Balloon Chat
Uncategorized Boards => Balloon Review => Topic started by: nippy99 on September 16, 2011, 08:58:46 PM
Balloon Review 014 - YOU WANT ME TO MAKE YOU A WHAT? BY REBECCA KANAR
I am not familiar of Rebecca Kanar's work and decided to buy this DVD completely a random. The theme of this DVD is 'off the wall' requests so I am expecting some unusual and original designs. I purchased this as a batch from TMYERS and it cost me $40 (around £30) so not a cheap DVD. Let's see what we have here....
FOOTBALL HELMET AND FOOTBALL
I've never had a request for an american football helmet but then again this sport is not that popular in the UK. Even so, this is a nice design. It can be easily adapted for any type of full face helmets. The use of a 646Q to make a football (could be a rugby ball) is really effective when decorated with a white paint pen. A good model.
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QUICK PRINCESS
I've seen countless designs for Princesses but this one claims to be quick to make. In fact it is quick to make and perfect for line work. It looks quite good. I will be using this one.
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FAIRY
A variation on the previous princess and a quick to make fairy. Really cute and very popular with the girls.
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CAR
After such a positive start I find myself making a car which is quite poor. The wheels are split tulip twists but the body shape could be better. There are better car designs around which are equally fast to make.
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TOW TRUCK
A variation on the previous car. I think this model has potential but does need some more work. The shape doesn't remind me of a two truck and it just looks a little messy. Although it may take a little longer, if you are after a nice tow truck, check out Shirley Ray's version.
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T-REX
There are so many T-Rex designs around. However, this one is ideal for line work as the whole balloon (excluding the eyes) uses only two lime green 260s so it is very fast and economical to make! I will be using this one.
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Nippy, I love your reviews! I know they take a lot of time, but you are so detailed. Thank you for all of them! They are a great resource!
Hi Lynnae,
Thanks for your positive feedback. As long as people find them helpful I will continue to do them. If there is any learning resource that has caught your eye let me know what it is and I will try to review it.
Hopefully I will finish this DVD over the weekend.
Best wishes
Darren
Quote from: "Lynnae"Nippy, I love your reviews! I know they take a lot of time, but you are so detailed. Thank you for all of them! They are a great resource!
Same here, nice reviews
Wizzzz
Nippy,
Just wanted to echo the above praise for your reviews and a send a big thanks. They are by far the most useful and complete reviews I have seen and are a fantastic resource when DVD shopping. In a review of reviews, you get an A++!
Thanks again and please keep up the great work!
- Rob
Rob & Wizzz.. thanks guys. I am pleased you find them useful. Just finished three more models from this DVD....
PANDA BEAR
A very basic panda bear and ideal for a beginner. The black pinch twist ears can be difficult to push and secure on the white balloon. I would have loved this balloon many years ago but i've moved on a bit since then. This is just really a variation on the traditional teddy bear. But then my reviews are not based on how complex the balloons are or where I am in my balloon modelling adventure. This DVD is sold as items that are unusual - a panda bear is not unusual.
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POLAR BEAR
This really is not the sort of balloon you expect to find on a $40 DVD. This really is nothing more than a standard balloon dog with a bubble on the nose. Really poor. I expect to see something like this on a beginner's DVD. Very disappointed. Ideal for line work... except you may not have a line of people queuing for this!
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Pterodactyl
I am not an expert on dinosaurs and have never heard of a Pterodactyl so I cannot comment on how accurate this model is. When viewing this on the DVD I was not looking forward to making it. It didn't look particularly great. Reluctantly to finish my review I made it. WOW, what a surprise. In real-life this is actually very good. The hat design is clever in that the 'shoulders' of the wings slide along the back to make the hat adjustable. That is a really nice addition and something I can use in future designs.
Just when i thought this DVD was going down hill again this one saved the day. Very good.
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HAWK
A variation of the previous bird hat. Again the design is great as the hat is adjustable and this one is fairly quick to make.
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HERMIT CRAB
There are two twists that I have yet to master and really struggle with. One of them is a very deep hook twist and the other are tightly wound balloon spirals. Just my luck that the shell of this hermit crab uses one of those!
The photo below doesn't do the original model justice as my shell is too loose and the shape is not good enough. I really like this model but in this instance I let the creator down. I won't be making it again in a hurry! My loss.
[attachment=0:rs85mgbr][/attachment]178-hermitcrab.jpg[/attachment:rs85mgbr]
Thanks so much Nippy for these reviews!! Very helpful!
A Pterodactyl is what is now called a Pteranodon (probably had a few wrong bits in it, so they had to rename it) though I'm not an expert - just a mum of a dino-mad 5 year old.
Hat looks useful :D
Thanks for taking the time to review and photograph. really useful.
EAGLE
Another variation of the previous bird hats but this time an eagle.
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KILLER WHALE
A nice killer whale balloon. In particular I like the wrap around fins which I haven't see before. Suitable for line work.
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OWL
This balloon has a lot of potential but I probably haven't done the best job here. I like the top of the head design with the ears, eyebrows and eyes. Very nice.
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PLATYPUS
Sorry but I really don't get this one. I am not an expert on the Platypus but this balloon looks really silly. It wasn't find to make and is really a one off!
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SUMMARY
This DVD is a mixed bag collection. There are some very nice designs here but others fall short of my expectations. On a positive note there are some effective design components that can be made to make other future designs. Probably one to buy if you are interested in a specific model contained in this review. This DVD would be good for a beginner to take that next step. Certainly not one of the cheaper DVDs and so this one only scores a B-