Clone Trooper Sergeant - Hasbro - Legacy Collection [2] (2015)

Customize A Wokling Litter Of Your Own!

Posted by Paul | December 15, 2012 at 11:10 PM ET

JTA's very own Sjefke has been busy making Ewok babies for all of the great Ewoks Hasbro has released for us recently. He has graciously provided a tutorial on how you can make a litter of your own woklings for your collection... of various sizes, shapes and colors.... just like their adult counterparts! We'd like to thank him for providing ALL the details to do this including what materials and tools you need and links on where you can purchase them for yourself. Ewok lovers: get ready to customize!

1. Materials.
Mold making material.
Casting compound.
Cyano Acrylate Epoxy Glue.
Paints.
Exacto knife.
Dental pick.
Lighted magnifier, if you have one.
Dremel, if you have one.
Nippet from The Legacy Collection's Leektar & Nippet (BD 4) figure set, if you have one (and you better).

Molding material: Latex rubber is the best for fine detail, but it's slow because you have to apply multiple layers which could take days. Then, you have to set it in plaster, which makes for a stronger mold with minimal stretching. I prefer EasyMold 2 component Silicon Putty, because it sets in 10 minutes and then you're ready to go. Unfortunately, bubbles happen which can mess up fine detail, especially on the face. (There are fixes) It's also $18 to $20 at crafts stores, like JoAnn's or Michael's, but they usually have weekly half off coupons. Consider picking up EasyMold mold release spray too.

Casting compound: I use two component plastic repair. It's cheap, but a little tough to work with. It takes paint well. Aves sculpting compound is recommended at Imperial Shipyards. GreenStuff from WarHammer is great, but way too expensive to use unless it's for touch ups or really fine details on your figure.

Glue: I like Lightening Bond, but any acrocyanate glue will do for this.

Paints: Don't buy anything special. Don't throw out your Testors if that's what you have. I bought Vallejo latex model paints. Clean up is easier, and I don't have to keep a window open.

Dental pick: These go for a buck at most hardware stores. They're good for fine sculpting, but an Exacto knife or pin will do. Even a tooth pick will serve.

You need Nippet! Sculpting a baby Ewok is beyond what most of us can do.

2. Getting started. Making the first mold

Plan ahead. You don't want to waste any of your molding compound. It's too expensive. Find a piece of PVC pipe or a small jar lid which Nippet will fit in snugly. Mix equal parts of the molding compound using about half of what you need to fill the PVC. Work quickly. Take a small amount and mush it on Nippet's face, pressing away any air from the eyes and mouth, then mush him into the blob of molding compound. Place Nippet face down into the molding compound so that his ears are half set in. Push the molding compound around so that it touches is body at a 90 degree angle. Your castings come out better that way. Also make an impression on the sides of the mold to help you align top and bottom halves of the mold later. Once that sets, spray some mold release onto it or cover it with a little WD-40 or soapy water.

Mix more molding compound. Use enough to fill the PVC to the top. Mush it hard, then place it face down on a table and put all your weight on it. If a little squeezes out the side, you estimated just the right amount. Let it set, then pry apart the mold and remove your Nippet. Make a 1/8th inch overflow hole in the top half of the mold, where the back of the head and the backside are. This will allow excess material to squeeze out and your casting wont be distorted.

3. Casting a Nippet clone

Estimate how much molding compound you'll need. Mix it and press it into the mold. Use a thin wooden dowel to push the material into the hand and feet areas of the mold. Place the top of the mold on it and then put your weight on it again. You can lift off the top part to check your work to make last second fixes. Let it set and remove your Nippet clone. Remove any flashing. Make sure the face and limbs have good detail and use this time to fix any imperfections, before moving forward. The best way to judge if you've used too much sculpting/casting compound is if the ears are too thick.

4. Making a Wokling Toddler

Here's the hard part. Start before the Nippet clone is completely set. That stuff gets rock hard in an hour. Cut out the legs, saving as much of the form of the legs as you can. Try to keep left and right legs in separate cups. Take a pinch more putty (Plastic Repair or Green Stuff) and connect the body to the legs. Try to get the legs even before it sets. Getting the Ewok to stand means you've done good work. If he doesn't stand, (no biggie) wait till your sculpting sets. Work on the fur first. Scrape it in 1/16 inch pulls with the grain to simulate fur. Use that dental pick or any sharp implement. Try to get the texture to match the rest of his coat. If you're fast and sure-handed, try to change the position of the arms, applying the same technique to match the fur. Let it set.

NOTES:

Don't get discouraged. There's a learning curve here. Don't throw out any castings that look bad. If the body is messed up, save the head and wrap the Wokling in a blanket. See the Fun Detail section.

If you want to make multiple Wokling toddlers, you'll need to make another mold and recast it. That's a mold of a mold, which is like making a copy of a copy, so make sure you have a really good quality template figure before molding it. Remember to make an overflow hole in the mold's top at the back of the head and the butt.

Once the new casting has completely set, and you're satisfied with the quality of the figure, start painting.

5. Painting

Plan out your Ewoks color pallet. Use existing figures as inspiration. Use primer or a thinned out foundation. I like to start with the eyes. Use a gloss black. When dry, paint the hands, feet, nose and lips using a flesh-like color.

When the facial details are dry, apply a watered down coat of your lightest color of the planned pallet to the fur, tracing first around the eyes and facial details to cover painting blemishes. Then apply it to the rest of the Wokling. Let it completely dry before the next coat. Successive coats should be darker and thinner.
When your satisfied with how it looks, you can try dry brushing detail, like white tufts on the cheeks or ears, or stripes and spots on the body. Take a lighter coat of paint or a completely different color for contrast. Use thick paint, wipe off as much as you dare from the brush on a paper towel, and then lightly brush on the top of the body part you want to highlight, like the ears, cheeks. After 5 to 10 passes, you'll notice the highlights. Don't be tempted to apply too much. Less is more. Clean the brush often because the paint with dry on it. When done, apply a dot of various shades of gray to the finger tips to bring out the finger nails.

Once you're done painting, spray on a matte top coat. If you're having trouble with painting, there are plenty of good 'how to' painting tips on the Internet.

6. Fun Details

Remember to finish painting the Figure before adding details like cowls.

Cowls Take about a half inch round piece of your sculpting/casting compound and roll it really flat on a piece of wax paper. While it's still supple, carefully pull it off and wrap it around the head of your Wokling, cinch it up around the neck.

Use a tooth pick to help put thin folds in it.

Use an Exacto Knife to make irregular, light scratches along the surface to simulate rough details. A thin coat of black at the end of the paint job will bring out the detail.

Use on Wokling castings with unacceptable ears or heads. [pic of cowl details].Remember, this material has no flexibility, so it wont be removable.

Blankets: Same as cowls, but use a little more sculpting/casting compound. Use Wokling castings with unacceptable bodies.

Feathers: Take a tiny pinch of the sculpting/casting compound. Scraps are great for this. Roll it between your fingers until it looks like a straight banana. Place it in a plastic baggie, and then press it flat. With practice, it will look like a feather. Once it sets, take it out and glue it to the Ewoks where ever it grabs you. Clusters of feathers look good.

Decorations: Again use scraps of sculpting/casting compound. Shape the sculpting/casting compound to look like a primitive decoration, like stones, beads or bones and glue it onto your Ewok's cowl.
Sticks: Take a 1/4 inch round piece of sculpting/casting compound and roll it out long and thin. Put some bends into it. Every little Wokling needs a stick that he can use as a pretend spear.

Baskets: If you can make a mold of Nippet, you can make a mold of the basket. They're primitive, so if you mess it up a little, so what?

Ewok papoose Take molding material and press it around the wicker part of Nippet's basket to a thickness of about 1/8th inch. Take a fresh casting, and cut off the arms, legs and the tummy's bulge. Let it set. Glue two pieces of 3 inch rough hemp twine to the Ewok's back pointing up. Then, press about 1/8th inch thickness sculpting/casting compound around the body. Impress the wicker mold around it to make the impression of the wicker on it, first under where it's feet would be and then around the body. Once it sets, secure the twine around the shoulders of any full grown Ewok figure, so that the Wokling is facing backward. Glue the twine in place and trim the excess.
Ewok dollsYou're on your own on this one tough guy. ;)

7. Fixes & Tips

If you face details are poor, amend the mold. You can take a tiny amount of molding material and press it firmly over the original figure's face, hands or feet, depending on what has poor detail. Push it back into the mold and let it set. This should solve the problem.

If you have areas of fur with poor detail, press a thin layer of GreenStuff on the area and make 1/8th to 1/16th inch scratches with the grain to duplicate the texture of the fur.

If your toddler wont stand, determine which side of his feet is too low, the toes or the heels. Cut halfway through the ankle of the low side with your Exacto knife. Bend open the gap a little to the point it stands and then fill it with molding material. Scratch in the texture of the fur before it sets. Once you're satisfied, rub the feet over some 150 grit sand paper, until they're really flat and the figure stands unaided. Those feet are pretty small, so this can be challenging.

If this is your first time making molds and castings, you will make mistakes. I sure did. Luckily, the materials aren't that expensive, so mistakes hopefully wont be too costly.

8. LINKS

EasyMold .............. http://www.shoprizer.com/store/product/6443113816.html
Aves Epoxie Sculpt . http://www.avesstudio.com/index.php
Plastic Repair ........ http://www.osh.com/eng/product/versachem_magnum_marine_plastic_stick/6613699
Green Stuff ............. http://www.contenti.com/products/casting/171-242.html
Lightening Bond ...... http://lightningbondglue.com/
Vallejo paints .......... http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/

Shop around for the best price.

Sjefke ([email protected])