discussion Miniart 1/16 Athenian Hoplite

[Guest]

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A glutton for punishment, I've decided on another Miniart figure for my next build. I have built all of these several times but currently only have the other two in my collection. They're all the same figure anyway, with a sprue change for the helmet and arms.

This one is clearly based on this vase painting:

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Miniart have provided the tassels for the back of the shield, but not the cords that connect them, which will need to be made. There is currently much debate about whether hoplites wore bronze of reinforced linen cuirasses, but it's clear from vase paintings that both were worn, my guess being that bronze was the preserve of the wealthy. A couple of other examples:

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The sprues:

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These kits require quite a lot of work to get them into paintable condition, so more later...

 

[Guest]

Really looking forward to this one Peter :smiling3:.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
For some reason Hoplite always makes me smile. I can't avoid the vision of a bloke hopping lightly - stupid I know :rolling:
These Miniart figures are a challenge but with your skills do look good. Hope this avoids the infamous Peter D bin.
Jim

 

[Guest]

Ralph - I'll do my best.

Jim - Conjures up a very Monty Python image. It's avoided the bin so far.

Construction mainly done:

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Well, I knew it was going to be a challenge - poor fit, lots of flash, very raised seam lines. Loads of sanding and cutting required, but surprisingly little filler.

I intend to put the helmet over his face, but it depends how it paints up - the nose guard was a separate piece and didn't fit well, so we'll have to see how it looks.

Lots of cords and straps to make, and the join in the spear will be covered by a bound hand-grip.

 

[john i am]

Looking forward to your progress as I have a few of these in the stash.

 

[Steve Jones]

Nice to see you got through the construction phase with the piece still intact. Looking forward to the painting stage. Going for a special design on the shield?

 

[SteveH]

Morning Peter

Good start with a healthy solidly built victim for your brushes today.

Seems it has been a plague of older hay fever victims recently, myself included.

I started a new build as my head wasn't focused enough to paint yesterday!

Hopefully better for us all with the the rain?

I'll be cleaning up track links for the next 2 weeks in my lunch breaks

Have a good day with the paints, and with the helmet fully on, his head can be a little less than a perfect sculpt?

Regards

Steve H

 

[Guest]

John - If you do get around to attempting one, they're best built from the legs up - the various elements stack on top of one another.

Steve J - The difficulties of construction and the work required always compromise the finish. I've got this as clean as it will ever be, but.... Miniart have provided a very nice Gorgon's head decal for the shield, so it's just a matter of decorating the edges - will probably go for cut paper triangles as I've done before. This is a previous effort:

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Steve H - Hayfever the worst it's ever been this year, hopefully the predicted thunderstorms will dampen down the pollen.

The head isn't too bad actually, though I do want the helmet down. I'll start with that first to see if I can get a decent finish on it. Track links in your lunch break - what do your colleagues think of that?

 

[Guest]

Today has seen the emergence of that sinking Miniart feeling. No matter how much prep you've done, it is just about impossible to get a clean finish on some parts.

I had doubts that the helmet would be good enough to stand alone and such was the case,. Frustratingly, it wasn't the joined and sanded areas, but the moulded details that let it down. So it was on to Plan B, and placing the helmet on top of the head:

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Supplied with the kit are sections of hair to allow for the various helmet options, but, guess what? - they don't fit. I therefore had to build up hair at the sides and on top of the head with putty. The helmet still need refining and of course the crest needs to be painted and fitted.

 

[SteveH]

Morning Peter

The head looks great and an older person too.

The helmet will, I am sure, succumb to your improvements.

Your original figure, looks OK, all the flesh does seem a little flat, but that could be the photo?

It will be interesting to see how it looks this time, by comparison.

As for work and my colleagues!

I am the archetypal eccentric, as they really don't know how to take me some days!

I am the oldest of the 65 people in the department, in my section the next oldest's father is 4 years younger than me, so it is a very young work environment, with 2 x 21 year old's in the team of 8.

I have always pottered with figures, tracks and bits in my lunch break, when I returned to work after my knee operation, I constructed 5 boxes of Tamiya barrels and jerry cans, to keep me busy.

I am the only one who didn't accept a lunch hour reduction to 30 minutes for a earlier finish, I need to get out of the office at lunch, changing the air in my lungs, stretching my legs and getting a good 20 minutes brisk walking are all great for exercise, and finishing at 17:00 instead of 17:30 translates to spending 20 more minutes in traffic, so nothing really gained.

My teammates seem to think I know everything!,

Just life experience and Google LOL

It keeps me entertained, and feeling younger too, but 3 days a week will be an improvement after my other knee is done, some time next year.

Looks like a good day for the helmet and time to tackle all that flesh too

Have a good day with the paints

Regards

Steve H

 

[Guest]

Morning Steve.

Must be quite difficult being the oldest person in the office, but then again it must have the advantage of letting you get away with your eccentricities. Lunch breaks were the only thing that got me through the day at the IWM. There was a culture in the office of staying as late as possible (which I never took part in) and people used to try and stay as late as they could to see if the boss would leave before them, which she never would, even though she was obviously itching to go.

Yes, the flesh on the previous figure is a little flat, due to my timidity, so hopefully I'll do a better job this time. Cuirass and arms today - the fiddly helmet crest can wait.

 

[Guest]

Looks good to me Peter :smiling3:.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Looking good as always

 

[Steve Jones]

Are you winning the battle Peter? It certainly looks like another Miniart nightmare

 

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
I like the older look and I'm sure the helmet can be tamed. So far no bin - hope it stays that way.
Jim

 

[Guest]

Afternoon chaps.

Well it is a battle all right - painting these figures is never straightforward. As I mentioned above, not only does all the prep needed compromise the finish, but the surface is very rough anyway, throwing up l#all sorts of problems as you go along.

However, he hasn't hit the bin yet:

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The cuirass was the easy part - simply done by dry-brushing Vallejo Bronze, then Old Gold over black. Black Brown was then used to define the details and consolidate the shadows. It will still need the separate clasps adding.

The arms took ages, not only was the surface quite rough, but there were a mass of veins and sinews to pick out (which hardly show in the photos - s*d's law).

 

[Guest]

And the cuirass skirts:

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[Guest]

Coming along nicely Peter :smiling3:.
I thought it was a tattoo on his arm at first.

 

[Guest]

Cheers Ralph.

I decided to sand down the left bicep and tone down the veins a bit:

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[Guest]

That's the lower half done:

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I started today by painting the tunic, for which I used Vallejo Emerald Green.

It was then on to the legs, which I found incredibly difficult. I've tried to keep with the idea of zenithal lighting, keeping the lower parts of the figure darker than the upper, but my natural instinct is to treat similar areas the same. The main problem though was trying to blend the flesh-tones, which took ages.