Figure Sculpting in 1/72nd Scale

[Zed1]

...Wehrmacht with Feldmütze Sniperteam 1944-1955 by idea.

Er... did I miss something?

[Sho]

Sorry for my incompetent language.. Wehrmacht INFANTRY natürlich..

(and 1945 of cource.. typing error)

[Zed1]

Sorry for my incompetent language.. Wehrmacht INFANTRY natürlich..

(and 1945 of cource.. typing error)

Phew!
Did you already paint these guys? I like them a lot, looks a bit like Strelets style.

[Paul]

...Wehrmacht with Feldmütze Sniperteam 1944-1955 by idea.

Er... did I miss something?

They kept that one quiet didn´t they ?? Amazing what you can learn here

[Sho]

Did you already paint these guys?

No.. I don't get my "copy of the author" yet.. Engineers complain that this figures are very hard to mold..

[recon110]

Is that Colonel Ingus from Saturday Night Live?

[SamSagace]

Respect on these, another artist.....

that's right!! respect!

[poky]

nice figures indeed , like the way you did the wire frames so different that I make mine

[Cryns]

This tutorial written and composed by je_touche is by far the most interesting topic I have ever read at Benno's Forum until now. I think because this is about the soul and prime origins of our hobby. In the end this is what it's all about, isn't it? Who is actually designing and making our figz? For all of my life now I always wondered: who is the invisible man behind the sculpting of my figures whose name I never get to know. Why isn't the sculptors name in BIG LETTERS written on the front of the box like they use to do with books, movies or large sculptures?

Beside je_touche I want to thank Alex, Sho and all other professional and amateur sculptors for adding their knowledge and personal experiences to this topic. I want to thank Phersu who's recent Female Dollies were a great inspiration to my first sculpts.

I also want to thank MABO. I met this fascinating man a few weeks ago at Figz. He told me he participated once in making a Playmobil Varusschlacht movie. Two days later I watched a DVD I bought around 2009. It is about Wolfgang Gebranzig sculpting a figure in Sweden for the Cröbern diorama, as part of the Modellwelten DVD Series number V. I watched this DVD years ago but only now I noticed the opening text: MABO pictures Filmproduction. What a coincidence! Or not? The world of 1/72 figures is so small I think. MABO there is so much to say about that movie but most important: very good moving macro-close-up shots! How did you do that?

Je_touche, are you the same Andreas that has been posting WIP pics of North American Indians? Did you change identity or is there two of you?

At this rate none of us should have any excuse for not giving this a go.

Yes Paul you are absolutely right so I gave it a try.

First sculpts: men climbing ladders june 2016









The only material available to me at the moment was Green Stuff. I had no glasses for my eyes getting bad since last year, no rubber tools, I used wet dentist tools and I tried to grind the excessive Green Stuff which did not turn out well since GS contains micro fibres not suitable for grinding or scraping off.

I took one pair of glasses from my wife and bought (very large size 6 in stead of recommended 0 by Alex) rubber sculpting tools - the only ones I could get here in town. The result was more satisfying:

Second sculpts





















My experience: For me it is mainly about strong glasses. After one pair of glasses I took two pairs over one another.
At the end I had 3 pairs of glasses on my nose!
Only now I could see proper what I was doing and it all went much better.

Now some new magic sculpt and rubber tools size 0 have arrived from Spain.
I will post more of this at my Tyre 332 BC topic since that is what these naked bearded man are designed for.

I too can recommend it to all of you: try make your own sculpt. Even if it does not succeed or you are not satisfied with the result, the experience of the proces in itself has a spiritual value to me, being a life long figures addict.

[Emperor]

Now when we are reopening subject again, I have one big question about sculpting...Everybody who writes about sculpting post phases of sculpting, but there is very little posts on subject ,,how properly to use green stuff and other sculpting materials and clays...'' I bought green stuff twice in past 5 years, and I can say that it is very problematic to work with it when you don't know how to use it... It is sticky and if it isn't used properly it doesn't give the good result...So since we all are well informed in process of sculpting I think it will be really good to have some tutorial about working with green stuff and other materials such as super sculpey or miliput...For example how much it takes to dry and what substances to use to keep sculpting tool wet and clean and to have green stuff not stick on tools and to proper make details...

[Wolfgang Meyer]

Hi Lodewijk,

je_touche is Andreas Hofmann, who has modeled my civilians in front of the Cröbern Church.







Andreas is a wonderful sculptor, he also comes to "Dioramica" in November, along with other excellent modellers.

Your first attempts of modeling are very good.


greetings, Wolfgang

[Cryns]

Dear Wolfgang,

Thank you so much for explaining this.
I did not realize at all Andreas is the man who made those 'frontface' figures of the greatest diorama ever made! My admiration goes to his work.

In case you talk to him in the near future: Can you ask him to give a workshop 'sculpting 1/72 figures' during Dioramica? Or is another sculptor doing that already?
You know I am eager to learn and spend at least halve a day on such a workshop during Dioramica.

[Susofrick]

I was wondering when you should find this nice thread. Love your sitting philosopher! Looks great! Can only agree that the names should come forward! There is a page about a guy that made some Accurate and Matchbox stuff, but that is not much.

[Beano Boy]

There is such a wide volume of stored up stuff perfect for a rainy day of reading placed upon this Forum,and at times while digging it up it does feel like ones found a long lost gleaming treasure that will never rust away or lose its shine that`s for sure. That is unless with shifting changing times someone, somewhere, somehow, pulls the plug upon such a wonderful place and it all instantly fades gently all away.
Sadly some of it has deleted pictures so makes very little sense,which is a covered eye of shame, but this topic with most of the pictures intact of the old postings from members ,and now with Mr Cryns added up to date input certainly has brightened up my gloomy day.

i have a hope a dream really that my style of written English is not seen as to dammed a text to read?
For even in the world of higher education i was self taught and so saw no other Master.
it was soon realised by some upon a certain pathway,that with the dotted i,i broke all the rules governing prose in many a written self-style of free expression. Opinions are made of such are they not? ________And all are freely entitled to such as them.

This complete topic from years long gone by was a first reading for me.
So i am most grateful for its timely digging up by the guy with funny bunny ears!
Mr Cryns,i admire the figures you are creating. it is plain you have such a clever eye for detail in your work,and most importantly you like the quest of experimentation within the hobby.
Which gains a big well earned like from me. BB

[Alex]

Mr. Cryns!
Your sample - excellent, very vivid and realistic, and also have many great anatomically correct details !!
Please do not stop along the way!

[Cryns]

Dear Alex,

Thank you so much for your encouragement!

[Cryns]

Dear Susofrick and Beano Boy,

Thanks a lot too for your nice replies.

Love your sitting philosopher!

Great to see how every one sees his own image in it: the iron wire frame looks to me like a runner ready for start. The fellow was meant to be a galley rower looking down from the topdeck of his trireme before departing the ship. That's why he has those muscles. Getting bald at young age probably makes him look a man of thoughts.

This complete topic from years long gone by was a first reading for me.

Very good to hear others, like you, are still interested in these old topics: that encourages me to dig up some more of these first rate topics from the past.

[Peter]

Did you make these figures for Pompeii, Mr Cryns?

They look good for your first attempt. And always better as I would try this!

[dykio]

Hiya sculpt-masters,

I really admire you guys who are doing what in my opinion is the most difficult part of this great hobby, the sculpting. I just can't get any further than a little bit of headswapping and adjusting some arms and legs. Every step beyond that is way to difficult for me... so i just look at this tread and keep on dreaming.....

[Phersu]

It was quite a while since I check the updates of this thread... thanks to all the new contributions and thumbs up for the very good new bodyes sculpted from Mr.Cyrns!

After so many figures made for myself and others, to paint or yse on diorama or simply collect... finally I got to make something tha could be useful for the figures sculptors too!



My latest invention... 1/72 resin bodies with internal metal wire supprt!
You can see more images and description on the related thread:

viewtopic.php?f=102&t=20514