(1)
'Louis Tussauds in Great Yarmouth, is different from many wax museums, in that it remembers the stars and famous people as they were at their height of fame and influence.
'See your gallery of how people looked, how the passionate owners captured them at this time and preserved them for your enjoyment. Many wax museum update their models to keep the realistic to reflect the current looks or styles.
'If you are looking back to the 70s, so the stars as they were. Nostalgia and memories. Show your grand children the stars and leaders during your generation and help us bring the museum to life.'-- Louis Tussauds House of Wax
January 3, 2014:'The world’s worst waxworks collection has been snapped up by a mystery buyer from the Czech Republic, just over a year after it closed amid a storm of ridicule. Jane, 83, who still lives above the former attraction in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, with 86-year-old Peter, said: “All the models and machines and frames were sold in one go. I don’t really know who the chap was but he took everything. We hadn’t planned to leave and we miss the business terribly. But me and my husband have both been ill and thought it was foolish to keep going. We had a lot of bad press and I feel a bit irritated that the local people didn’t stick up for us a bit more.” Peter, who ran the museum for 57 years, admitted in 2008 that the models became so old they were no longer lifelike.'-- Daily Mirror
The constellation
Prince Charles
John Lennon
Freddie Mercury
Sean Connery
Simon Cowell
Rowan Atkinson
Princess Diana
Tom Hanks
Pierce Brosnan
Prince William
Peter Sutcliffe
Tom Jones
Johnny Depp
Harry Potter & Hermione Granger
Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
Charles Manson
The Beatles
The Fonz & Telly Savales
Julia Roberts
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Michael Jackson
Jack Nicholson
Johnny Cash
Prince Edward
Quentin Tarrantino
?
Shirley Bassey
Queen Elizabeth
The cast of 'Eastenders'
Adolf Hitler
Elton John
Star Trek
Cliff Richard
Picasso
Sylvester Stallone
Justin Bieber
Walt Disney
?
Elvis Presley
John Travolta
Cher
Tom Cruise
Richard Nixon
Bruce Springsteen
David Bowie
(2)
'The methods taxidermists practise have been improved over the last century, heightening taxidermic quality and lowering toxicity. The animal is first skinned in a process similar to removing the skin from a chicken prior to cooking. This can be accomplished without opening the body cavity, so the taxidermist usually does not see internal organs or blood. Depending on the type of skin, preserving chemicals are applied or the skin is tanned. It is then either mounted on a mannequin made from wood, wool and wire, or a polyurethane form. Clay is used to install glass eyes. Forms and eyes are commercially available from a number of suppliers. If not, taxidermists carve or cast their own forms.
'Taxidermists seek to continually maintain their skills to ensure attractive, lifelike results. Many taxidermists in the US use bears, though some use creatures such as snakes, birds and fish. Although mounting an animal has long been considered an art form, often involving months of work, not all modern taxidermists trap or hunt for prize specimens.
'Taxidermy specimens can be saved for later use by freezing. The taxidermist then removes the skin, to be tanned and treated at a later date. Numerous measurements are then taken of the remaining body. A traditional method that remains popular today involves retaining the original skull and leg bones of a specimen and using these as the basis to create a mannequin made primarily from wood wool (previously tow or hemp wool was used) and galvanised wire. Another method is to mould the carcass in plaster, and then make a copy of the animal using one of several methods. A final mould is then made of polyester resin and glass cloth; from which a polyurethane form is made for final production. The carcass is then removed and the mould is used to produce a cast of the animal called a 'form'. Forms can also be made by sculpting the animal first in clay. Many companies produce stock forms in various sizes. Glass eyes are then usually added to the display, and in some cases, artificial teeth, jaws, tongue, or for some birds, artificial beaks and legs can be used.
'An increasingly popular trend is to freeze dry the animal. This can be done with reptiles, birds, and small mammals such as cats, large mice and some types of dogs. Freeze drying is expensive and time consuming. The equipment is costly and requires much upkeep. Large specimens can be required to spend as long as six months in the freeze dryer, although it is the preferred technique for pets. Freeze dried animals, though, may later be susceptible to being eaten by carpet beetles.'-- collaged
badtaxidermy.com
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p.s. Hey. So, I totally spaced out yesterday and forgot that Zac and I are auditioning performers for our film project from 9 am this morning until 7 pm tonight, so I will not be able to do the p.s. today. I apologize. Tomorrow, Saturday, it's the same deal, but, if I'm not fried when I get home tonight, I'll try to do a nighttime p.s. and get to as many of the comments from yesterday or today as have appeared by then and as I can manage and then post that degree of my responsiveness as a semi-p.s. on Saturday. We'll see. Anyway, yeah, sorry about that. Hopefully, I'll see you more thoroughly tomorrow, and, in any case, the blog will back and new for the weekend.