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Making Figs out of clay???? Im stumped and new at it!

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  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: California
Posted by rabbiteatsnake on Monday, January 1, 2007 2:47 AM

You're getting a lot of good advice there Cors.  However, SCULPEY, gads I've known many guys that work wonders with it but not me. Converting is best if you actually want to get somthing done. I took a pilot fig from the Rev1/32 Bf109, some thinned green put, disolved styrene & a 5/0 brush and cut a mean likeness of Erich Hartman.  The guys who do small folks for a living tend toward jewelers wax, Harder than soap, it has to be tooled away(ie dental probes), and of course one must face the caveat of produceing molds. The harder the better, just this side of brittle, my 1/8th M. Wittmann(posted in this forum.), I used a clay that was way too soft, and spent a month chasing semmetry around & around on his face, a heart beat can make a well formed eye into a ugly gash.  Still if you get bit by the bug, and many do and would like to try a bigger piece say 1/16th, then Chavant is the stuff for you.  Chavant is a poo brown mix used chiefely by auto design studios, and can be scraped as flat as formica.  It comes in sulfer free blends that won't inhibbit RTV's.  My 200mm SS man(also posted) was chavant,sculpting him was a blast.   As for clothes study photos, break out you're BDU's and vogue in front of a full length mirror, even the great Florentines had models when they worked, what I'm saying is study from life not some other guys figures, I've seen too many mini's with realistic faces and dynamic poses potted by goopey looking uniforms.

The devil is in the details...and somtimes he's in my sock drawer. On the bench. Airfix 1/24 bf109E scratch conv to 109 G14AS MPC1/24 ju87B conv to 87G Rev 1/48 B17G toF Trump 1/32 f4u-1D and staying a1D Scratch 1/16 TigerII.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, December 12, 2006 10:50 AM

I'm with plymoney, magisculpt is excellent, check out my web site for examples of the detail you can achieve using it - www.cpmodels.co.uk

 Very good at designing small scale detail

 

stuart :)

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:35 AM

I've been sculpting with Magic Sculpt for many, many years, and I love it. Though I have recently begun using Super Sculpey for faces and occassionally torso/pelvis blanks on large figures (it's cheaper than epoxy putty for bulk rough sculpting work). I wouldn't waste your time with regular Sculpey. I've used it and never had any luck with it. I find it to bee too soft and it's rubbery when cured. Plus, when used in conjunction with epoxy putty, I've had problems because I bake off epoxy to accellerate the cure, and that causes problems with the bit done in Sculpey. It doesn't like to be reheated. However, Super Sculpey is a really fine product. I've found that likenesses come out really nice, and I can crank a decent face out in a half an hour. It's much firmer to work with and bakes to rock solid. It doesn't seem to have as much issues when put under the mild heat I use to cook off my epoxy putty either, though I have had some shrikage issues, where a crack develops at the mating point between the two materials. I know people who use Super Sculpey for everything, start to finish, but I don't like it for fine details. I only use it for faces.

For making the bodies for your figures, I'd either make the torso/pelvis blanks out of epoxy and use paper clips for the arm and leg armatures, or take 1/35th scale scrap figures, chop them down to the basic torso and pelvis, and then carve off all the detail until they are "naked", then use them for your blanks.

 I'd use heads, hands and feet from commercial figures, especially if you've never sculpted before. Drill holes in the ends and stick the hands and feet on the ends of the paper clips, and also use a bit of paper clip as a spine for the head to sit on. It helps if you have a decent, well proportioned figure to compare your work with as you go. I also recomend Magic Sculpt or another comparable epoxy putty for the clothing and details.  It has different properties based on how far along in the curing process it is that can be used to your advantage. There's some work I handle right after mixing, then there's other work I wait as much as 40 minutes before attempting. But first, you need to flesh out the figure, creating a basic musculature over the paper clip armature. Decide on, and set the desired pose, and then flesh the figure out with epoxy. Your figure should be taking shape now. You don't need to waste time making the arms and legs look smooth, just make sure the overall shape is the way you want it. No knobby knees, or depressions in the calves and thighs that might show up and effect the shape of the clothing. You can always go back and fill these annomalies in with fresh putty after it cures, or scrape or sand away material.

 Most wrinkles are best done later in the curing process IMO, especially tight wrinkles. You'll want to spread the putty over the work area while it's still fresh, but let it sit for a while before doing anything with it. Again, practice comes in handy here, because the drawback to letting it sit is that your working time is nearly gone and you'll need to work fast. You might want to tackle small areas at a time to avoid having spots cure before you've had a chance to work them.

 Sculpting wrinkles can get very teious, and making them in scale can also be difficult at times. Study life sized articles of clothing. If you have pics of the specific garment you are trying to model, study how the wrinkles behave. There's a tendancy to model thin, loose clothing as too billowy, or too thick. I'm thinking of several of Verlinden's 120mm Vietnam figures, particularly the earlier efforts. It can be easier in some respects, but also harder in small scales like 1/35th and 1/32nd. Again, practice is the key. If you have pics of some figures in which you feel the sculptor did a particularly nice job in capturing the wrinkles, reference them often. Observing the work of others is very important and you can learn alot.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Sunny Florida
Posted by renarts on Saturday, December 9, 2006 11:42 AM

Bret,

There are a few companies out there that make figures in 1/32 scale that would work for your project. My advice would be to try a conversion or two first, then try a whole figure sculpt.

Changing the positioning of some figures or adding on some sculptural details is a much faster path to success than building one from scratch. It will help you get used to the new materials you'll be working with and get you used to manipulating materials.

If you are going to build one from scratch, the key is a good, proportionate armateur under your sculpting material. From there you can do just about anything to achieve the finished figure.

Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 9, 2006 11:26 AM
Thanx Guys Im gonna check that site out.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 9, 2006 10:28 AM
  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Lewiston ID
Posted by reklein on Saturday, December 9, 2006 10:22 AM
I've done quite a bit of sculpting but haven't had too good a luck with sculpey it has a sort of spring back that makes it difficult to model small stuff. Your best bet would be to get some 1/32 figures and modify them to suit your requirments and not have to worry about wrinkles and such. Also you might need to find some photos of people working in the poses you need and observe how the wrinkles work and other details. Its difficult to model in such tiny proportions but if your eyes are good and your not too shaky it can be done. Kalmbach has one or two books out on figure modeling in small scales see if you can locate a copy .
  • Member since
    November 2005
Making Figs out of clay???? Im stumped and new at it!
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 7, 2006 5:06 PM

Hey guys. when I am going to build my dio of the CAF Corsair FG-1D and a fuel truck(if I find parts to bash one 2gether..any clues on what models are good for this?) I need two or three figures to go with it. One guy standing by the plane and the other as the pilot which is going to be refueling the Corsair. My model is the Trumpeter 1/32 F4U-1D converted, and I am using the clay called Sculpey from Hobby Lobby. I was told this is a good type of clay to use as it does not crack or breack after you bake it in the oven.

I was hoping some of you guys know of easy ways to make figs.

    1.) how do I make the wrinkles in the clothes

     2.) tech/tips on makes the clothes and details them selves.

 

If I have left out anything you need to know to help me let me know and I will repost it. Thanks and god bless

Bret

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