While I am not a huge fan of Captain America, I will confess that I am very much looking forward to next Summer's cinematic debut of Marvel's third superhero--and the "First Avenger". One of the reasons for my anticipation is Hugo Weaving's casting as Captain America's arch-nemesis, Johann Schmidt, better known as "The Red Skull".
The fan-sites are abuzz with the usual speculation, geek-asms, nay-saying, etc., etc., etc. And the topic of how the Red Skull will be portrayed invariably crops up: will they stay true to canon and have him in the mask given to him by der Führer himself? Or will they tweak the storyline to have him as a "living skull": a consequence of some mishap in his abused early life; or, an accident with his "Dust of Death" significantly predating the canonical exposure?
The possibility of the latter (and I, for one, hope the studio opts for this take) made me think of the possibilities to be had with currently available miniatures, 90mm and greater. Andrea's 90mm Heydrich, 1937 was duly considered; but, since I had envisioned the subject wearing a leather trench coat, the base figure would have to be Pegaso's 90mm SS-Sturmbannführer of Artillery, 2nd SS Panzer Division ''Das Reich'', France 1944 (90-041).
This figure was released November 2006. Expertly designed and sculpted by Andrea Jula, this figure had all the earmarks of an instant classic. While I am not particularly averse to German WWII subjects, particularly if they are as well and imaginatively sculpted as this one, the price tag minus a specific project precluded my acquisition at that time.
Fast forward to the present. . . I received my factory-sealed kit from Chuck and The Red Lancers. Given the age of the kit, I was a bit hesitant in ordering sight unseen; and, unfortunately, my concerns were borne-out by the contents of the box. The casting quality ran the gamut, in some instances within a single piece. For example, much to my overwhelming relief, the one-piece body was, at first glance, pristine! But upon careful examination, this same body was "short filled", and the detail on the lower boots is virtually non- existent! Fortunately, this will not be too difficult to correct, and it is an area I am given to tweaking regardless of what I am provided with. The trench-coat, cast in 4 pieces (right section w/ arm; left section; left arm; and collar) suffered from obviously worn mold edges and distortion. There is some demanding, if not serious, work involved in maximizing the fit, while ensuring that the garment can be painted as a stand-alone item off the figure! All the accessory and detail pieces were thankfully perfect.
By way of wrapping up this introductory installment, I would rate this casting as G/G+.
NEXT. . . THE PROJECT!
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