Ragin' Cajun--FINE

As with the Red Skull, not quite, but close enough. . .

The finishing is all-but-done, and the groundwork is currently curing in the oven.

Re: the latter. The figure will be mounted on a 2.75" circular base: this not only complements the "swirl" of the trench-coat, but minimizes the amount of dead space, while still drawing the viewer "into" the figure. However, as anyone who has made circular groundwork knows, a regular, symmetrical perimeter is not easily accomplished. Thus I am experimenting with creating a removal "slab" whose circumference and surface can be finished prior to being permanently mounted on the display base. The figure has already been fitted and preliminary scribing of the flagstones has begun. I am considering taking advantage of this modular approach to distress the firmament more than I normally would.

In my next posting, which will be the first installment of the painting thread, I will post images of the dry-assembled figure primed: the work I have done will be obvious when comparing the primed figure to the painted boxart.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!!!!

FOLLOW-UP. . . Save for some finishing touch-ups--which will probably not get done until the groundwork is permanently attached to the display base--the groundwork est fini !!!

Ragin' Cajun -- UPDATE (4)

I was hoping to be a bit further along than I am, but "tis the Season" indeed. . .

As I said in my last update, the clean-up and re-detailing are not going to end any time soon. . . BUT they will end, and progress IS being made.

The overall clean-up is essentially done. I am still struggling with re-scribing the seemingly de-rigeur "bands" on Remy's boots (what is it with all the "banding" on comic book costumes?), but I'm almost there. Otherwise, the legs are all but done.

I am still hoping to have the figure ready for priming by the end of the weekend, though I don't imagine it will get primed 'til next week some time. . .

Until then, my best wishes for a safe and Happy New Year's celebration, and all the very best in 2011.

Ragin' Cajun -- UPDATE (3)

By way of update, clean-up and re-detailing continue. It's not going to end any time soon. . .

I have reworked the waist-belt so that the left third is now an add-on piece. Time well spent, as it would probably not have survived the first couple of days of painting. The head, after reworking the coiffure to my satisfaction (definitely a short-cut expedient on KM's part as provided!), is now permanently attached and the neck reworked to account for the re-positioning. I had to resculpt the index finger of the left hand (using ProCreate) after losing it in a pre-attachment dry-fit run of the bō and left arm. Finally, the legs are well on their way to completion, and I hope to have them wrapped-up this weekend.

Back to the bench. . . !

FOLLOW-UP. . . Left hand completed and left arm permanently attached and drapery adjusted. Save for final finishing and spot re-detailing, torso is now all-but-done.

Ragin' Cajun -- UPDATE (2)

I would say that the putty-work--save for minor touch-ups and "seam swipes"--can now be deemed done!

Over the last couple of days, I have all-but-finished the surface finishing of the trench coat (save for the sleeves/arms), AND added the three-piece waist-belt. Surface finishing of the metal has tentatively begun, employing a coarser buffing pad and burnisher. A lighter touch while using the latter underscores the softness of the metal!

At this rate, this piece might be primed by the first week of the New Year. . .

Ragin' Cajun -- UPDATE

Remy's head, which is provided as a separate piece with a rather tenuous attachment, has been pinned, the collar hollowed, a neck added to the head with MS, and the head repositioned. . . everything has finally come together!

Ragin' Cajun. . .

. . . is on the front burner once again. Updates will now follow on a more regular basis.

Ragin' Cajun -- The Coattails

As I mentioned in my follow-ups below, all joins save the head have been fitted for seamless assembly, and, perhaps more importantly, a tight fit. In the interim, the figure has been completely and perma- nently pegged for mounting. This is not as straightforward as it might sound, as the left ankle is particularly thin; and I had to drill through the connecting copper tubing in the left knee/thigh. The name of the game is a steady hand, sharp bits, and staged, incremental widening of the opening.

On to the coattails! I'm perhaps jumping the gun here a bit, but this is the crux of the project--in every respect. While I could certainly finish clean-up and detailing, this all amounts to naught without the tails.

First step was transferring the figure to a spacious 3.5" round work base. This gave me the opportunity to align and secure the mounting pegs. Once securely mounted, I began to pack clay around the lower half of the figure, finger modeling as I went along to keep the amount to be removed at a manageable level. Once the clay was applied and allowed to "cool" from the kneading and handling, I began to model in earnest. . .

The purpose of the clay is to create a male molding surface, a negative impression, and a support for the epoxy putty that will be draped over it to make the coattails. The negative impression must be bold and deep enough to accommodate the thickness of the putty. There is decent amount of "guesswork"/speculation involved, but it should be constrained and logical. . .

The left half of the tails is now ~75% done. A bit more tweaking followed by clean-up, and it is a fait accompli. The right half is a bit more challenging, as it is collapsed, and anchors the flowing garment. I am about 60% done with this as I write.

More to follow. . .

UPDATE 25.09.10--The coattails are now in epoxy-putty! The pattern approach worked much better than I had anticipated, though there is still a considerable amounting of underfilling and surface finishing to be done. The figure is now in the oven, the first stage of mating the tails to the torso curing. . .

FOLLOW-UP
The coattails are now permanently attached to the torso, and the long building-out process has begun in earnest. This is where the undersurface irregularities are smoothed-out to ensure a strong x-sectional taper to the progressively thinner sections of the fabric as we approach the edges, as well as enhancing the surface drapery. As I said, this is usually a fairly drawn-out process , but there is no room for haste here.

FOLLOW-UP (2)
Save for final finishing and touch-ups, the coattails are now done! Most of you who know me know that there is still a lion's share of work to be done, but I can now 'zoom-out' and think in terms of the overall piece rather than just a portion of the same.

Ragin' Cajun -- Phase 1 mods

Those of you the have been following this thread know that I intend to have Gambit kneeling, discharging his bō on the pavement, while charging his cards. To date, I have:

• Removed the trench-coat tails. As I mentioned earlier, the unit is horribly cast, and if I had intended on the doing the kit straight OOB, I would have returned it. Needless to say, sculpting dynamic, flowing coat-tails, swooshing around the subject, will be the most challenging aspect of this reanima- tion. Also, I will have to sculpt the drapery and detail of the right arm where it was molded to the coat-tails. As a sidebar note, I found a sizable air hole where the arm joined to the coat. . .
  
• Re-animated right leg. This is a little more involved than one would think largely due to the proportions of the figure. I thought I could retain the poleyn (knee guard) attached to the leg, but the variability in thickness between the two guards demanded that I remove the right one, and refit it to the knee. The right leg is now posed; pinned; the flattened calf muscles reworked; and awaiting the rescribing of the boots and the attachment of the knee guard.
• Reworked attachment block of torso to legs. This is a bad fit. And if you look closely at the painted boxart, you will see that little or no filling was done on the join seam of the legs, and the rolled edge of the breastplate does not line-up.

• Slightly repositioned and pinned the left arm, and replaced the too-short and anything-but-straight bō (the image of the boxart shows the best KM could come up with?) with a brass rod. This required careful surgery to avoid damaging the fingers, but it is one instance where the softness of the alloy actually helped.
  

• Finally, the left leg was pegged for mounting and the figure (well, the legs) now sits on its work base.

A good start to what will be a long, and challenging project. . .

FOLLOW-UP
All the joins save for the head have now been pegged and fitted for seamless assembly. Work on the coat-tails will be underway in less than a fortnight. . .

FOLLOW-UP (2)
Just completed fitting and attaching the right knee-guard. All subassemblies are now ready for final clean-up and detailing. . .

Knight Models' Gambit (KMV007)--epilogue

I know I underscored the softness of the metal in my review of this kit, but after working on this piece for a couple of hours, all I can say to the folks at KM is, "Upgrade your casting alloy--or switch to resin!"

I accidentally dropped the left arm while working on repositioning it, and when I recovered it, it was obvious it landed hand-first. How do I know? The hand was bent 30° off-line! We're talking about a less- than-a-metre drop onto vinyl flooring!!

So. . . whereas earlier I advocated special care in handling, now I would emphatically recommend it! That or plan to add 20-30% work-time to cleaning-up the miniature after you've cleaned it up!

CAVE!

Knight Models' Gambit (KMV007)

I've just received my second Knight Models offering, and I regret to say they are 2 for 2--and not in a good way.

As a former resident of the "Big Easy" and an X-Men fan, how could I not add "Le Diable Blanc", Remy LeBeau, better known as Gambit, to my collection. It is masterfully sculpted by Jérôme Renaud--unfortu- nately, the production values continue to disappoint, perhaps even decline.

I received issue #496/500. Inside the sealed, collectible tin box were 7 pieces, two comprising the base. Comparing the casting quality to what is available in the marketplace, I would grade it as a C/C- -- a slight drop from the earlier reviewed Iron Man. Needless to say, I am less than thrilled.

This go round, the metal is noticeably softer than what we might expect. In fact, I would advocate special care while handling the figure during clean-up and assembly--it is that soft! There is an inordinate amount of medium-deep pitting and rough texture throughout the casting--mostly due to inadvertent contact with other pieces. Seam lines are minimal, yes; but overall fit is F+/G-. And in spite of the seemingly spacious box, the fact that they include a useless, 2-pcs., black plastic pedestal with "MARVEL Universe" screened on it in white, along with the relative softness of the metal, means that the pieces are cramped and thus invariably dinged.

The one-piece torso and trench-coat provides amble evidence that the molds are being pushed beyond their viable life. Not only was there burn-out along the waist-belt, but the trailing edges were virtually devoid of any detail: as much due to casting woes, as feeble attempts to salvage a sub-par casting. If the mold were holding-up, it would have been a no-brainer to throw this piece back in the pot, and pour another one. But if it wasn't. . .

Fortunately, the detail pieces once again give us a peek at the casting capabilities of KM. In spite of minor bumps and dings, these are solid A/A- castings, and given that these are the smaller items, spare us a considerable amount of pain and aggravation.

As before, one of the reasons I am not outright vitriolic in this review is that I had my own notions for Monsieur LeBeau prior to purchase. I intend to have Gambit kneeling, so that takes care of the wonky trench-coat tails. And the softer metal makes cutting and the reanimation of the right leg infinitely easier. Both of these major steps have already been accomplished. . . Laissez les bons temps rouler, cher!

Before closing. . . will the third time--and an early casting!--be the charm?! I sure do hope so, 'cause KM has just released one of my Marvel must haves: the Green Goblin! This might not appeal to the purists as it is based on the Marvel Knights' Spider-man, an edgier rethinking of one of the Marvel mainstays and his supporting cast, but it is just what I was hoping for! Stay tuned. . .