Alright, let me tell you about this crazy project I just wrapped up: making a Jim Cornette action figure. Yeah, the loudmouth wrestling manager. Don’t ask why, just go with it.
It all started with an idea, a dumb one, I admit. I figured, “Hey, there’s no good Cornette figure out there, I’ll make my own!” So, first things first, I needed a base. Scoured eBay for a cheap wrestling figure, preferably one with a build kinda like Cornette. Ended up grabbing some generic dude with a suit body for like 10 bucks. Score!
Next up was the head. This was tricky. I’m no sculptor, but I can kinda mold clay. I got some air-dry clay from the craft store. Spent hours staring at pictures of Cornette’s grumpy mug, trying to get the likeness right. Let me tell you, capturing that sneer is harder than it looks. I sculpted, smoothed, and re-sculpted more times than I can count. The first few attempts looked like melted potatoes. Eventually, after much cursing and frustration, I got something that was…passable.
Once the head was dry, I painted it. Acrylic paints, nothing fancy. Skin tone, some grey for the hair (or what’s left of it), and those piercing blue eyes. The eyes were the key. Get the eyes wrong, and it just doesn’t work. Then I glued that bad boy onto the body. Looked a bit Frankenstein-ish at this point, but we’re getting there.
Now for the clothes. The base figure had a suit, but it was all wrong. Wrong color, wrong style. So, I ripped it off (carefully!) and decided to make a new one. Found some black fabric scraps at another craft store. I’m no tailor, but I can glue fabric together. I fashioned a new suit jacket and pants, gluing the seams and hoping for the best. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but from a distance, it looks alright.
The final touch? The tennis racket, of course. Can’t have Cornette without his trusty weapon. I carved one out of balsa wood. It’s tiny and a bit wonky, but it gets the message across. Painted it black and glued it into his hand.
And that’s it! A custom Jim Cornette action figure. Is it perfect? Hell no. Is it a hilarious, one-of-a-kind monstrosity? Absolutely. Proud of it? You bet your ass I am! It was a fun little project, and now I have a tiny, grumpy wrestling manager sitting on my desk, judging me. Worth it.
