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Helpful tips
This page is intended to simply share ideas, resources, and the
imagination of the hobbyists out there. I hope to showcase various
techniques that you can use to improve your kitbash, from the easy to
the complex.
Remember this hobby is supposed to be fun. The ideas we share here may
or may not work for you. Chances are, your imagination is always
slightly better than your skills (I know mine is). But who cares?
Do your best, take a chance, and try. The best people in this business
didn't get there on their first day. It all takes practice, lots of
practice. Don't be afraid to try something.
As always with these tips, practice on non-important pieces first. If
you are painting a one-of-a-kind head sculpt that cost you last month's
rent, for heaven's sake, do test runs on an old joe head! some of these
tips involve power tools, and as always, Safety First.
Kitbashing is nothing more than playing with your toys. Taking items
from one thing, mixing them with parts from another, to create something
you can call your own. In this section, we will discuss the simplest of
Kitbashes, those using items already designed and manufactured for 1/6th
scale. We will simply rearrange them to create something new!
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WWI Ace
This Ace was inspired by a Hasbro figure I saw in a catalog. I didn't
want to buy the Hasbro figure, so I made my own.
I started with a cool headsculpt. Onto that, I put a heavy pair of pants
(flyers had to dress warm!), and long boots from an Afrika Corp figure
(I love those boots!). I added a leather vest from a WWII British
Commando (because flyers wore the same type of vest to stay warm), and a
Leather long coat from a modern Villian (Boris). I threw in a crusher
cap from an early US Army Officer figure, and added a white scarf, and a
WWI Pilot was created.
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US Cavalry Trooper, circa 1914
I did a bit more historic research on this one, after reading an article
in a magazine about the chase for Poncho Villa in Arizona in the early
1900's.
I started with a basic figure, and threw on a Cavalry Hat from a Vietnam
Era Helicopter Pilot. The Uniform top came from a Hasbro Teddy Roosevelt
Figure, and is about the right period. Pants are from a Navy figure, and
looked nice with the stripe down the side.
Gear came from early WWII army figures, as the basic kit of a soldier in
1914 was not much different than the kit of a soldier in 1942. The
Springfield Rifle, .45 auto, web gear, holster, and canteen were almost
identical.
The boots are long riding boots from an officer figure. His carry bag is
made from a WWI pigeon cage cover, with a small felt scrap rolled into
it. A Bowie knife from the 101st airborne set is tied into it, a
binocular case from a 506th pathfinder is strung across another felt
strip simulating his saddle blanket.
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The more advanced stuff:
I will consider Level 2 kitbashing to be that stage where you begin to
use "other" items in your quest to create figures. Other items
include anything not specifically manufactured for the 1/6th hobby
world: making your own clothing, creating weapons, hair, beards, shoes,
gear, etc. This can range from the simple, such as throwing a scrap of fur onto a
figure to make a barbarian to the complex, such as building an artillery
piece from tin cans and plastic sheeting. Check out the work of Frances
Tavares to see the current master of the hand made items: He hand
makes his own uniforms when needed. His skill at diorama making is
exceeded only by his attention to detail.
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Ancient Celt
In this figure, i used a wicker coaster to simulate the warriors
Reed/Cane shield. I tattooed him with paint and permanent marking pens
across his face and arms.
He wears a scrap of leather sewn roughly into a shirt, and I used a
piece of sea urchin shell attached to a leather thong to serve as a
piece of bone armor plate on his shoulder.
His sword is a ground down letter opener. It originally had a more
ornate handle too, but i ground that down to a mere lump, similar to the
Roman Bronze short swords of the time.
A silver beaded ring fit perfectly as an armband, and a scrap of rabbit
fur trimmed short serves as a wolf skin on his shoulder.
The boots are long riding boots from an officer figure. His carry bag is
made from a WWI pigeon cage cover, with a small felt scrap rolled into
it. A Bowie knife from the 101st airborne set is tied into it, a
binocular case from a 506th pathfinder is strung across another felt
strip simulating his saddle blanket.
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Japanese figure
I wanted to make a Japanese "hold out", one of the soldiers
who didn't surrender until years after the war. A small group on
Mindanao survived in the jungles until 1947, and one soldier survived
until the 1960's, still fighting.
To do this, i needed to lengthen the hair, and create a beard. Hair from
my dog Tasha did the trick. I glued it to his face, and a long long
queue was glued to the back of his head. I then cut and trimmed, and
added some grey streaks here and there.
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Viking
To make his ring mail, I used a butcher's glove. I simply cut a section
from it carefully, then relinked it around him with wire thread at the
seams. His shield was made from a leather coaster and a WWI Doughboy
Helmet, painted. His boots are actually from a Barbie Doll set, one of
the Arctic Eskimo's donated them. His cape is a cloth napkin.
His pants are hand sewn from a scrap of linen.. they didn't need to be
seamed perfectly, since it was not likely that a simple farmer of that
time would have "nice" pants. His spears are made of bamboo
skewers and a tip made from a piece of lead was beaten down and cut to
shape, then tied on with leather string.
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Advanced Items:
In these types of Kitbashes, you will be "destroying"
perfectly good items: figures, faces, toys, parts. There is no going
back after you cut a leg off, or drill holes through the sides of your
new jeep.
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Centaur
This figure required i destroy to perfectly good figures. I cut the
waist and legs off an action figure, and the head from a Barbie Horse.
Cut carefully, because you can always cut more, but you can never cut
less.
I joined the two parts together, then painted them a uniform brown. I
then highlighted muscled areas, and washed the overall body with
lighter and darker shades of brown, to get a natural effect. I covered
the seam with latex putty, and then covered that with his
"loincloth". Real horse hair was used to make the tail, and
the mane of the horse.
Quail feathers were added to the mask to improve its appearance too.
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Navy SEAL
I saw a book cover with a SEAL rising out of the ocean, gripping his
weapon and ready to fire. It inspired me to do this figure, of another
SEAL rising out of a Jungle River.
Again, i used the upper half of a figure, and sanded it flat so it would
sit on the base. I built up the base with plaster, forming it into
"waves" with my fingers away from the center point.
I screwed the figure in from the bottom (countersunk heads), and then
put on his jacket, trimmed so it stopped at the "waterline". I
then applied another layer of blue plaster, let it all dry, and wet down
his clothes. I kept that up until they dried somewhat folded/crinkled,
then I applied coat after coat after coat of gloss shellac and nail
polish (clear) to get a wet effect. After the first coats, i simply
poured it on slowly to let it build up, and even form "drips".
The overall effect is that his clothing hands limply and wet, and his
gear is shiny and slick looking, like it just came from the water. He
even has a drop or two of water hanging from his elbow, hat brim, and
gun.
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Don't sweat it. If it isn't fun, you aren't doing it right. It doesn't have to be big or complex to be great. I personally feel that
SilentDeath does more with his one-figure dioramas than most of us could
do with a battalion of figures. He shows so much artistry with a 6 inch
square "scene". Learn from his work.
You are your greatest (and maybe only) critic. No one else is looking to
criticize your work. If anyone DOES criticize your work, ignore them. You are doing this for
yourself, and to have fun. Finally, share your love of the hobby with the rest of us.
Take pictures, show off, join the boards. You will find yourself
with new friends and a source of ideas that will never cease.
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