# Curt Swan Tribute



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Guys,

As anybody who has acquired the recently Polar Lights Superman model knows, the detailing falls short from the neck up. The facial features are soft (you have to create the eyes with paint, rather than apply colors to distinct areas), the jaw is asymmetrical and the less said about the ears the better. Why these problems exist I don't know, but I do know that there's a need for a replacement head.

So I've set about making one, as I mentioned in the Superman Question/Suggestions thread. Going by email responses that have come my way, there seems to be enough interest in the project to warrant a work-in-progress thread. I'm not a fan of this type of thread and by all means, if you're not either, feel free to move on. I'm doing this in part to satisfy those HobbyTalkers who were interested enough to email and also keep a gun to my head (as it were) to get the project finished.

I want to accomplish two things with this replacement. One is to make a separate part that will allow the torso to be assembled without the head, with the locators for the cape left intact. The other is the replacement head itself, engineered so the lower neck will fit neatly into the complex contours of Superman's shirt collar. This way, a modeler can paint the head and hands separately from the costume without tedious masking.

Up to now, I've made a couple of resin castings of the assembled kit head. I cut the bottom away from one casting and sanded it flat so that it fits the inside of the torso assembly, its top fits right at the bottom of the collar. So the master for one part of the project is done.

I have begun work on the head itself, grinding the solid resin down with my Dremel tool (_not_ the Magnagouger, the little one that runs on a mere 110v AC) to shape the head more like Curt Swan's drawings. I should mention that Mr. Swan was my favorite Superman artist, and that I'm hoping to achieve this likeness, from the era that the "Kryptonite Nevermore" story appeared in _Superman_ #233. The other night I finished modeling the eyeballs, so the sculpt looks pretty ghoulish at present with them staring out of Superman's eye sockets. I believe that the success of the face depends on having the eyes lined up correctly, so this was a critical step for me.

As I've said elsewhere, I'm not a professional sculptor and I know there are better materials and techniques for doing this sort of thing. But I'm comfortable with using Aves Apoxie Sculpt to add to previouly hardened work, which does slow down the process. I hope you guys will be patient with me.


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## Aurora-brat (Oct 23, 2002)

Good luck Mark, if anyone is up to the challenge it's you.

Look forward to seeing your take.

Tory


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## deadmanincfan (Mar 11, 2008)

You may want to consider casting and selling this piece, Mark... I would be more than inclined to get one...


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

deadmanincfan said:


> You may want to consider casting and selling this piece, Mark... I would be more than inclined to get one...


I can't speak for Mr. McGovern, but I believe that is his intention and one of the reasons he started this thread.

That said, I've spoken to a number of sculptors who have told me that creating a 3D sculpt from 2D reference material can be challenging, to say the least. Regardless of whether or not you make a replacement head available to us lunatics, I'm very interested in seeing what you come up with Mr. McGovern!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

deadmanincfan said:


> You may want to consider casting and selling this piece...


That's the idea, deadie. My intention is not to become rich or open an online model store, but to provide PL Superman kit owners with a head that is (hopefully) worthy of the rest of the kit.



Zombie_61 said:


> ...creating a 3D sculpt from 2D reference material can be challenging...


Zombie,

I recognize that fact all too well. But that's another aspect of the project, to meet the challenges. Basically, there are two: to come up with an acceptable master, and then to cast the thing decently. We'll see.

In the meantime, I started reshaping the head, now that I have the eyes to use for a reference. I discovered that the ears, such as they are, were sculpted too far forward, compared to the Curt Swan drawings. So now they're gone and the vestiges started; I have to be careful to make them the same distance from the front of the head and level with each other in relation to the eyes. They're almost as tough to line up as the eyes were - talk about challenges..!


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

Mark McGovern said:


> ... - talk about challenges..!


and you are just the guy to handle them. We are cheering for you Mark!


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Mark McGovern said:


> ...I started reshaping the head, now that I have the eyes to use for a reference. I discovered that the ears, such as they are, were sculpted too far forward, compared to the Curt Swan drawings. So now they're gone and the vestiges started; I have to be careful to make them the same distance from the front of the head and level with each other in relation to the eyes. They're almost as tough to line up as the eyes were...


Oh, I don't know...doesn't seem _too_ difficult...


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Zombie,

One of humanity's great faults is that it can take a wonderful, useful tool like Photoshop and corrupt it for the most foul and debased purposes. If only you could learn to use your genius do good works instead of serving the powers of evil...:tongue:


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## Night-Owl (Mar 17, 2000)

Looking forward to seeing your sculpt Mark!


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Mark McGovern said:


> Zombie,
> 
> One of humanity's great faults is that it can take a wonderful, useful tool like Photoshop and corrupt it for the most foul and debased purposes. If only you could learn to use your genius do good works instead of serving the powers of evil...:tongue:


If only I had a dollar for every time someone has told me that. :lol:


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

I shudder to think of the mountain you'd be sitting on, Zombie, heh heh...

No progress to report, because work and _Young Frankenstein_ have occupied almost the whole of my weekend, except for eating, sleeping, and writing this post. The Toledo Museum of Art never rests of course; fortunately this afternoon's matinee is the Rep production's last performance (although there's talk of reviving it as a fundraiser come October, the show being a sell-out). But _I'm_ not selling out, I'll be grinding away on Superman's cocoanut tomorrow.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Mark McGovern said:


> I shudder to think of the mountain you'd be sitting on, Zombie, heh heh...


I'm not sure it would qualify as a mountain, but it might pay for a kit or two.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Just a quick update, got a night post at my "day job" and must scoot.

I was finally able to get some work done on Superman, roughing in the locations of his ears. Thought I had them lined up once before but didn't. This time they look just right, though even the misaligned ones had more detail than those molded on the kit head. I plan to get make more progress this weekend and will update as I go.

Have a great weekend, everybody!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

'Nother update: I started shaving down the planes of the cheek bones and discovered that the eyes still weren't right. The right eyeball was sunk too far back in the skull in relation to the left eye. So I had to add some more putty to the right eye to bring it forward, then resculpt the iris and pupil. After a couple tries, whaddaya know, I have them lined up again!

Then I added the second level of detail to the ears. I could give you the scientific names of the curved structures that wind down from the tops of the ears to the lobes, but they'd be meaningless (unless you really want to know how the helix relates to the antitragus). What counts is, they look pretty much like Mr. Swan's drawings from the sides and they line line up looking from the front of the head and down from the top.

This has been one of those modeling sessions where you can't believe how well something came out. Tomorrow I may look at the head and, because I decide tonight's work is a p.o.s., curse dear old Dad for introducing me to the hobby. But right now I'm beginning to think I might actually pull this thing off.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Today I poured the RTV rubber for the torso base part, to which the replacement head will attach. It'll take about 3 days to harden; I allow extra time because the rubber shrinks slightly until it's fully cured. If anybody's interested, I use Alumilite products.

I decided to go ahead and build the rest of the kit, which was the second of the two test shots Polar Lights sent me to build for the packaging photos, etc (I mention that because of weird things like a grainy texture on the cape and the right hand with no locator at the wrist; any of you who've built the boxed edition run into this stuff?). I nipped all the parts off the parts trees and the snap-fit prongs off the parts with sprue cutters. The larger retainers on the arms and legs were trimmed with a cutting wheel in the Dremel tool, leaving only the square locators.

Now I'll be able to assemble the limbs and paint them separately from the torso. This will minimize masking and I'll be able to glue the painted sub-assemblies together with a lot less hassle. The last step was to wash the parts with a solution of Simple Green liquid detergent and water; they're air drying now.


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

I'm looking forward to seeing this head - should be a great improvement. I'll most likely build my kit with the new head if it becomes available.
Steve


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

scooke123 said:


> I'll most likely build my kit with the new head if it becomes available.


Hang in there, Steve.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Got a nice chunk of time this afternoon to reshape the head some more. Mainly, though, I finished sanding down the gritty and herringbone artifacts molded in the cape halves. Now the tube - yes, tube - glue is drying with the halves clamped together. Why am I mentioning the cape? Because it may figure in the addition of a couple more parts to the Tribute, we shall see.

Today I also demolded the lower torso base part. Maybe "torso adapter part" would be better? Anyhow, the mold looks okay; I won't know how functional it is until I try casting some resin in it.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Couldn't get as much done as I'd have liked; it doesn't pay to make up Aves Apoxie Sculpt unless I have a goodly block of time to work with it. But I was working on the makeups for several characters in the Toledo Rep's production of _Jekyll & Hyde_, mowing the lawn, etc. on my day off. So I had to be content with sanding down the cape seam.

Now here's a tip that's off topic, but you'll find it useful. The big seam down the middle of Superman's cape causes all kinds of headaches. The lap joint makes the plastic of the mating areas of the cape pieces thinner by half - with the result that the parts are weakest where you need the most strength (that is, unless the issue parts were engineered better than the test shot I'm working with). The first time I fought with the seam, I tried super glue, epoxy putty, tube putty - everything I could think of to smooth the gap. They all worked to one extent or another, but they also required a boatload of sanding. 

A recent tip in _FineScale Modeler_ magazine reminded me of another alternative: filling the seam with stretched sprue. First I glued the cape halves together with good old tube glue, spreading a little on each part's mating surface. The glue isn't so hot that it distorts the plastic the way liquid cement can, it bonds securely when clamped tightly, and the stuff that makes it gelatinous also acts as a filler. I clamped the assembly thoroughly and let the parts dry overnight. Next I scraped to remove the blobs of dried tube glue and also slightly widen the seam for the sprue. I stretched some to a diameter just a bit wider than the seam and glued it in place with liquid cement. A heavier application softened the sprue even more; I mashed it down into the seam with the end of a metal tool. This dried overnight also.

Today I scraped the sprue down a bit with a curved #10 X-ACTO knife and sanded with 220-, 320-, and 400-grit wet-or-dry sandpapers. There were still some small voids that I filled with solvent putty. I can sand that easily enough and finally wind up having a seamless cape with far less work.

So can you. You might want to try attacking the big seam this way, which I think provides a stronger construction than anything else I can think of. Next post I'll be back on topic.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

The bad news is, I just haven't got the resources to make a good, clean, non-pixellated image of Mr. Swan's version of the "S" symbol, so I can't come up with acceptable decals. The good news is, a lot of people have said they'd have preferred three-dimensional insignia anyway. The bad news is, I haven't got the resources to do photo etch, either. The good news is, my experiment with doing a 3-D "S" symbol old school has paid off.

Here's how it worked: I resized a good image of the artwork to about one inch tall and printed it on plain white copy paper. Then I cut the insignia out with a new, sharp #11 hobby knife. (Hint: start by cutting the entire symbol out of the paper, leaving plenty of material around the insignia itself. This will make it easier to maneuver the paper as you make your precise cuts. Begin removing the symbol by cutting from the inside of the "S", starting with the larger negative spaces, then the smaller ones in the corners, then the border last).

I immersed the symbol in a 50-50 mix of white glue and water and brushed some of this on Superman's chest, since it has the most complex contours. Then I laid the paper "S" on the plastic and gently moved it into position; it behaved rather like a water slide decal. I blotted the excess glue/water mix off the plastic with a rag and let it dry. _Voila!_ Now I have a slightly raised Curt Swan insignia.

There are a lot of different ways to handle this. I applied my symbol over bare plastic, thinking I could hand brush it after painting the torso. But I might also paint the yellow background, mask it, paint the torso, and then add the paper "S" symbol, already colored red. If that's not thick enough for your tastes, you could always layer extra insignias over one another or print them on the thickest paper your printer will accept.

The white glue/water mix dries clear. Any residue that might be visible after it dries can be removed with warm water. Certainly it will disappear under Testors Dullcote or any other clear sealer one might use. 

Have a try at this. I've attached the artwork so you can print off as many copies as you need - come to think of it, you can download any version of the "S" symbol and get a relief effect this way. I know this is peripheral to the replacement head, but I was so excited by the results I had to share it. Good Luck!


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## solographix (Apr 28, 2009)

Mark McGovern said:


> The bad news is, I just haven't got the resources to make a good, clean, non-pixellated image of Mr. Swan's version of the "S" symbol, so I can't come up with acceptable decals. The good news is, a lot of people have said they'd have preferred three-dimensional insignia anyway. The bad news is, I haven't got the resources to do photo etch, either. The good news is, my experiment with doing a 3-D "S" symbol old school has paid off.
> 
> Here's how it worked: I resized a good image of the artwork to about one inch tall and printed it on plain white copy paper. Then I cut the insignia out with a new, sharp #11 hobby knife. (Hint: start by cutting the entire symbol out of the paper, leaving plenty of material around the insignia itself. This will make it easier to maneuver the paper as you make your precise cuts. Begin removing the symbol by cutting from the inside of the "S", starting with the larger negative spaces, then the smaller ones in the corners, then the border last).
> 
> ...


Good News! I am a graphic designer who frequents the forums for RC related stuff but I peruse all the sections. This should be anything you may EVER need to reproduce the logo. Vector & Raster versions provided.

http://www.adamzuidema.com/Swan_Superman.ai
http://www.adamzuidema.com/Swan_Superman.eps
http://www.adamzuidema.com/Swan_Superman.pdf
http://www.adamzuidema.com/Swan_Superman.jpg


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

solo,

Wow, what a beautiful rendition! Unfortunately, the image got all raggedy when I tried to resize it to 1-1/8" in height using Adobe Photoshop 2007. That's been my problem all along - I'm better with glue and paint than computer graphics. But thanks for jumping in!


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## solographix (Apr 28, 2009)

Mark McGovern said:


> solo,
> 
> Wow, what a beautiful rendition! Unfortunately, the image got all raggedy when I tried to resize it to 1-1/8" in height using Adobe Photoshop 2007. That's been my problem all along - I'm better with glue and paint than computer graphics. But thanks for jumping in!


Do you want 1 1/8" actual graphic height of the S? My guess is you may have anti-aliasing turned off. The attached is 1.125 in height at 300 dpi do you need it higher resolution than that?


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## solographix (Apr 28, 2009)

Also I should add to this. If you open the file with the .ai or eps extension with Photoshop, it will allow you to set the size it will rasterize the image. So for example when you open it set the height to 1.125 and the resolution or DPI to 600 for an even higher resolution file at the size required.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

solo',

Oh, ah. I'm not sure how, but by turning on the anti-aliasing and resetting the dpi, I was able to get the insignia reduced. This makes the "S" symbols about 1 inch high, or 8 scale inches. I arrived at that number after measuring one of Mr. Swan's full-front drawings and comparing the height of the insignia to Superman's stated height of 75" (in _The DC Comics Encyclopedia_).

Anyhow, I'm again indebted for your help. I was even able to convert the red "S" and border to yellow for the cape - using only the fill tool! How that could happen with a jpeg I will not undertake to ask (probably wouldn't understand the answer anyway). Many thanks again!

BTW, I've made more progress with the head, roughing in the skull and nose. It still looks more like a bust of the early Metamorpho than Superman, but it's getting there.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Why use Aves Apoxie Sculpt with a wet-on-dry technique, you ask? So every time I get one item right, it's easier to correct whatever the old one was that I thought I had right but is now fouled up, I answer. That is, I thought after 2 tries I had the eyes located properly. But once I got the nose shaped the way I wanted, I found that the eyes were still sitting too far back from the front of the head. So now I have a new set of eyes hardening.

Still, I'm making progress, one of those one-step-back for-every-two-steps-forward situations. But even at this rough stage you can see Curt Swan's Superman starting to come through. At least the nose and ears look pretty good.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Haven't posted for awhile, sorry - but I was getting frustrated with the Aves, having to wait for each step to harden before proceeding with the next. I needed something else, so I tried Sculpey polymer clay. It models like regular clay, but when I want to "fix" something, I can heat it with a heat gun and harden the Sculpey. This speeds up the wet-on-dry process I like, yet the clay has a pretty much infinite working time compared to Aves.

That's not to say I'll turn my back on Aves entirely. Sculpey has its own idiosyncrasies; sometimes it won't stick to an underlying surface, sometimes it will. Aves Safety Solvent, rubbing alcohol, even water helps smooth Sculpey clay, but each one affects it differently. Usually that means making the clay mushy and unusable. Bit of a learning curve here.

At any rate, I've got the shapes of the head roughed in nicely. I was making a mistake in not adding to the neck, thinking that could be done after I had the jaw shaped. But no, they needed to be done together. *sigh* After I get this project done, I'm going to have to go back to college and take some sculpture courses...


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

It will be cool to see what you come up with Mark. Part of the fun for me in the hobby is trying new materials and playing with different ideas to try to achieve a look or a goal.

Super Sculpy seems to be what many sculptors I've talked to use but more and more I seem wax figures being done. One advantage to using wax as the medium is that reworking the piece is easier. Mediums like sculpy and aves hold detail well but what do you do if you don't like a feature after they harden? Seems like the only out is to redo the part? What's been your experience?

As a sidebar; I was chatting with a sculptor I met recently and told him I was thinking about trying my hand a a simple sculpture. When I asked him for a suggestion about what subject to start with and he said 'a snowman' . I chuckled to myself and asked him why a snowman and here replied:

"An easy first subject. Fast and lets you learn how to work the clay. Plus you can paint it and display it at Christmas. You do not need reference material. It'll teach you about pinning and baking time."

Seems to make sense but my only problem is where to put the bolts since snowmen don't have necks :freak:

Regards,
Matt


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Mr. Spockr,

What I like about using a material that's plastic enough to work but then hardens is, I can subtract if necessary by carving, sanding, etc. I was getting impatient with the Aves only because of the limited working time and the extended curing time. Sculpey III handles in a similar fashion to Aves Apoxie Sculpt with regard to forming the material into various shapes, but since they are different products they both have their peccadilloes, too. I switched to Sculpey because I recalled an old _Kitbuilders_ article by Wayne "The Dane" Hansen, who used a heat gun to harden the clay as he converted a Barbie doll into Vincent Price - !

I haven't tried wax for two simple reasons: 1 - I already had the other materials on hand and 2 - I haven't got the least idea how to sculpt with wax. For the purpose of making a replacement head I had to start with a resin copy of the kit part; that is, from the shoulders down I can't change anything or the part will foul up the fit of the cape over the shoulders. So this seems to me to be the best course.

I'm sure all the pro sculptors out there will get nostalgic if they see this thread. I'll bet it will bring back memories of when they were first starting to sculpt. When they were - oh, say, five or six years old...


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## Jafo (Apr 22, 2005)

keep on, keeping on Mark!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Oh I am, John. But between my day job and being a happy homeowner, I haven't got as much time to spend at the workbench as I'd like. And I'm trying to get my own web site up and running so I can post WIP photos there instead of clogging up this forum.

Thanks, and I'll keep everybody posted on the Noggin of Steel!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Guys,

Don't get excited, I'm not there yet, just posted an update on my blog. I'm still working on this project, not giving up.


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