Scenery
:
People
Fine Folk: Population Increases
Oct 12, 2005
By Noel Widdifield
LSOL.com Managing Editor |
Author
Bio
Recently, I found three more of these figures, and I want to share a little about those three new "Fine Folk".
|
A few months ago, I wrote an article about some 1/20.3 people that I had found at the Garden Railway convention in Denver. (LSOL Article: Meet some Fine Folks) I was very impressed with the quality of those people, but I was disappointed that there were only 6 figures available. Recently, I found three more of these figures, and I want to share a little about those three new "Fine Folk". 
They are produced by Mike's Backshop in Lakeside, California. (www.mikesbackshop.com) They retail for $9.00 each. The original six figures included three sitting and three standing people. The sitting figures were "Miss Jenny," 
"Engineer Chet" 
and "Fireman Clem." 
The standing figures were "Conductor Bill," 
"Fireman Gus." 
and "Engineer Bill." 
The new "Fine Folk" are "Blacksmith Smitty," "Storekeeper Tony" and "Salesman Dan". 
They are all standing figures and are molded in white hard plastic. Like the original "Fine Folk", they come in clear plastic bags and are very well made. Unlike some people that have been reviewed recently in magazine articles, they are completely free of air bubbles and have excellent details. The hands on these figures are molded precisely. This is a true test of excellence in figure molding. The surfaces on the clothing are very realistic and the skin on the face, hair and hands is perfect. The mold lines are very faint and two of the three figures had almost no flash. 
There was more flash on "Salesman Dan" than on any of the other eight figures. 
All of the flash was easily removed with a sharp hobby knife and very fine sandpaper. After cleaning each figure with dish detergent, I primed them in black and then painted them. They make a welcome addition to the growing number of townspeople on my outdoor railroad. "Blacksmith Smitty" is dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, with a leather apron and gloves. He has a hammer and tongs in his hands. "Storekeeper Tony wears a denim shirt, pants and has an apron tied around his waist. He has a handsome looking handlebar mustache and is balding. Standing with his hands behind his back like many storekeepers do, he is waiting for us to make up our minds about what we want to select. "Salesman Dan," wearing a three-piece suit and a bowler hat, is standing with his hands on his jacket in the typical salesman pose. He has his suitcase of samples at his feet and a couple of packages in his suit coat pockets. 
The new people look natural in front of one of the stores in the big town on the railroad. 
They join some of the other "Fine Folk" who live in the town 
and work on the railroad. 
The next census will show a population increase in the town. All of the "Fine Folk" are excellent models of the people found on a railroad in the early part of the 20th Century. It takes a little time to paint them, but they are indeed "Fine Folk" when the last paint dries. I hope that Mike's Backshop continues to add to this fine line of figures. 
| fine folk |
| You did a very nice job with the painting of the figures. Why do you prime with black ? |
| Romilio Marques - 01/18/2010 - 20:07 |
| Fine Folk |
| The black makes it easy to see where you are painting the final color and allow a good separation color between the colors. Noel |
| Noel Widdifield - 01/18/2010 - 23:31 |
Top of Page
|
