Posted by Loren Perry on May 28, 1998 at 22:52:31 in nts99.rockisland.com:
Because there seems to be so much interest in making
figures of Jack and Rose for 1/350 scale models of the
Titanic, I thought I'd pass on my methods which have
worked very well for my model:
First, to do this properly, one needs a set of
Gold Medal Models 1/350 scale Naval Figures ($5 for a
set of 100 3-D figures plus $1 postage from GMM.)
You'll need two of these naval figures - one of the
signalmen with his two flags at about the same angle,
and one of the anti-aircraft gunners. The signalman
will be turned into Rose and the gunner into Jack.
To make Jack: Bend the gunner's arms forward about
90 degrees and put the hands at about waist level. Bend
him slightly forward at the waist and a little to his
right. Paint his pants tan, a long overcoat in black,
and his hair a blonde color. Use the publicity stills
from the film as your guide.
To make Rose (a little more work here): Cut off the
flags and level the arms. Bend the head back a few
degrees. Now take some modeler's putty, thin it down
with a bit of lacquer thinner, and apply it to the
front and back of the figure to give it a more feminine
shape. Build up the flowing skirt by adding a bit more
putty to the rear. Also, add putty to the rear of her
head and shape it to resemble wind-blown hair. Use a
toothpick to apply and shape the putty. A small brush
dipped in lacquer thinner can be used to blend the
putty more smoothly.
To make Rose's shawl: get a small scrap of very
thin (.005" or .010" thick) plastic sheet. You could
also use thick white paper or card. Cut two
short sections (about equal in length to one of her
arms) and then CA-glue them to the undersides of each
arm. Angle them slightly to the rear to simulate being
wind-blown. Blend them into the arms with putty.
Now take another piece of thin plastic or paper card
and cut a crescent-shaped piece about twice the
length of one of her arms. It should taper to a point at
each end.
Glue this piece to Rose's back at shoulder level,
running from one arm to the other. The low center of
the crescent should sag in the middle, under her hair.
Blend the tips into the backs of her arms with putty.
When all is dry, paint Rose's hair an auburn color
(a "rust" colored paint works well here) and her dress
a dark blue or violet. The shawl should be white.
When your model is finished and rigged, place Rose
in the extreme bow of the ship leaning slightly forward
(as if into the wind) and then add Jack right behind her
with his hands at her waist. You now have the "flying"
lovers, right out of the silver screen.
NOTE: I designed and released the 1/350 Ocean Liner
Figure set many months before the film opened. Had
I known about this famous scene beforehand, I would
have included some Jack and Rose figures in it. But the
modified Naval Figures work very well. And because the
Naval Figures set provides several of each type, you'll
have more than one chance to get your figures just right.
The remaining naval figures are also useful.