Folio
A combined folio and archive resource recording decades of projects and special builds, these rare behind the scenes (BTS) and process shots illustrate how incredible things are brought to life. As I often say:
“There is no art without artifice”.
If you would like more information on any aspect of my work or to discuss a future project or commission, get in touch.
Fully optimised for mobile, though I thoroughly recommend a laptop screen or much bigger!
Rich
Stuart & Francis Show Live
Helping a client that had been let down at the last minute. A tryptic set, prop dressed along with a freestanding divider wall in 3 to 4 build days and ready for pick-up.
Carpentry, paint prep, prop sourcing and mounting ensured a solid finish. Had some great paint assist from local crew. A great end result for this hugely popular show.
Oct 2025
Creative Sprint Consult
Tasked with ideation for a well established agency, took the call Saturday (while running the volunteers for the Maiden repair), started Monday!
7 days lead in concept, show-craft, stand-design, tech dev and construction for large exhibit centrepiece. AD’d deck assets; VFX render, stereo audio mix and research… a brilliant production team! Flattered to be asked to present.
Oct 2025
3 Ducks Floating Action Props
A lovely rush job for a regular client!
3D models were created in the first few days, as I 3D Printed them out. A little surface finishing and sent for hand painting by a friend. Float and Carbon fibre keel testing on spare prints and safely packaged and sent. Cute!
Sep 2025.
Disney "Studio 1" Scenic
A crazy 4 weeks in the guts of studio 1 as it transformed into “World Premiere”.
Working with a lovely and experienced team on the ground from disparate backgrounds. Scenic painting, sculpting in and specialist Jesmonite fitting, blending and fixing…and Jazz clubs! TRAILER
April 2025.
Wuthering Heights 1:12
An astonishing project as lead specialist miniatures and tech once more for M&M.
Twelfth scale beauty, micro LED work and very special construction, finishes and elements. Bravura set design and stunning builds.
TRAILER Dec 2024 10 wks.
Stadium Architectural/Zurich
From a chat on FB at 2200 Hrs to an 0640 flight, this project was a real rush!
Day 1 was spent being driven to various stores to find objects suitable for conversion to a Stadium…IKEA seemed best! Day 2 was the build in my hotel room, the balcony my spray booth!
Day 3, Rolex shoot!
November 2024.
Deal Or No Deal Box Prop
A very fast build to create this neat and shiny action prop for an advert for a great client. 3 days iirc.
Carpentry, vinyl and acrylic use with careful spray and hand finishing all add polish to this vivid and eye catching box.
Entirely hand made, the pull tag adds to the original vibe!
November 2024.
Samsung Skate Park Practical
Just a few days to create this complex practical prop/model, intended to be used with fingerboards for a promo event at “Coal Drops Yard” (Kings Cross). Hardwearing through the use of Brass details, durable paint and lacquer (3Dprinting/Brass solder/model making)
Thanks to Chris Trice! Rad!!!
July 2024.
Student MA Interiors Model
A series of complex model builds to illustrate beautiful concepts in flow, form and use of interior space.
Traditional making, 3dPrinting and hand finishing resulted in a palette of colour and texture that really sold this final project, including Interactive writing wall development.
June 2024.
Summer House on Rod Eyot
Following lengthy floods, time to repair and rebuild an existing structure on the island at Henley (boat access only)!
Extensive carpentry, floor truing and wall framing for cladding and finishing.
Doorways and window voids to match existing structures (challenging at times). Partial build.
May 2024.
Bees Wolfgang Buttress (1)
Lead maker as part of the amazing M&M team, this complex and technically tricky project involved many aspects of mould making, sculpture, mounting and very special construction/fabrication.
Bee elements and natural forms made for exhibition and touring, requiring tough and beautiful!
March 2024.
FPV GoPro Head Mount Rig
Copying a complex and multi faceted head rig for action shooting FPV using GoPro. Needing to be very tough, extremely adjustable and comfortable.
Mostly 3DPrinted in ultra strong filament, post print heat treatment over forms allowed for the novel elements required.
December 2023.
ALDI Christmas 2023 Advert
HyperOptic LED Costume
A rush job…with problems. Apparently the boss had gone away and left the kiddies in charge. They ignored our agreed deadlines for sign-off and specifics confirmation and I ran out of time to help them proper.
They got their LED wearable prop but not the exact animation that they didn’t confirm. IIRC the boss apologised. ADVERT
Jul 2023.
The Ii's Orange VFX Bucks
A very unusual build as lead for M&M, a buck is an object used to bounce or direct light, dust or particles off, this motion is caught on camera and used as a direct comp or VFX element. In this case the orange glow emitted from these dummies is cast around, and the VFX character masked over the top. Exactly like the BHE LED orbs
Light, strong and durable puppets for the ADVERT. July 2023.
Mechanical Claw Prop
A rush build for a regular client, a mech claw and interior of an arcade machine with LED practical lighting.
Model making, engineering, LED electronics and hacking Tomato paste cans to make a Robotic articulated arm! A quick and effective build that looked great on screen.
July 2023.
Paris Arcimboldo Install
Though not involved in the original build (I was away touring Disney experiential), I have been on the M&M team a number of times to IN/OUT these amazing large public sculptures. In this case they needed extensive repairs so I did a lot to various aspects with paint, cable ties, FG sculpture and making good.
A fabulous experience and a great team! June 2023.
UBER Eats Quantum Food (1)
Very special this one, once again lead maker for M&M this project took skilled model making to the next level. Gorgeous interior elements for a number of miniature food stores to be mounted into the walls of real buildings across LDN and MCR!
Extensive trick LED panels, interior lights and effects, all USB 5v power pack fed (a speciality of mine).
April 2023
UBER Eats Quantum Food (2)
It was important we had access to the store interiors for dressing, so roof panels were inserts for easy removal. All elements had to survive a little rain… just in case!
Models had to fit old brickwork so cover strips and tricks were employed. A great trip up to MCR to install and standbyfor the SM shoot.
Campaign video
April 2023
Ch. 4 Ident Trainset (1)
A very complex and enjoyable build, as lead for M&M team. A large dual layer and double tracked OO trainset with tunnel, hills and comprehensive landscape detailing. Carpentry baseboard and carefully planned track route layers among urea foam board for sculpting landscapes. Extensive detailing of train architecture such as tunnel abutments, retaining walls and entrances. March 2023
Ch. 4 Ident Trainset (2)
Using my large format 3dprinter FuseDeep to create the big cooling tower, there was an incredible amount of detail, miniature elements and scale architecture. It also had to join successfully after transport for shoot. Clever plush grass techniques created great wild vegetation effects and quite a few trees used!
March 2023
Black Spin Ticker
A real rush build for a FB client! Used 3dprinted elements to clasp a bearing from a spinning chair and Screwfix LED lamps for the many spots! Printed a true square guide for all the Shoulder cap bolts to be screwed in to the many holes. These were one hit only! Ticker was a strip of rubber and all mounted on a timber base and strong wooden stand.
March 2023
Shell Scenic Stage Backdrop
Taking a clients gorgeous AI generated concepts for a shell inspired backdrop (private wedding event) and developing for cost, practical and fabrication purposes. Art direction and construction drawings using 3D modelling, sketches and Photoshop. SFX options proposed: wind and active textiles.
March 2023.
Rota Casting & Mould
I built myself a novel Rota moulding machine in 2015 and use it to create my speaker enclosures. It’s unusual, safe and effective and I had to learn to make very trick Rota moulds in use. My studio neighbour M&M asked for help delivering 3x breakaway vases for an advert. I carefully planned the mould and we made it. Took a few goes to perfect the plaster required and worked great! ADVERT Dec 2022.
Chair & Hang Rail Detailed
I don’t remember the client but this was a very demanding build as lead for M&M, bring shot close to camera for an advert and needed a perfect paint and detail finish. The lovely beading on the soft white chair was wire, iirc. The chair base a 3dprint with a lot of filling and blending.
The Hanger rail was soldered brass (a favourite process of mine) and had tiny castors and hangers! Nov 2022.
Pirate Radio Retro Gear
I think this lovely project came from a FB group (I mentor, advise and get work from a few pro groups). Tasked to make a 60s and 70s vibe pirate radio set…All fake, but certainly looked great on camera.
Fab switches, audio connectors, LED and big knobs it was practical in effect and perfect for that “about to get raided” look! Client deeply happy iirc.
Nov 2022.
Shackleton Sledge Build 2
This is the second time round for this remarkable scratch build. Apparently the crew of the Endurance made models to pass the time!
Having made a full model set as lead at M&M, a year or so later a copy was requested for another cruise ship display! So this is a copy of a replica of a copy! Fine model making in wood, steel detail elements, string/leather binding and lovely grain and art work. Aug 2022
Auger Opera Stage Prop
I often give away large test 3DPrints va FB groups and on one occasion Glyndebourne Opera props noticed! Months later they asked me to model and print this slightly conical Auger prop, 2M. long with a 50mm void axis. A vase print, so innovation in Opera!
July 2022
Cobbled Street Detailed Set
A lovely little build with M&M. Though I never worked out who it was for, certainly an advert afaik. Cute cobbled streets and fab 18th. C. buildings gave a great feel. The unusual sea wall at the end of the lane was a nice challenge too.
Carpentry, model and detail making, moulds, stamping, 3dprints and PU fast-casts no doubt! Lovely art-working too.
July 2022
Scale Underground Slice
Another quickie for M&M but a little unusual…The standing set wall (for filming purposes) was also able to stand as a table! This allowed wet and foam processes to be carried out and easy vertical testing for look and texture with rake lighting. Carpentry, modelling and sculpture etc.
June 2022
SPS Exhibition RCM (1)
My “Sound Play Sculptures” are unique and encourage play and discovery. Enabled by the creation of my 2M. tall 3DPrinter FuseDeep they are light, strong and versatile.
They are also impossible to make any other way!
March/June 2022.
SPS Exhibition RCM (2)
Deeply experimental and intended to be handled and used to orchestrate… sound!
Exhibited at the RCM alongside the amazing Hackoustic collective.
An incredible exhibition and amazing people and participants.
March/June 2022.
NIKE Plush Glove (1)
A very fast and unusual build. A 2.4M tall plush that had to be very light to mount on a powered arm that waved it quickly to block a target for an activation football score
Bandsaw-able foams, vinyl textile, mesh and vinyl graphics on a bespoke light weight wood mount.
June 2022.
Miami Boulevard Set (1)
A delightful build, as lead for M&M. Extensive trick model making, finishes, lighting boxes and construction.
Super cute signage incorporating hidden LED and cabling. Silver foil finish elements light it up!
Street dressing, Hotdog trucks and…March 2022.
Shackleton Sledge Model (1)
A very novel build, apparently the stranded crew DID build models to keep busy. Mine made from reference photos taken of the original and built for M&M.
Complex miniature carpentry, steel and rope detailing as well as miniature bolts, plates and reins etc.
Both my copies ended up on different Nordic cruise ships on display in their onboard museums! Incredible!
Oct 2021.
Shackleton Sledge Model (2)
Careful attention paid to every detail on the supplied photos of the incredible original.
From fluted top-sides of the runners to complex mini joints and roped tension joints!
A lovely shellac and dry brush finish over specific wood finish and age suitable damage effects, giving lovely authentic vibe.
Oct 2021.
ALDI Christmas 2021 (1)
A huge and beautiful build that I led once more for M&M. Cute miniatures at twelth scale, loads of LED work, scenic and art working let alone a ton of making building carcases with architectural elements, floor sheeting and street furniture…A Hero bedroom set for Kevin to dream in and a lot of snow to dress! A lot to do and it all looked stunning. A great team.
July 2021
ALDI Christmas 2021 (2)
Always a pleasure to do standby on tis project, its like a Christmas work get together!
It’s a lovely build too with lots of innovation in 3dprinting, mould use and laser work. Tiling sheets are cleverly etched in foam board and embossed for an amazing effect. Miniature trees of all types are made, festooned and dressed, Gorgeous!
July 2021
ALDI Christmas 2021 (3)
I also lead the very special miniature LED and incandescent light fixing making, a combination of very skilled models, 3dprinting, solder work and trick cable running!
Always stunning end results and they totally sell the vibe to camera. A lot of freestanding battery packs are used for street lights, separate Christmas trees and other lit elements.
July 2021
ALDI Christmas 2021 (4)
As shown here, these really are special builds. There is always a good sized team on this project, I lead and make the more impossible bits and pieces!
It’s a lovely skill and build workout for me and keeps my eye in, thank goodness for my old architectural days at Thorp! The sliding casement sash windows a treat here along with the wall mouldings needed!
July 2021
Mr. Blunden H.O.D. (1)
Leading the special fabrication department for scenic elements that were more large model than set! A complex and large build to copy a portico element for an interior live action set. Install and height logistics were key for safety and it was structural, fine finish and fast.
Carpentry, FG, moulds, 3dprinting, casts and sculpture. A great team!
June 2021.
Mr. Blunden H.O.D. (2)
Complex moulding work scratch made, 3dprinted and cast to suit novel curves. Large 3dPrinted tests allowed for quick recreation of lost return elements and framing runs.
Fake Lead plumbing dressing in plastics and art-worked for camera.
Numerous SFX gas/fire safe fire place inserts and structures, at height!
June 2021.
Mr. Blunden HOD (3)
Lovely old weathered Lead effects cheated with Foamex and heat guns alongside Lead roof sheeting and lap joints and return edges. Various collectors for rain water, drainage pipe junctions and plumbing for exterior and interior set dressing. Complex and accurate portico install on busy multi height set, Hero steps integrated and all foliage dressed and art-worked into play. June 2021.
Revolution 4 Sculpture Range
When one develops a large 3dprinter there are a lot of print tests involved! Big ones! I didn’t want to bin them so instead developed and perfected a process to quickly add a decent stone texture finish to any large nozzle 3dprint. Obliterating print lines.
With the addition of Green Oak plinths and intermediate elements such as chrome spheres etc, they came to life as Rev4 March 2021.
Attenborough Ptera. Beak
Big Yellow Sculpture 3DPrint
A massive 3 part 3dprint on my very capable 2M. tall 3dprinter FuseDeep. A development piece in 3 sections and intended to be mass loaded as a cantilever sculpture once structurally surface finished. Great tests of bridging, thin and thick tubular forms and extruder cooling. This led to current 6 fan cooler system and minimum timed layers for perfect results!
PLA Starch Filament. Dec 2019
FuseDeep Refined Printing
With a much improved gantry and fan system (6x24v fans in a hexagon frame for full 360 degree cooling on part at speed) time to put it through its paces! Amazing results opened up a word of possibilities, including my Rams horn non joined Nautilus variant as research for speaker enclosures following on from my archive “Droid” project.
Dec 2019
FuseDeep Gantry Dev. Tests
What does one do with the fallow week between Christmas and NYE? Spend 600 GBP on a fresh gantry system and install it of course!
Using OOZNEST Open Beam system and much simplified design easy to drive vis Delrin wheels, a dense time putting this together, testing, troubleshooting and ensuring reliability. FuseDeep.
Dec 2019
BRUT Vinnie Jones Advert
Another weird and wonderful build as lead maker for M&M. Large sculptural leaves, flower opening mechs and massive curved square beam stalks led to a brilliant set of two different scale “mantronic” flower props for this shoot!
Tasked with making the smaller one move at the last minute, pulley lines and a simple complex system was added. Used a large Fusedeep 3dprint element. Sep 2019. ADVERT
LED Sculpture Cosmic House
One of my most complex builds.
Lead for M&M, anchored around a complex 3DPrint with LED strings threaded throughout junctioned and multi layered acrylic clear tubing. No where to hide anything and delicate as well as large. Designed by Charles Jencks and finally commissioned!
PLA, Acrylic, FG, timber, copper and epoxy.
June 2019
Millennium Falcon Mask
Early on in the confusing days of the disaster that was lockdown, I heard that if nothing else was available, a cotton tea-towel was better than nothing as a face covering. So I developed a simple and quick hack. A muzzle frame that fitted any face and could be hand cut, laser cut, milled or or 3dprinted! Chose the Falcon motif for kids. worked a treat. Also developed face cover frames.
April 2019
SFX LED Roller Coaster Rig
SFX lead in the development of very novel travelling rigs for a through the forest ghost light effect (Agog).
RC cars made to run on air borne tracks to float ethereal orbs among the trees.
LED orbs as puppets on 6 to 10M carbon fibre rods. TRAILER and great BTS VFX DEMO
June 2019
3DPrint NASA/Worn/Drone
A selection of great images showing novel development in early 3dprinting on desktop Makergear M2 machines since 2014. I bought 2 of these very well made machines from UK, LDN based Architecture students and ran one on my Narrowboat for a year! I developed my Cellular motif at this point and the scoop bowl became a minor thing! PLA filament (non oil based)
Feb 2019
4M. NIKE Vehicle Plush (1)
A remarkable project! Part plush, boat, car and sculpture, this driveable action prop was complex to build being Steel based and also a soft, fine finish actual fabric trainer. My first big plastazote build required various stretch fabrics, bent wood forms and large details to copy an actual NIKE shoe.
Jan 2019.
FuseDeep 2M. 3DPrinter (1)
Extensive development on my 2M. tall 3dprinter FusedDeep (a play on the term Fused deposition/FDM), its operation and processes and ensuring reliability. Starting to create large and fast prints with practical applications and following on from my early SFX work in 3dprinted pyro devices testing applying fire proof finishes and other aspects.
Nov 2018 ongoing may 2019
FuseDeep 2M. 3DPrinter (2)
Experimenting with large candle reflector forms while learning to 3Dmodel novel things. With an eye on future loudspeaker enclosures, modelled nautilus forms and applied them to different uses. Printing in thermal filament to show heat in layering, joining large prints and applying safety texture and Gold finish.
Nov 2018/may 2019
Scenic Cliff
A tricky build with a demanding client for M&M. Lightweight trestle chassis and clad then sculpted to make a great cliff with a cantilever protrusion.
Lovely stone work and it all had to bolt together! Carpentry, foam bonding / roughing and plenty of triangulation for the trestle!
Aug 2018.
ALDI Christmas 2018 (1)
A multi faceted build with large scenic scale sculpted elements, forests and housing to create a magical snowy landscape vibe for the not quite Cola-Cola truck to drive through!
Naughty Carrot protagonist!
A lot of LED work for festive atmosphere. ADVERT
Aug 2018
Quotem Development Base
My sculptures are fully self contained for both power (often USB packs) and anchoring.
In this case, custom made Lead weights mass load the base down and a large hollow 3dprint drops over, neat and tidy!
Full details: Son.im/Quotem
Aug 2018.
Quotem Development
Extensive specialist creative tech development using electronics, Arduino (via the amazing Andrew Jacobs (RIP)), 3dprinting (regular and fast large format), addressable LED, Lead mass loading and USB power pack etc.
Full details: Son.im/Quotem
June 2018.
SFX Forecourt Structure
One of many amazing projects as design/build lead for AGOG SFX, A full Garage roof structure for a Sky series iirc. Technical planning, Construction lead, crew and logistics and general coordination. Oversaw build team and install accuracy on site. Hot and Sunny. Crazy project!
June 2018
Flipped 720s SFX (1)
A fast 3 week build at AGOG SFX (as lead) converting a naff Peugeot base kit sports car to a flipped McClaren 720s!
Reshaping kit-car, adding sculpted key features as well as planning steel inserts to enable safe fork-lift use and actor hold (upside down). Filmed in Liverpool.
March 2018.
Lightweight Roller Shutter
A surprising client…H&S videos! To show a safety issue in training sessions this lightweight prop needed to look like a Roller shutter but fall like a butterfly!
3DPrinting, Carpentry, Artwork and trad build skills. For use as a falling prop to help keep workplaces safe.
Sep 2017.
Bucherer Watch POS Display
Deeply complex and using traditional skills, laser cutting, 3dprinting and some very real “old tricks”…This incredible Roller coaster sales stand held various high end watches on its carriages, as the track was illuminated and animated!
All mounted on an angled plinth and lit via bespoke LED spotlights!
Sep 2017.
IGUS Gantry 3DPrinter
@Fusedeep is my 2M tall fast 3DPrinter! Fully optimised for reliability and quick, large hollow forms, enabling previously impossible invention and testing / iteration. IGUS UK donated gantry tech to enable this early innovation in lube free printing (0.5Mx0.5Mx1.5M). Further developments follow.
October 2017.