Negan - Prepwork I: Rescaling the Figure, pt.1

Let the games begin!

Given the volume at work and the lengthy days, "fine" work will be relegated to the weekends. That leaves me 5 days (2-4 hrs/day) to get down and dirty. . . 

Which means a considerable amount of headway should be made in relatively short order on my latest reclamation project. And I began with "resizing the canvas". . . 

As I noted earlier, Negan is approximately 7mm too tall! He would dwarf any other figure in the series. And it's not so much that he is overscaled--his proportions are completely out of whack! The figure of Negan stands 8.5-9 heads tall!! Keeping in mind that most figures are done to 8 head proportions, while purists (guilty as charged!) prefer the 7.5 head proportions of a "normal" human being, this figure needs some serious reconfiguration!!!

I have already addressed the upper half of the body by removing a 3-4mm section of the mid- torso, the upper limit being the nipple-line (second head length. I removed a little more than re- quired on the lower section to allow for the seamless integration of the two sections when the time comes. The jacket zipper will be my medial longitudinal axis.

And that's it--for now. Next, rescaling the lower half by sectioning the boots. . .

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

Negan: The TDL

The TDL to date (in no particular order):

• Rescale the figure and adjust as needed (nb: the figure is ~7mm too tall).
• Reposition head and rework head/face as needed.
• Carve a scale replacement for Lucille (nb: the kit bat is ~6mm too short).
• Rework/resculpt boots, restoring all lost and/or omitted detail.
• Rework leather jacket, restoring all lost and/or omitted detail.
• Rework pants (rear pockets, etc.).
• Add gun belt and attendant details.  

Time to break out the cutting wheels. . . !

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

Negan and his BFF - Eaglemoss' TWD no. 26

Eaglemoss' Negan is a simple, barely adequately-sculpted figure. It is comprised of 6 total pie- ces: head, body, arms, Lucille (white metal), and base (note: I have not been able to separate the head from the torso, but all indications point to it being a separate piece). Also, please note that the figure is almost grotesquely out of scale!

AMF is not the place to find rationalizations making silk purses from offal--and this figure is offal (read: awful)! Any likeness to the subject and virtually all "layering" have been done with paint. With the paint off, the crude, to say nothing of cavalier, seam removal (e.g., the right boot buckle was removed entirely), and the soft, even bland and/or barely existent, detail is painfully obvious. 

So it appears I am back to where I was a little over a year ago with respect to Eaglemoss: I will no longer support this company. Ever since the first set of TWD figures was released in 2015-16, quality--sculptural and painting--has declined steadily: Negan is probably the nadir of the series to this point. I had high hopes for Negan, but it is no more than a somewhat adequate base piece upon which to fully develop the sculpture. And I fully intend to do just that as time and inclination permit. . .

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

Hptm. Walther Karjus--Painting II: Metallics

The cybernetic right forearm has been base-coated with G-S Mr. Metal lacquers and buffed-out... 

That's the easy part. Now comes the more challenging aspect of any metallic exercise--especial- ly given the relatively small scale in question.

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

Hptm. Walther Karjus--Painting I: UCing and Metallic Prep

Just finished UCing the uniform of Herr Karjus. . .

As with the first figure of the Red Skull that I did, it is times like this make me appreciate "fantasy"/alternate reality figures more than I can say: while I believe my interpretation of Feldgrau is more than acceptable, I certainly don't want to engage in a tit-for-tat with a self- proclaimed Farbexperte. . . Life is too damn short. . .

I also UCed all the blacks: collar, leggings. . . and the cybernetic prosthetic forearm. As I will finish the latter in lacquers, this will be completed before I continue with the undercoating.

Movin' right along. . .

UPDATE 04.04.17--The figure, save for the woolen lining of the coat and the fur collar, is now UCed!  

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

Hptm. Walther Karjus--Painting: Intro

"The Iron Fist" is now primed, and has been transferred to the painting bench. Undercoating should begin within the next 48 hrs. . . 

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

The Lion - Prepwork: Intermezzo (cont.)

Very little to add save that the head has been fitted to the torso: it is now a secure, positive join; and the paws have undergone preliminary fitting and reduction. 

Insofar as the face is concerned, the nose required additional attention (ongoing); and the hair has been roughed-in on the left half of the face/head.

More to follow. . .

FOLLOW-UP. . . Facial hair on the right side of the face has been roughed-in.

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

The Lion - Prepwork: Intermezzo

I can't decide whether "slow" or "rough" would better describe the last fortnight or so. Since we are right around the corner from the sheer madness that is an end-of-quarter at work, I'll stick with the latter and try to get things back on track. . . 

Full restoration will not take place before next weekend for obvious reasons, but I am trying to get things situated for when the moment arrives. To this end, today I worked a bit on "The Lion".

Final structuring, and surface finishing was begun on the face. There are still a few more putty sessions ahead of me, but I like what I see so far. 

The major advance is that the cowl has been permanently attached to the pelt, and the unit has been fitted to the torso. And I am very pleased!

 

I will continue work on the face/head over the next few sessions. Once the hair has been added, I will be able to permanently attached the head to the torso. 

 

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

The Lion - Prepwork II: The Face/Head

With the leftover putty used to fill-in the underside of the torso and complete the basic form of the cuirass, I began to work on the face.

The first thing to be done is remove the superfluous elements of the Imperial helmet: namely the neck and ear guards. You don't have to be particularly "careful" as the helmeted portion of the head will not be visible on the finished piece. That being said, dry fit the lion cowl often to make sure there are no surprises later on. . .     

I do not know to what extent the face will be visible/exposed. The "new" helmet has a very cool bevor that I would like to include; however, I don't know if it is the right call given the scale, etc. Currently I am leaning to leaving the face exposed. . .

The preliminary enhancements to the stock face are filling-in the attachments points for the cheek-pieces, and enhancing the brow and cheekbones--DONE! This will probably be followed by enhancing the upper and lower lip/chin DONE! and adding the facial hair.

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

The Lion - Prepwork I: The Cuirass (2)

As it turns out, as of this writing, the foundation layer will be all that is required for the basic cuirass.

This evening, I:

1. Began shaping the breast of the cuirass (coarse grinding with burr).
2. Finished applying the foundation layer of MS to the back.
3. Reduced the arms by grinding down the pteruges and roughly shaping the arms before permanently attaching both arms to the torso. 

So far, I am very pleased. . .

UPDATE 16.03.17--The cuirass--back and breast--is now roughed-in and shaped, ready for the detailing and fine finishig. . . 
 
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

THE END

I regret to inform you that due to reasons beyond my control, AMF will cease to be an ongoing concern.

Yesterday, I noticed that I began to "lose" images that heretofore had been fine. While not all images have been impacted, a significant number of my latest uploads are now broken links. There is a reason for this--obviously; however, I have neither the time nor the inclination to ferret out the root cause/s of a problem not of my doing.

This site was a pleasurable self-indulgence; but it is time to move on. Blogs are now largely passé, and I am not now, nor will I ever be, a supporter of so-called "social media"--especially as the adaptations to mobile platforms have compromised the utility and functionality of sites such as this.

So, I thank you for your support and your indulgence. I hope that the site has proven to be of some use over the years. While the future is ever The Riddler's sigil, rest assured that I will continue modelling miniatures until it is time to call it a life. . .

PS - I have managed to "fix" a few of the broken links. Whether these are permanent fixes, I haven't a clue; but for now, the disruption has been reigned-in somewhat. . .

PPS - Please read the Comments for an update of the situation. . . THANK YOU!

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

The Lion - Prepwork I: The Cuirass

This is my goal. . .

After reducing/grinding off the excess metal on the front of the bust (belts, superfluous pelt, ex- posed shoulder doubling/mantlet), I roughed-in the foundation layer of the breast with MS. Whe- ther or not a second layer will be required depends on how the shaping of the breast evolves.

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

Eamonn the Lion

NBC recently concluded the first season of Emerald City, the dark retelling of the Oz chronicles that has been characterized as "Game of Thrones meets The Wizard of Oz". While the validity of that label is arguable, what's wrong with that? In any case, the future of the series is on the razor-wire, and I can only hope that a major network grows a pair and quits letting the myopic, great unwashed on [counter-]social media dictate its programming decisions. . .

While I fervently hope for renewal, I will forever appreciate the inspirational S1. . . if only for its creative take on the familiar characters. Case in point, "The Cowardly Lion"--bka Eamonn, Commander of the Wizard's Guard.

I'll neither tip my hand, nor bore the readership with my synopsis of the character and its back- ground. Suffice to to say that if I could find the right bust of a Roman aquilifer, the realization of Eamonn would be more than likely.

Most would say, "An aquilifer? No problem!"  And therein lies the first problem: most people don't know what they are talking about! So it comes down to tracking down every bust of an aquilifer, signifer, and imaginifer (read: Roman standard bearer) available and see if it meets the criteria/ requirements. The winner on virtually all counts is the following:

Subject: Signifer

Stock No.: MB-002
Manufacturer: Pegaso
Range: Minibusts
Scale: 90mm
Sculpted by Ebroin
Adapted (Modified/Converted) by Atelier Pegaso
Base Figure: Roman Signifer (90-057) [nb: 31 pcs.]
Medium: White Metal.
Parts: 11

This 90mm bust is nothing more than an "adaptation" of Pegaso's 90mm Roman Signifer.

Casting quality is excellent! This is one of the best Pegaso offerings I have acquired long after its release. And the packaging is equally superlative!! As a historical white metal piece, it would receive the highest recommendation!!!

But, its destiny does not lie in the realm of the historical. So. . . follow the yellow brick road. . . follow the yellow brick road. . .
 
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003