Mark Stryker Old West Theme (Characters)

Yep. Etsy has been a godsend when it comes to 1/6 scale accessories. I want to make some room boxes like the Stryker home, the sheriff’s office, the saloon, etc., so I’ve been looking at Dollhouse stuff (you can occasionally find stuff that is sized “close enough” to 1/6 scale) on sites dedicated to dollhouses. Etsy is better at it, however, with stuff made 1/6 scale such as windows, doors, lights, etc. The era I’m working in has been a bit tricky as the types of homes in the Old West varied based on not just the financial situation of the people, but the resources that were generally available in the environment. The southwest was a dry, rugged land that didn’t offer a lot of building materials, and the cost to have them shipped in was very high (which is why the false fronts of most commercial buildings was so prominent — it was designed to make the establishment look better than it was — the insides were generally pretty shabby). As much as I’d like to be a bit more “realistic” I’m probably going to end up going a bit more Hollywood, at least to degree, as it’s easier to find stuff that matches.

That's true, I forgot about Etsy, which is strange considering I've been buying most of my action figure clothing and accessories from it lately. I've known about it for many years, but always assumed it would be more costly than ebay so never bothered with it, but I found that to be untrue, so it's been a great source lately. I've also bought tons of things from Aliexpress, even though that takes a lot of patience having to wait so long for delivery. But their prices on 1/12 items are hard to beat

I’ve found some of the same sellers on both eBay and Etsy, and I’ve found that the majority of manufacturer made stuff is generally cheaper on Etsy by a few bucks (it’s probably all the insane eBay fees), but the custom made stuff isn’t exactly cheap. And I’m still waiting on a couple items that I ordered from Etsy sellers back in early September — it’s all relative, I guess.

Yeah, Etsy prices vary wildly depending on what it is. But I like that you can find and buy custom and one-of-a-kind items there, and often directly from the artist/creator. While custom clothing and accessories can be much more expensive, it is also sometimes worth it in order to obtain exactly what you want rather than just 'settle' for the cheaper stuff.

Ovy wrote:Henry looks timeless, I think I know several people who look like him but drive tractors or are in the garden all day.

Charley has character, it's Vincent D'Onofrio? There are really fee heads that fit the Big body from the start, I think I did a lot of cutting  and powertooling on my Marlon Brando too.
I guess Charley rents the barbers reclining chair sometimes for his dentist side business?

Aha, yes, Vincent will be part of the Old West, that makes me feel warm fuzzies...after all, he's my favorite actor in da whole world!  Ovy has a good eye, I never caught that...

Yeah, aside from the mediocre Magnificent Remake, I don’t recall ever seeing him in a Weatern. But, yes, he makes for a good figure.

Some new items arrived. Two battery powered “oil lamps”, and an undersized vanity set. I’d like 1/6 scale, but aside from Barbie stuff which usually has some goofy hearts on them, and not fitting for the Old West, I’ve been having difficulty finding a vanity set in the proper scale, so for now this will do. Sorry for the crappy pics, I did it with my iPad.

Apart from the scale problems it looks very nice and fitting for your project.

Are you gonna make a giant western style "dollhouse" with different rooms or just one big film setting or sth else entirely?

Not really a full 1/6 scale dollhouse (though interestingly, most original dollhouses WERE 1/6 scale, but only the super wealthy — like royalty — could afford them; the majority went to 1/12 scale in the mid 1800s so that less wealthy families could have them). I would, however, like to make room boxes for the majority of the Stryker family home in such a way that it at least “looked” like I had a full dollhouse. A 2 room Sheriff’s office (office area and jail cells would be cool), a room for the barber, a large room, or perhaps just sections of the saloon(s) interior.

You could go a long way with modular pieces like those laser-cut ones I reviewed -- whether you buy them or make them, and then customize. Each wall or floor surface can have two different permanent designs on it (and there are also ways to make the designs swappable as needed).

Room boxes or mini dio's sounds like a good plan. You could always make the interiors that way and use them for your display areas, and then just have a couple of building facades combined with backdrops for 'outdoor' scenes.

GubernatorFan wrote:You could go a long way with modular pieces like those laser-cut ones I reviewed -- whether you buy them or make them, and then customize. Each wall or floor surface can have two different permanent designs on it (and there are also ways to make the designs swappable as needed).

That’s pretty much my plan. But I bought some craft wood panels to make my own. Those laser cut panels look great, but I’m afraid to even ask them about custom sizes and cuts for fear of what that would cost.

skywalkersaga wrote:Room boxes or mini dio's sounds like a good plan. You could always make the interiors that way and use them for your display areas, and then just have a couple of building facades combined with backdrops for 'outdoor' scenes.

Building facades would be awesome, and it’s been bouncing around in my head for awhile. I’ve watched some YouTube videos from a couple that made them for a mini-golf course. Even Amy Jones (AJClothiers) made some that were similar to the YouTubers in that they were modular. Pretty neat ideas came from those sources. However, even at 1/6 scale full false fronts would be huge, and I may only be able to make the lower part (like from the awning down).

Stryker2011 wrote:Some new items arrived. Two battery powered “oil lamps”, and an undersized vanity set. I’d like 1/6 scale, but aside from Barbie stuff which usually has some goofy hearts on them, and not fitting for the Old West, I’ve been having difficulty finding a vanity set in the proper scale, so for now this will do. Sorry for the crappy pics, I did it with my iPad.

I definitely love this kind of furniture, looks so perfect with 80' or 90s pub singers who doing her own make-up before the show....

You're bringing this world to life brilliantly, this will be epic!

Thank you. I received some new pieces a couple days ago, but haven’t had time to take pics yet.

Finally got around to making another character.

Sister Sara: Loosely based on the character played by Shirley MacLaine in the movie Two Mules For Sister Sara. Unlike the character in the film, mine is actually a REAL nun. The outfit isn't exactly period accurate, but the boots are pretty close to what was worn in the film. I had to make the rosary and her belt. I used the Super Girl head sculpt, since I didn't have any other use for it. Despite the boots, she doesn't want to stand on her own (I used the last of one of those crappy, foot attached, Jiaou bodies -- as again, I had no use for that).



Here's what Shirley looked like in her habit, for comparison:

And a couple items finally came thru. The matching chairs are from Etsy seller JBMiniatures. Only one arrived in a timely manner, and after multiple "conversations" the other one finally arrived. The fabric and cushions beneath are real; I had to fix one of the front legs on both of them, as the lower golden part was snapped off in shipping, but it was an easy fix. The table I got off Monkey Depot (I think it was from one of the Damtoys Godfather sets) and is actually solid painted metal.

Those chairs and table are excellent finds, and I absolutely ADORE your nun! She turned out amazing!

Wow, Sister Sara looks like the gentle face of the Church Militant (at least until she changes her boots). Excellent.
Love the chairs, and you picked a nice choice of table from that Godfather set. Your ladies look just at home with them.
This is coming together beautifully.

Thanks for the kind words.

Very cool Mark! the nun looks fantastic, is she getting a mule too? I was thinking maybe a lone ranger horse maybe the right size as they were designed for 10" figures. You would have to use modeling clay to cover the joint rivets, but might be worth considering?
I love those chairs, and the pics you posted of he two ladies, brilliant!

Awww, they are all quite lovely! Sister Sara as well as the set. Good finds/creations!

Thanks for the tips, Dal. I would love to get a mule (sadly, no one has made an accurate one — outside Luis Aguilar).

Thank you both for the compliments. As soon as I saw the nun outfit on eBay I was pretty stoked to be able to make my own Sara.

The chairs look great and I agree, the nun came out fantastic!

Thanks, Craig.

Pretty good Mark. so many nice things for your diorama

I am really late to this thread - my oh my... - so I have gone through this at light speed somewhat and need to have a closer look at some of the characters again. A truely impressive array of plausible figures and very appropriate accessories. Admirable finds and choices. But what a huuuuuuge project.

I enjoyed all the characters and roles you assigned to them. All made sense to me. I looked at Sister Sara first and really like your choice of HS. When reading rosary I was immediately curious how you did it. Looking at the inspiration pic I am surprised to see how large this rosary is. It looks like she can slay any enemy with the cross or strangle them with the chain. I tried to have mine more delicate. But I do have comparatively large crosses and am determined now to make such a "sturdy version" *lol*

I just wanted to check what pics of my rosaries I had shown in my bead thread, but it seems I have not shown any at all?!? I will catch up with that and post some pics now for the sake of completeness.

I am also on the lookout for a piano or even grand piano... but then again... space... maybe better not to look too hard...

Thanks! All the nice comments are greatly appreciated; makes me feel like I’m on the right track. I need quite a bit more stuff before I can start to make room boxes, but it’s getting there. (Oddly, the domestic stuff is a lot easier to come by. The money to get said stuff… not so much; especially with several dozen POs always coming out that have to be paid for. I’ve been tracking a package of more furniture from Australia for the last 2 months (grrr!); arrived at my local post office yesterday, but then never showed up, and ended up in a neighboring town’s post office later — WTF?!)

Illusion, I’ve seen 1/6 scale grand pianos occasionally on eBay (and I think I saw one on Etsy too). And I love your more delicate rosaries.

Sister Sarah is a such a wonderfull Idea. She may preach against alcohol in Stryker Town ! In the name of the Lord. . I´m still waiting for a Mr. Z Mule, in the same quality like the horses.