CARNAL NATION

The first time I asked my boyfriend to make the Understudy Vibrating Dildo Kit with me, he agreed without a second thought.  However, upon seeing everything in the kit and looking at the instructions, he became more hesitant—actually very worried about his precious best friend.  “I only have one dick!  I don’t want to be your test dummy!” he protested.  It was the tip of his dick that concerned him the most; he did not want anything to get inside him.  There was also the question of what was in it and was it really safe?  I still do not know, but his little friend seems healthy after the cloning process.  It did not create any irritation or discomfort on the tip of his penis.  Everything worked out very well, and we were both amazed by the finished product.  What a great idea!  Not cheap but unique and special.  If you love the hard cock going into the mold, you can treasure the dildo it creates for a lifetime.

While making the dildo was fun, it was not erotic to us.  Measuring the water, finding the right temperature, mixing the ingredients, wanting to get it right, making the cock hard, keeping the cock hard in the makeshift kitchen laboratory, and positioning the cock to make the mold were rather overwhelming.  To avoid wasting your $45, understand the whole process before you begin, arrange the supplies, have a clock nearby, and follow the instructions exactly.  You must move quickly, but you'll still have enough time, so don’t panic and rush carelessly.  First, you transform the package it comes in into the tube where you will place the wet mold mixture. The man then penetrates the tube containing the mixture, which will harden and become the dildo mold.  We cut the molding tube to the length of his cock but failed to cover the rough edge with duct tape, oops!  While rotating his cock in the molding tube—to position it better and get it away from the edge of the tube—we accidentally scratched his groin area.  This was very counterproductive, causing his dick to shrivel up and preventing us from properly centering it in the mold. After about 2 minutes, it was easy to see if the mold had gelled enough to remove the cock safely.  The mixture used to create the mold was nice and warm.  He said it felt like a pussy when I pulled it off.

Making the dildo mold is messy, so you may want to have a shower ready.  The mixture got stuck in his pubic hair, and even in the shower, it was difficult to remove.  If you shave, it would be good to have short hair or no hair while doing this.  I waited for the mold to harden and mixed the rubber for the dildo.  The required 2 minutes of mixing time was very strenuous and unpleasant for my delicate little fingers.  Don’t use the stir stick included if you have small, weak, or lazy hands.  Next time I would use a spoon or butter knife.  Keeping the vibrator strait and centered in the mold turned out to be the most challenging part of the whole thing.  At first I had a hard time seeing if it was centered because the cardboard piece they tell you to make obstructs your view.  Then the vibrator is too heavy to be held in place by the cardboard holder we made, it simply pulled the cardboard to one side and would not stay straight in the liquid rubber.  It was a huge mess, the only solution I found was to check on it every few minutes and reposition the vibrator in the liquid.  The rubber will harden enough to hold the vibrator after awhile. 

The finished product will take 24 hours to harden.  It was torture; I so badly wanted to pull it out early.  Once I did, I was staring at an almost exact replica of my favorite cock in the world, YAY!  I had it sitting in my kitchen when he first came over and saw it, his face lit up like a kid who just received his birthday presents.  The whole day he couldn’t stop touching it and gazing at it in wonder.  It was very cute to see, but I also couldn’t help but be impressed by the detail and lifelike shape of my new toy. After the experience, my boyfriend had completely changed his mind about the Understudy Dildo Kit, and so did I.

Our first thoughts about having an "understudy" around conjured up wonderful images of "imagine if you were twins, honey!", "what will I do when you are gone over the weekend?", and even "how do YOU like it?!" Heh heh...

Upon opening up the packaging, it was nice to see that there really weren't any wasted items—the tube itself is what you pour the casting material into, the outer labels are the back side of the instructions, and so on.

The instructions were pretty easy to understand, although I'd include a few more pointers myself... so I will.

Hint for Step 1t: After cutting the tube to length, even if the cut itself is smooth to your finger touch, be sure to tape it. If you need to rotate the tube later, you'll be happy you did.

Hints for Steps 2&3: Fill a glass bowl with warmer-than-needed water and throw in your 1 cup, 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup measuring cups into the bowl with it to warm them up to the same temp as the water.  Put the thermometer in so you can see it, and wait until it's down to 98ºF, then fish out the measuring cups and transfer the measured amount into your mixing bowl just after you start your timer.  This timing really is as critical as the directions imply.  You can use a metal or glass bowl for this mixture; it cleans up very easily.  I'd recommend using a metal fork or even a whisk to blend in the powder quickly—the "cook" in me wanted the mixture only somewhat lumpy, and I was about 10 seconds late for the next part, and it showed.  Regardless of how well mixed, pour it into the tube at the 1m30s mark.  I'd suggest tapping the tube full of the mixture onto the table a couple times to help get any bubbles to the surface.  We put a towel down to catch spillout from the tube, and the mixture was easily picked up off the towel. It didn't cling at all, so I'd presume if any got on the carpet, it'd be just as easy to pick off of.

Hint for Step 4: Make sure you have enough time left to rotate the tube if needed!  Even if you don't, and the mold sets too much to prevent touching the side, it'll be ok. Just go with it.  When removing the gelled cast, the feeling of the air entering into the mold will feel really 'strange'. Heh heh!

Hint for Step 5: I'd advise jumping to Step 7 here for a moment.  Use a piece of clear plastic instead of cardboard (e.g., find a flat piece in your recycling container), so you can see how your vibrator will rest within the mold once you add the rubber.  Given my cross sectional geometry is much more varied than most dildos, the end of the vibrator wound up hanging a little close to the side due to the slight slant I apparently had while holding the mold onto myself.  I corrected much of this by trimming the top of the tube and twisting the vibrator tip around at a different angle and so on (don't forget to mark where the tube and the flat piece line up so you can put it back into the same spot later!).  So, unless you are shaped straight as an arrow, are nearly cylindrical, and can get yourself exactly centered in the tube, you might want to see how the vibrator will best fit in your mold.

Another Hint for Step 5t: Cut one end of the stick provided to be flat instead of rounded. It'll make it easier to scrape the thick clear liquid out of its container.

Hint for Step 6t: You can mix the rubber longer than 2 minutes (it takes 24hrs to set after all). Just make sure you do it at least that long.

Hint for Step 7: After the mold sets, pull it out and clean it off with soap and water.  Bevel the base toward the vibrator, leaving as much as reasonable, but remember you want to be able to remove it if inserted too far too.  If your cast mixture had air bubbles, the final mold will have tiny bumps. You can simply cut them off flush with an x-acto-style knife.  If your head has a pronounced rise from the shaft, you may have pulled some of the casting material out with you. Again, a few simple trims can remove the excess here, too.  And finally, if you touched the side of the container, the rubber will have bled out slightly in a hair-thin sheet.  This last one was the trickiest to trim off flush, so save it until last after you have gotten used to cutting the material. I must admit that taking a knife to a model of my dick gave me the odd feeling that I was circumcising myself.

Overall, the material is rather firm—almost like plastic that has some give.  This, coupled with the pronounced head ridge and veins, makes the overall product a little too stiff for her use. It's definitely one of the stiffest dildos we own.  That being said, it was actually nice in my own ass once I used enough lube. Oh, and obviously that firm material lends itself to transmitting the vibrations rather nicely... The one afterthought we had was we wished it was a variable speed vibrator (and possibly a waterproof one). Of course, we could easily have bought a replacement to use if we had thought of it beforehand.

This was definitely a great project for two... She enjoyed being the fluffer as I mixed all the items and such. In retrospect, I think it would have been easier with a third person to do the mechanics of the mixing and timing. For us, the project wound up being a bit more of a novelty than useful.  I imagine a softer material would have been better for our interests.  The Understudy is well worth the cost, for whatever reason you like best!

Although many toys that I test for the ToolBox can (and are) used by more than one person, this is one of only a few products from Good Vibrations that requires two people's participation for its success. The Understudy is an erotic art project that is a perfectly unique gift for the kinky Martha Stewart in your life. (A major bonus with the holidays coming up!) The Understudy is much more than just a toy to play with; it will probably be the most naughty craft project you'll ever partake in.

There are a couple things to consider before buying this product. Are you patient, precise, and more importantly, do you have access to an open-minded penis that wants to take a dip into gooey matter inside a plastic cylinder for the greater good of erotic art? If you can answer yes to all those questions, then please proceed. If you can’t, then please move on to one of the neater and prettier pre-assembled products offered by Good Vibrations.

The written directions to this product are very clear, which is important because preparing to make the mold will remind one of baking a cake or making candy. Exact measurements of water added to the powder mixture, as well as the precise temperature of the water, are key to the success of this mold. Thankfully, the product supplied its own thermometer to use, otherwise I might have been out of luck since I am not a baker! Just like cooking, timing is also very important with this project. Mixing the powder and water at the same time that the penis is at the height of its arousal is the only way this will work. If the timing is off, the gooey mixture in the cylinder will become hard, and you will be done. There are no second chances here. Do it right or don’t do it all as improper preparations will result in a sad pile of trash versus a custom mold of your (or your friend's) cock.
Following the directions is the most difficult part in this whole process. Once the two-minute drying time is completed and the cock wiggles itself out of the cylinder, you can relax, as the remaining part is easy. You simply let the cylinder dry for twenty-four hours before mixing and creating the actual rubber member replica, which also will have to dry for at least 24 hours before it can be unveiled. I did find that even more time was needed for drying before I felt comfortable inserting the new rubber dildo into my body, and I definitely recommend putting a condom on it since the material is very porous and could easily get pretty gross.

This is not the only make-your-own-dildo kit that I have completed. I discovered these fun toys a few years ago when I was a sex worker. I found that my excitement about the creativity of the product was high enough that I never failed to convince my clients to give it a try. This has resulted in a small collection of infamous cocks in my toy chest. Good Vibrations use to sell this toy, although I believe it was manufactured by a different company. The previous product was twice as expensive ($100), which made them more difficult to purchase, yet at the same time they were made out of silicone—not rubber—and thus a lot more enjoyable to insert in my body. This current product still makes a very realistic impression of a penis but to be truly honest, I have found that although I really like the creative aspect of this project—as well as the aesthetic look of it, I don’t like playing with the end result as a toy. Instead, it becomes a kinky homage to my love of cocks, which is a fine idea in itself.