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Author Topic:   Neil Armstrong bust figurine by Alba Hicks
Philip
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From: Brussels, Belgium
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posted 10-12-2002 04:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have a small bust of Dr. Neil Armstrong... on the footblock it measures 3 by 3 inches and it shows the Moon globe with Neil Armstrong's bust in an Apollo suit...

On the front is "Neil Armstrong". On the back is "First man on the Moon July 20, 1969". It has a small inscription "Alba Hicks 1969 (c)" near the foot of the Moonglobe... does anyone know these?

Kustaka
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posted 09-01-2008 10:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kustaka   Click Here to Email Kustaka     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
As of September 1, 2008 - Alba Hicks - now Mrs. David Pratt - resides in a nursing home in Anchorage, Alaska. Sadly, she is totally incapacitated at this point in time. Earlier in her life she painted the scenes in the dome of the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, and the inside chambers of the US Supreme Court - all, remarkably, with an airbrush. Her husband is still living, though quite aged, and she has a 57 year old son still living, who is an artist and sculptor himself. He resides in Alabama

SpaceCadet83
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posted 09-01-2008 11:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceCadet83   Click Here to Email SpaceCadet83     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Can you post a picture of the sculpture? Thanks!

Philip
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posted 09-02-2008 07:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here's a photo... can't find the little bust any longer, it might have ended in the garbage. A search is underway!

Philip
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posted 09-02-2008 01:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Found it in the attic I guess these were mass produced?

Philip
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posted 09-16-2008 10:37 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
No additional info on these?

Philip
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posted 09-15-2009 12:34 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Does anyone know how "rare" these are?

Philip
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posted 11-28-2009 11:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Wanted to have the figurine painted with a gray moon and White space suit but material wouldn't allow that... Any hints?

Tykeanaut
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posted 11-30-2009 11:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tykeanaut   Click Here to Email Tykeanaut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have not come across one before, so it's rare to me! Probably best to find out what it is made of prior to painting.

Philip
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posted 11-30-2009 11:37 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Might be gypsum but I don't know the exact term for that white material that looks like the shape they make when You've broken a leg or arm

history in miniature
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posted 11-30-2009 03:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for history in miniature   Click Here to Email history in miniature     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Plaster? You could cover it first with Mr. Surfacer.

MiliputMan
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From: St-Jean Chrysostome, Quebec, Canada
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posted 11-30-2009 05:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MiliputMan   Click Here to Email MiliputMan     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Can you post a picture of the unpainted bottom? It might be resin or corian.

Tykeanaut
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posted 12-01-2009 09:04 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tykeanaut   Click Here to Email Tykeanaut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ah, sounds porous then. Needs sealing first with a primer.

Philip
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posted 12-05-2009 03:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the hints, I'll contact a professional.

Apollo Redux
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posted 12-05-2009 09:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Apollo Redux   Click Here to Email Apollo Redux     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Kustaka:
As of September 1, 2008 - Alba Hicks - now Mrs. David Pratt - resides in a nursing home in Anchorage, Alaska. Sadly, she is totally incapacitated at this point in time.
That is sad to hear.

Kustaka
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posted 02-23-2010 12:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kustaka   Click Here to Email Kustaka     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Neil Armstrong - "Man on the Moon"

Sad to report that Mrs. Alba (Hicks) Pratt, artist, sculptor and designer/sculptor of the bust of Neil Armstrong "Man on the Moon" passed away in March, 2009. in Anchorage,AK. She is survived by her husband, David Pratt of Anchorage, and her son, John Tennant of Birmingham, AL. The bust of Neil Armstrong - titled "Man on the Moon" resides in the Armstrong Air and Space museum in Wapakoneta, OH.

Philip
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posted 02-23-2010 11:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the update, so I guess there were more of these small copies made...

rasorenson
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posted 02-23-2010 08:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for rasorenson   Click Here to Email rasorenson     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The original bust by Alba Hicks is located at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, OH. sending them your questions may get you further information.

Kustaka
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posted 08-03-2010 09:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kustaka   Click Here to Email Kustaka     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There were a number of the maquettes produced, but the exact count is unknown. They were made of one of the harder types of gypsum plaster then finished with a patina. Mrs. Hicks made all the maquettes herself, so in that respect each one is a unique piece and a bit special. According to her son, three of the large busts were made, but the only one he knows the whereabouts of is the one at the Armstrong Museum in Wapakaneta.

garlin
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posted 09-25-2012 05:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for garlin   Click Here to Email garlin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I also have one of the small bust figurines of Neil Armstrong made by Alba Hicks. I would like to communicate with anyone who has one. I have a picture of the big one at the museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Philip
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From: Brussels, Belgium
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posted 10-11-2012 05:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Could you post a link to the large bust please?

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