Scratch building/Molding your own figures?

Well....  are you doing 1/35  soldiers.. from WWII  WWI  Vietnam ??? 

you could buy a small sample pack from Smooth on or even Alumilite 

the alumilite comes with Resin and Casting Rubber....

 Recast for your own consumption !!  legs and arms you might need...  

 as far as modifying them or sculpting them there are many options.. like Miliput puty

or AveS putty !   

or ask your buddies that build tanks and don't care for the figures... they are free...

best of luck with your project

Well thats the thing, there no era.

I'm doing it in 1/35.  I want to make a Diorama depicting a scene from one of my favorite games, Team Fortress 2.  So I absolutley have to mod and create everything for it, I already started, I built the scout's baseball bat from a sprue, I build the spy's sapper, and I am working on a lvl 1 turret, and the pyro's flame thrower.  I just need to find out some good techniques to modify figures to fit my needs.

So I started a trial and error process with a junk figure I got at the flea market (was super glued together, and poorly at that, so I took it appart with a saw)  Some kind of 1/35 german radio man.  I'm using him because the body didnt have much detail, easy to sand off (suposto have a T shirt for the thing im doing) and it had the big radio headphones (char is suposto have those, except only a headphone on one side of his head and a mic coming from it, like gaming mics)

So I sanded the body smooth, used my dremel to make the look of a Tshirt, with a bit of his neckl and chest showing.  I got one of the earphone cups off and made an attachment point for the mic (wire braded) and I added a little brim to his head, after sanding all the detail off his hair and giving him a haircut, to represent a baseball cap under the headphones.

Problem, the face looked to much like an old man, so I tried to sand off the details on the cheeks (that was the problem) and it semi mangled the face, not really recognisable now...

 Ill post updates and pics in a WIP later when I have more to show.

 So its updates without pictures time again (im at work now atm)

I finished cleaning up the head and the chest, there how I want them more or less.  I then took a figure from that Russian tank rider Tamiya set that I wasnt going to use, the one running, and chopped his legs off.  I have sanded down the top part of the boot, making it really thin and makijng it seem like the pants are puffing out (guy im modding him to be wears high tight socks, so it works.  I also sanded the bottom of the boot off, getting rid of the heel (heelless baseball shoes).  I am in the process of dremeling up the fine details there.  I am also sanding off the top of his coat and making the legs seem less... uniformy.  So far im happy with my progress!  Cant wait to show you guys pics. 

Miliput and Aves were already mentioned; Green Stuff is another medium that some guys use.  I haven't tried it yet myself, but I've seen others using it, and it looks relatively easy to work with.

You noted that you're using a stock figure as a starting point, but you might want to go all out and make an armature and start from the ground up.  Or make a mannequin, that you can make copies of, to have them for other figures, too.

Regards,

Brad

I have toyed with the idea of starting from scratch.  There are a few characters that  I MAY do it for.  Specificly the heavy, hes so fat, and has such little legs.

Now, Does anyone know if anyone makes a 1/35 scale construction worker type figure, with the hardhat and overalls?  I am also looking for a figure, lanky, sniper type (I can mock up a sniper rifle out of another figure kit and whatnot).  What I need specificly is a lanky guy with one of those australian hats with the one part of the brim bent up.

As far as manking my own for reproduction... there are 9 classes in that game, plus a sentury gun and dispenser so thats 11 items, plus the terran and the buildings.  Making more then one of each would be to cluttered.  Plus there are a few things I am working on to make it really seem like the game.  I am also toying around with having one of the figures blowneded up (for one of those making it like the game things) just havent decided what class.  It will probably be the hardest one to build, Im thinking either the Demoman(really dont want to build him, probably because I utterly hate the class, there like artillery, just firing pipe bombs from over buildings and around corners, killing everyone without getting hurt)

You might find some good tips here.

http://4largescale.com/chris/c18.htm

Green stuff is a good way to go, virtually all fantasy minis are originally sculpted with it, which is why the protos are called "greens". Make sure to keep a cup of water nearby, and keep your tools and fingers wet when working it, or else it'll stick to everything and take fingerprints. It cures to a slightly rubbery consistency, and can be sanded or painted, but if you want a slightly harder figure then go with Brown Stuff from Games Workshop, which is just a different formulation for two-part epoxy. Some of the modelers on the wrestling figure forum I frequent also recommend one called Apoxie Sculpt, although I haven't tried it myself. As a TF fan myself, I can't wait to see pics! :)

Well first, welcome to the forums mr 1 post.

Second, thanks for the advice.  I have a WIP of this in the Dio forum, the scout is almost done, im paiting the head legs and accessories.  Still have yet to find arms for him.