Giants Among Us

    Truth be told, 40mm sculpting scares me. There is so much three dimensional canvas to cover compared to the area of a 15mm figure. It's also a different mindset. When I sculpt smaller scales there is always a tradeoff between detail and space available. The question becomes, "What are the important details that will tell the viewer this is such and such?" A lot of little fiddly details simply aren't relevant, but choosing those that are can make a big difference.

     I did a lot of 28mm and 40 mm sculpting this week. Speeding up my work flow was discussed in an earlier post, Loosening Up, if you care to read the reasoning behind the change in work style. Overall, I'm pleased with the results of that foray. By forcing myself to work faster I had to choose the important details of these larger pieces. I didn't allow myself time to agonize over much of the work. The basic forms were laid down quickly and detail was added later. It resulted in a good deal more resculpting and shaping after the putty was cured than I usually do. But the end product was completed in about half of the time it would normally take me to do it.

    The first piece was a Vercingetorix sculpt that I had been letting simmer for a couple of years. I have misplaced my sheet brass so it isn't completely finished. But the basic figure is done. I still need to make the shield, but it's an add on piece so there is no reason this can't be put in a master mold as is.

    I opted not to add a cloak. This piece will be done as is first. I can add a cloak to a later variant if I want.

    The second piece is one that has been on my table even longer than the first. You can see evidence of that in the green putty that was used for the face, base and parts of the legs. The whole armature stage was done with green stuff, which I haven't used for sculpting in over five years. Yeah, that's a long time to be staring at an unfinished piece of work.

    Here is my version of Robin Hood.

     There is a 40mm Friar Tuck figure that was the first figure in this series. He's already molded and ready to be put in a production mold with his buddies if they ever show up. Next on the list is Little John. We'll see if I can have him done in less time than the last.

    The issue I have with these is that I have no definite plans for producing them. 40mm figures are large and cost a good bit in metal to produce. But then again they can be sold for a good bit more than a 15mm figure. So the dilemma remains... produce them myself and see what happens or try to shop them somewhere?