Those that know me well know that I've got a thing for green-skinned ladies... OK, arguably TMI... lol. This "affection" (affliction?) can be traced back to my first viewing of the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz, in the early '60s. I mean. . . green skin AND flying monkeys? What's not to love???
On a more serious note, I am a HUGE fan of the Wicked Witch of the West and her minions. And while I am very much looking forward to Polar Lights' now-2014 release of the Witch and Nikko gazing into the crystal ball as Dorothy & Co. make their way across the poppy field, I wanted a smaller, stand-alone project to work on.
Enter Hallmark. Yes, that Hallmark. And specifically, the 2007 Wizard of Oz Hallmark Keepsake Christmas Ornament of The Wicked Witch of the West, sculpted by Joyce Lyle. I spent a couple of hours of tracking down WWotW collectibles this past weekend, and while there are LOADS out there, the only one that met the criteria--scale, quality, and price--was the aforementioned piece.
This is a wonderful little piece: kudos to Ms. Lyle!!! It is one of the "Magic Light and Sound" offerings: there is a recorded track of the WW threatening Dorothy and Toto (in Munchkinland) followed by her chilling cackle, which is co-activated with two LEDs that make the translucent smoke cloud glow red. Very effective!
If there are any Hallmark collectors amongst the readership, my apologies in advance for what follows. First order of business (after playing with the "Magic Light and Sound" countless of times!) was to commence "deconstruction". My goal is to convert the "Hallmark collectible" into a fine collectible miniature; and as with any pre-paint/pre-finished piece, you have to break it down to its components. This went quite well--and quick! So much so, that it is now all-but-done!! And much to my surprise this is a mixed-media figurine comprised of no less than 19 pieces (17 + the base plate and battery cover)!! The only pieces that I will not "break-down" are the upper arms, as these are quite firmly attached, and I can simply fine-tune the seams in-situ.
The only parts remaining to be separated are the hat from the head. The latter is cast in resin, as are the hands, and I want to avoid any damage to it or the hat. [NOTE 24.08: The head is proving to be inseparable from the hat, so all mods to the former will be done in situ.] Once that is done, I will "dip" the resin pieces to strip the paint, and then on to the fun stuff!
Stay tuned!
FOLLOW-UP 22.08.2013. . . The resin pieces are now in the Super-Clean, and the waiting begins. I figure it is going to take about 3 days, give or take, to loosen/dissolve the paint. Well worth the wait!
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