#015 : M1 Endoskeleton skull kit

Kit parts: Combination of soft vinyl/stainless steel/clear resin

Kit parts: Combination of soft vinyl/stainless steel/clear resin

Picture and recommendation from James Cameron on the side of the package

Picture and recommendation from James Cameron on the side of the package

Article by the M1 Endoskeleton prototype designer, Seiji Takahashi, published on “SUPER MOVIE TOY” back in 2003.

A soft vinyl kit from M1 run by Yuji Nishimura. Designed with extreme perfectionism, this luxurious kit was molded from the actual head used in filming, the eyes created by injecting a clear red resin in a mold, and it even included metal cylinders with joints to make the mouth move. I was actually involved in refining the prototype. The original head was apparently made by clay, and I could still see the traces of the spatula. The parts on the side of the head could not be used because it was too obvious that it was clay sculpture, so I had to measure the original and create it from scratch. (“SUPER MOVIE TOY” p. 41, Mediaworks publication, [ISBN-8402-2588-5])

Close-up of the parts for the side of the skull. The finish is very beautiful with the distinct edge.

Close-up of the parts for the side of the skull. The finish is very beautiful with the distinct edge.

Already discontinued, this kit is very difficult to obtain.

Already discontinued, this kit is very difficult to obtain.

The cylinder parts made out of stainless steel

The cylinder parts made out of stainless steel

The M1 kits owned by T-STUDIO. I also have a few more here that my clients sent me from overseas to work on their Animatronic Busts.

The M1 kits owned by T-STUDIO. I also have a few more here that my clients sent me from overseas to work on their Animatronic Busts.

Just as the prototype designer has stated, this is the best, complete kit in the market today. Other Endoskulls sold later in Japan and the US are of course based on movie props, but the M1 kit took its mold directly from the original, so each of the parts are incomparably sharper and beautiful. The stainless steel cylinder is also beautifully constructed, and it can be moved in conjunction with the jaw depending on how you build it.

“The beautiful structure”, “the faithfulness to the original prop”, and the hollow body structure (enabling me to add a mechanism inside to move the head) are the reasons why I chose this kit.

Copy taken from an original Endoskull mold from T1

[a]Copy taken from an original Endoskull mold from T1

details finished off by the modeler Mr. Takahashi

[b]Details finished off by the modeler Mr. Takahashi

A valuable picture received from Mr. Yuuji Nishimura. Copy taken from an original Endoskull mold from T1 [a], then details finished off by the modeler Mr. Takahashi [b]. It can be said to be “the most beautiful Endoskull existing”. See interview for details.