Wicked Witch of the West - Prep 1

The paint on the resin parts is now "stripped", and I can begin to prep the piece. . .

First step is filling in all the button holes, etc. on the back side of the figure. This was done using MS, carefully doing repeated fittings with any overlying pieces . There are but two major openings remaining, and those correspond to the respective LEDs.

I then proceeded to fill the slight gap between the resin head and the polystyrene hat, again using MS. This phase will be ongoing as I will add more volume and detail to the WW's coiffure. I will conclude the work on the hair before making any corrections to the face. While the latter will be minor at worst, they might prove mostly unnecessary once the hair is fully "dimensionalized".

I discovered something interesting while cleaning up the work I had done. I thought that the black paint used to paint the "monkey's share" (lion just doesn't work here) of the WW would have been an acrylic, but as I was cleaning off the Vaseline (used as a release/barrier) with rubbing alcohol, my paper towel was black! My experience with acrylic is that once cured, it is impermeable to alcohol; however, the underlying styrene was not primed. . . The only other paint I know of to react this way to alcohol is latex. Hmmm. . . Anyway, it is quick and effortless, so I'll take it!

Finally, I began work on the WW's hat. The stock hat was about 3/32" too short, so I elongated the cone with MS. While there is still a bit of fine-tuning--to say nothing of the finishing and clean-up!--to do, the "new hat" is essentially done.

More to follow. . .