Knock Off Light Up Elsa - The Repaint

Remember that time when I returned from a Chinese (themed) circus with an unlicensed Elsa disco lamp that I repainted shortly after it was bought?

June 8th, 2016:
 

This knock off Elsa has since been customised and repainted, and now looks more like her actual counterpart (to me, at least). Other than the neck and hands being too pink compared to the head (and some of the hair coming off due to masking tape protection), I'm quite satisfied with the result. Before the repaint, I was almost going to cut the speaker bars deliberately and replace them with pieces of tape with poked holes, as they felt quite flimsy, but then I found out I didn't have to, so I just painted over the existing ones.



I may or may not create a separate thread detailing the repaint step-by-step.

Well, here it is now. I know it's been over three years and even the film's sequel had been out since then (as well as Olaf's Frozen Adventure), and I didn't actually promise to show the progress. However, revisiting the time when even I caught "COLDID-13" led me to release the never before seen photos that were taken while it was being done.



Because it used her braided hairstyle and the dress was already blue, I wanted it to look like the ice dress she is best known for. I started with a piece of masking tape to flatten the bodice because it had cleavage. It was a bit wrinkled, but it did work well as a base layer that got painted over.



I then wiped off the purple floral design and protected the light dome and head before painting the neck and hands. The head and dome were removable, but I didn't know about the head until later and wasn't sure about removing the dome, so I kept them on. As stated, it meant some of the hair ended up being lost.



After that, I painted the sleeves and top light blue to replicate the transparent part. This was before some of the "skin" tone was mixed in, hence why it didn't have the look I was going for. I could've used the same colour as the hands and neck and painted over it with a light blue marker instead.



The purple eyeshadows were added, though I messed up trying to paint within the lines. This was only recently corrected by scraping off the excess under the eyebrows. There was also a subtle attempt to correct the eyes from green to blue. I should've tried to remove the yellow lines as well.




The bodice and back were painted white as an undercoat so the first new layers of blue (and turquoise) could be applied.




Obviously, it wouldn't be an Elsa project without some glitter involved. I intend to redo the bodice using several layers to replicate the crystals, because it still looks too smooth when it should have scales. That, and the masking tape is now showing through it.



Hung up for the paint to dry overnight. Side note: the red clay engine was supposed to be Olton Hall (I watched the Harry Potter films at the time, so it was one of my side projects).



The next day, the bottom of the dress was painted to match the top. Other improvements included wrapping the pink handle with a Frozen envelope and painting the on/off switch silver when she was repainted again (with more blue and less turquoise).

The second repaint was more accurate, but no clear photos were taken of it. Until then, here's a quick reminder of what this fake Elsa does. If only I decided to show the steps back then.

[Super]

Nice work Da-lag

For those interested in the first Thread https://blueplastictracks.com/showthread.php?tid=1825

As hinted, this thread led me to revisit her and do some further adjustments like fixing paint chips and improving the skin tone to better match the head. Speaking of the head, I tried removing the yellow lines with alcohol and even a utility knife, but they wouldn't come off. Instead, all I could do was darken them using a pencil. The head was basically left as is for now.



What I thought was the masking tape showing through was actually what I used for the specks of glitter. I guess I didn't apply it very well. The biggest (and my favourite) change was adding her scales to the bodice (something I should've tried to do when I started). This was done by cutting out small pieces of masking tape and applying them one-by-one until the surface was covered. It wasn't as tedious as it may sound and went fairly quickly, one reason being that some were longer than others. It looks much more like what she actually has, because the glitter alone didn't give the effect and the wrinkles ruined it.



Base coat applied. Some more blue will be added like the bottom, as well as the metallic gloss to complete the look. I'm highly impressed with the authenticity, and it should look even more splendid after shading.



Compared to the CGI model (on a Frozen poster that's been on my room door since 2018). I know her scales are clearly much smaller, but I made them thicker to make them easier to cut and apply. The stock art makes it appear less metallic than in the film, so I'll base it on how it actually looks.

[Super]

Very imaginative Da-lag

IKR? Strange how adding one accurate detail makes it far more distinct. They made the dress look so generic it could've been used for Cinderella/Aurora/Ariel/Belle/Rapunzel/whoever (even Anna), and that sets it apart. If it didn't play "Let It Go" and had a different head, I would've turned it into one of the others I mentioned (or Jasmine). The masking tape proved to be a much better method than painting like I was going to do. It also does a better job at disguising the pointless cleavage (what's the point if the whole body is blue?), while the base layer made it too prominent.

[Super]

You are right about that masking tape trick. Gives it a 3D effect rather than paint which is flat.

Second layer applied for shading before the glitter and gloss. I also protected some other parts to reduce paint chips, namely the hands.



Not quite the effect I expected, but the gloss is there. The glitter fluid was later toned down with a non permanent light blue marker (not the brightest idea since it rubs off even after years; Hopefully another layer of gloss could protect it). However, she does have a smell of cosmetics chemicals.



Second comparison. Even better than the base layer, not to mention more authentic. The scales were too rough and were later smoothened using more gloss.



I've finally done the finishing touches to the head (and applied the new layer of gloss to the bodice, which really does help protect the blue marker. It makes the scales look smoother like they should be as well). The eyeshadows were redone with purple nail polish, giving them the exact colour and making them fill the right area. A correction pen was used to whiten the eyes so I could turn them blue for real. I didn't have the right type of correction fluid at the time and wasn't confident enough to do it this way. I've given up making the bodice metallic because it's been altered so heavily and looks good enough now.