What aspect of the hobby would you most like to be better at?

Random curiosity with the potential for more focussed tips, hints and tutorials by those with in-demand skills.

I personally wish I were better at actual builds.

Mostly sculpting. I have enough bricks that at if I spend enough time at them, I can come up with something, but sculpting seems to take a lot of thought. I mean, I'm making them to my satisfaction, but I'd like to be much better.

Sculpting is all about reference material and not rushing. You really have to just take your time, which is something most don't like to do. Most like to sit down a bang out a custom fairly fast.

Sculpting in layers is what achieves the best results, IMO anyway.

Now one key about sculpting that most miss also, what type of medium to use. Epoxy's are great but most true sculptors, sculpt in wax. Now everything they make will need a mold and a cast, but the working time you have is remarkable.

One thing I plan to pick up soon is a Wax pen.

To answer LOKA question tho, it would be to articulate the mini figure just a tad more. Thats what I want to work on the most in this year. Once a solid model is finished, then the sky is the limit. I really want my sniper to be able to assume the sniper position .

Lol, DeadRock just dissed all the professional sculptors at Games Workshop who work in GS.

Yeah I did, I know a good bit still use GS and epoxy's, but there are tons more that work in Wax. I have a buddy who works for another gaming company, and he uses a self mixed clay, then molds and cast it. He says the same thing, the working time he has is by far the biggest strength of not using epoxy.

I myself have not used wax, but have worked with others who have, and they love it, far easier to correct something and much longer working time.

Got to be a bit strange going form epoxy to wax. Seems you would have to think more in terms of carving rather than shaping since it doesn't stretch the way GS does. Hell, I have issues with clay now that I'm used to GS. It is annoying sometimes, though.

I only use GS and Aves , so yeah wax is going to be hard to make the switch, but I want to round out my skills so that I can use both.

Epoxy does have many advantages over wax tho, like one being you can use say a burlap bag to add texture to epoxy, doesn't work so well with wax. Adding texture is a big key to epoxy.


For me tho, I just want to be able to add it to my skills, and challenge myself a lil more.

Got a pen a while back, can't figure out how to use the fucker successfully. I also haven't gotten the correct wax yet. Somebody was going to mail me a left over nub of his but he forgot I guess. I was trying to use my jewelers wax, but is wasn't workin out so well.

I will get ya some Wax, old Ben is just out of the loop these days.

Don't go out of your way or anything man.

Wax? Now theres a novel idea. I'll stick with apoxie though, I know what I'm getting and you can do so much with so little.

I'd like to be better at kit bashing. Many a time i have cut off a ball joint and glued it onto a base only for its intended limb to pull the ball off. I doesnt matter how much glue or even apoxie clay i use to secure it in place. Eventually it alwasy comes of. I did the same thing with my Garrus Valkarian custom and he took a nose dive out of my hand (I dropped him) and all the ball joints I had graffted on flew off, now I need to make a new body.

E-shine, you try pinning the ball in place as well as glue?

Yeah E, you need to get yourself a good hand vice and pin them down. Now amount of glue will hold them on their own.

I want to figure out how to make a decent 4 armed body that doesn't just look like his extra arms were glued to his rib cage.

Pinning the ball in place? Never even heard that, never mind try it. Sure sounds difficult though.

Not really. It is an old game miniature technique. You take a small piece of wire, say a piece of paper clip or heavy duty pin, drill a hole in the two pieces you want to connect, and glue all three pieces together. Voila.

http://www.totalmodels.co.uk/workshop/pages/workshop_324.shtml


Crazy in depth article on the subject

Good now I don't have to post how to do it, good link.

Asphalt wrote:I want to figure out how to make a decent 4 armed body that doesn't just look like his extra arms were glued to his rib cage.

Should try to double up on the shoulders. Cut off the top of a spidey and glue that on top of another torso, that way you have the extra musculature to support the arms. I've been thinking about that as well, a 4 armed creature is really appealing. I love the ones that exist, but yeah, the glued to the ribcage thing is a little annoying. The methid I described may increase the overall height, but that just makes for a more intimidating fiend, yes?

Bravefish90 wrote:The methid I described may increase the overall height, but that just makes for a more intimidating fiend, yes?

Not a problem when you happen to be making a 15' Thark

Did I really say "methid?" what's wrong with me?!?!

Yes, I figured something with four arms might be a bit taller than a regular old person, even a superhero-esque person. I take it you approve of my "methid?"

I believe I pioneered it.



Granted, it's a rather extreme version of the "methid".

Ahhhhhh I see! Great minds... Copy other great minds it seems . I don't recall ever seeing that one though!

You've never visited my FB page?

I'm hurt

I have too, I liked a good deal of things on there too, Actually... This guy was one of them... I'm embarrassed now.