davidd's A DOLL A DAY 2025

[davidd]

I keep hearing about how nobody can afford eggs down there!

The egg thing is so infuriating. The [insert stream of extreme profanities] previous administration declared a [insert more profanities] "bird flu emergency" and ordered the destruction of tens of millions of egg-laying hens at egg farms across the country during the weeks before leaving office.

So yeah, egg prices spiked massively, but it had nothing to do with the policies of the current administration. The outgoing administration sabotaged the economy on the way out the door.

Egg prices aren't in the news much now because the prices are already coming down as new laying hens come of age. "The media" won't cover egg prices returning to normal because that might make the new administration look good.

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6 April - A Doll A Day 2025:

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Cutting and Crimping

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Janie attends to a leaking PEX pipe that split as a result of freezing temperatures.

This was a "temporary set-up" that wasn't intended for long-term use, hence the lack of proper weather-proofing, but you know how those temporary things tend to become permanent -- at least until they break.

[Alliecat]

Seems like the need for ongoing repairs is permanent!

[davidd]

Seems like the need for ongoing repairs is permanent!

 So true! You know how that works!

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7 April - A Doll A Day 2025:

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Task for Today: Sort the Scrap Lumber Pile

[Alliecat]

Bonfire??

Christopher says he doesn't know why the Bad Gateways. The error logs aren't helpful. And if we wanted to take the forum to a new server and try to reboot it, it would mean losing all the old content

[davidd]

Bonfire??

Yes, saved for firewood after cutting out all the parts with nails.

Thank you for checking with Christopher about the forum error messages.

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8 April - A Doll A Day 2025:

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Nicolette "Nikki" Arkham

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1/6-scale action figure

Body: TBLeague S35A
Head: YM Toys YMT029
Uniform: CAT Toys

[Alliecat]

Well she looks ready for anything.

[davidd]

9 April - A Doll A Day 2025:

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Flagset FS-73038 Eagle's Nest Guard Martina 1/6-scale action figure

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The overall quality is not particularly good. The jointed body, in particular, feels lightweight and poorly constructed. The range of motion is less than indicated in the promotional images. The head sculpt is somewhat toylike. The uniform details and accessories were challenging and time-consuming to assemble. My initial impression was one of disappointment.

But with some effort the figure photographs well in a retro-futuristic "dieselpunk" sort of way.

This is not one of my better action figure investments, to be sure, but I'm hoping I may warm to this one over time.

I only wish I hadn't broken the ankle joints trying to remove the boots.

[Alliecat]

Oh wow, that doesn't sound like a good start, and culminating in broken ankles too -- BOTH of them? Whyyy do figure manufacturers including Groove insist on footwear that is nearly impossible to get off/on? If your customer needs 15 minutes with a hairdryer to remove your figure's boots, maybe you need to hire some new designers!!
Well, hopefully you'll like her better after a while. Was this one of the "boxes I may never open"?

[davidd]

Was this one of the "boxes I may never open"?

Yes, it was. So on the bright side, I opened some boxes and was able to clear out some excess packing material.

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10 April - A Doll A Day 2025:

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Dystopian Dieselpunk Dreams

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As the world careens ever-closer to this type of scenario I'm thinking I need to lose some weight, get in shape, and maybe invest in a pump-action shotgun (because machine-guns are almost impossible to get in real life).

Realistically, though, I'll probably continue to sit here in front of the computer drinking soda and eating junk food and looking at pictures of toys and dolls until I can no longer afford internet connectivity or until my computer hardware is too old to support internet connectivity or until I keel over from a stroke or a heart attack.

Flagset FS-73038 Eagle's Nest Guard Martina 1/6-scale action figure

[Alliecat]

Haha, well, you could at least start walking daily.  You've got the nice countryside for it.
Yeah, things are getting rapidly weirder.  There's a quote somewhere about living in Canada these days being like living in a building where the downstairs apartment is a meth lab... 
Looking at pictures of dolls and toys and cats is about all I'm doing when I'm not looking at real estate.  Gotta do something to distract oneself from the trainwreck, I guess.

[davidd]

You've got the nice countryside for it.

When the wind isn't blowing 40mph, I guess.

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11 April - A Doll A Day 2025:

Back in January, which feels like forever ago but was actually only three months, I decided to finally give up on my ongoing attempt to assemble a 1/6-scale action figure of one of MiskatonicNick's old characters, one that he called Ellie Fields. After creating two versions of Ellie over the course of the last few years, I decided to shelve the project and send Ellie off to a convent, where, upon taking her vows, she became Sister Albatros.

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A few weeks ago I was looking through some of Nick's older posts, as I do from time to time, and I ran across a photo of the Ellie character. As I was reading through the comments I noticed an intriguing snippet of information about Ellie's hair, and how Nick had replaced the scalp.

I'd long thought he had re-rooted the head, which was not a task I was up to, but replacing the scalp? Would that be possible with the version of the head I had? Are action figure replacement scalps still available?

Yes, it turns out that action figure scalps are still available! Suddenly Project Ellie Fields, V.3, was underway!

Another issue has been the color of the head sculpt. I do not want to pay hundreds -- yes, hundreds -- of dollars for the original action figure that donated a head to become Nick's version of Ellie. A similar head, no doubt a knock-off, is readily available at a reasonable price, but the color is much darker, so matching a body to the head has proven challenging.

I decided to risk purchasing one of the recently released "dark brown" TBLeague bodies even though I've never seen one in person. I selected the S16B in "dark brown" for the color, for the overall size, and for the slim build.

The body arrived in the post a couple of days ago. The replacement scalp arrived in the post on the same day. Almost immediately, Ellie's blonde head ended up in a mug of water in the microwave oven for 90 seconds, then I pried off her scalp. Fitting the new scalp was easier than anticipated. The fit isn't perfect, but it's close enough, and now my Ellie has long light-brown hair like Nick's Ellie.

The body is an excellent size-match for the head (which is always an issue when assembling custom action figures, matching body size to head size) and the color is close enough; closer than the previous "suntan" shade bodies that I've used.

So here's a first glimpse. Don't worry, she'll get a proper top soon; she's currently wearing the string bikini top that was included with the body. The figure will also need a satchel, a machete, and some various bits and pieces to become a full-fledged Ellie Fields.

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Revisiting Ellie Fields

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1/6-scale action figure
Head: unbranded "Sucker Punch Baby Doll" head
Body: TBLeague S16B in "dark brown" color
Costume: assorted action figure and Barbie (Ken) pieces

Oh, as for Sister Albatros, don't worry, she still has her head. I like her far too much to subject her to vivisection. I acquired a duplicate head for my V.3 ex-periment.

[Alliecat]

Is a "scalp" like a Pullip wig or something different?
It looks like a nice body. Yes, she needs some clothes.

When the wind isn't blowing 40mph, I guess.

Ehh. 35kt is just a stiff breeze....

[davidd]

Is a "scalp" like a Pullip wig or something different?


Ehh.  35kt is just a stiff breeze....

A "scalp" is more like the entire back part of a head; like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/162044081011?var=461012063830

Or this:

https://www.amazon.com/Scale-Woman-Multi...B0BFF5QNTY

I just discovered they are available on Amazon, altho' from an affiliate seller rather than from Amazon directly. And I guess they are described as 1/6-scale wigs.

And yes, the weather forecast here in Utah refers to winds in the 35kt / 40 mph range as "breezy." What I found amusing in Florida, which is surrounded by ocean and which is subject to hurricanes, is that a 40 mph wind forecast is sufficient for the weather service to issue a high wind warning.

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12 April - A Doll A Day 2025:

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Let's Rock and Hole!

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Janie and Triv try to dig a post hole in rocky soil. Like, very rocky soil. Like, more rocks than soil.

[Alliecat]

Ah, I see, about the scalps. So the whole thing kinda peels off the head?
Heheh, well, marine weather issues a "strong wind warning" at 20+ knots, and gale warning at 35. Depending on direction, that could be slatty in a small boat.
Janie & Triv are so cute in that photo. It looks like they're really carefully examining that rock. Like they found a cool fossil or something. I hearya about rocky soil. My most invaluable digging tool is a wee spade barely 6" across. Everything else is too big to get between the rocks any time I've ever had to dig a hole here!

[davidd]

I hearya about rocky soil.  My most invaluable digging tool is a wee spade barely 6" across.  Everything else is too big to get between the rocks any time I've ever had to dig a hole here!

Glacial till, this soil is called, or so I understand. In fact, one of the illustrations on the "glacial till" page on Wikipedia looks exactly like the hillsides around here, with sparse dry grass and lots of stones and rocks... and the occasional relic from a bygone age:

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13 April - A Doll A Day 2025:

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Frosty, Man – Frosty!

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Nelly identified this archaeological relic the team found while conducting field research – that is, they were walking through a field – as a 10 ounce size steel Dr Pepper can dating to between 1958 and 1960, when the product catch-phrase was "Frosty, man -- frosty!"

About three-quarters of the imagery on the metal can has been worn away by ex-posure to the elements, but the part of the can that was buried in the earth retained enough of the original graphics for the identification to be made.

The dark background behind the stripes was superseded by a white background in 1960.

In excellent condition, a Dr Pepper can of this size and style would be worth over $300 USD on the collector market. A rusty faded example like this is merely a novelty, with any value being in the thrill of discovering a once-inconsequential item of little note that was cast aside and forgotten, likely by a cattle or sheep rancher riding herd in open range country, sixty-five years ago.

13 April - A Doll A Day 2025