Rodney McCray "Crash" Bobblehead Restoration

[RaiderNationPDX]

Apologies for the length of this, but I've had some fun lately.

While bobbleheads aren't really my thing, there's one exception: the 2006 Portland Beavers "bobble-wall" SGA commemorating the 15th anniversary of one of my favorite moments in sports history: Rodney McCray chasing a fly ball through the outfield wall of Civic Stadium (video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_V5z95lBZ8). I was living in Tacoma at the time and couldn't make it to the game (and didn't want to pay eBay prices), but I've always had an eye out for one of the 2,000 out there on my frequent trips to thrift stores and resale shops. A couple months back, I found one...



...minus the glove arm. I decided, however, that I'd give a shot at repairing him; for $2.99, what did I have to lose? I waited until one of these popped up on eBay with detailed photos of the glove arm from multiple angles, then went to work carving Rodney a new arm:



After firing it up, I painted the glove and skin, plus the sleeve to achieve an acceptably approximate red color match:



And with that and a little epoxy, Rodney's got a brand new arm:




Didn't know if it could be done, but had to try it. Definitely like the result. Happy I was able to save one of these from the trash heap & get a fun project out of the deal. If nothing else, it makes a more interesting story than, "picked it up on eBay for $100."

[Dewey2007]

Very cool and nice job on the restoration. Thanks for sharing!

[BU54CB]

Nice job on the restoration, always good to see something saved from the junk heap. A missing arm seems like a big deal, but with a little research, you turned it into a fun project with a story.