SEARCH FINESCALE.COM

Enter keywords or a search phrase below:

New figure builder needs help

919 views
5 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2006
Posted by Dutch on Thursday, October 26, 2006 8:24 AM

Guys,

Thank you for your time and input

Dutch

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Caput Mundi
Posted by Avus on Sunday, October 8, 2006 3:28 AM

Since my esteemed colleagues have replied more that exhaustively your technical questions I'll cover the ones on SWAT figures (my avatar should tell you it's a subject i like):

  1. Dragon models makes a few sets in a series called "Urban Elite Series" in 1/35:
    • LAPD SWAT
    • NYPD ESU
    • British SAS
    • German GSG9
    • Hong Kong ... (basically the same as the SAS kit)
  2. Sol models (Korean company) makes a few resin figures in 1/35 called SWAT #1 to #8. They look like LAPD SWAT but could be anything.
  3. Nemord makes one GIGN in 54mm and a GIGN bust both in resin.
  4. Velinden has three SAS from "Operation Nimrod" and a generic  SWAT Police officer all in 120mm.

That's all I know of and hope it helps.

Klaus

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Saturday, October 7, 2006 1:42 PM

Since you don't want to do oils, go to http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/ , choose model color from the drop down menu and scroll to the bottom of the page fro a printable tutorial on Vallejo (and Andrea) paints. They are the best acrylics around. As mentioned above, they are designed for painting figures.

http://www.metalsofhonour.com/ has a couple very good tutorials as well. Drop by http://www.squadron.com/. They carry Figure International and have back issues at great prices. Each one has at least one step by step figure. The only draw back is they use manufacturer color codes for paint identification.

Archer transfers are great, but you can also make your own patches on your color printer. Scan or download the patch you want and save it on your computer as a jpg file. Bring it into a word document as you would any clip art. Resize it as needed to fi t and make a bunch of copies. Using plain white paper, print this document using the highest resolution your printer offers. Let the ink dry for an hour or so and coat the image with MicroScale Decal Film. Carefully cut out the patch. Dilute some white glue and apply it to the back of the patch and to the sleeve of the figure. The moisture will sften the paper, allowing you to press it into any folds. Let this dry overnight and weather as you see fit. This allows you an unlimited supply of even the most esoteric patch, blood chit or flag for the cost of ink and paper. At high resloution, I was able to print a 1/35 blood chit where you could make out each Chinese character clearly under a magnifying glass with just an average inkjet printer.

 

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

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 7, 2006 11:34 AM
Firstly, welcome to the dark world of figure modeling. I transfered over from armor around 1992 and within two years was almost exclusively a figure modeler. I haven't really looked back.

 Oils are probably the easiest to work with and get professional results, but if they scare you that much, or you don't like the added drying time, enamals and acrylics are your next options. I'd recomend acrylics, Vellejo specifically. Vellejo were made for figure painting and are designed for use with a brush. They are water based and flow very nicely. I use them mainly for my base coats, to paint my oils over, and they work very well in that capacity as well, but in trained hands, Vellejo can produce staggering results all by themselves. The technique that is seen at the big shows is known as the "Spanish" technique, and it is truly fine art.

 There are two books I highly recomend to new modelers. First is Sheppard Paine's book Building and Painting Scale Figures, which I believe is out of print, but check Amazon and ebay, I'm sure a used copy is floating around somewhere. It covers all aspects of figure modeling, from assembly, to painting, to displaying, to scratch building and modifying. Shep has always been a great teacher for new modelers and the info in his books are always very accessible to new modelers, while also very accessable to experience modelers as well (Side note - His books on building dioramas and military models are also worth having for a number of reasons, particualrly if dioramas are your thing. But most of the figure related info is covered in the figure book).

 The second book is The System, by Verlinden. Verlinden's technique with oils is extremely easy to learn and you should be getting good results from it almost immediately. He has a very basic color pallete, which I feel is a tad on the dark side, but it always works, and it will break your fear of oils. He also uses Humbrol.

 My method started from Verlinden's, but has evolved as I've picked up techniques here and there. I've switched from Humbrol to Vellejo for base coats, and have been trying very hard to master Vellejo as a technique unto itself. I find it to be the most difficult method (if you're shooting for International show quality, as I am) of all methods. There are several here who have got the technique down, who can shed better light on that than I can though.

 You can also get very nice results with enamals, employing simple washes and dry brushing. That's covered in the Shep Paine books too. It's by far the easiest to do. Just base coat the figure, lay in some heavily thinned shadow tone, most likely black, and then mix up a highlight and dry brush over the high points. You might then also mix up a high highlight and drybrush that lightly over the very high points. Faces, I find, don't come out so well this way, but if you're just starting, the results are good enough to feel like you've accomplished something. I painted that way for many years, and while those figures don't stack up to my current work, they were pretty darn good for where I was at the time.

It bears mention that Bill Horan uses Humbrols almost exclusively, with some oils for deep shadow, and his technique is very similar to the Spanish technique, yielding similar results. It's pretty much exclusive to him though, as most have had trouble figuring out how to master it, and those who have, did it with Vellejo.

 Regarding patches and such. I always have painted them, even in 1/35th and 54mm. However, the Archer transfers you refer to are nice. They aren't decals, as you're familiar with them. They are called Dry Transfers. They are rub-on letters. You cut them out, lay the plastic carrier over the area you want to plant the image, and then rub the image with a pencil, or a burnishing tool, or similar tool, until it sticks to the area. Then peal the plastic off carefully. They can be tricky to work with though. Sometimes the image doesn't stick, or only part of the image sticks, while the rest stays on the carrier. It takes a little practice, and you'll want to have a few coppies of the various images in case you scrap a few. Honestly, I'd just try and get a handle on painting them. It's cheaper, and if you screw it up, you can always paint over it and start over. I'd be happy to illustrate how to paint patches and rank emblems if you'd like.

  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: AusTx, Live Music Capitol of the World
Posted by SteveM on Saturday, October 7, 2006 11:30 AM
Hi Dutch

Two books I like:

-How To Build Dioramas (Aircraft, armor, ship, and figure models) by Sheperd Paine
    Starts at the very beginning of figure painting, easy to understand. Don't fear the oils. Just buy the good brands.

-Terrain Modelling by Richard Winslow
   Does the same for building the scenery. Even if you kinda know what you're doing, it's a great reference for new comers.

Both available on Amazon.com.  When I got them on Amazon, they came as a set, or a deal. I think I paid around $30 for both. Look 'em up, That's way you could pay for each at stores.

Archers are great for patches. It's the onlt way I go. Most recommended.

These are all just my opinions. Wait to see what others have to say.

SteveM

Steve M.

On the workbench: ginormous Kharkov dio

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
New figure builder needs help
Posted by Dutch on Saturday, October 7, 2006 8:52 AM

Let me start by saying wow after reading some of the posts and seeing the picutres of figures done by members.  I'm new to the forum and just returning to modeling.  I like armor and mil type models.  I have always wanted to build dioramas, but do to poor resultes with my figures never compleated any.  I now find my self with some time to learn.  I have many questions and could use some help.  Question one is.  If you could choose only one of the many books published on painting figures which one would you choose?  This book would need to be geared to the new figure builder (easy to understand and lots and lots of pictures).  Describe painting with something other then just oils (oils scare the daylights out of me).  And last but not least easy to get through a book store or internet (not something out of print).  Question number 2.  I have been wanting to build WW2 US ETO trooops but cant paint the Div patchs or rank patches and make them look good.  How are Archer Fine Transfers?  Are they simler to the wet and apply type, easy to work with,  user friendly?  And one last question.  Are there any good police figures both SWAT and patrol type?

Thank you for all your help

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

SEARCH FORUMS
FREE NEWSLETTER
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy.