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Poseable Model Figures


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So far the only figures I've bought, painted and put on my layout are a couple of sets of Dapol figures. They are nice enough, but pretty limited/fixed in what they look like. I look at pictures of other layouts and see figures opening a door, hands on hips, shaking hands, leaning against a shed etc i.e. common actions, but not something I've seen any figures doing. As such is there any way you can get figures who are poseable i.e. you can move the arms etc into a desired position? Failing that are there better sets of figures out there who cover a greater range of positions?

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If you want a huge range of figures to investigate, look at Prieser ones. They do themed sets, mixed boxes of unpainted and even individual figures. Noch do a similar, if smaller range. These are both HO 3.5mm scale, so technically smaller. But hey, is everyone the same size in real life?

 

You can hack your Dapol figures about, changing arm and leg positions and re-glueing them. Painting will cover this up. Head swaps are easy too.

 

Try Gaugemaster for Preiser figures. https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/magento/catalogsearch/result/?q=preiser

 

steve

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The Dapol ones are really useful for cutting and shutting, the plastic is easily worked and glued, they're cheap and they are (mostly) consistenly to scale. You do finish up with a slightly macabre collection of severed limbs/heads and dismembered torsos though. 

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8 minutes ago, Wheatley said:

The Dapol ones are really useful for cutting and shutting, the plastic is easily worked and glued, they're cheap and they are (mostly) consistenly to scale. You do finish up with a slightly macabre collection of severed limbs/heads and dismembered torsos though. 

Now that's a different theme for a layout

Base it on a "slasher" movie:good:

:o

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I'd have to second PMP's suggestion of Modelu figures.  These are first class items, modelled by scanning real people in real poses, and the detail is phenomenal with them.  You can even arrange to have yourself 3D printed in whatever clothes you think are suitable to appear on your layout!  I find Dapol, Preiser, Noch, Scalescenes etc to be a bit stiffly posed, as if they are frozen in some sort of action, when I think that figures on  a layout are better presented in relatively inactive poses to avoid this.  Guards do not spend their entire duty waving green flags, nor do firemen spend theirs in the act of shovelling coal.  A lot of railway work involves periods of inactivity, and even non-railway people are better presented standing around, perhaps chatting, leaning on things, etc. 

 

There are other ways of suggesting the presence of humanity on layouts than with humans as well; a door left ajar, bicycle propped up against a lamp post, window open, all hint at the presence of people who could appear on the scene at any second.  Most public areas on railways, other than at major hubs and termini, are pretty derserted most of the time; the typical layout's branch terminal is Tumbleweed Central except for the brief interludes when a train turns up, and even the the desolation descends in the couple of minutes it take for the passengers to leave the premises, with not much happening until shortly before departure time.  So, to my mind, a platform with no passengers and not that many railwaymen hanging around looks more the part than the passengers who stand there eternally as train after train arrives and then departs, without them...

 

Another issue I have is that many model figures are clearly healthy and not unattractive, including the railwaymen, and always rather smartly dressed; for my purposes, modelling a BLT set in South Wales in the 50s, they are not quite right.  South Wales was an area that suffered mass unemployment during the 30s and it left it's mark on the population, who were frequently undernourished, stooped, hunched, indifferently dressed, and generally unlike the home counties commuter types we are used to.  I am old enough to remember the Valleys in the 50s and early 60s, as I had plenty of rellys up there, and they were a malformed and odd looking lot.  H0 scale might go some way to representing them, but most of those are far too smartly and modernly dressed (or in the case of some Preiser figures, not dressed at all).  Same goes for the (unsurprisingly perhaps) Oriental looking job lots of figures that you can get on 'Bay or 'zon at 100 for a fiver from China; slim, and dressed in bright modern colours.

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Andrew Stadden's loco crews are poseable  in the sense that you can fit the limbs as you like. I have used them for other staff too.

 

image.png.d40b8b459e1cdf471703a14dc42f3112.png

 

 

His regular range is very good for butchering too, as the pewter is easy to cut, work and glue back on (Loctite gel flex).

 

https://www.acstadden.co.uk/shop-3

 

 

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Various Airfix/Dapol workmen and passengers converted. Some changes are quite subtle, head swaps etc, others are a bit more involved. The basic shape is obtained by slicing and re-gluing, then filling up any gaps with filler and re-carving. Filler can be used to turn a jacket into a 3/4 length coat or an overcoat for example. 

Also an Airfix RAF Recovery Set outrider converted to what hopefully looks a bit more like a greasy biker on his cafe racer. 

Figures.jpg.c80637b8996a5537402f189efb5c2e0d.jpg

The PWay men in the set are quite useful for head swaps as I have no use for them in their 'action' poses.

Edited by Wheatley
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Some of the ModelU figures can be obtained from Eileen's Emporium.

And someone else who carves figures around very nicely  is ChrisN. Have a look at his Traeth Mawr thread in Railways of Wales, among the other topics discussed there. But you may catch the Cambrian  Railways bug - mind you that is better than some other bugs currently on offer.

Jonathan

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9 hours ago, Wheatley said:

Also an Airfix RAF Recovery Set outrider converted to what hopefully looks a bit more like a greasy biker on his cafe racer. 

 

The PWay men in the set are quite useful for head swaps as I have no use for them in their 'action' poses.

Nice, and looks good, but that last sentence sounds like cruel and unusual punishment. :o

 

ĸen

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On 30/11/2020 at 15:48, steve1 said:

Like this you mean?

 

steve

 

 

IMG_0303.JPG

looking at the bike I would guess accident and given the position of the legs I'm going to say serious lifechanging injury if not fatal. If they are fixing it then they are a bit slimmer than me, I would struggle to fit under that without a jack never mind work on it. I think the guy sitting on the bonnet is an ass too.

 

M

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Its worth looking at your own body  to answer that question ,or look at the posable manikin type  larger figures or even  a toy Spiderman with 64 joints .Even that doesnt cover many of the human  bodies movements .The body is a set of levers, swivels trapezoids ,pivot points etc that all move to compensate when one little bit moves .Try a fascist salute as i know you  all love to and you will see just how much of your body moves  .So posable little figures dont really work  but I am sure some one will find some .

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Airfix military figures are easily scalpel'd to reshape caps, remove rucksacks etc. Limbs can be manipulated into pose with a hot nail and tweezers. All you need is something to drop the nail onto while you grab the tweezers. Oh and some Elastoplast.

 

WWI Brit infantry good for guard/s'master. US Civil War Union/Jap WW2 infantry for loco crew.

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On 28/11/2020 at 00:07, Mikkel said:

Andrew Stadden's loco crews are poseable  in the sense that you can fit the limbs as you like. I have used them for other staff too.

 

image.png.d40b8b459e1cdf471703a14dc42f3112.png

 

 

His regular range is very good for butchering too, as the pewter is easy to cut, work and glue back on (Loctite gel flex).

 

https://www.acstadden.co.uk/shop-3

 

 

Looks like they have already been butchered to me

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I have recently bought a couple of sets of WW1 whitemetal figures scaled at 4mm/1ft, with one or two poseable arms. The heads are also separate, but come with peaked military caps or helmets. They are from http://www.wdmodels.com/ . 5 figures cost £7. The sets I have are 'sappers' and 'wiring party' - also sappers. My grandfather was a sapper signaller in WW1. They are in shirt sleeves with braces and the WW1 puttees. The latter could be covered with filler or Milliput. They are very well detailed. There are also some useful vehicles - horse-drawn and petrol.

I have no connection with WD except as a customer.

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On 27/11/2020 at 23:53, The Johnster said:

I'd have to second PMP's suggestion of Modelu figures.  These are first class items, modelled by scanning real people in real poses, and the detail is phenomenal with them.  You can even arrange to have yourself 3D printed in whatever clothes you think are suitable to appear on your layout!

As I'm looking for a model of myself as I was in 1972 I've gone a different route - a Preiser model teenager/youth (I was only 5' 2" then), knife and Milliput remodelling. Not sure how I'll tackle the glasses yet though.

 

Me72comparison.jpg.936e6d7ea61914488666080f036836ae.jpg

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