Go Figure

I came across a very well- written series of articles by Chris Walas on sculpting figures at mylargescale.com. If you'd like to try making your own inexpensive figures, the series is well worth a look. The old gentleman in the picture is modeled in 1:20.3 scale (next to a smaller 1:22 scale Preiser figure). Chris' technique involves making an armature out of aluminum foil, then building the model with successive layers of Premo modeling clay (available for $3.00 at A.C. Moore). The layers are baked for a few minutes at 275 degrees. He recommends acrylic paints for the final figure, including washes of burnt or raw umber. The only tool you need is a toothpick. Unless you're trying for super detailing (I wasn't), you can make a figure easily in one evening. You can find the articles by going to http://archive.mylargescale.com/articles/articles.

I believe Eric Schade is also coming out with an article on making figures in an upcoming issue of Garden Railways Magazine. Given Eric's considerable skills, it should be worth watching for.