the MRH Forum

Decals for model figures? Journals/Blogs
Reply
Active Member 69 posts Chainsaw Active Member 69 posts
Chainsaw

Don’t know if anyone has thought about this.  Painting HO scale figures is a right royal pain in the butt.

I have 360, now about 180 unpainted H.O. figures from PREISER.  It takes me about 6 to 10 mins to paint each one, even on a production line basis – 20 figures at a time.

I was just wondering if anyone has thought about making a two, three or more piece decal set of: clothing (including workers in high vis clothing) hair, shoes, stockings/tights, and other items of clothing, as a two or three piece set of decals.

Here, down-under, I worked out that that initial cost would be horrendous, as our labour cost are about 2.25 times higher than the U.S.

The decals could start in G Scale, or bigger and then be electronically reduced to O, S, H.O. and N scales.

Is this a “DUMB” idea?

Greg
Reply 0
Bruce Randall New member 23 posts
Bruce Randall

Face decals

I don't think it's a dumb idea - What I'd most like to see Face Decals in model railroad scales. I enjoy painting figures, except for the faces.
Reply 0
ctxmf74 Super User 15,959 posts
ctxmf74

Decals?

Quote:

" I worked out that that initial cost would be horrendous, as our labour cost are about 2.25 times higher than the U.S.

The decals could start in G Scale, or bigger and then be electronically reduced to O, S, H.O. and N scales.

Is this a “DUMB” idea? "

The problem with decals would be fitting them to curved surfaces and over features like noses. Also applying decals is not a speedy process if lots of small ones need to be assembled to make the whole project. If you could come up with flexible one piece decals you might  have a winner though. 

If labour cost are 2.5 times higher there does that mean you have less working poor folks? .....DaveB

1990.jpg 
Read my blog
Reply 0
Constructor New member 10 posts
Constructor

Decals for Eyes

Decals to simulate eyes, including both upper rim shadow and catch lights, might prove useful to add realism to a scale human figure -- and even for other species in the Animal Kingdom.  Patches on uniforms and tee-shirt designs would also be useful decal candidates for use on scale figures.

The rest of the painting of human (and other species) figures should follow the techniques of 54 mm military miniaturists that include base colors as well as highlight colors and shadow colors, including faces, arms, etc.

One-color figures scream, "Toy!" -- as do non-scaled colors (not only on scale figures but on scale automobiles, etc.).  Scale color is made by adding a bit of complimentary color (diagonally opposite on the color wheel) to move the color toward neutral gray and adding an appropriate bit of white to make the color more pastel thereby representing the atmospheric influence on perceived/viewed color from a distance.

In HO scale, viewing a model from 2-feet is the equivalent of viewing the same type of object from 175 feet in real life -- 3-feet viewing distance is HO scale 250 feet equivalent distance in real life.  So, 1:1 color chips are merely a starting point toward realistic color for everything in scale (locomotives, rolling stock, track, structures, automobiles, scenery....).

Don't forget the direction of the illumination of scale objects in a scale scene -- all must be treated the same or the scaled illusion will be broken.

Though properly painting scale figures takes both time and patience, there is the reward of the satisfaction of rendering realistic scale figures instead of illusion-breaking toy equivalents.
Reply 0
UPWilly Prolific poster 1,965 posts
UPWilly

Tip

If you have not yet seen it, you might want to read Charlie Comstock's article on painting figures ("Applying Makeup") in the July 2011 MRH magazine:

https://forum.mrhmag.com/magazine-feedback-was-ezines-891776

 

Bill D.

egendpic.jpg 

N Scale (1:160), not N Gauge. DC (analog), Stapleton PWM Throttle.

Proto-freelance Southwest U.S. 2nd half 20th Century.

Keep on trackin'
Reply 0
Reply