(or, how to perform a Full Body Transplant)
The point here is to fashion a head holder that is similar in shape to the original AF body’s neck. It is adapted to fit into a 40th Anniversary Ken body neck hole. The original AF body is pictured here for reference.
First, you need some wine corks. (I prefer Our Dog Blue by Chatteau Morrisette.) Cut a cork to about ¾ inch in length.
Cut a notch around the top that is about the same thickness as that disk thing.
Taper the cork up to the disk – you are striving to recreate the same shape as the original neck.
Cut another notch just below the start of the taper.
Cut away enough cork to make a post – this will fit into the Ken neck (see next pic).
It takes a little tweaking to get the circumference of the post correct. It should be snug, but not tight.
Not a bad fit.
The disk part will fit into the AF’s head. This is tricky – if it’s too loose, the head flops around. If it’s too tight, the cork breaks when inserting it. Trim the disk until it goes in without a lot of twisting.
This is too big – I had to trim it a bit.
This is actually too loose – it took 3 corks to finally get it right.
Aahhh – finally! The surgery was a success. On to the fondue party. . . .
March 2010: The cork doesn’t last very long: it dries out, and breaks if you move the head around too much. I’ve made many of these head holders over the years and it’s a real chore. Now I’m working on casting and molding with resin to try to create a more permanent head holder. In the meantime, scotch tape works, too.
