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Backdated Monty's figures


Mikkel

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Off with their heads! Farthing is set in Edwardian times, but good figures from this period are not easy to come by. I've therefore been doing a bit of backdating to the excellent Monty's range of 1930s-50s figures from Dart Castings. The photo above shows a rather gruesome selection of body parts left behind from butchering and modifying the Monty's figures.

 

 

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This lunar landscape shows my preference for blu-tacking the figures to inverted cups, so I don't have to handle them during painting. The cups give a good grip and you can turn them any way you want to get the right angle for painting. Paint and varnish is Vallejo acrylics, which are superb and work fine for me on whitemetal as long as its primed and varnished.

 

 

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Mr and Mrs Longbottom in trial position on the bay platform. They will shortly be joined by Mrs Longbottom's niece, who is slightly delayed due to her currently having no head.

 

 

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Mrs Longbottom is the result of a bit of fun figure-bashing (terrible word!). The face and upper body is from a Monty's figure (this one), with a bit of DAS modeling clay added to the hat and body to suit the style of the period. The lower body is from the Langley range of Edwardian figures, whose dresses are rather good, but whose upper bodies are a bit too stick-like for my tastes.

 

 

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Adding various types of beards to the figures (well the male ones at least!) helps to backdate them. This ganger is remodelled from a Monty's figure, adding a moustache made from Miliput, and with a modified hat. The latter was inspired by a similar hat worn by a ganger in a photo I have. None of your fancy bowlers here!

 

 

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This is the station master of Farthing. He is in fact a skipper from the Monty's range (one of the more recent additions), with the cap cut to look GWR-ish. The cutting of the coat isn't quite right, but life is short...

 

 

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This was originally a 1930s porter that I've attempted to backdate by filing off his pockets, modifying his cap and adding a moustache. His arm has been repositioned as he will be standing by a cart.

 

 

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This gentleman has had his original hat replaced with a bowler made from bits found in the spares box.

 

 

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This seems to be one of the more popular figures from Monty's. I've filed down his hat to represent the boaters of the period, and modified his nose just a little to make him look different from all the other ones out there.

 

 

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This worker is entirely unmodified, with the moustache painted on. I go for relaxed poses when I select figures, as I'm no great fan of the "frozen movement".

 

 

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Hmmmm, went a bit too far on the backdating there! Jokes aside, this is one of my son's plastic Warhammer figures that I painted. Now I know they're a bit larger than 4mm figures (I don't believe there's an exact scale for Warhammer - for good reason!), but they're not that much larger, and look at all that crisp detail. Imagine those production techniques applied to 4mm model railway figures! But I suppose the cost would be too high and the market too small?

 

Edited by Mikkel

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Hello smile.gif

 

They look really cool and a refreshing change from men in orange jackets, although it was a bit weird to read...

 

"They will shortly be joined by Mrs Longbottom??

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  • RMweb Gold

You've done an excellent job with those figures. :icon_cool: I'm too a big fan of the Montys range.Have you seen Aidan Campbells range of Edwardian types ?

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks for your kind comments.

 

Missy, you will be relieved to hear that I have fitted a head to Mrs Longbottom's niece just this evening smile.gif.

 

Rob, yes I've seen Aidan Campbells figures. They have that same "mass" as the Monty's ones, and with much personality. I think that some of them are perhaps a bit too much like charicatures for my taste. But there are one or two that may turn up on the layout in due course.

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  • RMweb Gold

Very nicely done, Mikkel. It's refreshing to see this period being modelled, and your figures look superbly appropriate.

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  • RMweb Gold

Glad you think so! It's been good fun making these and a number of others. Currently mulling over how to fix them in place. My nerves aren't strong enough to melt wire into their feet (and too late now anyway), and glueing them in place doesn't appeal to me as I'd like to be able to possibly re-use them in the future. Suggestions anyone?

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  • RMweb Gold
Glad you think so! It's been good fun making these and a number of others. Currently mulling over how to fix them in place. My nerves aren't strong enough to melt wire into their feet (and too late now anyway), and glueing them in place doesn't appeal to me as I'd like to be able to possibly re-use them in the future. Suggestions anyone?

 

I used to fix my figures to a small square of acetate/clear plastikard. It was all but invisible especially if you positioned it so that the edges lined up with paving stones, etc. Nowadays I'm more inclined to use glue, but as you say it's nice to be able to move them. Have you considered that tacky stuff Woodland Scenics sell? It's specifically marketed as allowing repositioning of figures, etc.

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks Barry Ten, that was news to me!

 

I assume you mean this product: http://miniatures.about.com/od/materialsforminiatures/gr/scenicaccentglu.htm

 

One problem could be that it seems only to work on smooth clean surfaces (which makes sense), which is fine for platforms but may give trouble on bare ground surfaces. But then again, it's better that some figures can be repositioned than none at all. Think I'll give it a try!

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Really really loving this. Almost hard to believe the effort you have put in to customising each figure but they look grand and highly convincing. Might give these figures a go.

 

I need a bulk load of driver and firemen though and CBA go paint them all. As you said life is short.

 

Bravo good sir!

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  • RMweb Gold

Really really loving this. Almost hard to believe the effort you have put in to customising each figure but they look grand and highly convincing. Might give these figures a go. I need a bulk load of driver and firemen though and CBA go paint them all. As you said life is short. Bravo good sir!

 
Thanks Knuckles. The Dart figures are great, but since this was posted Andrew Stadden has come out with a whole range of 4mm Edwardian figures. He is also currently working on a series of footplate men with options for different arm positions, similar to his 7mm versions. See: http://www.acstadden.co.uk/Pages/Shop.aspx
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