Cheek speak

The third cast head from the Kenny Croes Collection is now available for purchase at Braylu Creations. The first two (Uncle Earl and Elmore) having been selling well, and that's a good thing. Still to come... a cast head of Mr. Winkle.

After I return from vacation, I plan to tackle my first 3T/4T head design in earnest. (Maybe I'll call him "Earnest"). 'Til then, I hope vent figure do-it-yourselfers enjoy adding the Cheeky Boy character to their stable of little friends. If you happen to build one of my character designs, please send me a photo. I'd love to see your handiwork.

I've struck Earl

I just finished my third "Uncle Earl" from the KENNY CROES COLLECTION casting on Braylu Creations. I just got a look at the first casting of our brand new cheeky boy character. Keep a lookout for him.

Meanwhile, Uncle Earl needs a good home.

Gettin' even

After I hooked up the spring to open and close the jaw, I had a much wider gap in the left compared to the right. So last night, I applied a touch of Magic-Sculpt to the left side to narrow the opening. I held a thin metal nail file in the crack to act as a flat barrier so the application of Magic-Sculpt would be uniform from top to bottom. This morning I sanded the area with some fine sandpaper. Next I'll touch it up with matching paint.

The clothes make the dummy

Well... actually I make the dummy, but nice clothes help.

I usually buy my dummy clothes from thrift stores. (I love Goodwill's Senior Discount Day). I've purchased some clothing on Ebay, but you have to search carefully for good deals when shipping is involved. I also prowl Walmart and similar department stores for clearance sales on 2T clothing. The outfit in the photo was one of seven I purchased from such a closeout sale. The 4-piece outfits were under $15 each (reg. $38 each). Fifteen bucks is a little more than I pay for separates that I assemble into outfits, but I saved a lot of time by getting ready-made ensembles. Plus they're brand spankin' new!

Don't bet on the horses

Well... that's a good tip, too. But it's not the one I had in mind. My tip is for the "Elmore" cast buyers.

Be sure to liberally mark the contact point for the the jaw's axle on both sides of the head interior before mounting the eye tray. If you'd prefer, go ahead and mount the jaw and axle. If you use Magic-Sculpt or a like substance to mount the eye tray, you'll want to make sure you don't cover the jaw axle contact points. That's why you may want to mark them clearly.

Ok? Ok! My work here is done.

Tipping pointers

Folks who purchase an "ELMORE" casting from Braylu Creations will be helped with the tip sheet on the left. The upper-back corners of the jaw should be cut and filed to accommodate the eye tray screws. Secondly, I recommend the placement of the eye hook for attaching the spring as pictured in the tip sheet.

I've also found that the jaw fits better and opens wider if you prepare the "UNCLE EARL" jaw according to the tip sheet on the right.

Both models are my design and I've been able to build both characters from the resulting castings. I tried to make them "snap and play", but I'm just not smart enough yet. That being said, both characters are still fun to build and make fun-loving vent figures.

S'more Elmore

Here's my first completed Elmore.

Before and after

I'm just about finished with my first Elmore figure made from the Braylu Creations casting. I just have to assemble the body and dress the little fella. He may go up for auction as early as this evening.

He was really fun to make. I have two more Elmore castings in stock and I'm about a third of the way done on a second Elmore. I learned a lot about prepping the head inside and out. The jaw requires some alteration in order to move smoothly. I'll post the steps here so that folks who buy the casting from Braylu Creations will know the best approach to getting a good fit and smooth operation. The Elmore castings aren't for sale yet, but may be available later this month. I'll flag you when they're ready.

Also, keep an eye out for two more figures from the Kenny Croes Collection for sale soon on the Braylu Creations website.