While waiting for the Kong armature, check this

[Gruff Old Bear]

Garage kit sculptor and actor Jeff Yagher has built a single working replica of the original Kong puppet for a private collector. He cast it in foam, assembled it over an aluminum armature, and covered it with rabbit fur like the original.

Exactly what so many people dreamed of when they saw the armature replica that Sideshow will bring out in November.

Here it is:

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

That is a work of art.

 

[sideshowpdx]

That's really freaking cool.

 

[SolidLiquidFox]

Kong's been working out...nice butt!

Seriously, nice pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[LOTRFan]

Awesome, that is really, really good. Almost too good, the face is much better than the original.

Still, I can't wait for my armature to arrive!

 

[occulum]

wow

 

[carbo-fation]

This is just amazing!!!

 

[Collector Freak]

I wish Sideshow produced some kind of slip-on suit for the armature.

 

[Anton Phibes]

mudda. (in my best Bugs Bunny voice).:eek :eek

 

[Mookeylama]

that is freaking awesome!! i want one so bad!!!!!!!!

 

[Protozaius]

That Jeff Yagher is VERY talented artist. He has done some Planet of the Apes pieces that are stunning as well.

And yes, Mookeylama, those pictures deserve MORE COWBELL!!!

 

[JSA]

That looks absolutely fantastic, and if Sideshow ever came out with
the fully completed King Kong puppet on an armature, I'm sure it would
be a very hot seller. I'd much rather have the full puppet, instead of
just the bare armature anyways.

JS

 

[the Doctor]

Kong's been working out...nice butt!
.....pity sideshow didnt do this...another missed opportunity

 

[FrankenFan]

His arms are too long.

Seriously, that's wonderful! How tall is this guy?

 

[Minimodel]

Thats the puppy.
Absolutely beautiful

Much as i admire the bare armature we need some skin.

 

[Gruff Old Bear]

How tall is this guy?

All I know is what's in the pictures. Looks to me to be a couple of feet tall, probably whatever the original was. It seems to have the "long head" -- I believe there were a couple of different heads used in the movie, as well as the Big Giant Head for closeups. Any Kong scholars out there who can testify?

The link is at The Clubhouse under The Garage>Yagher's New Kong! and here's where it leads: scroll down to "Recent Additions"

 

[FrankenFan]

I'm no scholar but, I believe the surviving armature was used for the "long-head" Kong during the log-bridge and T-Rex scenes. A second puppet had a rounder head, and was used for the balance of the Skull scenes and the NYC locations.

Yaghers replica definitely appears to be the "long-head" Kong.

Thanks for the links, GOB!

 

[wax murderer]

Okay, here's the breakdown...
There were two 18" Kong puppets, which had slightly different proportions as well as different heads. The first( the 'long' head, or poster face, as I call it) was used to shoot the test reel, which featured the log sequence and T-Rex fight. This was actually the third version; Merian Cooper had rejected the first two for looking"too human". After the test was shot, the model was used to shoot promotional pix. When it was returned, Coop had Marcel Delgado rebuild the puppet yet again, making it even more 'gorilla-ish'. When the film was finally green-lighted, a second 18" puppet was built to allow faster shooting and turn-around. This figure was machined by the studio metal shop, and was slightly different from the first( in addition to the rounder head the arms were slightly longer). Later a 24" puppet was built for the New York scenes( the 18" puppet 'wasn't big enough' on the NY sets). This figure was also somewhat different in proportions. Adding to the fun is the fact that, because they were built-up( instead of injection molded) their appearance changed every time Delgado re-built them, which was done @ every 3 days. The most noticeable change is the bulk of Kong's brow; in the later shots they are almost twice as heavy as in early footage.
Also built were the full-sized head, 2 hands( one a mock-up, one fully articulated), a foot and a 4" model used for the fall. Today only the original armature survives intact. The LA County museum has one of the 24" figures arms; the other 18" figure was dismantled and parted out. Peter Jackson owns the 4" figure, along with the Pteranodon, the Styracosaurus, and the Brontosaurus, along with many other small props and photo's...PS

 

[Darklord Dave]

I'm not a fan of the original Kong at all, but I'd pay big bucks for this guy. It's awesomely cool!


His arms are a little long though...

 

[The Dwimmerlaik]

Sideshow will never come with an exact replica of the original it will cost a lot of money, as the armature will be of really cheap materials than the original ones, i have seen armatures of ball an soket like the SS Kong one an are not cheap.