"Gothic Bat - Haunted" - Review: Postscript

The figure is now stripped, disassembled, pegged, and mounted on its work base. . .

OBSERVATIONS:

• The worst aspect of this figure are the incidental 'flaws' caused by the wire inserts in the legs. If there were no wire, the figure would be near flawless.
• As I mentioned in my previous posting, the left gauntlet is finely-cast white metal. However, it is equally significant that the balance of the figure is apparently pure resin--there is no metal filler evident.
• This is one of the finest conflations of 2-d graphic illustration and 3-d representational figure design that I have seen. It "works" superbly from any angle!  

Now that I have the figure broken-down into its components, I would like to upgrade my review to HIGHLY recommended! 

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

"Gothic Bat - Haunted" - Review

The figure arrived on Thursday; and, at first glance, it is certainly impressive. . . 

The casting is VG+++/A-. There are a few stray air bubbles where you might expect, but nothing to fret over, especially as they are mostly unnoticeable.

This is the "cleanest" and most adequately painted Eaglemoss I have ever seen! Yes, seam lines are still an issue; but on this figure, they are effectively "out of sight". The paint job, while com- mendably "light", is still somewhat erratic (e.g., the right arm was left in blue [i.e., left unpainted], and the seat of the trunks was painted blue only as far as the eye can see). Also, it appears that Eaglemoss is taking advantage of the larger scale to use an airbrush. . .

It is interesting to compare the painted sample used to promote the figure on their website with the figure before me. The bat logo on the sample figure was a painted bas-relief; on mine, the bat logo is a decal (NB: Eaglemoss has taken to using decals on points of fine detail such as eyes, logos, etc. of its larger-scale offerings. It's hard to argue with the results regardless of where you stand on the issue.). The sample figure has a disconcerting rough finish; on mine, the finish is the best I have seen to date on an Eaglemoss figure!

Measuring a sizeable 112mm to the eyes, it is comprised of four pieces (3 resin, and 1--the left gauntlet--in what appears to be finely-cast "white metal", not lead) + the circular DC branded plinth. Eaglemoss has over-engineered the attachment of the cape, so it is highly unlikely that you will be able to remove the cape without damaging the collar area--worry not: easy enough to reconstruct, though you will have to carefully plan your painting strategy.

If I am to be completely candid, I feel Eaglemoss made short work of the cape--literally. Kelley Jones' Bats are distinctive in two areas: 1) elongated 'ears' at least as long as the head; and 2) an organic, seemingly sentient, at-times fantastically long cape. The cape as designed does not convey any of these characteristics. I have yet to decide on if--and how--I intend to address this.
UPDATE -  06.03.2020. . . While I stand by my original assessment, with the now head-cape unit refitted, and given the stock drapery, I do not feel that lengthening the cape would provide results commensurate with the effort required. Thus, I intend to rework the folds and create what appears to be a more voluminous cape. . . 

This is a worthwhile acquisition--recommended +++! 

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

"The Face of Crime" - Groundwork (3): The Terrain

With the grating done--save for the welds--it was time to integrate the grating with the groundwork proper. . . 

The terrain was made with MS. It was suitably textured--but not too much. The final surface tex- ture/finish will be applied with paint, mediums, and pigments. 

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

"Gothic Bat - Haunted" - Intro

Eaglemoss continues to entice--and hopefully impress!

Last year is when I noticed that they had launched a new 1/16th series of the evolution of the Batman costume, which they aptly named "Batman Decades". Issue #6, Batman Modern Age 1990s, immediately caught my eye, as it depicted the Dark Knight in Kelley Jones' distinctive iteration. . .

The figure was recently made available in the US, and it is now on order. Review 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

Harley Quinn - DAMNED: Prep 5

The pedestal/plinth is DONE! 

For the last four weeks, I have been refining the lines, drape and volume of the trench-coat: hi- therto, I had been too reliant/dependent on the flight-jacket as provided. What began as a con- version of a garment is now an original!

As I mentioned earlier, progress is plainly evident, but I am far from the white flag. The fine de- tailing will take some time, but I can find consolation in the time it will save while painting--and the end result, of course!

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

"The Face of Crime" - Groundwork (2): The Grating

The Joker's lair is a subterranean network of tunnels, etc.; hence, I settled on a split-level setting with the floor of the chamber as the primary groundwork, and the secondary burled surface as a water drain. 

To add some interest, I  decided to add a roughly-welded and finished grating as an extension of the primary groundwork. This was constructed with strips of sheet plastic that will be suitably distressed, weathered, and, ultimately, integrated.  

Movin' right along. . .  

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

"The Face of Crime" - Groundwork

To date. . .

Base selection. Check.  The one drawback to not attending shows is the inability to hand-select display bases for future projects, and have the opportunity to spitball your ideas with an individual who is not only a master woodworker, but an accomplished miniaturist.

I roughly knew how I wanted to portray Mistah J, but did I have a base that would accommodate my concept? I thought that I did, but after two evenings of cursory inventorying of my base sup- ply, I was "close, but no cigar". I suppose "third try's the charm", cause last night I found precise- ly what I was looking for! A maple burl with an appropriately rough finish that would permit me to modify the burled area to my specs. An hour or so with hammer and chisel and I was good to go!

Compositional design. Check. Now that I had the base, it was time to finalize the design of the groundwork. I broke out the relevant source material, and decided that a canon-true depiction would not work in 3d. So I proceeded down the path of creative adaptation, and this morning I concluded the design work, templates and all.

Once my materials arrive, I can begin work on the groundwork proper. . . 

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: Oils - Black (2)

There were three black items waiting to be painted: the mourning armband; the shirt cuffs; and the shoes.

The armband is now done. While I was at it, I tweaked the finish on the pocket square.

Stay tuned. . . 

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: Oils - Purple

Mistah J's suit is in a somewhat unique tone of Joker purple. While perhaps 'unique' for the color- ist, anyone who is familiar with 'sharkskin' suits will immediately recognize the target palette. . . 

The key to this iteration of "Joker purple" is temperature control vis-à-vis lighting. The trousers are decidedly cooler (read: bluer) than I anticipate the jacket to be: decidedly warmer (redder), but not dramatically so. . . more at a subtle temperature gradient hinting at 'sharkskin'.  

Phase 1 of the trousers is complete and setting. As with the u/c'ing, the application of oils went smoothly and predictably.   

UPDATE -  03.02.2020. . . Phase 1 of the jacket is now complete! This was surprisingly straight- forward--and enjoyable!! Let me just say that the key to achieving the envisioned results was the select application of Alizarin Purple. . .

I will now let the paint "settle" for a few days before proceeding with Phase 2: defining the outli- ning and shading, and controlling the lighting by enhancing select highlights. . .

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: UC'ing 2

There were two colors still in need of u/c'ing when I sat at the bench this morning: green (the tie) and white (the gloves, spats, and exposed forearms). The tie is now done; the whites will be ad- dressed as the oils of the surrounding colors are completed in order to minimize after-the-fact touch-up work. . . 

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