Props · Models · Scenic · Effects
Realistic Illusions builds theatre and cosplay props, models, scenic elements and special effects that look real up close. People often have to pick our pieces up before they believe they aren't.
What we build
From a single hand prop to a whole room. We sculpt, mold, cast and paint in-house.
Taverns, venues, game rooms and bar tops with faux stone, aged timber and custom finishes.
Cast beams · carved foam stone · live-edge & epoxyHand props, food, hardware and sculptures that are light and durable but hold up to close inspection.
Foam · resin casts · 3D prints · paintSets, rock walls, trees, fireplaces and hands-on exhibits for stages, museums and events.
Extruded polystyrene · hard coat · scenic paintPractical fire, glow and fog effects that are safe indoors and run all night.
LED flame · fog · cast logs and rockParade floats, replicas and display models built to travel.
Foam mock-ups · framed structures · paintRepair and refinishing for damaged props, arcade cabinets, collectibles and artwork, matched to the original.
Color matching · re-casting · sculpt repairPortfolio
A calm sensory fort for the Cheyenne Children's Museum. Its walls hold CNC-cut hexagonal frames filled with 80 hands-on tiles: resin landscapes, a Grand Prismatic hot spring, fossils, stone, bark and a light-up fiber-optic tile.
The Cheyenne Children's Museum's dinosaur ribcage and skull climbers were cracked and stained after years outdoors. We patched them, resurfaced them and gave them a durable new finish.
Set and props for Camelot: stylized trees, a castle, the sword in the stone, a chess set, heralds' trumpets, swords, a shield and severed heads.
The laboratory control panel for Young Frankenstein, with working gauges, a big wheel and glowing tubes.
For Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella: a stone fireplace with LED fire, plus flameless candles and a lit magic wand.
A full speakeasy-style tavern built out over several years. Beams are cast from a 100-year-old timber, and every fireplace stone is hand-carved foam.
A water-damaged Williams Robotron 2084 cabinet brought back: stripped, repaired, repainted and re-stenciled to match the original side art.
A walk-in replica of the church, built on a trailer for the 2024 parade celebrating 140 years serving Cheyenne.
A large carved cedar sign for Advocates for Recovery Colorado at The Ranch, finished with stain and a rope border.
Custom engraving for Harrington's: the name, "Estd 2020" and "South Side Original" engraved into their live-edge bar top.
A glowing golden imp set into a sculpted stone archway.
A period "two valve" wireless set built from scratch for the stage, shown in progress and finished.
Pulley blocks and deadeyes with iron hooks and chain. They look like old wood and iron but are light enough to hang anywhere.
A self-contained campfire with lit rocks and logs under a copper kettle on a stick tripod.
A large silicone mold taken from a weathered barn beam, so its grain and cracks can be cast again and again.
A fake turkey leg realistic enough that people reach for it.
A wooden presentation box with an engraved emblem.
A small themed bathroom with a painted bare-tree mural and gothic details.
About
When I was young, I always wanted to be able to draw. With lots of erasing and concentration I could make semi-respectable artwork, but I was jealous of people who could do it with ease. It wasn't until a few decades later that I found I could work in three dimensions much more easily, recreating things in clay, foam and other materials. I just needed that extra dimension.
Today Realistic Illusions LLC works out of a shop outside Cheyenne, Wyoming, building for theatres, museums, businesses, churches, collectors and homeowners across the Colorado Front Range.
Contact
Tell us what you need, when you need it and where it's going. Photos or sketches help.