone says, the eyes are too far apart.

[antonydavanzo]

I don't care what anyone says, the eyes are too far apart.
I think it depends on which era you compare him to, are you getting him MWo0? he is a fab piece to have.............am I right in saying that they are in proportion as he looks masive compared to Kermit?

[Was Once Ernie]

yeah he has the leatherette pants they look great in person so does the waistecoat, i've just tweaked the eyebrows a bit to cover the edge of the eyelid shell.

Lab Rat, how did you get the eyelids to stay wide open?

:p

[Was Once Ernie]

I don't care what anyone says, the eyes are too far apart.

You're entitled to your opinion, but I freeze-framed on this video (http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showpost.php?p=593473&postcount=916) that MyMuppet posted in the other thread, then went back and forth between the frame where he was looking directly at camera and Lab Rat's pictures and it sure looks right to me.

:p

[frogboy4]

Wow. Okay, we've had the best Kermit product ever, now this, in my opinion, is the best Animal product ever. Gets my endorsement! :halo:

My only (outrageously nitpicky) concerns:
*Hair moustache around the mouth area is more pronounced than I remember.
*Teeth are quite white.
*Eye focus seems a microscopic bit wide.
*Concerned about posing the eyebrows.

That being said, and that's the most critical I can get, Animal looks to be 98% spot-on. And this is just from the photographs! I know I will fall in love with mine. There are puppets Henson and Disney have used in productions that are far less close to a true representation of Animal than this one. Also, every puppet looks different.

From what has been released - MR still has the best Muppet product ever! By far. :)

Just a recap - I see Animal as 98% accurate. My nitpicky concerns with Kermit were pupil size and collar material. He's 99% accurate in my view. Both are worth getting for the fan that can invest. My only concern now is Gonzo. I'm still very concerned about the nose and top lip. In the pics (they really need to get better photos of these) I've seen from MR, Gonzo is 78% accurate. Terry's first proto was always at 100% for me. I wonder if they still have it around to compare? :concern:

[Telly]

Animal isn't one of my top ten favorite Muppets from the Muppet Show. I didn't plan on getting him. After seeing LabRat's pictures...I've changed my mind! I'm going to save up for Gonzo first and then put a good chunk aside for Fozziem, but then I'm going to start to save up for Animal! Wow! He looks soo cool! I'm jealous!

[MuppetCaper]

Ok guys, and you too Lab Rat....how do you control the hair/fur on him? His mustache is sticking straight out and his hair is a BIG bouffont in the back and I cannot get it to lay down like it should. How did you get your Animal working right Lab Rat? And for all you guys, have some wire cutters available, there is quite a bit of wires to get loose to get him out of the box and out of his body bag. Sheesh....his hair is a mess and I cannot tame his mustache.


Oh yeah...one more thing, his mouth does not close either.

[Mistersuperstar]

Oh yeah...one more thing, his mouth does not close either.

That's a little disappointing. It states on the MR website that it does. :(

[MWoO]

You're entitled to your opinion, but I freeze-framed on this video (http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showpost.php?p=593473&postcount=916) that MyMuppet posted in the other thread, then went back and forth between the frame where he was looking directly at camera and Lab Rat's pictures and it sure looks right to me.

:p

Animals eyes are right next to each other in that video. Sometimes it appears as if there is a space, but that is his nose. When he looks down the eyes are clearly right next too each other with very little space. Look at any picture of animal from any ear and I bet the eyes will be right next to each other with no space. There should be no eye brow fur between them either. The replica is wrong on the eyes.

Some proof.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDdWBlix48Y&feature=related from the muppet movie

http://www.brabud.nu/lotImage/muppet_animal.jpg a slightly more modern animal

http://www.flickr.com/photos/heilemann/38225027/ animal with Mr t, much much smaller eye gap

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8776667@N08/533171798/ some random animal pic.

as you can see, in all these instances animals eyes are almost right up against each other. I odn't know why I am the only one who sees this obvious error in the likeness and frankly these final product shots are making me not want animal at all.

[Mistersuperstar]

It depends on which photos you look at. The more modern Animal has a bigger space between his eyes than the 70s version that had pretty much no gap. It is definitely more pronounced on the MR replica.

[MWoO]

Ok guys, and you too Lab Rat....how do you control the hair/fur on him? His mustache is sticking straight out and his hair is a BIG bouffont in the back and I cannot get it to lay down like it should. How did you get your Animal working right Lab Rat? And for all you guys, have some wire cutters available, there is quite a bit of wires to get loose to get him out of the box and out of his body bag. Sheesh....his hair is a mess and I cannot tame his mustache.


Oh yeah...one more thing, his mouth does not close either.

WHAT? His mouth does not close? Are you joking? The mouth is key to making the many animal expressions. Now i know I don;'t want him, Certainly not at 400. The mouth is a main point of expressions on any character.

[MWoO]

It depends on which photos you look at. The more modern Animal has a bigger space between his eyes than the 70s version that had pretty much no gap. It is definitely more pronounced on the MR replica.

I've looked across the board, none have a gap as wide as the MR animal. Not even close. Animal is just not as good a likeness and whats sad is that it could have easily been fixed.

[Mistersuperstar]

The poser on this pic from the official Muppets site is a bit closer. Not quite as bad as the MR replica tho.

http://muppets.go.com/wallpaper/wallpaper_4_800x600.jpg

[MWoO]

Thats due more to the angle of the picture than the actual space though. And they are still much closer together than the replica. I get that they have to keep things under budget, but for 50 bucks more and the addition of jaw movement and better eyes I'd be all over this. Frankly Animal just dissappoints me. He looks like a wet dog.

[Mistersuperstar]

I'll have a better opinion of him once I can see for myself. His nose seems a little small and he has a little too much hair from what I can see (compared to quite recent pictures of the official poser).

[doc hopper]

wow, it's too bad the mouth doesn't close. i was REALLY counting on that.

[muppetguy]

Labrat, your pics have made me want Animal. He looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. One quick question for anyone out there. I want to order him from a website called thesabervault.com. Has anyone ever ordered from them and if so, are they good? Thank you guys, one muppet fan to the next. :halo:

[MuppetCaper]

wow, it's too bad the mouth doesn't close. i was REALLY counting on that.


I mean, he is not bad looking now that I got the hair right, I had to push down gently to get it to lay down. But do it carefully cause you do not want to break the feathers. The problem with his mouth is that his tongue is in the way and it is made out of like a rubber something....I don't know. I am going to have to work on his eyebrows cause there is a white line that shows where his eyebrows are glued. I am just going to get some flat black paint and fix that. Other than that, he looks awesome. I will take some pictures soon and put them up. Other than his mouth problem, he is awesome!~

[MuppetCaper]

Labrat, your pics have made me want Animal. He looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. One quick question for anyone out there. I want to order him from a website called thesabervault.com. Has anyone ever ordered from them and if so, are they good? Thank you guys, one muppet fan to the next. :halo:


They are a really good company. I have got things from them before.

[vaderdentist]

JD aka Sabervault is absolutely top notch! All my MR pieces have come thru Sabervault!

I'm pleasantly suprised with the pics I've seen so far. It looks far better in the photos than I figured it would. I know I can make him look even better in person. :)

Dave

[muppetguy]

Thanks for the info you guys! I appreciate it!:halo:

[MuppetCaper]

JD aka Sabervault is absolutely top notch! All my MR pieces have come thru Sabervault!

I'm pleasantly suprised with the pics I've seen so far. It looks far better in the photos than I figured it would. I know I can make him look even better in person. :)

Dave


Now that I worked with Animal for awhile, I am kinda happy with the way he looks on his head part. Now I got to find a way to pose him with Kermit and I will be happy. I am going to take pictures sometime soon.

[MWoO]

I mean, he is not bad looking now that I got the hair right, I had to push down gently to get it to lay down. But do it carefully cause you do not want to break the feathers. The problem with his mouth is that his tongue is in the way and it is made out of like a rubber something....I don't know. I am going to have to work on his eyebrows cause there is a white line that shows where his eyebrows are glued. I am just going to get some flat black paint and fix that. Other than that, he looks awesome. I will take some pictures soon and put them up. Other than his mouth problem, he is awesome!~

So there is mouth articulation, but the tongue gets in the way? I guess that is why it should be made of some kind of foam. No idea why they went with rubber. They could have gone with high density foam instead. I'm not getting some of the decisions made on this one and I really hope they don't mess up Fozzie this bad. Kermit was so good, Animal sounds awful to me.

[MuppetCaper]

So there is mouth articulation, but the tongue gets in the way? I guess that is why it should be made of some kind of foam. No idea why they went with rubber. They could have gone with high density foam instead. I'm not getting some of the decisions made on this one and I really hope they don't mess up Fozzie this bad. Kermit was so good, Animal sounds awful to me.


It looks like his teeth are made out of foam with some kind of paint over it and they are hard. His eyelids are made out of foam....whic is weird since the tongue is not made out of foam but of some other material. His mouth moves up and down, it just doesn't close shut is all. Like I said, otherwise he looks just like Animal and I love him now that I worked with him.

[Was Once Ernie]

Animals eyes are right next to each other in that video. Sometimes it appears as if there is a space, but that is his nose. When he looks down the eyes are clearly right next too each other with very little space. Look at any picture of animal from any ear and I bet the eyes will be right next to each other with no space. There should be no eye brow fur between them either. The replica is wrong on the eyes.

Yes, I absolutely agree with you that the Animal from The Muppet Movie has his eyes right next to each other. But the original Animal from The Muppet Show that is in the clip that I linked to has his eyes separated. I freeze-framed it when he is looking straight into camera. The main difference is that his eyebrow fur is not between his eyes, but there is a gap.

I know I'm going to seem like I'm contradicting myself here, but this is the closest to a real Muppet that we'll ever get without building our own. I don't think the slightly too large gap between the eyes ruins it in the same way that I think the wrong material for Gonzo's nose ruins him.

:p

[MWoO]

I saw the clip and they aren't far apart. Like I said they seem far apart, but the gap is the nose. Look again, or better yet check the dvd. Maybe I'll pop it in and get a screen cap. But even if the first Animal has a large gap, I don't think that one clip is the proper reference to use when every other Animal puppet has them right next to each other. Face it, it throws off the likeness a lot. Why do you pretend like this isn't true? It may not stop other people from buying it, but it is still there. Unlike Kermit, if you put a pic of the Animal replica next to a pic of an Animal poser you're gonna know which is which right way.

[frogboy4]

:halo: Did Animal come with a collar or chains as was in his pre-order description? That's part of where I thought the expense went. I hope that the collar and chain wasn't yanked (pun intended) merely to drum-up (pun intended again) support for accessory packs. I'd feel a bit hosed. It's Animal. The collar shouldn't come seperately. :sing: :flirt:

[a_Mickey_Muppet]

They are a really good company. I have got things from them before.

yeah thats where I pre-ordered my Animal from... Sabervault. :) I hope there ANIMALS come soon! :smirk: btw I"M JUST LOVING THE ANIMAL PICS GANG! :excited:

[MWoO]

:halo: Did Animal come with a collar or chains as was in his pre-order description? That's part of where I thought the expense went. I hope that the collar and chain wasn't yanked (pun intended) merely to drum-up (pun intended again) support for accessory packs. I'd feel a bit hosed. It's Animal. The collar shouldn't come seperately. :sing: :flirt:

Looks to me like there are no shackles on him at all. I know that sometimes Animal went without, but really it would have been nice to have them. So many things about the final product just bug me.

[TheJimHensonHour]

WHAT? His mouth does not close? Are you joking? The mouth is key to making the many animal expressions. Now i know I don;'t want him, Certainly not at 400. The mouth is a main point of expressions on any character.
You're not alone I don't like this thing at all either. It reminds me more of gridle gorilla from the great space coaster (i'm being sarcastic) than it does animal. blah the body is fine but the head the key part is missing just to much for me to even want to consider plopping down that kind of money.

[frogboy4]

Looks to me like there are no shackles on him at all. I know that sometimes Animal went without, but really it would have been nice to have them. So many things about the final product just bug me.

That might warrant an inquiry. The price, even for a fan, is very steep. I know it's justified, but leaving out at least his signature collar does upset me. I look at MR as being more customer friendly than that. :sympathy:

On the likeness side - I spent a bit of time studying Animal's likeness for figure revision. My task was mostly geared toward leg and knee joints, but I was always disappointed in the action figure eyes. It really is a tough thing to get right. They do seem to look different in multiple shots. That's partly why companies like to create approximations that cherrypick the best visual characteristics to lump together.

We all remember the Muppets in different ways. We have our favorite looks, our favorite puppets. Nostalgia often blinds the fan too, me included. That particular area you are talking about between the eye shapes is a practical design challenge - especially to mass produce. I think it's pretty close.

[MWoO]

I don't see how you can think it is close. I'm sorry, I just don't. The eyes are just plan off. I mean this isn't something like the shape of Fozzie's head that has changed over the years. The eyes have always been right up next to each other, at the very least they were like that from the first puppet into the early 90's with a slight gap in more modern animals. This gap is SO much wider on the replica. I mean, go find a picture of Animal right now and put it next to the replica pic. It's so much more pronounced and I see no reason why they wouldn't have gotten it right when the solution is put them next to each other.

[Was Once Ernie]

We all remember the Muppets in different ways. We have our favorite looks, our favorite puppets. Nostalgia often blinds the fan too, me included. That particular area you are talking about between the eye shapes is a practical design challenge - especially to mass produce. I think it's pretty close.

That is so true! I haven't liked any Ernie or Cookie Monsters since the originals (see my avatar above). Although, the most recent Cookie Monsters have gotten back pretty close to the original.

Ernie has never been the same again. I may have posted this somewhere else in some other thread, but it bears repeating. I actually asked Jim about why the puppets changed looks and his answer was that the look of the puppets wasn't important, it was all in the performance. So, there you go. That's why they never needed to rebuild them precisely, if that was even possible, Jim didn't care.

:p

[MuppetCaper]

I guess we can wait and see next year what we get for accessory packs for these posers. I notice the more I work with Animal, the better he looks.

[frogboy4]

I don't see how you can think it is close...I mean, go find a picture of Animal right now and put it next to the replica pic.

I know it is unfair to create a digital alteration after the fact, but I just want to see if this is in the ballbark of what you are talking about. I did mess with more than just the eyes to make it the way I'd style it in my mind. Much of this can likely be achieved with posing, however you can't push the eyes closer together as in this alteration. I stilll give this replica a 98%. :halo:

Click Here For An Animal Comparison (http://wijitworld.com/stock_images/animal_mock.jpg)

:) I credited Lab Rat for listing a portion of his graphic. Hope that's okay. Again, it's easier to be a backseat driver on this than go through all the paces of desgning, approving, producing and distributing a product. :attitude:

I also agree with you, Was Once Ernie. There is a life that these can never have without the performer. I remember another member going so far as to say replicas were a bad idea for that reason, but I like these. The spark in these is all about the posing. When I first got my corpse like Kermit in the box I was not pleased. A few minutes later he came to life in the way I wanted.

[MWoO]

You hit the nail on the head there. That is much closer to how his eyes should be.

[Bear Man]

Looks pretty good to me - I'm not concerneed with the eye spacing, I think it's pretty close to what I remember (but then, Animal has never been a huge favourite of mine, so I can't say as I have aever taken a LOT of notice). My main issue is with the eyebrows - they're just a little too "slug-like" for me, where they need to be a bit more wild. I'm sure taht that can be achieved through some judicioius styling though.

I didn't pre-order him and I'm not rushing out to get him, I'm much more concerned with having the cash to invest in Fozzie and, perhaps, Gonzo. But on the basisi of these photos I'm not ruling out getting him sometime in the future, which was never really the plan.

All in all - good job, MR!

[TheJimHensonHour]

So, there you go. That's why they never needed to rebuild them precisely, if that was even possible, Jim didn't care.

:p
That's funny he's contradicting himself there then because in another quote he says the eyes are the most important part of a muppet and if something is off the entire character looks wrong and said it's very important.

[TheJimHensonHour]

I know it is unfair to create a digital alteration after the fact, but I just want to see if this is in the ballbark of what you are talking about. I did mess with more than just the eyes to make it the way I'd style it in my mind. Much of this can likely be achieved with posing, however you can't push the eyes closer together as in this alteration. I stilll give this replica a 98%. :halo:

Click Here For An Animal Comparison (http://wijitworld.com/stock_images/animal_mock.jpg)

:) I credited Lab Rat for listing a portion of his graphic. Hope that's okay. Again, it's easier to be a backseat driver on this than go through all the paces of desgning, approving, producing and distributing a product. :attitude:

I also agree with you, Was Once Ernie. There is a life that these can never have without the performer. I remember another member going so far as to say replicas were a bad idea for that reason, but I like these. The spark in these is all about the posing. When I first got my corpse like Kermit in the box I was not pleased. A few minutes later he came to life in the way I wanted.
That animal edit is perfect now that I'd plop money down for.

[antonydavanzo]

Is anyone tempted to colour the white bits of plstic that are around his eyes ( the bit where the eye lashes are attached ) as it looks a little off......has anyone done this?

[antonydavanzo]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animal.jpg

Im still getting used to his posing so its not a good pic plus the cam is rubbish...its from my 1st digi cam that I found! Anyway another pic to add to the collection

[Mistersuperstar]

That's Animal! That's put my mind to rest about the likeness anyway. :halo:

[Luke]

:halo: Did Animal come with a collar or chains as was in his pre-order description? That's part of where I thought the expense went. I hope that the collar and chain wasn't yanked (pun intended) merely to drum-up (pun intended again) support for accessory packs. I'd feel a bit hosed. It's Animal. The collar shouldn't come seperately. :sing: :flirt:

They are still advertising him for sale with a collar and chain (and "Mouth Expression") so if people have paid for that and not got it they oughta start asking for a free one if they start selling them in accessory packs.

I like Animal, but yes, that revision you did actually brings the character out in him which is maybe what the actual product is missing with those vacant eyes, lol. Amazing what can be achieved with just a few minor tweaks.

[frogboy4]

Is anyone tempted to colour the white bits of plstic that are around his eyes ( the bit where the eye lashes are attached ) as it looks a little off......has anyone done this?

Heck, I'd Sharpie that part veeeeerry carefully if he needs it. I would. I take it that you're not going to resell him so there's no need to keep him in factory condition.

Wow! That's how his eyebrows look - all fluffy and crazed! Still stand by my near-perfect 98% rating. It's all in the eventual squishing and posing. Thanks for posting the pics! Master Replicas has done the drummer justice! :halo:

Nobody's answered about the collar and chains yet. Did he come with them?

[antonydavanzo]

Soory mate...........the answer to the Q is No he does not come with a collar or chain......shame but not a biggie ( for me anyway). On thing they could have done was his wrist and leg spikes....maybe made from plastic.
The eyebrows need to be played with, I think I have mine almost right, its easy to twist them and matt them. I do think there may be too many feathers at the back of his head

[muppetguy]

Is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I am sooooo going to pose the two of them together like that. I can't wait to get my animal!:) :halo:

[antonydavanzo]

I cant help but take pics ( even if its with my rubbish phone....the wife still has the camera! ).
Here are some more pics. I have found that the flatter the hair goes the better he looks. Id still love some arm and leg spike for him, lets hope MR release them as an add on. Just think guys, this time next yr we will have 4 of these!:concern: & :o and if we make enough hints to MR and Terry hopefully ;) !
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/box.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animalandKermit2.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animalandKermit.jpg
Im gonna go and find some old drumsticks in my attic and give him those!

[the80sdrummer]

They are still advertising him for sale with a collar and chain (and "Mouth Expression") so if people have paid for that and not got it they oughta start asking for a free one if they start selling them in accessory packs.

Honestly, it's all in their marketing of Animal. They don't say this Animal comes with it, they say he has it in his "real life" for our protection. No where in the actual product description do they say he comes with a collar & chain.

Also, you'll notice it says "Fully poseable with mouth expression", not "mouth expressions". It's a singular description versus a plural description.

I am definitely not taking sides here, it's just a clever, yet misleading, marketing ad. I have to admit, I'm pretty disappointed in how the final product turned out. I was just as excited about closing his mouth and chaining him as everyone on this board. I get my Animal on Monday so I'll be able to play with him a little bit. I'll post pics as I take them.

[a_Mickey_Muppet]

I know it is unfair to create a digital alteration after the fact, but I just want to see if this is in the ballbark of what you are talking about. I did mess with more than just the eyes to make it the way I'd style it in my mind. Much of this can likely be achieved with posing, however you can't push the eyes closer together as in this alteration. I stilll give this replica a 98%. :halo:

Click Here For An Animal Comparison (http://wijitworld.com/stock_images/animal_mock.jpg)

:) I credited Lab Rat for listing a portion of his graphic. Hope that's okay. Again, it's easier to be a backseat driver on this than go through all the paces of desgning, approving, producing and distributing a product. :attitude:

I also agree with you, Was Once Ernie. There is a life that these can never have without the performer. I remember another member going so far as to say replicas were a bad idea for that reason, but I like these. The spark in these is all about the posing. When I first got my corpse like Kermit in the box I was not pleased. A few minutes later he came to life in the way I wanted.


Jamie my man! that IS SPOT on. spot on! I fig it was the eyes. Jim always says the Muppets were some what crosseyed. I CAN'T WAIT for my Animal to get here. My MR Kermie needs a friend. also a note to the other MC members posting there pics of there MR Animal's... keep them comming! I'm lovin em! and my lil bro was gonna throw away some drumsticks that he had, so I asked him if I could have them for my Animal and he sayed "sure take em".

[MWoO]

I cant help but take pics ( even if its with my rubbish phone....the wife still has the camera! ).
Here are some more pics. I have found that the flatter the hair goes the better he looks. Id still love some arm and leg spike for him, lets hope MR release them as an add on. Just think guys, this time next yr we will have 4 of these!:concern: & :o and if we make enough hints to MR and Terry hopefully ;) !
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/box.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animalandKermit2.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animalandKermit.jpg
Im gonna go and find some old drumsticks in my attic and give him those!

Woah...that's certainly an improvement. The odd thing is that the white eye covers make his eyes look closer together when they are wide open. Seems that is why they didn't put them closer together.

Dang, now with these pics I want him again....

[Luke]

Honestly, it's all in their marketing of Animal. They don't say this Animal comes with it, they say he has it in his "real life" for our protection. No where in the actual product description do they say he comes with a collar & chain.

I stand corrected, it had me fooled reading it through quickly this morning because of the chain mention. :halo:

The photos people are showing after playing around with him a bit are looking a lot better.

[MuppetCaper]

Is anyone tempted to colour the white bits of plstic that are around his eyes ( the bit where the eye lashes are attached ) as it looks a little off......has anyone done this?


If I knew what type of fur it is, I would put that on it, but I am going to go to a hobby store and get a flat black model paint marker and color that in if I cannot find the fur.


Oh yeah, here is my pictures of ANIMAL!

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/tsmert/IMG_0003Small.jpg
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/tsmert/IMG_0005Small.jpg
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/tsmert/IMG_0006Small.jpg

Enjoy!

[frogboy4]

The Master Replicas website and newsletter originally listed the inclusion a collar and chain for this Animal product. That feature was silently removed from their website description without explanation. It was there. It is gone now. :eek:

Changes nearly always occur from prototype to completion, but lifting out accessories that were advertised at the time people placed money down for it should warrant a heads-up. Especially at 400 bucks. I'm mainly just confused at why the decision was made. I'm also disappointed that we won't be getting the items with him. Honestly, I originally felt that was a lot to accompany him. I guess they felt that way too. I'll take the positive rout and believe they forgot to mention the change. ;)

This is poser just keeps looking better and better like I thought he would. I never understood why, at least with the figures, people posed Animal all wide-eyed. He's rarely above a squint. Well, unless he sees a woman he's wooing. :halo:

[MWoO]

Well with the figures posing him at a squint looked kinda weird. Usually Animal will pop his eyes open when surprised, like if he's reacting to something he heard.

I will admit that these newer pictures look much better. I guess the first ones we saw were pics of him fresh out of the box which was the cause of his wet head look and when he is posed squinting you don't notice the eyes. Perhaps I jumped the gun here. He isn't as bad, though the eyes still bug me, especially since I like the wide eyed look. Also the lack of chain really bugs me since they were advertised as coming with him before. It's part of the outfit. He did go without them a lot though, but it screws up half of my display ideas.

[Was Once Ernie]

That's funny he's contradicting himself there then because in another quote he says the eyes are the most important part of a muppet and if something is off the entire character looks wrong and said it's very important.

It's not a contradiction. He never said to me that "eye focus" wasn't important, just that minor changes in the rebuilds aren't important. For instance, the Ernie after the original had kind a smashed head that was even more football shaped. It apparently didn't bother Jim. And the second generation Cookie Monster had a completely different shaped mouth. It went from being pliable and rounded to hard and almost duck-billed. But he didn't care about those changes.

:p

[MWoO]

but with the animal puppet we are talking about eye focus.

[frogboy4]

but with the animal puppet we are talking about eye focus.

I can agree with you there. The thing is, Jim Henson's team of puppet builders would reportedly place the eye focus last in the process. There is a formula to measuring it, but I remember hearing somewhere that they'd still "eyeball" it and go with what looked right. However, I have seen some very poor eyefocus on real Muppet posers in photographs. Gonzo especially in some of his 80s images.

Also, in this Group Photo (http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/bb6/frogboy4/?action=view&current=muppet_rainbow_screensaver.jpg)it appears that the poser Animal could have his eyes wider than normal. However, he's in the back and it's just a poser. The Gonzo's eye shape and focus look a little funky too.

[MWoO]

You just had to find the one animal poser with a wide eye gap. :-p

but really, hat pic should not be used as an example of muppet posers. They all look wonky in that one.

[Was Once Ernie]

You just had to find the one animal poser with a wide eye gap. :-p

but really, that pic should not be used as an example of muppet posers. They all look wonky in that one.

Ha! I was just going to write that you couldn't possibly deny that not only is there a gap between his eyes, but there is clearly black in between as well... and it's not his nose.

That's a terrible Kermit, too. The MR one is much better!

:p

[MWoO]

But it's also the only one I have seen and he's way in the back and surrounded by bad posers. I say it's a one instance thing that was corrected and should not be the basis for a replica.

[TheJimHensonHour]

It's not a contradiction. He never said to me that "eye focus" wasn't important, just that minor changes in the rebuilds aren't important. For instance, the Ernie after the original had kind a smashed head that was even more football shaped. It apparently didn't bother Jim. And the second generation Cookie Monster had a completely different shaped mouth. It went from being pliable and rounded to hard and almost duck-billed. But he didn't care about those changes.

:p
Well, The reaon I replied with what I did is because that's what was being spoken about when you said what you did. :)

[Lab Rat]

I have just taken the pupils off animal and put new ones on he looks loads better i have posted pic's on~ http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=gluvets

[Reevz1977]

Hi Folks, I gotta admit, this is another home run for Master Replicas. I LOVE MY ANIMAL! I have very few issues and think MR have done a bang up job! I think you need to see the product in person to truly judge. Just one question to all the people who have got him, how do you tame the fur? I've been trying for 2 days:p

[Lab Rat]

i used a hairdryer to get the feathers how i want them on his head.

[Reevz1977]

i used a hairdryer to get the feathers how i want them on his head.

Yours looks truly awesome Lab Rat!

[Telly]

I'm seriously going to get Animal! Wow he looks wonderful! Labrat, your pics made me want him! :halo:

[Lab Rat]

I dont think you'll be dissapointed, I have put a few more pic's on here~http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=gluvets

[a_Mickey_Muppet]

awsome! love thos pics Lab Rat :)

[MuppetCaper]

I have just taken the pupils off animal and put new ones on he looks loads better i have posted pic's on~ http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=gluvets


How did you take the pupils off and what glue did you use for the new ones?

[antonydavanzo]

How did you take the pupils off and what glue did you use for the new ones?
I was wondering that? The eyes look better, i have mine half open as the pupils are a bit off......Id love to know as well.
Also I got my camera back so here are some better pics......I still feel that I need to play with him a bit more to get a better look....Kermit was a lot easier to get right IMO

ENJOY

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/S8300483.jpg

[Rowlfharris]

Thanks to everyone, especially Lab Rat for posting all their photos.

Although the Animal replica is not perfect, he would have to be the best, most realistic depiction of Animal that's ever been available to date. I'm waiting for mine to be shipped downunder to Aus, and can't wait to get him in a couple of weeks.

Although the 'obstructed' mouth closing and unposeable eyebrows are disappointing, I can't recall ever before seeing a commercial version of Animal that was even slightly realistic, and most relied on cheaper substitute fake fur (usually the wrong colour) for his trademark hair, which surely has to be the main thing that defines his character. On that, MR has done an excellent job for a mass-produced item that doesn't cost thousands of dollars.

As far as the exactness of the eyes, pupils and nose, Animal has changed almost every time the puppet or poser was rebuilt, and IMHO the replica looks more like a 'classic' Animal than some of the 'balding' foam posers used from the 80's, or even the recent puppet used for the Season 2 DVD menus (it resembles Animal but doesn't match the older but better ones used in the actual S2 shows).

Like Piggy, his actual likeness changed slightly all the time.

[Lab Rat]

i scrapped the pupils off with my finger nail it was easy and it doesnt leave a mark on the eye the new pupils are sticky backed flocked plastic just stuck on.

[antonydavanzo]

i scrapped the pupils off with my finger nail it was easy and it doesnt leave a mark on the eye the new pupils are sticky backed flocked plastic just stuck on.
Can you let me know where to find these pupils and can I be a real pain and ask you to take a close up of the eyes so I can copy where the pupils are.
Cheers

[Lab Rat]

Yeah thats no problem i'll take one now and add it i can send you a set of pupils if you like

[Lab Rat]

The close up pic of Animals eyes is on now.~http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=gluvets

[antonydavanzo]

The close up pic of Animals eyes is on now.~http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=gluvets
Thanks a lot mate. I am being a real *** now........did you reuse the pupils or get new ones? I think I almost got the eyebrows right now! I have found that he looks a lot better with the eyes shut.

[Lab Rat]

the pupils dont come off in one piece i made new ones.

[antonydavanzo]

Yeah thats no problem i'll take one now and add it i can send you a set of pupils if you like
Can you really send you pupils? If thats ok then let me know and Ill PM you my address........you Diamond!

[Lab Rat]

Yeah i'll send you some pupils no problem.

[Mistersuperstar]

Just received my Animal. I must say he looks better in person than in the photos. He has a good quality feel to him. His hair is crazy tho so it'll take a while to get him looking something like. Pity about the eyebrows and mouth but with a bit of messing you can get some good expressions anyway. I'll post a few photos later once I've tamed his feathers.

[Reevz1977]

Hi Folks,
I'm still REALLY lovin' my Animal. Because of the complexity of the replica, I love it more than Kermit. It genuinely feels like I now own a Muppet - something I've always dreamt of.
Anyhoot, I came across this video with Jim, Frank and Michael Frith, and if you watch right to the end theres an interesting comment about the focus of the pupils and the reason behind it. It's also a really cool video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPKng8j9Mnw&feature=related

[antonydavanzo]

Same as.............I have trimmed his chin and I am tempted to thin out the back a bit.........Im getting new pupils to out on (thanks Lab Rat!) adn then he will be 100%

[MuppetCaper]

i scrapped the pupils off with my finger nail it was easy and it doesnt leave a mark on the eye the new pupils are sticky backed flocked plastic just stuck on.


OK LabRat, now you have to give us more detail on what the package looks like and what's the name on the front of the package so I can go and look for them myself for my Animal. I want to copy yours so mine can look that good!

[antonydavanzo]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/S8300517.jpg

AND

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/S8300499.jpg

AND

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animaavitar.jpg

Does anyone else here have Animal or is it still the usual suspects! id love to see some more pics

[MWoO]

I don't know how you did it, but yu made me want this again. Though I don't think I'd trust myself to trim the hair. Besides, I like Animal extremely shaggy.

[KermieBaby47]

My Animal tried to get delivered today, but because I have a job I wasn't home, never am during the week, so I got nothing! :sympathy:

Hopefully those FedEx guys will work with me and schedule a drop off or something, otherwise how am I supposed to get my Animal? Boo-hoo. I'm glad the rest of you got him though, I can't wait to open him up and get him to look like Animal. I'm holding off looking at your guys' pics until I've got my own Animal to compare, then I'll post some pics.

[MuppetCaper]

My Animal tried to get delivered today, but because I have a job I wasn't home, never am during the week, so I got nothing! :sympathy:

Hopefully those FedEx guys will work with me and schedule a drop off or something, otherwise how am I supposed to get my Animal? Boo-hoo. I'm glad the rest of you got him though, I can't wait to open him up and get him to look like Animal. I'm holding off looking at your guys' pics until I've got my own Animal to compare, then I'll post some pics.


You will love him when you get him. He is Awesome!

[Was Once Ernie]

My Animal tried to get delivered today, but because I have a job I wasn't home, never am during the week, so I got nothing! :sympathy:

I wasn't home when they tried to deliver him, either. Luckily, the FedEx place was open until 7 and they said he would be there after 6, so I went and picked him up... but believe it or not, he's still in the shipping box because I have work to do. I'll open him later.

:p

[MuppetCaper]

I wasn't home when they tried to deliver him, either. Luckily, the FedEx place was open until 7 and they said he would be there after 6, so I went and picked him up... but believe it or not, he's still in the shipping box because I have work to do. I'll open him later.

:p


Mine came like at nine in the morning when it was my day off. I was so glad when I got him. I was like a kid on Christmas!

[goodrastus]

The pics are looking great guys - have just ordered mine now! Lab Rat, did you change Kermit's pupils too? Mine seem a bit "fuller" than other peoples but I'm not sure if I'm imagining it or not. And I'm a bit hesitant to do anything to the eyes!

[Lab Rat]

no Kermits eyes are as they were i've noticed a bit of variation between the eyes in pic's i've seen though,i'm sure they could be fixed as easily as Animals were.

[the80sdrummer]

i used a hairdryer to get the feathers how i want them on his head.

Hey Lab Rat, I was looking at your pics and I think I can see a hint of a collar on your Animal's neck in a couple pics. Did you make it yourself or am I just imagining things?
Also, can you explain your "hairdryer" process? I tried for a bit to tame the feathers but I wasn't sure how long to use the dryer. I don't want to melt anything on my Animal.

Edit - What did you do with the top of his eye lids? I was considering using a
Sharpie to color the white rim black but it looks like you did something else to hide the hideous white.
Finally, how did you keep his eyes open for your pics?

[Lab Rat]

I have a metal studded collar i bought a few years ago to put on an Animal puppet i made so i put it on the MR one it looks great,I used hot glue round the edge of the eyelid and pulled the black fur down to cover it i used the hair dryer to blow the feathers back and i used a t pin to keep the eyes open.

[Lab Rat]

i have also got some metal effect plastic chain from e-bay so when that arrives i'll post more pic's.

[AlienGonzo]

Animal looks really good, exciting to see another from MR! I'm just sticking to top wants though, so I'm good until Gonzo and Piggy. Might cave on Fozzie one day, but we'll see :o

[the80sdrummer]

I have a metal studded collar i bought a few years ago to put on an Animal puppet i made so i put it on the MR one it looks great,I used hot glue round the edge of the eyelid and pulled the black fur down to cover it i used the hair dryer to blow the feathers back and i used a t pin to keep the eyes open.

It definitely looks awesome. Might I inquire where you got it?

Thanks for the tips. I'm sure I'll be trimming and gluing this week to make him look a little more classic instead of modern.

I will be putting pics up soon. I want a couple pictures of him behind my drums. I have a show tomorrow night and will most likely wait until after that to take pics just so I don't have to take all my drums out of their cases for a 10 minute photo opp.

[Lab Rat]

It was from a weird little shop i got it years ago maybe you could try e-bay. I'll look forward to seeing pic's of Animal with the drums he will look great.

[Reevz1977]

It's been four days now and I still can't stop looking at him, is that normal?May have to eat soon, though... I LOVE THIS REPLICA!:flirt:

[Reevz1977]

It was from a weird little shop i got it years ago maybe you could try e-bay. I'll look forward to seeing pic's of Animal with the drums he will look great.

I used to go into a little weird shop a few years back. The guy serving used to serve topless and claimed he was Elvis. He also never wore shoes! :confused:

[doc hopper]

I used to go into a little weird shop a few years back. The guy serving used to serve topless and claimed he was Elvis. He also never wore shoes! :confused:

yikes.

[MuppetCaper]

Hey Lab Rat, I was looking at your pics and I think I can see a hint of a collar on your Animal's neck in a couple pics. Did you make it yourself or am I just imagining things?
Also, can you explain your "hairdryer" process? I tried for a bit to tame the feathers but I wasn't sure how long to use the dryer. I don't want to melt anything on my Animal.

Edit - What did you do with the top of his eye lids? I was considering using a
Sharpie to color the white rim black but it looks like you did something else to hide the hideous white.
Finally, how did you keep his eyes open for your pics?


You can usae model paint, that works. I used fur I got from my local fabric shop and that also worked. Make sure that you mask off the eyes so you do not get any on them. It would be hard to get off if you made a mistake.

[Was Once Ernie]

I like the way the "hair" on mine came out, but I'm having trouble with the moustache feathers. The way he was packed, a few of them are sticking straight out. Anybody got any suggestions?

:p

P.S. I must have gotten lucky with mine... the pupils seem closer together than in some of the pics I have seen. Something does need to be done about the eyelid shell, though.

[MuppetCaper]

I like the way the "hair" on mine came out, but I'm having trouble with the moustache feathers. The way he was packed, a few of them are sticking straight out. Anybody got any suggestions?

:p

P.S. I must have gotten lucky with mine... the pupils seem closer together than in some of the pics I have seen. Something does need to be done about the eyelid shell, though.


I noticed that pupils on mine are not that bad either, I am going to keep mine like they are. What I did for the mustaches was I put a little glue behind them and gently pushed the feathers and fleece together and hold it for a little while. Or you can get some thread and a needle and sew them down.


Is it me or did they use a different type of material for him instead of the Antron Fleece? It does not shine I take a picture of him like Kermit. Just thought this is odd, plus it feels a lot different.

[Was Once Ernie]

I noticed that pupils on mine are not that bad either, I am going to keep mine like they are. What I did for the mustaches was I put a little glue behind them and gently pushed the feathers and fleece together and hold it for a little while. Or you can get some thread and a needle and sew them down.

Good idea. I might sew them down since it's like two feathers on one side and about three on the other. That wouldn't take much work.

Thanks, MuppetCaper!

:p

[MuppetCaper]

So glad that you like your Animal WOE. He is definately awesome! :halo:

[doc hopper]

GOT HIM! thanks to the suggestions above, i'll either be doing some sewing or some gluing this week. Animal's hair is pointing straight up all over. and i'll probably work on his pupils sometime soon.

but the more i look at him, the more i appreciate him. aside from the normal little things we've been discussing here, you really have to take a look at the body. the arms, legs, feet, toes and even the clothes (the pleather pants) are really really well done. he's even got a belly button.

well done.

[Mistersuperstar]

I noticed that pupils on mine are not that bad either, I am going to keep mine like they are. What I did for the mustaches was I put a little glue behind them and gently pushed the feathers and fleece together and hold it for a little while. Or you can get some thread and a needle and sew them down.

Great idea! I can't seem to tame his feathers at all at the moment. :smirk:

[Mistersuperstar]

Here's my first photo attempts of Animal. I just can't seem to manage to control that hair of his!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/m1stersuper5tar/Animal.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/m1stersuper5tar/Animal2.jpg

[antonydavanzo]

great pics! I think that every pic I have seen makes him look great! Im loving him and I think he looks spot on now with the tweaks, just need to change his pupils slightly.

[Was Once Ernie]

Here's my first photo attempts of Animal. I just can't seem to manage to control that hair of his!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/m1stersuper5tar/Animal.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/m1stersuper5tar/Animal2.jpg

Try a hair dryer like Lab Rat suggested. Except for the moustache, it worked great on mine.

How did you cover up the white from his eyelids?

:p

[antonydavanzo]

Try a hair dryer like Lab Rat suggested. Except for the moustache, it worked great on mine.

How did you cover up the white from his eyelids?

:p
I have done mine with a black marker and it seems to look the job...with my hair I found out to make it flatter by fluke. I was playing with the feathers before I went out and by chance I had just done my own hair with wax and had not washed my hands, this left over wax helped keep the feathers down and now they lie perfectly. They dont look any different so my advise is use the smallest bit of hair wax. I also trimmed a lot out.
Thanks a bunch to lab rat who sent me new pupils they have worked a treat!
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/S8300536.jpg


PS Wouldnt it be great to have this collection but in full size replicas!
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/upload.jpg
PPS A very badly put together shot I just did to see into the future!
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/muppetgrouppreplica.jpg

[Lab Rat]

I'm glad the pupils worked ok.

[muppetguy]

It may not be the clearest, correct lighting shot, but the four of them look amazing together, now just imagin Mz. Divine! That will be a nice collection!:mad:

[antonydavanzo]

I'm glad the pupils worked ok.
Thanks again Labrat. So has anyone decided to try and get cuffs and ankle cuffs with spike for him yet? I did want to at first but Im kinda liking him without.

[antonydavanzo]

It may not be the clearest, correct lighting shot, but the four of them look amazing together, now just imagin Mz. Divine! That will be a nice collection!:mad:
HAHAHAHA, Muppetguy that is the politest way of saying its rubbish!:)
Yeah piggy would really add and I keep saying and hoping for ;) .
For all those that still doubt Animal, check this vid out, you willl want him then!
VIDEO OF ANIMAL
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/?action=view&current=S8300547.flv

[MuppetCaper]

Thanks again Labrat. So has anyone decided to try and get cuffs and ankle cuffs with spike for him yet? I did want to at first but Im kinda liking him without.


I am just going to wait maybe, unless I can come up with a idea for that. I think MR might make them for the accessory pack for next year. We will have to wait and see. :halo:

[the80sdrummer]

I am just going to wait maybe, unless I can come up with a idea for that. I think MR might make them for the accessory pack for next year. We will have to wait and see. :halo:

Just out of curiousity, where did the rumor of an accessory pack come from? Did it come from a reliable source or did this come from fans hoping for one?

[MuppetCaper]

Just out of curiousity, where did the rumor of an accessory pack come from? Did it come from a reliable source or did this come from fans hoping for one?


It came from MR. On Fridays we have trivia night, then we ask questions and she gives us the scoop on pre-orders, whats coming for next year, etc. Amy said that they are planning to make accessory packs for the photo puppets next year. When I find the thread, which is probably going to take forever, I will post it. Or better yet, I am going to reconfirm it with her and post it here again. It might be after this Friday, or maybe next week sometime when she lets me know. But according to her, that's what they got planned.

[MWoO]

HAHAHAHA, Muppetguy that is the politest way of saying its rubbish!:)
Yeah piggy would really add and I keep saying and hoping for ;) .
For all those that still doubt Animal, check this vid out, you willl want him then!
VIDEO OF ANIMAL
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/?action=view&current=S8300547.flv

Can I send an Animal to you for fixing up?

[the80sdrummer]

It came from MR. On Fridays we have trivia night, then we ask questions and she gives us the scoop on pre-orders, whats coming for next year, etc. Amy said that they are planning to make accessory packs for the photo puppets next year. When I find the thread, which is probably going to take forever, I will post it. Or better yet, I am going to reconfirm it with her and post it here again. It might be after this Friday, or maybe next week sometime when she lets me know. But according to her, that's what they got planned.

Awesome. Thanks for the info.

[Was Once Ernie]

Travis, still MIA, also talked about accessory packs for 2008 at Comic-Con this year, but there are no details. I gave them several suggestions, like a banjo and a directors chair for Kermit. Also, a trenchcoat, fedora and microphone for Kermit. As of July, nothing was actually on the books to be produced.

:p

[Foxbat]

Do you think they will ever make any of the Sesame Street characters ?

[a_Mickey_Muppet]

Do you think they will ever make any of the Sesame Street characters ?

that would be up to Sesame Workshop. They own the rights to the Sesame Street Muppets! Not Disney! The deal thay (MR) have now for replicas of Kermit, Animal, Gonzo, Fozzie, Piggy, Rizzo, etc. are somthing MR has a deal with at Disney/Muppets Holding Co./Muppets Studio as of now.

[frogboy4]

HAHAHAHA, Muppetguy that is the politest way of saying its rubbish!
Yeah piggy would really add and I keep saying and hoping for ;) .
For all those that still doubt Animal, check this vid out, you willl want him then!
VIDEO OF ANIMAL
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/?action=view&current=S8300547.flv

:halo: Wow! How much of that Animal is factory mint and how much benefited from your personal tweaking? He looks amazing. After the holidays I'll order mine! I have a feeling that this time next year (due to the excellence and low production number) these things will be going for much more cash on the secondary market! :flirt:

[antonydavanzo]

:halo: Wow! How much of that Animal is factory mint and how much benefited from your personal tweaking? He looks amazing. After the holidays I'll order mine! I have a feeling that this time next year (due to the excellence and low production number) these things will be going for much more cash on the secondary market! :flirt:
The only thing I have done is colour in the white rim around the eyes, change the pupils and given the hair a slight trim, and I mean slight. I put a tiny bit of wax on my hands then put my hands through the feathers and this has weighted them down. I think the hardest part to get right is the eyebrows. At first they stick right up but I kept matting them and pushing them forward! I am gonna get some X Mas hats for them so I can put them around my tree come X Mas! Frog boy, I would try and get Animal now. I wouldnt want to see you 5 yrs from now wishing you had one or finding them on ebay for 3 times as much.

[MuppetCaper]

I love my Animal and Kermit. I cannot wait to see the whole gang reunite in the future (If the line will keep going). He is definately worth getting now. Once you get him, you will have fun posing him and working him in with Kermit.

[Reevz1977]

GET HIM, GET HIM, GET HIIIIIMMMMMMMM! You will not regret it!

[antonydavanzo]

Has anyone tried taking out the tongue so yo can close his mouth? Im kinda tempted now!

[antonydavanzo]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animalmouthclosed.jpg
Sorry couldnt wait...he looks cool! the tongue came out really easy and didnt rip at all or leave a mark and it stays back in the mouth fine!

[Telly]

Oh man! That looks so sweet Antony! I'm going to start to save up so I can get Animal by March!

[MuppetCaper]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animalmouthclosed.jpg
Sorry couldnt wait...he looks cool! the tongue came out really easy and didnt rip at all or leave a mark and it stays back in the mouth fine!


Your such a brave man to do that. I was thinking on making one from foam then replacing it. But I was scared to rip some of the material. Can you show us a piture of what it looks like without the tongue? If it is possible, I am thinking on making a replica of his tongue and replacing it.

[antonydavanzo]

Your such a brave man to do that. I was thinking on making one from foam then replacing it. But I was scared to rip some of the material. Can you show us a piture of what it looks like without the tongue? If it is possible, I am thinking on making a replica of his tongue and replacing it.
I gotta wait for my phone to recharge then ill take some more pics. I would recommend taking it out, very carefully! You shouldnt damage Animal by doing this and it will let you close his mouth, then pop the tongue back in for open mouth poses OR make a flatter tongue....which I may do.

[lithiumbrain]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/animalmouthclosed.jpg
Sorry couldnt wait...he looks cool! the tongue came out really easy and didnt rip at all or leave a mark and it stays back in the mouth fine!
That looks awesome! I am soooo doing that! Maybe a soft foam tongue with a bit of velcro on the botton would stick right in there?

[the80sdrummer]

I was thinking earlier... does it bother anyone else that we have to make all these adjustments to make Animal look "right"? The white eye lid rim, the longer hair, the swollen tongue, funky pupil placement, eye lids won't stay open, no chain or collar as implied/mislead in the description... and that's just to name a few. I mean, I paid $400 for this thing and I had to work hard on him just to have him look like Animal. Some of the stuff I can understand. But honestly, We shouldn't have had to color/glue hair to the eye lid rim or take his tongue. I understand some of this is personal preferance for people on this board, but does it scare anyone for future Muppet replicas? I don't want to have to adjust Gonzo's nose or glue Fozzie's eyes in a different spot if he doesn't look right.

I really don't want to come off sounding unappreciative. I do love that someone took on the task of replicating these characters. I especially love Animal. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk who just didn't get what he wants. Honestly, I'm not. I dunno. Maybe I'm over-thinking this. I look at it as I spent a crap-load of money on this and I'm doing more work that I think I/we should. What do you think?...

[Telly]

Yeah I hear ya The80sDrummer. I'm not too crafty so I'm kinda nervous to mess with Animal when I get him. What if I cut his hair too shirt? :(

[frogboy4]

I know that Master Replicas has been sending their Kermit poser on a world tour having fans snap photos of the frog to be posted on the MR site. The quality of the photos has been hit-or-miss, but it does show a reaching out to fans of the Muppets and their product. :)

Seeing all of the stunning photos published here of Animal, both custom-tweaked and factory-fresh, I was wondering what could happen if some of the better pictures were submitted to them? We know the early proto photos of Animal on their site don't sing the praises of how magnificent he turned out! :halo:

Maybe they might swap-out their image or could add a fan photo page. Either way, if they have better photographs they will certainly sell more product and that likely means they'll make more characters in the future. Just an idea, but it just seems such a waste that these stunning photos aren't being seen by a wider audience. ;)

[antonydavanzo]

Agreed. I think the MR pics are crap.....end of! Its now obvious that you need to have some sort of skill to pose the Muppets, if you leave them to look " out of the box" then they look off. It would be great if they had a fan page that would also help sell him. Kermit on tour id ok but again the pics are rubbish IMO.
Im off to get some drumsticks today!

[Reevz1977]

That looks MINT, Antony! You could really start a new business, "PIMP MY ANIMAL", it's gotta ring to it! ;)

On a separte, but linked note, has anyone tried removing Kermits eyes? Mine are a tad too close and its bugged me for some time but I'm a bit anxious it may damage him, has any one pimped their frog?

[antonydavanzo]

I have not pimped the frog yet and I dont think I will as mine is perfect ( THANK GOD)!
I think ANimal has needed a lot of PIMPING, I hope the rest of the gang wont need this much home tweaking. As the 80sdrummer said, its a shame that we have to tweak these products to our liking. MR shopuld be getting them to a point where they dont need it.
Thanks for the great comments on my ANimal.

[antonydavanzo]

OK , just got back from town and I got some drumsticks for Animal! For all with Animal YOU MUST get some sticks...
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/S8300564.jpg
AND
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b101/antonydavanzo/S8300566.jpg

[the80sdrummer]

That looks good! I do plan on getting him some drum sticks. I think my regular sticks look a little too long for him. I have some child-size ones somewhere that I think will fit him better. I'll post pics once I find them and put him behind my drums.

[a_Mickey_Muppet]

well I JUST got an email from the FedEx people....... ANIMAL's on his way to me! :excited: YOOO HOOO! I'm just like sooo excited. Yeah, i DON'T think I'll be "pimping" my animal (like messing with is eyes, cutting hair, etc.) If any thing (IF i had to mess with his hair, wich I'm sure I'll have too) I'll blowdry it like one of the members said thay did here. as for drumsticks, like I said before my little brother had some that has was gonna trash, asked him IF i could have them for my MR animal and he sais "yeah, sure.. take em!" :halo:

in my email it says the estimated edlivery from my MR Animal to get here is on Nov 29, o7.


:zany:

[antonydavanzo]

Thats great news. I think the "pimping" is personal preference with Animal. I cant wait to see some pics.

[Luke]

It definitely makes a big difference with the closing mouth. If its that easy to do ya gotta wonder why they didnt make him like that. I thought Animal usually had a lot more hair on his top lip though.

[MuppetCaper]

I got some child size drum sticks. They are a bit smaller than the adult size and fits Animal perfect. I am going to start working on his tongue next, maybe his hair more and he will be perfect. :halo:

[antonydavanzo]

I got some child size drum sticks. They are a bit smaller than the adult size and fits Animal perfect. I am going to start working on his tongue next, maybe his hair more and he will be perfect. :halo:
Yeh MC, are you gonna make a tongue? I am thinking of making one out of the same material as Kermit. I dont want to reglue anything in his mouth though. Have you taken the tongue out yet?
I have to say ANimal is a lot more fun to pose than Kermit, for me anyway!

[doc hopper]

if anyone needs new pupils for animal, and can't find the round velvet eyes at any craft stores, Michael's sells velvety stick on letters and numbers - and the punched out bottom part of the number 8 works perfectly.

Oh, and be careful if you're using hair gel - you can flatten his feathers pretty easily.

[goodrastus]

Great advice from all. I won Animal on eBay so will have him in the next week or two. Early Chrsitmas for me as I will have received both Kermie and Animal within a month! I'll wait until I see him before changing anything. Pupils and eyebrows are both definites if needed but I'm also hesitant about cutting feathers. Thank goodness there's a wait for Gonzo - I can't afford to keep up purchases at this rate! :)

[MuppetCaper]

Yeh MC, are you gonna make a tongue? I am thinking of making one out of the same material as Kermit. I dont want to reglue anything in his mouth though. Have you taken the tongue out yet?
I have to say ANimal is a lot more fun to pose than Kermit, for me anyway!


What I need to do first is take out the tongue, which I have not done yet and then go to the fabric store and find some foam. I need to take out the tongue for referance then go from there. My second option is that if this does not work, I will slice the bottom part of his tongue to where it will lay down better. I also need to work on the eyes. If I recall someone said they made them 11mm. I am not good at math, can someone convert that better for me to where I can measure these right please? :smirk:

[muppetperson]

That is about half an inch.

[MuppetCaper]

That is about half an inch.


Thank you! ;)

[MWoO]

you could just use a metric ruler. Seems if you are bad with math, metrixc is better. no fractions.

[MWoO]

It definitely makes a big difference with the closing mouth. If its that easy to do ya gotta wonder why they didnt make him like that. I thought Animal usually had a lot more hair on his top lip though.

Thew hair on his lip depends on what era Animal you are talking about. Up until the guest apot on that talent show thing Animal has been losing more and more hair. I think in MFS is had almost no hair on his lip or lower jaw.

[MuppetCaper]

I want to do the tongue in foam, but I am wondering how do you make it so round or shape it. Does anyone have any ideas?

[MWoO]

u carve it

[muppetperson]

Or, if you know someone good at mould making, you could take a mould from the original tongue and pour a liquid foam into the mould and make an exact copy.And keep the mould so when the tongue disintergrates, you can make another.

[KermieBaby47]

Wow, everybody has such great pics of their Animal! That's cool. I've been wanting to post my own, but haven't gotten any time until today.

I've just got 3 pics I'm showing, the first is after I replaced his pupils with velvet and glued black felt onto his eyelids (they're adjustable now, yay!), and the second two are basically the same pics, but they're taken after I bought some drumsticks yesterday afternoon (Antony beat me to it I see, ha ha). I wanted to buy a stool for Animal to sit or stand on, but I haven't found one that I like yet, so he's just on his box for now. I'm gonna do something completely different when I get another free weekend, but that won't be for a while!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/toughie47/MRAnimal.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/toughie47/MRAnimalKermit1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/toughie47/MRAnimalKermit2.jpg

[MWoO]

Wow, the pic of Animal next to the back stage playset scared me for some reason. lol It threw off my perception or something. Put a bottle of insta grow pills in his hand. :p

[MuppetCaper]

UPDATE:


Amy let us know during trivia last week that they canceled the accessory packs for next year. I asked her why and she replied that she did not know. So there you go, no accessory packs. But we do have Gonzo and Fozzie to look forward to next year. I was really hoping for a pack for Kermit and Animal, oh well, looks like I will have to make my own accessories. :cry:

[CyberSteak]

I was thinking earlier... does it bother anyone else that we have to make all these adjustments to make Animal look "right"? The white eye lid rim, the longer hair, the swollen tongue, funky pupil placement, eye lids won't stay open, no chain or collar as implied/mislead in the description... and that's just to name a few. I mean, I paid $400 for this thing and I had to work hard on him just to have him look like Animal. Some of the stuff I can understand. But honestly, We shouldn't have had to color/glue hair to the eye lid rim or take his tongue. I understand some of this is personal preferance for people on this board, but does it scare anyone for future Muppet replicas? I don't want to have to adjust Gonzo's nose or glue Fozzie's eyes in a different spot if he doesn't look right.

I really don't want to come off sounding unappreciative. I do love that someone took on the task of replicating these characters. I especially love Animal. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk who just didn't get what he wants. Honestly, I'm not. I dunno. Maybe I'm over-thinking this. I look at it as I spent a crap-load of money on this and I'm doing more work that I think I/we should. What do you think?...

*signed* Was thinking the exact same thing. I wanted this pretty bad. But all of the tweeks needed has scared me off. I don't want to risk wrecking a $400 prop just to get him to look the way he should have.

[Reevz1977]

*signed* Was thinking the exact same thing. I wanted this pretty bad. But all of the tweeks needed has scared me off. I don't want to risk wrecking a $400 prop just to get him to look the way he should have.

Honestly, do not let it put you off, this is really worth purchasing. With any poser theres gonna be some skill involved in posing them right and this is no exception. Alot of the modifications made here are down to person preference by people who have the skills. I have not changed a thing and love it.

[Reevz1977]

UPDATE:


Amy let us know during trivia last week that they canceled the accessory packs for next year. I asked her why and she replied that she did not know. So there you go, no accessory packs. But we do have Gonzo and Fozzie to look forward to next year. I was really hoping for a pack for Kermit and Animal, oh well, looks like I will have to make my own accessories.

Sorry for the double post:o , is anyone else worried about the future of this line? This announcement isn't wholely encouraging. I really REALLY want this line to be a success and look forward to a day where I have most of my favourite characters around me (I say most as I don't think I'll ever get to see Uncle Deadly:p )

I would really like to reassure anyone that has any doubts about this line that they are getting near perfect Muppets and this is the closest we will ever get to owning a real one. It is up to the fans to support this line and help it continue cos if we don't then who else will? I think, for the money, these product are worth it 100%:attitude:

[antonydavanzo]

Sorry for the double post:o , is anyone else worried about the future of this line? This announcement isn't wholely encouraging. I really REALLY want this line to be a success and look forward to a day where I have most of my favourite characters around me (I say most as I don't think I'll ever get to see Uncle Deadly:p )

I would really like to reassure anyone that has any doubts about this line that they are getting near perfect Muppets and this is the closest we will ever get to owning a real one. It is up to the fans to support this line and help it continue cos if we don't then who else will? I think, for the money, these product are worth it 100%:attitude:
Totally, I dont know why people would be put off these! I can see why members like Cybersteak may be put off because we have mentioned tweaking Animal OR pimping him! These tweaks are personal preference. In my case I coloured in the white rim around his eye, took out the tongue and trimmed his chin hair. Out of all of these the only thing that look BETTER is the blackening of the eye rims.

[MuppetCaper]

I agree, I have not did much so far, but if I feel that can make him better then, why not? He looks great as he is, but I know that I have the capabilities to make him look better than he already does.

As far as the line goes, I think it will go on for quite some time. About the accessory packs, this was something they wanted to do. Just cause they chose not to make them does not mean it is the end of the line. You also got to think that maybe it was not in there budget, or they might have not sold that well. It can be for a number of reasons. My theory is that they just want to stick to the photo puppets and that's it, but I could be wrong, it could go a lot further than that.

[the80sdrummer]

*signed* Was thinking the exact same thing. I wanted this pretty bad. But all of the tweeks needed has scared me off. I don't want to risk wrecking a $400 prop just to get him to look the way he should have.

That post wasn't intended to scare anyone away from buying these replicas. I love him. Honestly, the bit of work I put into him was worth the money, for me at least, to have him sit on a shelf for me to gander at for many years to come. I say "go for it" and get him. He might be a tad overpriced but he won't last too long. Go get him!

[the80sdrummer]

...Out of all of these the only thing that look BETTER is the blackening of the eye rims.

Most definitely. I just can't understand how they missed that at the factory or the prototypes. It makes a world of difference.

[Kermieuk]

Got mine today.

Very pleased with him. The hair is a bit uncontrolable, but after him being out the box for just a few hours its already starting to droop and look more 'right'. The tongue seems a bit big? And I am also tempted to remove it so I can close the mouth, but not sure yet, happy with his pupils, but the white plastic on the brows bothers me a bit.

Overall, I am very pleased with him, and I was surprised how BiG he is!

I got number 307.

Be posting pics soon, once the hair has settled a bit more and I have time to do some poses, have some in mind already?

Its a real shame that the accesory packs have been cancelled, although I would rather the packs cancelled than the whole line, I need Gonzo, Piggy and Fozzie, to go with Animal and Kermit, any others beyond that will be a bonus.

Chris

[frogboy4]

:halo:

How far can the mouth close without fiddling with the tongue?

Can the white brow rims just be Sharpied with black marker?

Are the pupils really that easy to peel up without marring the eye whites?

What is the particular brand of black felt or velvety type craft store lettering used for the pupils (well the holes in the 8s apparently)?

:halo:

[Kermieuk]

First pics of my Animal, not posed much, just a general first snap shot.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/KERMIE1/AnimalReplica.jpg

Chris

[MuppetCaper]

How far can the mouth close without fiddling with the tongue?

Not very close, it does not even go that far to closing.

Can the white brow rims just be Sharpied with black marker?

It will work, I tried it before I applied the fur so it was not black underneath the fur.


Are the pupils really that easy to peel up without marring the eye whites?

Lab Rat said that they peel off in pieces and I guess it doesn't hurt the whites of these eyeballs.

What is the particular brand of black felt or velvety type craft store lettering used for the pupils (well the holes in the 8s apparently)?

I don't know anything about this one anyone want to elaborate?


:halo:

[frogboy4]

Thanks! So his mouth doesn't shut at all as in it is always "wide-open" or the top lip comes about an inch above his bottom teeth? :confused:

That's about as far as I'd really want to close it, but if it means fiddling with the tongue to get it even that close, well I'll have to. :eek:

[doc hopper]

:halo:


What is the particular brand of black felt or velvety type craft store lettering used for the pupils (well the holes in the 8s apparently)?

:halo:

Can't tell you what the brand is. But it was the only bag of velvet letters and numbers Michael's had. I took my chances with this since i couldn't find precut velvet circles. Punching out the lower circle out of the number eight gives you the perfect pupil - and it comes with two eights so you only have to buy one bag.

Sorry I can't remember the brand - I don't even remember how much it cost. But if you can't find precut circles, these work really well - you just end up with a lot of left over stuff!

[chequepoint]

Got mine.. #93, so thats kind of exciting compared to my 2300+ kermit.
Eyes are right on mine, but it is irritating that on a $400 collectible, they couldn't have cast the eye mech in black plastic. That's just being lazy.

Also, there is a what appears to be permanent dent on the left arm and leg from the tie down points in the packaging... also them being lazy.

Smashing him into the box sideways and holding him down with all those twist ties is also fairly lame.

None of these are horrible, but combined they kind of destroy that magic feeling I got taking kermit out of the box.

Kermit unpacked like an apple product, and was breathtaking. It took 30 minutes to make animal look like animal, which really ruined the moment.

Not surprised at the lack of accessory packs. It will be a miracle if they get to fozzie by december '08 at this rate..

Too much time between releases kills the momentum and frenzy that a collector likes to feel. A successful drug dealer knows how to snare a customer, get them hooked, and then provide them with product often enough to keep them interested, but keep supplies scarce enough to stop them from running out of money and coming to their senses. Its the same concept, just a different product.

[frogboy4]

Was this announced recently? I was not thrilled at this notion, especially having these packs come out so long after the initial Kermit release. Seems that there's some belt-tightening at the company and I kind of agree with it in this case.

I wish Animal had at least come with his collar. I feel that it's a lack of good faith to send Animal out without his signature collar no matter if the descriptive text in fact offers a loophole on its inclusion. It's the last time I'll mention it, but it does upset me. If I had ordered before knowing I'd likely forward a complaint. :sympathy:

With the exception of maybe some different Piggy wigs, Animal collar and Kermit-sized banjo, I didn't see much reason for these packs. Especially considering the avid collector who'd buy them would likely make their own accessories if none were provided. ;)

It's to be expected that it will take some time to style the product and that the hair will be a bit fluffy upon arrival. The eye focus is my main concern, but it appears there are several work-arounds for it. Still don't think Animal looks right frozen in images all wide-eyed. That pose is usually quick and fleeting in projects. Other than that, I think he looks wonderful. I stand by my 98% likeness rating. I hope they keep up the good work! :halo:

[goodrastus]

To be honest, I'm not really concerned by a lack of accessories. The main thing is the actual replicas themselves and I have Animal on his way to me at the moment - can't wait! I don't believe waiting to get a replica right is tantamount to losing momentum. Knowing that time is being spent to get them right enthuses me even more. I'm really hoping the line goes for a few years yet. Am really looking forward to Gonzo, Fozzie and Piggy but I'm also looking forward to the replicas made after this. (To be honest, the wait allows me to save up for them)

I'm finishing up my job with my Grade 2's at the end of the year before heading to a new school and I always deck out the room for Christmas; tree, lights, the full works. It takes me hours. This year has a special surprise in store. My kids are puppet mad and I have a giant Kermit in the room. I intend to display Kermit and Animal by the tree this year by the kids' presents. So much fun! I love this line and don't think people are putting it down at all. But I understand people's concerns and will be fixing the eyelids on Animal when he arrives. Maybe the pupils too if required but I won't be fiddling with the tongue. Great pics all!

[markit]

Hi there, this is only my second time posting on here, so hey all & thanks to everyone who's posted pics pics of their Animal replica.

Up until now I had been very undecided as to whether I would part with my cash for Animal, I was nowhere near as excited as I was the months leading up to the release of Kermit, who was a complete no brainer for me, but I hadn't seen a single picture of Animal that justified forking out nearly £200 for him over here in the UK.
That is until I saw the fantastic pics posted by antonydavanso, Labrat, kermiebaby47 & others who have really managed to capture the spirit & character of Animal with the various alterations they have made, so I finally gave in, & have just come off the phone from ordering my very own Animal.

I was wondering if it might be possible to post a guide of some sort going through the process of how to make Animal look his best, I know to some extent it's a matter of personal preference, but these pics really look do awesome. I apologise in advance if you have already posted details on how to make these tweaks, but I am quite worried about ruining him so a few tips from the experts would be greatly appreciated.

Finally,Thanks to MR & bring on Fozzie, every pic i've seen of him so far looks just about perfect, I can't wait! :)

[Reevz1977]

YAAAAAAAAAY, just ordered my second Animal. I'm sticking by my word, this product is ace! Whats even better is I got the LAST one the store had :)

[muppetperson]

Horray! My animal arrived almost a week early.He is number 266.Will post a pick when I get time.

[antonydavanzo]

Hi there, this is only my second time posting on here, so hey all & thanks to everyone who's posted pics pics of their Animal replica.

Up until now I had been very undecided as to whether I would part with my cash for Animal, I was nowhere near as excited as I was the months leading up to the release of Kermit, who was a complete no brainer for me, but I hadn't seen a single picture of Animal that justified forking out nearly £200 for him over here in the UK.
That is until I saw the fantastic pics posted by antonydavanso, Labrat, kermiebaby47 & others who have really managed to capture the spirit & character of Animal with the various alterations they have made, so I finally gave in, & have just come off the phone from ordering my very own Animal.

I was wondering if it might be possible to post a guide of some sort going through the process of how to make Animal look his best, I know to some extent it's a matter of personal preference, but these pics really look do awesome. I apologise in advance if you have already posted details on how to make these tweaks, but I am quite worried about ruining him so a few tips from the experts would be greatly appreciated.

Finally,Thanks to MR & bring on Fozzie, every pic i've seen of him so far looks just about perfect, I can't wait! :)
Hey and welcome to the forum. Firstly my "pimping" of Animal is a brave decision that could have gone wrong! Thank God it didnt. Anyhow here are my tips for Animal.
EYES - I used a black marker to cocour in the white rim around the eyes. Muppet Caper and Lab Rat used a different technique for this but they are much more skilled so this is the easier option. I aslo changed his pupils ( thanks to Lab Rat) but this is not really a must do.
HAIR - I used the smallest bit of hair WAX and used this to add weight to the feathers. This has not changed the look or colour at all and has made the hair look spot on. I also plucked a few chin feathers out ( personal preference as I prefer him with less chin hair)
TONGUE - I peeled this out without leaving any glue, letting me close his mouth.
Thats kinda it, the rest is up to you. If you want to get the rest of the replicas I would get them from The Collector Zone. Animal was £149 and I think that is really cheap for him.
Ant

[antonydavanzo]

YAAAAAAAAAY, just ordered my second Animal. I'm sticking by my word, this product is ace! Whats even better is I got the LAST one the store had :)
lucky you.....what are you gonna do with the 2nd?

[antonydavanzo]

Wow, everybody has such great pics of their Animal! That's cool. I've been wanting to post my own, but haven't gotten any time until today.

I've just got 3 pics I'm showing, the first is after I replaced his pupils with velvet and glued black felt onto his eyelids (they're adjustable now, yay!), and the second two are basically the same pics, but they're taken after I bought some drumsticks yesterday afternoon (Antony beat me to it I see, ha ha). I wanted to buy a stool for Animal to sit or stand on, but I haven't found one that I like yet, so he's just on his box for now. I'm gonna do something completely different when I get another free weekend, but that won't be for a while!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/toughie47/MRAnimal.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/toughie47/MRAnimalKermit1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/toughie47/MRAnimalKermit2.jpg
I always love the poses you put the Muppets in. I cant wait to see more......get a free weekend !

[Reevz1977]

lucky you.....what are you gonna do with the 2nd?
He's gonna keep my other Kermit company in the loft. I want to try and have at least 2 of all the characters, One to display and the others left MIB as I realise in years to come these will become extortionate on the secondary market.:)

[antonydavanzo]

He's gonna keep my other Kermit company in the loft. I want to try and have at least 2 of all the characters, One to display and the others left MIB as I realise in years to come these will become extortionate on the secondary market.:)
Oh god yeah.............I wonder if any of us will be on the Antiques Road show in 40 yrs time! I do think they will be worth a **** of a lot in yrs to come.
On another note is anyone tempted to make their replicas festive! I told my wife that Animal and Kermit will be having X Mas hats and stand around the tree pulling a cracker.............I had a look of horror and I havent bought it up since!LOL

[markit]

Thanks alot antonydavanzo , I'll have a go at pimping my Animal as soon as he arrives, nice to see a fellow UK Muppet enthusiast on here. I did end up ordering my Animal from the Collector Zone, thanks for the recommendation.

If I peel off the original pupils, is it possible to re position them or do I have to apply new ones, again, sorry if i'm just asking the same questions as every one else.

I've got plans to set Animal up on a mini drum kit in my music room at home, gotta be done! Imagine having the whole Electric Mayhem band, doubt that'll happen but it would be awesome, don't know where the **** i'd be able to fit them all! Running out of space already from all the Muppet figures.

Would be great if these did become valuable in the future, but I am slightly hesitant to buy all of them, just in case they start producing actual puppet replicas too, so I'd hate to have spent a fortune on them all, only to have to fork out again for them in puppet form, but maybe that'll never happen.

[roastnebrie]

het everyone sorry I haven't posted in a while but,i do log in about 4 times a day to check on whats going on. I just want to say that i have enjoyed the new picts of Animal and cant wait till mine arrives. Im so sorry to hear that people are not satisfied with how animal came out(far better than the fisher price one) .still I think that the Henson company is very generous in allowing us to own real muppets for the very first time. I hope everyone enjoyed there thanksgiving and hope to see more picts soon, your friend rob!:D

[markit]

Oh god yeah............. On another note is anyone tempted to make their replicas festive! I told my wife that Animal and Kermit will be having X Mas hats and stand around the tree pulling a cracker.............I had a look of horror and I havent bought it up since!LOL


Ha , brilliant idea! I think i'll go for that too, but no doubt i'll get the same looks of horror from my family, may be abit worried they might not stay in one piece with my neice and nephew running around all Christmas :D I'm so protective over Kermit, hardly let anyone touch him , which is abit sad :)

[Was Once Ernie]

I'm so protective over Kermit, hardly let anyone touch him , which is abit sad :)

Don't feel bad. My four year old grandson isn't even allowed in the same room with Animal and Kermit!

:p

[King Prawn]

My friends recently told me (better yet made fun of me) for always holding Kermit as if he were a child and I hadn't realised till they told me. I always hold him around the waist facing me and never put him upside down or hold him as a rugby ball or anything. I try and toiuch him the least I can and when I do i'm very carefull so he doesn't get dirty or break... I don't know why my friends don't understand that:D

At least their over the fact that I spent so much money on what they consider a toy but who cares what they think... BRING ON ANIMAL! :halo:

(I should be recieving him soon)

[MWoO]

Ha, I'm the same way with my Kermit. I always wash my hands and dry them completely before handling Kermit, that is if I haven't washed them within an hour or so. (that sounds so OCD) After my initial posing of Kermit I just left him there to sit and be perfect. If and when i get Animal I'll probably be a little more rough on him, though I suspect that once I get that perfect pose he'll stay still for a while.

Question about Animal's shirt. It looks to me like his sleeves are far more tight around his upper arms than I am use to. From what I remember his sleeves were a lot looser, almost like bell bottom sleeves (though I don't think that is a real fashion term). Is this true or was it just the pose of the pic I saw?

[MuppetCaper]

I know what you all mean, I keep fixing Animals hair all the time and trying different poses with Kermit. I cannot keep my hands off of them. My mom came over one time and saw me fixing Animals hair, she said that what am I going to do when Piggy comes next, do a whole makeover? I said they are all getting makeovers.

This weekend, I am going to be working on Animals tongue issue, I just had to wait for the weekend when I am off work to do it. I will post pics when I get a final decision on it.

[MWoO]

Got mine.. #93, so thats kind of exciting compared to my 2300+ kermit.
Eyes are right on mine, but it is irritating that on a $400 collectible, they couldn't have cast the eye mech in black plastic. That's just being lazy.

Actually I hink what they were going for is the illusion that his eyes are closer together than they actually are. As I have said many times, Animal's eyes should be right next to each other. However, when you look at the white outline that the eye mech gives him, it appears as if the eyes are in the right position. Though what I don't get is why they could not make the plastic pieces in the same way Palisades did their eyelid pieces, one piece instead of two separate lids. They could have had the eyes in the right spot and you wouldn't notice the pieces as much.

So, basically I agree it is a bad design choice, though for a different reason. As for the packaging, I don't get why they have to cram these things in there. I get that you can't have a box that is TOO big, but I would think they could do something with the design to make it a little more roomy. But really no matter how you pack him he's going to come out of the box with hat hair. Just the way it is.

[MuppetCaper]

So, basically I agree it is a bad design choice, though for a different reason. As for the packaging, I don't get why they have to cram these things in there. I get that you can't have a box that is TOO big, but I would think they could do something with the design to make it a little more roomy. But really no matter how you pack him he's going to come out of the box with hat hair. Just the way it is.


If I remember, Was Once Earnie said that when he was at Comic Con, Travis told him that the reason why they put him in the same size box as Kermit is because of shipping. That's how Master Replicas can ship these out for free. WOE, correct me if I am wrong. :)

[muppetperson]

Here is my Animal.....
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f388/peterstoymuseum/MyAnimal003.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f388/peterstoymuseum/MyAnimal001.jpg

[doc hopper]

you know what i was thinking? When i was working on getting Animal's hair to lay down, I was wondering why they didn't push Animal's hair in at an angle instead of straight in. the reason it sticks straight out is because that's how it's coming out of his head. if they'd been able to push it in from below at an angle, it could naturally lay down.

Luckily with Gonzo, Fozzie and Rizzo, you don't have long hair.

[MuppetCaper]

you know what i was thinking? When i was working on getting Animal's hair to lay down, I was wondering why they didn't push Animal's hair in at an angle instead of straight in. the reason it sticks straight out is because that's how it's coming out of his head. if they'd been able to push it in from below at an angle, it could naturally lay down.

Luckily with Gonzo, Fozzie and Rizzo, you don't have long hair.


This is what I did with mine. I gently pushed on the hair to where it layed down just right. It wasn't too hard to get it right. As for his mustache, I just put a couple of stitches at the base of the feather in the direction I wanted it to go and that worked out great!

[Kermieuk]

Hi guys,

Had Animal for 3 days now, and each day I am getting happier with him.

I also noticed the stitching on the right arm which ran down the middle of the arm, and the two left arms theory seems correct, however I twisted it 180 degrees the other way and the stitching is under the arm and looks fine?

The hair is also still a bit too wild for my liking and I may put a few small stitches in to keep them in place, I agree if they had originally been stitched in the right direction it would have worked well.

Anyway, here is another snap shot of Animal, he is wearing his chain, which I am very happy with, it was 2 meters long, and cost me £3.00 in my local hardwear store! I simply looped it round the neck and have a bit dangling down the back which is out of sight to balance the weight on either side. I simply linked the chain together with small keyring type latch! With the hair under the lower lip, I dont think a neck collar would be seen much any way? Let me know what you think guys.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/KERMIE1/AnimalinChains.jpg

Chris

[Telly]

The chain looks pretty sweet! Is that what his hair looks like when Animal's taken out of the box?

[RKUNKLER]

This is my :halo: and :) photos. Animal is hugging a scared Kermit. Kermit is trying to be nice to Animal and show that he cares. First one is at http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2414/2072435740_f6edbfc4dd.jpg?v=0.
Here is a close up at http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2086/2072433052_cd28c136f8.jpg?v=0. Enjoy.

[muppetguy]

I received Animal in the mail today. I am SOOOO happy I bought him, thanks to some members on this site. I will take a pic when his hair settles a little more. I love him! I will try to take a bonus pic for christmas. :) :halo:

[Roughneck]

I got mine in today (# 843) and I couldn't be happier.....well I could be...have the same hair issues as others....and I think his nose is slightly off color....but he's great....I also wish he'd come with his collar and chain.....but those are easy enough to fix....what I am worried about is getting his braclets and anklets....they need to be accurate.....not sure just yet how I'm going to do those....but the collar and chain will be easy....and drumsticks.....

Hey Muppetperson...what did you use for the drums? I was thinking of finding some kid size drum sets....then again I won't really need the drums unless we get the rest of the Electic Mayhem (Crosses fingers)

[vaderdentist]

My Animal arrived and overall I'm quite happy with him. I've already begun some tweaks though........smaller pupils,cover white plastic of eyebrow mechanism, hair hair hair, tongue replacement and to me the most important thing.......he needs a bigger more orangish red nose. The nose needs to hang down just below the top of his mouth too. I think MR really dropped the ball on his nose and tongue.........not the correct colors whatsoever!

Two other things that bug me but can't be fixed without a major overhaul: The eyebrow mechanism, shouldn't go down between his eyes (this pushes eyes too far apart), as the original was simply a wire shaped like a "bow" that simply covered both eyes. The material behind the eyes shouldn't be foam, it's supposed to be orange spandex. The teeth, The shape is actually correct, I don't care for the fact that they are resin, but they should have at least positioned the teeth correctly. The outer 2 teeth should be pointing up and out....the "points" of the rest of them should be pointing towards the tongue. This make him look more "dog-like".

Yes I will likely tackle all these issues because I won't be happy until I do.......LOL.

I'll post pics soon.

Dave :)

[muppetperson]

I got mine in today (# 843) and I couldn't be happier.....well I could be...have the same hair issues as others....and I think his nose is slightly off color....but he's great....I also wish he'd come with his collar and chain.....but those are easy enough to fix....what I am worried about is getting his braclets and anklets....they need to be accurate.....not sure just yet how I'm going to do those....but the collar and chain will be easy....and drumsticks.....

Hey Muppetperson...what did you use for the drums? I was thinking of finding some kid size drum sets....then again I won't really need the drums unless we get the rest of the Electic Mayhem (Crosses fingers)

The drum kit I used is a toy kid's drum set made by Power Play and retails for $19.99.Not sure of the retailer as I got mine off ebay.
Regarding the hair, I wonder if you spray the feathers with hair spray if it would do any long term damage, preservation wise?

[Reevz1977]

I was contemplating spraying water at first to see if it weighs it down.

[Reevz1977]

Ooops! Did use water. Not sure if it's the look I was going for, he looks as though he's been swimming:p It reminds me of the time I used Brasso on my Tag Heuer - not recommended!

Fingers crossed for when he drys out:o Will keep you all posted. Heres a thought though, theres a thread for successful Animal alterations, maybe I could start one for the opposite!

[MuppetCaper]

I don't know what the issue is with the eyes. They suppose to be the size they are according to Terry. To me, he looks fine. If I got the pupils smaller, he would not look right and his likeness would be off. I am happy with mine so I am not going to change them. I asked Terry about the tongue and he gave me the scoop so this is my next project. I just need to go out and find the right type of soft foam is all. This will be my weekend project! ;)

[Was Once Ernie]

So, let me see if I've got this straight. Everybody who's been complaining so vehemently that Gonzo's nose can't possibly be made out of foam, is now complaining because Animal's tongue ISN'T made out of foam?

I just want to know.

:p

[doc hopper]

classic.

[a_Mickey_Muppet]

got my animal today #787. I'll post pics tomorrow... :halo:

[MWoO]

So, let me see if I've got this straight. Everybody who's been complaining so vehemently that Gonzo's nose can't possibly be made out of foam, is now complaining because Animal's tongue ISN'T made out of foam?

I just want to know.

:p

No, I'm complaining about both. :p

[MuppetCaper]

It is something I just want to do. I am not even sure that I can make one. I would love his mouth to close at least. I might just use the one he has and cut down a bit. I am not complaining ab out his tongue, but it does give me a challenge to see what I can do. I know that when we get Gonzo, I am just going to keep him the way his nose is regardless. As for Animal, his is going to be fun to see what you can do to tweak him a little bit. No complaints here!

[roastnebrie]

look,im no Dr. Phil but we have waited 30 years for even the dream of owning a good copy of the Muppets. Now we have them,however,some people have the version of a charactor imbedded in there mind and when we see it in person we just want it to be that memory as close as possible. Im lovin the picts and soon will post mine and i think Animal is way cool !:sing:

[MuppetCaper]

look,im no Dr. Phil but we have waited 30 years for even the dream of owning a good copy of the Muppets. Now we have them,however,some people have the version of a charactor imbedded in there mind and when we see it in person we just want it to be that memory as close as possible. Im lovin the picts and soon will post mine and i think Animal is way cool !:sing:


I think they are all awesome! :halo:

[KermieBaby47]

Here's a couple pics of the same pose, oh, and earlier I forgot to add that my Animal is #155. Pretty close to my Kermit at #187 (I think!).

Flash ON: http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/toughie47/009b.jpg

Flash OFF: http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/toughie47/011b.jpg
(I like this one better)

The curtains are still a bit wrinkley, even after a good wash and loooooong dry, but I'm hoping they'll weigh down and smooth themselves out.

Cheers!
:)
Anthony

[MuppetCaper]

I like the one with the flash on Anthony.

[vaderdentist]

Okay, replaced his pupils with smaller ones and repositioned them, colored the white plastic of the lid assembly, repositioned his nose and replaced his tongue..........finally got his hair to start laying down. Honestly, it's starting to relax all by itself. :) Already he's lookin more like Animal. I'm gonna find a nose replacement this weekend (needs a bigger one in a orangish red color). That won't take long. I will likely thin the beard and mustache a bit too. Whatcha think?

Dave :)

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1538/img0708lu7.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2761/img0710um9.jpg

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4378/img0712kb5.jpg

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/1504/img0714sg5.jpg

[vaderdentist]

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/4559/img0719ae2.jpg

[Was Once Ernie]

Okay, replaced his pupils with smaller ones and repositioned them, colored the white plastic of the lid assembly, repositioned his nose and replaced his tongue..........finally got his hair to start laying down. Honestly, it's starting to relax all by itself. :) Already he's lookin more like Animal. I'm gonna find a nose replacement this weekend (needs a bigger one in a orangish red color). That won't take long. I will likely thin the beard and mustache a bit too. Whatcha think?

Dave :)

I like the way the hair looks on yours, alot. But sorry, don't like the flat tongue.

:p

[Rowlfharris]

My Animal arrived in Australia this week but I haven't had time to open him yet (come on weekend!).

I agree with some of the comments about us being too critical/idealistic, but I'm pretty sure I'll be covering that eye mechanism, and though I'm loathe to do it, will probably alter the tongue too because I can't bear not being able to close his mouth.

Its not about perfection, but I think its due to our expectations. We all hoped for actual puppet replicas when these were announced, then had to accept they'd only be posable photo props. So we moved along with that compromise. Then we find that animal's mouth can't be posed at all and his eyelids have visible mechanics that will show in photos.

I'm truly grateful that we got an item as good as we did but can't accept a poser with such a primary limitation.

The original puppet was almost all foam (watch his mouth bending in several episodes) while this replica has a stiffened mouth. They probably should have modified this replica slightly so that its mouth doesn't close tightly so the tongue could fit, I guess it was overlooked.

[vaderdentist]

Ernie, yeah the tongue is simply a felt stand in so I could close the mouth another inch........it's not really even wide enough anyway.....I'll be replacing that with a foam one ASAP!

Dave :)

[goodrastus]

Well after winning Animal on eBay, and then getting him 4 days later, I am delighted with him. I was a little unsure after the comments from everyone but he is superb! The eyes are fine and feathers a little wild but they will settle. The only obvious thing is the eye-lid cover so I will be happy to fix that. The only little niggle is that the tongue does prevent any movement. However, I'm not prepared to do anything to that as I dont have the skill to carve a tongue. He is sooo big! My small apartment just grew that little bit smaller ;)

[Was Once Ernie]

The only little niggle is that the tongue does prevent any movement.

Actually, it does prevent the mouth from closing, but you can open it wider.

:p

[markit]

Well , Animal # 466 turned up today, bought him from the Collector Zone here in the UK, and he's Awesome! Can't put him down, he's much better than I thought he'd be , Master Replicas should really take note that in many cases, it's the photos that members on here have posted that have helped a number of people to decide to purchase him, not the photos that are being used to promote them.
I'm looking forward to having the time to make a few tweaks to get him just right, but really , i'm so impressed, his hair is wild and fantastic, I can just hear him growling as I move his head, poor Kermit's gonna be a lil neglected for a while :halo:

[markit]

Just a quick thought, sorry if it's already been brought up , but isn't the foam behind Animals eye brows the same material you'd expect Gonzo's nose to be made out of , so what's the problem with it? My apologies if this is the wrong place to bring this up. Anyway, Animal Rocks, thanks again MR!

[MuppetCaper]

Just a quick thought, sorry if it's already been brought up , but isn't the foam behind Animals eye brows the same material you'd expect Gonzo's nose to be made out of , so what's the problem with it? My apologies if this is the wrong place to bring this up. Anyway, Animal Rocks, thanks again MR!

This is a different type of foam that they used on Animal. It is not the same as Gonzo's nose. Gonzo's nose is made out of a foam call reticulated foam.
It is more porus than regular soft foam. Animals tongue was also made out of soft foam. But MR used a different type of material.

[markit]

Thanks Ant for the tips, much appreciated. Mark

[markit]

This is a different type of foam that they used on Animal. It is not the same as Gonzo's nose. Gonzo's nose is made out of a foam call reticulated foam.
It is more porus than regular soft foam. Animals tongue was also made out of soft foam. But MR used a different type of material.

Thanks for the heads up MuppetCaper, i'm sure i'll end up getting Gonzo too, but Fozzie is a must have for me.

I'll be posting some pics of my Animal soon. Right, time for some tweakage and hair styling! :)

[antonydavanzo]

Thanks Ant for the tips, much appreciated. Mark
No problem. Cant wait to see some pics!

[a_Mickey_Muppet]

heres a few quick pics of my MR Animal... and one with him and kermit with our christmas tree...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e252/disneydude2005/animal006.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e252/disneydude2005/animal007.jpg


http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e252/disneydude2005/animal008.jpg



:halo:

[muppetguy]

Hey guys! Hope all of you are doing well. I took three quick pics of my Animal with Kermit. Let me know what you guys think. I don't know how to do photobucket, so I hope that if I put the direct links to the pics here where you can copy and paste, I hope that's ok for me to do, if it isn't, I appologize in advance. Here they are:

http://members.aol.com/stardustboy21/animalkermit1.jpg

http://members.aol.com/stardustboy21/animalkermit2.jpg

http://members.aol.com/stardustboy21/animalkermit3.jpg

They're a little Christmas-e!:) :halo: