Little green men. Aliens. Greys. The Asgard (if you're a SG-1 fan). The fellas from the big ship in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Enigmatic and shadowy, with a backstory no doubt longer than a few million years.
You know, those smaller-statured, big eyed sentients with no clothing and long fingers that love abducting people and subjecting them to medical experiments. Just my type of guys! Alien masks have been around for a while, and many of the other mask makers have them in some shape or form:
Composite Effects: "Gray The Alien"
Immortal Masks: "The Other"
ShatteredFX: "V'ok The Alien"
O'Neail FX Studios: "Mr. Gray"
Darkride Studios: "The Visitor"
But there was always something not "just right" ... on all of these that held me back. Then Yves Gravelle came out with "The Grey" THIS was the type of mask that really hit the nail on the head when you thought of grey aliens. There was a lot of R&D done on the lenses - materials, forming, durability and attachment into the mask. The mask is a bit heavy since the back of the head is solid silicone, but it's fairly easy to adjust to the change in balance once it's on your head. I also have a demon with ram horns, and it took me longer to not bang into doorways than adjust to the balance of the mask.
The lenses are great - it's like looking through a pair of medium-dark sunglasses. There is a little bit of distortion in them, but nothing that affects normal activities - I definitely wouldn't drive a car with this mask on - and fogging is not an issue either. I use a mask defogger for scuba divers and it works like a charm.
Mouth movement is excellent - Yves' design has also been completely faithful to the proportions of the grey alien - smaller than normal, but still full movement available.
I'll admit ... I'm at a bit of a loss for the outfit, now that I have the mask... I was thinking somewhat of a military type costume, but now I'm having second thoughts. I do have a horror mask that makes an excellent alien soldier/mercenary, so perhaps this mask should represent something else. I had one person suggest the flowing robes that were in the original Star Trek pilot "The Menagerie".
I really would appreciate any suggestions from my readers as well!
Below is a quick movement video I did of the mask:
I generally like my masks to be clean-shaven, or when there is facial hair involved, well-trimmed and generally short. Too much facial hair seems to make the mask look older and more disheveled, and that's not the look that I prefer. Except if I could look like Lasse Matberg.
Lasse Matberg is a Norwegian naval officer and he is the physical embodiment of the character "Thor" from the Marvel universe.
Of all the realistic masks that have been made, there hadn't been one in existence that looked close enough to him to actually plunk down the money for the mask and the hairing to create this look. Until Yves Gravelle came out with his "Clark" mask.
I've purchased several masks from Metamorphose already - his Superhero and his Soul Man - all are well-made, beautifully painted and finished, with excellent eye and lip fitment. I didn't expect any less with this one, and I was not disappointed. Yves is really stepping up his game for his masks and each one is improving on the last. The "Clark" mask is a bit lighter than his earlier masks, but still has a comfortable heft to it. It's also a bit snugger on my face and neck, which I appreciate - the worst thing in wearing a realistic mask is having the neck wrinkle if you turn your head.
One item that is a new innovation is his nose bridge. I've been involved for a long time with silicone masks, going back to when Rusty Slusser first made his "Thug". And I was also working with Rusty when he came out with his nose bridge as well. His initial concept was far more flexible and customizable than the thermoplastic he eventually included in his masks, but his implementation was not well-suited for the long-term. THIS bridge design is one of the top-of-the-line. It is comfortable and infinitely adjustable and allows the perfect drape of the silicone across your nose to keep the lower eyeholes tight to your face. By either pressing or pinching it, the mask will conform to your own individual nose shape.
Yves also did the hairing on the mask and as usual, he did an amazing job as well. I love this mask and it's one of the most realistic masks I own. And I've done a video review of the mask as well...
