Black - & Gold - Magik Woman

I received a superb MB of New Mutant (X-Men) Magik earlier this week, and I couldn't be happier! This has been something of a "grail kit" for me--it's not that it's that difficult to acquire, it just took me a while to track down its source.

Illyana Rasputin, Magik, is the younger sister of X-Man Colossus. Her rather convoluted backstory can be perused at the above link, but suffice it to say that she is a sorceress who not only wields the Soulsword and can generate power-enhancing Eldritch armour, she also has a demonic alter-ego, the Darkchilde.

The kit is done to approximately 1/8th(?) scale in 9 exquisitely-cast pieces + base. The Soulsword alone is comprised of 4 pieces: left hand/grip; quillons/blade; and a 2-piece eldritch flame cast in clear resin! The normal base for this kit is a tapering, four-sided "X" pedestal; I received a weathered column that is the stock base for Wolfsbane. I don't know if the provider was out of X pedestals, but I much prefer the column as it provides greater support and a more esthetic balance to the piece. Clean-up could-be accomplished in little more than a couple of hours.

In my next installment, pending receipt of some reference material, I will outline what I have in mind for this piece. No major alterations, per se; rather a few targeted enhancements. Think Witchblade. . .

Notable Acquisitions April-May 2012

KITS
Resin Pimps (busts, 1/6th scale[???]): 

• Atrocitus and Dex-Starr
• Arkillo
• Kilowog

Moebius kit of the Green Lantern (Joe Laudati, 1/12th scale)
Magik (1/8th scale[???])
Eaglemoss DC Super Hero Collection Special #13 Kilowog (~1/20th scale)
Halloween Nightmare Mini-Bust #1: The Ghost (Adam Dougherty, 1/8th scale[???])

Kilowog-Green Lantern (Eaglemoss)

And now for my favorite Green Lantern, the GL of Space Sector 674, and primary trainer of recruits to the Green Lantern Corps. . .  Kilowog.

I have two projects on the drawing board involving Kilowog: one is a bust produced by Resin Pimps (principals' names withheld by request); and the other a full-figure by Eaglemoss, the subject of this posting.

Kilowog is Special Issue #13 in the Eaglemoss DC Super Hero Collection. It should come as no surprise that Kilowog was a special issue, as this is an all metal figure measuring ~115mm h.! And the casting in my example is near-perfect!!

While the figure itself is sublime, the design/engineering is even more so! The figure is comprised of 5(!) white metal pieces + the standard resin base. And yes, I have already stripped and dis- assembled the piece; and tapped the legs for the mounting pegs.

This one will be stock. Save for a thorough clean-up and tweaking some fit issues (e.g., you might note the prominent seam across the back where the head/arms unit attaches to the torso), there is little else to be done. I will hopefully have this one on the painting bench in the next 6-8 weeks.

FOLLOW-UP - 06.05.2012. . . The figure is now pegged and mounted on its work base. The head/arms unit is in the final finishing stages and will hopefully be ready to be permanently reunited with the body in the next few days. More to follow. . .

Hal Jordan - Green Lantern of Sector 2814

As most of you know, I’m a self-proclaimed Marvel freak. Not quite a zombie about it, but close. For better or for worse – certainly worse for my wallet! – that has now changed. Hitherto, my interests in DC have been largely limited to Batman & Co., and Hawkman and Hawkgirl. I remember being rather fond of the Justice Society and Justice League, but these were little more than an extension of my aforementioned interests.

Enter the Lantern Corps. I was never much of a fan of the Green Lantern. No particular reason that I can recall, save that it was too sci-fi for my tastes. And it wasn’t a question of not liking it per se, it was worse – I was indifferent about the character!

The first major inroads by DC into my Marvel-ness was the Batman Vampire Trilogy. This was an Elseworlds imprint, which has provided many a memorable story.  Kingdom Come, featuring the magnificent artwork of Alex Ross and also an Elseworlds offering, was the turning point: Kingdom Come is, to me, the [near-]perfect example of a graphic novel. And then there was Blackest Night, my introduction to the full emotional spectrum of Lantern Corps, and a compelling trigger to my reassessment of the Green Lantern. . . .

I am now hooked! The Lantern Corps with their galactic diversity of characters are a one-stop superstore of  inspirational storytelling. Add to this the stellar work being provided by Resin Pimps, and I can honestly say I have not been this excited about comics OR the hobby in a VERY long time!

My first review, however, deals with a Moebius offering. Last year, Moebius released a kit (no. 924) of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan--Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, which includes our Solar System. The kit depicts a scene from Green Lantern v.2, #4 (Jan.- Feb. 1961), where Hal fights Gnaxos, the robot champion of the Weaponers of Qward (future home of the Sinestro Corps).

This is a simple kit: 18 pieces total! It goes together very well, and assembly can be easily managed in a few hours. This would be an ideal first kit!

The “extra bonus” of this kit--and that which elevates it far beyond the status of “average”--are the hand-shaped construct holding Gnaxos down, and the ring flare from Hal’s power ring (parts #17 and 18, respectively): these are cast in green-tinted clear plastic! This begs for lighting effects!!

The provenance of this kit belongs to that era of Lantern history that did little or nothing for me or my imagination; hence, I am going to approach this kit a bit differently. My plan is to depict Green Lantern Hal Jordan at the time of the Blackest Night crisis event. All the elements of the diorama are in hand—all that’s left is to “do it”!

The Silver Samurai - Intermezzo

I pretty much knew that eking out quality bench time would prove to be a challenge this year, but I certainly didn't expect the "squeeze" to begin this early. . .

Between work and a nasty Spring flu (courtesy of the TMs at work), my bench time this past week can be counted in minutes, if that! Nonetheless, a bit of progress has been made--mostly today. . .

• Continued sizing, detailing, and reducing the cowl portion of the sōmen. This is progressing slower than I had anticipated, but is coming together very nicely.
• The kabuto is now all-but-assembled: the mabezashi and right fukigayeshi have been permanently attached. 
• The kashiradate has been pegged and tentatively fitted to the tehen. There is a significant amount of work yet to be done on this embellishment to the helmet.

Hopefully, things will start getting back to normal sooner than later. . .

Crystal Brush 2012. . .

entries can be seen here; winners here.

ENJOY!

The Silver Samurai - Men-Yoroi (1)

Before continuing with the assembly and finishing of the helmet, the men-yoroi (face armour) must be addressed.

Men-yoroi, especially menpō (full half-mask), are a characteristic component of a full gusoku (harness); but, in reality, were seldomly worn. The most common functional variant was the hanbō, a half- mask protecting the cheeks, jawline, and chin, which also served as a protective barrier between skin and helmet cords. Our base sculpture is equipped with a hanbō.

If menpō would have been seen on the battlefield but occasionally, then sōmen (full face-mask) would have been a bonafide rarity. And as far as "cowls" (as in what superheroes wear) are concerned, I have seen a few late Edo-period examples, but these were extremely rare. Herein lies the rub: the Silver Samurai wears men-yoroi that looks like a cowl, protecting the upper half of his face; but, the lower half of his face is bare!

My approach to this quandary is to add a "cowl", integrate it with the provided hanbō, and thus create a historically-sound sōmen. To this end, I have already "roughed-in" the cowl portion of the sōmen with MS.

More to follow. . . 

The Silver Samurai - Kabuto (1)

The key to any successful rendition of a bushi is the kabuto (helmet). Admittedly I am biased, as that extraordinary piece of functional art has been an obsession of mine for nigh unto thirty years(!); however, the fact remains that this is where many figures of Japanese armoured subjects fall way short of the mark.

Since period accuracy will be a relative factor in this project, I decided to keep the helmet essentially stock, focusing on the assembly of the same and the peripheral enhancements demanded by the subject. To this end, the first step of this project was the attachment of the shikoro (neckguard)--in this case, a kasa-jikoro--to the hachi (helmet bowl)--in this case a suji-bachi.

I began by "cleaning" the respective pieces: reducing and/or removing pour "sprues"/channels (anyone familiar with Verlinden kits will know what I am referring to), and removing positive evidence of deteriorating mold edges from the contact surfaces. Once done, I embarked on a rather lengthy session of dry-fitting and "eye-balling" symmetry. You'd be surprised at the number of shikoro that are either off-center, or patently asymmetrical: this is frankly inexcusable! Whether the fault lies with the sculptor or with the miniaturist, there is an inherent symmetry that must be observed. Get this wrong, and you might as well not bother with the rest.

First,  I removed the agemaki bow on the back of the kabuto, leaving just the mount for the kasa-jirushi no kan. Kasa jirushi are fine, but I am no big fan of agemaki bows--and this wasn't a particularly noteworthy one.

The major decision to be made in this step was how to best approach the construction of the kabuto. I prefer having the hachi and head as a single subassembly, with the shikoro as a "secondary" piece. Unfortunately, the figure was engineered in such a fashion as to preclude this approach: the koshimaki was beveled so as to accommodate a mounting channel built into the first lame of the shikoro. While there is a certain method to the evinced madness, it is not the most user-friendly--or advisable!--approach. Playing the hand I was dealt, I carefully attached the shikoro by the central mounting lug connecting at the center rear of the koshimaki (due South if you will), and then floated cyanoacrylate down the mounting channel, one side at a time. This provides for a clean, strong, invisible join.

So much for step 1. Next, I will fill the attachment seam of shikoro to hachi, and work out the dynamics of the fukigayeshi and the mabezashi.

The Silver Samurai - Update

By way of follow-up, I have decided to base my creation on Verlinden's oversized (see below) offering, no. 1749. Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I am no stranger to this bust, that, in spite of its numerous shortcomings, IMHO consistently ranks amongst the top samurai busts on the market. Given that period-specific historicity will not be a factor in this project, most of the shortcomings are nullified at the outset.

I have reviewed this bust on numerous occasions, so permit me to present you with the bullet-point highlights:

•  Verlinden markets this kit as a 200mm bust, but this is anything but! I have scaled it out to 1/5th scale. . . in fact, this kit would not look out of place in a collection of its slightly larger 1/4 scale brethren.
• 18 pieces + pedestal.
• Buff-coloured resin - the original releases were cast in the then-typical Verlinden grigio-verde resin, with all that entailed. This new resin is a significant improvement!
• Bust is based on a modern-day reenactor as pictured in Mitsuo Kure's and Ghislaine Kruit's THE SAMURAI Recreated in Colour Photographs (Europa Militaria Special No. 14; p. 67). And as such it is quite a successful accomplishment! Thus, as a historical reconstruction, it leaves much to be desired; but as a cost-effective platform upon which to launch an interesting, colourful, and unique conversion project, it is superb!

The conceptual design of my interpretation is still very sketchy--but I do like where it's going. . .

More to follow. . .

The Silver Samurai

By now, most know that the second Wolverine solo movie – The Wolverine – after a number of setbacks, has been scheduled for release in Summer, 2013; that it will be set primarily in Japan; and that the primary villain will be Harada Kenichirō, bka Silver Samurai.

I am a huge fan of Wolverine’s stay in Japan, and the events leading up to it. The ‘Japanese hiatus’ of Logan’s life is a classic arc in the history of the character. Regrettably, Harada’s namesake armour has provided a negative consistency. This I attribute to an at-that-time understandable ignorance of the rich history and variety of Japanese armour; and a complacency that was satisfied by the stereotypical pastiche that would be identified with the Silver Samurai’s costume.

The film is still in pre-production, so there is nothing in the way of leaks or sneak-peeks to draw from. While some may see this as a hindrance, I see this as an opportunity! What would a canonical, albeit “historically accurate”, Silver Samurai look like?

If the Muses grace me, the Silver Samurai might be the very subject that would allow me to bring my historical and non-historical passions to the fore. I have tentatively begun my research. . .

BaneLegions: Bits--and pieces. . .

If CMON being announced as a US retailer wasn't enough, the good folk at BaneLegions have turned it up a significant notch: (almost) each and every component for all the BaneLords miniatures can now be bought separately from the Maelstrom Games webstore (parent company of the BaneLegions), with the BaneBeasts Bits following next week!

This ably addresses so many entries on so many wish lists, that all that really remains to be done is to thank Maelstrom and BaneLegions for thinking like us--and being one of "us"!

To the best of my knowledge, the Bits are available exclusively from Maelstrom Games.

I've already begun my list; and as soon as the BaneBeasts Bits are made available, Maelstrom will be receiving my first order. . .

Daredevil - Prep: Scarlet Swashbuckler (3)

DD is essentially on the home stretch. The forearms/gauntlets w/clubs have been cleaned and fitted, and the clubs have been "tapped" to accept what will either be brass wire or monofilament line.

The finishing of the reworked neck musculature is all but done. I have impaled the subject on a brass rod for painting: once the painting is completed, and the subject permanently mounted on the angel, I will decide if filling of the hole is necessary--or even possible! Finally, the slight gap resulting from the repositioning of the torso, exacerbated by shrinkage of the torso vis-à-vis the legs unit, has been filled and finished.

This is coming together quite nicely! Movin' right along. . .

BaneLegions available from CMON!

A week ago, I posted a somewhat cryptic postscript to my brief review of Creoda the Gúthwulf. Today, I am happy to announce that the BaneLegions are now available in the US from CMON!

Congratulations to both concerns! And much continued success to you both!!

Augie