Duchy of Warsaw Drummer with Daughter Bust

[Henk]

I'll soon start a SBS thread when I start to paint this, but in the mean time I thought you might all like to know what's in the box.

The box arrived two days after I ordered it from Bonaparte, so no complaints there. The bust is very well packed, with the main parts in bubble wrap, and smaller pieces in small bags. All parts arrived in one piece, in a simple but sturdy brown cardboard box.

Opening a new arrival is always exciting, and this bust did not disappoint. Huge chunks of resin, with so much detail and texture to admire, it took a while to get it all unpacked. Of course, 200mm is a very large scale, indeed one which puts many painters off, but in this case, the sculpt deserves this large canvas.

I'll start this review with a selection of pictures of the box opening, and the parts theirin. Tomorrow I'll upload more detail photos, and go through the individual parts.

 

[Scott Sheltz]

Very nice looking kit! Looking forward to the SBS

 

[Nap]

Hi Henk

Thanks for sharing this look at it

Very good packing indeed

Good sharp detail on the pieces especially that drum

Thought there might be more pieces ie: child separate so that's clever casting

Casting looks good and your obviously one very happy customer

Look forward to the SBS

Happy benchtine

Nap

 

[Henk]

You are more than welcome Kev. My pleasure. And yes, I am one very happy customer. As will be anybody who buys this beauty.
You spotted already one of the main points I was going to make, the absolutely superb casting of the one piece torso with the girl in the arms. My photos (had to take them on the phone..) dont do the depth and detail justice. Like you, I expected this to be a multi part assembly.
I'll start with a general summary of the parts. As the photos show, all parts are very cleanly cast. All textures are as they should be, with a lot of effort put into parts with will not be seen after the piece is finished. There are only three pour channel stubs to remove, 2 from the back of the Cape, and 1 from the torso. There are some small mould lines on most parts and some very fine flash, as can be expected, but nothing that a quick swipe with the exacto wont clear up. All mould lines are in clear and accessible places, so even if you need to sand, it wont be a problem.
There are a few small air bubbles, again, none are difficult to fix with a small dab of filler, and there are no thin or weak spots on any of the thinner casts, such as the Cape folds.
The textures are beautiful, this will be a joy to paint, because there is so much to play with. The soldier, and his uniform, obviously have defined colours, but with the girls outfit and hat, you can let your imagination loose. A point about the Cape, there are two distinct textures to it, and at first I thought that there was a cast problem. But it appears that the sculptor has sculpted in the mixed textures of an old and worn woolen cape, with parts still fluffy, and parts worn flat.. brilliant.
Anyway, enough of my waffle, let's go to the main event..

 

[Henk]

I've started researching the figure, for references for painting, and I've just noticed something odd about the sabre.. the grip and hand guard are facing the wrong way around (or the blade curves the wrong way...). Am I right, or is my ignorance of oldie worldie weaponrie that obvious?
It wont be a big problem to fix, just wondering.

 

[valiant]

Not wishing to detract in any way from the technical quality of the sculpt, I do think that there has been some considerable artistic licence taken with the scale of the baby/toddler, in relation to the soldier. The features of the child are beautifully rendered as per contemporary regency paintings, but the proportions seem very small in comparison to the male, almost newborn baby-like in scale. Conversely, the infant's hand holding the drumsticks are almost skeletal in their execution, with very pronounced knuckle joints, unlike any young child's anatomy! To put it simply, the child's features look too old for a baby, as does the length of the legs and the hands, but the scale of the child is more new-born in its overall size....I have attached a couple of images to illustrate my point.

 

[cinimod]

I've started researching the figure, for references for painting, and I've just noticed something odd about the sabre.. the grip and hand guard are facing the wrong way around (or the blade curves the wrong way...). Am I right, or is my ignorance of oldie worldie weaponrie that obvious?
It wont be a big problem to fix, just wondering.

I think you're right, the briquette is wrong in both the way it curves and also the grip but remakable. I do like the rest of it though and a very good bit of casting bearing in mind the complex nature of the sculpt..........dom

 

[Henk]

Thank you Dom, much appreciated.
That's another thing I like about PF and the people here. It urges me to try different subjects, learn more about other eras, and I'm generally improving my painting skills.