Olog-hai

This will be the last project I initiate this year, and its completion deadline is the Atlanta Show in February. More to follow in the days to come, including a full review of the base polystyrene kit; however, in hopes of whetting interest, reanimation is all but done, and assembly is now about 60% complete.

FOLLOW-UP. . . Just completed filling the body with PUR. The repositioning of the head and left (shield) arm requires are more secure anchor than PS pegs into a hollow cavity. No biggie--all in a day's work!

FOLLOW-UP (2) . . . All the "loose" pieces, save for the shield, have now been pegged. And the joins have been filled, though the pieces have not been permanently attached yet. This just about concludes Phase 1 preparations. . .

UPDATE . . . After serious consideration over the weekend, the list of pieces I hope to take to Atlanta has been finalized, and this piece, by virtue of the amount of work left to do, did not make the cut. Still, you never know. . . In any event, this project will be resumed in earnest after the Show.

Halbarad Dúnadan--Update

What with "Rebuffed!" and Wolfie occupying all the front burners on the bench, there has been little time for the "wee folk"--90mm is shockingly small after one has been working on 1/8th scale projects for over a year!

Nonetheless, I had some left-over putty from a tweaking/touch-up session with Wolfie, and I took the opportunity to rough-in the extension of the boot-tops to depict riding boots, and fit the front-panel of the erstwhile surcoat.

Slowly but surely. . .

Halbarad Dúnadan--Graphic Update

(click to enlarge)
Nothing much to add, save that regarding the erstwhile portion of mail formerly visible between the legs of the subject, how did the mail go from being the second layer of garments to the first, front to back?

Halbarad Dúnadan: It begins. . .

This posting is about a week late, but what is one to do. . .

Unfortunately, Chuck didn't receive it in time for the Show, and--in fact--didn't receive it until this past week. . . mid-week to be precise.

In any case, the figure is now before me. All I can say is that going forward, I will buy a figure within the first quarter of its release, or not at all--ever! The molds are in dire need of replacement (mold- shift and flash abound); and while the packaging is ample and sturdy enough, the cavalier placement of the components in the box resulted in unnecessary dings and blemishes which will have to be addressed. In spite of this, the figure is eminently suitable for what I have in mind.

In the last hour, I have made considerable headway on the preliminaries:

• Ground-off the mounting lugs on the soles of the boots.
• Reduced the length of the surcoat--front and back--by some 10mm.
• Ground-off the rosary.
• Reduced the shield fittings molded on figure.
• Began tweaking the fit of the half-face to the 2-piece hood, as well as that of the hood to the mantle.
  

I will probably peg the figure (feet) over the weekend, and follow-up with some images in the next fortnight.

UPDATE
The figure is now pegged and mounted on its working base. I've also separated--carefully!--the clasped hands.

Most of the work this evening has involved the the mantle (2 pieces), which has now been assembled. While the mantle is cast in two pieces, there are actually three elements to it: the individually cast pieces, and a folded-over portion that has been molded in situ comprising the right shoulder of the figure. This latter portion has been ground-off, paving the way for the reworking of the former surcoat, and--more importantly--the creation of a one-piece cloak.

Halbarad Dúnadan: Planning the Conversion

With less than a fortnight to go before the Show, and since I am unable to spend any productive time at the bench today, I thought I would get a head-start on planning the major issues to be addressed in converting Pegaso's 90mm Templar Sergeant, 1240 (90-38) to Halbarad Dúnadan.

1. Conversion of boots to riding boots, thereby eliminating mail chausses. Add spurs.
2. Elimination of shield fittings molded on figure.
3. Sculpt missing portions of cloak.
4. Repositioning of hands to depict gripping a staff.
5. Sculpt a new scabbarded sword or work with kit-provided pieces.
6. Rework surcoat to a more suitable tunic-style garment--including the addition of sleeves.
7. Remove all in-situ religious items.
   

Full review of base figure to follow once I have it in-hand.

Halbarad Dúnadan, Ranger of the North

Hardy's gracious and generous interest in my first venture into Prof. Tolkien's breathtaking "Secondary World" has prompted me to dust-off some notes and re-assess some projects. I'm not ready to relocate Dáin Ironfoot to the "stovetop", but I think I will resume the research and design work on Halbarad, Ranger of the North, Captain of the Grey Company, and Aragorn's Standard-Bearer.

Stay tuned!

“DERNHELM UNMASKED” -or- How Éowyn came to be known as “The Lady of the Shield-arm”, 15 march T.A. 3019

I will preface what is to come with the obligatory disclaimer I displayed alongside this piece in 2004. . .

This original, 135mm sculpture is based on my interpretation of the writings of the late J.R.R. Tolkien. It is not--nor was it ever intended to be--a sculptural “still” from Peter Jackson’s cinematic masterpiece, nor a 3-dimensional rendition of any pre-existing graphic work.

Mr. Jackson has done what had long been considered undoable. But in so doing, he has taken considerable artistic license in his depictions of many of the denizens of Middle-earth and/or the events that shaped their lives. While this is not a purist’s indictment, especially as his interpretations have in no way detracted from the spirit or substance of the provenance, it needs to be recognized that he has forever impressed his “vision” of Middle-earth upon countless devotees, new and old.

Thus, if the sculpture before you doesn’t gibe with perhaps recently-acquired impressions of the scene it purports to depict, then the artist has succeeded. It is my hope, however, that it captures at least some of the imagery that inspired the prose upon which it is based*.

*LEGAL NOTICE: This sculpture has been created as a reconstruction of a historical event in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Secondary World” as chronicled in The Lord of the Rings, part III: The Return of the King (pp. 140-143; NY: Ballantine Books, 1973), with additional material gleaned from passages in the above-cited volume, as well as The Lord of the Rings, part II: The Two Towers (NY: Ballantine Books, 1973). In so doing, the artist feels he has kept with the late Prof. Tolkien’s underlying philosophy of what constitutes the ‘alternate reality’ we have come to cherish so dearly; as well as having met the criteria of “fair use” per 17 USC 107.

Otherwise, it is acknowledged that The Hobbit, The Lord of The Rings, and the characters and places therein, etc. are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company dba Tolkien Enterprises, all rights reserved.

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