Golden Helmet Knights

[Ruediger]

Hello!

I am new to this forum, some friends at the Kulmbach show told me its a 'must' to be member here!
I have a really small range of own medieval metal kits, also for sale, and some i want to present here. Sure on my website you are able to 'meet' all my medieval figures and in my website-gallery some of my painting attempts.
My website is www.golden-helmet.com
Only one, two figures per year as new releases, but i produce only models i want also for myself and never found anywhere in a way i really want. Also only single sculptured figures are not very satisfying for me, knights with much metal i like more in a polished white metal way, instead of 'silver' colour, so some metal casting is better for fully armoured knights than also resin figures (if someone like me... likes more polished metal )
Late medieval early renaissance armoured types are really rare, and my favourites are 15ct, 16ct types.
Sculpturing for the masters are made by Alan Ball.
Momentary i plan only figures/'knights' in cooperation with Museums, because some Museums have best sources and knowledge for real armour, you are not able to read and view in books.

But now i will present two figures/kits as examples.

1. A knight of the southern tirolian family 'von Matsch'. The noble family lived in the Churburg, today still a great collection of medieval armour and weapons visible. One of the most famous armour is today in Glasgow Museums, the socalled 'Avant Harness' about 1440, belonging to one knight of the Matsch family. In cooperation with Toby Capwell the former curator of arms and armour (now in the Wallace Collection) i realised this knight in 90mm.
Many hints of Toby were more than helpfull, real equipment, also of missing parts, its possible to make interpretations or not? Really not very much, sure equipment, outfit like the giornea, there is some freedom allowed, but not for the real fighting stuff, the whole armour as equipment.
In the museum the original helmet is missing, also some parts like tassets, the helmet/armet now in Leeds was so the copy for the helmet presented within the kit. Because its nearly impossible to cast an armet in 90mm with removeable wrapper two helmet-heads were necessary to present the knight with nearly all possibilities of wearing such a helmet. One with wrapper, everytime closed for the model, and a second helmet without wrapper and then with possibility to open the visor. Third head clear barehead
-First a foto only polished metal with armet/wrapper, without girornea(small cape) to show the armour also on the back.
-Second one possibility for the giornea, here sure in 'von Matsch' heraldry, you can also see some different possibilities here
http://www.golden-helmet.de/html/preorder.html
and also the armet with opened visor and a detail of the right arm-armour.
-third the model barehead, all heads/possibilities included in the kit.

2. As second presentation a mounted knight (54mm) in late(st) gothical armour german style about 1480, fully armoured.
-first foto of the knight in painted version.
-second foto the parts within the kit. There are two different helmets and two different weapon arms, one for lance, second for sword/singlehanded weapon.

I hope you will enjoy the results!

 

[vergilius]

Looks like you really doing your best to be accurate !!
congratulations with your work. I hope to see you on one of the shows.
I'll certainly check you website

 

[vergilius]

I almost forgot; welcome to the planet !!

 

[Guy]

Welcome to the planet Ruediger. Awesome figures and I hope we see more of your work on the planet.

 

[dinovision79]

Hi Ruediger,

welcome on board. The figures and your website are great! The gallery is simply stunning!!!
I do like your attitude and way of thinking about the hobby, I'm sure it is appreciated!

Thanks
Denes

 

[Roc]

Welcome to the Planet, hope to see more of you and your work on the Planet.

Cheers
Roc

 

[Ruediger]

Thank you for ''welcome's'',

in former times i also bought and collected all possible 3-D figures i liked (i began with flat-figures), first rounds in the 80's i liked were from Poste Militaire, but also Barton or Almond, then the 54mm napoleonics came by Bruno Leibowitz, but some day i have dozends, nearly hundreds of kits (not only napoleonic) never possible to assemble and paint, and if i calculate also expensive .
So the decision was really for me better to realize 'one' figure i like for myself. And also for satisfying especially friends of late medieval folks a 'cloning' of the warriors .

To my painting in short words, i paint with oil colours normally, but also especially for my nephew his 'Warhammer Bretonians' (also nice knights) with Games Workshop/Citadel Acrylics. But really i get easier good results in larger scale with oil, especially blending is very comfort and its common for me painting with such oil colours.
I tried in my decades of painting (not only models) many oil colours, for real paintings i make also own oil colours, i have learned it for my profession as conservator.
But sure for models it would be idiotic to make own colours, you cannot grind the pigments i such a fine way necessary for smallest models.
So i use the surely finest oil paints available, its the 'Lukas Sorte1' only oil, no resin or something else mixed in the paints. If i mix something in paints i want to know what.
Why not different oil colours? Most oil colours are made for bigger paintings, and pigments are not as fine, sure for paintings its sometimes really better not finest grinded pigments, but for the small models its smoother and better covering the surface. So called 'studio colours' should also not be used for our models, those have fillings in the pigments and really cheap pigments but clearly lower prize calculation.
As medium im using the fast drying 'Liquin' by Winsor Newton and for getting the colour matt a smallest amount of bee-wax balm. Its a good possibility with both mediums getting matt, never dull results, but also shinier colours if wanted.
As thinner im using nowadays a light petrol, called 'Shellsol T' its meanwhile for conservators (here in germany) one of the most important liquids, its good for cleaning paintings without damaging any surface, not smelling, its really something very 'clean'. Turpentine meanwhile nearly 'forbidden' for conservation/cleaning belongings . And its a good thinner for oilcolours.
Sure for platearmour, also blades of weapons i polish the metal. And finally some glazes with oilcolours and again the medium 'Liquin' a alcyd-resin, here no wax, because i want not a matt metal surface.
As metal-colours im using for gold also by Winsor Newton 'Liquid Leaf' i think its the best gold-colour available, it looks really like gold.
Most important is everytime, dont 'paint' in a brushy way such gold-colours, it must happen in one fast layer without rubbing, if you rub/brush the gold after few seconds, the small metal plates are creasing and crumbling and the gold effect is damaged unrepairable.

Best regards
Rüdiger