The structure that makes him a "human" shape I welded a frame together from square tubing or rolled hollow section for the technical term. I went a bit further with the legs and added some knees as that gives the legs a bend with a more natural stance. Standing around 5 and half feet tall, I used a lot of blue because of the body that is a Yamaha motorcycle fuel tank that I picked up so I rolled with blue for the other parts too. For his arms I used some cut offs from a blue toolbox I had recently taken apart. The car suspension springs were great for his shorts that were covered in spanners for his modesty. He also has some gardan forks for hands.

To get him to stand, I welded a bar with a square section on the top to a steel base that had been recovered from a garage that had been knocked down. This would allow me to be able to weld a steel bar to a car jack for Rusty and slot him into the base. It was more for convenience so it wasn't too much to move at once from the workshop to the front garden.

Read below for the reason why ol' Rusty is two-faced!

On to some of the details. Firstly beginning with this Derbyshire-made timepiece. Sundial watch. Perfect for keeping time especially when you're out in the field all day working to keep the crops safe from the birds! I had used some form of gauge for the face of the clock (please correct me if I am wrong). A tiny Terry's spanner and a real watch strap I had spare so he can wear it.

A feather in the hat for the farmer. We needed him to look smart for the competition of course. I have made a few feathers like this by forging a spanner into a curve. Usually I will hand stamp the details onto the feather but the issue I could see with that is it would be unclear from a distance what it was. This time I left the delicate details off and cut the detail in with an angle grinder. As you can see on the photo it lets the light pass through and highlights the shape better. I also feel it gives a more cartoony and fun look.

The feet! For these I cut in half a hobbing foot / shoe last. As Rusty is roughly the same size as a real person, these fit the scale wonderfully. Simple, strong and they look the part.

Now for the sad news. Rusty didn't win the village competition. It's a fix I can hear you all yell. But the happy news is someone has since taken him to new pastures around the corner to live in their allotment. Whilst all the other scarecrows will have been dismantled and even thrown away. Rusty lives a new life a few roads away, so he is the winner to me.