Conversion Fireball

[taviex]

Hi everyone.

I'm posting here so as to get some piece of advice on something a bit tricky...
I'm currently painting this figure : http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/mainwebsite_html/gallery/v_7912_FrogWizard.htm

I had already started painting it when my boyfriend took a look at it and told me the thing the creature has in its hand looks like a bomb and not at all like a fireball. It has been bothering me ever since and that's true that it would be better if the frog had a real fireball in its hand but I don't really know how I could change it...

I've looked on various tutos on the internet and I've tried this very morning to build a little fireball from white superfine miliput but it didn't turned out as planned : the putty is not enough "elastic" (I hope I use the right words since English is not my native language...) and rather than forming nice shapes when stirred, it just gets crumbly and weird... Do you have any idea why it is like that? Does that mean I need to by some other putty and throw this one away?

How would you modify this mini if you had to? Would you chop off the bomb-like thing or would you try to build your fire ball on it?

And assuming that I managed to master the art of building a fireball, do you think it's wise to try modifying the mini while I've already started painting it? Or should I try to do my best with what I have and try being more attentive to such details next time I prepare a mini?

Well I hoped I'm understandable here. Sorry for the massive number of questions but I'm really not confident with this putty and conversion stuff... -___-"

Thanks to those who'll come up with something ^^ (and to those who'll take on their time to read my post ^^")

 

[Bloodhowl]

Hi! I have not tried milliput yet, but from what I have read, if it is crumbly, then it may be old and past it's shelf life.

For your fire ball, no need for major surgery. File off the little braid/twisty thingy from the pot, then use a different medium (personally, I would use Green Stuff) and sculpt the flames over the pot.

 

[QuietiManes]

Your english is fine.

Miliput is crumbly, it's just the way it is. You should be able to roll out long thin strands without a problem though. If you can't, it might not be mixed properly. 2 part epoxy putties need to be really mixed well. It could also be too old, as Bloodhowl said, if it has a hard shell forming on the outside, if the outside is discolored, it is past its prime (although if you don't use the dried out part on the outside, you should be able to use the wet middle part with decent results if it's not dried right through...but the outside will never mix and be useable as putty once it dries out, so if you used that, that could be why).

Greenstuff is very elastic, it can be pulled and stretched and bent easily without cracking (unlike miliput) but there's no reason you can't use miliput to sculpt flames. Procreate, Magic Sculpt, Apoxie Sculpt, whatever you choose, should all work fine, as well.

I'd probably just sculpt the flames over the bomb too, it's got some nice flames on top already. I wouldn't even bother filing off the twisty bumps, just going to cover them up anyway. It's always better to do the modifications before you start painting but there's no reason you can't do this simple one now, it's out of the way and separate enough to be easy to finish painting later.


Your other option is to paint the bomb so it doesn't look like a bomb! Paint the bumpy twisty braids as smoke or clouds, paint the ball as a swirling vortex, crystal or magic ball, incandescent sphere...then either cut off the flames or leave them on as you see fit. Think Lord of the Rings Sphere of Orthanc (sp?). Couple examples from a quick search, not the greatest but decent:

http://www.coolminiornot.com/170442?browseid=502008

http://www.coolminiornot.com/164831?browseid=502008

http://www.coolminiornot.com/152503?browseid=502008

http://www.coolminiornot.com/70261?browseid=502008

 

[taviex]

Thanks a lot for your answers ^^

Since I need to purchase some stuff online, I think I'm going to buy some green stuff : I've never tried it and everyone talks about it so I'm quite curious. As for my putty, reading your comments, I realize that it may indeed be past its prime... ^^"

Well, I'll let you know when I manage to transform this thing the way I want : your idea of an orb is interesting and the pictures you show are actually quite cool but I'd rather have it look like a flamme since it must be easier to paint in the end ^^" (I may be a little lazy on this...)

Anyway, again thanks a lot for your patient answers, I'l catch up again when I'm done with the sculpting ^^

 

[freakinacage]

If you are buying gs, buy some magic sculp too. Both can be bought form sylmasta and when mixed, they are brill. You can mix varying amounts to emphasise the properties of each too. More gs = more flex but a little harder to blend/smooth and has more elasticity. More ms = cures harder and blends/smooths better but less elasticity (the elasticity is nice for organic stuff)

 

[Einion]

I've looked on various tutos on the internet and I've tried this very morning to build a little fireball from white superfine miliput but it didn't turned out as planned : the putty is not enough "elastic" (I hope I use the right words since English is not my native language...) and rather than forming nice shapes when stirred, it just gets crumbly and weird... Do you have any idea why it is like that? Does that mean I need to by some other putty and throw this one away?

If either of the two rolls of Milliput you have is very crumbly on the surface, before mixing, then it has started to age so it is not at its best. However it could still be quite useable as long as you don't try to do things with it that it's not ideally suited to. If the ageing has gone quite far on the surface but underneath this the putty is still smooth and malleable then it would be worth cutting off the surface and throwing it away.

Even at its best, Milliput is clay-like and it doesn't naturally have much elasticity just like clay. As a result you have to adopt different methods than you might expect, so instead of trying to stretch it you have to rely on rolling out or pinching to form similar shapes, where you might want to drag a tool across the surface to shape it you may have to press the detail in a little at a time because it will tend to 'break' or go slightly crumbly.

Since I need to purchase some stuff online, I think I'm going to buy some green stuff : I've never tried it and everyone talks about it so I'm quite curious.

GS (Kneadatite) is well worth trying, it's a lot more user-friendly than Milliput for many tasks; for example it has a lot of flexibility (including after it has cured) and it can be stretched quite a bit when it is still workable.

If you are buying it online I would recommend you try to get the tube, where the two parts are in separate rolls, not the ribbon. In the ribbon where the blue and yellow touch the curing process has started and over time you get a hard strip down the middle that you must cut out and throw away.

If you want to experiment more with sculpting I would also recommend trying another epoxy sculpting compound. MagicSculp is my favourite but Apoxie Sculpt or Apoxie Clay, and ProCreate are also worth trying. If you are getting your Greenstuff from a source that doesn't stock any of these then try blending mixed GS with mixed Milliput, which gives a very nice sculpting compound that works well (somewhat like ProCreate or MagicSculp).

Einion

 

[taviex]

Unfortunately I've already placed my order so I won't be able to purchase magicsculpt but I'll keep it in mind for next time ^^

Thanks again for all your kind advices. I'll keep you informed of how it turns out (now I just need to wait : since I live in france, it'll probably take a long time before I receive my parcel...)

 

[freakinacage]

GS (Kneadatite)

Einion

Or duro in mainland Europe

If you want to experiment more with sculpting I would also recommend trying another epoxy sculpting compound. MagicSculp is my favourite but Apoxie Sculpt or Apoxie Clay, and ProCreate are also worth trying. If you are getting your Greenstuff from a source that doesn't stock any of these then try blending mixed GS with mixed Milliput, which gives a very nice sculpting compound that works well (somewhat like ProCreate or MagicSculp).

Einion

I find apoxie sculpt almost identical to magic sculp, although have only tried it once. Nice alternative and prolly easier to get in the US

 

[Einion]

Unfortunately I've already placed my order so I won't be able to purchase magicsculpt but I'll keep it in mind for next time ^^

Do try the blend with Milliput then, you sort of get the best of both worlds.

A 1:1 mix would be the first thing to try. This may be the closest you'll get to the qualities of a standard mix of MagicSculp.

A mix that favours Kneadatite will be quite like straight GS to use but hard enough to sand more easily/effectively. This is probably the blend that most closely approximates a standard mix of ProCreate.

A mix that's mostly Milliput will be slightly nicer to manipulate than straight Milliput while still working well with water.

P.S. many people find Kneadative too sticky when mixed 1:1 blue to yellow, I would recommend comparing it to a mix where there's less blue, say 1:2 or 1:3. You will still need to lubricate your sculpting tools to help prevent the putty sticking to them as you work.

Or duro in mainland Europe

I didn't know it was still called Duro in some markets, that was what it was called when I first read about it in the 90s but I thought that name had gone by the wayside.

I find apoxie sculpt almost identical to magic sculp, although have only tried it once. Nice alternative and prolly easier to get in the US

They are basically similar enough that you can use them interchangeably but the key differences* can make the choice of one over the other fairly easy for

*AS is quite a bit softer when mixed and takes longer to stiffen up, the standard colour is slightly more translucent than regular MS which makes it harder to see surface/fine details properly. AS is also noticeably harder when set, which is quite useful for some applications but can be a disadvantage for certain carving techniques (e.g. knife blades tend to skip off more than they do with MS).

Einion

 

[freakinacage]

Oooh interesting to hear. like I say, it was a while ago that I tried it. Liked it though, tbh either and gs are must have for me

 

[taviex]

Hello there ^^

I've modified the figure this very morning and I think it turned out quite well and it's all thanks to your guys so thanks again. I don't have any decent camera at hand so I can't share any picture with you but I'l try to get one and post a photo here so that you can comment on what I've done and maybe help me improve it (even if I'm happy with what I managed to do, I know it's not perfect... -___-').


Hope your doing fine