1/13 Lady Thing, by George Oh

In the 1960s there were two American TV comedy series (now, they’re called ‘sitcoms’) that are right at home during Halloween. They are (of course) ‘The Munsters’ and ‘The Addams Family’, and they can still be seen as ‘re-runs’. Both were quite popular though, it is said, that ‘The Munsters’ was easier to relate-to, because they were middle-class. The Addams family was depicted as quite wealthy in that they lived in a spooky mansion at 001 Cemetery Lane, flashed a lot of cash, and had a butler, Lurch, who was played by a very-tall Ted Cassidy. One of the characters in Addams’ household, was Thing.

Thing was a hand (and forearm) that emerged from various (plain to very ornate) boxes (and sometimes, from other sources) that were scattered around the mansion. Thing performed useful functions around the mansion (like bringing-in the mail, producing small items in a timely manner, and lighting cigarettes/cigars) that were generally appreciated by the family (“Thank you, Thing”). Before moving-in with the Addams family, Thing had been working as a stagehand.

Thing was played by Ted Cassidy (though always credited as ‘Itself’). Thing was generally right-handed, though Ted sometimes used his left hand, just to be mischievous. There were some scenes with both Lurch and Thing, so there was obviously someone else on hand (to give them a hand?).

In subsequent rebirths of ‘The Addams Family’, Thing is not confined to boxes, and may wear a watch with an expressive eye (via hand/eye coordination?)

THE KIT

I built an Aurora 1/13-scale figure of Vampirella (see Aurora 1/13 Vampirella, by George Oh). She came with 2 spare arms, one of which I used with her, on the base. The other languished, unloved, in my spares box. One night, as I was digging through it, my son asked me to give him a hand, so I held Vampirella’s spare arm out to him. My family’s reactions varied, but it planted a small idea in the back of my mind.

The idea refused to recede, and blossomed when I was in a craft supermarket with My Lady (to carry her purchases). I saw a small cheap rectangular metal locket that could be opened like a book – and I bought it. I also selected two small wooden capital ‘I’ letters.

CONSTRUCTION

I worked on two elements at the same time. One of the wooden letters was VERY carefully cut down its centre-line (with a razor saw), into left and right halves. These were wood-glued onto the front and back of the other letter. A rectangle was cut from a scrap of thin of ply-wood, sanded smooth all over, and then it was carefully glued atop the letters to form a doll-scale pedestal-style table. At the same time, a small block was cut from a scrap of wood, and the locket was glued onto it.

COLORS & MARKINGS

All elements were dipped in Future to provide a smooth clean glossy finish – Fail!! Instead, I pressed my friend Patrick (who restores antique furniture, and very well, too), to work his magic. Hopefully, it now looks like an ornate box placed on an antique pedestal.

My Lady Thing was created from that spare arm (a second-hand hand?) The wrist had a bracelet moulded on it, so I masked-off the flesh and sprayed the bracelet with metallic gold. The fingernails were brush-painted a bright red. Finally, I cut-off the arm above the elbow, and at an angle to suit the pose. Thing was mounted it on a wire, and the wire was mounted inside the ‘box’.

CONCLUSIONS

This was a very simple and enjoyable build. This build was hindered by the need to see model parts in craft items, and by the need to cut the wooden letter so precisely. I would have liked some spider web and possibly a lace doily for the pedestal, but I couldn’t replicate them in-scale. It was enhanced by the simplicity of the plastic part, and the detail of the locket. I entered it in the ‘Figures’ category under the title “It’s a Lady Thing”, and wasn’t surprised that it got nowhere fast.

Of course there are Lady Things – how do you expect these sorts of things to reproduce. In fact, in one episode of ‘The Addams Family’, a distant friend came for a visit, and brought her girl Thing (who was light-fingered). In another episode, the family found a picture of Thing’s parents – they were holding hands. I would only recommend this sort of thing to fans of ‘The Addams Family’ or others with a truly warped sense of humour.

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KIT #:
PRICE:	$a few dollars
DECALS:	Nope
REVIEWER:	George Oh
NOTES:	Cobbled together from left overs and craft stuff.