HAMMERSTEIN!

As promised, a hands-on review of DWC's latest, arguably most ambitious, and indisputably one of their most spectacular releases to date. . .

HAMMERSTEIN HAS ARRIVED!

I am reviewing issue number 006 of 100. The kit is comprised of 9 pieces + logo'ed groundwork plinth, and its design is based on Clint Langley's superb artwork of Pat Mills' creation in their collaborative masterpiece, the 4-volume The Volgan War.

The castings are exceptional! It will require some careful seam-work, but nothing that anyone with a few figures under their belt will need to sweat over.

This is your goal if you choose to accept the challenge. . .


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

KSLJ (Bust) -- Prepwork II

Next comes the prepping/fitting of the head. 

Just as a reminder, I selected the largely unrecognized "third" head: the leprous knight. This is an exceptional sculpture that will amply reward thorough research, and deliberate and judicious painting.

Clean-up is fairly straight forward with few surprises and/or pitfalls. Fitting will be less straightfor- ward, as the head is locked in place by the ventail. I recommend proceeding carefully and dryfit- ting often. Once the ventail is fitted, the head should follow in short order. 

BUT. . . before you go attaching anything permanently, a historical note of no mean interest. The kit is provided with a drop-down, bilateral, bib ventail. Which is fine, if somewhat anachronistic. What isn't fine is the fact the the facial opening of the coif is is "closed" as well as edged in sewn leather: "closed" coifs were not used with bib ventails. 

This is what one should be striving for:


This is a fairly straightforward modification, the difficulty of which will largely depend on your "requirements". In my iteration, I will have to resculpt some of the mail to restore the volume lost by removal of the tailored coif.

There may be some issues with the overall length of the ventail, but this may be going too far. . . The options, as I see them, are: 1) perform the above mods; or, 2) delete the ventail altogether.

As a final note, the small matter of the two temporal loops off the edge of the helmet. The maa would lace the ties of the ventail through the loops and tie them off at the back/side of the head. I prefer the more 'direct' option: bilateral ties tied-into the coif itself. To this end, I have already re- moved the loops, and am now deciding on how best to proceed with the ties. Given the location of the helmet straps, you may not have to worry about this. . .

More to follow. . .

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

KSLJ (Bust) -- Prepwork

The appliquéd crosses have been removed in their entirety. With that being done, I took the opportunity to reduce the chest of the mantle to a more acceptable expanse: it could still be reduced quite a bit more, but for now it is acceptable.

The bust has been filled with epoxy-putty, and I have sculpted a pedestal upon which it will rest. Final finishing and polishing remain to be done.

A great start for a bust that a little over 24 hrs. ago was still on the truck!

More to follow. . .

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

KSLJ!!!

After fitting the finalist heads, I have decided to stay "true" and do this as a historical piece! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the "zed-head"--in fact, as mentioned earlier, the posted images do NOT do it justice!!! That being said, how often does one get to do a "leper knight"? 

And if I enjoy it sufficiently, I can always get a second kit to do as a revenant knight!

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

KSLJ (Bust) -- Review

The bust is here!!! [Thanks as always to Chuck and his exemplary service!]

A few 'surprises':

• Micro-packaging. Very stylish and--I'm assuming--cost-effective, but the parts are very cramped with little or no support. One of the ties of the ventail arrived broken-off on my sample.
• Multi-media offering. There are three white-metal pieces in the kit: nasal, [bilateral] ventail, and mantle ties.
• Joint effort. I presume the white metal pieces are cast by Pegaso; but the resin pieces are cast by the eponymous YS Masterpieces in Greece. While the overall casting quality is VG, YSM apparently does not pressure-cast, which leaves the castings prone to air-bubbles along the surfaces proximal to the sprues. In short, be prepared to do some filling. . .

The kit is comprised of 8 pieces + a resin mounting post--including three individual faces. NONE of the images available to-date on-line, painted or un-, do these faces justice! These are very good, and I am now hard-pressed to decide what I am going to do with this bust. . .  

The torso is indeed hollow, so filling and finishing is first on the agenda. Or, rather, second, as I have already begun to remove the appliquéd crosses. . .

Whether as a "leper-knight" or a resurrected wight, you will not be disappointed. . . 

RECOMMENDED + + +

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

Judge Death (Bust) - Prepwork

As we have come to expect from DWC, prepwork is minimal. There are seamlines, but you will have to work to find them. Given the nature of the hobby in this day, most people will not bother... Which suggests to me what little respect they have for their canvas--and we, in turn, should have for their work! 

I am anxiously awaiting the release of the return of the Dark Judges in Judge Dredd: Dark Jus- tice later this month, so any serious mods will have to wait until then. In the meantime, however, basic prepwork can be addressed and hopefully completed. . . 

This morning, I have fitted the right pterosaur pauldron to my satisfaction, and permanently at- tached the left arm. As to the latter, save for the left hand, that is as far as I intend to go with pre- assembly, as the fit is seemless, and I have no inclination to compromise the painting. I have also all-but-completed finishing of the helmet and the lower head.

Once the basic prepwork is completed, I will begin work on the coarse lacing that will replace the jumpsuit zipper. . . 

Movin' right along. . .

FOLLOW-UP. . . In order to created a more unique, less derivative look, I decided to reposition the left hand. The final position has yet to be determined, but the wrist socket has been expand- ed and the hand has been pegged (.063" tin solder).

While still very much in a design stage, I am examining the possibility of modding the helmet slightly. DONE!

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

And the bussssttt isssss. . . DEATH!

This year, DWC has ventured into my favorite miniatures' genre--BUSTS! And two of their three offerings to date are in their 2000AD sub-line: Ol' Stony Face himself, Judge Dredd; and his Deadworld nemesis. . . the lisping lich. . . Judge Death!!!

I am in proud possession of both of these gems; but for now, we will concern ourselves with Death. As a brief aside, each bust comes with a finished hardwood display plinth/base by Bespoke Bases! And lest I forget, each bust will be strictly limited to 100 issues worldwide.

This 1/10th scale bust is exquisitely cast in 7 pieces. While both of the 2000AD offerings are "cut-downs" of their 70mm full-figure counterparts (one of the advantages of using CAD to create design prototypes!), they have been significantly re-engineered to complement the larger scale. For example, Death's head is comprised of two-parts: helmet and lower face--PERFECTION!

Before moving on to the project itself, I can only say. . . HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

As with the full-figure, the bust will be an exercise in hue and tonality.  Do I go with a greenish skin, a bluish skin, a deathly flesh tone. . . or a custom mix of all three? The gear--how faded/ worn should it be depicted? Should it be predominantly green or buff. . . or something in-be- tween?  And so on, and so forth. . .  

And as with the full-figure--not surprising given its provenance--this Death is obviously based on the iteration found in the Batman/Dredd crossover, "Die Laughing" (hence the chained badge, etc.). It too will be reverted to canon, and to this end I have already removed the chain and the zipper-tab.

More to follow!!!

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