If I want to make my own Star Wars style action figures, where do I get the materials? A hobby shop?

Question

If a hobby shop is where I need to go, then what materials do I ask for? (I don't even know what they're made of.)

Answer 1

Action figures are usually made from one type or another of plastic. If you want to use the type of plastic they use, you'd have to melt down plastic army men or other plastics then cast them in molds they way they do.


If you wanted to use polymer clay though (another type of plastic, that comes as a "clay" and can be hardened in a home oven), you could "sculpt" the figures directly, or you could "cast" raw polymer clay in a mold of some kind (even a baked polymer clay mold made from another action figure-- which could also be changed somewhat before baking if you wanted). Then bake. You might have to use a 2-part mold.

After baking, you can paint over polymer clay with several coats of acrylic paint, or you can just use colored polymer clays to begin with (perhaps using a metallic powder for any "metal" parts).

Polymer clays can be purchased at craft stores, hobby stores, art supply stores, etc... depending on the brand (if you don't have a preference or have very-hot hands, I'd suggest Premo as a good polymer clay to start with).

If you're interested in the idea, check out some of these pages at my polymer clay encyclopediat website from its Table of Contents page:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm
...KIDS-BEGINNERS > Sculpting > Figures
...SCULPTING-GEN > Websites
...MOLDS
...PAINTS > Preparing to Paint... and Acrylics > Making Your Own Metallic Paints
...POWDERS > Real Metal Powders... and Mica Powders... and Metallic Waxes



HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

Start with modeling clay - there are different kinds - some you simply reuse, reuse while others air harden and are paintable. You can get supplies at Hobby Lobby or Hobbylobby.com. You can also make them from acrylic plastic but that is a complicated process requiring models, molds and chemicals.

Answer 3

you should go to a crafts store and if you want to make them completely from scratch (meaning the bodies) you can carve them from wood or ask where you can get doll molds and make them from wax, or just buy the naked dolls and outfit them from the stores fabric and other supplies.