Model Forum / General / Models / June 2007

On Jun 13, 1:44 pm, "c...@earthlink.net" <c...@earthlink.net> wrote:

I still have a small supply of 1/32 scale seated USN WWII pilot
figures. These are cast metal figures done for IPMS Golden Gate as a
fundraiser by master figure modeler Terry Worster. They go for $5 plus
$2 postage/packaging (ie it covers the postage and my trip/time in the
line at the post office).

Anyone interested please drop me a line. The price is but a fraction
of the value and a small fund to get the chapter going again will
help.

Tom

I love doing horses.  If I didn't stop myself I'd build and paint all
the horses in my Airfix figure kits and get 'a round tuit' someday with
the humans.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

I do love doing figures and my current interest is making armor
dioramas.  My quick and dirty way of doing faces and flesh is to paint
the basic Tamiya flesh.  This color makes the flesh look like old
style clothing store dummies, does the job but still a dummy.  The
trick is then to give it a wash with thinned Tamiya red-brown.  I
happened to use a bottle that had semi-dried feckles and the flesh
came up with neat little spots like a what a tough soldier's skin
would have  as compared to the baby smooth skin of a pretty lass.  Add
a bit of acrylic extender (available from artists supplies stores) to
the thinned wash.  This makes the wash less runny and yet thin enough
to flow into the molded crevices (eyes, mouth, cheek folds, between
finger grooves) just enough to bring out the details.   If the
red-brown wash is overdone drybrush with white.  I prefer my method
with results that looks like a face from a full figure photo, namely a
good overall impression without the need to be able to count his
teeth.  I can do a figure (face and flesh details) in 10 minutes or
less.  

The human brain is programmed to fill in missing details.  Therefore
with enough form and shadows to suggest a face our brain makes up the
rest of the details.  One can get away with a lot of short cuts and
"mistakes" look like skilful rendering of a painter's art.  This also
applies to painting the clothing and the equipment.   It takes way too
much time and effort to paint figures to the level of photographic
detail.

============================
I love doing horses.  If I didn't stop myself I'd build and paint all
the horses in my Airfix figure kits and get 'a round tuit' someday
with the humans.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

I don't know if you caught a post I made about SLUDGE an acrylic
paste.  http://tri-art.ca/en/products/sludge/  
[How is it made?
SLUDGE is made through a process of flocculation, separation,
pressing, filtration, re-dispersion, production and packaging.

100% of water used in the factory for clean-up processes goes into a
waste pit and is then pumped into a storage tank. The water is
chemically processed every two weeks by flocculating the washwater.
The accumulated solids sink to the bottom of the tank (1). The clear
water is then siphoned off and re-introduced into the plumbing system
and used for cleaning. The remaining semisolid material is then pumped
into a filter press (2) that compresses it at 9000 psi into what is
called press cake. These cakes are then broken up and re-disperse into
water to form an aqueous dispersion. The aqueous dispersion is
re-filtered and is introduced into thick and thin acrylic paint bases.
The resulting SLUDGE is then packaged, labeled and is ready for use.]

I hated the plastic horse's tail and mane because no matter how well I
did the rest these two items still look plastic.  With sludge you
should able to attach nylon fibers to simulate long horse hair that
looks relastic.  Suitable nylon fibers are available from the Dollar
Stores and the craft stores (for doll's wigs)

I did this for the a.s in Tamiya's farm animals kit.  Looks great. The
mane is stiff upright and the tail looks convincing.  For a fine steed
the mane will need to flow and flop to one side and the tail should
have a nice sweep.    Maybe you can experiment with (preforming?) the
nylon fibers with a hot air dryer first.  I haven't tried this yet as
I don't have a new horse model project.  The old Tamiya German rider
on a horse was done long ago and I am not about to take it apart to do
a retrofit.

Stretch a suitable sized bundle of nylon fibers on a strip of wood or
something and apply SLUDGE to the middle of the bundle to hold the
fibers.  When dry cut it at this glue blob and this forms the root of
the horse's tail.  Of course remove the molded plastic tail, make a
small pit, daub SLUDGE in the pit and the root of the tail  and
attach.  SLUDGE is used to blend the tail to the horse's rump.

The mane is made in a similar way.  Spread out the nylon fibers to
wider than the length of the mane on the model.  When dry trim to size
and attach to the nape.  After removing the plastic mane carve a
groove on the nape to receive the nylon fiber mane.