Red Skull--FINE

Not quite, but close enough. . .

There is still quite a bit of fine detailing and finishing to be done (and, yes, the holstered pistol and the shoulder boards have yet to be added), but these minor tweaks would hardly be noticeable in a digital image unless it were a detail shot. So, as I head off to the bench, I leave you with the "Red Skull". . .

Red Skull--Update (2)

I'm roughly on-track with this one, though given what lies before me, I don't expect to have him primed before the Holiday weekend. In any event, began the detailing of the corrected boots this afternoon, as well as working on the collar patches and the badge to the right of the Eisernes Kreuz, 1 Kl.

The right collar patch has had the Sigrunen removed to be replaced with a Totenkopf on a red background--this has no historical precedent AFAIK. The left collar patch has been converted to represent the rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer, again with a red background. The General Assault Badge is being "converted" to an Anti-Partisan Badge: how well I succeed is yet to be seen. I chose the BA as I felt its design not only [strongly] alluded to HYDRA, but incorporated a skull--as well as reflecting the historical canon.

Back to the bench!

UPDATE 13.12.10. . . The Red Skull should be ready for priming by the weekend: all the insignia, awards, and decorations are now done! And the left arm has been attached and 'filled'--quick swipe of MS will do ya. I still have to "update" the shoulder boards (cast separately), but these can be set aside until an opportune moment arises. Aside from that, all that remains to be done this week is final finishing and giving the figure a thorough once over. . .

Bring on Le Diable Blanc !!!!!!!. . .

PS--In case anyone was wondering, the RK has been enhanced with oak leaves and swords.

Red Skull--Update

With a little over three months to the Atlanta Show, it is time to start finalizing projects (i.e., getting them to priming stage)--or putting them away until next year. . .

The Red Skull is one of the "finalists", and he is all but done. The skull handle on the swordstick has been modeled and is awaiting final finishing. The right hand has been pegged and fitted, and is awaiting finishing and the cigarette holder. In fact, the latter, along with the reworking of insignia and decorations, and the detailing of the reworked boots, is all the remains to be done before priming.

Maybe another 3-4 weeks before priming?

FOLLOW-UP. . . The cigarette/cigarette holder is now all but done: I "machined" it in one piece out of brass rod with a 1mm tapered burr on a cordless Dremel. I have also all-but-finished the right hand, including fitting the cigarette holder.

Red Skull--Graphic Update (1)

This took a bit longer than I had anticipated, for which I apologize; but I had not anticipated an broken water main, and all that such an occurrence entails. . .

In any case, I needed a sanity break, so here we go. . .






Everything should be fairly self-explanatory, but should you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. The head/skull is just about done, but I need to sharpen-up some details and "distress" some areas. Also, rank patches, decorations, etc., will be suitably modified in the future.

Red Skull--The Project (2): The Head

The time has come to start working on the pivotal element of this project: the red skull itself!

My first step was to "bone-out" the calvarium with MS, focusing on overall shape and proportions. I have not completely decided whether to do the canonical mask or a "living skull": my all-but-made decision to take the "living skull" approach was taken down a few notches when I started examining some close-ups of "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" (1971). Vincent Price (or his stand-in) obviously wore a rubber mask, but it was extremely effective in spite of its relative crudeness. Hmmm. . .

I will try to post a graphic update of all the work done to-date over the forthcoming Holiday weekend.

FOLLOW-UP--Just completed roughing-in the left half of the cranium. Coming together nicely!

I also took the opportunity to drill out the gloved left hand and fit the shaft of the swordstick (1/16" brass rod).

UPDATE 01.09.10--The head. . . uh. . . skull is now roughed-in, minus teeth and eyes. Loads of contouring and the like remain, but the essence of what I am striving for is there. It does give the figure an entirely different "feel". . .

UPDATE 04.09.10--The "skull" is now completely roughed-in--about 80% complete. The only major work remaining is the detailing of the teeth.

Red Skull--The Project

This is a relatively simple conversion, one that frankly I am amazed no one has undertaken to date.

The entire project essentially revolves around the resculpting--or replacement--of the kit's head with that of a--THE--Red Skull. While I am leaning towards sculpting the replacement head from scratch, I might consider using the kit-provided head as a core IF I decide to do away with the cap altogether. In the meantime, I have already bored out the neck to afford me some latitude in the posing of the head.

The gloved left hand (holding the leash) will be reworked to have it hold the RS's skull-handled swordstick.

The bare right hand is already holding a cigarette. This will be replaced with a cigarette in a cigarette holder: a delivery mechanism for the "Dust of Death".

Beyond that, most of the work will be cosmetic in nature, requiring little if any actual conversion work. Marvel--understandably--glosses over most of the details that we as miniaturists depend--and thrive--on. We do know, however, that Johann Schmidt "was appointed head of Nazi terrorist activities with an additional large role in external espionage and sabotage." That suggests Abwehr or SS/SD to me. In any case, a bit of historical research is in order to "flesh out" the alter-ego, if nothing else, of Herr Schmidt.

With regard to matters of the bench, as I mentioned above, I have already drilled out the neck to accommodate the head. And I have assembled and fitted the trench coat, minus the left arm. A bit more tweaking re: the fit, and I will be able to proceed with general clean-up, which is commendably minimal.

By way of UPDATE. . . The trench coat seams are now filled--relatively little work, all things considered; and the body has been pegged and mounted on its work base. Next: reworking the soles of the boots.

UPDATE (2)--Save for the unforeseeable minor tweaks and touch-ups that inevitably come to light in the course of prepping and painting, the putty work on the trench coat is now behind me, and fitting has been completed. It is a testament to the design and engineering of this piece that despite worn-out molds and distorted castings, the trench coat fell together with very little effort!

UPDATE (3) 28.08.10--While I might end-up sculpting a new head from scratch before it's all over, for now I have decided to use the kit head as a core. The head has been drilled, pegged, and repositioned (rotated to the right ~90°); and the neck stump added with MS. Time permitting, I will do away with the cap on the morrow. . . FOLLOW-UP--The cap has been ground-off, and save for "squaring-up" the shape of the calvarium, the head is ready for putty. . .

Red Skull--Introduction & Kit Review

While I am not a huge fan of Captain America, I will confess that I am very much looking forward to next Summer's cinematic debut of Marvel's third superhero--and the "First Avenger". One of the reasons for my anticipation is Hugo Weaving's casting as Captain America's arch-nemesis, Johann Schmidt, better known as "The Red Skull".

The fan-sites are abuzz with the usual speculation, geek-asms, nay-saying, etc., etc., etc. And the topic of how the Red Skull will be portrayed invariably crops up: will they stay true to canon and have him in the mask given to him by der Führer himself? Or will they tweak the storyline to have him as a "living skull": a consequence of some mishap in his abused early life; or, an accident with his "Dust of Death" significantly predating the canonical exposure?

The possibility of the latter (and I, for one, hope the studio opts for this take) made me think of the possibilities to be had with currently available miniatures, 90mm and greater. Andrea's 90mm Heydrich, 1937 was duly considered; but, since I had envisioned the subject wearing a leather trench coat, the base figure would have to be Pegaso's 90mm SS-Sturmbannführer of Artillery, 2nd SS Panzer Division ''Das Reich'', France 1944 (90-041).

This figure was released November 2006. Expertly designed and sculpted by Andrea Jula, this figure had all the earmarks of an instant classic. While I am not particularly averse to German WWII subjects, particularly if they are as well and imaginatively sculpted as this one, the price tag minus a specific project precluded my acquisition at that time.

Fast forward to the present. . . I received my factory-sealed kit from Chuck and The Red Lancers. Given the age of the kit, I was a bit hesitant in ordering sight unseen; and, unfortunately, my concerns were borne-out by the contents of the box. The casting quality ran the gamut, in some instances within a single piece. For example, much to my overwhelming relief, the one-piece body was, at first glance, pristine! But upon careful examination, this same body was "short filled", and the detail on the lower boots is virtually non- existent! Fortunately, this will not be too difficult to correct, and it is an area I am given to tweaking regardless of what I am provided with. The trench-coat, cast in 4 pieces (right section w/ arm; left section; left arm; and collar) suffered from obviously worn mold edges and distortion. There is some demanding, if not serious, work involved in maximizing the fit, while ensuring that the garment can be painted as a stand-alone item off the figure! All the accessory and detail pieces were thankfully perfect.

By way of wrapping up this introductory installment, I would rate this casting as G/G+.

NEXT. . . THE PROJECT!