The Pony Restoration Project: Assessment of Condition
[This was written on May 18th but I didn't have a chance to put up the photos and such until now]
The following is an assessment of the pony's physical condition, judging by the standard details such as hair, symbols, and defects. There is also a suggested "treatment" for all defects.
This is what I'm working with. She looks a bit rough, but I'm going to do my best to fix her up good. :D
Body
Paint:
Despite being a TAF, and having been played with a lot, her symbols are in relatively good condition. Only one major rub to one balloon on display side; the rest have only very minor playwear. Eyes are good, though the DS pupil has a ding in it (this is perfectly normal). The blush seems to have faded to white. I have seen blush fade to yellow, so this is not entirely odd. Overall, the paint needs no touchups, though I might remove the blush entirely.
Closeup of the rub to the symbol on the DS side
Closeup of the white blush. I've never seen white blush before; this is unusual.
Outside body:
She is dirty, but not too bad on the outside. No physical damage such as chew marks, scratches etc. She has black dots on the NDS front foot, which may indicate pin dot mold. Treatment: Mr. Clean eraser for dirt, boiling for mold.
Closeup of possible pin dot mold.
Outside hair:
UUA's hair is supposed to be pink, but her particular shade of pink often/easily fades to white. In this particular case, she appears to have faded to blonde rather than white. This may be due to sun damage or chemical damage (such as chlorine from a swimming pool).
Her hair feels dry, but not frizzy.
The base of the tail has discolouration that may have a variety of causes. I'll have to look inside to find out what's wrong. It might be tail rust, dirt, or the remnants of pink colour.
Treatment: If it is tail rust, I will treat for that. For the discolouration, I will treat with sun exposure; hopefully this will bleach it. I will not rehair her; aside from the colour, it is good hair, and I prefer to have original hair. I will not repink her because I prefer white hair on ponies with fading-pink hair.
Close up of discolouration at the base of the tail.
Internal Body
In order to get a look at what's going on inside this little pony, I need to open her up. First I take the head off, then I remove the tail.
This pony has a boatload of internal issues.
The top image is of the inside of the head; the bottom is of the inside of the body. These are hard to photograph, but you can generally get the idea that she is Very Dirty inside. Actually, she's black all over. Examination with a flashlight indicates this extends from the tips of the ears to the whole body, including all four feet. I don't know if this black stuff is dirt or mold; I've never personally encountered a moldy pony before now.
Treatment: There are two options for mold - boiling or bleach. I'm hesitant to use bleach because I haven't researched the use of bleach on non-white ponies, and also the fact that bleach can be dangerous to the person handling it (me). I'll start by bloiling and if that has no result, will research bleach. Prior to boiling I'll do a preliminary clean. If this is mold, it MUST be removed. All other issues are secondary.
Internal tail:
The washer is rusted, but the clip holding the tail is not. Some rust damage to the tail itself; part of the tail is black as well, as with the body, suggesting dirt. Treatment for the rust (and black stuff) will be toothpaste, conditioner and shampoo.
Closeup of the rust damage to the washer and the tail.
Overall assessment: My biggest concern is mold. Aside from that, her condition really isn't that bad, and the other issues can wait until I get the black stuff sorted out.
Next entry: Boiling the pony! :D
The following is an assessment of the pony's physical condition, judging by the standard details such as hair, symbols, and defects. There is also a suggested "treatment" for all defects.
This is what I'm working with. She looks a bit rough, but I'm going to do my best to fix her up good. :D
Body
Paint:
Despite being a TAF, and having been played with a lot, her symbols are in relatively good condition. Only one major rub to one balloon on display side; the rest have only very minor playwear. Eyes are good, though the DS pupil has a ding in it (this is perfectly normal). The blush seems to have faded to white. I have seen blush fade to yellow, so this is not entirely odd. Overall, the paint needs no touchups, though I might remove the blush entirely.
Closeup of the rub to the symbol on the DS side
Closeup of the white blush. I've never seen white blush before; this is unusual.
Outside body:
She is dirty, but not too bad on the outside. No physical damage such as chew marks, scratches etc. She has black dots on the NDS front foot, which may indicate pin dot mold. Treatment: Mr. Clean eraser for dirt, boiling for mold.
Closeup of possible pin dot mold.
Outside hair:
UUA's hair is supposed to be pink, but her particular shade of pink often/easily fades to white. In this particular case, she appears to have faded to blonde rather than white. This may be due to sun damage or chemical damage (such as chlorine from a swimming pool).
Her hair feels dry, but not frizzy.
The base of the tail has discolouration that may have a variety of causes. I'll have to look inside to find out what's wrong. It might be tail rust, dirt, or the remnants of pink colour.
Treatment: If it is tail rust, I will treat for that. For the discolouration, I will treat with sun exposure; hopefully this will bleach it. I will not rehair her; aside from the colour, it is good hair, and I prefer to have original hair. I will not repink her because I prefer white hair on ponies with fading-pink hair.
Close up of discolouration at the base of the tail.
Internal Body
In order to get a look at what's going on inside this little pony, I need to open her up. First I take the head off, then I remove the tail.
This pony has a boatload of internal issues.
The top image is of the inside of the head; the bottom is of the inside of the body. These are hard to photograph, but you can generally get the idea that she is Very Dirty inside. Actually, she's black all over. Examination with a flashlight indicates this extends from the tips of the ears to the whole body, including all four feet. I don't know if this black stuff is dirt or mold; I've never personally encountered a moldy pony before now.
Treatment: There are two options for mold - boiling or bleach. I'm hesitant to use bleach because I haven't researched the use of bleach on non-white ponies, and also the fact that bleach can be dangerous to the person handling it (me). I'll start by bloiling and if that has no result, will research bleach. Prior to boiling I'll do a preliminary clean. If this is mold, it MUST be removed. All other issues are secondary.
Internal tail:
The washer is rusted, but the clip holding the tail is not. Some rust damage to the tail itself; part of the tail is black as well, as with the body, suggesting dirt. Treatment for the rust (and black stuff) will be toothpaste, conditioner and shampoo.
Closeup of the rust damage to the washer and the tail.
Overall assessment: My biggest concern is mold. Aside from that, her condition really isn't that bad, and the other issues can wait until I get the black stuff sorted out.
Next entry: Boiling the pony! :D