Paper Soldiers

[Winky]

Amazing work. I do a lot of miniature figures (1/100) and know it is not easy to get them to look natural and convincing. Well done!

I prefer acrylic craft paints as it dries pretty fast and will not fade. However, I only do this to colour the edges to hide the white seams as opposed to painting entire surfaces.

Interesting use of Future. I use home made modge podge (white glue + water) to seal and harden my figures. Don't know if this preserves water colors like Future.

How do you get the helmets so smooth and round? They seem to be molded as opposed to cut and assembled.

[Doubting Thomas]

Wow, 1/100 scale! And I thought that doing these figures in 1/72 was hard. Those look really good. Yes, I use acrylics too. It's just that olive color I wanted was in watercolor instead of my usual acrylic craft paint. Which is the tan and the brown boots.

The helmets are molded from some old 60mm Louis Marx soldiers in Plasticine clay. I use white glue and bath tissue torn into small patches and layered like "fiberglass" in the mold. Then newspaper advertisement paper for reinforcement to the casting. When dry I gently pull the casting out or sometimes I just peel the clay back and clip the excess paper.

Trying a "net style" with brown thread over the helmet for this current figure. It's sort of working.

Jeff

[Winky]

Thanks for the info on how you did the helmets.

I would love to see how your netting and future figures turn out. Your figures show excellent techniques and give me lots of inspiration and ideas.

If you have not heard of oyumaru, do a google or youtube search on oyumaru mold making. I would have incorporated using oyumaru in some manner if I were not personally obsessed with using paper patterns only.

[Doubting Thomas]

So here's some pics of #9 and 7 more to go...maybe. I might just do them and show all of the rest in one shot instead of individual posts.

As for the Oyumaru that Winky suggested, I saw it on Youtube when I was looking up rubber moulds. I've done the two part RTV stuff with very good success on the old 1/32 scale Airfix multipose figures, using resin in them. Then I used the rubber to make some adequate Japanese soldiers of the same series using plaster in the rubber instead of the resin. Then wanted an alternative to the RTV and looked up the Oyumaru. Found on the internet that Japan, does not sell it to the USA. All the copyright stuff that some of us here on the forum get all bent out of shape about.

So at the same time I found that cooks use Gelatin...the stuff jello dessert is made out of to mold things for fancy food parties...particularly chocolate "figurines" as an edible display. Tried it sorta worked as a mold for the figures, and going to try some more after I finish the next 9 paper ones. I'll try to add the medic team with nurse and guard dog too, but at the end.

Time here on earth is short so, on to the pictures. I'm posting using the different rifles, because I haven't decided which I like the best. Carbine, Springfield w/scope or the Garand.

[Winky]

Amazing work. The netting on the helmet looks very realistic.

[Doubting Thomas]

So here are the rest of the figure poses to make 16. I've added some extra parts for the medics and I'm planning on some extra injured poses. Should be another 8-9 more figures to make up a medic/aid station. Still have to take measurements for the stretchers. I tried to stay as close to the original plastic figures but the paper patterns can only go so far.

I found it interesting that the Colt 45, carbine rifle and the M3 "Grease gun" when drawn to scale in 60mm look so small when placed on the figures. Had to increase parts patterns about 1/8" to 3/32" proportionally in Auto CAD.

I thought I would try turning off the auto flash on my Cannon 400 and only use the "Ice Cream" energy saving bulbs for the lighting. Kinda gives a yellow brown look but at least the photos don't have a washed out look as earlier in the post.

Jeff

[Doubting Thomas]

I was able to make some medics, combat nurses, some wounded, a doctor
and a what I call a "Med-dog." The kneeling nurse has a removable helmet,
as well as the doc.

I thought about printing a Dodge utility truck
enlarged from 1/72 by Ringo.But haven't yet.
Work stuff comes first.

Jeff

[Viator]

This is a wonderful thread!
I am often deeply impressed seeing the 3D human body modelled on paper. It's a kind of magic for me!

[MacSongLi]

You're building quite the army. Beautiful work.

Will these all wind up in a diorama?

Gary

[Doubting Thomas]

Speaking of a diorama, those interested will have to wait a little longer...still adding/making/printing out parts to build. It will not involve these guys, they are in the 60-70mm size range making them around 2-1/2" to 2-3/4" tall.


I just like them because my oldest brother had the original olive green plastic ones from the 1950's-1960's. Of which I've only found a single last one in our home, the prone soldier firing an m1 rifle.



These were fun to make as was the "med-dog" I got the pattern online, traced it in CAD and then did a test print to figure out the complex 3d assembly. The test build wound up bigger than 3" and when next to the soldiers was the size of a HORSE and not a dog.



Went back and kept shrinking the drawing to fit in with the troops. The nurses, doctor, dog and some of the bases are all "Flocked" with shredded newspaper and glued to the figures. Let them dry over night & painted brown or green on the bases.



I think the WC 51 when enlarged to 70mm is about 6 pages of 8-1/2" x 11" (A4) size. So maybe next year after the craziness of the holidays. Something to look forward to make next year besides doing work projects.



Jeff