Mary Read -- Prepwork VI

UPDATE:

• Resculpt the pedestal. FINISHING
  
• Resculpt the right side of the shirt. FINISHING
• Resculpt the ends of the neckerchief. FINISHING
• Resculpt the baldric’s buckle+tongue. FINISHING
• Modelled an earring. ABD 

I have permanently attached the hat to the head -- using 5-min epoxy to allow me to position it precisely. As it stands, this will be a 5-piece bust upon completion.

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

Mary Read -- Prepwork V

I had in effect concluded the putty-work on this project a little over 4-years ago, with approx. 6 weeks of final finishing/touch-ups remaining before priming. After resurrecting the project earlier this week, it was readily apparent that I was much farther from the finish-line than previously thought. . .

In no particular order:

• Resculpt the pedestal.
• Resculpt the right side of the shirt. 
• Resculpt the ends of the neckerchief. 
• Resculpt the baldric’s buckle+tongue.

The putty-work is now entirely underway, with minor esthetic reworks pending. I hope to be in final finishing by year’s end. . .

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

Hoist the Black Flag!

I recently began watching The Lost Pirate Kingdom (2021), a six-part docuseries released by Netflix.  This historical drama portrays the rise and fall of the eponymous early-18th century pirate republic based in Nassau, Bahamas, 1715-18. Think the historical version of Starz' Black Sails... FWIW, I would 'grade'  it a solid C: the fundamentals are mostly there, but there are some annoying unsupported conclusions, generalizations, and simplifications.

 

That being said, it did make me dig out my hidden map to the Rovers' Roost, and break out a couple of ip projects, one for each bench--the YM's Blackbeard bust (painting); and my Mary Read bust (workbench). 

 

I will bring you up-to-date on each project shortly; but I have made significant progress on Mary in the last two days.

 

Keep a weather-eye out. . .  

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

Abraham Lincoln (75mm)

I have just received Zone Miniatures' 75mm resin full-figure of our 16^th President, Abraham Lincoln. As I indicated in my introductory posting, the figure was 3D-sculpted by Sándor Harsányi. It is based on a near full-length portrait photograph of the President in the NPG (NPG.79.151), by Thomas Le Mere, taken in April, 1863.

In the same posting, I indicated that this was "not the ideal base figure". I was wrong! I based my preliminary assessment on what I thought would be the engineering/# of component pieces of the figure, and the painted boxart. While the figure is comprised of 7 pieces, the design is brilliant(!), and very miniaturist-friendly! In like terms, the casting is exceptional! If this figure is characteristic of the quality of Zone Miniatures, then they deserve the highest rating--on all counts!!

ALVH v.2 . . . here I come!

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

ALVH. . . v.2

In Summer 2010, I plunged into Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (NY: Grand Central, 2010). By the time I was half-way through the blockbuster tale, I had already con- ceived-of and started acquiring the elements of a 54mm rendition – conversion – of the title subject.

This was a difficult 2 1/2 year-long project, primarily-and surprisingly!-due to the unavailability of a larger (>/=75mm) figure of the 16^th President of the USA. While I am satisfied with the outcome, in retrospect, I was not satisfied with my “belief” in what I was doing. Thus, this subject was always on the “do-over for myself” list.

Over 11 years later, I stumbled across a resin, 75mm figure of Abraham Lincoln, 3D-sculpted by Sándor Harsányi, and released by the Hungarian figure company, Zone Miniatures. While not the ideal base figure, it is a marked improvement over Andrea Miniatures’ 54mm Undertaker, 1880s! It is now on-order.

In the meantime, I have read and re-read my bench log to re-familiarize myself with the then-project, and I now await the receipt of the figure to launch ALVH redux. . .

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