Hi Moonbasers! I've always loved the 1960s Edai Grip toys and their lovely blister packaging. I think they are actually the best packaging (apart from Eaglemoss) ever made - fight me!
Anyway, I've wanted to make my own version for years now and making a nice presentation for my friend's Chitty chitty bang bang Code 3 was the perfect excuse. Long story short, this is how you (with a bit of effort!) can make your own in the comfort of your own garage!
1) My home built Suck-O-Matic vacuum former built from a thrown out vacuum cleaner complete with retractable flex. Most of the structure is made out of 3mm MDF laser cut, but you can do the same with a drill and craft knife. It isn't pretty, but it's very adaptable with bed sizes of 140 x 140mm and 270 x 175mm instantly available.
The package plug is made from 3mm MDF and thick cardboard, coated in polyester resin, sanded and the dings filled with auto putty. You can see the different colours in the putty batches, tinted with spray enamel that allowed me to ensure I had a nice smooth finish. Everything was polished to a high gloss.
2) My heat box is an electric bar heater with the overturn switch disabled so I can lay it on it's back! Over the top is an MDF hood and tapering chimney (covered in reflective aluminium foil to reduce absorbed heat) the double frame on the top, held tight with 9 butterfly nuts has a 1/2 mm PETG plastic sheet securely clamped inside. You could probably salvage some suitable clear sheet from modern packages as PETG is hard to source (mine is leftovers from the Sci Fi film "Infini" that I worked on almost 10 years ago!
3) After a few attempts, I got a Hero grade moulding. You can often reheat your mistakes and try again if there aren't any holes in the sheet plastic.
I had to release the clear bubble from the plug by pushing ice lolly sticks between them and using an air dust-off tool to blow it clear!
4) I already had a scan of a vintage Edai Grip package from my Joe 90 car. I laid out the artwork in Corel Draw or a similar Graphics program. I wanted a painted image of the castle and surrounding lanscape for the inside card. Being not so good at painting AND JUST BLOODY LAZY I went to the Dark Side and prompted some examples in AI them fixed them up in Photoshop. This is a test print on A4 light card from my laser printer. I'm testing staining it with coffee for an aged look, but this is a bit too over the top.
5) Taa Daah! The finished item looking just like a bought one -except that you can't buy one!
Oh what fun I've had!
Looey
Oz Base
