Life Miniatures' Che - Review

The bust of Che Guevara is Life Miniatures’ fourth release in their “Beginner’s Series”, or as it is more formally known, the “PDF Painting Tutorial Series”. The bust is exquisitely cast in but TWO pieces, a testament to the design brilliance, and the masterful casting for which this company is known. If I may digress for a moment, and with all due respect to the Master, I don’t believe there is such a thing as a “beginner’s figure”. Just because it is less complex, less “involved”, and/or of a simpler design, does not make it any easier to paint! In fact, the adjective alluding to relative complexity addresses two completely different skillsets. “Beginner” (or “intermediate” or “ad- vanced”) relates to modelling skills, not painting! Painting “difficulty” is entirely too subjective to classify. Thus the seemingly simpler figure may be that much more difficult to execute convinc- ingly as there are not only fewer places to “hide”, but one tends to allow one’s self less time to achieve critical intimacy with the canvas. . . Fools rushing in and all that. Insofar as this bust is concerned, the miniaturist will have to bring his/her “A” game to the bench, and bend the canvas to his/her will to get the most out of this piece. . . this is not going to paint itself! So much for a “beginner’s” figure!! 

By way of a little figure “history”, this is the third 1/10th scale bust rendition of el Che: the first was from Andrea Miniatures; followed a decade or so later by Historia Miniatures’ rendition by Christos Panagiotopoulos. And, IMO, the subject of this review is the best of the three, hence my purchase.

While this is by far the best of the commercial renditions of el Che, this piece is not without its “problems”. These revolve primarily around the relative facial volume, and the facial hair as mo- delled. Che had a very expressive face and his appearance as captured can vary from photograph to photograph in a given sequence. His rather sparse beard hints at an underlying structure that may or may not exist, lacking the volume and density to provide a definable structure to the face. In short, wispy beards are a miniaturists’ nightmare, whether one is wielding a sculpting tool or a brush. Personally, I enjoy the challenge!

In closing, ottimo lavoro, Signore! You are an inspiration to us all, especially in light of the reac- tion this release has so unexpectedly--and inexplicably!--elicited. To the boors in the audience, like it or not, Che is one of the most recognizable—and iconic!—figures of the second half of the 20th c. As such, he is a most suitable subject for a line of figures that includes JFK, Marilyn, and Princess Grace! Our concerns as miniaturists are limited to the following: 1) do I like the figure?; and, 2) is this a figure I would like to have in my collection? That’s it! And to belabor the obvious, this is very much a personal opinion. As Elizabeth I once said, “I would not open windows into men's souls."  These are but inanimate homunculi made of resin and/or metal, neither peepholes into nor spotlights on the character and person of the miniaturist!

PS--Sang-Eon's excellence is not limited to his artistic talents. Customer service is outstanding! Since I didn't know how available this piece would be in the States--and I wanted to get it on the bench ASAP!--I ordered it directly from LM. Ten days from shipping to mailbox--and free shipping to the US!

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