Gremlins 2 style puppet restoration

[TomSpinaDesigns]

Hey all,

This was added to the site ( Movie Prop Restoration by Tom Spina Designs ) a couple of weeks back but I was out of town for a bit (yes, sometimes the prop doctor does make housecalls!) and didn't have time to share this one here till now. I know the client (Wesley at http://www.wickedprops.com ) been anxious to share this piece since he received it so here goes!

Overall, the original condition on this one was a bit rough, but it was more damage than deterioration. The left ear was fused to his left shoulder, requiring careful removal & repair to both the ear & shoulder. One hand and one leg were basically off (and the other leg was on its way off!) and he had quite a few tears and cracks (in particular on his back ribs and rump, one armpit and elsewhere).

In addition to the major work... minor cracks, tears & flaked paint were gently restored (per Wesley's preferences) to improve look while retaining character.

Internally, I added a support that helps the body to bear the weight of display, and not the head (to reduce stress on the neck) and I carefully added wire into the tops of the ears, allowing them to stand tall once again.

A clean, simple black acrylic base with acrylic rods to support the body and hands complete the display of this "wicked" piece.

As always, a big thanks to Welsey for coming to me with this project.

Enjoy the pics!
best,
Tom


BEFORE/AFTER




BEFORE RESTORATION:





AFTER
RESTORATION

 

[Bobbywan]

FANTASTIC work Tom!!!


~Bobby

 

[howlingwind13]

FANTASTIC work Tom!!!


~Bobby

I'll second that! You have become a resto master...simply amazing
mike

 

[ob1al]

Great job! :thumbsup

 

[magpie9]

Incredible work as usual Tom.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

You are a god restorer of movie memorabilia. The community and the owners of these cool items are lucky to have you! :thumbsup

 

[kodofett]

Great Job Keep it up!!!!

 

[Cyberman]

Fantastic stuff!!

I've done a bit of mask restoration of old Doctor Who pieces and I can say for sure this isn't an easy job to do. Tom is the best at this craft hands down!

Phil

 

[bigcow]

Super cool, it's a great job. :cool

 

[Apollo]

The Smithsonian needs to get in contact with you Bro!

Another outstanding rescue Tom! :thumbsup

 

[MR BARLOW]

Id have to see it in person to judge the quality of your repair !!

Please ship to :
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:cool

 

[TomSpinaDesigns]

You are all TOO kind! Thank you so much!

best,
Tom

 

[OdiWan72]

You are all TOO kind! Thank you so much!

best,
Tom

You deserve it
GREAT WORK, as usual (sorry to say that :lol )

Markus

 

[Chewie15]

Damn, another fine restoration Tom!!

H

www.howardsstudios.com

 

[smurf]

Great work. I was wondering. After restoring does it eventually deteriorate again like that over say 20 years. I wasn't sure if all these projects you restore look the way they do because of time or abuse. Just curious.

Sweet

 

[ItsThatGuy]

Fantastic job as always! :thumbsup

On a side note...that is what their bum looks like? :sick

 

[vaderdarth]

Tom, as always, you amaze the rest of us with you skills my friend.

Dave

 

[TomSpinaDesigns]

Thanks guys!

To answer a q, in this case, it was more damage than deterioration, so his condition should be relatively stable, however, there's always the chance with any foam piece that it will need to be revisited in the future.

Most projects I work on tend to arrive showing results of a mix of age, poor storage and handling. I do my best to turn back the clock a little, while maintaining the integrity and "vibe" of every piece I work on.

Tom