Hello everyone or, as G would say, huzzah! We’re so excited to announce that one of the main settings in The Inventsons, Rigidville, has been brought to life at Inventionland Headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA. Rigidville is the resident home of Balzer, our lovably cheesy villain who spends the majority of his time in his factory cooking up crooked schemes to take down the Inventsons. And now, thanks to Inventionland, you can see the buildings of this town made into hyper-realistic models. This immersive work environment includes such creative sets as a castle, a treehouse, a pirate ship, and many more. It’s hard to believe people work in a building that looks more like the Wonka factory, but they do- and one person in particular is responsible for our addition into these magical halls.
The designer and model maker on this project, Stuart Halldin, not only worked to bring Rigidville to life but he also worked on several set pieces and top-secret projects circulating around Inventionland. We were able to sit down with Stuart to discuss the new Inventsons set installation and to learn about the life of a Professional Model Maker:
Inventsons (IN): How did you go about designing Rigidville?
Stuart Halldin (SH): Basically, I just copied it out of the comic book. I used the design that was in the comic book and made it into 3D. The hard part was getting it to fit on that mountain that we had already built and interact with the waterfall and everything.
IN: Any pieces that were particularly difficult to build?
SH: Mainly the fountain because I had to get it to match the already existing fountain, so I had to get everything to line up just right and get it to sit on the mountain.
IN: How did you start the design process?
SH: I pretty much start on the computer. I measured the whole mountain and everything and then laid it out in the computer to see how exactly I’d have to build it. Then I used the milling machine to mill all of my pieces exactly. And then I glued them all together and coded them and painted them.
IN: How is the process different when you don’t have a design to work off of?
SH: The only difference is I’d typically draw lots of sketches to make the design up in the first place. But [with this project] since I already had a design done, I just had to make it 3D.
IN: For this specific project, what was the most rewarding part of the design process?
SH: Hmm… that’s a tough one… just the fact that I get to do this as a job, that’s rewarding in itself… the fact that every day I get to come in and say ‘look what I’m doing today’. People will ask me, ‘What did you do at work today?’ and I can say, ‘Oh, I built this thing.’
IN: In general, what is your favorite part of the design process?
SH: Seeing the final product. When I get to say, ‘Oh, I built that.’ When it’s done that’s when it’s like its own reward. I have trouble starting because it can make me think- how do I do this? Especially when it’s a huge multi-month project, it can be daunting at first.
IN: How long do projects like these typically take?
SH: Well this one was roughly five months. Because it’s just me, certain things take longer. We probably could cut some time down if I had someone else working on it with me and planning it differently…. I’m moving around to different stations throughout the day. I try to plan out my day in a way where I can do my computer work in the morning because I can’t just sand all day. So, I’ll do some computer work and then I’ll go to the shop and get some work done there. But the last month [of a project] is pretty crazy where I’m just in the shop all day.
IN: What’s your favorite model you’ve built?
SH: I like my Inventionland model because it’s so complex and there are so many pieces. That one was crazy because there are so many parts. And I look at it now and I think ‘woah’. Sometimes I’ll just walk over and stare at it.
IN: What would you say to kids or students who would want to be a Model Maker like you?
SH: Hmm… that’s a really tough one… I’d say just try to beat yourself, try to be better than yourself… And look at multiple different ways of doing the same thing. Because sometimes you have to get a project done fast and still make it look OK. While other times you’ll have the luxury of not having a time limit and you can do the more complex and better-looking version of a project. So it’s good to have multiple different ways of looking at the same thing.
Stay tuned as additional set pieces are constructed and added to Inventionland, book a tour to see Rigidville in person, or if you’d like to purchase a copy of the Inventsons comic, click here!