Completed First Large Scale Figure

[Ray]

This one is my first large scale (1/19 scale ~90mm) figure made last December as a practice piece before attempting a couple one-off commissions in the same scale. Besides being larger in scale than any other figure I had previously done I had nothing to start the figure with, so the first step was to make a set of armature bits including footwear and a first pair of hands.

All the usual materials were used in this sculpt, MS, GS, and A+B for building up the armature, resin castings and aluminum wire for the armature structure.


Ray

 

[housecarl]

The drapery looks really well done. Is it anyone in particular?
Carl.

 

[garyjd]

Ray, Very nice. The drapery looks great. ~Gary

 

[Ray]

Carl,
Thank you for looking and the compliment. No he's no-one special really just some un-named navvy from a British railway book, I don't even remember which one.

Thanks Garry,
It really was a challenge developing a feel for things in this large size, especially things like drapery. I found that drapery had to have more fidelity to the real thing in this scale over that of the smaller scales I've always worked in. Especially true in 1/48 where so much is ignored and too much fidelity looks overdone and contrived, to my eye anyway.

Left to myself I doubt I would ever have tried working in a larger scale being perfectly contented with those I was already familiar with. Fortunately, I had several very old commissions that really needed doing. Three years seeming long enough for anyone to wait without results I set to work and am glad I did, this really is a fun and interesting size to work in.

Ray

 

[garyjd]

Thanks Gary,
It really was a challenge developing a feel for things in this large size, especially things like drapery. I found that drapery had to have more fidelity to the real thing in this scale over that of the smaller scales I've always worked in. Especially true in 1/48 where so much is ignored and too much fidelity looks overdone and contrived, to my eye anyway.

Left to myself I doubt I would ever have tried working in a larger scale being perfectly contented with those I was already familiar with. Fortunately, I had several very old commissions that really needed doing. Three years seeming long enough for anyone to wait without results I set to work and am glad I did, this really is a fun and interesting size to work in.

Ray

I meant to ask how the transition was for you going from 1/48 to 1/19. Did you find it much more of a challange adding all those subtlties that all but disappear on a 1/48 figure? ~Gary

 

[redhorse]

That looks really good, I like his pose too.

 

[fanai]

Ray - mate this is a great piece and so wonderful for you to try this ambitious project (always knew you could)

Ian

 

[Dan Morton]

Very nice!

All the best,
Dan

 

[Marcel]

Great piece of sculpting Ray!

Cheers,
Marcel.

 

[Ray]

Ian, James, Dan and Marcel,
Thank you guys I really appreciate your noticing and comments. Having one’s peers notice your work is perhaps one of the best incentives for keeping at it.

Generally I didn't find the move up to be very traumatic, there was a great deal more trauma in considering the move all because of an irrational fear I had of making a mess of a large scale sculpt. Really kind of dumb of me forgetting that it was only putty that would be lost if I did make a mess of it, so long as I worked in secret anyway.

Some things I learned are; That the MS GS blend, that I happily use in the smaller scales, is really not that good an idea for me when doing work on the large surface areas of a large scale figure-I have a tendency to exaggerate things too much with the blend. I also learned that my old annealed brass wire armature bits-much thicker than usual with the increase in proportion-is really not the easiest thing to work with here (I've replaced the brass with soft aluminum wire, much easier to use in the heavier gauge). Everything takes much longer to do, no revelation here, up to, even exceeding 100% of usual work time. It is also easy to forget to do things like seams that I don't usually represent in the smaller scales-I've had to come back with additional thin layers of putty down a pant leg more than once in the last four months having forgotten to do the seams when finishing up the leg. This kind of forgetfulness adds a lot of time to a sculpt.

Other than that the only thing I really learned is that working on figures of such a large proportion is great fun. The most helpful thing I experienced was Mike Good posting his motorcycle figure SBS just when I was starting my own large scale adventure. It was interesting and informative seeing how Mike put things together and worked out the details, encouraging too. Thanks Mike.

Ray

 

[gordy]

Very nice Ray, you've survived the transition well

I've always enjoyed the larger scales even though they do take more time and different approaches.

The SBS's here are indeed valuable and certainly worth the effort for those that post them!

 

[Ray]

Thanks Gordy,
Surprisingly to me I enjoyed the first so much that I've managed to complete several more large scale figures since starting in December.

Yes, absolutely the SBS's are worth the effort, especially for those of us that benefit from them, learning new techniques and ideas. More please, anyone.

Ray

 

[outrunthedogs]

Hi Ray
Well done, I like the drapery too and the face is good.

 

[Jamie Stokes]

Again,
good to see your work,

and shifting between scales, yes, different thinking is required!

Cheers

 

[Ray]

Thanks Len, I'm glad you like it, more to come.

Yes, Jamie it does take a lot of thought switching between scales. I wonder what it's going to be like when I switch back to 1/48 scale figures. I found before when going between 1/48 and 1/32 that switching benefitted work in both sizes so maybe it will be the same when switching from these big guys.

Ray