This is what I had to work
with after stripping the paint from my previous restoration.
Not surprisingly after 50+ years, there were a lot of
broken parts to deal with. It was amazingly complete however,
with only a few minor missing bits that were easily replaced
with scratchbuilt parts. The original glow-in-the-dark
plastic had become very yellowed over the years, but this
was not an issue since I had very little desire to keep
this feature anyway. I had done the Forgotten Prisoner
nameplate in glow-in-the-dark paint when I originally
restored this 30 or so years ago. I was able to carefully
mask over the letters using Mr. Masking Sol R applied
with a fine brush so these retain their warm glowing warming
glow.
Above
left: The chains were partly solid due to moulding
limitations. I hollowed out the solid parts so they looked
a little more like chain links. The one in the rear is
finished, the middle chain is partly done and the foreground
chain is as moulded by Aurora.
Above right: Two of the three
connectors holding the chains to the wall were missing
so I just made replacements for all three from 1/16"
brass rod.
Mr. Rat had misplaced his
tail over the years and his good pal, Mr. Tarantula, had
the misfortune to lose one of his many legs. I recreated
both with Milliput epoxy putty, the rat tail being formed
around a thin wire armature for strength.
Left: There he is,
hanging out with his other monster buddies way back
in 1974 or '75. I have no idea why there's a decorative
jug joining the party, it certainly wasn't mine.
And yes, that skinny long-haired boy in the background
with his hands full of balsa models was me. Contrary
to popular belief, beds do not make ideal workbenches.
And vice versa.
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