Kaede45 Posted November 25 Share Posted November 25 I was looking at my Gravis Captain & while I want to give him a beast mount, his cape gets in the way. I don’t want to forgo the cape, so I had the thought of “what if I made him a fabric cape instead of a hard plastic one?” I guess I’m wondering if anyone else has ever tried this before & if so, what ideas or recommendations y’all might have on the matter. Looking at other minis, while it would be difficult, it might be cool to replace any plastic “fabric” parts with actual fabric. Of course that also begs the question of “what type of fabric would be best? Cloth? Leather? Felt?…” Etc. Hopefully this will generate some positive discussion. Thank you for your time & God bless! LameBeard 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
LameBeard Posted November 25 Share Posted November 25 (edited) I have never heard of this but it’s worth a shot. Many years ago I bought a vintage Star Wars figure or two and my wife made them replacement cloaks, which massively improved the appearance, but felt still looks nothing like the original cloth at that scale, it just doesn’t get the folds. It will be tricky to get the “weight” right. I’d be interested to see your attempts. When I converted a chaos warrior to be a chaos knight, I cut off the bottom of the cloak and then resculpted in green stuff over the horse’s back. This has the advantage of keeping the nice bit over the shoulders, and the downside of my poor sculpting at the back. It isn’t too bad though, just never as smooth. Maybe a full fur cloak would have been easier to sculpt. Edited November 25 by LameBeard Picture: Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6077612 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted November 26 Share Posted November 26 If you are careful (sharp edges), you can cut and shape soft drink cans into capes. Use scissors for the initial shape, and be sure to sand/file all cut edges smooth before trying to shape it. Use different diameter brush handles to form the waves of the cape. Firedrake Cordova and Domhnall 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6077642 Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovemberIX Posted November 26 Share Posted November 26 I don't have any direct advice, cause last time I had to make scale cloth I used paper and PVA glue to shape a banner. I've heard of people using tissue paper to make capes. Just mix some PVA and water, dunk your piece in shape it and let it dry. Firedrake Cordova 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6077650 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tychobi Posted November 26 Share Posted November 26 Greenstuff capes are pretty easy. From what I have seen any woven cloth looks looks odd at scale. Firedrake Cordova 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6077665 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryno Posted November 27 Share Posted November 27 As mentioned, the human scale textile will likely stand out on the mini as common textiles will just be too stiff (relatively to the scale of the mini) to replicate the sculpted style. There are some super thin weaves for hobbying, but they're quite pricey and can be tricky to work with, and they still won't drape the same as you see on sculpted minis anyways. If those issues aren't deal breakers for you, then have at it! I'm sure you'll discover some unique perks to real fabrics that sculpted versions can't replicate. The closest thing I can think of is LEGO's foray into fabric capes for their minifigs. They've recently transitioned to a soft rubber instead, but I think that was more about ease of play/assembly for children than a specific aesthetic reason. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6078060 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonstalker Posted November 28 Share Posted November 28 I recall a tutorial on this forum about using tissue paper to make cloaks, and painting it with watered down PVA glue. You'd have to search for it, but I thought it looked pretty good. Firedrake Cordova 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6078064 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted November 28 Share Posted November 28 7 hours ago, Moonstalker said: I recall a tutorial on this forum about using tissue paper to make cloaks, and painting it with watered down PVA glue. You'd have to search for it, but I thought it looked pretty good. It was by BCK (Brother Chaplain Kage) LameBeard 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6078083 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrox Posted November 28 Share Posted November 28 Peachy Tips has a decent video on scratch built capes/cloaks too, worth a look LameBeard 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6078102 Share on other sites More sharing options...
StratoKhan Posted November 28 Share Posted November 28 I used foil from a sparkling wine bottle to make the basic structure of the cape. Then some tissue paper soaked in PVA. I wasn’t happy with the stiffness of everything after that so I applied superglue to the tissue once it had dried to make the cape harder. And then applied some Mr. Surfacer 1000 to make everything extra smooth, but this is an additional step. The benefit of this approach is that the foil can be bent into shape and will stay in shape so you can control the look. And then add realistic outer folds and pleats with the glue soaked tissue. pics here: Chaplain Raeven, Grotsmasha and Domhnall 1 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6078126 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysterion Posted November 28 Share Posted November 28 The problem I can see with real fabric is it won't "cling" to the mini the way a sculpted cloak or cape would, I think Green Stuff is your best bet, I used it to create hoods for some space marine minis and it worked well in scale. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6078227 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firedrake Cordova Posted November 29 Share Posted November 29 That's true, although I wonder if you could "set" the fabric cloak with PVA glue? Or if the folds and general contours won't look "right"? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6078267 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Carpenter Posted December 5 Share Posted December 5 (edited) On 11/28/2024 at 1:32 PM, StratoKhan said: I used foil from a sparkling wine bottle to make the basic structure of the cape. Then some tissue paper soaked in PVA. I wasn’t happy with the stiffness of everything after that so I applied superglue to the tissue once it had dried to make the cape harder. And then applied some Mr. Surfacer 1000 to make everything extra smooth, but this is an additional step. The benefit of this approach is that the foil can be bent into shape and will stay in shape so you can control the look. And then add realistic outer folds and pleats with the glue soaked tissue. pics here: This is actually how in the 3 ed rule book you were told how to make purity seals and loincloths. Use foil from wine bottles... Ah the time when the rule book also coverd how you modelled your terrain.. etc Edited December 5 by Brother Carpenter Firedrake Cordova 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6079237 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Carpenter Posted December 5 Share Posted December 5 (edited) @Firedrake Cordova I looked at multiple youtube vids when I wnated to upgrade my templars with loincloth and there are quite a few with good instructions on how to make them flow around your models. Both with GS and cloth/tissues I'm no GS wizzard, but even I managed reasonable succes with those vids. I never dared the pva glue and tissue route due to my hamfistedness. Edited December 5 by Brother Carpenter Firedrake Cordova 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/384685-a-thought-on-capes%E2%80%A6/#findComment-6079238 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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