Apollo Era Astronaut Sculpture

As a surprise for me, my wife turned me into an Apollo astronaut. I'll never get to fly in space for real, but at least now i can say i'm an astronaut!

some of the following steps use images from other figure sculpts, as we didnt get all steps photographed for this one figure.

modelling wax

silicon for mould making

2 part epoxy resin

acrylic paints

Using photo references for both my head, and for the spacesuit (Cmd David Scott, Apollo 15), Sharon sculpted the figure in a hard wax, using a range of dental tools and some handmade tools she has crafted for specific tasks. Also uses a fine tipped heat tool to melt and apply small bits of wax to build up whilst shaping the model. The sculpt was done in several parts to make the moulding and casting process easier.

Head, body, arms and backpack were all individual pieces.

Once the sculpting is finished, an enclosure is built to surround the pieces. This is to form a mould, as the finished figure will be cast in resin.

Ensure you have planned ahead for air release holes and a channel for the resin to eventually get poured in

The silicon must be mixed exactly as per the manufacturers instructions. .This is carefully poured over the sculpt to ensure there are no air pockets.

Then the whole lot gets put into a pressure chamber - in this case a pressurized paint pot connected to a compressor. The whole lot is put under pressure to force any air bubbles out of the silicon whilst it cures. This is kept under pressure usually for 24-48 hrs. Better to be cautious beause if you release the pressure before the silicon is fully cured then you may actually destroy the mould!

The mould is carefully cut open with a sharp knife so the wax can be removed, and then its cleaned and dried. Only cut as little as possible, as the mould needs to be closed back up again once whilst the resin is being cast.

Mix your resin carefully and pour into the mould. Work quickly as the working times can be quite short. Use elastic bands to bind the mould togther without deforming it. Then repeat the pressure chamber treatment.

Be aware the pressure can alter the curing time of chemicals.

Once out of the mould, the pieces are washed to remove any chemical residue prior to painting.

a basecoat of primer is used, then layers of colour are slowly built up, using a combination of airbrush and fine tipped brushes.

The end result is absolutely fantastic!