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Say hello to Huey I'm starting with a completed shot because this project is too wierd to explain with out it. Here is Huey shortly before he was sent away. A local foundry, whose usual products are helicopter turbines fans and other precision pieces, cast Huey's aluminum parts. The casting technique they use is known as "lost wax casting," which requires the item first be made completely, and accurately in wax, then a ceramic mold is formed around the wax piece, the wax is melted out and replaced by the molten metal. To aid in accurate fabric evaluation, the mannequin is divided into several "heat zones." Each zone is controlled by a computer, which regulates the temperature and moisture in that zone. As aluminum is very thermally conductive, a major requirement for the mannequin is to have a uniform wall thickness. Picture a chocolate Easter bunny with the chocolate thickness being exactly equal no matter where you bit in to it. This foundry has many years of experience, but this is not a usual request, and they had no idea how to achieve it. That was my job. Not having any idea what couldn't be done, I plunged right ahead. MTNW had an existing two part (front half and back half) negitive mold, made from a store mannequin, available for my use. I thought of brushing or sloshing the molten wax into the mold, but that would be a slow and uneven process at best, as any imperfection in the wax would also show in the final aluminum piece.