Completed A very old first scratch 120mm

[Gra30]

Hi all,
I have never shown this on PF but thought it would be a good nostalgia piece, and hope others may do the same, show their oldies but favs it would make a great thread.
I sculpted this 21 years ago, (I was 21) the only commercial piece used was a shouting head by roll call, everything else was milliput or duro milliput mix for the greatcoat, finished in oils and matted with humbrol matt cote.
He is 120mm
At the time, and still, I admire(d) Jim Holt and I wanted the loose look he put on so many figures. There is no way the piece could ever be cast but I learnt a lot from this, I was only young so I appreciate it is dated.
I think I have improved a lot since then but he is my favs for being my first serious sculpt.
It is also nice as now I know Moz.
Best wishes
Gra
Sorry for crap pics, I used my iPhone for quick snaps

View attachment 160118

 

[Colin_Fraser]

That's really cool. I read Kinglake 40 years ago when I picked up a set for 20 pounds at hay on Wye. The volume on Inkerman was my favourite. That battle in the mist was so well rendered, including the guards at the sandbag battery. You have really brought it to life with this piece.

I will post some of my oldies when I get home on the weekend.

Cheers

Colin

 

[Gra30]

Please do mate, I often wonder what we will see from people. Everyone started somewhere, I really liked shep paines book and bill Horans and MIG where they showed their early pieces. Nostalgia but very important especially for people starting. We all started somewhere and can only hope to make the next piece better for ourselves
Best wishes
Gra

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Found a few of my early Historex conversions and sculpts on my portable hard drive. Here goes....

54mm Historex Fournier and Ney



Early sculpts - Lannes (140 mm), Auguste de Colbert Chabanais (90mm), Fournier (140 mm) again...



Early busts... Beck, Cardigan



Colin

 

[Gra30]

Brilliant, let's keep them coming.
They look gorgeous today though, I still have a passion for Historex. When the threat of them ceasing happened in the early 90s they so,d off lots of kits cheap at random, I stocked up big time. It was a gamble what you got but mounted figures were going for £5 a piece
One day they might make a big diorama done in a bronze style, to use all the parts :-(
As always Colin, lovely pieces, can you do the big ney next to the small, I think I must be part french
Please all, let's do a nostalgia thread
Cheers Colin, as said superb
Best wishes
Gra

 

[Colin_Fraser]

I have a crappy over exposed shot of that. Here you go Gra.

Colin

 

[ometz]

A beautiful figure even after all these years. I really admire those of you all who can sculpt figures with such precision and artistry.

 

[Gra30]

That's the one THE piece I would love to own. Can grace my cabinet anytime, stunning.

absolument magnifique œuvre d'art

 

[Gra30]

This was a Royal Marine Light Infantry, he was my second sculpt and probably 1/35 as I used the Latorre Norman knight head but rest was scratchbuilt.
The arm creases are bad but it was practice, he was sculpted in 1996. I was on my Cpls course and we had to do a military lecture. I took pictures from beginning to end, when I advertised the Making of a Royal Marine, they didn't expect this , especially as it is at CTCRM, got an A though probably for the b******ks to do it
He is based on Cpl Prettyjohn, one of our VC.

 

[Mark S]

Here's a conversion I did when I was about sweet sixteen or so, about 37 years ago.
It's a conversion of an Airfix 54mm ECW kit into a French trapper with snow shoes, traps etc.
For some reason I thought a blue horse was a good idea.

 

[Gra30]

Mark, that is really nice. Is that the lifeguard horse. I sort of got sucked in to collecting them as they are the best horses at that scale, better than Historex. Really nice, I cannot fault you for your pieces. The guy hanging of the base was also a great piece that I appreciated.
Thanks for showing, a lot of texture there shown well
The horse doesn't look blue, it looks nice and a quality piece. They say shade with blues for a cold feel but I have never tried it, too scare to b***s it up

 

[Mark S]

That kit was the Airfix Cavalier/Roundhead, but the horse is very similar to the one in the Lifeguard kit.
Glad you like it, I still have a big collection of Airfix 54mm unopened kits some still shrink wrapped,....long forgotten projects.

 

[Gra30]

I bought a box of them off ebay, vintage as yours. There was only one Bengal lancer in it though :-(, I can't get myself to touch it as it was probably the best horse they did and I think Sid Horton sculpted that one. Yes, I think the ECW and lifeguard where similar or the same. They are great horses. Nice work honestly, holds up today without a doubt, texture is superb

 

[Gra30]

Did you use tissue textured or a pyro graph on plastic. Some bigger busts today could learn a lesson or two, for 54mm there is no excuse when it is 200mm today
I like it

 

[Gra30]

Anymore anyone, be good if we could drag this to a show your oldest and boldest thread. Be good to see Iguazza, MJ, Moz, Carl and others of course dragging their early pieces out, if they wanted of course just fun

 

[taff edwards]

Hi Guys
The only images I can track down of reasonably old age are an S&T Mountain man wish that would get brought our again , took the pics at the back of my property when i lived in Delaware many an hour spent fishing on the Brandywine River . A bust Franco Prussian War , can't for the life of me remember who made it .
Cheers Chris

 

[taff edwards]

Forgot I made a animal skin /fur cape from milliput .
Cheers Chris

 

[Gra30]

Nice Taff, pics and pieces are superb. I managed to buy the master of the Bill Merklein confed last year. Not released yet but I may, I have a feeling the mountain man was his or a JR. I know they all worked very closely at the time(90s)and the USA led the way. Bill sculpted the original GI Joe so it is nice to have one of his.
Sorry to digress, it was the obscure subjects that got me there and rembering the 90s, which I think everyone will agree is now the Korean lads , but we still have ours up our sleeves

 

[Blind Pew]

Top stuff, just shows what can be done.....

 

[taff edwards]

Hi Gra
Yea the mountain man was a John R sculpt , man the 90s seems so long ago mate lol , off to the Salisbury show with Kev and Jimbo today