WIP "Gladiator fight" - Faces of War Military Miniature

[Sergey Popovichenko]

Not long ago, the Polish company "Faces of War Military Miniature" appeared in the world of miniatures.
https://www.facebook.com/fow.miniature
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ToyWorlds...btDqZV1hr7P7bRArJw_aem_QZf84R4P-xpjyjrZJZw7jA
The main direction of the manufacturer is the development of a diverse line of gladiators. I strongly support this initiative, since this is one of my favorite topics.
Some types of gladiators have already been introduced...


and new ones are still being developed.

Also planned are elements of arena architecture and other goodies on the theme of ancient Rome.
The approach to historicity is quite serious. The manufacturer is advised by experienced sculptor Sergei Traviansky, who, in addition to immersing himself in the theme of the Second World War, is also interested in and sculpts gladiators.
First thing I did was get a couple of gladiators secutor vs retiarius. In both available scales 54 and 75mm.
I have already reviewed them on our website.
https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/secutor-from-faces-of-war-military-miniature.692667/
https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/retiarius-from-faces-of-war-military-miniature.689620/
Now it's time to start working on them.
I will be blogging here and on my Patreon at the same time. If anyone is interested in how I paint figurines, create dioramas or vignettes - many PDF magazines and video paintings are already available there. https://www.patreon.com/Sergey_Popovichenko
So, let's get started!!!

 

[Sergey Popovichenko]

I glued the gladiators. The quality of the workmanship and the joints are excellent. Almost no processing was required. I will leave the shield unglued for ease of painting.

 

[Sergey Popovichenko]

For me, it is a prerequisite to glue metal pins into the legs of the figures for the subsequent possibility of dismantling from the main base, installation on a temporary base during painting, as well as for reliable fixation in the finale.
If you don't have the right wire to make the pins, you'll need paper clips of different sizes. Drills, a hand drill, files to remove molding seams or supports after printing, a modeling knife. And cyanoacrylate glue for gluing.

 

[Sergey Popovichenko]

The next step is choosing a suitable stand. For a duel between two gladiators, it would be good to have a suitable oval oblong stand. It is good if you have prepared stands for future use for different occasions. Or you have the opportunity to order a stand of the required size.
12,5х7 centimeters of working area of the stand. Although it could be a little longer and a little narrower.

 

[Briggsy]

Nice methodical and planned start, I agree that pinning the legs is essential, a lesson learnt the hard way a long time ago.

Simon

 

[Ferris]

Looking forward to your treatment of these!

How do you find the helmets and shields? My first impression was these were on the thick side..?

Adrian

 

[Malkie]

Two nice figures and a host of planning a very interesting W.I.P.

Malkie

 

[Redcap]

The sense of movement is superb and these poses complement as 2 figs presentation rather than singular (IMHO). Tremendous figures in all respects.
Gary

 

[Nap]

Hi Sergey

Great your doing this WIP , careful planning is vital as you show and in a logical way

Following this with interest

Happy brushes

Nap

 

[Sergey Popovichenko]

Looking forward to your treatment of these!

How do you find the helmets and shields? My first impression was these were on the thick side..?

Adrian

Yes, I talked about it with the manufacturer. It's not difficult to sharpen it with a file. Well, and in the new dimacher, it seems, this has already been taken into account.

 

[Sergey Popovichenko]

Time to continue the base.
I cut a 3mm PVC plate corresponding to the size of the base, trimmed and rounded the edges. I did this to at least slightly raise the surface of the future sand above the plane of the base. And to give some thickness and unevenness to the relief. I glued it with two-component Alteco glue. Also, to form the main relief of the sand, I began to apply textured sand paste from AK.


It is convenient to apply the paste with an artistic palette knife. However, we must avoid readable strokes of the tool on the relief. This will kill the realism. Therefore, we smooth out the strokes with pokes of a piece of foam rubber.



This is what it looks like after application...



And so after working with pokes using foam rubber.

However, for maximum realism, I also coated the base with PVA glue and sprinkled it with fine river sand and other clay soil, which has an interesting texture.


The stand has a fairly large surface and is uniformly sandy. It will look a bit boring overall. Therefore, it is worth adding some interesting element. This could be a helmet or abandoned gladiator weapons. In this case, it is quite appropriate to place a retiarius net on the sand. I made it from a piece of small fishing net. I fixed it on the sand by carefully dripping cyanoacrylate superglue onto the net, then pressed the wet spot to the sand with a stick and waited for the glue to dry. So I gradually formed a bend in the net and a fold on one edge. The net protrudes beyond the edge of the stand, so we will cut off the excess later.

In the same way, I added a rope made of synthetic thread for shoe repair. The entire net is carefully impregnated with cyanoacrylate, which gives strength. The place where the secutor's foot should step on the net, I ground down with a small cutter and a high-speed drill - the gladiator's foot should stand confidently on the sand.
Everything is primed from a can with gray automotive primer "Champion". After priming, the composition acquires a finished look. It seems to have turned out quite lively.

The gladiators are also primed, it's time to take a group photo and evaluate the result.

 

[Ferris]

Loving it already. The net is great, very realistic.
This is going to be great promotion for the brand. My wallet is itching already!

Adrian