Scratchbuilding N gauge people

[Matthyro]

Buying enough people to populate my layout is prohibitive with the low value our Canadian Dollar has.
Back in September of 1949 John Allen showed a method he had been using. More recently, there was an article on the subject by Marty Vaughn in the November 1991 MR.
I take a normal pin, two 2.5 inch lengths of wire leaving a 3/4 section, I wind it around the pin, About 3/16. Then the second piece of wire is wound. The two top ends become the arms and the two bottom ends become the legs. A drop of solder holds it together. This is what the "armatures" look like

 

[Matthyro]

Next I cut off the bottom section of the pin.
I build up the thickness of the wire using a latex wood filler that I have thinned a little bit. This is how far I have got. Next some trimming then painting. Will post a finished picture later.
Like anything I try, The more I do the better they will get but at least this is a begining.
Has anyone else tried making people? I would be interested in any other methods.

 

[Catt]

Robin,my friend you never cease to amaze me

 

[t. alexander]

Hi Robin, I havn't made a serious attempt at this yet but did tinker with the idea and it gave me a headache BOY! do I admire your modeling skills. That fella is shaping up nicely.

I was going to order a set of seventy two unpainted turn of the century Preiser figures but evidently they have discontinued them. They are not in the Walthers catalog anymore anyway.

t.

 

[jon-monon]

That's pretty awesome. You can do stuff like that while you watch TV with the family, so the labor's "free".

t. didja check the walthers site? It might just not be listed. My LHS guy said walthers is actually charging to be listed in the printed cat now If you find a bulk pack of unpainted or otherwise cheap figures, be sure and let us know. $10 for five??? screw that. I'll mode them outa clay first. Cast my own. Mumify and shrink my neighbors (hmmmm, remember Psycho??? I could get Bob's SS check sick)

 

[jon-monon]

The tension builds umong the unemployed gandy dancers....

 

[jon-monon]

ew ew ew ew Idea: we've got billions of these rascals to make, I wonder if plasti tool, the stuff you dip your tool handles in would work to coat them? It would remain pliable, too!

Plasti dip, that beautiful yellowy coating

 

[Matthyro]

Hey Jon, thanks for the GUFFAW he he he. Try some with that plasti dip. The only colour I could find here is red. I guess it can be painted EH!
I made up 25 armatures in about an hour of TV watching.

 

[60103]

Robin:
In the 50's there was a fellow on CBC TV (Ross Snetsinger) who made figures using pipe cleaners for armatures and dipping them in wax. (Never got my mother to let me play with hot wax.) These were intended, I think, for O gauge models.

Are you coming to the Train Show this weekend in Malton? Say hi at the Platelayers table.

 

[Matthyro]

Hi David, yes I will be coming to the show. When will you be there?

 

[t. alexander]

Hi jon, no I hadn't checked online. but I'm going to have the train shop see if they can somehow get them for me. Thier around 25 or thirty bucks for the pack.

Shrinking real folk, humm,

When I was thinking of making some figure's I was going to try Milluputt.

t.

 

[60103]

Robin: I'm scheduled to be there all of both days; I may have gone walkies some times.
David

 

[jon-monon]

Try this one, t.

 

[t. alexander]

hi jon and thanks, I put in the Walthers # for the set I wanted but no dice. I did however find a group there that looked promising.

t.