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Author Topic: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist  (Read 3918 times)

Offline grapes

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Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« on: December 29, 2013, 08:44:33 PM »
Hello y'all,
I'm a dollhouse miniaturist usually working in 1:12 scale, but I'm thinking of starting a new project in 1:48 scale (an iron age Scottish tower) and I was thinking of getting some little people or sheep to add, and I somehow found my way into this forum.  In a way I feel like I've stumbled into an alternate universe where everything is almost the same and everything is also extremely different.  Who are you people and why have we not met before?  

I have lots of stupid questions to ask you, if I can figure out what and where and all that.  I'm glad you guys exist.

Well I'll go ahead and ask a couple of questions.  What do you call 1:48ish scale?  And do plastic figures discolor over time?  And if you paint plastic or metal figures, do you use a primer first?  And then what paints do you use?  Does it have to be stuff like Testors so it won't chip off?  Can you use acrylics instead?
« Last Edit: December 29, 2013, 08:47:52 PM by grapes »

Offline Mo!

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2013, 08:48:25 PM »
Hi and well met!

Its great here! lots of things and nice people!
Be mindful of the prayers you send
Pray hard but pray with care
For the tears that you are crying now
Are just your answered prayers

Offline grapes

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2013, 08:50:43 PM »
Thanks Mo!

Offline Dewbakuk

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2013, 08:51:03 PM »
Welcome to the mad house :)

The workbench will probably be your favourite haunt on here but explore around, there are some gems about. I've met a few dolls house makers in the past and we've swapped useful tips etc and places to buy certain things. Mostly plants on my part, thinking about it, they always seem amazed by the foliage options available for wargaming and model railroad.

Ask away, we'll be happy to help.
So many projects..... so little time.......

Offline grapes

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2013, 08:56:47 PM »
Thanks Dewbakuk!  Yeah, we dollhouse people have been appropriating railroad landscaping stuff for a long time.  Good stuff!  And I sometimes encounter dollhouse and railroad shops combined, but I've never seen wargaming stuff combined with dollhouse things.  Which is silly.

Online Captain Blood

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2013, 08:56:59 PM »
Welcome!

We call 1/48 scale 1/48 scale - so that's easy :)

It's close, but not quite the same as 28mm, which is the scale of choice for many wargamers - 28mm high figures used to be 25mm. One inch high bascially. But they've grown over time as people have sculpted them bigger to get more detail in. Most 28mm figures are now actually nearer 32mm tall. True 28mm is 1/56 scale. So 32mm tall figures are probably not very far at all off 1/48.

The general process for painting any figures, plastic or metal, is to clean them up first to get rid of mould lines etc, then prime them with a spray paint, then paint them (most people use hobby acrylics, some people still use enamels), then varnish them. These layers help keep the colour fast and prevent scrapes from handling during games. Although you probably won't need to worry about that.

An Iron Age doll's house sounds like a great project - if you post a request in the 'Age of Gods, Myths and Empires board', I'm sure lots of 'ancients' enthusiasts will be able to suggest suitable figures to fit in with your project  :)

Offline grapes

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2013, 08:58:50 PM »
Here's my most recent miniature project, a Scottish blackhouse or crofter's cottage.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/graceewhite/sets/72157633367657418/

Offline grapes

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2013, 09:03:27 PM »
Thanks Captain Blood!  I may not play with my figures very much, but I still like them to be sturdy and long lasting and not get chipped or discolored.

So you all don't use "O scale" and "HO scale" and terms like that?  I have seen things listed as 28mm, which confused me - like 28mm sheep that are 18mm high.  But I think I'm learning.  I think I might skip on the people figures and just go for sheep.  A lot of people figures look kind of weird to me, squat and bulky and not quite proportionally human.  Is that a common problem?

Offline Gibby

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2013, 09:05:16 PM »
Here's my most recent miniature project, a Scottish blackhouse or crofter's cottage.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/graceewhite/sets/72157633367657418/

Fantastic stuff! I will have to show my good lady your album there as she is a dollhouse miniaturist too, though she has only really just started.

With regards to 28mm, the general rule is that 28mm is the height of a human being in that scale, which gives you a point of reference to other things made in that scale (such as a sheep). It's a big confusing mess sometimes as 28mm is a generic description of all manner of styles (as Captain Blood said, they vary from 25mm - 32mm with varying degrees of bulkiness!)
« Last Edit: December 29, 2013, 09:07:01 PM by Gibby »

Offline grapes

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #9 on: December 29, 2013, 09:11:47 PM »
Thanks Gibby!  (I used to have a cat named Gibbie.  Any relation?)  How fabulous that your lady is a dollhouse miniaturist too.  You two must have an excellent meeting of minds.

(Hee, why are Arctic Explorers available for icons?  Not that I'm complaining.  I love polar exploration very much.  I have a polar explorer's dollhouse too.)

I did eventually figure the scale out when looking for sheep.  I'll just have to work on wrapping my mind around the new system.  I think O Scale sounds like it's pretty close to 28mm or 1:48?

Offline Gibby

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #10 on: December 29, 2013, 09:18:56 PM »
Thanks Gibby!  (I used to have a cat named Gibbie.  Any relation?)  How fabulous that your lady is a dollhouse miniaturist too.  You two must have an excellent meeting of minds.

I'm too clumsy to have any cat relatives :D. Surprisingly our hobbies have yet to fully cross over, but I am talking her into doing some kind of historical dollhouse!

Offline Dewbakuk

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #11 on: December 29, 2013, 10:04:39 PM »
I think O Scale sounds like it's pretty close to 28mm or 1:48?

Kind of....

The problem is it's three different things. 1:48 is a scale. It is an accurate (in theory) replication of something in a smaller size where the ratio remains consistent. 28mm figure 'scale' is an artistic measurement that is at best approximate. The proportions tend to vary depending on the sculptor and their style/ability/critic input. Then you have O scale, usually called O Gauge, this is because the size is based on the size and distance between the tracks, not the size of the carriages riding it. Early O Gauge stuff can vary hugely but modern stuff is more regulated, however there are difference based on country. Which leads to US O gauge which is 1:48, UK O Gauge which is 1:43 and European 0 Gauge which is usually 1:45 but can vary depending on country/manufacturer from 1:43 - 1:48.

Now, all that said, personally, O Gauge is pretty close and I'm happy to use it most of the time. Some people are very much against it though and would rather go with a smaller size such as S Gauge, even though there isn't much available in that size.

Offline grapes

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #12 on: December 29, 2013, 11:02:03 PM »
Ok, thanks! 

Offline magokiron

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #13 on: December 30, 2013, 04:14:51 AM »
Welcome to LAF grapes.

Most of your questions has already been answered, so I only will encourage you to look at the works of some VERY TALENTED people who posts their work in our beloved forum.

Workbench, and the "How to" child board may be just the place to start.

About scales, it's all VERY CONFUSING at the beginning, but once you settle down, there isn't really.

And yes, wargames miniatures usually have some features distorted (big head, hands and feet to say something) so if you're used to anatomically correct models they may seen strange to you.

Not that some dolls are pretty accurate either...  ;D

May you have a long and merry stay with us.
I know you're too old to play with toy soldiers. So give them to me... NOW!

Offline grapes

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Re: Hello from a dollhouse miniaturist
« Reply #14 on: December 30, 2013, 04:32:00 AM »
Thank you magokiron!  I'm having fun looking around and admiring everyone's work.

And yes, a lot of dolls are pretty wacky too!  I usually don't include dolls in my dollhouses because they disrupt the sense of reality.