Painting Dapol Figures Part 3 - Simple Conversions
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Of the 3 I think the two on the left show most promise, so in this thread I will convert these two figures to represent driver/firemen leaning out of a steam loco cab as is so common in contemporary photographs. Unfortunaely I do not have a loco here in Liberia, so the first task will be to construct a mock up cab to show how the figures will fit and look once completed.
More to follow…
Bob(K)
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Phill
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Chop, Chop :roll: :roll: :roll:
Wayne
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phill said
I have all be it tiny figures a fireman and a driver that came from the hornby DCC set. Maybe a tad too small but hey a magnifier and i be ok :? . Phill
Phill
These Dapol figures are almost exactly the same size as the Hornby figures that come with the locos. Although a bit hard on the eyes it is surprising what can be achieved in converting 00 scale figures.
Bob(K)
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Les
Devon Junction
Kernow Junction
Kernow Junction
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Fig 2 also needed some surgery. Because he is destined for the other side of the cab, I cut off his head, turned it 180 degrees and reattached it. I also decided his left arm stuck out too much, so that came off, I cut off a small angled piece and reattached the arm closer to his body. Finally I decided that his feet would either have to be shortened or turned out wards. So I cut off his base and turned the feet to a wider angle. This is to allow the figure to get closer to the cab wall:
Once dry I cut the base off fig 1 and shaved some more off the front. The best way to do this is to cut a line across the body under the folded arms and then thinly shave upwards towards the cut. Take care here as a slip could ruin the figure and your hand!!!! You can see some of the shaved material on the left. (the picture of Fig 2 was taken before arm surgery see below)
Finally fig 2, now has his new arm attached and has his feet turned. In fact they looked all wrong so I cut some feet off another figure and attached them at a new angle:
The next task will be to test the figures in position, clean them up and then start to paint them………
Bob(K)
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Les
Devon Junction
Kernow Junction
Kernow Junction
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I'll follow this one with great interest.
Petermac
'Petermac
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Looking good so far!
Wayne
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Apologies if you have already given this info elsewhere
Happy Modelling,
Mike
Mike
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No fancy stuff. I do all my cutting with a standard, heavy duty, retractable craft knife (Stanley Knife). The glue is ordinary Revell model plastic cement, the liquid variety. If you are unfamiliar with these items I will show a picture in the next installment.
Bob(K)
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If their feet [as engine crew] were a problem they could probably get by without them. I have to admire their stoicism 8)
Thanks for another fascinating thread, Bob.
Mike
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Mike - is the Dapol plastic the hard brittle stuff or the softer ex Airfix type ? Would a razor saw be an easier/safer option for the surgery ?
Petermac
'Petermac
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It's fairly brittle. One of mine has lost a hand and it WAS an accident. Honest. My old Airfix soldiers I had as a lad were much more flexible. I guess the thickness, such as it is, of a razor saw would cause them to lose even more tissue.
Mike
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Bob(k)-great what you are doing,look forward to seeing the results :wink: :D :D
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vinny said
Yeh but its not going to look very authentic if someone was to look inside the loco only to find the driver/fireman has no feet :!: :!:
That's why they're called "FOOTPLATE" crew !!!
Petermac
'Petermac
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But it should be FOOTLESSPLATE crew :!:
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