Young Miniatures' Blackbeard (1/10th scale bust)

What can I say. . .? "Yo ho, yo ho. . . a pirate's life for me. . . "

And if 'freebooter fever' is what prompted me to get this little gem, then I need to succumb more often!

I never liked this offering from the very talented Young B. Song; but as it turns out, this is no fault of the sculptor, whether in design or execution! In fact, I can unequivocally say that I have yet to see a painted build-up of this piece that does justice to the bare casting--yet another example of why box-art is not only grossly over-rated, but potentially a detriment to market performance!

[For an excellent graphic review see here.]

The bust is comprised of 17(!) superbly cast pieces + the pedestal. As with most Young pieces, there are some potentially nasty pouring blocks to contend with, but these are dealt with in short order.

As you can see the design is incontrovertibly brilliant! Some might argue that it is over-engi- neered, but this is one instance where I would emphatically disagree! You will thank his foresight when negotiating and painting the tassels and the ribbons, to say nothing of the matches!

I have but four problems with the bust as executed:

• This a a rather gaunt Blackbeard. While Blackbeard has been described as "tall and spare", he also had broad shoulders and a robust physique. 
• The source of his cognomen is given somewhat short-shrift in this rendition. On the other hand, esthetically it is quite convincing--and no sculpture of Blackbeard has yet to capture the extraordinary length of his beard!
• The cocked hat. My issue with this piece is the height and shape of the crown. It will require reworking.
• The pistol. This is where Young went too far--and not far enough!  With regard to the former: a skull and crossbones on the buttcap. . . really?! Mr. Young could just as easily have sculpted a 'grotesque face', which would have been historically correct, and would have been arguably more thematic. Instead, it nearly cheapens the entire work! Fortunately an easy fix. Regarding the latter: my initial impression is that the lines of the pistol are not right. While this will require additional investigation, it also begs the question whether a heavy pistol such as this would have been a likely candidate for the bandolier? 

The first two items are non-starters--I will leave as is and attempt to manipulate the impression of the bust with paint. Thus, most of my re-work will focus on the hat, and the accessory piece that is the pistol. . . I may even decide to sculpt a new one! (FOLLOW-UP -- Depending on the out- come of my research, I may just have to rework the front half of the pistol.)

All in all, an excellent piece! And one of Young's better historical offerings--the best I have seen!! Given that Nick Dransfield's tour-de-force is no longer available, this is THE piece if you want a Blackbeard in your collection! (FOLLOW-UP 19.01.2014 -- I have "played" with this piece for the last couple of days, and I can say in all honesty, this is every bit as good as the Ft. Duquesne offering--and in some ways, better!)

FOLLOW-UP. . . Phase 1 of prep/clean is now all-but-done. Kudos again to Young for the quality of the casting! All the more so as the face (front half of the head) essentially snaps into place! Be very careful lest you damage the respective braids: it is a rather precision fit!