Case study of astronaut sculpture model production

Case study of astronaut sculpture model production

This project is a proportional luminous astronaut sculpture model, created artistically based on a space suit as a prototype, balancing science popularization display and commercial beauty display functions, ultimately achieving 90% visual restoration and becoming a highly recognizable core device in space scenes.

In terms of material selection, we prioritize both structural stability and lamp light transmittance. The main skeleton adopts a high-strength metal frame to ensure the load-bearing and deformation resistance of large-sized shapes; The outer shaping is made of environmentally friendly fiberglass material, which is lightweight and easy to finely carve, and can perfectly restore the folds and texture of space suits. The helmet face shield is made of high transparency acrylic sheet, which has been vacuum coated to present a mirror reflective effect, simulating the metallic texture of real aerospace helmets. The base simulates the surface of the moon and is made of lightweight resin material, which facilitates the later carving of circular crater textures. The internal lighting system uses flexible LED light strips to ensure uniform and soft lighting, avoiding local excessive brightness or dark areas.

In the production process, the team follows a step-by-step process of "skeleton shaping refinement". Firstly, according to the design drawing, build a metal skeleton to accurately locate the astronaut's salute posture and the angle of holding the red flag, ensuring overall proportional coordination. Subsequently, fiberglass blanks were laid outside the skeleton, and the full contour of the spacesuit was created by combining manual pasting with mold pressing. The focus was on polishing the details of folds at joints such as shoulders, elbows, and knees to restore the functional structure of the spacesuit. The helmet is formed using a split mold, with the outer shell first made and then embedded with a coated face mask. The edges are manually polished and sealed to ensure airtightness and aesthetics. The lunar base is hand carved and molded to replicate circular crater textures of varying sizes, simulating the true topography of the lunar surface.

Post production coloring and effect processing are key to improving the degree of restoration. We use a multi-layer spraying process, first spraying a beige primer on the main body of the space suit, and then manually depicting the red decorative strip and gray strap after it dries, with natural color transition and clear and sharp edges. The mirror effect of the helmet face mask is achieved through vacuum ion coating, with a uniform and delicate golden reflective layer that can clearly reflect the surrounding environment. The lunar base is coated with a blue white gradient paint, and then highlighted with a light gray dry sweep method to create a three-dimensional effect of the circular crater, creating a weathered texture on the surface of the moon.

The debugging of the lighting system injects vitality into the model. The internal LED light strips are evenly arranged along the contour of the spacesuit, and after soft lighting treatment, warm white light is emitted, allowing the sculpture to present a transparent and soft visual effect even at night. In the end, through the coordinated use of materials, processes, and post-processing, the model accurately reproduced the details and atmosphere of the space suit, meeting the rigor of science popularization display and possessing strong visual appeal, and gaining high recognition from customers.