"The Wolf Man"--Wrap-Up (1)

Now comes the hard part. . . With everything in various stages from roughed-in to completed, and all "volumes" in place, the time has come to start tying it all in to create a seamless, convincing entity in miniature. . .

But first, the completed face and all-but-completed head:



The neck and the rear of the head await the final textured layer of fur which will be applied in situ to convincingly integrate with the collar and the implied movement.

Let "the fun" begin. . .

28.04.2009

The head has been permanently attached and I am now on my second "day" of furring--a total of 2 hours or so, give or take. I don't know how much I'll get done tonight; but in any case, I expect being done with this aspect in the next 48-72 hrs. Update images at that time.

PS--It feels strange finishing the head first--I usually work from the feet up, finishing the head last. . .

30.04.2009

The head is now done! And I am about 50% through the finishing of the torso. Movin' right along. . .

"The Man in the Beaver Hat"--London after Midnight Bust

17.05.2009

I've been awaiting the arrival of the definitive work on this cinematic Grail before expanding this post, but it looks like it will be a tad longer. My library contacted me yesterday that London After Midnight (Philip J. Riley; NY: Cornwall Books, 1985) had arrived. Awaiting me was not the treasured reference, but rather an anthology of short stories of the same title. . . 'disappointment' doesn't quite describe my feelings.

So I returned empty-handed and promptly resubmitted my request for Mr. Riley's opus, which includes director Tod Browning's script of "The Hypnotist", which was the basis for LAM.

Just as a sidebar note, LAM was not a horror story at all; at best, it could be described as a Gothic mystery. But with Lon Chaney as the protagonist; Tod Browning as director; the vampiric red herring in the plot; and the Forrest J Ackerman-spun mythos around this film, it has acquired a "posthumous" notoriety that some notable critics claim it can not possibly live up to. Nonetheless, the "Man in the Beaver Hat" is as much a horror icon today as Erik, the Opera Ghost.

01.06.2009

I have just received some VERY exciting news that should it come to fruition will see the Janus 1/8th scale trinity replaced by the most worthy of successors in 1/4th scale! More news as it becomes available. . .

The General

After a seemingly interminable wait, the Pegaso kit of Napoleon in Egypt (54-149) has finally arrived! My first reaction upon seeing this petite little gem was, "What was I thinking?" My second thought was, "Now I know why I never got into Napoleonics!" Seriously though. . . this figure will definitely challenge whatever skills I might have acquired over the last quarter century plus!

The casting consists of 8 (7 + base) VG+ pieces. They casting is actually excellent, but I am compelled to gig it based on the "rough" surface on the breeches and the coat. The days of the silky-smooth finish on castings are apparently behind us, and if one accepts what I received as the "new standard", then the production values of this kit are indeed excellent. In any event, the roughness can be eliminated/sufficiently attenuated with careful scraping, sanding and polishing--no more than 20-30 minutes tops.

Fit is overall excellent. I have some quibbles with the flush-fit engineering of the coattails to the sash, but only because it will require a swipe of filler-- negotiated around the delicate embroidery!--to make the transition seamless. I might undercut the sash and re-engineer the contact surfaces to preclude me from having to do any putty work post-painting.

I will not delve into my usual commentary on the historicity (or lack thereof) of the kit, as I am well out of my league on this one. At first blush, all seems as it should be, but I will be doing some additional research by way of confirmation.

As a final note, packaging is excellent! And for once, the size of the container is sufficient to protect the contents!!

And that wraps-up the review of what is arguably the best 54mm foot-figure of Napoleon in Egypt on the market, if not ever: the other two offerings, by Andrea and Valiant, respectively, don't even come close.

And before I close, the work that inspired this madness. . .

"The Wolf Man"--Assembly (4)

As promised, graphics of the work to-date. . .





The close-up of the head is very much an in-progress shot. The left side of the head (right to the viewer) is about 80% done; the right side is barely at 50%.

Things are about to slow-down significantly as the the main focus henceforth will be on the portraiture, clean-up, finishing and texturing. I will post graphic updates as the situation warrants; and of course all watersheds, as well as deviations from the anticipated, will be duly chronicled.

Until then. . .

19.04.2009

Head update. . . the left side is all but done. . .



A few hours later. . . the work on the head continues: the right eye is now in place, as is most of the facial fur. In fact, 95% of the front half of the face is now all-but-done! In anticipation of when the ears are completed, I have begun to clean-up and finish the collar and yoke area of the shirt: the back half of the head will be completed with the head in situ, attached.

20.04.2009

The front half of the head is done! As those who know me are aware, this doesn't mean that no further work will be done on it--far from it! It simply means that I have taken it as far as I can out of its "natural" setting. I began working on the ears a bit, and I hope to have these done by the weekend. Once they are done, the head can be permanently attached and the assembly phase of the project can be deemed closed.

21.04.2009

The "Van Gogh Stage". . . one ear done. . . one to go. . .

25.04.2009

THE EARS ARE DONE!!! While I have yet to attach the head to the torso--and I might forgo this watershed step for a few days or weeks--the head and the assembly phase of this project can be deemed finished.

I am currently reworking the hands for a more proportional balance, but I will include this portion of the project in the modelling wrap-up. I will post images of the completed face in the initial posting of "Wrapping-Up".

Until then. . .

"Ace of Spades"--200mm bust

In all haste, I have just received YS Masterpieces' "Ace of Spades". This was a complete surprise to me and heartfelt thanks to the most generous soul who, with no prior knowledge of my weakness for "dark" jesters, graced me with this piece.

More to follow in the days to come. . .

"The Wolf Man"--INTERMEZZO

In my last posting, I mentioned that the head would require "some work". I stand corrected. After examining the overall synergy of the respective elements of the work--pose, proportions, sculpting/ drapery, likeness--the one area that failed to carry its own was the head/face. Thus, I am now about 50% through reworking the front half of the head/face! And the difference, at least IMO, is striking!!

PS--Roughed-in the foot-claws in a late-night session! MUCH better!!

Pics to follow shortly. . .

"The Wolf Man"--Randy Bowen/Polar Lights: Assembly (3)

Moving right along, I have spent the last hour roughing-in the pants and the shirt. I know, I know. . . I said I wouldn't resculpt all the clothing, but. . . which parts do you let stand? As you will see, the pants will be entirely reworked. The shirt. . . as of this writing I would say 60-75% will end up being reworked.

"In for a penny, in for a pound", I suppose. Based on what I see so far, it will be well worth it.

As a sidebar note, with the remaining MS, I modelled the wrist stumps on the hands.

11.04.2009

The second day of putty-work is just about over with a now considerably heftier figure curing in the oven. Most of the day was spent reducing the already applied MS; reworking the shoulders and yoke of the shirt; and repositioning the head to make way for a buttoned shirt collar: the kit has an open collar. Which leads me to my perennial question: what do people use for references when designing a kit???

12.04.2009

By way of follow-up, the cuffs have been reamed and the wrist stumps fitted. The hands will be permanently attached prior to priming; but for now, it is more convenient to have them separate, especially as this affords me the option to tweak the positioning as the reworking of the drapery progresses. . .

15.04.2009

Steady progress over the last three days, but hardly good copy. . . The putty work on the clothes is all-but-done: there will be the invariable touch-ups and tweaks, but the roughing-in is behind me.

Today I began taking a closer look at the face/head. I originally thought that this was the one aspect of the kit that would remain "stock"; but upon critical examination, it too will require some work. Save for some delicate reworking of what would be the "applianced" area, most of the work will involve filling-out and re-texturing: good practice for the hands and feet!

I will now bring this post to a close. By Monday, I will launch "Assembly (4)" with a multi-view image of the piece-to-date to kick things off.

Until then. . .

"The Wolf Man"--Randy Bowen/Polar Lights: Assembly (2)--GRAPHICS

The assembly work has been all but completed. To recap, the waist joint--a keyed MS plug--and the pose has been finalized. While the feet have yet to be permanently attached, the tin solder pegs (extending to near the knees) have been permanently installed, and the "wolf"-leg bend through the metatarsals and paw countersunk (NOTE: yet to be filled).





There was very little work to be done on the shoulder girdle save pegging and permanently attaching (Zap CA+) the arms. The right wrist socket has already been drilled out. Fitting of the hand/s pending.

The head--or more accurately, the neck--is the one area still requiring putty work. I'm still tweaking the attitude of the head, but for all intents and purposes, the posing done. By the time I'm ready to post images, this should be done.



Finally, as can be seen in the first image, I have begun reworking the trousers (MS). The reworking of the drapery will be the most time consuming aspect of this project, but it should make all the difference in the world!

And the progress to date. . .



More to follow. . .

"The Wolf Man"--Randy Bowen/Polar Lights: Assembly (2)

In what these days was an all-too-rare late-night modelling session, I filled (PUR), pegged (1/8" tin solder), and dry-assembled the lower half of the body last night. This morning, the balance of the kit--torso, [now separate] head, and arms--was assembled and filled, leaving me clear to begin working on the pose and reworking the drapery. . .

It just struck me that all this talk about reworking the drapery and pose has taken place in a "vacuum". WHY do I feel the need to rework the drapery? And WHAT pose do I have in mind??

The weakest aspect of most GK's, etc. is the drapery. Sorry, but those are the facts. Drapery is given all too little consideration beyond how it will look when it's painted. Since everyone knows that a smooth, clean surface is infinitely more difficult to render convincingly with paint, folds are gratuitously distributed with little thought given to the type and weight of fabric, scale of the project, and the underlying anatomy that determines the visible landscape of the garment. Ironically, while seemingly easier to paint, it overwhelmingly diminishes the illusion of a miniaturized figure. Our current subject is a classic example of this, as you shall soon see. I do not intend to completely resculpt the affected areas (I would come close to resculpting the entire figure!), but I will correct those areas with the more glaring inconsistencies.

As to the pose, I anticipate this will entail relatively minor re-positioning. My vision of this piece is of the Wolf Man hobbled by the spring/leg hold trap that had been set by the local constabulary. Obviously, scratchbuilding the trap is a sidebar project unto itself!

. . .

I just completed pegging all the sub-assemblies, dry assembling the figure, and mounting it on its working base. After a little bit of grinding and twisting, I have arrived at the [tentative!] new pose. IP images to follow shortly.

Until then. . .

"The Wolf Man"--Randy Bowen/Polar Lights: Assembly (1)

PL's second release of "The Wolf Man" is everything that one might have hoped for in its Aurora predecessor: fairly faithful to the boxart, as well as its cinematic provenance.

The instruction sheet (reminiscent of its Aurora counterparts) is comprehensive with useful (and valuable) modelling tips that would well be remembered by all modellers regardless of skill level.

Molded in ivory/"bone"-coloured, somewhat softer (read: less brittle) polystyrene, the figure itself is comprised of 15 pieces; the remaining 21 pieces make up the scenic groundwork-base. Fit is less than it could be, but about par--give or take--for what one can expect in an injection-molded figure kit. Careful prepping of the mating surfaces and rigorous dry-fitting will ensure an optimal fit and minimal filling. This is no time to rush!

As of this writing, I have assembled the torso, the legs, and the right foot. All seams have been internally reinforced/filled with beads of superglue (Zap CA+). The front half of the head has been removed from the torso, and joined to its back half. The mounting plates at the base of the torso and the top of the legs have also been removed: this will facilitate the filling of the body with PUR.

More to follow. . .

"The Wolf Man"--Randy Bowen/Polar Lights

Recently, I was asked which was my favourite Aurora Monster. Tough question! The Frankenstein monster was not only my first Aurora Monster: it was my first model kit, AND my first figure! The Creature was beyond cool--especially with the skeletal hand and forearm, and finned tuatara-like lizard that became part of Aurora's Customizing Monster Kit (#1). The Mummy. . . arguably my all-time favourite--I had a thing for cobras at the time. . .

But in spite of having built and painted the entire long-box series (save for The Witch), I never reprised a single one save for The Wolf Man--and he was my least favourite of the venerable Aurora Monsters! Nothing like the boxart OR Larry Talbot!! In Christmas of '62 ('63?), I received two of them as presents from relatives, despite the fact that my rendition had been sitting on the dresser for quite some time. . . So by Spring of the following year, I had three Wolf Men taking centrestage on my now-crowded dresser.

FF>>. . .

Some 35 years later, we were treated to a UM revival by the now-defunct Polar Lights/Playing Mantis. First they re-released the Aurora original Wolf Man: long box, James Bama artwork. . . and the same less-than-satisfying bare-chested lycanthrope. Then in 1998, they released Randy Bowen's version of the 1941 Universal icon with Chris White boxart. This was fully licensed by Universal Studios and the Chaney Estate. What a difference!

It's taken me a while to get over the "Three Little Wolves" on my dresser, and the Bowen version came and went with nary a blip. My re-immersion into classic monsters has led me to [re]discover this kit, and recently I was fortunate to acquire one. . .