Custom Figure Resources Questions

[muppetlover123]

What do you guys use to make your very own figures and how do you make then solid do you bake them....? help!! thanks

 

[Hubert]

I believe that many custom figure making members here use Sculpey to sculpt the figure, and then make the Sculpey as instructed to harden them.

Though I'm no expert, as the only custom figure I've ever sculpted was a head for a Zeke...

 

[muppetlover123]

alright thanks i think im going to attempt my own rowlf and maybe a walter and some other characters if i get good... hopefully they turn out ok

 

[muppetlover123]

what temperature should i put it for the oven and how long for random modeling clay i have around my house

 

[Hubert]

Multiple things: first you have to make sure that the modeling clay can be put in the oven, as it could be air dry or some other method of drying. Second, temps vary based on the clay...if you have the container it came in, there should be instructions on it for specific temperatures.

 

[muppetlover123]

oh well i have apperntly one thats wax so it can be reusable... kinda sucks no baking well ill have to wait and buy some sculpey then i can attempt my figures... thanks

 

[Dearth]

For my customs, I generally use Super Sculpey for the new details. Regular Sculpey is a little too creamy for my tastes.

I also *never* bake it, I prefer boiling to cure it, as there is less odor that way, and less risk of damaging the plastic of whatever action figure you've put the Super Sculpey on. The water doesn't even have to literally be boiling, it can just be hot and will do the job, but experiment with it to see. I also generally 'boil' each area of detail as I complete it, rather than try to sculpt an entire figure at once and ruin the details by handling it while still soft.

It's a great medium for adding new details, but I don't know that I'd use it to build an entire figure from scratch. It would be too brittle for the moving parts.

I've recently been working in a new medium for a life-size prop replica. It's two-part epoxy putty, and I was thinking it might have uses for making the basic shape of an action figure. It hardens with no shrinkage in three minutes time, so you have to work very fast. But then it's sandable, drillable, etc. Very sturdy stuff.

You could make the rough 'skeleton' out of epoxy putty and then do the fine surface details from Super Sculpey. Just an idea.

Alex

 

[muppetlover123]

my problem is i dont have any muppet action figures or duplicates..... lol
i have beau the chef PIS piggy CB rizzo and gonzo and clifford so i was gonna make a whole figure out of it sort of like christian does... idk if thats good idea anymore

 

[Dearth]

I may be wrong, but I don't think Christian's figures are poseable. No moving parts. So if you want to try Super Sculpey for something like that, it might work. I'd still recommend using some other, *cheaper* material for the inner structure, and only use the Super Sculpey for the outermost layer. It would need to be something that won't shrink when the entire figure is baked/boiled to cure the Sculpey, though, or you'll get gaps and crackling.

Now then, enough questions and advice. The very best way for you to figure this stuff out is to take the plunge and start playing around with various materials. Each artist's preferences are different, so there are tons of different products on the market and countless possible ways to tackle each problem. Who knows? You may create a brand-new path to your finished product that none of us have thought of before, and we'll all be smacking our heads saying, "Wow! It's so simple, why didn't I think of that?"

And be sure to have FUN doing it, that's the important thing.

Alex