QMX Star Trek General discussion thread

[harvey2face]

I do too, and I recognize this, but I have no idea how to make it better. Is there any advice you could give?
Like I have a hard time balancing them just so that they keep standing. Any pose differently than straight up gets them off balance. There is someone on Facebook who does a wonderful job of posing all kind of different Ben Browder characters and they always look so life-like and in mid motion, pointing and running and climbing. I have no idea how she does it, especially with so many in one shot. If one topples, all the others go with them in mine. Like dominos

I can't even get the Trek figures arms straight down at the sides, they always seem to stick off at an odd angle. Did I do something weird to their shoulder joints that should be fixed, or is that just the way they are? Obviously, I don't want to break anything in trying too hard.

For dynamic poses, I tend to try them myself. Much to my wife's amusement. This helps me get a feel for how everything lines up. For these figures though I think, a simple pose works best. Taking a tricorder reading, using a communicator. Since I got the Captain's chair, none of mine are actually using a phaser.

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[lieutenant dan]

I do too, and I recognize this, but I have no idea how to make it better. Is there any advice you could give?...

There are a few tips here: https://www.onesixthwarriors.com/fo...ost-your-tricks-about-figure-posing-here.html

Looking at pics of how people stand is very helpful, when trying to recreate even a "neutral" stance for a 1/6 figure. For instance, most people stand with their feet at a slight outward angle, rather than straight ahead, or angled inwards. Adding a slight bend to the arms and back also helps the pose look more natural. Hope this helps.

 

[davejames]

Yeah the biggest thing with standing poses is remembering that we often put all our weight on one leg or another when we stand, and you can angle the hips and body of a figure in a similar way. That helps get away from the stiff, doll-like look I often see in people's collections. And I usually try to turn the upper body to the side a bit as well, which duplicates those "hero" poses you see actors striking in promo images all the time.

 

[abake]

I do too, and I recognize this, but I have no idea how to make it better. Is there any advice you could give?
Like I have a hard time balancing them just so that they keep standing. Any pose differently than straight up gets them off balance. There is someone on Facebook who does a wonderful job of posing all kind of different Ben Browder characters and they always look so life-like and in mid motion, pointing and running and climbing. I have no idea how she does it, especially with so many in one shot. If one topples, all the others go with them in mine. Like dominos

I can't even get the Trek figures arms straight down at the sides, they always seem to stick off at an odd angle. Did I do something weird to their shoulder joints that should be fixed, or is that just the way they are? Obviously, I don't want to break anything in trying too hard.

Well, I don't consider myself an expert, but some of the tips the fellas have shared are quite useful, like analyzing pics of actual people.
Of course, each figure has its own limitations, due to its articulation, clothing, and accessories...
Some figures are quite top heavy, or the boots/shoes are very restrictive, so you have to work around those things. Another pet peeve of mine is how difficult it is to get most figures to have their arms hang down their sides. I've found that it helps to rotate the arms slightly inwards at the bicep joint.
Another thing I've noticed is that it usually helps to rotate or angle the head slightly. Also, try to keep one leg straight and angle the other slightly at the knee. If you push the shoulder on the straight leg's side slightly down you'll get a nice, natural pose.
I'm not at home right now, but if I manage, I'll post some pics tomorrow.

 

[DioramaMaker]

Go get yourself in front of a mirror and strike a pose similar to what you're aiming for. See what it really looks like. That helps a bunch. What you see in reality isn't what you might imagine when posing.

 

[Sixth Scale Man]

All good posing tips! I found having done life drawing and anatomy extremely helpful. Even the stick figure poses where the line-of-action through the legs, hips and shoulders are roughly sketched out to get the centre of gravity right.
One other thing I’d add is portraying the “character” of a figure. Finding the right attitude in the tilt of the head or overall posture goes a long way. A pet peeve is seeing Alec Guinness Obi-Wan in a kick-***, Sith-destroying power pose. Just not the character at all. Go nuts with the Ewan McGregor version. He did all sorts of flips and kicks!
Anyway, hope that helps![emoji106][emoji106]


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[DioramaMaker]

Yeah the biggest thing with standing poses is remembering that we often put all our weight on one leg or another when we stand, and you can angle the hips and body of a figure in a similar way. That helps get away from the stiff, doll-like look I often see in people's collections. And I usually try to turn the upper body to the side a bit as well, which duplicates those "hero" poses you see actors striking in promo images all the time.

All good posing tips! I found having done life drawing and anatomy extremely helpful. Even the stick figure poses where the line-of-action through the legs, hips and shoulders are roughly sketched out to get the centre of gravity right.
One other thing I’d add is portraying the “character” of a figure. Finding the right attitude in the tilt of the head or overall posture goes a long way. [emoji106][emoji106]

Weightiness and natural human compensation for fatigue and balance are really important aspects of catching your pose right, coupled with a demand for good characterization. SSM's point of knowing the character makes or breaks your shelf. Keeping it in theme definitely brings convincing presence.

Like Dave says, we have a tendency to shift our weight, and it can be hard to capture that in figures because of the joint limitations. I teach Anatomy and Physiology and often reference the real world function of the body in my shelf designs.

Very early on I made a post about posing that I should dig up again. I highlighted the idea that poses should tell a story, even if they are 100% self contained.

I like the idea of a thread dedicated to this sort of subject. I've been meaning to do it for a while, but I am going to run and start a thread on the subject in which we can all share and explain our poses. It might help end the barrage of mannequins! be "The Anatomy of a Pose"

 

[abake]

Well here’s a few quick pics with variations on the “shifting weight from one leg to another”.

Crappy iPhone pics don’t really help, but I hope they convey the idea.

First off Kirk.
I wanted to convey Kirk’s energetic and somewhat arrogant nature without having to resort to an “action” pose, so I put the right leg slightly forward and bent it at the knee, adjusting the ankle accordingly. The left leg was slightly rotated at the hip, and I kept the torso in line with the left leg, so that the tilt of the head would be more noticeable. I also pushed the left shoulder down a bit as it’s more natural. I kept the arms away from the body on purpose, to give the pose a sensation of movement. The inward angle of the left hand makes Kirk look a bit tense as well (IMHO).

Next up Christopher Reeve as Superman.
I tried to copy this pose from a fellow boardie, so I can’t take credit...
Important for me here is how the chest articulation along with the angle of the head are used to make the pose more dynamic. The left arm sticks out more, but with the general direction of the torso and head, it adds purpose to the pose. The slight angle of the fists also projects that feeling of tension and strength.

On to Affleck’s Batman.
Here I wanted to try and catch Batman mid-stride, don’t know how successful I was...
Again, the right leg goes forward and the left leg is slightly angled outward. But unlike Kirk, the idea here is that the weight is on the right (forward) leg, so the right leg is straight, while the left is bent at the knee (which means the heel is not touching the ground). To accentuate the idea of walking, Batman is staring straight ahead, and his torso is in line with the right leg. I positioned the left arm closer to the body (by twisting it at the bicep joint) as it makes sense due to the weight of the gun, while the right arm swings more loosely away from the body.

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[abake]

And a couple more...

Sideshow’s Stormtrooper (with HT torso armor).

These guys are really awkward, so it wasn’t easy to find a good pose...
So I went with the tried and true “putting your weight on one leg”. The rifle helps a lot to make the pose more human, as the implied weight of it allows for the stance to be more exaggerated. The angle of the head is key to make it look (hopefully) natural. A bit of futzing, in this case pulling the belt further down on the left side to account for the weight of the blaster in the holster, adds a bit of life and character to the figure.

And good old Deckard.
Once you get the hang of it, you can quickly find the pose and then just work on futzing the clothes to make them hang naturally. Of course, functional pockets always help!

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[gin007]

I cant wait for QMX to make an announcement about the speculative re-releases, so for a decapitated McCoy, he doesnt look too bad. Just gotta find some wrist braids to upgrade him to commander.

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[JMW326]

Go get yourself in front of a mirror and strike a pose similar to what you're aiming for. See what it really looks like. That helps a bunch. What you see in reality isn't what you might imagine when posing.

I suggested this in another thread a couple of years ago and everyone laughed at me. Lol of course most of them probably still have derpy poses. One of the first things they taught me way (way) back in animation school was if you were having trouble with a pose, to stand in front of a mirror and try to recreate it exactly. If it feels unnatural, then it's usually wrong. Lol.

There are a few good suggestions for posing here. A couple things I would like to add are
1: most people rarely ever stand with their feet pointing straight out in front of them parallel with their legs. One or both are usually turned outward slightly.
2: elbows should never be turned straight front and back. They should be turned slightly as well.
3: pay attention to the ankle pegs when posing the soft good boots. They can easily get pushed forward or to the side and give that unnatural broken ankle look. straighten them out. It will also help the material lay right.
4: knees and elbows. They are double jointed for a reason. I see lots of people that bend the knees and elbows just using the bottom joint. That gives them a stubby look.

 

[Stryker2011]

J

I suggested this in another thread a couple of years ago and everyone laughed at me. Lol of course most of them probably still have derpy poses. One of the first things they taught me way (way) back in animation school was if you were having trouble with a pose, to stand in front of a mirror and try to recreate it exactly. If it feels unnatural, then it's usually wrong. Lol.

There are a few good suggestions for posing here. A couple things I would like to add are
1: most people rarely ever stand with their feet pointing straight out in front of them parallel with their legs. One or both are usually turned outward slightly.
2: elbows should never be turned straight front and back. They should be turned slightly as well.
3: pay attention to the ankle pegs when posing the soft good boots. They can easily get pushed forward or to the side and give that unnatural broken ankle look. straighten them out. It will also help the material lay right.
4: knees and elbows. They are double jointed for a reason. I see lots of people that bend the knees and elbows just using the bottom joint. That gives them a stubby look.

Everyone I went to Art School with did this, as well. If we weren’t drawing/painting nude models, we’d get one of our friends, or do it ourselves — it also helps to see how clothes hang/drape on the body.

 

[ZE_501]

Error — delete please. Thanks mods!

 

[abake]

That's very cool!

 

[**16k**]

The abominable Sulu will be there tomorrow. I’m preparing my vomit bag!

 

[ZE_501]

LOLOL...so sorry guys, I wondered where this post above ended up. It was supposed to be in the posing thread.

Mods, delete if you would, please and thank you!


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[**16k**]

Okay, so Sulu is there and I had time to give him a cursory glance (it’s been a long day!) and, well, not good, their weakest so far. That said, I have to admit it’s better in hand and that Cheshire Cat’s smile isn’t as obtrusive as I thought. It’s just a weak likeness overall, but the smile isn’t what makes him look off. Don’t regret buying but hell definitely be in the background.

 

[davejames]

I've definitely noticed this is a sculpt that does not work well in closeups. It's only full body shots taken from a distance that seem to look halfway decent.

 

[ymba]

I've definitely noticed this is a sculpt that does not work well in closeups. It's only full body shots taken from a distance that seem to look halfway decent.

If Sulu only “ looks like Sulu “ in the dark or 1 football field away,
why not just take the head off and put any Asian looking dude with
bad skin and then paint the eye brows ��

 

[greatlakes6]

Okay, so Sulu is there and I had time to give him a cursory glance (it’s been a long day!) and, well, not good, their weakest so far. That said, I have to admit it’s better in hand and that Cheshire Cat’s smile isn’t as obtrusive as I thought. It’s just a weak likeness overall, but the smile isn’t what makes him look off. Don’t regret buying but hell definitely be in the background.

I’m curious, how are the eyebrows on yours? I noticed one that was shown a few pages back, had one eyebrow rounded and not pointed.