The key to any successful rendition of a bushi is the kabuto (helmet). Admittedly I am biased, as that extraordinary piece of functional art has been an obsession of mine for nigh unto thirty years(!); however, the fact remains that this is where many figures of Japanese armoured subjects fall way short of the mark.
Since period accuracy will be a relative factor in this project, I decided to keep the helmet essentially stock, focusing on the assembly of the same and the peripheral enhancements demanded by the subject. To this end, the first step of this project was the attachment of the shikoro (neckguard)--in this case, a kasa-jikoro--to the hachi (helmet bowl)--in this case a suji-bachi.
I began by "cleaning" the respective pieces: reducing and/or removing pour "sprues"/channels (anyone familiar with Verlinden kits will know what I am referring to), and removing positive evidence of deteriorating mold edges from the contact surfaces. Once done, I embarked on a rather lengthy session of dry-fitting and "eye-balling" symmetry. You'd be surprised at the number of shikoro that are either off-center, or patently asymmetrical: this is frankly inexcusable! Whether the fault lies with the sculptor or with the miniaturist, there is an inherent symmetry that must be observed. Get this wrong, and you might as well not bother with the rest.
First, I removed the agemaki bow on the back of the kabuto, leaving just the mount for the kasa-jirushi no kan. Kasa jirushi are fine, but I am no big fan of agemaki bows--and this wasn't a particularly noteworthy one.
The major decision to be made in this step was how to best approach the construction of the kabuto. I prefer having the hachi and head as a single subassembly, with the shikoro as a "secondary" piece. Unfortunately, the figure was engineered in such a fashion as to preclude this approach: the koshimaki was beveled so as to accommodate a mounting channel built into the first lame of the shikoro. While there is a certain method to the evinced madness, it is not the most user-friendly--or advisable!--approach. Playing the hand I was dealt, I carefully attached the shikoro by the central mounting lug connecting at the center rear of the koshimaki (due South if you will), and then floated cyanoacrylate down the mounting channel, one side at a time. This provides for a clean, strong, invisible join.
So much for step 1. Next, I will fill the attachment seam of shikoro to hachi, and work out the dynamics of the fukigayeshi and the mabezashi.
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