Balázs,
Thank you I really appreciate it. But I can't help wondering if my little Chaplin would still be the best in the scale were there another one. lol
Marc,
Thank you as well, I'm beginning to be, though I would still hope for better in future. The problem now is I've used up three really good characters and wonder how much market there would ever be for additional works of the same guys.
Dan,
I appreciate it all and hope these guys really so good, but won't let myself believe it. Probably best that way, keeps me from getting a big head (which no-one really needs) and stopping attempts at future improvement.
Janne,
My fervent hope is that a bit of paint will show the faces to be just as good as my cross eyed self thought them when doing the work. Of course things could go badly and the paint might show something else entirely, like I completely bombed the job.
You're right on about the age, the primary picture I worked from for Chaplin's face was him as an older guy, probably 50-55. As always when working on a specific subject I made a lot of discoveries about his dress, hair, hats and all the rest that largely contradicted everything I had previously thought I knew about the mans appearance.
The original inspiration for Chaplin was (part, also because I was desperate for something inspiring to sculpt) the wonderful 54mm figure sculpted by Chang gun lee, and posted here earlier this year. His is, in my view, an almost perfect rendition of the real guy, so nicely done in fact that I actually purchased a pair of them from him. And I haven't painted a figure in ten years! Really, if you like Chaplin as a sculpt I'd recommend Chang gun lee's figure.
Thank you for both posts, I really do appreciate the comments, even when less than flattering. There's no better way for a guy to learn where to make improvements than to hear it from someone else, kind of bypasses the personal bias and helps get the blinders off.
Steve,
Thank you, 1/48 is becoming something of a specialty for me, though I never intended it to. It's been fun and challenging and I'm slowly learning what can be, err at least what I can do in the scale. Interestingly the greatest part of making improvements for me has come from seeing demonstrated what can be done by someone who is truly skilled. I think of Tom Meier now, until last year I had never even heard of him, but having seen the amazing stuff he's done in scales as small, and smaller than 1/48 really opened my eyes to new possibilities. Now I've got the problem of having to learn to do all that is possible. Haven't quite gotten there yet, but have stopped taking short cuts with these little guys and blaming it on the scale. My earlier figures (not just in 1/48) really do suck.
Ray
