One of the hardest things about this project was finding sources for material and also sources of information. This page should help you get rolling on your own animatronic project. Keep in mind that all internet sources will be put on the links page. Informational sources These are in no particular order. Human Anatomy for Artists ISBN 0-19-505206-4 This book is a really great anatomy book. It goes over every part of the body that can affect the appearance of the body. It does so in detail and has many pictures and drawings that can be referred to while sculpting. Techniques of Three-dimensional Makeup ISBN 0-8230-5261-3 This book has a lot of information about mold making, sculpting and casting as it relates to stage and video/film makeup. The Illusion of Life - Lifelike Robots ISBN 0-88157-000-1 This book looks as if it would be a great source of information for this subject, but it is mostly a 'who did it' type of book and not a ' how they did it. Still, It has information about a lot of companies that do this sort of thing. The Prop Builder's Molding and Casting Handbook ISBN 1-55870-128-1 This book is a great source of information about what is out there that you can cast and mold with. It goes over quite a few types of materials and tells how to use them. Digital Design Principles & Practices ISBN 0-13-211459-3 I just can't say enough good stuff about this book. It is a textbook that takes you from knowing nothing about digital electronics to knowing quite a lot. It really beats the socks off of other digital electronics texts that I have seen. I have used it extensively when doing the electronics for this project. Material Sources Douglass and Sturges 730 Bryant St. San Francisco, Ca. 94107 415-421-4456 This place has a lot of molding and casting products. They also sell some tools to work with these products. These guys if you catch them when they aren't busy can tell you almost anything that you might want to know about sculpting,working with their products, other material sources, ect. Burman Industries 14141 Covello St, Suite 6-A Van Nuys, Ca. 94105 818-782-9833 This company has the largest selection of molding, casting, makeup supplies, books, videos, special effects prosthetics materials, ect.. that I have come across so far. Their catalog should be a must get item. Complexions International 482 Wellington St. West Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 1E3 416-340-2661 This is primarily a school of beauty and special effects makeup, but they also have a store that is open to the public. They are a little more expensive than other places, but they also offer some things that the others don't. Remember that the prices in their catalog are in Canadian dollars (about $US x 1.33). Kryolan 132 9th St. San Francisco, Ca. 94103-2603 415-863-9684. This place is mostly stage makeup, but they also resell Burman hot foam, so if you live in SF, they are a good place to get it quickly. Digi-Key 1-800-344-4539 A really big electronic parts catalog. You can buy the Basic stamp form here. MondoÄTronics' Robot Store 1-800-374-5764 They have all kinds of electronics kits and neat stuff. They sell servo packages with a serial servo controller that you can hook to a computer, microcontroller, ect.. Other Sources Cables You can go to any bicycle shop and pick up some really sturdy brake cables that are great for push/pull applications. A good hobby shop should have throttle cables for R/C models. I have found some that can be bent around a 1" radius and have no real amount of resistance. You can bend them even farther, but they start to not like it. Brass A lot of hobby stores and also hardware stores have an assortment of brass rods and tubes. They work great to build your armatures out of.