Modelu Figures & Component News

[Mike Storey]

2 hours ago, spsmiler said:

Hello,

 

On the topic of poses, maybe these could be commercially viable;

 

*people buying from vending machines (I have train tickets in mind but also part of life would be food / drink vending machines and interacting with 'pay to park' machines

 

*people with tickets in hand about to pass through electronic station ticket gates

 

Regards, Simon

 

I concur with that. The latter could also be used at older layouts' ticket gates where you had to give or show your ticket to an actual person..... That could be very useful.

 

Also, I believe you have only one figure with an umbrella actually up (in modern 00 anyway). Unusual to see that? I think we need a few more! That would bring a new ambience to my layout anyway....

 

[Modelu Chris]

On 05/07/2022 at 18:30, spsmiler said:

Hello,

 

On the topic of poses, maybe these could be commercially viable;

 

*people buying from vending machines (I have train tickets in mind but also part of life would be food / drink vending machines and interacting with 'pay to park' machines

 

*people with tickets in hand about to pass through electronic station ticket gates

 

Regards, Simon

 

Thank you for the message Simon, we are always open to suggestions. I will pass your suggestions onto the boss Monday. 

 

Thanks again,

Chris 

[Roy Langridge]

In time, I would love to see some shop workers made available, standing at counters, stocking shelves etc.

 

In fact, there is a real shortage of “indoor” people, meaning houses often look empty. 

 

Roy

[KNP]

Can you please give a thought to some sea fairing figures, not dressed up in oil skins ready to face a gale but ones dressed in rugged gear that was, say, used in the inter war years.

Really struggling to find crew for my steam drifter and Clyde puffer

 

Many thanks

[meil]

The glaring omission to me is Edwardian (early 20 century) Figures. You have Victorian and 1920/30 so 1900 to 1920 would be nice.

[Michael Hodgson]

On 05/07/2022 at 20:49, Mike Storey said:

 

Also, I believe you have only one figure with an umbrella actually up (in modern 00 anyway). Unusual to see that? I think we need a few more! That would bring a new ambience to my layout anyway....

 

 

Hmmm.

 

If one of them has his brolly up, they all should, 'cos it's raining!  If you want to model such a scene, there might be others without a brolly scurrying for shelter or holding a newspaper over their heads or suchlike.  I doubt it would sell well though, because I've yet to see a model featuring the weather this country is so famous for. 

 

The weather that people do soemtimes model is snow.  A snow scene would be different - perhaps a porter sweeping the platform, kids playing on sleds

[Ian J.]

1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

 

Hmmm.

 

If one of them has his brolly up, they all should, 'cos it's raining!  If you want to model such a scene, there might be others without a brolly scurrying for shelter or holding a newspaper over their heads or suchlike.  I doubt it would sell well though, because I've yet to see a model featuring the weather this country is so famous for. 

 

The weather that people do soemtimes model is snow.  A snow scene would be different - perhaps a porter sweeping the platform, kids playing on sleds

 

I love the idea of modelling a layout just after a rain shower/storm. However, keeping the puddles and wet ground clean and shiny for that 'just stopped raining' look would not be easy due to dust, etc.

 

I kind of then thought of the reverse, a layout in the shade of dark clouds waiting for the rain that is inevitably coming...

[Mike Storey]

2 hours ago, Ian J. said:

 

I love the idea of modelling a layout just after a rain shower/storm. However, keeping the puddles and wet ground clean and shiny for that 'just stopped raining' look would not be easy due to dust, etc.

 

I kind of then thought of the reverse, a layout in the shade of dark clouds waiting for the rain that is inevitably coming...

 

Dust is the greatest problem, that is true, but that is a relatively minor issue. As the scenario is so frequent in the UK, especially further north, it is crying out for modelling. Having peeps standing around with protection, furled or unfurlled, when rainfall is imminent, actual, or just passed, is difficult to represent currently. There are a few more figures with unfurled umbrellas, so perhaps not impossible.

 

Perhaps I am a lone voice, but I would relish the chance of gloss finishing so many of my buildings, structures and formations/fields etc, with a number of puddles to match.

 

[Ian Morgan]

8 hours ago, KNP said:

Can you please give a thought to some sea fairing figures, not dressed up in oil skins ready to face a gale but ones dressed in rugged gear that was, say, used in the inter war years.

Really struggling to find crew for my steam drifter and Clyde puffer

 

I have also asked for a miniature Para Handy and crew for my 2mm scale Clyde Puffer 🙂

 

 

[Siberian Snooper]

For a rainy day layout, take a look at Jim Wright-Smiths  layout Brettell Road over on Scaleforum. Sorry no link.

 

[Ian J.]

5 hours ago, Ian Morgan said:

 

I have also asked for a miniature Para Handy and crew for my 2mm scale Clyde Puffer 🙂

 

 

 

😀 Reminds me of another captain, one Edward Trapp, and Lieutenant Miller, Gorbals Wullie (complete with razors in cap) and a little 'ship' called Charon. Now those would be a set of figures to make, together with the 'ship'...

Edited July 10, 2022 by Ian J.
punctualation and spilling

[Ian J.]

1 hour ago, Siberian Snooper said:

For a rainy day layout, take a look at Jim Wright-Smiths  layout Brettell Road over on Scaleforum. Sorry no link.

 

 

Found the forum and thread: https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=142&t=3805&start=675#p86882

 

Not sure if that looks 'wet' enough. But it does highlight another factor in not doing a rainy day layout - the stock also needs to be 'wet', and that of course would not look right if that same stock needed to be available for other layouts without rain.

[Modelu Chris]

On 10/07/2022 at 16:52, Ian Morgan said:

 

I have also asked for a miniature Para Handy and crew for my 2mm scale Clyde Puffer 🙂

 

 

 

That boat looks lovely, if only there were a company soon to release some crew that would fit in well. 

[Modelu Chris]

Good morning everyone, I have attached a picture of one of many fishermen that are due to join the range soon. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed scanning them!

[KNP]

Looking forward to seeing the range as if the above picture is anything to go by Misty and Snowflake look like they will be having a crew in the not to distant future.

Will some of the planed figures be wearing woollen items instead of oils?

[Modelu Chris]

2 hours ago, KNP said:

Looking forward to seeing the range as if the above picture is anything to go by Misty and Snowflake look like they will be having a crew in the not to distant future.

Will some of the planed figures be wearing woollen items instead of oils?

 

Th first release is going to be oils, the second release is going to be woollen.

[Mike Storey]

On 10/07/2022 at 21:27, Ian J. said:

 

Found the forum and thread: https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=142&t=3805&start=675#p86882

 

Not sure if that looks 'wet' enough. But it does highlight another factor in not doing a rainy day layout - the stock also needs to be 'wet', and that of course would not look right if that same stock needed to be available for other layouts without rain.

 

It is superb - captures that "damp" feel which was so everyday in a former life. I do hope I can achieve something even half as good, eventually.

 

The stock does not look particularly wet, even though it looks right for this layout, so I am not sure that is a problem.

 

By the way, I see later in the thread, that it won some sort of prize from ModelU - more brollies then, please!!

 

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by Mike Storey

[Modelu Chris]

Good evening all! Its the end of the month so we have another newsletter to share with you all and we are really excited!

 

What a month! On the hottest day of the year so far we were in the depths of Bristol Costume Services, clothed in arran sweaters and oilskins, capturing scans for our brand new range of fishermen.  Thankfully a fan working overtime stopped the guys from passing out!

Access to these costumes has revolutionised the way we work, and the speed in which we are able to get new projects and customer requests into the range.   Our first visit has produced over 50 new figures, including long awaited Postmen (1950/60s and present day), Milkmen, Fishermen, and Anglers.

We've much more in store, the only real challenge being deciding where to start!  US themed figures are high on our list, as are mechanics and BR Blue diesel era depot staff.

 

 

We are very pleased to annouce that we'll be working with Rapido UK to develop figures for their forthcoming Titfield Thunderbolt Deluxe Packs.  Using a combination of 3D scanning and 3D sculpting, we'll be working on creating exact replicas of The Vicar, Bishop, and Squire.  These figures will be produced using full-colour 3D printing and will be available exclusively from Rapido.

For more information on the progress of the project, please follow our social media pages.

 

 

August 13/14th sees us return to Railwells for the first time in 2 years! We'll have stocks of all our latest products, along with our scanning equipment and a small selection of clothing and props.  If you'd like to get scanned, drop us a mail.  For a full list of layouts and traders, see the Railwells website here. http://railwells.com/

 

Our brand new range of fishermen and crew is now available, starting with crew in oilskins and sweaters.  Suitable for a wide range of scenes from docksides to decks, the range includes crew at rest, seated, at work, and fishermen performing various roles such as gutting and carrying fish baskets.   This range is just the beginning, and in time we'll be adding other poses such as repairing nets and equipment, mopping, etc. 

We've also added new scales for the model ship and boat modellers amoungst you, including 1:10th, 1:15th, 1:33rd and 1:30th, 1:50th, 1:128th and more!

Available as individual figures or bundles at 20% off list price. 

 

 

With rail strikes in the news,  this is the perfect set to deploy if technical problems stop your trains from working! Four figures are holding placards while one regales us using a megaphone.

While the recent disputes inspired this set, the figures could be just as easily used on a 1970s layout.  They don't need to be strikers either, pretty much any sort of protest can be modelled.  Available as a bundle of 5 figures (please note, plackard decals are not included)

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by Modelu Chris

[Modelu Chris]

Sorry we have so much to share with you that it cant just be done in one post!

 

 

Thanks to Bristol Costume Services, we've been able to add Postmen to the range.  These include 3 sets of figures each for the 1950s/60s and 2000s, including postman checking mail, checking bag, and collecting mail from a post box.  See the website for more details.

 

 

Milkmen are another new addition from our recent scanning session and include two new poses - Milkman with crate and Milkman with carrier.  We've also added one of the poses to a new Trade & Services Bundle, featuring a Bin Man, Postman, Policeman, Milkman, and Shop Keeper.   This bundle is available at 20% off the individual product price. 

 

 

Following on from our new postmen, we also have a new range of GPO workers lifting and carrying mail bags.  Perfect for your mail trains or depots, shown here with West Hill Wagon Works mail bags and platform trolleys.  Available as individual figures, or as part of a new GPO Worker Bundle at 20% off the individual figure price.

 

 

For those modelling Royal Mail depots or TPO's, we have a new selection of figures loading mail bags, checking manifests and post, and moving Brute trolleys.  Pictured here again with some of the fantastic West Hill Wagon Works products.  Available as individual figures, or as a Royal Mail Depot/TPO Worker Bundle at 20% off the individual product price. 

 

 

Your rivers and quaysides won't be complete without one of our new fishermen! Featuring two new poses, one standing and one seated, with waders, net, and rod.  Available on the website in all scales here.

 

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by Modelu Chris

[Mallard60022]

On 29/07/2022 at 17:17, Modelu Chris said:

Sorry we have so much to share with you that it cant just be done in one post!

 

 

Thanks to Bristol Costume Services, we've been able to add Postmen to the range.  These include 3 sets of figures each for the 1950s/60s and 2000s, including postman checking mail, checking bag, and collecting mail from a post box.  See the website for more details.

 

 

Milkmen are another new addition from our recent scanning session and include two new poses - Milkman with crate and Milkman with carrier.  We've also added one of the poses to a new Trade & Services Bundle, featuring a Bin Man, Postman, Policeman, Milkman, and Shop Keeper.   This bundle is available at 20% off the individual product price. 

 

 

Following on from our new postmen, we also have a new range of GPO workers lifting and carrying mail bags.  Perfect for your mail trains or depots, shown here with West Hill Wagon Works mail bags and platform trolleys.  Available as individual figures, or as part of a new GPO Worker Bundle at 20% off the individual figure price.

 

 

For those modelling Royal Mail depots or TPO's, we have a new selection of figures loading mail bags, checking manifests and post, and moving Brute trolleys.  Pictured here again with some of the fantastic West Hill Wagon Works products.  Available as individual figures, or as a Royal Mail Depot/TPO Worker Bundle at 20% off the individual product price. 

 

 

Your rivers and quaysides won't be complete without one of our new fishermen! Featuring two new poses, one standing and one seated, with waders, net, and rod.  Available on the website in all scales here.

The Milko bits are just up my street Alan. Any chance of those Crates being available as an item? I see them on the Float and on the Loading Bay but not on your lists.

many thanks for such helpful further developments.

Phil

[Modelu Chris]

21 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

The Milko bits are just up my street Alan. Any chance of those Crates being available as an item? I see them on the Float and on the Loading Bay but not on your lists.

many thanks for such helpful further developments.

Phil

Afternoon Phil,

 

Its funny you should ask, we have just added them to the range here: https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product/2674/

 

Even have some printed ready to go in 1:76 scale.

Chris

Edited August 1, 2022 by Modelu Chris

[Mallard60022]

1 minute ago, Modelu Chris said:

Afternoon Phil,

 

Its funny you should ask, we have just added them to the range here: https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product/2674/

 

Even have some printed ready to go in 1:76 scale.

Chris

Read my mid Chris... I shall depart to the website immediately...thank you.

Phil

[Modelu Chris]

Good evening everyone, we have nearly reached the end of the month again so it is time for another update! Thanks to all those that read on here it is appreciated. 

 

We are running a sale for the rest of August from today, use the code AUGUST22 to get 15% off sitewide until midnight on Wednesday August 31st!

Remember to enter your discount code at checkout www.modelu3d.co.uk

 

With our large customer base in the US and Canada, we've been asked for a long time about producing figures for the North American railroad scene.  We've been really excited about bringing our love for detail to a new market, and we are happy to announce that we will be launching the a new range in September, initially featuring 30 new figures from the Transition and Modern eras.

These figures can be produced in any scale, including N 1:160, HO 1:87, O 1:48 and S 1:64.

Thanks to James Hilton for the test photos below, showing our HO figures on his Canadian switching layout.

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Modelu Chris

[Modelu Chris]

September is finally here and it will be a big month for Steph, Margot and myself (Alan). We've just moved back into our house after 3 months of renovations, just in time to put the finishing touches on plans for our wedding on September 17th.  

Work is continuing with Rapido for their new Titfield Thunderbolt figure packs, we now have the head sculpts and have made a start blending them into the body scans.  The next step will be to add textures and test the colour prints.  Stay tuned on Rapido's website for updates!

With the house renovations and our wedding to plan, it is with regret that we must announce that we won't be attending Guildex this year at the Stafford Showground.   We'll be back next year, and our next show this year will be at Warley.

 

We've gained a lot of new customers from all over the world recently, many of whom won't know the background to how we make our figurines.  This info-graphic shows the steps we take from posing a real person, to the figure being printed out in the customers chosen scale.  

 

You might have seen Dan's fantastic painting skills in his monthly Hornby magazine features.  Dan Evason offers a professional figure painting service for all scales of Modelu figures, including custom scans.  If you’d like your order of Modelu figures painting by Dan, use our contact form to obtain a quote and lead time.  You can see more of Dan's work on his Facebook group, or in this months issue of Hornby Magazine.

 

Our brand new range of North American figures is finally here!  Our first release features 30 new poses suitable for the Transitional and Modern eras, including engineers, conductors, brakemen, and more.   This is just the start for us, so look out for more figures in the coming months!

We've also added new scales for the American market, including 1:160, 1:29, 1:55, 1:50, and more. See the website for details.

Thanks go out to Larry Puckett (US),   Lance Mindheim (US), James Hilton (UK), and Michael Culham (CA), for their invaluable assistance with reference photos, feedback, and sample models.  See below for some of their work.  Thanks also to members of the Bristol area P4 Group who posed for the scans. 

 

MODELU RECOMMENDS...

JAMES HILTON'S CUSTOM MODEL RAILWAYS

Our monthly feature on Modelu customers who work within the hobby has returned - and this month we shine our spotlight on James Hilton's Custom Model Railways.  James offers locomotive kit and scratch building services, along with weathering and bespoke layout creation.  He also recently had a book published on Wild Swan Press titled 'Small Layout Design' - for those with limited space it is an excellent resource and packed with ideas.  For more information see James' website.

[Modelu Chris]

MODELLER OF THE MONTH

DARREN SHERWOOD-JONES

Modeller of the Month also returns, and as usual it has been a hard choice to pick a winner from all the superb images that are shared with us.   Darren wins a £25 Modelu Gift Voucher for sharing this superb shot of his 1/32nd trawler featuring one of our new fishermen figures.  Darren's modelling interests are wide and varied, including model ships, armour, aviation, US N Gauge, and UK O Gauge.

To enter for next months Modeller of the Month, just share a photo of your work with a Modelu product online, or email us a photo. Good luck!

 

NEXT MONTH

We've much more to come in October, with September realistically being our last oppourtunity to develop new products before the busy period sets in.

We'll be working on our new Winter 2022/23 Catalogue, our second release of US figures, and a few other specials thanks to spending a morning at STEAM museum!