Pragmatic Pre-Grouping - Mikkel's Workbench

[Mikkel]

I’m sorry but crashed and burned trying to attach a photo,

I was going to suggest Halfords Rover Brooklands Green, it sprays nicely and doesn’t clog. The trouble being that colour is always subjective and the lighting on a picture can change the shade so easily.

Again, sorry for the multiplicity,

Rich

 

Thanks for the suggestion Ashley, I hadn't heard about that shade before. As Brassey mentioned we don't seem to have Halford's in Denmark. Shipping it doesn't seem to be an option with spray paints these days.

 

I tried the Belton 6007, which is supposedly used by some pro painters for early GWR loco green. It looked good on my plastic cup experiments outside, but all wrong on a trial loco body inside.

 

As you and Don say, there seem to be so many different factors influencing the appearance of a given shade. The undercoat too, by the way - when I tried out the spray cans in the photo above, I stupidly forgot to add primer first! 

[Mikkel]

*** Graphic content, viewer discretion advised ***

 

Many seated 4mm figures have stiff backs and look straight ahead. That's OK for coach interiors, but I thought I'd experiment with a more relaxed pose on an Andrew Stadden figure.
 

 
 
 
So I took a slice out of Fred Trent's gut…
 

 
 
 
…which made it possible to bend him forward (I had to cut deeper than this).
 

 
 
 
I also carved a slice from his neck, so his head could be bent back and turned to the side.
 

 
 
 
The wounds were filled with plastic putty (as one does).
 

 
 
 
Before and after. From this angle, the new Fred looks like he's got a sore stomach. Strange, that.
 

 
 
 
Better not tell him what happened to the other guy...
 

Edited April 14, 2018 by Mikkel

[aberdare]

Very clever Mikkel, I had often wondered whether this was possible but never had the time (or courage) to take such drastic measures, I'm quite fascinated by what could be about to happen with the next one, it looks by the time you finish with him he could straddle a horse, now there's a thought.

 

Thanks for a very inspirational and useful post.

 

Jim

[Worsdell forever]

https://youtu.be/Mx9z99YJ_7s?t=48

[Mikkel]

Very clever Mikkel, I had often wondered whether this was possible but never had the time (or courage) to take such drastic measures, I'm quite fascinated by what could be about to happen with the next one, it looks by the time you finish with him he could straddle a horse, now there's a thought.

 

Thanks for a very inspirational and useful post.

 

Jim

 

Hi Jim, the fact that Andrew's figures are pewter helps a lot with the cutting and bending, I think. It's harder with traditional whitemetal figures.

 

As for the poor gent in that last picture, I was trying to cut his groin so that his thigh could be bent further upwards. The idea was to have him rest one foot on a crate, but it's proving difficult to raise the leg that high in a realistic manner. I think I'll use him for something else. Meanwhile, here he is in my first ever animated GIF. Clearly this man has a will of his own!

 

Edited April 14, 2018 by Mikkel

[bgman]

Absolutely BRILLIANT!

 

Laughed my socks off, as it seems he might too )

 

Only you could have thought of doing that !!!

 

G

[PenrithBeacon]

Hi Jim, the fact that Andrew's figures are pewter helps a lot with the cutting and bending, I think. It's harder with traditional whitemetal figures.

 

As for the poor gent in that last picture, I was trying to cut his groin so that his thigh could be bent further upwards. The idea was to have him rest one foot on a crate, but it's proving difficult to raise the leg that high in a realistic manner. I think I'll use him for something else. Meanwhile, here he is in my first ever animated GIF. Clearly this man has a will of his own!

 

Webp.net-gifmaker.gif

All very Prussian

[Compound2632]

All very Prussian

 

The whole point of the goose-step is not to bend the knee. There's a game of yard football going on while the stationmaster's back is turned.

[jcm@gwr]

All very Prussian

 

Or John Cleese!

[Donw]

I think he is practising the Okey Cokey  Left leg in Left leg out ......

 

The problem with altering legs is the leg has to pivot from the hip not bend at the thigh. I do admire what you are doing I also keep forgetting these are 4mm figures much more fiddly than my 7mm ones.

 

Don

[57xx]

Are you going to convert him to DCC as well?

[ChrisN]

Mikkel,

I think you need to have a model that already has a leg raised, like the one in this group.  If you would like what I have left of them then please PM me.  They are a bit on the tall side.  You may need to be careful though they are not all they seem.  Three of them, well, one and two halves, are doing time for embezzlement.

[Compound2632]

Are you going to convert him to DCC as well?

 

And sound? A good Wiltshire accent.

[Brinkly]

Brilliant Mikkle!

 

Is that GWR's attempt at Goosestepping?!

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick

[Mikkel]

Ha ha, very funny gents 

 

 

The problem with altering legs is the leg has to pivot from the hip not bend at the thigh. 

 

Exactly Don, that's what I have come to realize. Plus when the legs are bent further than originally modelled, the lower leg ends up looking too short.

 

 

Mikkel,

I think you need to have a model that already has a leg raised, like the one in this group.  If you would like what I have left of them then please PM me.  They are a bit on the tall side.  You may need to be careful though they are not all they seem.  Three of them, well, one and two halves, are doing time for embezzlement.

 

Thanks very much Chris, very kind of you - but no need for your trouble, you gave me an idea and I dug out some old figures that I think I can use. Thanks for the idea!

Edited April 16, 2018 by Mikkel

[Dave John]

All rather impressive, I must admit I fancy a go at this myself since some of my loco crews are a bit artificial looking. 

 

Go on Mikkel, do the whole of the GWR Morris dancing team ...... 

[Mikkel]

All rather impressive, I must admit I fancy a go at this myself since some of my loco crews are a bit artificial looking. 

 

Go on Mikkel, do the whole of the GWR Morris dancing team ...... 

 

Yes have a go Dave. I would certainly recommend Andrew Stadden's loco crews with loose heads and arms (no connection). Although I haven't actually used them for their intended purpose yet!

[jcm@gwr]

 Andrew Stadden's loco crews with loose heads and arms (no connection). 

 

   

[Penlan]

I think, bending the tops of the figures slightly forward is the thing that makes them look more lifelike.
I have a few in original poses, and soon as photographed, they look wrong.... the one on the left is due to attended to 

 

[Mikkel]

I think, bending the tops of the figures slightly forward is the thing that makes them look more lifelike.

I have a few in original poses, and soon as photographed, they look wrong.... the one on the left is due to attended to 

 

Men in yard #2.jpg

 

Yes, agree with that. A forward lean helps a lot, and also a turned head. 

 

 

The dancing porter is no more. He refused to cooperate, so instead I combined his head and trunk with redundant parts from other conversions. The result was this DIY human.

 

 

 

He was re-assembled as a porter taking a rest on a barrow. The parts were shaped and filed to create a reasonably natural pose, and the scars filled with putty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[57xx]

That's a very good natural looking pose you've ended up with there Mikkel.

[Mikkel]

Thanks Ric, the shoulders needed a good deal of filing, it's easy to make them too broad. No fitness gyms in those days :-)

[N15class]

Thanks Ric, the shoulders needed a good deal of filing, it's easy to make them too broad. No fitness gyms in those days :-)

No need for gyms, they worked for a living.

[Regularity]

No need for gyms, they worked for a living.

Unfortunately, the living wasn’t that brilliant.

[N15class]

Unfortunately, the living wasn’t that brilliant.

I am sure there were both good and bad sides to it. But it is very hard to compare life standards of todays material age, to a hundred years ago. People lived for tens of thousands of years with out money.