This one took a few months to come to fruition partially because I'm pretty slow and like to play about with ideas and partially because I was learning new techniques as I went. Both figures are based on Andrea's 54 mm cowboys although in the end everything apart from the faces came in for some sort of change. Hat brims were thinned and re-shaped, hat tops were lowered and creased etc. Existing clothing was filed off and re-sculpted using a mix of Duro and Miliput. Hopping between one and the other meant there wasn't too much time waiting around for bits to dry (Each sleeve was sculpted in one sitting and then allowed to dry before the next bit was added for example) The coat tails were rolled out putty which was attached when partially dry with superglue and formed into creases held in place with Plasticine (later removed) Buttons were sliced from lead wire (used for fly tying)
The chair that came with the seated figure was a little 'chunky' to my eyes so it was re-built with soldered brass wire and later bulked up with miliput that was sanded to a spindle shape.
Trickiest part of the figures turned out to be the spurs. In the end I carved one from plastic and then 'crash-moulded' the others from the original (This is a very crude way of making reproductions by pushing the original into a blob of Miliput to make a mould. When it's dry a blob of semi-dry Duro is dusted with talc and pushed into the mould. The spur was then sliced off the duro blob when it was dry)
The flooring and sign post were made from individual bass wood strips with the hand-painted sign hanging on some tiny chain used by railroad modellers.
Painting was all in my usual acrylics.
Oh and the name came from the opening scene of the second of the Spaghetti Westerns where Lee Van Cleef gets the train to make an un-scheduled stop at Tucumcari. The garb of the two cowboys of course was inspired by the opening scene of another great western 'Once upon a time in the west'
Hope you enjoy it
Paul
