• Portfolio Blog
• About mnfx And This Blog
• Spotlight Projects

mnfx portfolio blog

• The Reveal XT Hits The Big Time

  22Jan
  Categories: Tradeshow Comments: 0

  Medtronic wanted to showcase the Reveal XT¹ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) for tradeshow use. But it’s hard to capture a passers-by attention when a product the size of a thumb drive can easily be overlooked. But if it’s almost fifteen times larger than life, that has a little different visual impact.

  The actual Reveal XT cowering beneath the enlarged version.

  Working off a supplied demo device and CAD drawings, we fabricated the 36 inch long version of the Reveal XT². The body is made of Sintra PVC sheet and prototyping board. The clear cap is made of two vacuum formed PETG shells. The electrodes, brackets and stand are machined from aluminum. A road case was fitted with custom shaped foam inserts so the Reveal XT³ can travel the world safely and in style.

  

  Tags: cardiac monitor, icm, medtronic, oversized model, reveal, reveal dx, reveal xt, Tradeshow

• Follow The White Rabbits!

  05Dec
  Categories: Brand Icons, Other Comments: 1

  For this campaign we were asked by Fallon to produce over 50 white rabbit masks. They were used for the street promotion of SyFy channels ‘Alice’ miniseries, a modern adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland‘.

  First we made three heads with straps for acrobats to wear for capturing video footage, which is used in the videos that were projected onto buildings and used for interactive web applications.  Then we started production on 55 more rabbit heads that were shipped to New York and used in the street performances. One was also sent to 30 Rock for photographing the White Rabbit in everyday activities.

  For pictures and video of the actual campaign in action, visit these two pages at NOTCOT.com:  Fallon’s Alice Campaign for SyFy and Day in the Life of The White Rabbit.  See more videos on YouTube.com.

  

  The group photo before being packed into boxes for their journey to New York.

  

  

  The masks are made of cast latex and backed with soft foam for structure and fit. The slots cut from the rabbits mouth allowed the performers to see.

  

  Each rabbit head was supplied with a hood and mask to cover the performers mouth and neck. The mask is made of latex with a metallic paint finish. It attached to the hood with velcro.

  Tags: alice, alice in wonderland, alice's adventures in wonderland, dancing rabbit, fallon, follow the white rabbit, latex mask, lewis carroll, new york, rabbit, rabbit mask, street performance, syfy, the white rabbit, union square, white rabbits

• Castle Stomping Fun!

  29Sep
  Categories: Miniatures, Table Top Props Comments: 0

  This was one of those tough, grueling photo shoots. The kind where you spend the whole day at the beach playing in sand. Here we made a smashed sand castle by carving the various wrecked castle components from EPS foam and applying sand to them.  Then it was set up on Lake Nokomis Main Beach with a pneumatic sand cannon buried behind the castle to launch the sand plume into the air. The ad is for Arctic Cat snowmobiles with photography by Kyle Johnson-MacPherson of Periscope.

  

  Tags: arctic cat, beach, kyle johnson macpherson, lake nokomis, periscope, sand castle, sled, snow suit, snowmobile

• Metro Transit Parachuting Apples

  29Sep
  Categories: Miniatures, Table Top Props Comments: 0

  This image was for Metro Transit, which serves the Minneapolis and St. Paul region. We created a miniature parachute with a harness that could be fastened to an apple. It also had rigging so it could be suspended from overhead. The parachute is fabricated from a thin transparent plastic that we vacuum formed and then painted with translucent paints. Also did a second version that was crumpled a bit for the apple that has landed. We also supplied plastic grass for the image. Photography by Kyle Johnson-MacPherson of Periscope.

  

  Tags: apple, kyle johnson macpherson, metro transit, minneapolis, parachute, parachuting, periscope, skydiving, st. paul

• Tony of Tony’s Pizza

  29Sep
  Categories: Brand Icons Comments: 0

  The following sculptures of Tony were done for a series of ads for Tony’s Pizza, a Schwan Food Company brand.

  

  Tony  bowing in worship to the king of frozen pizza. Also sculpted the pillow and crown.

  

  Shouldn’t everyone have a slice in their back pocket.

  

  Showing the heft of the Tony’s Deep Dish pizza.

  

  Originally posed to hold a Tony’s pizza box, but here he holds one of our old business cards.

  Tags: deep dish, frozen pizza, schwan food, schwans, tony, tonys pizza

• Purina Hi Pro

  28Sep
  Categories: Brand Icons, Table Top Props Comments: 0

  A pair of props done for Purina Hi Pro dog food.  The first image was created by making a custom printed bag so it had structure to stand upright and capable of having the gas pump mounted to it.  The second image is of the packaging as a battery.  The battery was built about 18 inches tall with machined terminals and custom applied graphics.

  

  

  Tags: battery, dog food, gas pump, hi pro, purina

• Sinking Ship

  28Sep
  Categories: Miniatures Comments: 2

  This was for a brochure that was folded in such a way that only the sinking ship was shown.  As it was opened it was revealed that the ship is in fact a radio controlled toy operated by the boy on the dock.  The design of the ship is a fusion of two different historical ships.  The entire model is scratch built with working lighting.  The power for the lighting was run through pvc tubing from the shore. The picture was shot in Lake Minnetonka by Joe Paczkowski.

  

  Tags: joe paczkowski, lake minnetonka, ocean liner, queen mary, radio controlled boat, radio controlled ship, rc boat, rc ship, sinking ship, titanic

• Schwinn Logo

  28Sep
  Categories: Brand Icons Comments: 0

  The Schwinn logo made from aluminum and brass. It was machined in four components, the ring, letters, brass center and the star.

  

  Tags: bicycle, bikes, metal logo, scwhinn

• The Amazing Animal Balancing Act

  25Sep
  Categories: Other Comments: 0

  For this amazing balancing act we modified the pedals, seat and handle bars of the tricycle so the trainer could actually sit the dog on it for the photo. The cat and mice were photographed separately and composited together in the final image.  After the ads run, it has since been licensed for use in posters and greeting cards. Photography by Dublin Productions.

  

  Tags: balancing, cat, circus act, dog, gymnastics, mice, mouse, trapeze, tricycle

• Trix Rabbit

  25Sep
  Categories: Brand Icons Comments: 0

  
  

  Made the silly Trix rabbit as a keychain on the backpack. This was to help promote General Mills and the Box Tops 4 Education program.

  Tags: 4 education, backpack, box top, cheerios, four education, general mills, keychain, lucky charms, silly rabbit, trix, wheaties