discussion 1/10 Saxon Thane Bust

[Guest]

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The only thing to do after a fail (see my English Bowman thread) is to jump right back in with something new and exciting. This is a 1/10 bust of a Saxon Thane sculpted by Rob Lane, for War Griffon Miniatures, part of Model Display Products.

I must say that this looks superb:

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The bust is incredibly well modelled, with a lot of fine detail, which is helped by the fact that the casting is pin sharp - the chain mail looks as though it has actually been modelled using real chain links. A nice surprise is that the supplier had cleaned off the casting blocks and all but removed the mould lines so that only a minimum amount of clean-up is required.

The bust comes in three parts, the head and torso, a shield and the visor for the helmet. There's lots of scope here for decorative metalwork - steel, bronze and gold - and the shield gives the opportunity of adding a heraldic design.

 

[Si Benson]

Looks like a very crisp moulding with lots of fine details to be picked out. Will have to keep an eye on your progress :thumb2:

 

[Guest]

Welcome aboard Si. I'm excited by this one.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
Shame about the bowman as I thought the face was excellent even by your standards.
This however looks to be in another league as regards quality detail and moulding.
jim

 

[Guest]

Hi Jim - I've kept the bowman's head for use in the future, should something come up.

The face and hair are done on his one:

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Pretty tricky. The detail is very fine and very hard to pick out, even with the finest brush. A good part of it will be covered by the visor of course, but that's fairly open and should allow most of the eye detail to be seen.

 

[wotan]

Peter

This is a very nice face with lots of character. I would be tempted to discard the Rolf Harris Spectacles.

John

 

[Guest]

Cheers John

I thought they were a bit Two Ronnies myself. I'll see how they look painted, but may try to make a new visor.

 

[Richard48]

Oooo i like this chap.Stunning sculpt and great face Mr.D.Loadsa character indeedy.
Richard.

 

[Si Benson]

Fantastic face work! Be a shame to obscure the view with the visor...but it’s all part of the piece I suppose.

 

[Steve Jones]

You have certainly caught the look on his face Peter. The detailing is exceptional. Does he have any grey whiskers at all?

 

[Guest]

Richard - Cheers. The face was bit of the struggle as the detailing is very fine but a bit lumpy.

Si - I think the face looks better with the visor. I was so unhappy with it yesterday evening that it nearly became another bin job. Lesson - never look at your work under weak, directional, artificial light. It looked a bit better this morning.

Steve - Thanks also. I may stretch to a few grey hairs.....

See what you think of the helmet and visor:

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Again, because the detail was very fine, the slightest lump or bump tended to show up, thus affecting the finish. However, I think this one is another where hopefully the sum will be greater than the parts.

The helmet was first given a coat of matt black, then the details picked out with mixes of the black, silver, bronze and old gold (all Vallejo colours). The lightest tones went on last, then the gold was further highlighted with a bright gold artist's acrylic. I also used antiquing wax to add depth to some of the detail.

After the visor was fitted I adjusted some of the facial tones to allow for the extra shadow, and added a bit more detail to the cheeks.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
Looks superb to me.
Jim

 

[Guest]

Thanks Jim - At least the hardest parts are done.

 

[SteveH]

Morning Peter

Love the ""Joe 90"" look, not sure how practical they would be in combat?

Loss of peripheral vision might outweigh the benefit?

Superb paintwork both the head and the metalwork.

Looks like a muted palette of natural colours and dull metal for today?

I'm off for my pre-op for my new knee, then maybe some modelling?

Have a good day with the paints

Regards

Steve H

 

[Guest]

Morning Steve - Pre-Op Day! Good luck with that - when is the actual operation?

I like the idea of a Saxon Joe 90. He turns into a proper adult when he puts on his helmet - the rest of the time he has the mind of a 10 year old boy. Seriously though, he probably had better vision wearing it than a medieval knight.

Emerald green cape, buff tunic with leather trim and a bit more chain mail today. I'll save the shield for the next session.

 

[Richard48]

Morning Peter

Love the ""Joe 90"" look, not sure how practical they would be in combat?

Loss of peripheral vision might outweigh the benefit?

Superb paintwork both the head and the metalwork.

Looks like a muted palette of natural colours and dull metal for today?

I'm off for my pre-op for my new knee, then maybe some modelling?

Have a good day with the paints

Regards

Steve H

Hope the op goes well with the knee.Plenty of time to.model.All the best to you from Richard.

 

[Si Benson]

Nice work on the visor...very neat:thumb2:
You can still see plenty of the detail behind, so win win in my book:smiling4:

 

[Steve Brodie]

Brilliant, not sure what the 'specs' would have protected in a battle, would think more of a hindrance than anything. Doesnt take away from another great paint job.

 

[Guest]

Richard - Steve has had a lot of trouble with his knee, so here's hoping he can get it sorted out.

Si - Thanks. It is one of those 'sum of the parts' pieces where the bits you aren't sure about sit back as more is painted.

Steve - Many thanks. I think some of the point of the visor was to intimidate the enemy. The sculptor hasn't quite got the shape right here, but the real ones tended to make the wearer look like a bird of prey.

I've now painted the torso:

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This was the nicest part to do. I always find it a relief to be able to use a free-er technique on the drapery - broad sweeping brushstrokes etc - and it was fun picking out the detail on the quilted tunic.

I did have to do some work on the brooch as the only decoration was a poorly inscribed circle. I decided to cover it with a set of 'jewels' made from sections of resin sprue, painted in the typical Saxon colours of red and blue.

Next the shield:

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This will give the opportunity for a bit of fun (he says), so I'm off to research some decoration.

 

[minitnkr]

He looks plenty intimidating to me. Great work Peter. PaulE