New Masters Continued

I did a bit more work on my new masters today. Here are some pics of my progress:

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


I added calves and feet and beefed up the chests on the masters I was working on yesterday.


Some of my favourite tools. Top; homemade wee sanding sticks (a bunch of toothpicks glued to the back of some fine sandpaper), middle; scalpel, bottom; clay sculpting tool.


I was liking this process so much I thought I’d start a few more masters to bring along at the same time as the ones I already started (and this way I can show you how I made my silly armatures). Step One: cut three pieces of wire. Step Two: bend as above paying attention to distance from shoulder to crotch – in this case 9mm as this is for a 20mm figure (thought I’d try and make a couple modern 20mm figures…). Step Three: glue together. The original three I didn’t glue together as I did these today. I just stuck them together with the green stuff (see next step below) and afterwards thought it might be easier if I glues them together first. It was.


Once the glue was dry I wrapped the torso bits with green stuff. Here I have two 20mm and three more 28mm armatures in the works.


Then I bent down the legs bits.


Next I measured out where the feet ought to be and bent the wire. Then I measured to where the top of the head should be and cut there. I shortened the arms a bit too I didn’t measure them as a) I haven’t out how long they should be just yet, and b) I’m not sure if I want the wire going all the way into the had or just to the cuff. I am thinking just to the cuff, as I may want to drill out the hand and place wire through it (for a sword or something). This one above is one of the 20mm figures.


Repeat for all as appropriate.


Whipping out my wee saw I zipped out some blocks to mount them on.


The I bent the leg wire bits where the knees ought to be and bent them all into position – mostly my favourite “vigorous advancing” position (it suits my favourite “there’s the enemy GO-GET-‘IM” tactic). The arms will be left for some time until I’ve done all the details around the torso (and have a musket to put into them).

Did I mention that these are for my Quebec 1759 Project (well, the 28mm ones anyway – the 20mm will be mid-late 1980s Canadian infantrymen)

One of the 20mm guys I decided would be in a standing and firing pose. I did try to bend his arms into place, just to see… This is all about experimentation. Don’t go thinking I actually know what I’m doing!


Here’s the three new 28mm masters at the end of the day – looking rather like the ones I was working on yesterday when I was finished. I should probably leave the other three alone for a day and get these cought up so I can bring them all along at the same time.


The 20mm armatures. Again experimenting with “Brown Stuff” on the legs of one of them.


Then to finish things off I tried to make a tricorne hat on my practice doll. They're tricky.

Wow, it was just occuring to me how much more sleep I could get if I didn't bother with this... Is anybody reading this besides Jeff and John? Post a comment, let me know you were here...!

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Won’t get much work done tomorrow, as Gary and Christian will be coming over to play with the wee ships in the evening. Maybe I’ll have a game report!

I should also finish typing out those additional sailing house rules…