HISTORICUS FORMA
STEP-BY-STEP GROUP BUILD
HOSTED BY CRAIG WHITAKER
STEP 1: SUPPLIES
Here is a list of items that you will need as well as some that I would like to suggest you have for this project:
I. The figure
American Revolution Col. Banestre Bust - 200mm Verlinden Item No. 1933
This bust should be readily available from several model supplies so you should not have any problems getting your hands on one.
Here are a couple of links you can try:
Military Miniatures Warehouse (an ArmoramA member and sponsor) http://www.milminwh.com/arw_2.htm
Squadron Mail Order http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=VE1933
II. The base
Although the bust comes with a resin pedestal that we’ll be using, the addition of a good base really helps set your figure off. Plus it will give you a surface to attach a nameplate.
I purchase most of my bases from Thomas Art Bases. They have several styles and materials to choose from. I’m using a 2 inch square by 2 ½ inch tall Brazilian Rosewood base for mine. This size will hold the round kit pedestal nicely and the proportions look good to me. Here’s a picture…
Ken Thomas doesn’t have a website but does sell bases mail order as well as at a couple of figure shows in Philadelphia and Washington D.C.
Here is his address: Thomas Art Bases 1909 Woodstream Drive York, PA 17402 email: [email protected]
III. Paints
The bulk of my oil paints are Winsor Newton (WN) brand. They have a couple of grades of paint to choose from including one that is water soluble. I prefer to buy the artists line when I have a choice. It seems to have a better quality as far as the pigments go. But some colors can be a bit pricey. If that’s the case, then I’ll usually buy the student grade unless it’s a color that I feel is worth the extra cost. But you don’t need to get this brand. If you already have some of the colors I’m going to list then feel free to use them. This is just what I use.
If you don’t have any oil paints yet, I’ll suggest that you look at one of the oil paint sets that are available. They might have enough of the right colors in them to be worthwhile.
Primer:
I prefer to use white primer but some folks like to use grey. I think that grey would be fine for this particular figure so I’ll be using Al-Clad grey primer sprayed through my airbrush. This stuff is great. But I use automotive primer in a spray can too. Nothing wrong with that. Look for a lacquer based sandable primer.
Face colors:
Liquitex Deep Portrait Pink acrylic (this gets airbrushed on as a base coat). WN Flesh Tint, Burnt Sienna, Titanium White, Brown Madder Alizarin (or Burnt Umber as an option) and Naples Yellow.
Uniform and hair:
Since I haven’t painted the body and hair yet, I don’t have acomplete list for you at this time. I’ll repost this installment when I have a good list for you to use.
Metallic colors:
I prefer to use printers inks to paint my metallic colors. If you’re just getting into painting figures, you may not want to invest in these yet. But if you end up getting hooked on figures then it’s something I’d like to suggest you check in to. I’ve not seen anything that comes close to printers inks for painting metallic colors. With just a few brass buttons and some trim to paint on this figure, I’m going to suggest that you use whatever gold or brass paints you have on hand. But if you’re interested, you can find printers inks here:
Michael Roberts, Ltd. http://www.michael-robertsltd.com/scripts/prodList.asp
IV. Brushes
For general painting, I use several brands and types of brushes…
Winsor Newton: Cirrus 550 Short Flat/Bright Sable hairs, very good for overall blending of paints Various sizes, nothing to big.
Regency Gold 500 Short Bright Synthetic hairs, good for more precise blending of paints Size 0, 1 and maybe 2. What you’re looking for here are hairs that come to a very sharp edge. These brushes quickly fray out at the end and become unusable for more precise blending. But they can live on for less precise work and are relatively inexpensive.
Floquil Pure Red Sable Very good quality brushes, red sable hairs, anything from smallest to largest sizes available are worth having.
Generic no name brand The really wide brush shown below falls into this category. I found it at my local hobby shop and it has become completely indispensable to me. I use it for stippling my oil paints during all phases of painting. It’s about ½ inch (12mm) wide and the hairs are sort of stiff. Just look around at your LHS, art supply or craft store for anything like this.
I prefer to use Winsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable
brushes for my fine detail work. Specifically 000, 00 or 0 size.
These can be a little expensive but are really worth the price.
They’re top quality and with proper care will last a long time.
V. Miscellaneous
You’ll need a good 2 part epoxy putty. My favorite is Aves Apoxy.
These next two items you’re probably going to find in your scratch building supplies. They’re brass tubing to be used to help assemble various pieces of the bust. The way I use them they do double duty. First, they help take any stress off of the epoxy at the joints. Important when the figure is subjected to those potholes in the road while you’re traveling to a show. But they also make for an easy way to handle your figure while painting it.
You’re going to need one piece approximately 1/4 inch diameter by 2 1/2 inches long and a second piece approximately 1/8 inch diameter by 1 1/2 inches long. These sizes aren’t cast in stone. If you have something close to these dimensions, that’s fine.
