Balloon Review 030 - Inflatable Oddities by BUSTER BALLOON

Originally available as an exclusive limited edition, this DVD is now available at a higher price and in four separate double DVD sets for $100 each.

I have delayed the writing of this review during the period of exclusivity, but as most of these models have already been posted on this forum, on other places on the internet and in balloon magic magazine, I am not revealing anything exclusive.

This DVD is available from http://www.tmyers.com priced $100.

These DVDs are aimed at intermediate twisters and include some difficult twists. As with all of Buster's releases, the DVD quality is excellent, humorous and thorough in their explanation. These set makes use of 321Qs, hearts and rounds as well as regular balloons. Let's see what we have here....

ICE CREAM

A wonderful ice cream making clever use of a geo and 321Q. Very fast to make with an optional cherry on top. It is very easy to interchange colours, add sprinkles and other fruits. Some glue dots are required which may slow down line work but this is great fun and loved by customers. This model is also an ideal addition to any existing designs especially for characters who need to hold something.

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SANTA HEAD

This design was originally shown in Balloon Magic Magazine and makes a sensible use of 321Qs. Very cute and cuddly and the perfect balloon for decorating walls, mounting on pillars and at the end of office desks! Fairly quick to make, not necessarily a standalone model, possibly one for decorating. Very nice. The same design can be adapted to make other characters as well such as a wizard (i.e a hat and beard)

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WITCHES HEAD

A variation of the 321Q Santa but this time a witch. The down turned green nose makes the witch look very mean. Perfect for Halloween display pieces. Very good.

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RUBBER CHICKEN

This is a wonderful comedy balloon of a rubber chicken. Brilliant and effective use of a 321Q for a tapered neck. Very original and quick to make. This one looks better when someone is holding it rather than free standing.

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GHOST

I originally saw a version of this ghost using two rounds in Balloon Magic Magazine (I think) - this updated version uses 321Qs instead. Whilst a good balloon I still prefer the version using rounds as it is faster to make and looks better in my opinion. Very quick and impressive for line work.

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LITTLE SHARK

This balloon is a really great mini-shark. An excellent and well thought out compact design but be warned. This model contains the finger killing balloon popping 'frumple' twist. If you haven't done one of these before be prepared to pop a lot of heart balloons. You will feel the pain - guaranteed. Even after making the other Buster balloons using this same twist, it really hasn't got any better. For those of you who have made the seagull from David Brenion's first DVD you will know what to expect.

Well worth the effort.

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JESTER WAND

Another variation of the 321Q face designs, this time a jester. I particularly like the colour combination for the wand but I did find the head just didn't sit right on the wand. My one kept twisting to one side. I am sure this could be fixed perhaps with a tighter joint or an additional pinch twist.

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BURLESQUE DANCER

Not one for the children but I had so much fun making this! I ended up giving this to a teenage boy as a birthday treat. He and  his friends were suitably impressed.

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FROG

Frogs seem to be very popular in the world of balloons and this one has to be one of my favourite designs. It is not overly difficult although I did find the eyes are little fiddly. This frog sits well on its own and the small amount of additional artwork really adds character.

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HORSE

I am really not too sure about this one. The concept is original, i.e. use 321Qs as legs, but it looks awful. Buster's own version of course looks much better than mine but in my own opinion still not great. All four legs require glue. It reminds of something from the movie Avatar so perhaps this is a concept that will be developed in the future. Not one for my working catalog I'm afraid.

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RAWRL

Argh -the frumple twist returns but wow what a balloon. This little monster is fantastic. The body design is really clever and provides a great design for future experimentation. Very intricate, a little time consuming but the results are well worth it.

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LITTLE PUP

Certainly more complicated than my standard single balloon dog but this guy is so cute. The frumple twist is back but the shape of the face makes room for a cheeky tongue ready to lick you. The pup's body is very simplistic and next time I may experiment by making it a little more fancy.

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WOOLFY

A nice wolf mask - I think having spent the last few weeks making David Brenion's mask this one left me a little disappointed. I know I'm being unfair here but that's the bar that everyone has to meet from now on!

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CARROT

A fun way to use a 321Q to make a carrot. This one goes well with my regular bunny design and looks great. The green bubbles on top add good animation. I love it.

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