Winston Churchill 1/9th scale scratchbuild

[Anders Heintz]

Looks great Man!!

Keep it up, looking forward to see this one in the flesh one day.

 

[btavis]

Some additional work on the left arm and upper right.

 

[btavis]

I am already planning the scene in which Winston will be placed. I will build a representation of 10 Downing a la the following picture. Although this is not where the picture was actually taken it does symbolize another significant element in Sir Winston's career:

 

[btavis]

I wanted to pass along something that I have been very impressed with and that is the instructinal videos and books from Philippe Faraut.

I just received my copes of his book on Portrait Sculpting and his DVD on Expression and Facial Construction. They are not cheap but I highly recommend them for anyone interested in sculpting. Philippe is a master sculptor and his step by step instruction is masterful. Even though Philippe works in larger scale than what we do the lessons are adaptable and invaluable.

 

[Roy]

Bob...I think Philipe Faraut's sculpting is beyond amazing, he's a master at capturing expression and likeness. I've only ever seen photo's of his work before. Thank you for the link. That book is too tempting to resist.

Your Winnie really is starting to take on that certain 'something' in the photo. Now with the addition of No.10, it looks like it's going to be another jaw dropper. You always seem to go the extra mile.

Roy.

 

[btavis]

Roy, the videos are realtime demonstrations of him working and it has to be seen to be really appreciated. The techniques he uses are so straightforward and make so much sense. If you have some background in anatomy then this type of thing can really kick your skills up a notch or two.

 

[Roy]

Sounds great Bob...my birthday's looming...maybe if I leave enough hints around the house, I'll get lucky

All the best...Roy.

 

[garyjd]

Bob, Winnie looks to be making some progress. I like the setting you've picked out, it'll go well with the figure.~Gary

 

[Dan Morton]

Holy cow, Bob! And in 1/9th scale, too! You've got the facial expression and the body pose just perfect. You may want to check the height of Winnie's hat. May be an optical illusion or something, but it looks too tall. The brim and hat size on his head look right, just the height from brim to crown. Compare it with the first photo you posted and with the height of his head. My 2 centavos...and I feel very strange indeed putting it in after all the excellent advice you've given me.

Next maybe you should do Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin at the Teheran conference. I'm thinking of the photo of the trio sitting in chairs on a patio. At that moment, the three most powerful men in the world, making "back room" deals that would lock up the fate of millions for years into the future. In my humble opinion, the Cold War started right there, although some would say it started in 1918 in Archangel and Murmansk. Excuse the digression...

All the best,
Dan

 

[btavis]

Dan, actually the hat is correct in so far it is being the same height as the head. In scale the face is 2cm high and so is the hat. Perhaps the slenderness of the hat is creating the illusion of being too tall. I may have to beef up the hat but will wait until I am finished with the rest of the body before adjusting. In anycase, I redid the arms as I did not like them. I also redid the collar and bowtie and will post new pictures soon. The last bit of major sculpting is his left hand. My concern is the slenderness of the fingers and how delicate they will be (fear of breakage.) I may have to mix Aves with Duro to make them a little more resilient.

I believe some company already did the big three in 1/32. I don't remember which company (Andrea?).

Thanks for the observation.

 

[btavis]

 

[Anders Heintz]

Great work my friend! Now finish the left hand and put some paint on it!

 

[rdclaeps]

Wow Bob, now that's a figure You put a few of those professional putty pushers to shame.... Can't wait to see it finished and painted up.

 

[btavis]

You guys are too kind, really. I figure another couple of days putzing around with the epoxy and then I will start painting it. I did a preliminary mock up to scale in Photo Shop with the 10 Downing Street behind Winston and I think it will make the piece too large. Unless I come up with another setting then it may remain a standalone figure. Considering I am used to 54mm this is gigantic and making it larger with a complex background does not make much sense for practical reasons. Also I think it may diminish the drama of the figure by itself.

I am going to airbrush a good deal of the suit. I am really looking forward to doing the pinstriping so I am dusting off my favorite curse words in preparation for the occassion.

 

[Joe Hudson]

Hey Bob,

Looking really nice. I look forward to seeing what kind of setting you put him in.

Joe

 

[rdclaeps]

Hey Bob,

How do you plan on painting the gun metal on the tommy gun?

 

[btavis]

Originally posted by rdclaeps@Mar 28 2005, 11:51 PM
Hey Bob,

How do you plan on painting the gun metal on the tommy gun?

Rog, I will probably first paint it black and then use graphite. I will highlight with Rub N Buff silver or Mr. Metal depending on which looks better.

 

[btavis]

The sculpting is virtually completed. The primer is Mr. Surfacer which is great for filling in pits, tool marks, etc. I will lightly sand and steel wool and then use Floquil primer.

 

[btavis]

 

[garyjd]

Bob, "Winnie's" looking good. I guess sometimes it's hard to visualize how big a project is until it starts to come together. The building facade is a nice touch and can understand that could maybe take away from the figure.~Gary