SP Oracle -- PRE-preliminaries - INTERMEZZO

This is the week for swapping out mounts in the middle of the wet stuff. . . We've already seen my rearranging the cast and compo- sition of the Birds of Prey diorama; and now. . .

I decided to use a replacement head for Mistress Gordon. There was nothing wrong with my first female head in 1/35th scale; quite the contrary! But there were two issues:

1. Scale. While undoubtedly visually proportionate, if I were to eliminate the hair, the head would be noticeably undersized; however, that alone would not have made me reconsider. . .
   
2. The real issue lay in that it was fine as a standalone piece. But in an interactive setting, the head would have to be reposi- tioned. And that was the opening salvo in what would be a long, losing struggle.

So I am now modifying (read: sizing and fitting) a resin replacement head. So far, so good; but the lion's share of the work awaits, inclu- ding rebuilding the collar, etc., thereby allowing me to keep the head as a separate, "plug & play" piece.

While still early in the game, I can see where this venture is starting to acquire quite a bit more complexity and depth than initially anti- cipated. Thus my first mini-diorama in ages will be a long-term, back-burner project, which will free me up for individual pieces. All for a good cause. . .

FOLLOW-UP - 16.04.11. . . The replacement head has been sized and coiffured--all that remains is to add the ears. It has also been fitted into a Phase I collar: roughed-in but no detail work as of yet. If there is no extensive reworking awaiting to be done, this has to be one of the simplest and more straightforward mods to undertake.

SP Oracle -- PRE-preliminaries (2)

I have fitted the cushion/pillow to the subject's back and the back of the chair for a seamless fit. The cushion will be painted separately before permanently attaching to the painted figure.

I have also begun cleaning and fitting of the motor/engine components. This will be assembled, pre-fitted and painted as a separate subassembly prior to attachment.

UPDATE - 04.04.11. . . Continue to work on the face. . . trying for a slightly annoyed/stern look, yet comely. In order to get a better perspective on the piece, I removed the fez, and began roughing-in the coiffure. The fez has been reduced in height by about 30%, and hollowed out for a keyed connection. Also, I roughed-in the port-side iron plate for the motorized "scooter".

UPDATE - 06.04.11. . . The coiffure is done, and thus, so is essentially the head. What a difference!!! Also done and ready for "mounting" (i.e., addition of nuts and rivets) is the port-side iron plate. The starboard-side iron plate is now roughed-in and curing.

Movin' right along. . .

SP Oracle -- PRE-preliminaries

This is more an entry in the "activity log" of this piece than a proper posting. . .

Today I have completed the sorting of the kit pieces, deciding what to keep--or not. AND I completed Phase 1 of Miss Liddell's cosmetic transformation to Miss Barbara Gordon.

Rather than an outright replacement, I opted for a "makeover", which amounts to just short of a resculpt of the face. The eyes and mouth were ground out; the facial infrastructure redefined, and the lower face resculpted. So far, so good. . .

AFA the background story is concerned, she will be of Scottish descent. And her lamentable state is a result of her being shot by a notorious East End ne'er-do-well, one "Happy Jack". . .

More to follow. . .

FOLLOW-UP - 03.04.11. . . Phase 2 of the transformation is all-but-done. I just completed roughing-in the right eye, and, if it all works-out, all but Phase 3 (coiffure and finishing) should be done by midweek.

FOLLOW-UP (2). . . Phase 2 is now complete! Time to wrap-up the research of Victorian female hairstyles. . .

Oracle à la Steampunk

Oracle: An oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion, predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such, it is a form of divination. (Wikipedia)

Oracle, as a proper name, can also be any number of things. For example, it is the name of my alma mater’s (USF) student news- paper. It is also the nom de guerre of Barbara “Babs” Gordon, fka Batgirl.

Babs’ Batgirl persona was rather ignominiously retired in 1988, when the Joker shoots Barbara through the spinal cord, leaving her a para- plegic. The character was subsequently given a new lease on life as a computer expert and information broker code-named Oracle, provid- ing intelligence and computer hacking services to assist other super- heroes. The formerly caped-and-cowled crusader continued to wreak havoc on crime from her wheelchair as the founding head of the Birds of Prey.

So much for the background. . .

It is currently somewhat fashionable to cast modern superheroes in alternate realities: one of the favorite settings is the Victorian/ Gaslight periods, bka “Steampunk” (Earth-19 in the DC Multi-verse). In the course of thoroughly reviewing the Smart Max catalog, I spent a considerable amount of time examining Miss Liddell, London's most renowned medium—by both coiled and unwound.

Sculpted by Edgar Skomorowski, who regrettably appears to have sculpted his last free-lance figure for the foreseeable future, this figure bears the manufacturer’s caveat: “DESIGNED FOR EXPERT MODELLERS!” Looking at his multi-media “grey” (cf. the original spoked wheels with the final production variants!), I can well see why. However, in all honesty, a simple assembly diagram would in all probability make such a statement unnecessary.

One of the very few shortcomings of Smart Max miniatures is that not only do they not provide an assembly diagram or a parts list, but there is no virtual aid—save for images of variable quality of the painted prototype--to turn to either. Here’s an excellent example: the Reverend Dudley kit provides four handles for the coffin, yet they are nowhere to be found in any published image of the painted prototype! To make matters worse, there are no locating holes on the sides of the coffin, or pegs on the handholds! Personally, I am of the opinion that they are extraneous; but if they are not to be used per the manufacturers’ build-up, why then provide them?

But I digress. . . The kit may be relatively complex, but with the images available on line, it is nothing a few familiarization and dry-fitting sessions wouldn’t suss out. Eight of the 29 (30, if you include the planked-floor plinth) mostly crisply-cast pieces will not be used. Actually, more time will be spent correcting the few minor casting flaws (air bubbles on one wheel and half a missing lens on the pince-nez (I was thinking of replacing these with some more stylish sunglasses even before the figure arrived!) than will be figuring out the what’s, where’s, and how’s.

And so we have a kit of a crippled spiritualist who is on-call to Scotland Yard: save for her advanced age, this is essentially Barbara Gordon in a Victorian setting! Her appearance can be changed, whether via replacement part/s, modification, or sculpting. And the rest? How would a paraplegic, high-profile crimefighter get about in a Steampunk world. . . ??

Stay tuned!