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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
 Posted - 04/16/2010 : 6:44:51 PM
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Hi Mike -- It may be a matter of "opinion" on the scale, but I'm going to say "yes" ... for my needs there's a tremendous selection in the National Motor Mint "1:32 scale" die-cast cars, a few of which are shown above. Read on about the "scale" ... 
PS -- That's a scratchbuilt "35n2" side-dump gondola in the background ... 1/35 on HO/On30/16.5 mm gauge track works out to very nearly 2-foot gauge.
Regarding scale: The yellow car here is a 1/32 scale Darracq motor car built from an old MPC kit by another modeler ... and shown with the driver included in the kit. It seems to me that the 1:32 plastic model kits tend to accurately reflect their scale designation.
The Model T tow truck shown next to it is one of the National Motor Mint die-cast models that's labeled "1:32" scale ... but all of these look more like 1:35 to me. That's another MK35 brand 1:35 figure in the tow truck. And being nearly a 6' guy when standing, he's crammed into a Model T fairly snugly. (If you've ever been inside a Model T, that's about right.) No way an accurate 1:32 figure would fit inside!
So, by this practical, non-scientific method, it seems that the NMM 1:32 die-cast are "perfect" for 1:35 civilian operation -- easily found in the $5-10 range on ebay with a rather nice selection from various eras. (And, in other words, I haven't sought out the "prototype" information and actually measured anything ... it just looks "right" to me!)
Since I plan to build a "mini-layout" (3x6') in 1:35, I'll have to do a lot of selective compression ... so I'll stick with smaller cars and trucks. The tow truck will get "beat up" and customized a bit for service at Chambers Gas & Oil.
PS -- Sorry for the crummy photos ... just quicky shots with flash and no prep to answer the question!
PS #2 -- The armless guy driving the tow truck is called "Mr. Venus" by the other locals! 
PS #3 -- Woodie Green has done some outstanding modeling in 1:35 ... and you'll see a number of those NMM vehicles in his scenes:
http://www.freerails.com/view_topic.php?id=1222&forum_id=17
(He uses a mix of 1:35 and 1:32 scale items, and I think I've seen him use both designations at different times to say what scale the railroad is.) |
Edited by - dallas_m on 04/16/2010 6:53:10 PM |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2010 : 9:41:50 PM
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A few little pieces starting to shape ... the Italeri workbench scales to a rather generous 3'6" x 8' work surface ... probably a bit large for this particular scene, but it'll be a nice place to sort out tools etc. The kit pieces had a nice (though very subtle) wood grain on both sides of the table top, but none on the legs, etc., so I used a knife to scribe those pieces and the table edges.
I glued Curt's arms in place, but it looked like it would be really difficult to paint his neck, shirt collar, etc. if I glued the head to the body. So I drilled the neck and press-fit a piece of 1/16" styrene rod ... big enough to be held securely in one of these little spring clamps.
This O scale tank from Crow River looks like it will be a nice substitute for the tank in front of Mike's original build. It's big enough to suit the scene, but small enough to work with the selective compression needed to make everything fit.
The Crow River kit is mostly resin castings, with some stripwood provided for bracing. The main tank supports had a very light texture, with smooth sides on the back (casting surfaces). I sanded the back of the castings a bit to "break" the surface, then scribed wood grain into all the castings using the edge of a knife as shown below.
The instructions suggest gluing the main supports to the tank to make it easier to add the bracing. I used some of the poster-tack instead ... stuck the supports to the tank, then added the braces ... so I can paint the base and tank separately. I substituted 030x100 and 020x060 styrene for the stripwood bracing provided, since it was easier to match the wood-graining technique between resin and plastic. (Haven't done the tank prep & assembly yet.)
quote:
Originally posted by hon3_rr
Wonderful build and the time you are taking to explain what you are doing, along with the pictures, are "in the best tradition of the forum". This is a great way to honor Mike, and I for one, am learning a lot. Thank you.
Thanks for making a note of that, KP! In that regard, the photo above shows one of many ways to add some wood grain texture to plastic or resin pieces. The casting shown actually has texture molded in, but that was just handy to use for the photo!
I like the Excel knife handles, because the rubbery grip is "comfy" and they come in various colors. I keep several color-coded knives on the workbench. Green is new or nearly new. Blue is dinged or dull. I use that one in the direction shown ... generally the back of the knife worked sideways in the direction of the arrow. Make the first pass very lightly, then repeat until you've reached the level of destruction ... oops, weathering ... desired. This was done on the various resin and plastic bits shown prior to assembly. On the resin castings (as shown on the Crow River assembly), it's especially important to start LIGHTLY and just gradually scratch into the surface ... that creates little "paths" for subsequent light passes. (If you go too heavy, you'll gouge the resin and make it difficult to get nice lines.)
After the scribing, use a knife across the surface (blade perpendicular to surface, sharp side on the surface) and lightly scrape away any little fuzz and dust that builds up.
Here's one way to shoot a photo when you don't have enough hands. |
Edited by - dallas_m on 04/16/2010 9:49:59 PM |
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BigLars
Fireman
USA
7361 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2010 : 10:36:43 PM
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Dallas,
Great posts you have me close to converting to 1/35 2' Railroading.
I better not watch too close.
Larry |
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k27rgs
Fireman
Australia
4257 Posts |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2010 : 12:08:48 AM
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For those inclined to look for 1/35 details, figures and such, here are a few names that might help (in no particular order):
Verlinden -- lots of small detail parts, figures, separate hands & heads, etc.
Custom Dioramics -- figures and details
Nemrod -- some civilian figures
MK35 -- figures that I like! (MK35 brings up a lot of extraneous stuff in a search, so: www.mk35.com)
R&J Enterprises -- sells the MK35 1/35 figures in the US: http://www.rjproducts.com/
Plus Models (CZ) -- another one that's hard to find because the words are so common to a search engine; direct and international orders: https://www.modelchoice.net/search/
If you're inclined to shop ebay, some searches that might make you happy ... do these in the Toys & Hobbies category(again, kinda random):
-- 1/35 civilian, 1/35 female, 1/35 woman
-- 1/35 tools, 1/35 heads
-- Resicast 1/35
-- CMK 1/35
-- Verlinden 1/35
-- Plus Models 1/35
-- Trackmodel 1/35
-- Master Box 1/35
-- Royal Model 1/35
Probably forgetting a few significant others at the moment, but I won't forget to add a "weird" item to search on ebay for fun: Alpha Centauri UFO short range saucer 1/32
(and no, I haven't actually gotten one ... but it might be handy to explain when things I can't find seem to be "abducted")
Oh, and if you "wished" Bachmann had made their On30 Forney like one of the little tea-kettle types ... just put a 1/35 cab on it and voila! Yes, I'll go to the corner for creating all these crazy distractions and such, but it can be fun to model in different scales ... |
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k27rgs
Fireman
Australia
4257 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2010 : 12:36:18 AM
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Thankyou for the links....you saved me ( us ) a lot of searching
I remember trying to track down some of these figures when I saw the Structure by Dave Revellia and he wrote an article. mentioning the MK35 figures.
dave's structure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHCNpJKGgV0
There are many great fgures on the MK35 web site....Wish I had a few dozen of them now..
thanks again.... |
http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_modvid_photo___dvd_.html |
Edited by - k27rgs on 04/17/2010 12:38:32 AM |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2010 : 05:29:01 AM
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Mario -- When you can afford a few dozen MK35 figures, send any extras my way!
Now it's time to fix Mr. Mudgeon's pants and sleeves. I've used Magic Sculp (no "T" at the end!) a number of times and really like working with it. A bit like working with Sculpy, but this is a two-part material that air dries without baking. You can sculpt entire figures with it, make hats and so forth ... or just fix little things like I'll show here. (Perhaps in too much detail ... lemme know and I'll adjust future posts ... just seems like I haven't seen this particular subject covered much.)
International friends: Not sure if you'll find the Magic Sculp, but Milliput makes a sculpting putty that's sold worldwide ... haven't tried that myself, but understand that it's the same or very similar.
Here's the "before" shot showing the gaps where arms meet the torso and the funky trousers mentioned previously. Also, a "precision instrument" that can be very handy when working with the Magic Sculp. If you can't find them at the local grocery or drug store, search the web for "angled plastic toothpick." When working with Magic Sculp, these things are also handy: piece of wax paper to work on, shallow dish of water for dipping your fingers, old paint brush (small one), baby powder (talc) to keep your fingers from sticking to the work.
Make two equal-size balls of the Magic Sculp ...
Roll them out ...
Twist those together, then knead until thoroughly mixed (even in color).
Used a knife to shave the center button off the trousers before starting ... rolled out a bit of the stuff and laid it over the seam to be filled ... sometimes it helps to use a little brush and dampen the area first ...
Used damp fingertip and/or toothpick to smooth and shape ... then damp fingertip to feather the edges (flatten them down to match surrounding area). Let that set for a bit ...
Roll out some more to fill the gaps around the sleeves ...
Dampen the area, lay the roll around the gap ...
and start smoothing and shaping with fingertip and/or toothpick ... use toothpick to remove excess ... damp finger (and/or brush) to feather out edges ...
Add some material to the trousers to start making a more "normal" looking fly! Use toothpick along near edge to make a sharp edge ... finger tip and/or brush to smooth and feather other edge into the pants ...
Cut a new button from a small roll of the stuff ... and ... after 3-4 attempts, get that in the right place ... then let dry overnight and shoot another coat of primer to blend it together. Or ... re-check and sand lightly as needed before priming. Here I've knocked off some of the bumps in the primer seen in previous close-ups. (On my 19" monitor, this looks like roughly 5x actual size!)
The stuff is a lot of fun to work with ... takes a bit of practice to "build" shapes and contours ... but stuff like filling seams is real easy. You can work with it for an hour or two before it starts to set. If you put on too much or don't like what you've got, you can remove the stuff with wet finger, brush and/or toothpick ... dry off the model and start again. Remember the talc when your fingers are sticking to the stuff and causing problems.
Give it a try some time ... great for making hats and fixing little problems, etc. And it might remind you a bit of Play-Doh. [:-thumbu] |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2010 : 05:53:13 AM
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| Question: When it comes time to paint the figure, would y'all like more, less or about the same level of "coverage" in the post? Need specific colors and such or just let the photos do the talking? Open to all input ... |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16441 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2010 : 06:35:59 AM
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Dallas, the close-ups and explanations are great. I would vote for lots of very detailed explanations about the painting too. It's really very helpful to be able to watch this.
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Frederic Testard |
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k27rgs
Fireman
Australia
4257 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2010 : 06:46:30 AM
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I use lots of photos with my descriptions and not much talking ( writing ).
You can write what ever suits. I realise it all takes extra time to write.
We have various modeling clays, compounds in Australia that can be used to fill gaps or create extra detail. I used them to change some 1:35 military figures, but was was never happy with the finish.
thanks for the info |
http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_modvid_photo___dvd_.html |
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MikeFisher
Engine Wiper
154 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2010 : 11:54:10 AM
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| Thanks for the explanation Dallas. Looks like it pays to check through toy cars for some usable ones, will keep that in mind, neat tip. I'm looking forward to your weathering and detail treatment, you will take them from toy to model! MikeF |
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UKGuy
Fireman
USA
5427 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2010 : 12:12:02 AM
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Great work on the figure so far Dallas, I second Frederics thoughts on as much info as you have time to post, this kind of thing is always scale and project transferable.
Thanks for the details so far, very informative and interesting.
Karl.A |
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PaulS
Crew Chief
USA
743 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2010 : 06:43:21 AM
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Dallas,
Just checking in to this thread. You've selected a great build to honor Mike, and as Kris noted, you're doing so in the best tradition of the RRL Forum. Although I model in HO, I'm learning a great deal from all of you explanations and pictures. Thanks so much for taking the time to present all you're doing in such detail, it's very much appreciated.
I'll second the others request to continue presenting this build with all the information you're willing to present and post, I know it takes considerable time and effort to do so. This is sure going to be a really wonderful build and I'll be following along.
Thanks again Dallas, |
Paul
Modeling the Atlantic & White Mountain Ry. |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2010 : 09:33:58 AM
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Painting Curt Mudgeon ... preparations
As always, thanks for the feedback ... very helpful and much appreciated! I've started painting Mr. Mudgeon and will detail my first experience with painting a 1/35 scale figure, but first ...
I got this video (Hot Lead) a couple months ago in anticipation of painting the little 1/55 scale figures for my Dead Mule & Sinagua micro-layout ... and it turned out to be a great investment! It's a 3-DVD set that runs about 8 hours and covers quite a bit about mixing, blending and working with acrylic paints ... basic techniques for figure painting ... and some advanced techniques. Started using some of the mixing and blending techniques a couple months ago and it made a big improvement in my painting.
If you search You-Tube, you can find some sample clips ... and, no I'm not trying to sell that guy's videos here ... just found them helpful, and I'll pass on a capsule of what I've learned. There are also a variety of other tutorials on the web ... picked up the following link on the forum here ... think it was posted by Rick or Tyson Rayles, but I can't remember:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?34306-The-Sticky-Thread-Links-to-Tips-Threads-Tutorials.&p=518412
First tip: Acrylic paint sticks to plastic ... and my crusty old plastic paint palettes have many battle scars to prove it! So, I picked up a couple different porcelain palettes from DickBlick.com and they're great. Really easy to clean, even if the paint is dried out ...
Second tip: Acrylic paints work much better with a little preparation ... applies to cheap craft store acrylics, familiar Polly S colors or the nifty Vallejo paints (which are really nice). At left is a big bottle of "wet water" that I've mixed up ... roughly 9 parts water to 1 part Liquitex Flow-Aid. I've used windshield washer fluid, etc ... this works better. The small dropper bottle has a smaller quantity of the wet water that I can dispense a drop at a time. Next, two different media for extending the dry time of the acrylics ... so you can work with them longer. First is DecoArt brand from the craft store ... and also one by Vallejo. I've been using the DecoArt, because that works so well (and it's cheap) ... the Vallejo appears much thicker ... will try that on something less important to compare ...
These are the colors that I'll use to paint Mr. Mudgeon's shirt ... three different brands of craft store paints that just happened to be the right colors (and on hand). The toffee will be used for the shadows, the camel will be used for the base coat (mid-tones) and the ivory will be used for the highlights.
When mixing the paint, you'll want to use the extender very sparingly ... just one drop to start, then add one drop of wet water at a time until you get the desired consistency ... roughly the thickness of half-n-half (the stuff you put in coffee -- that's not a ratio!) for the base coat. The paint should flow off the brush easily without leaving blotches or looking too thin ... the test patch on the paper here was a teeny-tiny bit thick but close to ideal.
The base coat is built up in thin layers ... for the light camel color used here, it took two passes. First and second coats shown above. Base coat was applied with an inexpensive Loew-Cornell #0 shader brush ... none of the brushes used cost more than five bucks ... think most if not all were in the $2-3 range.
I deliberately let this paint sit too long to illustrate a point ... you can add more wet water and extender (use that very sparingly) as needed ... but when the paint starts to look like this, it's time to get up, clean out the palette, stretch your legs a bit and prep some fresh paint.
More to follow .... |
Edited by - dallas_m on 04/19/2010 10:06:27 AM |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2010 : 10:32:08 AM
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Painting Mr. Mudgeon's shirt and pants ...
Remember, this is my first time painting a 1/35 scale figure, so there's absolutely no pretense of "expertise" here ... but I feel like I'm learning some new stuff, and sharing that experience for what it's worth!
Forgot something in the preparation post ... these are sold to model railroaders as "decal scissors" ... think they're also available in the "outside world" ... may be used by manicurists and elsewhere. Anyway, they're quite handy if you need to trim an errant bristle from a little paint brush.
While your figure is in primer, you may want to shoot a few reference photos to help you "see" where the shadows should fall while you're holding the figure upside-down, sideways, etc. If you look at these pix, you can see some really dark shadows, some that are mid-gray and some that are just barely darkened ...
Note: The DVD that I mentioned covers some basic techniques, which in a nutshell are: paint a base coat, drybrush highlights and use a wash. Those are well-presented, and I found some interesting new ideas in that section ... including discussion of different paint washes, ink washes and glazes. The second disk in the set illustrates a variety of "advanced" techniques and what follows is my own peculiar mix of several of these ...
After painting the base color (camel), I mixed up three shades of paint to lay in the shadows. These are the toffee color (left), the camel color used for the base coat (right) and an in-between shade made by mixing the two. This photo shows the colors before they were mixed and prepped.
And here they are after they've been mixed and prepped. I'm doing a mixture of the blending and layering techniques described on the video (might be samples of those on you-tube) ... the darker color will be worked into the deepest shadows ... the middle color will be used to blend those and to color the intermediate shadows ... the lightest color is the base coat. That will be used to blend/feather the middle color into the base coat and touch-up as needed. Generally, I wet-blended the colors as I went ...
Starting to add the darkest color in the deepest shadow areas ... used a tiny little 10/0 liner brush for all of the shading and blending on the shirt ... and occasionally touched it with another clean, damp brush to feather edges where needed ...
Adding more shadows and blending the edges ...
Making progress ...
At this point, I'm done laying in the shadows ... looks a bit scary, but the highlights will help even things out ... |
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Chambers Gas & Oil -- structure build
