Ten years after appearing in 1967’s King Kong Escapes in Japan, King Kong returned to American theaters in 1976’s remake of the original King Kong. However, for this remake, stop-motion animation wasn’t used like in the original, but several newer creature-creating effects were used, such as a suit with an animatronic face and a giant mechanical Kong robot. The ape suit was designed by Rick Baker (suit actor) along with Carlo Rambaldi (special effects) and Don Chandler (Kong sculptor) to look like a true male silverback gorilla, but the end result was something a bit more human-like. Seven different masks were created by Rambaldi and molded by Baker to convey various emotions. Separate masks were necessary as there were too many cables and mechanics required for all the expressions to fit in one single mask. The masks were composed of a plastic skull over which were placed artificial muscle groups activated by cables which entered the costume through Kong's feet, with the outer latex skins molded by Baker placed over the top. The masks used hydraulics to provide movement and were controlled by the team of operators working off-set with the control boards. To complete the look of a gorilla, Baker wore contact lenses so his eyes would resemble those of a gorilla.
Also, four ape suits were created and worn by Baker and realistically depicted the appropriate musculature beneath the fur through a special undersuit with silicone-filled muscles. The hands of the costume used animatronic extensions, again controlled by operators off set, so as to give Kong appropriately gorilla-like long limbs. As for the giant mechanical Kong, it was 40 feet tall and weighed 6 and a half tons (the largest mechanical creature ever created). It was constructed with a 3.5-ton aluminum frame, covered with rubber and 1,012 pounds of Argentinean horse tails, sewn into place individually. Its insides were comprised of 3,100 feet of hydraulic hose and 4,500 feet of electrical wiring. It was controlled by 20 operators and cost a total of $1.7 million. However, this massive suit was only used for a few scenes in the film. All of these same techniques (except the giant mechanical Kong) were used ten years later for 1986’s King Kong Lives for both the King Kong and Lady Kong suits.
