My first homemade model!

[Isidro]

Certaiinly for this reason, and also because the paintjob could be better, tough this would be easy to correct. From this brand I only listed the kakapo as possible addition to m collection, but recently I learned that it measures 7 cm, so I've rejected it. The wedge-tailed eagle would be nice if the tip of primaly flight feathers were much more tapered, and if detachable from the snake too, of course.

[Isidro]

Well, I know it's supposed that I would do the 5 models suggested by Advicot, but I'm somewhat erratic, I did the two first of them only, I hope the other 3 will come in next batch.



1. This is different from my usual figures. A caricaturesque hedgehog, smiling and giving a hug. It's just a Christmas gift for my mother. She loves hedgehogs and have a small collection of them.
Making individual prickles attaching each one to the body has been a hard work!




2. Also a different figure, but in another sense: this will be not for my collection, but i'ts a request custom that I will sell to another collector. Great Indian Hornbill (Buceros bicornis). With a bad issue: gravity center is too forwards. The bird can't stand upright unless there is something over the tip of the tail.



Comparison with my homemade Helmeted hornbill:


And now with some neighbours of SE Asian rainforests for size comparison:

[Isidro]

And the remaining figures will form part of my collection.

3. Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo), or "hammer-hen" as used to be called in Spanish. A fully unique bird. I was enough fortunately to see them in Bronx zoo very recently. I think that this is one of my best bird figures.


All my Galliformes for now. Tough looks like that the guineafowl is trying to put peace between two angry and fighting fowl.


And with some other Sulawesi pals:



4. Yapok (Chironectes minimus). This very curious opossum is the only aquatic marsupial in the world and it's piscivore.


Marsupial meeting for size comparison:


But marsupials are not only aussies. Yapok lives in South America where he meets these neighbours, some homemade, some branded.

[Isidro]

And by last these small birds:

5. Superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus). I made it because I was thinking in my metallic blue pen, and I tough, oh, it's exactly the colour of a superb starling! So I did one for give use of the pen
But this was a nightmare. Modelling and baking went perfect, but when I started painting, one of the feet disattached from the wire leg. I used glue to fix it and then, the leg sticked to the table. Trying to disattach breaked all the toes. Finally I was able to glue all toes again and continue painting. But oh, then, the figure failed into my clothes and trying to catch it two of the toes of the other leg broken!!!! I find one of them and glued again, but the other toe was missing. I had to do a crude paste one and paint it being crude



And now the habitat neighbours...



And finally, 6. The wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), my favourite European bird! Not a great perfect custom, but enough for display.



If bidrwings are the most birdiest of the butterflies, wallcreeper is the most butterfliest of the birds Here the underside:


Being a mountain critter, ideal companions would be golden eagles, ibex and chamois. But I don't have none of these in figure. Well, wallcreepers are not only European and extends into the Asian mountains much like the bearded vulture, so... here an Himalayan pal.

[Advicot]

Lovely figures, your skills are certainly improving! I really adore that hornbill.  Also thanks for taking my ideas into account. 

[Isidro]

Maleo
Yapok
Drill
Bowfin
Red necked goose

Just curious if you make the drill will it be similar in size to the Schleich Mandrill?

Of course that I take your ideas into account, my beloved friend! In fact, I was who asked you

So, my pending homework of the other three species is already finished:



1. The zebra duiker, Cephalophus zebra. What? This is not a species that I already did? And is my collection not synoptic? Yes and yes. But this is a commision, by the same person that asked me for the hornbill


Here with my older zebra duiker. They could do a nice paper in a Noah's Ark diorama or a zoo diorama


2. The red-breasted goose, Branta ruficollis. For sure the most beautiful goose in the world!


With my other waterfowl:


3. The mythical Bowfin!!!!!!!!! (Amia calva). Another fish that for sure @sbell will like Sole surviving member of an ancient fish lineage that rised with the dinosaurs.
A thing I learned today while looking pictures for painting my model, is that male bowfins turn their lower fins and belly emerald green during spawning. I wanted to try and painted the fins bright green. But after some time I decided that my model is too striking and painted again in the classic colour. However, I didn't tried to delete every trace of green. I left a small green subhue that I sort of like:


I don't have many freshwater critters. Here the most likely friend for my new bowfin, another primitive fish tough this one is Chinese instead American.


4. And finally, what I think is maybe my best mammal sculpt. The drill, Mandrillus leucophaeus. I just love how I've got the shape of the face, a thing that I tought I would not be able to do properly.



And yes, Advicot, finally, I did with the same size than Schleich mandrill. I always tought that drills are slightly bigger, but in fact I've read that theyre very slightly smaller than mandrills!

[sbell]

@Isidro that bowfin is amazing.

If you ever need a home for it and the Paddlefish make sure to let me know. Neither exists as a figure of any kind (especially the Paddlefish).

Or just mold and cast more...

[Isidro]

Yes hehe, probably you noticed that most of my homemade models are for species that doesn't exist as figures.

[sbell]

Yes hehe, probably you noticed that most of my homemade models are for species that doesn't exist as figures.

I did notice that. Which is why I'm offering a home if they ever need one!

Or, could I commission one of each from you? Because they're quite brilliant.

[Isidro]

You can see that I already started commisions (even without pretending). If you understand that homemade models can be pricey and maybe shipping costs too, and that the material I use (SuperSculpey) is very brittle and a falling figure probably will break, then I can do something for you.

[sbell]

You can see that I already started commisions (even without pretending). If you understand that homemade models can be pricey and maybe shipping costs too, and that the material I use (SuperSculpey) is very brittle and a falling figure probably will break, then I can do something for you.

I will PM you!

[Advicot]

I decided to purchase some SuperSculpey. Now I need some plasticine to practise my sculpting techniques. I adore the drill @Isidro and I like its pose. Any suggestions what animals I could start with?

[Isidro]

Congrats for getting the starting point, dear Advicot!
I got SuperSculpey because it was the only available thing in my city apparently. If you have other options, remember always that SuperSculpey is much more brittle than other pastes and figures that fail to the flat will broke easily. With other modelling clays you will not have this problem.

The pose of the drill was chosen to match the drill in my photo:


I think is safest to start with animals that are easy to sculpt, with a not very complicated shape. If you like your results, then start seeking by some more ambitious models. More or less is what I did too

More suggestions from my list to do next?

[Advicot]

Here you are @Isidro:

Flagtail characin (Semaprochilodus taeniourus)
Splendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)
Flame bowerbird (Sericulus ardens)
Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
Marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata

[Isidro]

Thanks Advicot I like your taste for odd magnific fishes instead cute-mammals-only

[sbell]

Here you are @Isidro:

Flagtail characin (Semaprochilodus taeniourus)
Splendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)
Flame bowerbird (Sericulus ardens)
Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
Marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata

Those are some good choices. Surprisingly, I don't think anyone has actually made a toadfish figure before...

[Advicot]

Danke, @sbell

[Isidro]

There passed a lot of time since last updating, but finally here I am with the last batch. I already baked two weeks ago, painted all but one one week ago, and painted the last one today. Find enough free time for all hobbies is not always easy



First, I did by commision a couple of figures for a forum member that went enthusiasted about my previous models and wanted new ones as similar as possible to the older. Being hand-made models it's impossible to make exact copies, but in my opinion the newer ones are better than the older. Chinese paddlefish with longer and straighter rostrum, and a bowfin, where the shape of pelvic fins is slightly better done.



On top, the newer models and on bottom the older ones:


Second, a ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) as suggested by @Advicot. I like a lot this species that I was fortunate to see in Burger's zoo.



Comparison with more small carnivores (homemade marbled polecat and Nayab genet)


And now with a bit scary neighbour native of the same zone:

[Isidro]

Third, I wanted to diversify my selection of less represented phyla. I already had a sea snail but I wanted to do a cone. And then I choosed one of the most beautiful ones: the marbled cone (Conus marmoreus):


Shell lenght is only 1 centimeter!! About scale 1:10


These are my two gastropods for now. The baler volute welcomes another snail pal


And now all my marine invertebrates together. Soon they will increase


Fourth: one of my favourite fishes, the splendid toadfish, Sanopus splendidus. Like the Australian handfish, this is a fish that first I knew for its spectacular appareance, and only much latter (in this case when I searched for images for do the model) is when I knew that its a very endangered species. I also didn't knew that is endemic to Cozumel island!

Figure measures only 2 centimeters! You could imagine what a delicate work is to make and bake the barbels witouth breakage





And here with my homemade butterflyfishes and some Ikimon deepsea fishes:

[Isidro]

Fifth, the flame bowerbird, Sericulus ardens, requested by Advicot too. Probably my favourite member of the bowerbird family!




With my other passerines:


And now on a ride on a spiny neighbour hehe


Sixth and final: the flagtail characin, Semaprochilodus insignis. Well I did it a bit too big, but I will keep it anyway because I love it
I had all painted except the body. Today my mother lend me a silver pen, and I can finish this fish


Not much more freshwater fishes in my collection. Here with my bowfin, tough each one lives in a different America:


And a jaguar was walking at a river edge and found this beached. He's smelling it and judging if it's enough fresh to eat.