Fimo - Modelling material for adults and children alike! (Fimo Modelling Clay)

Member Name: nykied

Product:	Fimo Modelling Clay
Date:	14/10/09 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Many colours, can be hardened, professional finish

Disadvantages: Can be expensive if you're just starting out

Fimo is one of the best known and most respected modelling materials in the world and for good reason. It's widely available from places such as Hobbycraft and ebay and comes in a massive range of colours and finishes. It's recommended for anyone age 8 and above.

It's similar to Play Doh but without the smell of marzipan (this is both a positive and a negative depending on whether you like the smell of marzipan, I guess!) and it can be hardened. This expands its uses greatly. I tend to use it to make miniature food for dolls houses, but in the past I've used it for jewellery, models and door plaques. I once did a whole speech in my English class about the animals that I'd made. None of them were as red as my face though...

It's available in various forms. There are large packs of different colours which are good value if you're going to use all the colours (although I've still got some full packs of colours from a multipack that I've never used) and there are also little starter packs, which tend to have the specific colours and quantities needed for the picture on the pack. These are good for children and come with instructions on how to make the models on the pack (such as dinosaurs, sheep and pigs).

Fimo also comes in blocks of single colours at about £1.30 each and are widely available. There's practically every colour you can think of and the blocks are available in various finishes such as transparent, glittery and porcelain (mainly for making dolls). The latter is also available as a larger block.

Fimo can be quite difficult to knead when you first start to use it. There is a block of softener that can be bought which makes it easier. If you're buying Fimo for a child, it's worth buying one of these to start off with. Once it's been kneaded through, it's easy to use and it can be mixed with other colours and shaped into whatever you want.

Once your model is done, you bake the Fimo for about 30 minutes in an oven at 110 degrees. I always keep an eye on it whilst it's in the oven, as depending on the thinness of the elements of your model, it can burn slightly. Other than this rare occurrence, the Fimo stays the same colour after baking. If you're making something particularly complex, you can rebake the Fimo. An example of this is making a vase of flowers. I bake the stems first, then they won't droop when I add the Fimo flowers on the end of them.

Once the Fimo is baked, it can then be cut, filed, drilled, chopped etc. A good example of this is the technique of 'caning' which is like making a bar of rock but with something like a lemon running through it. Once cooked, it can then be very finely sliced, leaving slices of realistic-looking lemon, just like you'd find in your glass of Coke!

Fimo is great for both budding and experienced model-makers, although it can be quite expensive, in my opinion it's worth the initial outlay.

Summary: The perfect modelling material, IMO