Review 1/6th Wyatt Earp

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A Fixture
Joined
May 17, 2004
Messages
4,879
Location
Northridge
Scale: 1/6th

Material: resin (light grey)

Number of Parts: Seven (torso, head, right arm, left arm, right hand, left hand, hat).

Sculptor: Mike Good

Manufacturer: Private Collection, Warpaint Studio (Marcelo Fuentes)

MSRP: 89.99


Background:Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American gambler, Pima County, Arizona Deputy Sheriff, and Deputy Town Marshal in Tombstone, Arizona, who took part in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral during which lawmen killed three outlaw Cowboys. He is often regarded as the central figure in the shootout in Tombstone, although his brother Virgil was Tombstone City Marshal and Deputy U.S. Marshal that day, and had far more experience as a sheriff, constable, marshal, and soldier in combat. Earp lived a restless life. He was at different times in his life a constable, city policeman, county sheriff, teamster, buffalo hunter, bouncer, saloon-keeper, gambler, brothel owner, pimp, miner, and boxing referee. Earp spent his early life in Iowa. His first wife Urilla Sutherland Earp died while pregnant less than a year after they married. Within the next two years he was arrested, sued twice, escaped from jail, then was arrested three more times for "keeping and being found in a house of ill-fame". He landed in the cattle boomtown of Wichita, Kansas, where he became a deputy city marshal for one year and developed a solid reputation as a lawman. In 1876 he followed his brother James to Dodge City, Kansas, where he became an assistant city marshal. In winter 1878, he went to Texas to gamble where he met John Henry "Doc" Holliday, whom Earp credited with saving his life.

Earp moved constantly throughout his life from one boomtown to another. He left Dodge City in 1879 and with his brothers James and Virgil, moved to Tombstone, where a silver boom was underway. The Earps bought an interest in the Vizina mine and some water rights. There, the Earps clashed with a loose federation of outlaws known as the Cowboys. Wyatt, Virgil, and their younger brother Morgan held various law enforcement positions that put them in conflict with Tom and Frank McLaury, and Ike and Billy Clanton, who threatened to kill the Earps. The conflict escalated over the next year, culminating on October 26, 1881 in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, in which the Earps and Holliday killed three of the Cowboys. In the next five months, Virgil was ambushed and maimed, and Morgan was assassinated. Pursuing a vendetta, Wyatt, his brother Warren, Holliday, and others formed a federal posse that killed three of the Cowboys they thought responsible. Unlike his lawmen brothers Virgil and James, and Doc Holliday, Wyatt was never wounded in any of the gunfights, which only added to his mystique after his death. Wyatt was a lifelong gambler and was always looking for a quick way to make money. After meeting again in San Francisco, Earp and his third wife Josephine Earp joined a gold rush to Eagle City, Idaho, where they had mining interests and a saloon. They left there to race horses and open a saloon during a real estate boom in San Diego, California. Back in San Francisco, Wyatt raced horses again, but his reputation suffered irreparably when he refereed the Fitzsimmons-Sharkey boxing match and called a foul that led everyone to believe he fixed the fight. They moved briefly to buopened the biggest saloon in town. After making a large sum of money there, they opened another saloon in Tonopah, Nevada, the site of a new gold find. And finally in about 1920 they worked on several mining claims in Vidal, California, retiring in the hot summers to Los Angeles.

When he died in 1929, he was better known for his notorious handling of the Fitzsimmons-Sharkey fight than the O.K. Corral gun fight. An extremely flattering, largely fictionalized, bestselling biography published after his death created his reputation as a fearless lawman. As a result of the book, Wyatt Earp has been the subject of and model for a large number of films, TV shows, biographies and works of fiction that have increased his mystique. Earp's modern-day reputation is that of the Old West's "toughest and deadliest gunman of his day". Until the book was published, Earp had a dubious reputation as a minor figure in Western history. In modern times, Wyatt Earp has become synonymous of the stereotypical image of the Western lawman, and is a symbol of American frontier justice.



Review: My copy of the Warpaint Studio bust (more a half figure) of Wyatt Earp, came in a white cardboard box with a color photo on the box lid. The contents of the box are in individual zip bags, except the torso, which was bubble-wrapped. The sculpting is first rate, which one comes to expect from a Mike Good Sculpt. The likeness to Wyatt Earp is uncanny. The casting in light grey resin is among the cleanest I have seen in all the years I have been painting figures. Clean up is minimal with only some light sanding to be done (mostly on the arms). The only negative comment I have on the casting is that the jacket is so finely cast that it tends to be very thin in places, so it might be fragile.

Earp is depicted wearing the dark suit, hat and Sheriff's badge that has become synonymous with Wyatt Earp. He is seen facing left, firing the pistol in his left hand, while the pistol in his right is held at his waist.

Copies can be ordered from Marcelo at Warpaint Studio at the following email [email protected]
 

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Hi guys,

Good to see this being reviewed , love the facial work ..that moustache is great , like the watch chain fob , a good point raised about the coat thickness .

Good work on the pistol

Certainly a piece to consider as well as being an interesting period ..and ...a sculpt by MG ..bargain .

Bet I know 2 members that would like this ..my mates Jazz and Jim"Legs" Evans

Thanks for the review very informative

Nap
 
Let's be clear: this most definitely is NOT a sculpt of Wyatt Earp!

I never called this sculpt "Wyatt Earp". It was done for a toy company many years ago. It is a "Hyperbolic Hollywood" sheriff - not the kind of thing I would ever sculpt as a "historical" figure. The face is not Wyatt Earp. If I had done a portrait of him, it would have actually looked like Earp, which this does not. It is an embarrassment to me that it is marketed as such.

I am sorry Matt. I did not mean to rain on your parade here. But this is what happens when my work is marketed in an unauthorized manner. My apologies.

I also have mixed emotions about this figure being marketed as a bust. It was sculpted as a full figure. But I did not get a vote on this. Marcelo, if you are reading this, I am still waiting for the Gangster figure. I would love the have that master back.....

Mike Good
 
I think that is the full figure Mike is talking about (5.5 inches tall):
27845-1.jpg

It was good value for money when it was available - even if it`s not Wyatt Earp - nice job Mike. Sorry to hear that something went wrong for you with the client. The 1/6 scale bust seems to be a direct copy from the huge master.
Cheers, Martin
 
Mike for the record, Marcelo asked me to do the review, everything looked legit, I did the review. I do not support unauthorized copies and certainly not from a sculptor I respect and someone consider a long time friend.
 
Mike for the record, Marcelo asked me to do the review, everything looked legit, I did the review. I do not support unauthorized copies and certainly not from a sculptor I respect and someone consider a long time friend.

Not to worry Matt. The figure is "legit" in the legal sense. It is the title 'Wyatt Earp' That I was never comfortable with. I sculpted him as a sheriff - with too many guns all going off at once. Pretty silly really. But that is what the client wanted. Generally speaking, when i do a historical figure of a historical person, I will do a portrait figure and try to achieve a likeness on the face.

That never happened here. It is a generic face with a ridiculous pose. I did do a portrait of Earp at one time. This is not that. I do not want people to think that a portrait of the man was my intent here.

Anyway, sorry for the beef. I just wanted to avoid confusion about my intention with this sculpt......

Mike
 
If the title is the issue, than I have nothing, with a subject like this I don't much care what you call it. It the figure were wearing a uniform, that would be another matter. As far as the other issues, again I was asked to do a review, heard it was one of your sculpts and jumped at the chance.
 
Mike, You were paid to sculpt a figure depicting "Wyatt Earp". We gave you full liberties to sculpt the pose as you saw fit. If you are unhappy with the pose and likeness, that's on you. What I don't understand about the sculptor's is there feeling of entitlement even after they have been paid for the master. (read the contract you signed) We paid Handsomely as i recall and you never made any mention that you wanted any entitlements once the figure was handed to it's rightful owners (DTT). Since, at the time I was part owner of Dusty Trail Toys I became owner of all the masters once the company shut down. In short, I own the masters! I can do whatever I choose with them. Turn them into bust, 1/16 scale, Christmas ornaments, whatever I choose as we paid for it.

The comment, "But this is what happens when my work is marketed in an unauthorized manner" (again, read the contract that you signed) You should have stipulated in the contract that you signed that you would have issue with the figure being marketed in a certain way. I am surprised that you would post these remarks on this forum for all to read. You have my number and could have reached out to me personally. I don't remember ever not taking care of you and going the extra mile to see that you were taken care of. I believe I even went as far as making copies of all your work even after the Company was against it.

Why on earth would I give you back the original master of the Gangster if you were paid in full. If you want it back, we paid $4,500.00 for it. I do Paypal and direct deposit.
I offered you the master in exchange for a sculpt worth about $1000.00 and you turned me down. This is why 3D cad design is the way of the future. Any chance of getting a copy of the Gangster just went out the window due to your comments, depicting me as some sort of scum bag that has casted figures that don't belong to me.

I sell him as Wyatt as that is what we paid the sculptor to sculpt! If he looks more like the Tombstone version than that of the actual likeness, so be it. I am truly disappointed in your comments Mike. I thought you were a professional. C U @ SCAHMS.
 
Hello Marcelo,

Sorry I have to explain this again. Perhaps the trouble was with my use of the word "unauthorized". When I was asked to do this sculpt, as i recall it, the idea was to to do a sculpt of a sheriff as in the movies - both guns blazing. For me, that eliminated it ever being a "historical" figure. Certainly the real Wyatt Earp never did any such thing. I just did a generic hollywood sheriff- because that is what was asked for. Putting the name "Wyatt Earp" on it came afterwards.

That is how I remember it. I did a sculpt of Wyatt Earp many years ago - the actual historical guy. That was something different. As a long as my name was not on this sculpt, for Dusty Trail toys, I didn't really care what you called it. Thus "Earp" was born.

But that changes when my name is used. I have no problem with any of this. Never did!

I only have a problem with it being touted as a historical character, sculpted by me. That was not how it was done when I did the sculpt, but others do not know that. If I wanted to sculpt the real Earp, I could do so and have done in the past. My only concern is for those who think this is a portrait of Earp. It is not, nor did I ever intend it to be.

I did not depict you as a "scumbag". My mistake was using the word "unauthorized". As the sculptor, I am the "author". But it is not a sculpt of Earp. It never was. If I had intended it to be Earp, I would have made the figure an actual portrait of the man. I did not do that. Thus, it was represented in a way that I never intended.

My entire living is made sculpting. The only thing I have to make that happen is my reputation. If somebody decided that they wanted me to do a portrait figure, they could look at this as an example of my portrait work. It looks nothing like Earp! I knew this going in. And, for those not in the know, they would think I cannot do a decent portrait. That affects my reputation and my ability to get work.

My reputation is all I have. It was only my desire to make clear that this was NOT a sculpt of Earp. I am sorry for any misunderstanding. Please excuse my bad choice of words. All I wanted was to protect my reputation. If you had called it "Hollywood Sheriff" then I would have been fully behind that. THAT was what i sculpted!

Also, when I first contracted with Dusty Trails, it was agreed that I would get a copy casting of all the figures I sculpted. In that sense, Dusty Trails never fulfilled their contract to me. But you did give me castings of most everything, after the fact, which was not your responsibility once the company was defunct.

The gangster was the only one I never received. You were the one who offered me the master instead, because the mold was unusable. I realize that was not on you. And I appreciate that you gave me castings of all the figures you could cast. I thanked you for those. I thank you again. It is nice to have those copies.

Anyway, sorry for the bad choice of words. I never intended to make you look bad. I only wanted to avoid making myself look bad. Now everybody looks bad. My apologies to all if this makes me look petty. I have to protect my rep as a sculptor. It is all I have, professionally speaking. Too bad I do not have a "real" job where all of this stuff would not matter a whit.....

Marcelo, apologies to you for this misunderstanding. You, were my only champion during the Dusty Trails days. I know, that if not for your efforts, things would have been more difficult than they were. And, I know that you got screwed in your deal with them in the end. Thanks for the efforts you made on my behalf in the years since then as well. I do not want to seem as if I am not grateful for what you have done. I am, and I thank you again.

And my apologies to Matt for mucking up what was a complimentary thread! Thanks for posting on my behalf. I know you did it because you are a fan. Thanks!

Mike
 
I just picked up a 1/6 " Warpaint Studios" full figure version of this bust and apart from this teview I can find out very little about it.

Anybody know when these were sold?

Andrew
 
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