I drilled the cigar out carefully and found an led that would fit perfectly and after several electronic tries I got it to light up but it was a steady light. Finding a flickering tea light at the drug store brought me the perfect light. After tearing apart the wax on the candle and getting it down to just the led and electronics I drilled a hole in the back of the bust to hold the light base. Perfect! Now I just need to add longer wires and it will be good to go.
I love the sculpt of the face a lot but the way it was originally you had to turn the bust to see the face as he was looking to the left and slightly upward. I wondered if I could alter it by cutting the head off (sacrilege, I know!), turning it to face forward and down for a more menacing look. I would hide the cut but sculpting in the "fur collar" first and then layer the next to blend into the original Apemania sculpt.
Well, here are the first in progress shots. The glass eye idea is a no go due to the limited work area inside. I filled the eyes back in with two part epoxy putty and they will be hand-painted.
