Hi Alec

I looked at the "true " Optivisor range and was almost going to buy with it's ground optical quality glass lens appealing compared to plastic but money was tight and I'm glad I didn't.

I have a tendency to go a bit cross eyed when viewing close to an object and I'm also acutely aware of anything between the eyes. I get "visual distraction" for want of a better phrase by the join even in these "one piece" lens so I figured the Optivisor with it's solid piece in between in my circumstances would make matters worse.

I've read of figure painters using a sharpened or splintered toothpick to paint the pupil in the eyes of figures. Dip it in the paint and put a spot in each eye. If right handed do the left side as the figure faces you, first, that way you can see it's location when doing the other one to avoid any mismatch. Reverse the procedure if you are left handed.

Happy modelling.

Alan

Hi!

An option could be those cheap reading glasses that are sold everywhere nowdays. I got recommend +1 by an Optician and it works like a charm.

I think its a myth that figurepainters use sharpened toothpicks for painting. I have never met any who claims he/she does. In 1/35, why dont you just paint the slits black? Its usually enough or perhaps adding a little white on the side afterwards. The pupil itself covers more than half of the eye.

Cheers

Hi Janne, my wife said I must be insane paying that money for a single figure, then again, if its only half as good as its suppose to be, then perhaps money well spent, the sharpened match stick dipped in paint for eye centres, actually seems like a good idea, as with most models, painting is easy, painting correctly is hard, there are very few guides that show you what paint to use, I normally simply guess or ask.

Ohh, perhaps someone else should have explained this to you.

-We never tell our significant ones how much our hobbyrelated stuff costs. And I do mean never, as in you never talk about "Model Club".
-If they ask how much it costs, dived the actual price with 3.
-Should they see the price tag, you explain that it was the retailprice but you got it on sale or at a swapmeet for a third of the cost. Or it could be a price youve "won"? Feel free to improvize!



Cheers

My 1-35 resin figure arrived today, and to be blunt, its most certainly NOT worth the £14.84 I paid for this single figure with no paint guide or instructions. In future I'll stick with my plastic blokes, where the details are 'almost' the same and with 4/6 figures also come with equipment unlike the resin, having this said, the resin head is much better than the plastic, I have a spare plastic and might cut his head off and swap it for resin as I have nothing to lose.

Having reviewed this figure, I think you'd better take some pictures and SHOW me how this figure is 'almost' the same as your Tamiya figures.

And for the record, no resin figures I know of come with painting or assembly instructions. Alpine figures are absolutely simple to assemble, so I don't know what the problem is to this regard.

Alec

What instructions do you need, it's got a body, two arms and two alternative heads. I don't see as you need instructions on how to assemble a single figure.

As for painting instructions, that's the same for virtually ever resin figure on the market, the box art picture is your colour reference.

Regarding equipment, what did you expect. You choose to buy an Officer figure, which would have maybe a pistol holster on his belt so you were hardly likely to get a rifle, breadbag, gasmask container etc within the set. The subject dictates the equipment on the figure ( and probably the detail, not the level or quality but certainly the amount).

Alan

Sorry, but you seem to be comparing apples to oranges here. In resin, a figure will come with equipment - if it's APPROPRIATE. You won't find much in equipment in an AFV Crew figure (for example). Comparing some of the Tamiya (or ALL the Italeri figures) with even modern plastic figures is simply absurd - comparing them to some of the better Resin figures out there is even more imbalanced.

Spend some time on the Review pages here and you will find hundreds of individual Resin and Plastic figures given a good examination. As Alan said, look at the figures from DML, Masterbox, MiniArt or Tristar (in plastic) in resin, take a look at Bravo-6, Alpine or The Body and you're eyes may well be opened...

Hello Frank, what low grade 1-35 figures have you in exchange for this Alpine 1-35 figure ? Almost fifteen quid spent on basically 2 good heads, the art work on the resin, its not bad and honestly I'd say about the same as the plastic one's I have for a third of the price, there is no paint guide or instructions, nor any equipment, pound for pound I would have to say the cheep Tamiya are better, especially if I could work out how to cut their heads off and replace them with resin heads that look really great. Look forward to hearing from you.

Alec, you can take a bad plastic figure and stick a resin head on it and it'll still be garbage.

Alpine are widely agreed to be amongst the best resin figures out there, however, you seem to have made your mind up on the basis of ONE figure which you don't seem to have even painted yet. Exactly where is the objective criticism in your statements? Criticize yes, but please, as constructively as possible. A 3/4 part figure without assembly instructions? Are you serious?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3333198642_1b1e4639d7.jpg
The two 1-35's the un-painted one is the resin that in total £14.84, the plastic Italeri that requires painting with a further 5 other figures cost me in total £5.20 plus equipment, okay its fair to say an officer won't have stufff like a soilder would, and also no instructions as there is nothing basically to construct, a painting guide in my opinion is a must, whatever you or anyone else wishes to paint, at lease for this amount of money be offered correct colours.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3629/3316197746_3244704c8f.jpg
and the little 1-35 dio are all Tamiya figures, look forward to your reply.

Hi Alec

Am I getting this wrong, please correct me if I'm not, but you regard the quality of the sculptor of the American soldier figure as nearly as good or near equal to the Alpine figure next to it ?

If Frank's hasn't anything that takes your fancy I'll make an offer.

I'll have a look in what I've got if you like. I'm in the UK so it may be easier on postage etc. although it would be reliant on what I'm offering is what you'd want to swap for it.

I'm thinking what I have to hand without rummaging through box after box in the loft.

Alan

There you go. Personally, I don't think Taesung should be too worried...

Alan, obviously the resin is a better looking figure, for almost 15 quid what else would you expect ? The cheep old plastic figure isn't that bad, and gets better when you consider 2 things, 1 the price and 2 the amount of figures with equipment you get for your money. And it is very clear I do not know what I am talking about as I am new to models/dio/figures, I do however know what's worth money, and dispite how good Alpine is suppose to be, for the amount of money a single figure cost, they are not worth the money, maybe if they came ready painted and assembled only maybe, came with equipment options maybe, but they don't, mine certainly hasn't come with anything except 2 heads, I could not and will not justify for a single 1-35 resin figure that has to be assembled and painted with no extras the price that I paid, I will be trying Dragon gen 2 and will not be buying resin, I do not wish to get into a fire fight over this subject, many thanks for the reply.

Emmm... accuracy?

Jim - are you good at painting miniatures ? I am quite lousy, so please have a little think about this - I buy a cheep figure and paint it, and it doesn't look too bad, obviously the paint could have been a lot better, but it still looks rubbish, now I buy another figure that's full of detail, clothing and boots, cap all very good and crisp, I paint it the same as the first figure, due to the paint, I lose a lot of detail, can you follow what I am trying to say, it doesn't matter how good the figure is, it matters on the paint giving it the overall apperaence and the price you've paid for something covered in thick paint (remember I am no expert at painting my photo will prove that), I also believe I can now rest my case. Resin is not for me.

It's not that Alec and I don't see you need to take that line of thought or get defensive. Your entitled to your opinion, but I guess you'll see by the responses many will not agree with that opinion.

As for "value for money", that is really down to the individual and what their perspective is on anything from models to motor cars. I won't pay the price they are asking for some of the kits now being stocked on the shelves and have been quite vocal about that point in various threads.

How much you want to spend on your hobby and to what level you wish to participate is entirely up to you and nobody else (except your wife maybe ) but I can assure you that Alpine along with all the other leading resin figures average out at about the same price, about the same quality and exactly the same as regards instructions, painting guides additional equipment etc.

The offer still stands if you want to contact me via the sites PM system.

Alan

By the way, what paints are you using? We can offer help and links to painting articles, people's opinions, experience with different ranges and mediums. We are only too happy to help but please don't be surprised or offended if you make a statement or express an opinion and someone then disagrees with it. It's a forum for discussion after all.

Alan

Offended Alan ? No, that's not what I get, I ask a question and never expect anything but what I've been getting on this site, honest constructive advise from people that actually know what they're talking about, so what may seem like flak, to me is people simply being honest and I can only say thanks, the other thing, I am rubbish with computers, so what I'll do is give you my email address, [email protected] and you can send me a photo or 2 of these 1-35's in plastic, and I'll have a look and let you know, I'll leave the rest up to you.

Figures Figures Figures,

When i started moddeling , no scratch that, when i first Moddeled figures, i Took
quantity and price over quality, there is nothing wrong with that, never has been never will.
Alec, the colours are supposed to be i suppose, found from refences, as well as using the Box art as a guide
i must agree, when i got my first resin figure, i was a bit sceptical about the colours, but did a little reasearch
and that sorted its self out.
Of course, both Im and resin require substantial work to create ( from a manufacturers POV)
but the depth and detail, that goes into Resin figures Greatly surpasses that of Im figures.
take your American IM figure nect to your German resin figure, the folds, belts, webbing e.t.c
in the IM figure are greatly dumbed down, the folds are not as realistic, making shading a tincy bit trickier
of course the advantages are the price, and quantity, and random bits of gear you could put floating around a diorama.
The Alpine figure, if you really take your time, clean up and stick together a IM and place it next to it,
and really look at the differences, The Folds, belts, etc, are so much more subtle yet defined, many, many painstaking hours
of research and construction go into those, to make them look as real as possible.
i woudl use resin figures, as a compliment to a really well done tank or AFv,
and Im if i was portraying hoards of People surging off a LCM onto a beach

i know i rambled,
i hope you Keep on moddeling, whatever path you choose!
good luck

ps
a Review with Mr Harmms
https://hfmodeling.kitmaker.net//features/1869&page=1

(we have a similar taste in music!!)

I understand completely, so, let's try and get at the root of the problem. If i'm reading you correctly, you haven't been working with figures very long? So, rather than get sidetracked by the merits of Resin Vs. Plastic it might be fair to assume that what you're looking for is a way to improve your basic painting/assembly skills?

I have to weigh in on the resin side.







I can't agree, even though the expense is relative to how much money you have. It's not just apples and oranges like Jim says- it's like comparing a shop dummy to a sculpture by Michelangelo.


I would say that whatever amount of money you have to spend on figures don't waste it on old Tamiya and Italeri sets which are a waste of plastic.

There are plenty of figure painting tutorials available on line and there are some excellent books available on the subject. It's a good investment.

Jim, I always use enamel thinned down, I have also brought Acrylicos Vallejo (I think that's how its spelt) basically 2 grey colour and a black shade of wash, I also have weather master by Tamiya, and I have never until a week ago painted anything 1-35, I normally build and paint 1-350 scale warshipshttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/3074546451_96d1dab89e_b.jpg
The model a German battleship and also showing the only space I have to build my models which is very limited, I perfectly understand the use of sharpened sticks to paint eyes, it seems like a good idea, it just putting everything together and coming up with something that looks good and not something that's been drapped in paint, look forward to your reply.

Hi Alec.
Firstly .... dont panic. When this is finished ... and you are still not happy ... I will keep to my word and send you a bunch of Dragon and similar type figures in swap for this figure, if you still feel the same way.
Whatever you do ... dont glue the spare head onto the figures you´ve shown. Its like putting a mercedes badge on a trabant!!

Using this image as reference, whats the difference?


Because of your lack of experience, you are just looking at figures and comparing pieces. More experienced modellers see the difference in the detail. Check out the feet and compare ... then the heads .. then the realistic clothing folds .. then the defination of the belts and details .. the hands ... etc... etc. Starting to see why folks are prepared to pay more for a figure of this class?

When you paint your figures .. you paint your uniforms with one flat colour. The skill in figure-modelling is paint in the shadows and highlights of the clothes and details. A 1/35 figure cannot cast shadows like the real subject can, so these need to be painted. Your Italeri/Tamiya figure doesn´t have these details, so theres nothing to paint. There are figure painters who can paint in details that are not there, and give them depth because of their skills ... but thats definatly not in the first few chapters of the figure painting manual. But as the details are in the Alpine figure, it is actually easier to paint ... and do a semi decent job ... as an inexperienced figure painter.

I really think you should paint this figure (I can remove the paint later if we swap).
I can guarantee you´ll get all the support you need, to paint this figure, and understand what we mean. You can contact me offline and I´ll send you info, or we can do it here, where more will jump in and offer help.
You are right to question the price, and I can understand where you are coming from. All I can tell you is, just give it a try .. maybe learn something ... but in the end ... I´ll take this figure of your hands if you are not satisfied.
Fair enough?

Hi Alec. Some reading for you.
I still paint figures with Humbrol enamels, as thats how I started, and havent managed to get to any worthwhile level with acrylics. Theres not many "how to´s" with enamels, but one good source is the Mark Bannerman articles on Missing Links. I used these a lot in the beginning to get some idea of what was needed.
Missing Links - figure articles