My project of Athanasios Diakos underscored my largely basic knowledge of Balkan weaponry in the first half of the 19th c. AFAIC, this was unacceptable--and thus was I thrust back into the historical arena from whence I came. . .
After wringing as much as I could from the Web, it was time to delve into print. Today I received Robert Elgood's The Arms of Greece and her Balkan Neighbours in the Ottoman Period (NY: Thames & Hudson, 2009).
I will simply refer you to Dr. Elgood's site to learn more about the man and his publications.
Sometimes it's good. . . VERY good. . . to go back. . .
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003
Showing posts with label References. Show all posts
Showing posts with label References. Show all posts
07 January 2017
21 February 2016
REFERENCES - AK Interactive's Learning Series
By way of follow-up to my review of Metallics , vol. 2, I would like to point out that AK Interac- tive's Learning Series are some of the best modelling references it has ever been my pleasure to own and use. As of this writing, I have all but no. 2: Panzer Crew Uniforms.
The real strength behind these most useful guides is that they do not merely focus on the "how- to". Rather, the material is presented in the context of "what could be". What can be achieved is thus left entirely in the modelling reader's hands! And that is decidedly a breath of fresh air!!
And when you consider that they are little more than the cost of an Osprey book--or an issue of an imported magazine!--it's virtually a win-win situation.
ENJOY!
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003
The real strength behind these most useful guides is that they do not merely focus on the "how- to". Rather, the material is presented in the context of "what could be". What can be achieved is thus left entirely in the modelling reader's hands! And that is decidedly a breath of fresh air!!
And when you consider that they are little more than the cost of an Osprey book--or an issue of an imported magazine!--it's virtually a win-win situation.
ENJOY!
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003
16 February 2016
Metallics vol. 2 (AK Learning Series #5)
Last year, AK Interactive announced the release of a 2 vol. set of references in their Learning Series dealing with Metallics. Vol. 1, released in the Fall, was an excellent introduction to metals, the mediums available to reproduce optimal effects, and how they are rendered in miniature, specifically scale models.
Vol.2 has just made it across the Pond, and its focus is figures. It can certainly be read as a stand-alone entry, and most who are strictly figure-centric will appreciate this. This is by far the most enlightening and revealing treatise on the subject that I have ever encountered--and this coming from someone who has been peeling this delightful onion for over 35 years! If there was ever a turn-to reference on metallics this is it!! And for an old-timer like myself, it is worth the price of admission for the lucid presentation on how to work NMMs (Non-Metallic Metallics), especially as a complement to--and in combination with--more traditional approaches.
Admittedly, as with any reference, your mileage may vary--depending on your experience, pre- ferred medium/s, etc. Personally, I am not exactly taken with the ever-increasing use of the air- brush as a means to apply paint on figures. . . of any scale! However, that is the dinosaur in me speaking: you can argue with anything about it save [some of] the results!!
This is an invaluable reference, and one that I HIGHLY recommend!
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003
Vol.2 has just made it across the Pond, and its focus is figures. It can certainly be read as a stand-alone entry, and most who are strictly figure-centric will appreciate this. This is by far the most enlightening and revealing treatise on the subject that I have ever encountered--and this coming from someone who has been peeling this delightful onion for over 35 years! If there was ever a turn-to reference on metallics this is it!! And for an old-timer like myself, it is worth the price of admission for the lucid presentation on how to work NMMs (Non-Metallic Metallics), especially as a complement to--and in combination with--more traditional approaches.
Admittedly, as with any reference, your mileage may vary--depending on your experience, pre- ferred medium/s, etc. Personally, I am not exactly taken with the ever-increasing use of the air- brush as a means to apply paint on figures. . . of any scale! However, that is the dinosaur in me speaking: you can argue with anything about it save [some of] the results!!
This is an invaluable reference, and one that I HIGHLY recommend!
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003
29 January 2011
New publication: Steampunk Modeller -- REVIEW
Just received mine! 128pp tpb; sumptuously illustrated: all colour-- no skimping on photographs here; printed on 'heavy' satin paper. Featuring 12 articles/projects from English (5), French (5) and American (2) modellers. Perhaps not surprisingly (one can hope, though. . . no?!), the articles are rather "light" on figures. Having said that, there is a treasure trove's worth of information and inspiration between these covers, and this is a welcome addition to the modelling library.
Bring on the SMOG!!!
Bring on the SMOG!!!
10 January 2011
New publication: Steampunk Modeller
The good folks at Sci-Fi & fantasy Modeller will soon be releasing their first annual? compendium?? of a Steampunk theme: Steampunk Modeller. For my interested readership across the Pond, you can do no better than going direct through the publisher; those of us in the colonies can contact Steve at CultTVMan's Hobby Shop.
Can't wait!
Can't wait!
19 October 2009
30 May 2009
Erik, the Opera Ghost--Libretti
In addition to the film itself (various editions and formats) and a modest selection of stills, I have turned to these published works for additional background, insight and inspiration:
Kay, Susan. Phantom. NY: Delacorte Press, 1991.
Riley, Philip J. The Making of The Phantom of the Opera (Classic Silents, vol. 1). Absecon, NJ: MagicImage Fimbooks, 1999.
Wolf, Leonard, ed. The Essential Phantom of the Opera. NY: Plume, 1996.
Kay, Susan. Phantom. NY: Delacorte Press, 1991.
Riley, Philip J. The Making of The Phantom of the Opera (Classic Silents, vol. 1). Absecon, NJ: MagicImage Fimbooks, 1999.
Wolf, Leonard, ed. The Essential Phantom of the Opera. NY: Plume, 1996.
24 April 2009
"The Man in the Beaver Hat"--London after Midnight Bust
17.05.2009
I've been awaiting the arrival of the definitive work on this cinematic Grail before expanding this post, but it looks like it will be a tad longer. My library contacted me yesterday that London After Midnight (Philip J. Riley; NY: Cornwall Books, 1985) had arrived. Awaiting me was not the treasured reference, but rather an anthology of short stories of the same title. . . 'disappointment' doesn't quite describe my feelings.
So I returned empty-handed and promptly resubmitted my request for Mr. Riley's opus, which includes director Tod Browning's script of "The Hypnotist", which was the basis for LAM.
Just as a sidebar note, LAM was not a horror story at all; at best, it could be described as a Gothic mystery. But with Lon Chaney as the protagonist; Tod Browning as director; the vampiric red herring in the plot; and the Forrest J Ackerman-spun mythos around this film, it has acquired a "posthumous" notoriety that some notable critics claim it can not possibly live up to. Nonetheless, the "Man in the Beaver Hat" is as much a horror icon today as Erik, the Opera Ghost.
01.06.2009
I have just received some VERY exciting news that should it come to fruition will see the Janus 1/8th scale trinity replaced by the most worthy of successors in 1/4th scale! More news as it becomes available. . .
I've been awaiting the arrival of the definitive work on this cinematic Grail before expanding this post, but it looks like it will be a tad longer. My library contacted me yesterday that London After Midnight (Philip J. Riley; NY: Cornwall Books, 1985) had arrived. Awaiting me was not the treasured reference, but rather an anthology of short stories of the same title. . . 'disappointment' doesn't quite describe my feelings.
So I returned empty-handed and promptly resubmitted my request for Mr. Riley's opus, which includes director Tod Browning's script of "The Hypnotist", which was the basis for LAM.
Just as a sidebar note, LAM was not a horror story at all; at best, it could be described as a Gothic mystery. But with Lon Chaney as the protagonist; Tod Browning as director; the vampiric red herring in the plot; and the Forrest J Ackerman-spun mythos around this film, it has acquired a "posthumous" notoriety that some notable critics claim it can not possibly live up to. Nonetheless, the "Man in the Beaver Hat" is as much a horror icon today as Erik, the Opera Ghost.
01.06.2009
I have just received some VERY exciting news that should it come to fruition will see the Janus 1/8th scale trinity replaced by the most worthy of successors in 1/4th scale! More news as it becomes available. . .
14 March 2009
Research: the ever-ongoing endeavor
RESEARCH--the means by which an invaluable intimacy with the subject of the work is cultivated, nurtured, and finally established--is the linchpin of virtually any artistic endeavor. This sweeping statement is hardly news to those who know me, since it has been my credo since I took my first tentative steps in historical modelling/art.
But what of non-historical modelling? [NB: by way of contrast, ahistorical modelling is that to which we have been unmercifully subjected for nearly the last decade!] Does research play a rôle in these supposedly free-flights of fancy? The answer is a resounding, "YES!" In fact, I would assuredly posit that our non-historical colleagues execute their investigative due-diligence much more assiduously--and consistently!--than we have in the last 20 years!
And why might that be? Why is it that painters and modellers--to say nothing of patrons!--of the fantastic naturally, rigorously, and seemingly effortlessly clave to the "rules" of their worlds and their inhabitants; and are incisively and vociferously critical of perceived shortcomings? I could ramble on until the vast majority of you would be bored to tears; but in a word I would say: PASSION.
But whether or not the historical figure industry's passion is at low ebb, or why, is not the purpose of this posting. Rather it is to provide the core cinematographic references being consulted in the two featured works to-date:
Curtis, James. James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters. Minneapolis: U. of Minn. Press, 2003.
Lanchester, Elsa. Elsa Lanchester, Herself. NY: St. Martin's Press, 1983.
Milano, Roy. Monsters: A Celebration of the Classics from Universal Studios. NY: Del Rey, 2006.
And of course, the movies themselves. As a final note, an extensive list of references, printed and on-line, have been and will continue to be consulted for the setting and groundwork of "The Mummy" pieces.
But what of non-historical modelling? [NB: by way of contrast, ahistorical modelling is that to which we have been unmercifully subjected for nearly the last decade!] Does research play a rôle in these supposedly free-flights of fancy? The answer is a resounding, "YES!" In fact, I would assuredly posit that our non-historical colleagues execute their investigative due-diligence much more assiduously--and consistently!--than we have in the last 20 years!
And why might that be? Why is it that painters and modellers--to say nothing of patrons!--of the fantastic naturally, rigorously, and seemingly effortlessly clave to the "rules" of their worlds and their inhabitants; and are incisively and vociferously critical of perceived shortcomings? I could ramble on until the vast majority of you would be bored to tears; but in a word I would say: PASSION.
But whether or not the historical figure industry's passion is at low ebb, or why, is not the purpose of this posting. Rather it is to provide the core cinematographic references being consulted in the two featured works to-date:
Curtis, James. James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters. Minneapolis: U. of Minn. Press, 2003.
Lanchester, Elsa. Elsa Lanchester, Herself. NY: St. Martin's Press, 1983.
Milano, Roy. Monsters: A Celebration of the Classics from Universal Studios. NY: Del Rey, 2006.
And of course, the movies themselves. As a final note, an extensive list of references, printed and on-line, have been and will continue to be consulted for the setting and groundwork of "The Mummy" pieces.
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