In February, exhibit fabricators Marc Dams, Shawn Hensley and Curt Walker, from Taylor Studios Inc., traveled from Illinois to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., to create molds for the figures. Leatherneck Deputy Editor Nancy Hoffman photographed Sergeant Mark T. Wangler Jr., who, along with two of his fellow Iraq veterans, posed for a scene from WW I in which Marines used a Model T Ford truck to deliver ammunition and supplies to the battlefield and to carry out the wounded.

The photos below illustrate the process that creates a mold. The sequence of face shots shows the steps: preparing the skin with a coat of Vaseline, placing a skull cap over hair, applying a blue moldable substance called alginate, stabilizing the resulting shape with plaster bandages and removing the form. The form is further treated in preparation for creating a plaster cast, which becomes the mold for the figure.

The complete process for head, torso, legs (including feet) and arms (including hands) can take four to five hours to complete. Sgt Wangler said that the process, although it appears to be uncomfortable, did not bother him. He stressed that it was an honor to be chosen to portray a WW I Marine.

More information about the National Museum of the Marine Corps can be found on the Web site www.usmcmuseum.com.

—Mary D. Karcher