About and FAQ

We believe that people who buy Nimba prosthetics are different.

Our customers buy our appliances for a vast array of projects, but they all have one thing in common; they want quality. Artists using our products don’t want cheap, badly sculpted prosthetics cast in the far east, and they won’t settle for poorly designed appliances made on a kitchen counter.

That’s why we only sell serious prosthetics.

Don’t get us wrong, we love ‘bubblegum and bailing twine’ FX; some of our most memorable projects have been completed on a limited budget. Let’s face it, that’s how we all started.

But if we are asking our customers to give up their hard earned cash and trust that their artistic reputation won’t be hurt when they buy our prosthetics for their production, we owe it to them to provide the same quality appliances that you would find in any top-of-the-line FX workshop anywhere in the world.

With decades of experience in creature design, prosthetic makeup and animatronics (we are one of the very few truly ‘professional’ effects shops producing pre-made prosthetics for sale) we have the ability to produce appliances that really are second to none. We have even taken our own retail prosthetics onto film sets to use for wound and creature FX alongside masks that were months in the making.

Hobbyists and Halloween partygoers benefit from our superior products too; if you want to learn the art of prosthetic effects, why would you want to start with inferior appliances? Halloween only comes once a year, so why not be the best zombie at the party?

Thanks to the support of our customers, we continue to raise the bar both technically and artistically, and the future will see some truly mind blowing designs.

Some really serious prosthetics.

1. Realism – Gelatine has fantastic flesh like qualities. In fact, as the user wears the appliance the gelatine warms to body temperature and becomes more pliable and flexible which allows it to move with the skin beautifully.
2. No Seams! – with a little patience and some of our gelatine blender, it is possible to melt away the seams of our prosthetics to make an invisible blend into the skin. A little skill and effort can yield amazing results.
3. Cost – if we cast our prosthetics in a material such as silicone or latex, each individual casting cost would be far higher. As gelatine is a re-useable material, any bad castings and excess material is melted down and recycled, meaning we get the maximum amount of castings for our outlay, so we can keep our retail prices low.
4. Cost! – we sell gelatine for you to use on your projects for the same reason we use it on ours; gelatine is a durable, recyclable material which means that not only does it give you great results, but you have no wastage! Bad castings and excess go right back into the pot to be melted down and used again, so you can use your gelatine without worrying about wasting precious material every time!
5. Flexibility – we know that our prosthetics are in the hands of creative artists. If you want to change a little something here or there on one of the prosthetics you have bought from us, it is as easy as warming a sculpting tool in hot water and re-sculpting to get exactly the effect you want! A great advantage for ‘on the fly’ make up effects on-set!

  • HALLOWEEN 2016 SHOPPING DATES: IF YOU ARE PURCHASING FOR HALLOWEEN OCTOBER 31st 2016, WE RECOMMEND ORDERING NO LATER THAN THE FOLLOWING DATES TO RECEIVE YOUR PRODUCTS IN TIME;
    USA & Canada: October 20th
    Europe: October 24th
    UK: October 27th
  • What kind of paint should I use on your prosthetics?
    We use our alcohol activated Perfect Palette 2.0 and Wound Palette makeup in our videos, and that is what we recommend. Buy these products on our Materials page.
  • Are your gelatine prosthetics re-useable?
    Some of our customers have managed to re-use our gelatine appliances by using water based adhesives or latex rather than the acrylic based prosthetic adhesive that we sell, however we don’t necessarily recommend it – the prosthetics pick up a lot of sweat and body oils when they are worn as well as the make-up and blood you may add on top, so they can get pretty nasty to handle after removal! We now sell a range is silicone appliances that are completely reusable, with care they can be used for years.
  • Can I use spirit gum to apply your prosthetics?
    Yes you can – it isn’t as good as our prosthetic adhesive, but it will do the job.
  • Do you have any tips or tricks that you can offer to help me apply the prosthetics?
    Yes, hundreds – just watch our free videos!
  • Do you ship internationally?
    Yes we do – we have shipped our products all over the world to many satisfied customers!
  • How much does it cost to ship to my country?
    It depends on where you are and what you are buying – just go through the checkout process and the system will give you your shipping cost before you pay.
  • How much are your products in Dollars, Euros etc?
    To get an idea of what you are spending in US Dollars and Euros, select a currency from the drop down menu in the top right corner. For the most up to date exchange rates, use this great currency convertor which uses the most up to date rates available and conversion is quick, easy and free: xe.com
  • Is there a tracking number for my order?
    All UK orders are sent by tracked postage, and international customers have the option of choosing tracked postage also. We highly recommend that our international customers select tracked postage, as we can’t offer updates on where your items are in transit otherwise. If you have tracked shipping, just email us for your tracking number: specialeffectsuk@gmail.com
  • What’s the best way to get in touch with you about your products or my order?
    The best way to contact us is always by email, including your order number if you have one. That gives us a chance to get together all the information you need and send it to you quickly and concisely in a message: specialeffectsuk@gmail.com
  • Can you sponsor / donate products to my film / event / charity?
    Unfortunately no – we are asked on a daily basis if we can supply our products for free to various projects and causes and donating to everyone who asks would be a full time job. We do keep prices low and supply a great deal of information for free to help people get the best effect possible; we can discuss discounts for bulk buying but cannot give away items.
  • Do you offer work experience placements or internships?
    Not at this time, but if this changes we will make announcements on Facebook, so don’t forget to visit our page and click ‘like’.
  • What processes do you use to produce your prosthetics?
    We don’t discuss the techniques we use to produce our appliances for several reasons; firstly, we get asked questions about the details of how we work every day, and if we stop to answer everyone we wouldn’t have time to turn out any prosthetics! Also, we are working on such a large scale with the amount of product we generate that many of our methods wouldn’t translate to the individual artist creating single prosthetics. Additionally, we don’t give advice on manufacture due to health and safety reasons; any processes that are undertaken without trained supervision have the potential to cause harm. There are lots of useful forums online that will answer all your questions about how to produce your own appliances safely.