our miniatures |
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Accuracy and esthetics
accuracy and esthetics Aside the painstaking research reflected in the accurate and exacting fine details, we put our greatest effort in the quality of the sculpting. Striking poses, character-filled faces, tell-tale accessories, evocative settings have become the trademark of every PiLiPiLi figure. What we want to offer is not a sterile museum reconstitution but an expressive yet accurate sculpture which the modeller can use as a canvas to display his own artistic skills. Our busts and figures are sold as multiple-part, unassembled and unpainted resin kits. The assembly, painting and final presentation are left to modeller's taste and skills.
design and assembly With a silk-smooth texture and a pleasant light grey colour, it's not hard and brittle like the common variety and can be easily sawed, carved and sanded. It's also odourless! The two 'scourges' of resin casting are: air bubbles and moulding gates. We've dealt successfully with the former and are always trying to reduce the latter to a minimum. However, in some cases, moulding gates (through which the resin is poured into the mould) are unavoidable. In such cases, they can be easily removed with a jeweller's saw and a curved #22 X-Acto blade. Special care is taken early on during the design process, to provide a quick and easy assembly. The number of parts are kept to a minimum while 'keys' in the shape of moulded lugs offer a precise and error-free mating of the parts. Super glue (cyanoacrylate) of the gel variety is recommended for the assembly. For a more permanent bond, some larger parts should be 'pinned' with short lengths of wire. Paper clips are ideal for this purpose. After assembly, the parts should be washed in warm water with some vinegar and mild detergent added, thoroughly dried and lightly sprayed with automotive primer. You are now ready to paint!
painting the figures Other mediums such as the humble Humbrol enamels are also used with great results by masters like Bill Horan. But it is the advent of the acrylic/vinylic paints which revolutionised the hobby, bringing a completely new way of painting. The techniques I use to paint the box-art models are a combination of both the old and the new oils AND acrylics. Oils (Winsor & Newton) are used for the skin and other 'organic' materials (such as wood, leather, hair, ...) while acrylics (Vallejo, Prince August) are more suitable for 'inert' textures such as fabric or patterns on clothing. Contrary to general practice, my brushes are inexpensive synthetic (NOT sable) paint brushes. I start each painting session with a new set of brushes. After the painting is done, I keep the discarded brushes for sculpting and smoothing putty. That's just ONE way (my way) to do it. There are many other painting techniques as well as artistic 'trends'. You'll have to try a few to find which one suits you best. These techniques are widely discussed in numerous web forums such as TnT and MedRom, helpful get-togethers with equally helpful people. A true asset to our hobby!
the series This first bust was met with enthusiastic response and was soon followed by others and a new series of 120mm full figures: The First Americans. These first two collections firmly established our reputation among the Indian and Wild West enthusiasts. But it was time to move on to other time periods and new horizons. Exotica, a 120mm full figure series deals with a wide array of popular subjects, in fact, everything except the American and New World history. There's also the Man O' War series of super detailed busts dedicated to the warriors through the ages. In a more serene mood, we have The Belles, another series of busts with a colourful and popular subject: the image of women around the world. |
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