Best material to use for customising

[1AZRAEL1]

Hi guys, I am wanting to scratch-build some things and was wondering what kind of materials would be best to make them out of? As in putty or something.

Basically I need something that is strong, easily used, cheap-ish.

Any help is appreciated.

[5FDP]

Wet toilet paper is easily used and cheap-ish. And for those that would argue that it's not strong enough, well the wet toilet paper that I used to throw up on the dunny block ceiling at school is still there almost 30 years later :D

[GoktimusPrime]

There are kinds of plastic clays you can sculpt like Sculpey and Super Sculpey etc. I haven't had good experiences with them (mine tend to become brittle and break) but a lot of customisers swear by them. <shrug> Consult a craft shop like Riot! or Lincraft? Some people also use modelling clay and latex; but that's more for custom cosplay components, not sure if that could apply with smaller scale toy parts. Sculpting latex would require more effort but should be more durable (I know a dude who sculpts body armour from latex for his costumes).

[gamblor916]

You can't go past Tamiya 2 part epoxy putty for ease of use and fine texture. There are better ones out there like the fine art putties Aves etc, but the Tamiya stuff is easier to find. You have to bake sculpy which means that whatever parts you modify have to withstand oven temperatures. I wouldn't recommend air dry clays either. I used the Tamiya stuff on my Meister and it's nice to work with for the first 24 hours or so. After that it gets rock hard.

[SMHFConvoy]

You can use anything.

Balsa wood, styrene, clay or metal. I'm sure there are more. If you use clay the figures weight will increase, which is why some people use sculpty or super sculpty. Or you could use balsa wood and then cover it in clay and cast it in resin.

If you are after a clay like substance I suggest you get a set of sculpting tools and these can be purchased at most art supply stores.

I retract that. You can make your own tool set cheaply. (http://sculptingtools.blogspot.com/)

[1AZRAEL1]

All really good ideas, thanks heaps guys. I may start on one of the projects this weekend, money permitting :o