Hi Jreeveo, yes, I first used a wooded dowel and hot glued a wire armature into holes to rough out the shape of the crown of the staff. I then cut the electronics into the wooden dowel and then used Super Sculpey to create the branches of the staff.
A lot has happened since I started this project. I recently moved back to my home state of Pennsylvania after graduate school and bought a house so I haven't had time to set up a workshop. Additionally, since I started this project I have come into possession of a Noble Collection version of this staff and have realized that my sculpt was actually quite a bit larger than it should have been. I hope in the near future to re-start this project (again) with more accurate details.
Stay tuned for updates.
Dan