Whitemetal models
- Thread starter Glengrant
- Start date
A very long thread with very few examples of painted whitemetal figures.
What I tried to suggest, was to use chemical solutions for priming of whitemetal, instead of paint. Paint tends to cover up details. In some cases, does not stick to whitemetal for a longer period of time.
If you are certain, the parts will fit without filler, go ahead and paint them seperately and assemble later. And please show your work in here.
Have fun
Juergen / Otter 1
What I tried to suggest, was to use chemical solutions for priming of whitemetal, instead of paint. Paint tends to cover up details. In some cases, does not stick to whitemetal for a longer period of time.
If you are certain, the parts will fit without filler, go ahead and paint them seperately and assemble later. And please show your work in here.
Have fun
Juergen / Otter 1
Woderwick
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
The reason I assemble first is because I solder the bits together. Rattle can primer give a nice thin coat, so as not to obscure the detail. I also drill a hole in the heel of the figure and insert a 2 x 25 mm brass rod so I can hold them while painting and also the finished figure then plugs into a hole at the desired location to stop it falling over. Lets try that picture again.
http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=238081&mpage=2# < Link To Post Message
http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=238081&mpage=2# < Link To Post Message
Those characters were created by Lubosch Wimmer, a friend of the LGB Richters, in the late Seventies. You can spot these figures quite often in old LGB catalogues.
Later they were marketed and sold by Juergen Neumann. But he passed away some years ago. the moulds are stowed away in a Berlin cellar of his daughter.
Sometimes you can find Neumann-Wimmer figures at German Ebay or at aucti0ns. But there are quite many pirated copies offered.
Have Fun
Juergen / Otter 1
Later they were marketed and sold by Juergen Neumann. But he passed away some years ago. the moulds are stowed away in a Berlin cellar of his daughter.
Sometimes you can find Neumann-Wimmer figures at German Ebay or at aucti0ns. But there are quite many pirated copies offered.
Have Fun
Juergen / Otter 1
stevedenver
Registered
glen-always prime-
i use white or light grey primer, especially made for this by floquil (dont know if this is in the UK-very fine particles, goes on super thin and doesnt pbscure details-tamaya also makes an excellent primer
otter
i do recall those figures
yours are simply beautiful,
subtley colored and
the figures are charming-
i do wish I could get those!
i love the details and particualrly the poses-
an unusual combinatoin of repose and action-meaning that the poses show life -like conversations in progress, or simply waiting
the chemical priming color alone makes them warm and interesting
i use white or light grey primer, especially made for this by floquil (dont know if this is in the UK-very fine particles, goes on super thin and doesnt pbscure details-tamaya also makes an excellent primer
otter
i do recall those figures
yours are simply beautiful,
subtley colored and
the figures are charming-
i do wish I could get those!
i love the details and particualrly the poses-
an unusual combinatoin of repose and action-meaning that the poses show life -like conversations in progress, or simply waiting
the chemical priming color alone makes them warm and interesting
Zerogee
Clencher's Bogleman
Otter 1 said:Those characters were created by Lubosch Wimmer, a friend of the LGB Richters, in the late Seventies. You can spot these figures quite often in old LGB catalogues.
Later they were marketed and sold by Juergen Neumann. But he passed away some years ago. the moulds are stowed away in a Berlin cellar of his daughter.
Sometimes you can find Neumann-Wimmer figures at German Ebay or at aucti0ns. But there are quite many pirated copies offered.
Have Fun
Juergen / Otter 1
Thanks for the information!
I wish I could get my hands on those old moulds (legally of course!) - I have full metal-casting facilities.....
Are the figures in whitemetal (lead/tin alloy)?
Jon.
Yes, those Wimmer-Neumann figures are made from a whitemetall alloy. They weigh approx 150 gr. or more each.
I doubt, that there is a big market today for them in G-scale-toytrain circles. Most people can´t or are not willing to spend too much money on figures. In addition, EU laws makes it difficult to sell things, containing lead.
I am just working on two metal figures, modelled after a Carl Spitzweg painting from 1845, the couple on the left.
They are older Busch-figures, now marketed by http://www.schnabel-zinn.de/ < Link To www.schnabel-zinn.de I used cheap acrylics from a pound shop (T?DI)
Have Fun
Juergen / Otter 1
I doubt, that there is a big market today for them in G-scale-toytrain circles. Most people can´t or are not willing to spend too much money on figures. In addition, EU laws makes it difficult to sell things, containing lead.
I am just working on two metal figures, modelled after a Carl Spitzweg painting from 1845, the couple on the left.
They are older Busch-figures, now marketed by http://www.schnabel-zinn.de/ < Link To www.schnabel-zinn.de I used cheap acrylics from a pound shop (T?DI)
Have Fun
Juergen / Otter 1
Getting things assembled now and hopefully will be starting work next week. As suggested I have acquired a pack of Milliput filler and get the impression that the larger sections of these lovely ladies could be stuck together using Milliput as well as using it for filling gaps etc. Smaller parts would be stuck together using a superglue type substance. I feel I selected the wrong pair of figurines as a starter because each lady is holding a rather thin bit of kit, a golf club, and a fishing rod. However, let's give it a go, as the actress said to the bishop
Right, I've done as much as I can to the lkady, I'm beginning to find that the more I fiddle with 'er, the more likely I am to mess 'er up, so let's draw the bottom line, and present to you Modele BX41, Jolie Prise.
Here is the kit as supplied
First of all I smoothed off the cast marks as best as I could. I used fine wet ?n? dry for this, my files seemed to be a bit on the coarse side. Then I gave her a good wash down in soapy water, gave her a rub a dub, and set her aside to dry..
Right from the start I thought that assembly was going to be the easier part. As I studied the curves (liked that bit) folds in the apparel and so on it became obvious that the make or break bit was going to be in the painting. I thought I would practise on some of the more basic figures which I seemed to have acquired quite a lot of, you?ll all know the ones I refer to, perfectly good models, but lacking in a bit of detail, especially when it comes to facial features.
Here is the kit as supplied
First of all I smoothed off the cast marks as best as I could. I used fine wet ?n? dry for this, my files seemed to be a bit on the coarse side. Then I gave her a good wash down in soapy water, gave her a rub a dub, and set her aside to dry..
Right from the start I thought that assembly was going to be the easier part. As I studied the curves (liked that bit) folds in the apparel and so on it became obvious that the make or break bit was going to be in the painting. I thought I would practise on some of the more basic figures which I seemed to have acquired quite a lot of, you?ll all know the ones I refer to, perfectly good models, but lacking in a bit of detail, especially when it comes to facial features.
Right, I finally get started and immediately realise I was doing it wrong. I thought I would use the filler (in my case ?Milliput? but I?m sure there are others just as good) in a dual purpose mode, that is I would stick the parts together and assume that the gaps will fill up as I compress the joins. What I hadn?t realised was that the parts were very well made, and the gaps to be filled were quite minimal. This meant that for instance the arms would not fit snugly into place if I had plastered in too much filler. I did what I thought was a reasonable job and set the partly assembled model aside. However, before the filler had hardened properly, I had a look at the thing and realised it was a mess, so I disassembled it, washed all the filler out, it becomes very workable with a small drop of water, and decided that what I should really do is stick the parts together using superglue (cyanoacrylate), let it all set, then use the filler for its correct job ? filling. OK, some filled gaps are very difficult to get to, and would not be easily accessible for filing down, but that?s too bad. Incidentally, while I was doing this rebuild, I realised that I had set one of the lady?s arms the wrong way round One arm is hidden in the picture supplied). Having studied the recesses and pegs for fitting the arms I realised that the girlie should have both hands above her shoulders holding the rod. I had one of her arms down by her side.
This particular model has a base ? she is posed standing up to her lower errr um thighs in the water, so I reckoned now would be a good idea now to glue her to the base, gives me something to hold on to when we come to the painting.
I paused here for a photograph, and again this thorny problem of ?scale? crops up. I put in a couple of other figures here, which I reckon are the same scale as my lady, the heads look about the same size. But when you look at the lower down features of the body the sizes seem to be quite different. Both the engineer and the mailman I suppose he is have far thinner legs than the lady?s thighs, not that I?m complaining. I know that some of the excellently made figures which appear in the forum are caricatures, and exaggeration is acceptable in these cases. I have just decided to turn a blind eye to the scale business and carry on to the next phase.
This particular model has a base ? she is posed standing up to her lower errr um thighs in the water, so I reckoned now would be a good idea now to glue her to the base, gives me something to hold on to when we come to the painting.
I paused here for a photograph, and again this thorny problem of ?scale? crops up. I put in a couple of other figures here, which I reckon are the same scale as my lady, the heads look about the same size. But when you look at the lower down features of the body the sizes seem to be quite different. Both the engineer and the mailman I suppose he is have far thinner legs than the lady?s thighs, not that I?m complaining. I know that some of the excellently made figures which appear in the forum are caricatures, and exaggeration is acceptable in these cases. I have just decided to turn a blind eye to the scale business and carry on to the next phase.
Prime ?er! The primer I used by the way is PlastiKote white. It seems to be quite fine.
Right, priming done and I can see right away that the filling has been exceptionably badly done, I can do one of two things. Just ignore the faults and pretend no-one will notice them, or I can get the filler out, and the wet ?n? dry, and try to sort the lady out. It?s like when you decorate a room, Everyone says, oh, you?ve done a good job there, but all the time you know where all the flaws are. Let?s try to sort her out.
So, I had another go, but by now I saw that I could be starting to really mess things up, so I decided that this third attempt to tidy her up would be the last. I patched up the worst bits, let it dry overnight, and had a final attempt at smoothing things down using the wet ?n? dry and a fine file. I had to just say to myself, this is as good at it?s going to get, let?s stop now and say that the assembly, apart from the fishing rod, is done. Although by now certain bits of the bare metal were showing I decided against a second priming.
Right, priming done and I can see right away that the filling has been exceptionably badly done, I can do one of two things. Just ignore the faults and pretend no-one will notice them, or I can get the filler out, and the wet ?n? dry, and try to sort the lady out. It?s like when you decorate a room, Everyone says, oh, you?ve done a good job there, but all the time you know where all the flaws are. Let?s try to sort her out.
So, I had another go, but by now I saw that I could be starting to really mess things up, so I decided that this third attempt to tidy her up would be the last. I patched up the worst bits, let it dry overnight, and had a final attempt at smoothing things down using the wet ?n? dry and a fine file. I had to just say to myself, this is as good at it?s going to get, let?s stop now and say that the assembly, apart from the fishing rod, is done. Although by now certain bits of the bare metal were showing I decided against a second priming.
So, here?s the big mistakes so far. I tried to use the filler as a glue, wrong, I assembled the model incorrectly first time, had to dismantle and start all over again, so by the time I had finished the assembly there were about three applications of filler/glue in various places. Next time there will be a careful dry run after filing down etc, and the first ?stick? has to be the last.
Next comes the painting, and what with all the handling the girlie has had so far, this is not going to be easy. Some of her items of clothing have become obscured, there will be a lot of guesswork as to where one item stops and another starts.
Perhaps some of the colours are not what they ought to be. For instance, I have done the err, pardon the expression, flesh now, using a paint which is entitled ?flesh? OK that seems OK, but then I did her hair using a tone which is possibly more yellow than blonde, but I can?t afford to go out and buy tube after tube just to get the tones right. It?s rather expensive stuff. All paints are acrylic by the way. It was after these first two attempts at painting that I took the advice of one of you experts and went out to buy a new set of decent brushes. I also bought a tube of white acrylic and now of course with only a small selection of colours I am learning now that I only need a small selection of colours, and I make a palette from which I create my own colours. (Who said, where?s your left ear?)
Next comes the painting, and what with all the handling the girlie has had so far, this is not going to be easy. Some of her items of clothing have become obscured, there will be a lot of guesswork as to where one item stops and another starts.
Perhaps some of the colours are not what they ought to be. For instance, I have done the err, pardon the expression, flesh now, using a paint which is entitled ?flesh? OK that seems OK, but then I did her hair using a tone which is possibly more yellow than blonde, but I can?t afford to go out and buy tube after tube just to get the tones right. It?s rather expensive stuff. All paints are acrylic by the way. It was after these first two attempts at painting that I took the advice of one of you experts and went out to buy a new set of decent brushes. I also bought a tube of white acrylic and now of course with only a small selection of colours I am learning now that I only need a small selection of colours, and I make a palette from which I create my own colours. (Who said, where?s your left ear?)
Turning my attention to the fishing rod, well, is this split cane, or a Greenheart? It?s certainly not one of them new-fangled glass fibre jobs anyway. I plump for a Greenheart, which, incidentally, so many years ago, I used to use for fly-fishing.
When I was very near the end I did another two or three pics. Upon reflection, I think I have injected just a wee bit too much collagen into her bee-stung lips.
Finally, a trial run in her true environment, the pond. I haven't painted the base as my water feature at present is a mess, and I'm not sure exactly how and where she will fit in.
OK it's not very good, but I learned a lot about how to do these delectable models, only snag is they are rather expensive. I have one more awaiting handling, that is the golfing lady. You learn in this business, don't you. That's what G-scale is all about. Hope some of this blurb is of some use to anyone out there. The big thing is of course not to take it all too seriously.
When I was very near the end I did another two or three pics. Upon reflection, I think I have injected just a wee bit too much collagen into her bee-stung lips.
Finally, a trial run in her true environment, the pond. I haven't painted the base as my water feature at present is a mess, and I'm not sure exactly how and where she will fit in.
OK it's not very good, but I learned a lot about how to do these delectable models, only snag is they are rather expensive. I have one more awaiting handling, that is the golfing lady. You learn in this business, don't you. That's what G-scale is all about. Hope some of this blurb is of some use to anyone out there. The big thing is of course not to take it all too seriously.
korm kormsen
Registered
asking myself, what might attract the shark?
thanks for the detailed description of the problems to face with these metallic figures.
thanks for the detailed description of the problems to face with these metallic figures.
Like itGlengrant said:bee-stung lips.
Nice thread & it looks pretty good to me
It's always good to know what pit falls to watch out for as well, we can't all aspire to be master modelers, think i would be well happy to reach the same standard at the first attempt.
Mind from the pic think you overdid the sun tan lotion looks like it's starting to run a bit
