FIGURE CONVERSIONS:
Techniques II

by Alvan Fisher, Jr.

In the last article we reviewed some basic techniques that can be used to add details to existing castings. This article will examine additional techniques and consider some conversions that will permit you to create some unique figures.

Bayonets and Scabbards

Many figures can be improved by the addition of swords and bayonets, including scabbards. These features can be made with very little effort, but with dramatic results. Cast swords often appear too large for my liking, so I cut them off at first chance. A simple common pin smashed flat with your trusty hammer makes a better looking sword. Of course, you'll want to remove the head of the pin first. If you want a curved saber, bend the pin to the desired shape before flattening. Correct minor imperfections with a needle file. Make a hole in the hand using a pin vise and twist drill before attaching the sword with a touch of super glue.

Bayonets can be made in a similar manner. Since I usually make several at the same time, I stick five or six pins onto masking tape with the shank at right angles to the length of the tape. The pins should be no closer than a half inch so that you can work on them individually. Put a second piece of masking tape over the unpointed end to keep the pins in place until needed.

Make scabbards as illustrated in the Figures 3 and 4 [not available - editor]. For a sword, you can make the scabbard itself out of a piece of paper clip or suitably sized wire flattened as before. The straps can be made from 0.030" brass bar. (Detail Associates part # 2524 is ideal.) The brass is flexible enough to bend around the scabbard before soldering or using super glue. Decorative material can be added to the pointed end of the scabbard using a piece of small wire to simulate the decorative material found there. If the sword is to be unsheathed, you might want to add a bit of lead foil or wire wrapped around the top of the scabbard. For a sheathed sword, make the hilt either from a discarded sword or with a piece of wire. If doing the latter, notch the top of the sword so that it will fit into a hole drilled in the hilt.

Bayonet Scabbards

I have cast bayonet scabbards, but did not find them suitable because of the tedious process required to remove flash. A preferred alternative is to make the scabbard from a piece of 0.042 brass bar (DA part # 2528) cut to the desired length. You can get bayonets of equal length by making a simple gauge from a piece of pine or bass with thickness equal to the desired length of the bayonet:

1. Simply drill a hole about 0.05 inch in diameter (#53 or 55 drill) all the way through the wood. After filing a point on the end of the bar, stick it into the hole, and cut off the remainder with nippers. It couldn't be simpler!
2. Cut a strip of tin foil equal to the distance from the belt to half the length of the scabbard. Now glue the finished scabbard to the foil strip as shown in the sketch.
3. Glue a second piece of foil at right angles to the scabbard, so that its lower edge is in line with the bottom of the first strip. Use your hobby knife to taper the layers of foil so that they are the same width as the scabbard at the base of the foil layers as in the sketch of the finished scabbard.

If the bayonet is sheathed, you may find it easier to attach the scabbard to the casting before adding the handle. If the figure's left arm is not cast in place, I suggest that it be left off until the scabbard is attached.

Knapsacks

Knapsacks are a great way to add a personal touch to your figures. Many variations on the basic theme can be used both to indicate the historical period and nationality of infantry.

Many packs are simple enough to make individually, or you may opt to make a master copy and cast them for more complex packs. A piece of thin lead solder can be used to represent the over-the-shoulder blanket roll used by U.S. infantry of the Spanish American War era. Simple additions, such as filing a groove around each end and using lead foil or thin wire to represent the draw string, give a lot of pizazz to the pack. A flap and straps can be added with either lead foil or styrene strips. If the styrene must be bent to a small radius curve -- such as across the curved top of the pack -- it is easier if you attach the unbent portion first. When the styrene cement has dried thoroughly (several hours), put a drop where the bend should be. Wait a few seconds while the solvent softens the styrene and carefully bend it as desired.

Packs made from animal skin, as were German knapsacks before World War I, are slightly more difficult to make:

1. Cut a block of styrene or soft wood slightly smaller than the desired size.
2. Drill a hole large enough to fit a common pin or copper wire in the middle of the widest segment. This provides a grip during fabrication and is the best way to attach the finished knapsack to the figure.
3. Coat the front and sides of the block with auto body filler. When nearly dry, draw lines with a knife or a pin to simulate the pattern the fur.
4. Then add straps, blanket rolls, et cetera, as in the previous paragraph.

Because of the extra effort required, this pack is a good candidate for casting if you plan to outfit more than a couple of figures.

Bullet Pouches

Bullet pouches have been worn around the waist or attached to shoulder straps since the middle of the 19th Century. They, too, can be made from styrene strips cut to size and sanded. Pocket flaps can be added using lead foil cut to size . . . most flaps seem to cover about the upper two-thirds to the entire front of the pouch. Buttons can be made from soft wire or styrene rod. Add small straps and buckles and you have another masterpiece!

Pouches around the waist are easier to attach if curved to fit the belt. This process is much simpler than it sounds:

1. Find a wooden dowel or metal tubing with diameter about the same as the curve across the front of the torso at the belt.
2. Drill a hole through the dowel/tubing just large enough so that a styrene strip the size of the pouch can fit through it.
3. Hold the strip in place while immersing the dowel in a pan of boiling water. The styrene will quickly soften so that it can be wrapped around the dowel.
4. When finished, secure the loose end so that the strip will not unravel and put it aside to cool.
5. Upon removal from the form, you will find that the styrene strip remains tightly coiled. Simply cut off a piece the size of the pouch and attach with super glue.
6. To make the bond more permanent, soften the styrene with Testor's solvent before adding it on a drop of glue already on the figure.

Headgear

There are several ways to modify headgear. The simplest is to use replacement parts available from any one of several dealers such as London Bridge and Coastal Enterprises.

While the headgear is usually excellent, I have found that some heads are undersize. A styrene head from a 1:32 scale model often can be used as a replacement:

1. Cut or file away the metal head until you're satisfied with the remaining headgear. Carefully file or sand the head until it fits the headgear.
2. Drill a hole in one of the pieces large enough to accept a piece of sold, single strand copper wire. Glue the wire in place so that about a sixteenth of an inch sticks out.
3. Then drill a hole in the second piece slightly larger than the size of the wire. This gives you a little room for adjustment if the holes are not exactly opposite each other.
4. After testing shows a suitable fit, put a little super glue on the end of the wire and press the two pieces together.
5. Fill any gaps with body filler, and sand smooth when dry.

There are times, however, that you'll have to make headgear from scratch. This can be done by preparing a head from a plastic model as in the previous paragraph, but with the wire extending out a quarter of an inch or more. If you want a brim, glue a couple of layers of lead foil together and cut them to the general size wanted. When dry, cut a hole in the foil and slip it over the wire and glue in place. Then ball up the wire and apply several thin layers of auto body filler to this armature.

Let each layer dry before adding the next layer. Use emery paper and needle files to shape the layers as you go along. When the general shape has been achieved, final shaping and texture is added with dental tools and X-acto knives just before the putty hardens. Figure 5 [not available - editor] illustrates the general procedure used to create a busby for the King's Royal Rifle Corps.

When satisfied with the shape, add details with lead foil and styrene rod. Hat cords can be made by braiding a couple of strands of electrical wire together. Common pins or copper wire inserted into the headgear provides a base for plumes made of body filler. As I make 18 or 20 soldiers of each type, I then cast them using a room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone rubber mold and 70/30 solder.

No matter how you make the head, you will have to fit it to the body. I use a power drill to make a hole in the body slightly larger that the size of the neck and about a sixteenth of an inch deep. Drill a hole the size of the copper wire in the neck and again at bottom of the larger hole in the body. Glue a piece of copper wire to the head and, when dry, cut to fit the hole in the body. When dry, position the head as desired and add some more super glue around the edges to hold it in place and fill the gap.

A lead foil collar can be added either before or after fitting the head to the body . . . both methods have advantages and disadvantages.

Bending Limbs

Let's look at the procedure used to bend limbs.

If using soft metal, file a notch half to three-quarters of the way through the limb on the side opposite the bend. Gently bend the limb to the desired position and coat the inside the notch with super glue. Fill the remainder of the notch with body filler and, after smoothing as required, coat the joint with another coat of super glue.

If the limb breaks, simply smooth the two ends and join as below.

If the limb is too hard to bend, cut it in two pieces and file the halves so that they fit together in the desired position. Gently drill a small hole in each piece opposite each other and glue a small piece of copper wire into one piece. Through trial and error, fit, file, and bend the end of the wire until the limb is in the desired position. Glue and fill as before. The position of heads, hands, and feet may be modified in a similar manner.