MODIFY THE POSES OF 3D-PRINTED FIGURES

In last month’s issue, George enhanced an ‘O’ gauge Class 31 with a footplate crew. While the demonstration showed that the legs of the figures were trimmed, did George also modify the arms? I have the same figures, but the poses look to be slightly different.

Peter Cole, by email

George says: Yes indeed, the arms of both drivers (one in each cab) were modified slightly, to allow the hands to rest on the controls properly. The Modelu 3D-printed figures are easy to modify with a sharp scalpel and cyanoacrylate adhesive, as the following demonstration shows.

Modelu offers some figures designed specifically for certain RTR locomotives in particular scales, but it’s a tall order to expect a perfect fit in every model. The generic locomotive drivers in BR uniforms fit quite well in many respects, but the arms are raised a little high and slightly too far apart for the Class 31’s narrow control console.

A clean cut of the limbs with the scalpel, at the elbow, allows the lower arm to be re-attached in the desired position. A gap at the joint is inevitable, but this can be filled easily enough with putty. For speed, I used a filling powder designed for use with cyano glue, which will be fully cured in less than an hour, or sooner if using an accelerant. It can then be cut, filed and sanded to shape.

Both figures needed just one arm trimming each, so the job was easy enough. As shown last month, the cab seats were removed and re-fitted slightly further back and inboard, using thick brass wire instead of the original plastic column. This also helped to get the drivers’ arms in the right place and ensure that there was plenty of room to re-fit the body over the cab interiors.

George Dent MR’S editor and chief model maker can offer advice on almost any subject.

Steve Nall A modeller since childhood, he also enjoys working on real trains.

Paul Chancellor Paul is the proprietor of the well-known railway photographic archive Colour Rail.

Chris Gadsby The smaller the detail, the more interested he is.

A footplate crew is a subtle detail that can really bring a model locomotive to life, in any scale.