15 August 2015

"The Warden of the North"

The Game of Thrones family continues to grow!

While I already have a "Ned" Stark bust in the works, my dear lady has surprised me this even- ing with Andrea's latest release, "Warrior of the North"!

This is arguably Andrea at its best. Handsomely and lavishly packaged in a sturdy "presentation" box, the 9-piece (3 resin and 6 white metal) 1/10th scale casting is pretty much spot-on.


Some might quibble about the likeness--and I would not entirely disagree; but most of the devia- tion is due to the painting, not the sculpting. Judiciously reducing the somewhat jowly jaw to taste will provide you with a near-excellent likeness of Sean Bean.

My only real objection to this otherwise excellent piece is Andrea's choice of featured weapon: Ned is depicted wielding his [unnamed] bastard sword. I intend to replace this weapon with his iconic Valyrian greatsword, Ice, depicting the execution of Will, a deserter from the Night's Watch, in episode 1-01. To this end, I have already removed the stock blade, as well as sepa- rated and tapped the hands. . .

“The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die.”--George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones 

FOLLOW-UP 30.08.15. . . I have been hesitant to comment on the quality of the resin medium used in the production of this casting, but my sample exhibits a pronounced thermal instability. Given that it is a two-part resin, it might simply be a bad batch; nevertheless . . . There is really nothing to be done about it: just be sure that all "accessory" pieces fit before you prime, and do not heat your bust until it is fully and permanently assembled. Finally, if you plan to "heat-treat" your bust, final assembly should be done with a 5-minute epoxy gel. 

 When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

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