Torso, Arms, and Skull from ACC (Thank the gods of Halloween for 4th class parts!)

Scythe blade from Toys R Us from last year

The rest of this came from Lowe's (or, Halloween Prop House, Inc!)

1/2" Black Iron Threaded Pipe in the following lengths:
One 48"
Two 36"
Three 24
Four 12"
One 6" (unused)
One 5"
Seven T connectors
Three connecting nipples
One 90 degree elbow
Two 45 degree elbows

One 1.25 X 1.25 connecting nipple
One 1.25 X 3/4 reducer
One 3/4 connecting nipple
One 3/4 X 1/2 reducer
One 1/2 X 3/8 barbed connector

1900 GPH water pump
20' of 3/8" pump tubing

One 45 gallon trash can with wheels

Here are all the pieces in one pic. The image on the right is a close up of the hardware required to come off the pump and into the tubing. There may be an easier way of getting from 1.25 inches to 3/8 inches, but the guys at Lowe's didn't know a way. Of course, they are paid to sell parts, too.

Here's the base. From the bottom up: four 12" pieces into T connectors. Extended T connectors screwed onto 36" legs. Left leg is then screwed into a 45 degree elbow which is then screwed onto a nipple and then a T. Right leg assembly is screwed into the same T connector. This piece takes a little coaxing (a lot of coaxing), but is well worth the effort. This joint must be tightened as securely as possible.

Plastic scythe blade is removed from plastic handle and screwed onto 24" section of pipe. A T connector is screwed into the other end for connection to the base mount.

Here, the 48" pipe is screwed into the base and the scythe with T connector screwed onto it. Note that the open hole on the T faces to the right. This is important for balance. You'll see.

Here, the armature is built onto the existing mount. If you like, you can build the armature on the ground before assembly in the air, but I don't recommend it because the angles have to be pretty accurate, and fixing that in the air after you tighten it on the ground is damned near impossible. You have a 24" pipe running form the T at the base of the scythe into a 45 degree elbow which immediate connects to a connecting nipple into another T and then the other 24" pipe. The open hole in the T needs to face up. It's not facing up in our picture. I just told you it needs to face up. Deal. Oh, ignore the white PVC pieces in the background... those are parts for our awesome Electronic Survivor Shot bases which we'll deal with later... maybe.

OK... so we didn't take one with the robe off. Maybe I'll do that after I pull him out of my carport. Anyway, look at him. The tube from the pump ran from the pump in the bottom of the trash can on the right down to the ground, then snaked up he black pipe of the scythe, was tied in place using trash bag ties (we'll replace these with something black later), up the armature, across the armature to Death's left hand. The tube is secured at corners and every foot or so. The cloak went on next across both arms, the head hole over the T facing up (See! I TOLD you it faced up!). Then Fred (I know ACC calls him Bucky... mine is Fred... his matching twin is Ginger) was lifted from underneath into the cloak, over the T, his arms pulled through the arms of the cloak. We used three people for this part of the project. And a ladder. You'll see why in a moment just in case you have no sense of scale. His hands are tied in place with trash bag ties.

The skull in Death's left hand was placed over a 90 degree PVC joint that we purchased because we thought we were going to be running the water through the metal pipe, but the pump tubing was working fine, so we are temporarily abandoning that concept in favor of tying the tube to the pipe with ties.