Hey guys, about the Haywood Floyd head sculpt: I found a talented, reputable artist who is willing to do the sculpt. It won't be cheap, but it will be a high quality likeness. I am hoping to gather enough committed buyers to make the project affordable. I also want to be totally transparent in this, and very clear about one thing: I'm not going to make any profit from this for myself- I just want a Haywood Floyd sculpt like anyone else.
One important point: We can't have the artist getting twenty different opinions about what facial expression is best, or about tweaking the eyebrows, flaring the nostrils a bit more, etc. I will use my own best artistic judgement when communicating with the artist about how the final product should look, and buyers will have to be okay with that. I want the finished expression to look sober, serious, not smiling, perhaps with a subtle hint of awe- as Dr. Floyd appeared when he was looking at and touching the monolith in the film.
The company is called 'UnleashedViper Commissions', and they can be found on Facebook. I exchanged messages with them, and we are just at the very beginning of this process. Please don't send them a barrage of messages, because I don't even know yet if I will be successful in finding enough people to actually make this happen.
I was told the cost for the initial hand-sculpted head starts at $800, depending on the level of intricacy, and then $150 for each painted duplicate. I've looked at many other sculptors who offer a similar level of quality, and this price seems pretty standard among them. Therefore, the more people I can get onboard, the more affordable the heads will be. It will require up-front payments from every committed buyer from the start, so that the cost is evenly shared between us all.
Example A: If 5 buyers share the cost, the price for each head sculpt would be $310. ($800 divided among 5 people = $160, + $150 per duplicate.
Example B: If 10 buyers share the cost, the price for each head sculpt would be $230. ($800 divided among 10 people = $80, + $150 per duplicate.
Example C: If 20 buyers share the cost, the price for each head sculpt would be $190. ($800 divided among 20 people = $40, + $150 per duplicate.
Example D: If 25 buyers share the cost, the price for each head sculpt would be $182. ($800 divided among 25 people = $32, + $150 per duplicate.
As you can see, the price drops pretty sharply as more people share the burden. If I can't get a group together, there will be no way I can afford to spend $800 on one sculpt. So: Let me hear from you! Post a comment if you're willing to join the group, and add me to your friends list. The Clavius suit is coming soon. I've seen the final version, and it looks fantastic- but it's empty. It's up to us to remedy that.
One more important thought: As much as I would like to have two versions of the head, one for helmet-off display and one for helmet-on display with headgear, it would be double the cost. I do believe I have a solution though, to give us the best of both worlds: I plan to have the artist produce the head sculpt without any headgear, so it will be suitable for helmet-off display.
Then, I will personally sculpt and cast film-accurate 'earmuffs' in such a way that they fit over the existing ears, with a flexible plastic over-the-head band to hold them in place. They will be molded directly onto the original head sculpt for a perfect fit. I will produce the earphones and mic, but I will omit the white plastic skullcap portion of the headgear, since it would not fit over the sculpted hair. The white skullcap is only visible in a few behind-the-scenes photos but never seen in the film. I will make the removable headgear available to everyone who joins the group, after the head sculpt is paid for and completed.