First attempt at a conversion

[Evan August]

Hi guys, I've decided to attempt a conversion of some Dragon figures. I've done the usual minor stuff in the past, Hornet heads, new hands, weapons, stuff like that. But this will probably be more of an effort. I am planning to pretty much resculpt entire figures with Magicsculp. My plan is to grind/sand all detail and clothing off the plastic guys, while trying to keep what's left in the pose I want. Sound like a good idea? New uniforms and gear will be added, plus Hornet heads and maybe new weapons. Here are the figures I will be using:

Now, I am going to require a hornet head that resembles, or can be modified to something that looks like Richard Dean Anderson, or Jack O'Neill.

So, if anyone can point me in the right direction here and tell me if I have the right idea, I'd appreciate it. Believe me, I'll be surprised if I pull this one off.

 

[Calvin]

I'm just learning, so do not take my advice as good it seems, but a thing which usually happens at the begin of your sculpting experiences is the tendency to put an excessive amount of putty (a too thick layer).
The way you point out, it's not suited if you are not accustomed to work with very thin layers of putty.
Anyway, take a look at the work of Calvin Tan, he is a master in such kind of works.

 

[Roy]

Hi Evan....just to say that you're embarking on a really fun journey if you've made the decision to try some major conversions. I hope you enjoy every minute with the putty.
You say you will be paring down the figures, and I think that's a great way to start off from an anatomy view point. And all the clearest pictorial reference you can have, right there in front of you (while you're sculpting) regarding the fit of the clothing and creases and folds will help your task enormously. Observation is a major factor...and a good deal of practice, of course.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

All the best.

Roy.

 

[Dan Morton]

Also just a novice, but I agree with both above. To counteract the tendency to put on too much putty, you may want to take a bit more resin off the cast figure/mannikin. You might also consider the Worster mannikins sold by TLB as an alternative. They solve the "proportions" problem pretty much and you can put them in a pose easily.

Initially you can face a lot of frustration from 1000 things that can go wrong, but just keep at it. In my case I throw out about 4 or 5 cured "finished" pieces to get 1 I like. But getting the 1 you like - that's terrific! Have fun!

All the best,
Dan

 

[yeo_64]

Hi Evan ! From my limited experience with sculpting,may I suggest that you grind the plastic down to just a basic torso and pelvis shape,ala Bill Horan,and use wire for the arms and legs. It'll solve the "too thick a putty layer " problem and you'll have the freedom to add all the specific details that you want to add to the figures. The "mature faces" set from Hornet may also be a good starting point for the particular character "look" that you are trying to achieve. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck and I'm looking forward to the next step in your project. Cheers !
Kenneth.

 

[Evan August]

Thanks for the responses guys. I think I'll go ahead and start this project pretty soon. Kenneth, good idea about using just a plastic torso and pelvis with wire. I seem to remember this is what Luc Klinkers does, I have a SBS by him somewhere on how he did a Marder III crew. Are the Worster manninkins available in anything smaller than 75mm? I will take them into consideration for future jobs. And Roy, thanks for the advice and encouragement. As for references, I happen to have several seasons of the TV show on DVD, it will give me an excuse to watch them again :lol:

 

[Dan Morton]

Don't know if the Worster mannikins come in 54mm or smaller. Check the TLB web site.

all the best,
Dan