Andrea bust of The Black Prince - Review

Earlier this week, I received the 165mm Andrea bust of The Black Prince (S9-B21). This is one of two companion busts released in 2005, the other being Jaime I "el Conquistador", King of Ara- gon (1208-1276). The fact that no other busts were produced in the series suggests an unsatis- factory market reception: if that was indeed the case, then it should have come as no surprise.

The two busts are identical save for the respective helms' crests. This is the main issue with the bust of Jaime as he flourished a century before Edward! Andrea would have been better served by marketing this bust as Pedro IV of Aragon, an opponent of the Black Prince; or, better yet, Pedro the Cruel of Castile, an ally of Edward's in the second phase of the War of the Two Peters.

So much for the bust of Jaime I. What of the bust of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, bka The Black Prince? It is a straightforward, largely uninspired, classic bust, comprised of 22 pieces: the resin bust and pedestal, plus 20 white metal castings to complete the coronet, crest and mantling + the front half of the helm (1-piece). Historicity-wise, it is on much firmer ground, but the style of the helm, to say nothing of the crest, are fantasy! Given that Edward's funerary achievements have survived, there is really no excuse for this!! Hence why it is only now, a decade after the fact, that I have broken down and acquired this bust. I will elaborate on the shortcomings at greater length in the course of the prepwork of this project.

I found this bust for 55% off the current msrp: as such, it was too good to pass up! The resin castings are exceptional and the jupon is cast 'clean' (i.e., no heraldry!), so there is minimal work on the bust itself to reduce it to a mannequin for virtually whatever subject of the second half of the 14th c. one elects to depict. In case you are wondering, of the 22 pieces that comprise this kit, I intend to use--as of this writing--at most 3!

This bust will be the base figure of my rendition of Sir John [de] Hol[l]and, KG at the Smithfield Tournament of 1390, and work is already underway. . .

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