Daenerys Targaryen (Bust) - Prepwork II

In anticipation of the forthcoming build-out of the torso, I have just finished roughing-in the one- piece leather spaudler she wore on her left shoulder. This will be a removable piece until the underlying harness (leather) and fabric have been sculpted.

UPDATE 21.01.2015. . . The spaudler is about 60% 70% 85% completed, and it has been pegged to the [left] arm.  

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

Daenerys Targaryen (Bust) - Prepwork I

True to my word, the bust is on the workbench. . . As of this writing, I have:

• Cleaned Drogon; permanently attached tail to body. Drogon is too "husky"/heavy and will require some very judicious thinning. Primary target: the tail; which will probably require lengthening as well.
• Cleaned and tentatively dry-fitted the hair fall--additional tweaking will be required.
• Cleaned the head.
• Cleaned the torso. Removed the "sleeves"/shoulder wings of the dress--this is the first step of the conversion; and began reducing the bodice.

The pieces fit quite well, though some tweaking and/or minor filling will be in order. To date, none of the latter. The castings are perfect, and the resin is an absolute joy to work--responding equal- ly well to burr, blade, and sandpaper! KUDOS to NutsPlanet!!

More to follow. . .

• 13.01.2015 - Reduction of the tail has begun--so far so good! [nb: ~80% done--and it makes all the difference in the world!] Left foot has been fitted, pegged, and tentative- ly attached. The feet will not be permanently attached until the build-out of the torso is complete.
• 14.01.2015 - Reduction of the tail is effectively done. Detailing, texturing, etc. await, but the worst is over--including lengthening the tail by approx. 13mm! This was done by pegging a block of resin to the truncated end of the tail and carving down in situ. 

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

"Across The Red Waste. . . "

"Mother of Dragons" was awaiting me this afternoon. Thanks are in order to Chuck/The Red Lancers for the excellent service! Hardly surprising, but nonetheless VERY appreciated!!

"Mother of Dragons" is the fourth 1/10th scale bust of a Game of Thrones' subject released by NutsPlanet. Sculpted by Hyun-Ji Kim, the breakdown of the 11-piece kit is as follows:

• Daenerys: head, torso, the fall of hair, and the "claw"(?) pendant. 
• Drogon: body, wings (x2), feet (x2) and the tail.

The 11th piece is the standard NP display riser/pedestal--which I will in all probability discard-- along with the "claw" pendant.

The casting, packaging, etc. is everything we have come to expect from the NutsPlanet team: SUPERB!

In spite of what others have said, there are no options when it comes to painting the dragon. Only one of the siblings ever "rode" on Dany's shoulders, and that was Drogon. Period.

My reservations about the concept of this bust have been clearly stated here. As presented, I cannot recommend this bust. That being said, it is the ideal base for virtually any iteration of the last Targaryen claimant to the Iron Throne. . . and she will be on the bench before the day is over!

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

The Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea

Last November, NutsPlanet released their third and fourth Game of Thrones' offerings in their line of busts: "Mother of Dragons" and "Hand the Imp". At the time, I was not particularly taken with either of these pieces, considering them a significant decline in the excellence manifest in the first two; but after a lengthy and enlightening discussion with a dear colleague (thanks Rich!), I have reconsidered my position re: the "Mother of Dragons", and she is now on order and en route!

THEN: When I first saw this bust, it simply did not look like Emilia Clarke in the role of Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen. Secondly, Dany is depicted wearing a relatively rich and fine blue dress. . . yet Drogon is still small enough to ride her shoulder! What?!! Look, if you pretend to base a figure on a character from a visual medium, at least evince some familiarity with the source of your inspiration! There are two incontrovertible visual timeline markers in the evolution
of Daenerys as a character--and a person: her couture and the relative size of the babies.

NOW: Point #1: Painting Emilia Clarke's sculptural likeness is a true challenge! And to make matters worse, the quality of the painting is not a primary consideration. Myeong-ha Hwang's rendition of the boxart is superb(!); BUT, IMHO, it does not capture the likeness of Emilia Clarke in the role. Rich pointed out to me those areas that he thought could use tweaking, and combin- ing those with the areas that I had identified as weak, and then doing an overlay of the actress's face with the casting of the head, I discovered that the bare likeness was pretty darn close! It is the painting that will make or break any rendition.

Point #2: This one, unfortunately, is a potential deal-breaker. The end user has but two options: 1) Leave Drogon off, and do a simple bust of a very attractive young woman in nice threads; OR, coordinate Dany's costume with Drogon's age/size. And that is precisely what I intend to do! My rendition of this bust will depict Dany as the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea during her trek across The Red Waste. . .

Hands-on review to follow upon receipt. . . !

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