Whether it is a creepy little girl mask, or Bryan Cranston walking around ComicCon wearing a mask of his Breaking Bad character Heisenberg, Hyperflesh's masks are almost guaranteed to be viral video gold.
Landon Meier is the creator and president of Hyperflesh and his incredibly realistic silicone masks are an art form onto themselves. But unlike traditional mask makers, usually reserved for special fx laden movies, Landon is no longer sculpting out of clay - a time-consuming and expensive process.
He uses a 3D modelling software, a Lulzbot Taz 5 3D printer and some pretty standard filaments like nGen and PolyLite PLA to create negative moulds for his creations.
“I went with LulzBot 3D Printers because of the large printable area and also the solid reputation of the company,” Meier said. “With current technology, I could successfully move away from traditional sculpting to computer 3D modelling and 3D printing.”
Lulzbot YouTube Channel
Lulzbot Taz 5 making the moulds for Hyperflesh's masks
Lulzbot Taz 5 making the moulds for Hyperflesh's masks
The moulds of famous figures and creepy creations take roughly 60 hours to print, Meier is able to cast silicone directly into them without adding any agents for the peeling process. The moulds are reusable and allow Meier to make several masks.
The finer details that make Hyperflesh's masks the most talked about since the Michael Myers Halloween masks are all added by hand. The true skill of Meier's lies in the handmade aesthetic but just like with jewellers, 3D printing is a huge enabler.
