"The Lambeau Leap... With a Twist" turned out to be the most complex and somewhat frustrating piece I've carved to date. To start off with I was given three pretty good ideas for this piece, ending up using all of them plus one.
The recipient is a Green Bay Packers super fan! What's the latest craze for Green Bay football fans?
Why the "Lambeau Leap" of course! He's also quite a bit of a "stand-up comic." Topping off his comedic prowess, he worked as a Disney Jungle Cruise Skipper. Now, if you've been on the Disney Jungle Cruise, you know comedy is their thing. They took "spieling" to a new level as they take you down river. This fellow went a bit further, he became one of the Managers and actually wrote a newer "spiel" for the Skippers. Oh, the tape cassette on the floor of the stage marked "Awesome Mix Vol. 1, many of you may know of it from the series "Guardians of the Galaxy." That's just another one of his interests. So there you have it!
Here's what the scene represents, The Jungle Cruise Skipper was performing his comedy routine at the local "Saturday Night Comedy Club" in costume when suddenly the Club's TV Network announced a Green Bay Packers game winning touchdown and the crowd went wild. At that point, our Skipper joined the crowd and launched himself into a "Lambeau Leap" into the club's stage
backdrop!
This baby took a little more planning than first thought! The base was easy. The block of tupelo easy.
Scrap pieces for the following; microphone stand, wall sign and a "brick wall" easy right!
The brick wall made me think a little.
To save from buying a large chunk of clear wood for the wall, I went with another base. I simply cut off the routered edging, fit it to the base, scribed the bricks and voila... a wall!
I really didn't want the wall to take longer to carve than the figure. So I kept the amount of brick breakage to just enough to show he broke through the wall.
In the photo below you'll notice the small piece I added to the "wall" to show some busted out bricks.
(The wall will be glued and screwed to the base.)
The more important issue I had to deal with is that I had to place the figure onto the wall so it would be strong enough not to be knocked off the wall over time.
Below is the mic stand base, "Saturday Night Live" Sign and the cassette tape.
With all the pieces started now for the main character.
I planned to "pin" his right foot to the stage and have his left foot raised as if he just landed on the wall. In the photo below his butt has not yet been cut in at his back side to "fit" into several bricks of the wall.
Below, after reducing his body, his head just didn't make it. It's too small!
So, off with his head!
I decided to try something that most character carvers do for a number of reasons, They carve the head separate from the body. They use a stem to fit into the chest and in many cases they do not secure the head so it can be moved into various positions. I decided to glue this one in place.
Of course (below) you see his head fits but I also had to do a little "surgery" where I cut too much of his right underarm away.
With just about all of my mistakes corrected let's begin the final stretch of this piece.
Can't forget the "Cheese head!
Oh, making the holes in the cheese was simple... painting the holes another story!
OK, mic, his body, boots, head, cheese head etc. all finished with a fine burr and rubbed for sealing.
Three cuts in his butt to fit to the bricks were added to settle him into the wall. Then, he will be screwed through the wall into his back side.
The mic stand and bricks are ready. (Of course, there must be some broken bricks that fell when he leaped onto the wall!)
Finally, sealed and waiting for painting. (On the sole of his right boot you can see the dowel hole for the pin that will secure him to the stage.)
The rear of the wall with the broken bricks on the floor. You can just about make out the hole for the screw that is securing him to the wall.
The "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" tape.
There had to be a mic cord! I used telephone gauge rubber coated wire pushed into his mic and secured in the block on the floor. The mic stand has a wood base, a coat hanger wire and a small round ferrule (if you will) for the height adjustment.
Costume checks out... and of course the name tag!
At last, "The Lambeau Leap... With a Twist!"
