Smaug the Magnificent

Hallpers · **Posted:** Sat May 09, 2009 11:58 am

Looks great

Atan · **Posted:** Sat May 09, 2009 12:10 pm

May I make a suggestion for doing the wings?

Maybe you coud combine your sculpting with some plastic card - the one you can use to make banners - to represent the skin forming the wings.

I think the crinkles in the skin could be done in the same way.

It's just a suggestion....

Your work is very impressing - keep it up!

Greetings

Natarn · **Posted:** Sat May 09, 2009 12:18 pm

Thanks for the idea, Atan. How does that plasticard work? Do you have to heat it to get it to bend and fold?

I have other ideas but will take on board any great new ones. I've never seen banners done like that before. Cheers.

Hallpers · **Posted:** Sat May 09, 2009 12:21 pm

Natarn Ulka wrote:

I have other ideas but will take on board any great new ones.

Glue two pieces of paper to the back

tirno.alyanorno · **Posted:** Sat May 09, 2009 12:26 pm

If you get really stuck you could a)cheat and buy some from GW, or b)forget it and say its Glaurung. Loving it so far - only 45034 scales to go!

gaarew · **Posted:** Sat May 09, 2009 12:30 pm

How about using balloon skin?

Atan · **Posted:** Sat May 09, 2009 1:16 pm

For this banners I used as I said plastic card (plastic plate as it is called on a sicker of mine).
I've used paper for a banner once and it was ok but I wasn't fully satisfied.
The advantage of plastic card is that it's plastic - it's firm like a plastic miniature. This stuff is often sold by model railway stores but you should get it also online.

Now for the how.
You need to have a hot wire cutter (I have the cheep GW one (my local GW dosn't sell it I don't know why :roll:

but it is sold in online stores like Feenwald.net costs ~20€)).
When you start you have to cut your banner etc. out the shape you want it. Now it's like a piece of paper - flat. The clue is to rub the hot hot wire cutter on the place you want to fold your piece of plastic; after a time it gets warm and you can fold it.
You must take care of the cutter I don't want you to burn your fingers... :no:

Also you should open the window or do it outside because it sinks very much. Also you shouldn't stop with the cutter too long in one place - it can melt the plastic into two pieces.
I always think very carefully about how my folds shall fall - when you have a clear image of how it will look when it's ready I start. Sometimes I also mark the places where I want to have the folds. You can bend it so many times till you are satisfied with your result. Now it can happen that there are brown marks of burned plastic on the surface or scratches - when you look closely on my picture you can see some tracks of it left.
No panic all can be fixed by some filing work.

With these folding technique you could do your wings I think - after a little practise maybe you should try one or two banners first.
Maybe my explanation makes you think it's very difficult - no it's very easy and the result is worth the effort.
Ah before I forget for my banners I use plastic of a strength of 0.5mm.

Suggestion: For your wings you could sculpt some veins on it.

Hope I could help you.

King Elessar the Uniter · **Posted:** Sun May 10, 2009 12:04 pm

WOW!

AMAZING sculpting! :yay:

Keep it up!

@Atan - That's a really interesting idea! :yay:

I was wondering what the best thing to make banners out of is - and I think I've found the answer! Thanks!

Just one question though - does plastic card come in different widths? And if so what's the best width to get?

Joansean · **Joined:** Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:23 pm **Posts:** 760

You could also build the frame of the wings (the 'arms and fingers' as it were) with some copper wire and tubing and then you could build the skin in between the wing with thin card, and then sculpt a thin layer over that.

Atan · **Posted:** Sun May 10, 2009 2:47 pm

@King Elessar the Uniter

Of course there are different widths http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/index.htm.

The tubes and rods are also useful - e.g. for making some columns.

What sort of banner(s) do you want to make?
When I do those of the evil :-D

I add to the described steps the one
that I cover the surface of the banner with some superglue (not the
expensive GW one you have to find the best fitting to you) and dap it
with a handkerchief of paper off again. Sounds senseless but some
fabric stays on the banner. You can continue until you are satisfied
with the result - you should have a banner with a rough-textured
surface wich seems more fitting to the rough woven cloth of the orcs
to me.

Also when you paint the banner you can break up the clear blendings
by light drybrushing.

Hope I could help

@Joansean

That's almost that what I've thoght of though I think if you use card you should be very careful not to bend it (two left hands :-D

)

Cheers

Ukfreddybear · **Posted:** Sun May 10, 2009 3:04 pm

Bear in mind Nate that if you use plasticard for the wing membranes it will cost you twice as much in mould fees if you decide to go down that path. Plasticard doesn't hold up very well in the normal vulcanising rubber temperatures required for production moulds.

A master would first have to be created using lower temperatures (but resulting in a weaker mould), then this master would be moulded again at the higher temperature to create the robust production mould.

Natarn · **Posted:** Sun May 10, 2009 6:24 pm

Thanks, Dave. That may be useful info. If not for this one, then for something in the future. I know a few people have expressed interest in a cast of this model but I'm not certain that that's going to happen because of its size.

I may make a smaller dragon in the future that might be cheaper to cast.
No promises though.

For the wings, I'm currently thinking about aluminium. How would that hold up? I think I'll be able to get some great curves in the wings using this material and it will have good strength. I then plan to sculpt details on top of it to give it texture. This is an experiment, so I've no idea how it'll pan out.

Hallpers · **Posted:** Sun May 10, 2009 6:29 pm

Aluminium? Hmm... I've no idea if that'll work good, but if it doesn't, others have come with some great ideas (except me :lol:

).

Joansean · **Joined:** Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:23 pm **Posts:** 760

IF you use aluminium, glue several sheets together. One sheet tears very easily, and if you try and sculpt on it, the stickiness of the pro-create will tear it.

You might want to try and have a look around for some think paper. It's flexible, and it doesn't tear as easily as aluminium foil.

Natarn · **Posted:** Sun May 10, 2009 6:42 pm

I won't be using kitchen foil, Sean!

Dorthonion · **Posted:** Sun May 10, 2009 7:18 pm

Foiled again...

kingy563 · **Posted:** Sun May 10, 2009 7:58 pm

Awesome

Joansean · **Joined:** Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:23 pm **Posts:** 760

Natarn Ulka wrote:

:? I won't be using kitchen foil, Sean!

Hey, I didn't know you have the steel plating factories of Portsmouth at your call! :-X

King Elessar the Uniter · **Posted:** Tue May 12, 2009 3:58 pm

Thanks for all the ideas Atan! Really appreciated! Thanks!

(By the way I think it would be great if you could write an article about this method; it looks like a really good way to make banners!).

Natarn · **Posted:** Tue May 12, 2009 6:40 pm

I've finished the belly-lining spines on the dragon's left side - up to half way up the neck.

Tail underside. Done.

Smaug the Magnificent

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