1:72 Figure base (woman)

The base of a female figure 1:72

An accessory for building figures in 1:72 scale, not a finished painted figure and not a kit of a model. The base of a female figure serves as the starting point of a conversion: a modeler fits a head, headgear, footwear and other small things onto it and so puts together a figure exactly according to the scene he is building.

What the accessory is suited to

There are markedly fewer female figures in small scales than male ones, and that is precisely why a civilian diorama often ends up looking unnatural. The base of a female figure helps with railway station and city scenes, with scenes from a rear area, with medical personnel and with interwar and postwar civilian dioramas. The male and female variants differ in the proportions of the figure, so a mixed scene comes across more convincingly than a scene built from one type of body.

Fitting, cleaning up and painting

First look the part over against the light and clean up the parting lines and the residues left after casting. Level the mating surfaces for the further parts with a file, stand the assembly up dry and check the silhouette and the center of gravity. It is glued with super glue; make the seams at the neck and the shoulders good with a two-part filler, in which a fold of a skirt or a coat can be modeled straight away. Degrease the figure before painting and spray it with a base coat. In 1:72 scale it pays off to paint from a darker ground toward lighter edges: a base shade, a dark wash into the folds and a very light dry brush on the raised places. It is enough to suggest the face, as exaggerated detail is distracting at such a small size.

Who the set is for

• modelers who build their own figures instead of using production ones
• builders of civilian dioramas, where female figures tend to be in short supply
• conversions into a particular stance or period clothing
• more experienced modelers used to working with very small parts

The accessory is supplied unpainted. Glue, paints and the further parts of the figure are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.