Nirvana - Day One

My first project will be something a little out of the ordinary for me.  This is actually only my second time repositioning a Traditional scale model (and the first one is still unfinished).  Most of my customs are Stablemates, and honestly I'm better at tack making most of the time.  So Nirvana is a bit of an experiment.  He will be a portrait horse, so let's talk about the real Nirvana.

Nirvana is a trail horse at a camp I used to work at.  He is 23 years old, and is a BLM mustang from Nevada, according to his freeze brand.  (see THIS LINK for a really nice explanation of how to read a freeze brand).  Apparently, he came directly from the range to camp and was trained at camp by a wrangler in the early ‘90s.  Like all horses, he has his quirks but he’s one of my favorites.

I chose Breyer’s John Henry mold to customize as it already looks a lot like Nirvana.  This mold was originally intended to portray an old Thoroughbred, so he’ll need some tweaks to become a mustang and some repairs - the mold has odd hooves, and this particular model has a bent leg and doesn’t stand well.  He will get a new mane and tail, and a new, lowered neck, among other things.


I’ve been reading a great blog called Don’t Eat The Paint, and I’m going to try her neck sculpting technique for the first time.  So it’s off with his head!

Using a hacksaw and an assortment of files and rasps (because the Dremel is broken), I sawed off the tail, neck, ears, and his right eye (it was uneven…I may regret this later) and filed down the nostrils, mold mark, and rounded off any edges.

Also, with a little sanding on the bottom of the hooves, and no neck, this body stands quite nicely...for now.

 The hardest part of this step was actually gluing the armature wire into the body, because the only thing super glue ever glues instantly is skin.  After much messy dripping, and much dumping of baking soda everywhere, it stuck.  The wire attaches inside his withers and the top of his head.

An odd, flat neck is better than no neck, right?

 Then I stuck a few layers of masking tape over the armature wire, drew the shape of the neck, and cut it down to size.  Continuing to follow directions, I spread on an entire bottle of super glue, and some baking soda to stabilize it.  (The chemical reaction of liquid super glue and baking soda makes a hard, resin-like material.)

Next time, the scary part: sculpting the neck.  I'm aiming for 2-3 posts per week to start with, so part two should be up soon!

Welcome to Atomic Stables!

Hello, and thanks for visiting!


One of the most enjoyable parts of showing model horses for me is making things myself.  You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on someone else's stuff to win....the best feeling in the world is to look at an entry YOU made, knowing full well that your entire scene cost less than the next competitor's saddle alone.  Making your own tack, props and customized models allows you to have something truly unique, without paying the price of a professional commission.  It's not for the faint of heart, but it is satisfying.


I'm a fan of the unusual, so future posts will talk about things like harness entries - there's so much more than just pleasure harness!  "Other Performance" is also a favorite of mine.  I also make props - jumps, scenic bases for trail scenes, and more, and will show some of those techniques as well.  Harnesses, horse-drawn vehicles, saddles, and custom horses in Traditional and Stablemate scales are on my to-do list.

My first series of posts will detail the creation of Nirvana, a Traditional scale custom mustang.  He is a portrait model of one of my favorite horses I have known, and I will be trying out several techniques I have never done before.  So stay tuned!  The Nirvana project is coming soon!

(computer edited mockup of what's ahead!)