Sculpting a 1/32 Figure in Polymer Clay from Scratch

[Neil Merryweather]

The next stage is the leather jerkin.

Here’s our image again to refresh your memory



I rolled out a sheet of clay and cut it to shape for the left front. I added the seam detail but as you will see a lot of it got lost during the process. But the bits that survived helped, so I would still do it again



I added it to the body. Just to be on the safe side I painted the area first with a weak mix of putty and IPA, which is recommended by the manufacturer.



I started to model the folds as per the image and realised I had made a Rookie Mistake –



The clay just wanted to sit right into the waist instead of hanging obediently in space like the garment. So I had to peel the clay away and add some bulk underneath to support it



This made it a whole lot easier to work with



I cut away the excess at the sleeve and worked in some more creases and texture.



When sculpting clothes that are hanging it’s vital that the creases are straight and vertical or they just look wrong. This is where having reference images really helps. It’s actually quite hard to do with soft clay floating in space! It’s not there yet but I will continue to tweak it as I go along. Next we go the left side, and this time I remembered to add some bulk to support the drape of the jerkin.



I cut a piece to shape as before but this time I folded the front neck over as the image shows



I painted the area with IPA again and attached the sheet.



Creases and texture added



Now for the back, and here we have to use our imagination for the folds etc



Because the jerkin is not done up it will hang loose from the back so I added some bulk as before. Then a small piece of rolled out clay to complete the skirt



I blended that into the sides and the material at the top of the back



And added creases, bearing in mind that the right shoulder is raised so the skirt edge will slant down toward his left side. We can see this in the image.



Next I refined the creases and texture, and added the button holes



I have left the sleeves open as the arms are going to be separate.



They are a bit thick but I can’t make them thinner without breaking them so I will try and thin them down after he is cooked



A modern reproduction of the jerkin has this random seam at the back so I have added it, although it may be a modern day expedient with large hides being less readily available., but it's too late now, he's in the oven!

That’s all for now, next up I will look at fitting his head properly, working on his neck and shirt collar
Cheers
Neil

 

[Allen Dewire]

Ok Mr. Merryweather,

Were you scared??? Seriously Neil, what you are doing here is is utterly, and I do mean utterly unbelievable. I have followed your Fusilier, fuselage, or what they are conversions and am at loss for words. Sorry I haven't commented sooner, but I don't know what to say. Anyone who can make ears or eyeballs on a 54mm figure is a master of the modelling art. Now you are doing the whole figure and again, I have been totally amazed at your craftmanship and the ability to work on something so small....

This has to stop as I am always picking up my jaw off the floor with each update. It has also come to my attention, that you have been taking the wrong dosages of your medication again!!! Please don't don't stop and don't change the dosages. I have learned so much and have enjoyed this tremendously Sir. I may never sculpt a figure, but the knowledge from your SBS will always be there if I try.

With that, I can just say thank you for taking the time to bring this to life and it's a really nice tribute too. Have fun and may the oven always be at the right temp. (and SWMBO doesn't get upset)....................Drive on Neil...........

Prost
Allen

PS, check to the usual off-shore account please

 

[JR]

Well Allen is quite right in his praise Neil.

This is entering the realm of a black art , most interesting long may it continue.

 

[Andy Belsey]

Just looked at your original photos, looks like none of the troops shown are wearing their tin hats with the strap under their chins

There was a fear that a nearby explosion would brake your neck if the strap was fixed under your chin. If the strap was behind your head, the helmet would fly off without harming your neck.
Andy

 

[Andy Belsey]

This is excellent Neil and I am really enjoying watching you sculpt. THANK YOU.
Andy

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Ok Mr. Merryweather,

Were you scared??? Seriously Neil, what you are doing here is is utterly, and I do mean utterly unbelievable. I have followed your Fusilier, fuselage, or what they are conversions and am at loss for words. Sorry I haven't commented sooner, but I don't know what to say. Anyone who can make ears or eyeballs on a 54mm figure is a master of the modelling art. Now you are doing the whole figure and again, I have been totally amazed at your craftmanship and the ability to work on something so small....

This has to stop as I am always picking up my jaw off the floor with each update. It has also come to my attention, that you have been taking the wrong dosages of your medication again!!! Please don't don't stop and don't change the dosages. I have learned so much and have enjoyed this tremendously Sir. I may never sculpt a figure, but the knowledge from your SBS will always be there if I try.

With that, I can just say thank you for taking the time to bring this to life and it's a really nice tribute too. Have fun and may the oven always be at the right temp. (and SWMBO doesn't get upset)....................Drive on Neil...........

Prost
Allen

PS, check to the usual off-shore account please

Wow Allen thank you so much, that's a great compliment!
Strange to say but I do quite enjoy the process of writing the blog, although it is a bit strange stopping mid flow to take photos so frequently.
It's good to know that people are getting something from it.
As for the meds, I lost track of them years ago....
Happy birthday
N

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Well Allen is quite right in his praise Neil.

This is entering the realm of a black art , most interesting long may it continue.

Cheers John, glad you are enjoying it

 

[Neil Merryweather]

This is excellent Neil and I am really enjoying watching you sculpt. THANK YOU.
Andy

Cheers Andy, and thanks for the clarification on the helmet straps

 

[Airborne01]

Neil.
Those leather jerkins were still around at the beginning of my service, mostly worn by Don Rs and Tank Transporter drivers (Polish MCTGs); they were varied in their construction and colouration - often made of multiple hides and stained and polished in areas of high wear. The only standard on them seemed to be the large plastic/bakelite buttons and the khaki flanelette lining. I hope I'm not repeating what you already know! Stunning work by the way!!
Steve

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Neil.
Those leather jerkins were still around at the beginning of my service, mostly worn by Don Rs and Tank Transporter drivers (Polish MCTGs); they were varied in their construction and colouration - often made of multiple hides and stained and polished in areas of high wear. The only standard on them seemed to be the large plastic/bakelite buttons and the khaki flanelette lining. I hope I'm not repeating what you already know! Stunning work by the way!!
Steve

Cheers Steve that's good to know. It's always good to get first hand knowledge from someone with personal experience. Thanks for your interest
N

 

[Jim R]

Hi Neil
I'm with Allen and the others. A really well put together SBS. The head is excellent and the way the clothing is layered on is an eyeopener. This is the must see thread at the moment.
Jim

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Hi Neil
I'm with Allen and the others. A really well put together SBS. The head is excellent and the way the clothing is layered on is an eyeopener. This is the must see thread at the moment.
Jim

That's kind of you to say , Jim, thanks

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Unfortunately I have to report my first serious mishap with this- I broke his leg!



At least I think it was me rather than the result of too much cooking, which is a recognised hazard with this method. I think I was just too heavy-handed while I was trimming the thickness of the jerkin. That went fine, the material is very soft and easy to carve- a bit like the old Airfix 1/32 polypropylene toy soldiers- softer than that, actually. I haven’t tried sanding it yet, though.
I am happy to say that the stuff is so soft I was able to hold it in position while the superglue went off and all is fine now.
I promised to fit his head this session, but I need to make his jacket collar first. Here is what we have to start with



And this is how the head currently sits



I want it to be further forward and a little to his right. But I want a more easily disguised joint anyway so I dremelled out a big cone shaped hole in the neck of his jacket



And trimmed away the extra material, right up to the jacket opening



I added a collar from rolled out clay



or I should say I TRIED to add a collar, but it just wouldn’t behave, so I had to come up with a plan B, which was to just add clay in the usual way and model it to shape and blend it into the neck hole



Then I added two small pieces of rolled out clay for the ends of the collar



I blended these into the material already there



And he was oven ready. I am cooking him now because I want this to be safe for the next stage which actually will be making his neck fit.
thanks for looking
Neil

 

[GerryW]

Just dawned on me - how many of these figures are you going to have to make, as initially, I thought that you were making a 'master' to create a mold, but with the detail, there's no way that a mold can be taken?

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Just dawned on me - how many of these figures are you going to have to make, as initially, I thought that you were making a 'master' to create a mold, but with the detail, there's no way that a mold can be taken?

I AM planning to mould them Gerry, I need three of each. With the soft silicon used nowadays it will be no problem. I will have to fill in a few of the more extreme undercuts but it should be ok. check out some of the most recent resin figures-if you look back at the Tommy's war figure I am using as a comparison, apart from the head that is all one piece. They've come a long way since François Verlinden, bless him. They also use a resin that is a bit flexible so it comes out of the mould easier.

 

[GerryW]

I AM planning to mould them Gerry, I need three of each. With the soft silicon used nowadays it will be no problem. I will have to fill in a few of the more extreme undercuts but it should be ok. check out some of the most recent resin figures-if you look back at the Tommy's war figure I am using as a comparison, apart from the head that is all one piece. They've come a long way since François Verlinden, bless him. They also use a resin that is a bit flexible so it comes out of the mould easier.View attachment 425098

Wow, I wasn't expecting that - honestly thought that you'd have to do each figure individually. New materials must make a big difference!

 

[rtfoe]

Great stuff Neil, I'm guessing that working with this material can be much quicker than two part putty when it comes to curing in between layers of work and less of a deadline while sculpting as two part putty has a working time of about half an hour before it starts to harden. The flexibility to come back and tweek and rework areas later is so easy. One day I must attempt a fully scratched figure...I'm horrible with heads and hands.

Your sbs is making me want to start again on my Bedouin and paint him.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[adt70hk]

Neil,

Just had a catch-up. As others have already said this is truly mind-blowing work. I wouldn't know where to start with something like this. It puts sticking bits of plastic together into perspective.....

Very well done indeed.

Andrew

 

[Tim Marlow]

This is looking very good indeed Neil. The SBS is also very informative, making the sculpting process seem far easier than I’m sure it is....

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Great stuff Neil, I'm guessing that working with this material can be much quicker than two part putty when it comes to curing in between layers of work and less of a deadline while sculpting as two part putty has a working time of about half an hour before it starts to harden. The flexibility to come back and tweek and rework areas later is so easy. One day I must attempt a fully scratched figure...I'm horrible with heads and hands.

Your sbs is making me want to start again on my Bedouin and paint him.

Cheers,
Richard

Cheers Richard, there are pros and cons to this like anything else. I like the fact that the sculpting time doesn't run out before you are ready, but the material itself is not as robust as epoxy putty when it's cured. What I'm not so keen on is that you have to model everything perfectly as there doesn't seem to be the same possibility of post-processing.but that's because I am not so talented at modelling as carving and sanding and filing. But, if you want to do something big like a bust it's much better than epoxy- I used it on my AFS Fireman bust.
Please do carry on with your Bedouin, I was enjoying that. As I said earlier, hands and feet are the most difficult things to sculpt, so don't give yourself a hard time if they don't go well, just use one from the spares box.
Cheers
N