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1/72 scale figures - first try - I need help

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  • Member since
    April 2009
  • From: Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Posted by cooey2ph on Sunday, April 12, 2009 12:48 AM

Painting soft plastic is a bit tricky. Especially when it comes to securing a paint job that does noit flack or chip of whenever the model flexes. Here's a useful site with tips

http://www.baueda.com/plastikornar/painting_guide.html

gzt
  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by gzt on Saturday, August 30, 2008 10:36 PM

Thank you Gentlemen for your help.

Al: it looks you have a quite collection of those hussars :)

I plan to go to Boston within next Week (besides the Airshow at Westover I have to visit :) during the Weekend). I will get some Velejo paint and try it on some figures.

In teh meantime I tried using oil paints and I am pretty pleased with results. The only problem may be with detailing those figures. Oil paint has some limitations and will require carefull planning. Since I tried it, I may be hooked into it; mostly due to the subject :)

 Thanks again for all your help. I will show my first one when done :)

Flying is a thrill #2 known to mankind. Landing is #1.

http://www.rwd-6.org

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Perth, Western Australia
Posted by madmike on Friday, August 29, 2008 8:48 PM

I use Vallejo exclusively now for pretty much all my armour builds and detail painting and that includes figures.

There is a great tutorial for figures painted with Vallejo paints. I think it was done by Hermesminiatures and those techniques that he used can easily be applied with 1:72/76 figures.

Cheers

Mike

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." - Galileo Galilei
  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Thursday, August 28, 2008 10:44 PM
Look back through some of the pages here in "Figures"--there's a guy here named "Panzer Grenadier" who did several of these long, detailed posts where he painted up full boxfull's of 1/72 soldier kits. It's really quite helpful!
  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Philadelphia PA
Posted by smeagol the vile on Thursday, August 28, 2008 8:07 PM
Wow, poland had some cool looking soldiers... to bad they ruined it with stuff like those screen door having submarines.

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Monday, August 25, 2008 7:20 AM

http://www.timelinesforum.com/

http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/index.php?

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/

I can't emphasize enough, if you're going to get into figures, go with Vallejo and Andrea. If you're near Boston, The Hobby Bunker in Malden carries the line.

Here are some larger scale winged hussars:

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by chris hall on Sunday, August 24, 2008 2:26 PM

For 1/72 and smaller figures, I like to start with a black undercoat, and then semi-dry-brush the main colours, using acrylics (I like Citadel, but the new Humbrol ones are also surprisingly good). Over the base colours, I try a lighter dry-brush of a couple of lighter versions of these colours. I then paint the detail parts with a small brush - but not smaller than #0. There was an article in FSM a few years ago which outlined this method in greater depth, using, IIRC, crew figurs from a Monogram 1/48 B-25.

Here are some figures in 1/72 and smaller painted using this technique:

But there are lots of valid approaches to small-scale figure painting. You have to experiment and find out what works best for you.

Cheers,

Chris.

Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly!
  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: United States
Posted by ww2modeler on Friday, August 22, 2008 8:27 PM

I know how you feel about them, exactly the way I felt. The problem is that you can't blend. Its a problem with the formula of the paint. It causes the undried paint to "lift off" when you stroke the brush over it. The only way I've found to use them is too thin them REALLY well. I've been upgrading to Valejo's. It takes me about 10 coats to get the right look with Tamiyas and 3 with vallejos. If you have the $ to get them, get the vallejos, or just get some basic colors and try them out. The Tamiyas are great for airbrushing but figure painting isn't there thing.

For an example, look at my post "1/35 German figure a little bit below this one. The face was painted with vallejos, then look at some of my other stuff painted with Tamiyas and you'll notice the difference.

David

On the bench:

1/35 Tamiya M26 Pershing-0%

1/144 Minicraft P-38J Lightning-50%

Numerous 1/35 scale figures in various stages if completion.

 

gzt
  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by gzt on Friday, August 22, 2008 7:58 PM
 ww2modeler wrote:

Well, since your an aircraft guy, I'm sure you have some of those Tamiya Acrylics around. Don't use them. If your into figure for the long run, get some good vallejo or Anrea paints and maybe some oils. otherwise, MM Acrylics are OK. 1/72 scales fine I think as long as your not trying to paint colors of eyes.  

Check out this site under features and forums, some really amzazing work there.

http://www.hfmodeling.com/

Other than that, don't expect great results right away. with 16 figures, expect messing up 10 of them. Try something new on every one and add that skill to the next one.

Good Luck,

David

Thanks David !

This was a reason I got this set: a lot of figures and the price was right too Smile [:)] - about $10.

In fact I wish to make a larger figure of such subject but first I need to know the technique involved.

You mentioned Tamiya paints - Smile [:)] funny I just thought of using them Smile [:)]. I like tamiya acrylics due to nice texture and fine pigment but I am trying to understand wha may be the reason of removing tamiya from the list ? Quick drying time ? Would a retarder do the trick in such case ??

If I need oil paints, where to get them ?? What is a decent brand I should look for ??

Flying is a thrill #2 known to mankind. Landing is #1.

http://www.rwd-6.org

  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: United States
Posted by ww2modeler on Friday, August 22, 2008 7:44 PM

Well, since your an aircraft guy, I'm sure you have some of those Tamiya Acrylics around. Don't use them. If your into figure for the long run, get some good vallejo or Anrea paints and maybe some oils. otherwise, MM Acrylics are OK. 1/72 scales fine I think as long as your not trying to paint colors of eyes.  

Check out this site under features and forums, some really amzazing work there.

http://www.hfmodeling.com/

Other than that, don't expect great results right away. with 16 figures, expect messing up 10 of them. Try something new on every one and add that skill to the next one.

Good Luck,

David

On the bench:

1/35 Tamiya M26 Pershing-0%

1/144 Minicraft P-38J Lightning-50%

Numerous 1/35 scale figures in various stages if completion.

 

gzt
  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: Massachusetts
1/72 scale figures - first try - I need help
Posted by gzt on Friday, August 22, 2008 7:15 PM

I just got back from my old country and I brought with me a nice set of figures in 1/72 scale. It is a set made by ZVEZDA : "Polish wingd hussars", total of 16 figures and horses.

It is a very small set, I rather use 1/48 scale but this is my first shot with figures and I like the subject anyway.

I have no problem with Polish winged hussars as a subject but rather the technique of painting them Smile [:)].

I appreciate if you can give me few hints as far as:

- what paint should I use ?

- where to find more info on figures and related tricks ?

is 1/72 scale a right scale for this kind of subject ?? 

Flying is a thrill #2 known to mankind. Landing is #1.

http://www.rwd-6.org

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