little people for ho scale

[Anonymous]

Where do you find the little people and things for the ho scale layouts? They are so expensive at the hobby shops but I've looked at other places and can't find anything. I've seen them naked but I don't think I could paint them. I've even looked around toys and can't find anything. Thanks

[thirdrail1]

Miniature people ARE fairly expensive because they have to be hand painted. That's why the unpainted ones are so much cheaper! If you can't do it yourself, keep a lookout on eBay, sometimes miniature people are sold there at lower prices and there is one person in Montreal that paints them him or herself for sale.

[Anonymous]

Although I've bought a few Preiser sets of figures, I've found some good deals on Ebay and purchased lots of Micro Machines figures. I got a huge lot of 72 military figures for $7.00! Sometimes you can get a huge accessories or parts lot in HO scale for a great price. If you want some new HO scale equipment on a decent budget, check out the IHC line of vehicles and accessories. They have some good tractors, trucks & trailers as well as farm equipment for tight budgets. You can detail them more or pu***hem toward the back of the layout. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Painting them yourself is not as hard as it seems. There have been a number of articles on painting them over the last few years. Give it a try, you save a bundle and it is kind of fun.

[Anonymous]

Its not generally known but Prieser offers their HO people (unpainted) in bulk packages of around 100 pcs per package. They have several themes...standing...sitting...working..oldtime..
passengers and etc. The cost is around $25-$30 a box which is really a good deal compared to the small sets of 4 or 5 figures. These bulk packs are kinda hard to find. Try Terminal Hobby Shop (Walthers) in Milwaukee or Caboose Hobbies in Denver. Figures are easy to paint. Just try it and you'll become addicted to it.....Vic

[snowey]

I agree. Figures are easy to paint. It just seems hard, when you look at pictures in magazines. They don't have to have much detail, because they're so small. As for the cost, try e-bay. They have a lot of model railroading stuff at great prices! You sound like a newcomer to the hobby. If you are, good luck!

[mnwestern]

I agree, unpainted is not as difficult as it sounds. You can paint assembly line style. Use one color at a time using flat paints such as Testor's, Model Master or even some of the railroad colors. Select a color, use it for one person's hat, the next person's shirt, a third person's pants, a fourth person's shoes, etc. This helps you get several done in a fairly short amount of time. Our club has has a people-painting session for our club layout. Five or six of us worked an hour or two and produced a few dozen people to populate the layout. People had a lot.
You can find several fle***ones. Just be sure to leave the figures on the plastic sprues they are attached to. It makes painting easier. You'll have to go back and touch up the head or hat where you cut or nipped it off the sprue.
I even paint N scale figures, so far without the aid of vision magnification at age 44. But I might soon need something. There are several magnifying visors, glasses, etc. out there to help, some with lights.
I found a great deal on a bag of generic unpainted figures at a hobby shop in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul called Scale Model Supplies. Cost me $10 to $12, I recall.
I do occasional buy prepainted figures if they are special poses, etc., not readily available unpainted.

[mnwestern]

I forgot two important points — I usually wa***he figures in warm water and detergent, rinse thoroughly and air-dry them thoroughly before painting. I also prime them using a spray primer, like Testor's primer gray or even flat black in the spray can. I have found this helps the final colors adhere better and also gives them richer, more realistic tones than painting a bright color on a white or Causasian skin toned figure. This was a tip I think I got out of Model Railroader a few years ago. It works!
TD

[Anonymous]

It really isn't so bad to paint them yourself, i usually line them up and paint some blue pants,and maybe black pants one evening, then red shirts, brown shirts, before you know it you can have a few dozen done, just take about a 1/2 hr. or so otherwise your eyes will start to cross.

[Anonymous]

Something else you can do with plastic figures too is reposition thier arms, legs, heads etc. Just whack them off with your trusty x-acto knife,do a little whittling and glue them back on in the position you want with liquid cement and paint away....Vic

[snowey]

FLAT BLACK! I'd think that'd be too dark, especially for the face!

[Anonymous]

Bruce, you're getting lots of encouragement to paint your own. I agree. Terry's two Jan 24 posts are right on. I would add using one of those magnifier lights to help. At my age I use one for many modelling tasks, and for reading any fine print as well. One thing, under the magnifier, your fingers will look like Godzilla's neck, and your brush like a stable broom...but it's still easier to paint a barn with a broom, than to paint the head of a pin with a cat's whisker. Use a top quality small brush [ I use a 5/0 Robert Simmons HS81 ].Dab off a bit of the dipped paint on a cloth or piece of wood before applying, for best control.Good luck and regards/ Mike

[mnwestern]

Flat black makes a great primer, yes, even under caucasian fle***one. It adds "depth."

[Anonymous]

Here's a little "trick" to make the facial features on HO people stand out....some of them have great expressions on their faces which you can't see until this is done.
1. For Caucausians or Orientals after the skin tone paint is dry very very gently rub the facial area with a #2 pencil.
2. For Black people or other very dark skined people use a very light grey colored pencil. I like to use Prismacolor Pencils which are available at art supply stores.
3. Be very "sparing" with the pencil when you do this otherwise it just comes out looking like a dirty face. What you will be trying to do is creating a shadow effect on the facial area...Vic

[CHESSIEMIKE]

I did not look at the whole string so you may know this. Walters Terminal Hobby Shop winter sale lists 3 different packages of 120 figures on sale for $17.98 Preiser #590-16326, 590-16337, and 590-16343. They also list painted figures.
CHESSIEMIKE

[Anonymous]

Try www.1st.placehobbies.com

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