We’re well into the spooky season, and you can’t walk into a store without seeing Halloween decorations…which is a good thing! Home Depot, Lowe’s, Spirit Halloween and others have items which you’ll see in people’s yards all over your neighborhood this Fall.
While it’s easy enough to purchase and set up big animatronic props like the 12-foot Animated Scarecrow which I reviewed this summer, you might be looking for something that sets your Halloween display apart from your neighbors. And that means a DIY animated prop.
There are plenty of tutorials available online for making your own spooky decor, but a much easier way to go, especially for first-timers, is a pre-assembled kit. There are a few companies out there that offer you kits which contain all of the basic components that you’ll need, along with detailed instructions. Of these, I found Spider Hill Prop Works to be among the most affordable and accessible for someone getting into making their own Halloween props.
The Animated Ground Breaker Kit
Spider Hill Prop Works sent me their Animated Ground Breaker Kit to assemble and try out. For those who don’t know, a ground breaker tends to be a zombie or other creature pulling itself out of the ground, as if it were rising from a grave.
The Animated Ground Breaker comes in two varieties: a Basic Kit for $184.99, and a Complete Kit for $204.99. The difference between the two kits is that the Complete Kit contains all of the precut PVC pipe that you’ll need to assemble the kit, whereas the Basic Kit requires you to separately purchase and cut the PVC pipe yourself. In my opinion, the extra cost in purchasing the Complete Kit is well worth it for the inclusion of the ready-to-go PVC pieces.
The kit contains the following:
- (1) Machined aluminum motor base mount (completely assembled)
- (1) 12 volt DC wiper motor (installed)
- (1) 12 volt DC 5 amp wiper motor power supply with PWM Speed Controller (assembled)
- (1) Assembled set of motor drive arms with hardware
- (2) 1 inch PVC T fittings with reducers installed
- (1) 1 inch PVC cross fitting with reducer and 4″ x 1/2″ PVC neck pipe
- (1) 1 inch x 4 inch PVC spine with bronze bushings installed
- (4) SJ-1 PVC Spider Joint fittings with fender washers installed
- (1) Tube silicone grease
- (26) Self drilling screws
- (9) Wood Screws
- (2) 2″ x 2″ steel L brackets with mounting hardware (2) 10/24 x 2″ truss head machine screws (4) 10/24 nylon insert hex nuts
- Assembly instructions
- The Complete Kit also includes Precut and labeled:
- (4) shoulders (2 inner, 2 outer)
- (4) arms (2 upper arms, 2 forearms) forearms are predrilled
- (4) sliders (2 upper 1/2 inch pipes, 2 lower 1 inch pipes)
The one component that you will need to complete the kit is a wood base, which can be readily picked up at a Home Depot or lumber store.
The instructions list all of the tools that you will need to assemble the kit. I did have to go out and get one of the drill bits and the paddle bit as I didn’t already own those.
Tools required:
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Straight edge ruler
- An awl or a nail for marking holes
- Hacksaw or PVC cutter (basic kit only)
- Cordless drill
- Phillips screwdriver
- Rubber mallet
- 1/16″ drill bit
- 3/16″ drill bit
- 1/2″ wood paddle bit
- Phillips head bit
Even though I’m not much of a DIY guy, the instructions were easy to follow and I had no problems getting the kit put together. All in all, it took me less than two hours for the assembly. Here you can see the steps I went through:
And here’s a video of the prop in motion. You can increase and decrease the speed, but you don’t want it going too fast otherwise it will look like your ground breaker is doing a cardio workout!
And that’s the assembled ground breaker kit. Of course, a naked prop isn’t going to make much of a Halloween decoration. So I did some shopping for some things to dress it up.
The first consideration in costuming is what type of a ground breaker you want. While a zombie is the traditional path to go for this prop, I have some aquatic-themed Halloween decorations this year. I decided to make a swamp/sea creature, and began looking around for a mask and costume pieces that I could use. I also grabbed a Styrofoam wig head, and some pool noodles to give a little bulk to the prop.
Before adding any costume pieces, you’ll want to add the pool noodles. I cut pieces to a size to ensure that they wouldn’t interfere with any of the motion of the prop. The PVC pieces are merely fitted together, not glued, so it’s easy to partially disassemble them for this.
Next, I added the costume top and styrofoam head.
I also draped some fabric down from the head to disguise the exposed neck, and made a pool noodle ring around the central columns to create a chest for the prop.
Here’s the finished swamp creature in action!
Animated Ground Breaker Kit From Spider Hill Prop Works – The Verdict
If you’re looking to personalize your Halloween decorations, then building your own is definitely the way to go. With the Animated Ground Breaker Kit, Spider Hill Prop Works provides a great gateway into the world of DIY props. It’s quick and easy to assemble, and of course you can customize it any way that you want.
I felt a lot of satisfaction once I’d assembled the kit and plugged it in for the first time. It’s a greater satisfaction than you get assembling a store-bought prop, because it was something that I’d fully put together myself. Putting the kit together also made me feel like I’m ready to take on even bigger prop-making challenges.
With the combined cost of both the Animated Ground Breaker Kit and the additional supplies for dressing it up, you’re spending about the same as you would with mass market Halloween decorations. But in the end, what you are making is your own unique animated prop, which no one else will have. And that is well worth the price of admission.
If you’re interested in the Animated Ground Breaker Kit, then head over to Spider Hill Prop Works for more information.
Spider Hill Prop Works provided a kit for evaluation, but had no input into this review.
