tonydawe
A Fixture
British Infantryman, Iraq/ Afghanistan
120mm, 10 resin/ 2 white metal pieces with wire and foil supplied
The Imperial Gallery
Overview
This is the latest release from The Imperial Gallery, a 120mm figure of a modern British Infantryman on patrol in Iraq or Afghanistan. This figure is a pre-release casting kindly supplied to me by sculptor Rob Hardwick, who recently posted pictures of his painted version of this kit on the Painting Forum of pF.
The figure is finely cast in creamy resin and the crispness of the detail is amazing. In particular the detail in the rifle, the webbing and ammunition pouches on the upper torso show a tremendous attention to detail and accuracy. There was no flash and only a few small mould seam lines on the upper torso, but they shouldn't bother an experienced modeller. A quick sanding and they will disappear without requiring any major clean up or loss of detail.
Major Parts
As you can see from the attached photos, the body of the figure divides into
six parts; 1. upper torso with left arm, 2. right arm carrying rifle, 3. lower torso, 4. left & 5. right boots and the 6. head wearing helmet.
The L85A1 rifle with SUSAT sight is beautifully detailed and has the added option of alternate white metal barrels, one with and one without bayonet. The bayonet option is definitely the better one in my opinion. Both left and right hands are sculpted onto the rifle itself, making it easier to align the arms to the hands and ensures the rifle looks like it's being tightly and naturally gripped.
To me, that's a very clever and helpful touch and typical of the thought and care that's gone into the designing, sculpting and casting of this figure.
There are large casting blocks on the upper and lower torso pieces which need to be removed with a dremel or saw blade to ensure a smooth fit between both major parts. The join between upper and lower torso parts will be partly obscured once the additional and seperately cast ammunition pouches are glued in place on the left rear hip and over the bum.
The backpack is cast onto the upper torso, which ensures no fiddly alignment problems. The back pack itself is a brilliant bit of sculpting, with the Camelback hydration system tubes running from the back pack around to the front of the chest in a very realistic way. The chest is superbly detailed with draw strings for the hood of the jacket clearly visible and crisply cast.
The head carries a small casting block which will need to removed carefully, particularly under the rim of the helmet and down the back of the neck. The webbing straps around the helmet and under the chin are crisp and the buckles are cleanly cast.
The boots fit neatly into the base of the legs and once the casting blocks on the bottom of the boots are removed, they align precisly with the foot prints on the simple round cast base which is provided.
Smaller Parts
In a seperate plastic bag two white metal barrels for the rifle, one with and one without the bayonet, are supplied. Also included are two lengths of thin fuse wire for making the mouthpiece of the radio (which is cast in resin) and a length of metal foil, presumably for making a sling for the rifle.
Unfortunately Rob didn't have a parts list or construction sheet for me to consider as part of my review, so I am assuming the box art photos (front and rear) will be your best reference for construction and painting.
Summary
It's hard not to be impressed by this latest figure from The Imperial Gallery.
The pose is strong and purposeful and the figure itself has a "chunky" substantial feel to it that looks and feels realistic of a strong, young "squaddie" weighed down with loads of equipment and bits of personal kit in every pocket.
The turned head and the alert face are those of a professional soldier observing his arcs of fire while on patrol in "bandit country". His finger is outside the trigger guard, but he's ready to switch into fighting mode in an instant. Clearly Rob understands the reality of life for a soldier in the field.
This is a beautifully sculpted and cast figure and fills a gap in the market for modern British army figures in 120mm.
I can highly recommend this figure, and I can't wait to paint it myself. It should be popular on competition tables over the next 12 months.
I'd like to thank Rob for his generosity in providing me this figure and I can't wait to see what The Imperial Gallery brings out next. To check out The Imperial Gallery website go to www.hardwick85.freeserve.co.uk
120mm, 10 resin/ 2 white metal pieces with wire and foil supplied
The Imperial Gallery
Overview
This is the latest release from The Imperial Gallery, a 120mm figure of a modern British Infantryman on patrol in Iraq or Afghanistan. This figure is a pre-release casting kindly supplied to me by sculptor Rob Hardwick, who recently posted pictures of his painted version of this kit on the Painting Forum of pF.
The figure is finely cast in creamy resin and the crispness of the detail is amazing. In particular the detail in the rifle, the webbing and ammunition pouches on the upper torso show a tremendous attention to detail and accuracy. There was no flash and only a few small mould seam lines on the upper torso, but they shouldn't bother an experienced modeller. A quick sanding and they will disappear without requiring any major clean up or loss of detail.
Major Parts
As you can see from the attached photos, the body of the figure divides into
six parts; 1. upper torso with left arm, 2. right arm carrying rifle, 3. lower torso, 4. left & 5. right boots and the 6. head wearing helmet.
The L85A1 rifle with SUSAT sight is beautifully detailed and has the added option of alternate white metal barrels, one with and one without bayonet. The bayonet option is definitely the better one in my opinion. Both left and right hands are sculpted onto the rifle itself, making it easier to align the arms to the hands and ensures the rifle looks like it's being tightly and naturally gripped.
To me, that's a very clever and helpful touch and typical of the thought and care that's gone into the designing, sculpting and casting of this figure.
There are large casting blocks on the upper and lower torso pieces which need to be removed with a dremel or saw blade to ensure a smooth fit between both major parts. The join between upper and lower torso parts will be partly obscured once the additional and seperately cast ammunition pouches are glued in place on the left rear hip and over the bum.
The backpack is cast onto the upper torso, which ensures no fiddly alignment problems. The back pack itself is a brilliant bit of sculpting, with the Camelback hydration system tubes running from the back pack around to the front of the chest in a very realistic way. The chest is superbly detailed with draw strings for the hood of the jacket clearly visible and crisply cast.
The head carries a small casting block which will need to removed carefully, particularly under the rim of the helmet and down the back of the neck. The webbing straps around the helmet and under the chin are crisp and the buckles are cleanly cast.
The boots fit neatly into the base of the legs and once the casting blocks on the bottom of the boots are removed, they align precisly with the foot prints on the simple round cast base which is provided.
Smaller Parts
In a seperate plastic bag two white metal barrels for the rifle, one with and one without the bayonet, are supplied. Also included are two lengths of thin fuse wire for making the mouthpiece of the radio (which is cast in resin) and a length of metal foil, presumably for making a sling for the rifle.
Unfortunately Rob didn't have a parts list or construction sheet for me to consider as part of my review, so I am assuming the box art photos (front and rear) will be your best reference for construction and painting.
Summary
It's hard not to be impressed by this latest figure from The Imperial Gallery.
The pose is strong and purposeful and the figure itself has a "chunky" substantial feel to it that looks and feels realistic of a strong, young "squaddie" weighed down with loads of equipment and bits of personal kit in every pocket.
The turned head and the alert face are those of a professional soldier observing his arcs of fire while on patrol in "bandit country". His finger is outside the trigger guard, but he's ready to switch into fighting mode in an instant. Clearly Rob understands the reality of life for a soldier in the field.
This is a beautifully sculpted and cast figure and fills a gap in the market for modern British army figures in 120mm.
I can highly recommend this figure, and I can't wait to paint it myself. It should be popular on competition tables over the next 12 months.
I'd like to thank Rob for his generosity in providing me this figure and I can't wait to see what The Imperial Gallery brings out next. To check out The Imperial Gallery website go to www.hardwick85.freeserve.co.uk
