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| Image from Cool Mini or Not |
The most recent addition to my hobby equipment was some Instant Mold. I don't actually remember where I first saw it but Inquisitor Lord Aki did a nice Instant Mold review. It's basically a heat-softened putty that cools quickly and doesn't stick to greenstuff, kneadatite or any other of the common sculpting putties out there. Plus it's reusable. A feature that makes one of the rare products that you should only ever have to buy once. Awesome.
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| Image from Cool Mini or Not |
So far, this is probably one of my favourite tools simply because it allows me to make bits that would be otherwise impossible to make or just a right pain in the arse. Even before I found Instant Mold I had always wanted to get the iconography bits from the Ravenwing and Dark Angel Veteran boxes onto shoulder pads for my marines but had no viable way of doing it. Let me tell you, it was one of those moments when I was so thankful to have found this before I'd started on my army in earnest. Here's the process:
- Make a mold of whatever bit you want (in this case a chapter symbol)
- Chuck some greenstuff in it.
- Wait a few hours until it's no longer tacky but still pliable then trim it up.
- Slap it on a shoulder pad and BAM! Chapter specific shoulder pads.
This is my first attempt at making the Chapter icon for Angels of Redemption with greenstuff. As you can see it's a bit messy but for a first try it's not bad. I've done several other molds since this one and I'm getting better at it. As you can see, I messed up the skull a bit while I was putting it on but when you see it at actual size you can't really tell. Even if this was the best possible result, it's still not far off the detail on the Dark Angel shoulder pads from the Veteran box. In some regards, it's actually better...as long as you don't morph the skull when it's still soft.
Conclusion
Making anything other than simple, one-part molds is going to give you fairly average results. I did a few tests with two-part molds to try and duplicate a 3D bit. Depending on the detail you may or may not get away with it. Bits with a fair amount of detail are pretty much a waste of time and putty. You're probably not going to be able to duplicate whole thunder hammers or lightning claws with this. As long as you're realistic with what you plan to duplicate, it's a great product. I would definitely say this is worthy of Horadric Malus status.
Overall I give it 4.5/5
Stay tuned for more.
- Dugatron