KSLJ (Bust) -- Prepwork II

Next comes the prepping/fitting of the head. 

Just as a reminder, I selected the largely unrecognized "third" head: the leprous knight. This is an exceptional sculpture that will amply reward thorough research, and deliberate and judicious painting.

Clean-up is fairly straight forward with few surprises and/or pitfalls. Fitting will be less straightfor- ward, as the head is locked in place by the ventail. I recommend proceeding carefully and dryfit- ting often. Once the ventail is fitted, the head should follow in short order. 

BUT. . . before you go attaching anything permanently, a historical note of no mean interest. The kit is provided with a drop-down, bilateral, bib ventail. Which is fine, if somewhat anachronistic. What isn't fine is the fact the the facial opening of the coif is is "closed" as well as edged in sewn leather: "closed" coifs were not used with bib ventails. 

This is what one should be striving for:


This is a fairly straightforward modification, the difficulty of which will largely depend on your "requirements". In my iteration, I will have to resculpt some of the mail to restore the volume lost by removal of the tailored coif.

There may be some issues with the overall length of the ventail, but this may be going too far. . . The options, as I see them, are: 1) perform the above mods; or, 2) delete the ventail altogether.

As a final note, the small matter of the two temporal loops off the edge of the helmet. The maa would lace the ties of the ventail through the loops and tie them off at the back/side of the head. I prefer the more 'direct' option: bilateral ties tied-into the coif itself. To this end, I have already re- moved the loops, and am now deciding on how best to proceed with the ties. Given the location of the helmet straps, you may not have to worry about this. . .

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

KSLJ (Bust) -- Prepwork

The appliquéd crosses have been removed in their entirety. With that being done, I took the opportunity to reduce the chest of the mantle to a more acceptable expanse: it could still be reduced quite a bit more, but for now it is acceptable.

The bust has been filled with epoxy-putty, and I have sculpted a pedestal upon which it will rest. Final finishing and polishing remain to be done.

A great start for a bust that a little over 24 hrs. ago was still on the truck!

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

KSLJ!!!

After fitting the finalist heads, I have decided to stay "true" and do this as a historical piece! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the "zed-head"--in fact, as mentioned earlier, the posted images do NOT do it justice!!! That being said, how often does one get to do a "leper knight"? 

And if I enjoy it sufficiently, I can always get a second kit to do as a revenant knight!

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

KSLJ (Bust) -- Review

The bust is here!!! [Thanks as always to Chuck and his exemplary service!]

A few 'surprises':

• Micro-packaging. Very stylish and--I'm assuming--cost-effective, but the parts are very cramped with little or no support. One of the ties of the ventail arrived broken-off on my sample.
• Multi-media offering. There are three white-metal pieces in the kit: nasal, [bilateral] ventail, and mantle ties.
• Joint effort. I presume the white metal pieces are cast by Pegaso; but the resin pieces are cast by the eponymous YS Masterpieces in Greece. While the overall casting quality is VG, YSM apparently does not pressure-cast, which leaves the castings prone to air-bubbles along the surfaces proximal to the sprues. In short, be prepared to do some filling. . .

The kit is comprised of 8 pieces + a resin mounting post--including three individual faces. NONE of the images available to-date on-line, painted or un-, do these faces justice! These are very good, and I am now hard-pressed to decide what I am going to do with this bust. . .  

The torso is indeed hollow, so filling and finishing is first on the agenda. Or, rather, second, as I have already begun to remove the appliquéd crosses. . .

Whether as a "leper-knight" or a resurrected wight, you will not be disappointed. . . 

RECOMMENDED + + +

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

KSLJ (Bust) -- TDL

I'm starting to very much look forward to the arrival of this piece, even though I have no idea what is in store for me. . . or it!

As is my wont, I have begun the "laundry list" of things to be done:

• The torso appears to be hollow: fill-in, and sculpt pedestal.
• Removal of the stylized crosses.
• Replace the sculpted crosses with Greek or Latin crosses, or crosses pattée.
• Decide on face to be used and enhance/modify accordingly. If I opt for the skeletal extreme, develop a suitable backstory.

And that's about it! Assuming that the casting is up to snuff, this should be on the painting bench before the first nip of Fall is in the air.

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

Knight of the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem (Bust)

June saw Pegaso's return to the Levant and the Crusades with two new offerings: a 200mm bust of a Knight of the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem (OSLJ), and a 90mm Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. We will concern ourselves with the former.

This is an interesting release in that it includes three--count 'em, 3!--faces: a somewhat unattrac- tive bare face; a rather roughly-sculpted bearded face; and a skeletal face that some have con- cluded represents a zombie! I don't know what the manufacturer intended; but FWIW, I believe Pegaso intended to provide a progression of the disease associated with the Order. The final stage, however, transcends any semblance of reality, and it is easy to see how it is associated with "zeds": it could step-in quite nicely for a 1/9th scale version of [a bust of] a knight from Tombs of the Blind Dead!

Now, two points of reference re: the OSJL. Firstly, they followed first the Benedictine Rule, sub- sequently the Augustinian Rule, and as such would have worn black, not white. There are further arguments to support the use of black, as well as period iconographic evidence. That being said, there is some evidence, largely circumstantial AFAIC, to support the use of white. . .

Secondly, the design of the crosses is extremely stylized! Technically, they do indeed represent a cross pattée, but then again so does a "surfer's cross"--which is what these remind me of! The first order of business will be the removal of the appliquéd crosses, and replacing them with an ordinary cross.

And now for the wait. The bust is on order, and will hopefully be in my hands within the fortnight, give or take. 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