Whats a good compound for sculpting??

[Talon_Karrde]

Hey ya'll,

I've been using sculpy III, but I am wondering what you all use to scuplt features to your customs?  I've heard some of you mention  Styrene(SP?), but is that good for making addtions to armour?  straps, belts..etc?  the stuff i've been using becomes brittle after the pieces have been boiled, and I want something that when cured is somewhat flexible.  I have vertually no sculpting skills what so ever, so I would need something that is fairly easy to use.

thanks for the read folks.

[Gregorbian]

I used super sculpey or whatever it's called for a bit when I was beginning, but I also found that it sometimes became brittle.  Since then, I've switched to Games Workshop brand 2-part epoxy putty (aka "Greenstuff" aka "kneadite").  It's really good and it air dries, so no need to cure it in the boiling water.  It is much stronger than sculpey but it takes about a day to dry.  I found that it is easier to sand than sculpey - it doesn't break apart.
The only drawback is that it's a little sticky until it dries, so it takes a bit of work to use it right.  It's not as great for smaller details, but for making armor plates or filling in gaps (like the "face" part of the clone pilot helmet) it's great.  It's a little pricey, but the stuff actually lasts a while, so it's not that bad.

[Ruprecht]

I use plain ol' Sculpey, and sometimes, Premo.  They're easy to shape for someone who can't sculpt like me. 

I don't use any sculpting stuff for backpacks and weapons, unless I want to fill in holes or seams.  For those I cut, sand, glue, and shave existing parts.

When I want to add a feature to a figure, like miscellaneous armor, trinkets, or bulk, I've begun using Sculpey in tandem with super glue.   Here's the process:

1 - Apply a very small dab of super glue to the surface I'll be adding sculpey to. 
2 - Use a small patch of sculpey (or other compound) to cover the glue.
3 - Add more compound and sculpt it to your heart's delight.
4 - When you have the desired shape made, seal it with enough super glue to completely cover the compound.  Don't worry if it looks like a big, shiny, clear gob over the compound.
5 - Let it dry completely.  Sometimes this takes a couple of hours.
6 - Sand down the dry, sealed compound to the desired shape.  This is where the major detail work happens. 
7 - Paint it, let dry, seal with Testors Dull-Cote.

You can substitute ingredients, but I've found super glue really hardens the sculpey to a very durable state.  As I said, I don't use it for anything I want to remain flexible.  For flexible stuff like belts, suspenders, and other misc. straps, I use thin rubber pieces.  Generally I cannibalize Joe, SW, Elite Force, and Lego toys to get the rubber or plastic.

Hope this helps!
B

[Talon_Karrde]

awesome, thanks ya'll

[Ryan]

I see you mentioned stryene, Styrene is NOT a sculpting compound. It is a sheet plastic that comes in varying thickness, It can be cut to the right shape and depending on the thickness it can be very flexible.

[bilbo]

I see you mentioned stryene, Styrene is NOT a sculpting compound. It is a sheet plastic that comes in varying thickness, It can be cut to the right shape and depending on the thickness it can be very flexible.

YOU can try the GamesWorkShop sculpting stuff named"GREEN STUFF"" it is a airdrying two part epoxy.bilbo

[Talon_Karrde]

Awesome, thanks ya'll