Hi Folks,
At the end of my sbs on the Ribald Dragoon, I intimated that my next project might be the Kirin Highlander.
I bought this item in 1999 when I was working in Hong Kong. In fact I bought a whole load of Kirin items (all originals) because they were going at temptingly reduced prices. Since then, I've slowly worked my way through all bar this Highlander and the mounted Turkish Standard-bearer (at Vienna).
I had already made a start on this one by pinning various parts, and had even made a start on painting the kilt. However, I was never happy with it and it's been lying in its box for well over ten tears.
Well. it's now had its Dettol bath and most of the old paint has gone, and it even smells nice. So it was on to the next stage of trying to get it all to fit.
I did have one small pin in the upper section to attach to the base, but decided that this would prove insufficient.
A second pin through the upper thigh did the trick, but remained visible, since the general fit of the body to the base is not perfect. In addition, the location of the right foot had it hanging in mid air, while the left was only just in contact with the ground. A possible explanation might be that I did not attach it correctly. However, the connections on this figure are so perfectly designed, I think I can rule out that possibility. Therefore, out with the Magic Sculp, followed by a bit of dabbing with coarse sandpaper to match the existing ground texture.
With that sorted, I decided to have a look at the fit of the scabbard against the base. That proved to be decidedly tight.
A suitable groove was cut to make it sit neatly. I know that scabbards were flexible when empty, but it just wouldn't have looked right to me.
With the bulk of the preparatory work completed I had a trial fitting of all the parts to look for potential problems.
None were found, but I'm sure Messrs. Murphy and Sod will happily oblige in due course.
The following photos still show a few areas that require some sanding before I could move to priming.
At the end of my sbs on the Ribald Dragoon, I intimated that my next project might be the Kirin Highlander.
I bought this item in 1999 when I was working in Hong Kong. In fact I bought a whole load of Kirin items (all originals) because they were going at temptingly reduced prices. Since then, I've slowly worked my way through all bar this Highlander and the mounted Turkish Standard-bearer (at Vienna).
I had already made a start on this one by pinning various parts, and had even made a start on painting the kilt. However, I was never happy with it and it's been lying in its box for well over ten tears.
Well. it's now had its Dettol bath and most of the old paint has gone, and it even smells nice. So it was on to the next stage of trying to get it all to fit.
I did have one small pin in the upper section to attach to the base, but decided that this would prove insufficient.
A second pin through the upper thigh did the trick, but remained visible, since the general fit of the body to the base is not perfect. In addition, the location of the right foot had it hanging in mid air, while the left was only just in contact with the ground. A possible explanation might be that I did not attach it correctly. However, the connections on this figure are so perfectly designed, I think I can rule out that possibility. Therefore, out with the Magic Sculp, followed by a bit of dabbing with coarse sandpaper to match the existing ground texture.
With that sorted, I decided to have a look at the fit of the scabbard against the base. That proved to be decidedly tight.
A suitable groove was cut to make it sit neatly. I know that scabbards were flexible when empty, but it just wouldn't have looked right to me.
With the bulk of the preparatory work completed I had a trial fitting of all the parts to look for potential problems.
None were found, but I'm sure Messrs. Murphy and Sod will happily oblige in due course.
The following photos still show a few areas that require some sanding before I could move to priming.
.
