# need input... advice!



## Creeptown USA (Feb 26, 2015)

Hi everyone. I have just signed up and am anxious to communicate. I have been a painter and sculptor for over 30 years. Having worked to help support our Veterans, I have mainly concentrated on monument and memorial works. Recently a vet carpenter who had worked for me on my horse ranch in the past moved back into the area and needed work. I was right before Halloween, my favorite holiday, so I offered him work doing a few designs for my infamous annual halloween party. We had so much fun designing and working together, that I decided to press onward and build my dream of an entire town for the event. We have a great arrangement. I design the buildings etc. and he does the building. Then, I do all the artwork on each exhibit and design the next one. As a sculptor and mold maker, I am creating all of the characters in the town. So far we have 26 exhibits planned for completion by mid September 2015. Of course, I will be including all of my past creations as well. We are currently working on Creeptown carnival monster-go-round as well as our visiting spaceship with 9 ft alien. The toxic waste dump is nearly completed and we have just finished our Horse Drawn Hearse and fences for the cemetery. Mausoleum and cemetery entrance underway as well. 
But here is my delema. Because I have not had a lot of experience in animating my characters, I have bee learning the hard way. Thanks to the info I have seen on the forum, I have been successful so far, but things are getting more complicated. It has taken us a while to figure out how to motorize the monster-go-round...valuable time wasted. Hopefully we have it now. Next is the ferris wheel. I am also doing a pirate ship wreck, asylum, haunted school, unnatural history museum, dracula's house, three witches (one flying), moving bridge surrounded by alligators, spider invasion, zombie drive in theater, zombie invasion, and more, more, more! 
The best part is that we will charge $10 a carload fee to park and walk through. The volunteer actors are from the American Legion who will be paid as well as receive a percentage...assuming we make any money. Honestly, no matter how hard I try, I just can't build a town on a dime! Any DIY advice is welcome!!


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## Abunai (Oct 28, 2007)

It sounds like you are having, and will continue to have, a blast!
Lots of room and time to play. 

My joke advice is for you to adopt me, so that I can come to Florida and help build this awesome sounding haunt. 

My only real advice is to keep visiting the forums, and MonsterList, etc.. There are plenty of people around here that can help you on a case-by-case basis. 

It sounds like your next project is a ferris wheel? How big? What is your vision for that?

(Welcome aboard, BTW)


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

No particular advice for your awesome vision but:










Also pics of your work are a good thing to share


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

Welcome! What a huge undertaking you've got! At first I was assuming that it was a small table top town until further reading that people could park and walk through. Wow, that's alot of work. I think it's great that your actors are from the American Legion too. 

I wish I could contribute some ideas, but this is way beyond my scope of expertise. However, there are members here who are very talented and have very creative minds who I'm sure would help you.


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## Evil Queen (Mar 8, 2008)




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## SPOOKY J (Nov 20, 2009)

Hello and Welcome!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Welcome to the forum If you have specific questions about animating props, you can try posting them in the Tech Terror section. There are a lot of helpful and savvy tech gurus that hang out there


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

WOW good luck and welcome to the forum!


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## Goblin (Jun 3, 2009)




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## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

hey & welcome.


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## Creeptown USA (Feb 26, 2015)

Thanks for all the votes of confidence and well wishes! I have not returned to forum...as you can imagine how busy it has gotten! I have with my carpenters help finally finished the 16 ft saucer and am now adding a 16ft tall rocket using airplane fusalauge DON'T KNOW SPELLING that I acquired from a junk yard. So it looks like we will end up with an entire invasion once you include the saucers that are flying among the trees. I am frantically working at the sculpting table. The monster Go round is complete and I am adding the 5 monsters as I get them finished. The three witch houses, all two story, are nearing completion and I have acquired an old 6 man golf cart from a junk yard that is being renovated for the zombies to ride in at the Zombie Drive in theater. The evil pumpkin patch is ready to go in as soon as time gets closer. Holding off on the ferris wheel 'til we can complete all the (4) wards in the asylum and the unnatural history museum. forcing myself to prioritize! Still have bridges to build and lots of characters to animate. Everything in cemetery is ready. I just animated my skeleton pallbearers and the hearse, ghosts and sound and lightning effects are ready but not quite finished with skeleton horse for hearse. Not so funny about that adoption! There are only two of us and time is fast running out! Thanks for the advice on where to find the techno nerds..I have many questions. I do not have a nighttime photo of saucer and monster go round yet, but intend to post lots of photos soon. Appreciate any info and help.


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## BillyVanpire (Apr 22, 2015)

Hi, this is an awesome undertaking..kudos to you Creeptown USA.

the monster-go-round is a merry-go-round with monsters on it or a ferris wheel?

either way you might be able to gear up a clothes dryer motor to spin an axle,
or maybe spin a drive wheel/tire that spins the floor in a circle.

welcome to the club


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## deadSusan (Jun 26, 2013)

Welcome!


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