Review Harold Ii (godwinson) 1066 From Elan13

[Nap]

Hi to all on PF ,

Now those that have the undeniable pleasure of knowing me will realise I am a bust man , as are many on this wonderful planet of ours .

Following on from Rob Lane's initial post :

http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/harold-ii-the-last-english-king.54014/watch-confirm

and also Helms great Open Box http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/harold-ii-1066.54138/watch-confirm

....its my pleasure to present my review of :

Title: HAROLD II 1066 THE LAST ENGLISH KING

Sculptor: Rob Lane

Box Art: Adrian Hopwood

Scale: 1/10th

Reference: EL 17

Material used: Resin

No of Pieces: 6


Before we move on to the actual model lets have some background history on the man himself .

Harold Godwinson or Harold the 2nd(in old English Harold Godƿinson ) born it is thought 1022 and ruled for a short preiod from 6 Jan - 14th Oct 1066 when he was killed at the battle of Hastings so famously depicted in the Bayeau Tapestry.

Harold was said to be a leader that excelled in leading his armies both on and off the battle field and in the words of a cleric called Vitalis who wrote that he "was very tall and handsome, remarkable for his physical strength, his courage and eloquence, his ready jests and acts of valour"


To meet the Norman threat from William Harold's army marched 241 miles (386 kilometres) to intercept William. Harold set his forces up at the now famous site of Battle near Hastings The two armies came to contact at Senlac Hill where after nine hours of hard fighting and probably less than 30 minutes from victory, Harold was killed and his forces routed

In the Bayeau tapestry Harold is depicted being killed by an arrow in the eye above which it it stated"Harold Rex Interfectus Est" but it is thought that 4 norman knights actaully finally despatched him among them probably William himself .



Harold is said to be buried at Waltham Abbey in Essex but it is also a possibility it could be at Bosham in Sussex although this is in dispute.

Whatever you think Harold was undoubtably a leader of men , and his legacy and fame continues to this day .

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Lets start with the the packaging and presentation:

The model was as Helm said received in a large strong cardboard box and in mine with the torso being wrapped in bubble wrap and the remaining pieces being secured in a seal lock clear bag except the axe which due to the handle length was placed in the botton of the box (perhaps a securing piece of tape to to keep it on place) .

The pieces consist of a total of 6 , the main Torso(includes the head) the right arm , the right hand, the nasal bar and of course the axe itself (more later!!)

The Box also had a full colour picture of the painted version by Messr Hopwood , a larger frontal view together with a smaller rear view....good reference material .

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Moving on now to the largest of the pieces ..the Torso

This piece consist of the main torso including the upper right arm and the head which is helmeted under which he wears mail the face piece or ventail being unsecured and hanging down to reveal the facial features .

Starting with the prep needed before we get to the actual build and then the painting,the undersides were smooth and the only work needed was removal a small remnant of a casting plug ..easy to do , I would suggest drilling ready to receiving a mounting brass rod before you get the paints on .

He wears a conical helmet often seen in manuscripts and also the Bayeaux Tapestry , for such high ranking man this would have been iron and produced from a single piece with skill .

The helmet itself is smoothly sculpted and a great shape with strengthning bands around all of which have tiny rivets , these are left of to allow fitment of the nasal bar at the front of the piece .



Our subject wears a mail shirt over which he wears a cape , this is worth particular mention as the folds and the way it hangs on the figure is very natural (I actually had a large bath towel around me to check this ..the things I do!!!) the cloak is held together by a brooch which has some very fine decoration around the edge.
Over his shoulder he has the shield strap , which sits well into the shirt ..it is actually being worn..nice one Rob .

The mails he wears is as has been mentioned in the other posts round the wrong way , but that aside and to be honest the overall effect you will get when painting the mail is stunning ..a result of many labour intensive sculpting hours from Rob ..I take my hat off to him for this dedication.


His right arm is covered in mail with a nice locating hole in the inside to correctly fit the lower arm itself ....good idea this ..simple but easily forgotten by some.


The facial features are clean and he has the look of a warrior and a moustache to die for ...all of which are finely detailed , the eyes are well defined and will make painting easier ...now does anyone know Harold's eye colour )


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Lets look at the arm and the hand now :

The arm itself consists of a loose fitting sleeve , with some of the best folds I have seen , it is bent at the elbow , with a locating hole in the wrist area ready to receive the hand itself . There is a locating piece at the top but also a casting plug to remove (this is the larger of the 2 !!) , when removed fit into the upper arm is spot on ..not a smidgen of filler was needed .




The hand is something I know Rob pays particular attention to and this has paid off in manyfold , the fingers themselves are finely defined , the hand being open ready to balance the axe handle . Prep consists of a quick snip to remove the casting plug and rub with the wet and dry and the the hand can be put into the sleeve .....make sure you do a dry run before you finally secure it .


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On now to the nasal bar :

Prep consists of carefully removing the casting plug from the top , then securing to the lower front edge of the helmet .

The sculpting details consists of various devices all adding to the finish and effect when worn .

It is of course not compulsary that this is fitted but make sure you paint the fleshwork before you do !!! If you choose not to fit it then a simple piece of work is all that is needed to continue the lower band and rivets around the base of the helmet.


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On now to his weaponry now the shield and the axe:

Prep is simple to say the least 2 snip to remove small casting plugs on the lower edge ..easy .

The shield consists of the top piece only and is a kite shaped one as depicted in the Bayeaux Tapestry , Rob has finished the shield to run along the lower edge of the torso , fitment is easy as Rob has kindly sculpted a depression in the cloak which the right hand edge fits to . some might want to pin the shield as well to the back of the torso .

The shield has no decoration on it ..a blank canvas to go wild on , possibly for me the shield could have gone past the lower torso edge but this is only my thoughts and as it is it looks fine .

There rae no planking details sculpted on the inside but you could skim it with putty or use paint effects to reproduce this . There is a padding (leather) piece inside as well ...good chance to get the worn paint effects out.


The axe has had many comments in previous about it , particularly about the thickness of the handle , I will leave you to make your mind up ...I have no doubt a lot of research was done , some might want to replace it of course .

What I do really like is the fact that the handle is cast with a metal piece running through it ....nice idea , prep consists of just removing small casting plugs on the handle and the top of the axe.

My thoughts are that the handle is a little thin for the axe head size but again all have their own thoughts , if you do not want to use it then I cannot see it being a problem replacing it with a sword which I am sure we all could sort out ..one way or the other .If you decide to keep the axe you will have a very imposing weapon ...capable of inflicting horrific wounds.


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Hi Guys ,

My final thoughts on this release from Elan 13 ......yes its has a few concerns but when its painted you will have a great piece to display to one and all .

Price is very reasonable indeed , there is as expected great customer service and great subjects in the range with more planned in the near future.

You have the chance to do many paint effects as well a battle torn face , great 'tache , how about NMM on the mail as well, the worn leather padding on the shiled and of course the shield design itself .

Rob is a talented sculptor and someone who is dedicated and it has been a pleasure to share my thoughts on this release.

Have a good look at the website www.elan13.co.uk , (put it in your favourites) where you will find as Rob puts it models that are :"Sculpted with love, swearing and occasionally stuff being thrown about" ...love that comment Rob


The Saxons and of course Hasting are great subjects to research and a wealth of modelling inspiration , there are some great books around amongst them :

The Vikings (this has great pictures of axes and swords and helmets as well as a section on the Normans and Hastings ) : Europa Militaria Special No 6 ISBN 1-86126-289-2

Hastings 1066 (Norman Cavalry and Saxon Infantry) from Heimdal ISBN 2-84048-150-2

Skirmish Magazine Special (2006 Reenactment anniversary)

If you fancy reenactments then have a look at www.regia.org


Finally lets have a couple of pictures of the box art that brings the bust to life ...perhaps we might see one of Willian with a typical Norman haircut!!!



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[Helm]

Nice review Kev I can only second everything you've said here

Steve

 

[ubbi]

Great review Nap , thank you for sharing and for the time you spent describing all of that beautiful bust.

 

[Nap]

Hi Guys,

Steve ..Thank you , as you said in your review a nice piece ...I am going to do something a little different with mine with help from a friend (watch out for posts!!!!) ..hope to see your version soon on PF.

Ubbi ...A real pleasure to share my thoughts , glsd you found the review helpful ...likewise hope to aee your version as well.

Happy painting to all


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[Wings5797]

Nice review Kev.
Thank you for posting it's always great reading them.
Cheers,
Keith