Painting Pedestals for Figures

[Jenny Croft]

Some people have asked me what I use for painting figures , I needed to make some more , so I thought I would share it with everyone .

Very simple really , you will need the following .

First you will need two pieces of Balsa one piece square section 2.5 x 2.5cm (this will do up to a 1/35 scale figure easily . the next piece needs to be approx 3 x as wide & I am using a piece 7.5cm wide & it needs to be as thick as possible , I am using a piece 1.25cm thick . This second piece will form the base when you are letting the figure dry , so the thicker the better as when painting Pewter figures it will form a secure base .

You will also need some PVA adhesive , a razor saw , a set square & a pencil

First measure the square section off into sections about the width of your hand grasping the piece , my hands are little but for Richies use these are measured off at 10 cm long ( try not to make them too tall or they will tend to get top heavy . Measure the base off so it will form a square ( ie. my pieces are 7.5cm wide so I made them 7.5cm long )

Cut as many as you need , we would have 25 to 30 I guess . Depends how many figures you have in the process of being painted at any given time , you will want to make as many as the amount of material allows you .

Put a blob of PVA in the centre of each base & attach the square section so it forms an inverted T . You will notice I also drew diagonals on the base plates so the pedestal is alligned centrally . Wipe off any excess glue with a wet rag .

When you have pinned your figure , just push the pins firmly into the base . You can now undercoat & paint your figure without touching it ! For detail painting the pedestal is a handy hand hold & the base makes the figure stable to take a break for any length of time .

Once finished , put the pedestal in a dust free area with the figure on it until it is ready to be transfered to its display base . Keep the base handy for your next figure . After a hundred or so figures the holes in the top may make the base a bit wobbly for holding figures , get the razor saw and cut a centimetre off & Voila , a new one !

Jenny

 

[dazza]

(long time lurker first time poster)

Looks good and will have to make some soon. Would like to paint figures but spend more time thinking about it and trying to prepare everything I need to do it before actually starting anything and rushing into it.

After reading this I was wondering what you use as a dust cover. Would something like a spaghetti storer be a good cover and would you make the base of the stand to suit?

Would you think a round shaft would be easier to hold than a square one?


thanks......
Daz

 

[Kiwidave4]

Always one to look for the least work and minimal cost I use corks from Methode Champenoise bottles. They are easy to hold, stable when set down, and I have the pleasure of emptying the bottle in order to obtain them!

I do have one 'deluxe' figure holder. It is the wooden handle of a shaving brush that I found in a $2 shop. I bought it to get the bristles for diorama grass. That left me with a nice varnished piece of wood with a large round hole in it. The hole left when the bristles were removed was about the same diameter as an ordinary wine bottle cork. So I pressed a cork in with a smear of white glue and then trimmed the exposed portion off flush with the handle.

Regards Dave