SK Miniatures Latest Release – Tokugawa Ieyasu Bust

[Kirtles]

I am pleased to announce that following discussions with Jim Johnston I will be re-releasing the Fort Duquesne Samurai range.
This will take place over a period of time as the castings are made from the original masters.
The first release is 1/9th Bust:-
Tokugawa Ieyasu

Sculpted by Augie Rodriguez and cast in resin.
Box art by the sculptor.
The first model is being officially launched at Figure World On Saturday but is available via my website already & is priced at £37 plus postage.

Thanks for looking.
Steve

www.skminiatures.co.uk

 

[Kreston]

Great news!

 

[Wlas]

I am pleased to announce that following discussions with Jim Johnston I will be re-releasing the Fort Duquesne Samurai range.
This will take place over a period of time as the castings are made from the original masters.
The first release is 1/9th Bust:-
Tokugawa Ieyasu

Sculpted by Augie Rodriguez and cast in resin.
Box art by the sculptor.
The first model is being officially launched at Figure World On Saturday but is available via my website already & is priced at £37 plus postage.

Thanks for looking.
SteveView attachment 99405
www.skminiatures.co.uk

Good news. Jim's Ft Duquesne is sorely missed.

 

[akaryu]

Steve, that is the most exciting news on the figure front in years! I know of some fellow modellers who'd give money to complete their collection of Augie's outstanding portraits!

 

[Helm]

Oh great another bust I can't paint Nice looking bit of kit Steve

 

[roadking]

Like Steve, I have been sitting on this bit of news for quite some time. I am glad to finally be able to talk about it.

Back when I sold my business the masters for all of these Japanese subjects (8 busts, 2 foot figures and 1 mounted figure) were sold to a Japanese firm who did nothing with them. I was able to get them back last year and give them a new home that guarantees their re-release and quality. Steve has been a good friend to me over the years and I am happy they will be part of his future.

On a broader note, I loved producing these kits and working with some of the finest sculptors and artists at that time. I have made more friends around the world because of that business than I can count and there are times I miss the casting business and the art of getting high quality castings with minimal pours and vents. The hobby has come so far and I am glad to see a small part of my old company still available to the public. Now if only we could get Mike's, Derek's, Julian's, Gary's and Nick's old masters back on the market.................................

Jim

 

[Dennis]

Well done Steve, not my period as you know; but judging from the above comments it is almost like you have become a one man preservation society, preserving very deserving pieces for the hobby, congratulations.
See you tommorrow
Dennis

 

[megroot]

Great news. I hear alot about the Fort Duquesne figures, and other great sculptors and casters.
FD whas one of them. It is not my period of interest, but as alot of painters I'm very pleased that these figures are coming back on the market.
Thanks STeve.

marc

 

[jasonballamy]

Its certainly good to see these available again, having completed all of Augie's busts first time round I can say they are a joy to paint.

It interesting that you should choose this one as the first to release as it was probably the least popular, I think Augie also wanted to do some alterations to it following further research since it wa ssculpted.

Good luck with th rage.

J

 

[Augie]

WOW! A blast from the past, and a most welcome one at that!! I dare say I am as surprised as Jason at the bust selected for the premiere release. . . having said that, I am also very happy and gratified.

I don't know how "popular" it's been over the long run, but in its day it was not amongst the front runners. Admittedly, it is arguably the least "Japanese" of the series; but, in many ways, it is the most "Japanese", with the European armour modified to an acceptable--and functional!--Japanese aesthetic. Also, it is an iconic gusoku, generally accepted, though hardly universally, to have been worn by Ieyasu at Sekigahara on 21 Oct. 1600.

Another "complaint"/criticism (not in a "bad" way) was that the bust was too "stiff". And I smiled and nodded every time I heard it! This was a relatively heavy, relatively inflexible harness and that--along with Ieyasu's focus, on the battle and beyond--is what I wanted to convey.

As to the alterations Jason mentioned, yes, there were two that at one time I might have considered. One revolved around the uwa-manchira, or the [oversized] gorget. This was a Japanese enhancement of the European corslet. Ieyasu had 3? 4? namban gusoku, all slightly different. I believe that some of these were "mixed and matched" at the time they were photographed, leading to the conclusion that the uwa-manchira was not quite right. To this day I still don't know which of the gorgets goes with this particular dō!

The other item was the shikoro. It is correct as presented, but was it the one worn at Sekigahara? That I cannot say for certain. My alternate version was the shikoro I gave the 90mm full figure of Ieyasu I sculpted for Jim as a commemorative sculpture of the 400th anniversary of Sekigahara. . .

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Finally, to give credit where credit is due, I believe the image posted by Steve is Jim's original boxart. This is my rendition of the piece:​

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In closing, thanks for the kind words everyone; and thanks to Jim and Steve for making these available--then and now. They are a highlight of my career, and a source of immeasurable pride. If I can be of any service, please do not hesitate to contact me.​

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All the very best,​

​

Augie​

 

[Helm]

Congrats Augie these are indeed some of the finest Japanese sculpts around and I for one like the style, rather than certain recent releases these look right

 

[housecarl]

Excellent release.
Nice to hear about it from Augie.
Carl.

 

[Augie]

Steve: High praise, good sir! Many thanks!!

Carl: It is my pleasure! I can talk about these pieces at much greater lengths than most people would find tolerable. . .

As a brief aside. . . some of you might have noticed a dimple near the base of the medial ridge of the cabasset: this is not a sculpting, molding, or casting flaw: it represents where the plume holder of the helmet was removed. Similar kabuto, including some belonging to Ieyasu, have had the plume holder replaced by the oharaidate, the structure to which the maedate (crest on the front of the helmet) was attached.

Again, thanks! Best regards,

Augie

 

[Kirtles]

Thanks for the additional information Augie.
Sorry that I got the accreditation wrong with the art work - I'll get that corrected on my site.
This bust wasn't so much selected as the premier release but was the first one that was cast up - there was no real plan there. It's created quite a bit of interest if it's one of the less popular in the range!
More will be following soon - ready for Euro-Militaire!
Steve

 

[Augie]

My pleasure, good sir! As I said, anything that I might do to help the cause is but an email away!!

Nah worries. Just wanted to make sure credit was given where due. While I have painted all of the pieces--quite a few more than once!--none of mine appeared on the boxart .

Actually, as a historical miniaturist, I think it's a stellar first choice! If this has stirred the interest, wait 'til they see what lies down the road!

Can't wait!

Best regards,

Augie