The Final Model

Here is the front view of the finished model. As you can see i went with chopsticks as they are mush more rigid than straws so can handle being tightened together to lock in place.

In this picture we can see the "tennis racket" string tightening system which locks the chopsticks in place when needed.

This shows the grid structure I created to hold the chopsticks in place and to stop them from dragging on each other when pushed.

And finally the model in action, the chopsticks take the shape of whatever pushed them.