Okay, new question - how about the body?

[FramFramson]

As the title says. He needs to clearly look young (but not prepubescent young - a teenager, perhaps fifteen or so) and I'd really like it to be decent quality if possible. And eager expression would be just aces, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers - angry or shouting is right out though (which has ruled out many ordinary military figures).

Preferably with a good old fashioned bowl cut or Chinese-style part & bangs, but I guess I can redo the hair if it comes to that. Boxer- or 30's-era clothes (short pants just below the knees, slipper-type shoes, and a simple high-collar tunic of that era) would be ideal, but I'm prepared to sculpt all that if needed.

This has been something of a minis white whale for me - I go on a bit of a search every year or two. Can never quite find what I'm looking for. I think the closest anyone's come is a suggestion to use a young female martial artist by Hasslefree, which is sort of okay, but not really there as the face wasn't up to much.

[Freelancer]

Only thing I could recommend is having a look at the chinese civillians from Tsuba (Empress miniatures).

http://www.empressminiatures.com/userimages/procart58.htm

[Poiter50]

Yep, that is the old Obelisk range.

[Mr. Peabody]

What you up to there Dai Lo? 

[traveller]

Beside the obelisk ones which are really nice, maybe this can be an option:

http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=192_67_169&product_id=790

More poses than you are looking for but these miniatures are quite slender compared to most 28mm and would pass well as teenagers

[FramFramson]

Yes, I'm familiar with both of those lines. Neither quite work for what I've got planned, I'm afraid... even considering my willingness to resculpt.

Also, not to put too fine a point on it, the West Wind ones are pretty naff.

What you up to there Dai Lo?  

Chang. I need a Chang. A good one.

[Steve F]

Have you considered using the head from a mini of an Asian woman?  There was a reason why Shakespeare was able to get away with casting boys as women (and why the reverse is sometimes done on stage today).

Possibilities might be:\
Hasslefree's Meiying (if it weren't for the martial arts pose that would need only minimal conversion to provide the whole figure)
http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=meiying~hfc006&category=modern-%26%0D%0Apost%252dapoc~modern-martial-artists

Black Army's Kawashima Yoshiko
http://www.blackarmyproductions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=464

One of Eureka's Chinese accomplice girls
http://eurekamin.com.au/index.php?cPath=87_126_153_157&sort=3a

[FramFramson]

Meiying is the figure I mentioned in the first post. Her expression doesn't even remotely work, and combined with the pose being so far off, I gave up on that one as being more trouble than it's worth.

Yoshiko's head looks neither male, nor female... nor human, let alone Asian (a bit harsh, I suppose... it's not a terrible figure).

The Eureka girls might actually do, though at that point I am cutting everything away but a face. The hair and body would all have to be different and it would be awfully nice to have something even just a little closer. The faces certainly come closer than anything else I've seen at least.

[Andrew Rae]

I've got an as yet unreleased, bald, Asian female pulp scale head on a sprue I could send your way. With an appropriately boyish haircut it might work.

[FramFramson]

I was actually thinking of seeing if one of your heads might work! A proper Asian one would be amazing!

I should order some heads from you at some point in the next couple months, so I'll tell you what, I'll bug you right before I do that (and who knows maybe that head will be a production release by then).

Now I just need to figure out a body... even if it's just a base for me to resculpt over.

[Mr. Peabody]

Cool project Mr. Fram. 

[FramFramson]

Right, so looking around a bit, I'm still not sure about what might be a good base for the body. I've looked over various boxer packs and such (Old Glory, Redoubt, etc) and there's nothing suitable since they have much baggier pants (you can put baggy clothes onto bare limbs, but the reverse not so much).

Copplestone has some figures appropriately dressed, but they're full-grown men (in the various Chinese lines), and Copplestone figures are exactly the ones I need Chang to look small compared to.

Since the hardest thing for me to sculpt would be the legs (in anatomy vs clothes, clothes is easier, especially given his clothes are pretty plain), I really want to get those already-sculpted, but otherwise a body which isn't in too much of a dramatic pose would do (something similar to the image above would be ideal, but waving, or walking will work fine. Needs to be unarmed though).

I was thinking maybe since Perry figures are thinner and a bit smaller, maybe that's the way to go? Maybe use a Perry 8th army (who would be wearing shorts and thus give me the calves I want) figure which might seem like a thin teenager next to Copplestone & DUST figures? But does anyone else have any other suggestions?  

[Silent Invader]

If you're going to swap the head, why not use the Hasslefree naked Kev for the body? They're rather short. 

http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=kevinicus~hfh041&category=fantasy-%26%0D%0Asteampunk~fantasy-humans

[Steve F]

Maybe use a Perry 8th army (who would be wearing shorts and thus give me the calves I want) f

Don't forget that the 8th Army wore thick knee length socks.

[Andrew Rae]

Lady parts again, but how about Bosun's legs? She's got the right footwear and trousers and is slim and fairly small.

I've got a load of miscasts (outstretched fingers and a thin sword, great combo!) so could easily send you a few to hack about at and see what works.

http://www.statuesqueminiatures.co.uk/p/9084418/pa006-ramjeet-singh-and-bosun.html