Magnifier
Member
Some background...
I purchased this gem from the market & commissions section of the forum.
There are many firsts for me on this project.
- First project in over ten years.
- First bust.
- First large figure.
- First attempt at African American skin tones.
I was able to confirm with Bonaparte's UK that this is an older piece sculpted by Maurice Corey. It seems this was never produced or made commercially available.
I'd been working on a nice Verlinden 1/5 scale bust of a British 5th Foot figure from the American Revolution. I have it assembled and it is ready to prime, but when this arrived I dropped it like a hot potato to instead work on this project.
Some research...
I first want offer this caveat: I am no expert on the Indian Wars (IW) period. In fact, I am no expert of any kind -- on anything. I am not saying the sculptor was in any way wrong in his rendition of the figure. I am not "button-counting" or criticizing in any way. The changes I have made are purely of personal choice and preference.
To be honest, I had to rely heavily on the Internet for my research. Most of my books are on the American Civil War (ACW) and Napoleonic periods.
I've been enthralled with the American Civil War since I was a boy. My mother was a librarian, and I can still remember spending my summers on the floor at the library reading. The first book I read on the Civil War was titled: "Clash of Cavalry" by Fairfax Downey Jr. It detailed the cavalry action at Brandy Station.
This was the summer I was diagnosed with Autism. I was eight.
I will never forget that book. In fact, I have a copy on a display stand in the den with my other ACW books and artifacts.
I have always had a special interest in the African American regiments, so when I saw this piece on the forum something in me clicked. It isn't an ACW piece but it is very close and the sculpting is outstanding.
While in the cleanup process I started to find what I think are maybe some historical inconsistencies, so I began digging a little more to support my theories.
I thought the regimental number "3" on the top of the kepi over crossed sabers odd. I could find no 3rd Buffalo cavalry regiment, only 9th and 10th cavalry and 24th and 25th infantry (in 1866). The tunic is clearly a cavalry tunic so I had two clear choices, 9th or 10th cavalry.
The leather brim of the kepi was very long and came almost to a point, similar to a brim on a modern baseball cap. The kepi itself is beautifully done and seems to represent a "bummers" -style kepi from the ACW (I am guessing these were still being issued in 1866).
I searched for quite a while looking at original surviving kepis from both ACW and IW periods but could find no example with a brim of the length or shape as originally sculpted.
The project...
I neglected to take a photo of the piece before I started because I really didn't plan to share it, but this is such a lovely bust... I feel it needs to be share. The humanity and pride in the face are truly outstanding.
I love the resin that Bonaparte's uses (used to use)? It is very hard and dense, which makes cutting, scraping, filing and sanding easier, in my opinion (though I have broken three blades during cleanup). Since it is so hard it allows one to reduce areas gradually and retain the sharpness of edges, and thus, the bust looks very crisp.
I did have a challenge when drilling the hold for the brass support rod, however. I use an old, hand-crank drill so that I can better control the drill bit. I first made a small pilot hole, then used a larger bit so open it a bit. My thinking is that this allows me to drill a hole at the angle I want without the drill "wandering" and skewing the angle I want.
In this case it did not matter. Because the resin so hard and dense, the bit wandered anyhow (I could not tell as the bit was obscured by resin exiting the hole), and I ended up with a poor angle and a ghastly-looking result. I enlarged the hole a bit more to get an acceptable angle and then used epoxy to affix the support rod. I sat holding everything for 10 minutes to be sure nothing shifted. Once that little "oopsie" was fixed I filled the resultant void with putty.
The nice gentleman from whom I purchased it had previously beefed up the shoulders. I did add a touch more in spots to fill things out a bit.
From there I have:
- Kepi: I shortened the brim and added a buckle to the strap. I removed the crossed sabers cavalry insignia and regimental number from the top (way out of scale in my estimation). I added the regimental number "9" to the front of the kepi. Not all soldiers had the insignia on the top of their kepis, and I have seen regimental numbers affixed to the front of the kepi in some period photos.
- Tunic: I removed some of the excess bandana from around the gig line and added a button in the correct position. I undercut and sharpened all trim.
- Buttons: the standard issue buttons had an eagle motif that was slightly raised, so I added a bit of putty to each button and lightly textured it. I'm hoping this will look convincing when painted. Also worked around each button to enhance the shape and add relief against the tunic.
The photos below show the progress just before priming. I tried to do that last night, but my new can of primer broke mid-spray. I had taken just one quick pass when it stopped. I thought the nozzle was clogged but it was not. The little tube no longer depresses sufficiently to allow the paint out.
I will try to post more photos as I make some meaningful headway on this. I am a writer/editor and professional photographer, so please excuse my, what some consider, verbose nature.
The main challenge of autism is communication, and I tend to over-communicate because I want to be sure I am clear.
I started on this forum in 2005 (approx.) and truly had no business being on here. My communication skills were rudimentary. I was quick to offend and equally quick to fire nonsense back at people.
I spent more time spewing nonsense than I ever did painting.
Fortunately, I had a major life change which forced me to step away from the hobby and re-invent myself.
In the ensuing ten years I earned bachelors and masters degrees, sought the best help available from experts deal with my autism, entered the workforce in a professional capacity, and most importantly, got a new improved spouse who supports and encourages everything I do.
It is she who has encouraged me to get back into this great hobby (that I love) and to once again participate in this forum in a meaningful and productive way.
So, without further ado, a couple of photos... Comments and constructive criticism are welcome. I'd like to improve my efforts.
If you want to rip me for anything please send a PM instead.
I purchased this gem from the market & commissions section of the forum.
There are many firsts for me on this project.
- First project in over ten years.
- First bust.
- First large figure.
- First attempt at African American skin tones.
I was able to confirm with Bonaparte's UK that this is an older piece sculpted by Maurice Corey. It seems this was never produced or made commercially available.
I'd been working on a nice Verlinden 1/5 scale bust of a British 5th Foot figure from the American Revolution. I have it assembled and it is ready to prime, but when this arrived I dropped it like a hot potato to instead work on this project.
Some research...
I first want offer this caveat: I am no expert on the Indian Wars (IW) period. In fact, I am no expert of any kind -- on anything. I am not saying the sculptor was in any way wrong in his rendition of the figure. I am not "button-counting" or criticizing in any way. The changes I have made are purely of personal choice and preference.
To be honest, I had to rely heavily on the Internet for my research. Most of my books are on the American Civil War (ACW) and Napoleonic periods.
I've been enthralled with the American Civil War since I was a boy. My mother was a librarian, and I can still remember spending my summers on the floor at the library reading. The first book I read on the Civil War was titled: "Clash of Cavalry" by Fairfax Downey Jr. It detailed the cavalry action at Brandy Station.
This was the summer I was diagnosed with Autism. I was eight.
I will never forget that book. In fact, I have a copy on a display stand in the den with my other ACW books and artifacts.
I have always had a special interest in the African American regiments, so when I saw this piece on the forum something in me clicked. It isn't an ACW piece but it is very close and the sculpting is outstanding.
While in the cleanup process I started to find what I think are maybe some historical inconsistencies, so I began digging a little more to support my theories.
I thought the regimental number "3" on the top of the kepi over crossed sabers odd. I could find no 3rd Buffalo cavalry regiment, only 9th and 10th cavalry and 24th and 25th infantry (in 1866). The tunic is clearly a cavalry tunic so I had two clear choices, 9th or 10th cavalry.
The leather brim of the kepi was very long and came almost to a point, similar to a brim on a modern baseball cap. The kepi itself is beautifully done and seems to represent a "bummers" -style kepi from the ACW (I am guessing these were still being issued in 1866).
I searched for quite a while looking at original surviving kepis from both ACW and IW periods but could find no example with a brim of the length or shape as originally sculpted.
The project...
I neglected to take a photo of the piece before I started because I really didn't plan to share it, but this is such a lovely bust... I feel it needs to be share. The humanity and pride in the face are truly outstanding.
I love the resin that Bonaparte's uses (used to use)? It is very hard and dense, which makes cutting, scraping, filing and sanding easier, in my opinion (though I have broken three blades during cleanup). Since it is so hard it allows one to reduce areas gradually and retain the sharpness of edges, and thus, the bust looks very crisp.
I did have a challenge when drilling the hold for the brass support rod, however. I use an old, hand-crank drill so that I can better control the drill bit. I first made a small pilot hole, then used a larger bit so open it a bit. My thinking is that this allows me to drill a hole at the angle I want without the drill "wandering" and skewing the angle I want.
In this case it did not matter. Because the resin so hard and dense, the bit wandered anyhow (I could not tell as the bit was obscured by resin exiting the hole), and I ended up with a poor angle and a ghastly-looking result. I enlarged the hole a bit more to get an acceptable angle and then used epoxy to affix the support rod. I sat holding everything for 10 minutes to be sure nothing shifted. Once that little "oopsie" was fixed I filled the resultant void with putty.
The nice gentleman from whom I purchased it had previously beefed up the shoulders. I did add a touch more in spots to fill things out a bit.
From there I have:
- Kepi: I shortened the brim and added a buckle to the strap. I removed the crossed sabers cavalry insignia and regimental number from the top (way out of scale in my estimation). I added the regimental number "9" to the front of the kepi. Not all soldiers had the insignia on the top of their kepis, and I have seen regimental numbers affixed to the front of the kepi in some period photos.
- Tunic: I removed some of the excess bandana from around the gig line and added a button in the correct position. I undercut and sharpened all trim.
- Buttons: the standard issue buttons had an eagle motif that was slightly raised, so I added a bit of putty to each button and lightly textured it. I'm hoping this will look convincing when painted. Also worked around each button to enhance the shape and add relief against the tunic.
The photos below show the progress just before priming. I tried to do that last night, but my new can of primer broke mid-spray. I had taken just one quick pass when it stopped. I thought the nozzle was clogged but it was not. The little tube no longer depresses sufficiently to allow the paint out.
I will try to post more photos as I make some meaningful headway on this. I am a writer/editor and professional photographer, so please excuse my, what some consider, verbose nature.
The main challenge of autism is communication, and I tend to over-communicate because I want to be sure I am clear.
I started on this forum in 2005 (approx.) and truly had no business being on here. My communication skills were rudimentary. I was quick to offend and equally quick to fire nonsense back at people.
I spent more time spewing nonsense than I ever did painting.
Fortunately, I had a major life change which forced me to step away from the hobby and re-invent myself.
In the ensuing ten years I earned bachelors and masters degrees, sought the best help available from experts deal with my autism, entered the workforce in a professional capacity, and most importantly, got a new improved spouse who supports and encourages everything I do.
It is she who has encouraged me to get back into this great hobby (that I love) and to once again participate in this forum in a meaningful and productive way.
So, without further ado, a couple of photos... Comments and constructive criticism are welcome. I'd like to improve my efforts.
If you want to rip me for anything please send a PM instead.
