Jon Snow - Prepwork: Conclusion. . . POTHOLE!

As I was finishing the underside of the bust (i.e., the finish line in sight!), I paused for a moment to finalize the fit of the head to the bust when something struck me as being . . . well. . . "off". Opening my reference folder, it was immediately obvious! I had overlooked the standing collar of Jon Snow's doublet/jerkin? for this iteration!!

Adding a mandarin collar is not difficult, but it will slow things down--especially as the head will have to be refitted. Completion is still slated for this coming weekend, but I don't know if the bust will be primed before month end. . . 

Stay tuned. . . 

PS - The absence of the standing collar confirms that the stock casting represents a pre- induction Jon Snow with the wolf-skin collared cape. 

UPDATE 25.05.16. . . The mandarin collar has been roughed-in and the head refitted. Almost back on track. . . !!! 

UPDATE 26.05.16. . . The mandarin collar is DONE!

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

ICM's 1/16th World's Guards -- UPDATE

By way of update to my original posting, the first issue, 16001 - British Queen's Guard's Grenadier (or Queen's Guard, Grenadier Guards), is now available Stateside! MSRP is just under US$40--you can easily find it 20-25% below that.

I hesitate to review the piece as I do not have it, but there are plenty of pics available on line (e.g., manufacturer's site). If they are released in numerical order, I am definitely in for the next release!

FOLLOW-UP. . . Some of you might have noticed the link for the Swiss Papal Guard I added last night. Based on the images provided, I am on the fence about this one; however, I don't know if this is a preview, or the production prototype. If the latter, there will be quite a bit of work required to get it up to speed. For starters: the head, leggings. and belt buckle. Having said that, ICM did do their homework. . . they just cut some corners which for this reviewer are unacceptable. If you "like" what you see, I would suggest that you start doing your research: there are more than enough hi-res images on-line to get you through this project! Full review to follow upon release. . .

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

Jon Snow - Prepwork: Conclusion

Perhaps a bit premature, but just so. . . 

I have but the front left panel of the collar to do, and the major rework of the piece can be deemed completed. UPDATE 18.05.16. . . DONE! How so fast? I found a more efficient approach: more modelling in situ; less sculptural rework after the fact!

After that is done, I will focus on the loose ends--literally and figuratively--of the collar, and evalu- ate the visual flow and volume of the same, adjusting accordingly. Then it will simply be a matter of clean-up and final finishing. . .

Assuming there are no surprises and/or mishaps, this project will definitely be on the paint bench before the end of the month. . . 

IT IS STUNNING!

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

Jon Snow - Prepwork

If one is satisfied with the contents of the box, then prepwork will be nothing more than lightly scraping off some faint seam-lines and achieving a satisfactory join of the riser to the torso. 

I, obviously, am not. In my introductory post, I indicated that the likeness left something to be desired. Actually, there are two significant "issues" with this offering:

1. The Likeness. . . or, "Is close enough good enough?" Apparently it is; but not for me-- especially as I don't feel it is that close! The problem with this likeness is that it is some- what heavy and too broad ("chubby"); the lips are at once too small and too pursed, rather than full; and the nose is too angular. Fortunately, these "misses" are a rather straightfor- ward and relatively easy fix--although, you will have to reconstruct the rather sparse beard once you are done. Finally, yet another case of a GoT "more is better" hairdo! Even if you do nothing with the face itself, reducing the coiffure--more than you would think!--will signi- ficantly improve the likeness, though it will then open the proverbial can of worms. As of this writing, I am over 80% done. . . 
2. The Collar. Hmmm. . . During his pre-induction phase at Castle Black, Jon wore the cape with a wolf-skin collar with which he had arrived. Once he was inducted in the Night's Watch, it was replaced by one with a black Highland cattle collar. All build-ups I have seen depict a black collar [nb: if I had elected not to modify the collar, I would have paint- ed it as a pre-induction wolf-skin.]; BUT, the fur/hair provided is on the short-side and wa- vy. NutsPlanet has always played a bit loose and free with their interpretation of certain subjects--and we now see that it has been that way since Day 1! I intend to rework the entire collar and go with a black kyloe (West Highland cattle). . . ~20% done! UPDATE 16.05.16. . . ~65% done. . . 

So much for my TDL. . .  

UPDATE 13.05.16. . . The face/head is all-but-done. There are a few minor tweaks left, plus the final once-over; but otherwise, Jon Snow is in the HOUSE!

The collar is going to slow things down quite a bit. Based on the time required to finish the right front panel, it is going to take an average of 3 days/5 hours per panel, of which four remain. If I were to work on it every day, I am looking at another 2 weeks, give or take, before it can be deemed completed. I am going to shoot for a wrap-up over the Memorial Day weekend. . . 
 
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Back in Black. . .

NutsPlanet's first release in its 1/10 scale Bust line was "Night's Watch", sculpted by Jun-Sik Ahn. This bust dates back to the beginning of 2014 (I acquired my issue in February), and it, along with its other two launch-mates, set the standard for not only the industry, but for what we as the end-user should expect with each and every purchase we make!

The kit is comprised of 4 pieces: head; torso; Longclaw's iconic hilt; and a thematic, scenic dis- play riser/pedestal (nb: I don't know if the thematic riser was continued beyond the first two re- leases). The castings are perfect, and the resin is an absolute joy to work--responding equally well to burr, blade, and/or sandpaper!

"Night's Watch" is a portrait bust of Jon Snow, the [so-called] Bastard of Stark. While the sculpting and finishing are precise and beautifully clean, I am hard pressed to grade the likeness any higher than a C+. The likeness of Jon Snow (as portrayed by Kit Harington) is, at best, pass- able. I would say that mold distortion could be partially at fault here, especially as this was this company's first non-SD release; however, subsequent releases appear to suggest an artistic fault/quirk rather than a procedural one. 

The overwhelming majority of the build-ups I have seen underscore the fact that with a little work and careful painting, an acceptable likeness, superior to what is provided, can be achieved. How- ever, I do not acquire these kits to mask the shortcomings of the sculptor with deft application of paint (read: cosmetic camouflage), or skillful photography. . .

I have chosen to commemorate the resurrection and return of the erstwhile Lord Commander by returning him to my bench. Not by "resurrecting" the vignette that I have invested a considerable amount of time and effort on, but by finally getting around to this bust. . . In the meantime, I have to go find my AC/DC cd's. . . 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

Deadpool - Prepwork: Phase IID

I am nowhere near the home stretch. . . HOWEVER, I am at that point in the project where finishing is a dominant aspect of any bench session.

The last few sessions have been spent adding volume, tweaking the fit of components, and addressing the details. By the end of the weekend, I should be at the point where I can start focusing on individual items (read: final detailing and finishing).

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

Godzilla (BatoGoji) - Prepwork II

The limbs have been permanently assembled. 

The body and tail will not be permanently assembled until all ancillary work has been completed. Once they have been assembled, I will then complete assembly by attaching the limbs.

Movin' right along. . .

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

The "LC"

Well, it has been quite a while since I've spent any time with the "Bastard of Winterfell"--and after last season's confounding Shakespearean finale, it frankly took the wind out of my sails. . .

BUT. . . I am happy to report that all is well, hither AND yon, and we have much more of Jon Snow before us. . .Hell, I might even break-out the NutsPlanet bust and start tweaking it to celebrate!

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

Godzilla (BatoGoji) - Prepwork

By way of preface, snap-together kits are something of an acquired taste - so long as the fit is at least acceptable. In most instances, it is preferable to remove the connecting pegs, dress the contact surfaces, and simply glue the kit together. On a kit like this, however, it is a welcome op- tion. You can dry-fit to your heart's content without resorting to rubber bands, clamps, or tempo- rary cyanoacrylate spot welds. Thus, my BatoGoji is now fully, albeit tentatively, 'assembled', save for the mouth/mandible and the dorsal dermal plates.

A quick note about the plates. Every review I've read mentions the importance of keeping the plates on their sprues so that one can then simply follow the assembly instructions and correctly attach the plates. This is certainly true, BUT. . . what no review has mentioned is that each plate is individually numbered as well! As long as the modeler does not lose the instructions, it doesn't matter how many of the 34(!) plates have come off their sprues. Kudos to Lindberg!!

Most of the work in the prep phase will be focused on the mouth and the texturing of the dorsal plates. The teeth as a whole are poorly cast, and there will be extensive dental reconstruction required. Needless to say, good photographic references are a must! Insofar as the plates are concerned, the granular texture is virtually absent.

To date, I have permanently attached the center row of plates: all finishing work will be done in situ. . .

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

Kaiju-dom, Gojira. . . and a Project--pt. 2

Godzilla has taken many forms over the years in both Japanese and American cinema. And the corpus of literature addressing the ultimate embodiment of a daikaijū is almost as large as its subject!

I am by no means an ardent kaiju fan. I saw Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956; this was the "Americanized" re-release of the 1954 original) and King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962; 1963[US]) in the theatre. Most of the Showa-series features were standard fare on weekend TV for me through the 60s. After that, I frankly lost interest, though the Ultra Series was a mainstay of mine through the early 70s.

In 1964, Aurora released models of both King Kong and Godzilla--I am reasonably certain that this was not a coincidence. Both releases were favourites of mine, especially the latter: fuchsia-coloured, non-brittle plastic; a rather involved scenic urban groundwork/base. . . and having my mother help me create what was in retrospect a rather Gogos-esque interpretation of the boxart. In spite of that, it still didn't ring quite true to the Godzilla to which I had been exposed--though it was quite dinosaur-ish, which at the time was a definite plus!

Half a century later, I am rediscovering the appeal of the daikaijū. Fortunately, I am neither com- pelled to hunt down an Aurora/Monogram/Polar lights 1964 Godzilla, or make my way through the myriad of Japanese vinyl kits out there: in 1995, Lindberg released Godzilla, King of the Monsters.

Think or say what you will of Lindberg, this is an exceptional(!) kit!! It scales out to approximately 1/450 scale, which makes it quite a sizeable offering. My sample is VG- overall: some detail is on the "soft" side of things, and fit is somewhat less than precise (hardly surprising given that it is marketed as featuring "snap-fit" assembly), but nothing that I would consider insurmountable for someone beyond the advanced beginner level willing to expend a modicum of effort.

This kit is representative of a Heisei-series Godzilla, that flourished from 1989-1997. Given that the respective differences are more subtle and less dramatic than their Showa predecessors, and the fact that suits and portions thereof were used throughout the film series, determining the pre- cise suit style is made more difficult. Having said that, I believe the BatoGoji suit (1992) is the inspiration for this model, and I will be using it as my design baseline.

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

Kaiju-dom, Gojira. . . and a Project--pt. 1

By way of introduction, though perhaps entirely unnecessary, kaijū (Japanese: "strange beast") is a film genre that features monsters, usually attacking a major [Japanese] city or engaging other monsters in battle. As a film genre, its roots can be traced practically to the advent of "talkies" (King Kong, 1933), but it wasn't until the mid-50s that the modern phenomenon was born.

Gojira, bka as Godzilla, was born in 1954. It is an allegorical cautionary tale re: the horrors, literally and figuratively, of a nuclear age: 

Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka stated that, "The theme of the film, from the begin- ning, was the terror of the bomb. Mankind had created the bomb, and now nature was going to take revenge on mankind." Director Ishirō Honda filmed Godzilla's rampage on Tokyo with the mentality that the monster's onslaught was a parallel to, and a physical manifestation of, an Atom bomb attack. He stated, "If Godzilla had been a dinosaur or some other animal, he would have been killed by just one can- nonball. But if he were equal to an atomic bomb, we wouldn't know what to do. So, I took the characteristics of an atomic bomb and applied them to Godzilla."^[Themes]

Tanaka-san's concept of a "zoological 'bomb'" was influenced by the radioactive contamination of the Japanese fishing boat Daigo Fukuryū Maru and its crew from the fallout from the US' H-bomb detonation on Bikini Atoll, on March 1, 1954--eight months to the day before Gojira roared his way onto movie screens in Japan. . .

For Japanese audiences sitting in theatres that November 1, the message was clear: "this isn't science fiction, it isn't even fiction. These are recent events, recapitulated as a modern fairy tale, a contemporary folk myth for the nuclear age."^[2] The war was over; the Occupation was over; but the nuclear age--and the memories of events as recent as 8 months past--were anything but.

This is not a film essay, so I will leave the background information at that. Having said that, I truly wish they would show this classic at the opening and closing of every Non-Proliferation Confer- ence. . .

We will delve into the ultimate daikaijū in our next installment. . .

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

Deadpool - Prepwork: Phase IIC

I have reached the point in any sculptural project when one takes a cold, hard look at what has been done to date, and reevaluates. . . 

All in all, I am very pleased. But I did decide that the right arm--or rather, its design--could be improved upon. In short, I pegged and removed the en suite deltoid group, and reunited the shoulder with the rest of the arm, thus providing me with two separate, complete arms that will require no filler upon attachment--and make painting that much easier!

I concluded the session by roughing-in the right spaulder. . . 

30.04.16. . . As the right arm, the head. Since I had already removed and repositioned the head, I decided to afford myself 100% flexibility, and make the head a separate, "plug-in" item. To this end, I rebuilt the collar around a deepened neck socket, taking the opportunity to tweak the upper pecs and traps. I then fitted the head into the neck socket. 

01.05.16. . . Right boot enhanced.

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

Deadpool - Prepwork: Phase IIB

19.04.16

• Right vambrace ~70% done.
• Left arm removed, sectioned, pegged/wired, repositioned and fitted*.
• Left "spaulder" roughed-in and hollowed to *accommodate shoulder.
• Extended/"double" pouch fitted and pegged to small of back. 

 20.04.16

• Realigned pectoral and abdominal muscles as they were cast askew.
• Began reworking the left hand to accommodate the tsuka. 

 23.04.16

• Continued work on left arm and hand; tentatively attached hand.
• Commenced finishing of left spaulder; refitted arm.
• Sketched harness straps: chest and shoulders.

 24.04.16

• Harness straps roughed-in.
• "Blocked-in" left holster pegged and tentatively fitted.
• Continued refinement of abdominal musculature.

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