By Jason Miller
Materials
thin knife
clay shaper/eraser/small burnisher
GW tool or other
needle nose pliers
hobby knife
fine file
320b sandpaper
1500b sandpaper
Part 1
I had been putting lesson four off for awhile now as I was unsure how to best proceed with it; see to add equipment to a figure you really need to know what the figure is. So I can show you how to kit up a 28mm Vietnam type Space Ranger but that wont help you dress an ork. What I have eventually decided on is to show you some quick techniques to get some 'well known' bits of gear with links to some of my tutorials. Be sure to ask for a specific tutorial if I dont cover yours here.
Blue/Yellow Ratio
By now you have worked with the putty a good bit so you know a little better how the various ratios work for you. Really it is largely a matter of personal taste. I find I use way more blue these days to start with as I need less time to work with the putty to get it right. In addition the blue will sand up nicely with very fine sand papers. For fine detail I use 3 parts yellow to 2 parts blue...still the choice from now on is yours to make.
WARNING- although you can use more yellow than blue and still vulcanize a green, you may have difficulties if you use too much blue over yellow as it will be too soft for a pressurized mold maker. I recommend a 50-50 mix as the max for Blue:Yellow, and no more than 66-34 for Yellow:Blue.
Subtractive Sculpting
Up till now sculpting for us has been the rather tricky task of pushing the epoxy putty into shape. Push one side, push the other, flatten again- repeat. It is very time consuming but really it is one of the few ways of getting a nice smooth green. However there is an easier way to get a similar result- ever see a cookie cutter? Well what we are going to do is the same thing- simply 'cut' the extra putty away.
EXAMPLE: Bag
First you need a 'blob' of putty- push it directly onto the figure unless you are making the equipment to be added seperate. Using a thin straight tool cut a square shape into the putty then gently tease the excess away- you should be left with a small square 'tile'. Using a clay shaper or an eraser pencil genlty add some folds to the bag. LET IT DRY but be sure to check that it retains its shape and folds as it does so don't hesitate to push along the edges to firm it into shape.
Once the main part of the bag is dry we can add the flap on the front.
Using a smaller blob of putty push it firmly onto the bag. Flatten this blob till it is the desired thickness. Using your thin straight edge cut away in the shape of the flap. Use your clay shaper or a small burnisher to make a smaller fold in the flap. LET THIS DRY.
Ok now you have almost finished, just need to add a button or some such. Add a super tiny blob of putty gently cut away a circle shape. If you want CAREFULLY push it into the desired raised shape. LET IT DRY and you are done. This technique works for several items of gear ranging from belts, pouches- pretty much any object.
Part II
Ok but what about weapons? Guns, swords, knives- I want my figure to kill things... Well to make a weapon there are a few ways to go about it:
Sheet Styrene/ kit bash:
This is where you use sheet styrene or other materials to cut the basic shape of your weapon. These have the advantage of being able to be filed and you need very little practice to make a nice weapon. Once you have a nice basic shape you can add green stuff detailing or even more shaped/cut styrene. This method is not always advised- if you plan on having your green cast commercially better ask around first- most casting companies will need to vulcanize the green 'as is' and your weapons will melt! If you can find someone who makes a brass master of the green first. I hear Bronze Age Minis provides such a service.
Brown Stuff:
This is a 2 part epoxy putty that dries much harder than green stuff does. In addition it is easily filed so you can get nice crisp edges for your weapon.
Green Stuff :
Green stuff CAN make weapons but it is much more difficult due to the somewhat rubber nature of the dried putty. The thing to know is to use a darker mix- far more blue than yellow. In addition if you can get ahold of some Milliput I would add it too- it is another sculptoring putty that makes for a firmer mix. Similar putties such as Brown Stuff, A&B or Tamiya putty can be mixed with green stuff to make a harder mix as well. I'll assume that you are making the weapons out of green stuff as it is what I use.
EXAMPLE: Gun & Knife
If you plan on using green stuff for your weapons I usually try to leave the hands of my figure unfinished with a good length of wire sticking out- this way the weapon does not become a fragile part of your green. Start by bending the wire into the shapes you want- in this case a gun of some sort and a knife.
Now taking a very dark mix of green stuff apply a thin layer around the wire- we need something a little firmer to build on. LET THIS DRY.
Now add some more dark putty- this time try to sculpt the shape of the weapons you want. If it isn't working out just try for 'good enough'. LET THIS DRY.
Taking a sharp hobby knife very carefully whittle and trim the weapon into the desired shape. GO SLOW AND BE CAREFUL! If you slip you'll cut your figure- or worse your hand! It is better to trim off little slivers as you have better control of the blade.
Using a file GENTLY shape the weapon if needed. If you file too agressively you will chew the skin of the green stuff up and it will get fuzzy- not good! If you have done a good job with the hobby knife you wont need to file much at all- if any. Use fine sand papers as needed to give the weapons a nice smooth 'metal' look. I find that wetting the green with water or better yet spit (eeeeeew) makes the green sand smoother- this is called wet sanding.
Add any extra details to the weapon at this time- much like you layer a figure most weapons have a somewhat layered look.
Part III
The last thing to show you is how to add armor the 'green stuff' way. We will be using the subtractive method we learned in Part I.
Using a dark mix of green stuff add a small blob of putty- flatten and smooth it. Let it sit for about ten minutes or until it becomes a little firmer- NOT HARD! Using a thin blade cut the excess putty away leaving the shape of a bit of your armor. Make sure it is in the desired shape then LET IT DRY.
If needed you can trim, file or sand the armor to get a sharper edge. Then add the next layer of armor by repeating the process one bit at a time. Add some straps using what you learned in Part I. This is all sculpting is- take a little nude figure and dress it step by step. The hard part is doing it even though your first few figures may not look so nice...
thin knife
clay shaper/eraser/small burnisher
GW tool or other
needle nose pliers
hobby knife
fine file
320b sandpaper
1500b sandpaper
Part 1
I had been putting lesson four off for awhile now as I was unsure how to best proceed with it; see to add equipment to a figure you really need to know what the figure is. So I can show you how to kit up a 28mm Vietnam type Space Ranger but that wont help you dress an ork. What I have eventually decided on is to show you some quick techniques to get some 'well known' bits of gear with links to some of my tutorials. Be sure to ask for a specific tutorial if I dont cover yours here.
Blue/Yellow Ratio
By now you have worked with the putty a good bit so you know a little better how the various ratios work for you. Really it is largely a matter of personal taste. I find I use way more blue these days to start with as I need less time to work with the putty to get it right. In addition the blue will sand up nicely with very fine sand papers. For fine detail I use 3 parts yellow to 2 parts blue...still the choice from now on is yours to make.
WARNING- although you can use more yellow than blue and still vulcanize a green, you may have difficulties if you use too much blue over yellow as it will be too soft for a pressurized mold maker. I recommend a 50-50 mix as the max for Blue:Yellow, and no more than 66-34 for Yellow:Blue.
Subtractive Sculpting
Up till now sculpting for us has been the rather tricky task of pushing the epoxy putty into shape. Push one side, push the other, flatten again- repeat. It is very time consuming but really it is one of the few ways of getting a nice smooth green. However there is an easier way to get a similar result- ever see a cookie cutter? Well what we are going to do is the same thing- simply 'cut' the extra putty away.
EXAMPLE: Bag
First you need a 'blob' of putty- push it directly onto the figure unless you are making the equipment to be added seperate. Using a thin straight tool cut a square shape into the putty then gently tease the excess away- you should be left with a small square 'tile'. Using a clay shaper or an eraser pencil genlty add some folds to the bag. LET IT DRY but be sure to check that it retains its shape and folds as it does so don't hesitate to push along the edges to firm it into shape.
Once the main part of the bag is dry we can add the flap on the front.
Using a smaller blob of putty push it firmly onto the bag. Flatten this blob till it is the desired thickness. Using your thin straight edge cut away in the shape of the flap. Use your clay shaper or a small burnisher to make a smaller fold in the flap. LET THIS DRY.
Ok now you have almost finished, just need to add a button or some such. Add a super tiny blob of putty gently cut away a circle shape. If you want CAREFULLY push it into the desired raised shape. LET IT DRY and you are done. This technique works for several items of gear ranging from belts, pouches- pretty much any object.
Part II
Ok but what about weapons? Guns, swords, knives- I want my figure to kill things... Well to make a weapon there are a few ways to go about it:
Sheet Styrene/ kit bash:
This is where you use sheet styrene or other materials to cut the basic shape of your weapon. These have the advantage of being able to be filed and you need very little practice to make a nice weapon. Once you have a nice basic shape you can add green stuff detailing or even more shaped/cut styrene. This method is not always advised- if you plan on having your green cast commercially better ask around first- most casting companies will need to vulcanize the green 'as is' and your weapons will melt! If you can find someone who makes a brass master of the green first. I hear Bronze Age Minis provides such a service.
Brown Stuff:
This is a 2 part epoxy putty that dries much harder than green stuff does. In addition it is easily filed so you can get nice crisp edges for your weapon.
Green Stuff :
Green stuff CAN make weapons but it is much more difficult due to the somewhat rubber nature of the dried putty. The thing to know is to use a darker mix- far more blue than yellow. In addition if you can get ahold of some Milliput I would add it too- it is another sculptoring putty that makes for a firmer mix. Similar putties such as Brown Stuff, A&B or Tamiya putty can be mixed with green stuff to make a harder mix as well. I'll assume that you are making the weapons out of green stuff as it is what I use.
EXAMPLE: Gun & Knife
If you plan on using green stuff for your weapons I usually try to leave the hands of my figure unfinished with a good length of wire sticking out- this way the weapon does not become a fragile part of your green. Start by bending the wire into the shapes you want- in this case a gun of some sort and a knife.
Now taking a very dark mix of green stuff apply a thin layer around the wire- we need something a little firmer to build on. LET THIS DRY.
Now add some more dark putty- this time try to sculpt the shape of the weapons you want. If it isn't working out just try for 'good enough'. LET THIS DRY.
Taking a sharp hobby knife very carefully whittle and trim the weapon into the desired shape. GO SLOW AND BE CAREFUL! If you slip you'll cut your figure- or worse your hand! It is better to trim off little slivers as you have better control of the blade.
Using a file GENTLY shape the weapon if needed. If you file too agressively you will chew the skin of the green stuff up and it will get fuzzy- not good! If you have done a good job with the hobby knife you wont need to file much at all- if any. Use fine sand papers as needed to give the weapons a nice smooth 'metal' look. I find that wetting the green with water or better yet spit (eeeeeew) makes the green sand smoother- this is called wet sanding.
Add any extra details to the weapon at this time- much like you layer a figure most weapons have a somewhat layered look.
Part III
The last thing to show you is how to add armor the 'green stuff' way. We will be using the subtractive method we learned in Part I.
Using a dark mix of green stuff add a small blob of putty- flatten and smooth it. Let it sit for about ten minutes or until it becomes a little firmer- NOT HARD! Using a thin blade cut the excess putty away leaving the shape of a bit of your armor. Make sure it is in the desired shape then LET IT DRY.
If needed you can trim, file or sand the armor to get a sharper edge. Then add the next layer of armor by repeating the process one bit at a time. Add some straps using what you learned in Part I. This is all sculpting is- take a little nude figure and dress it step by step. The hard part is doing it even though your first few figures may not look so nice...
