Review Spirit of Sky - Produced by Big Child Creatives

[Gary_81]

Spirit of Sky​

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Sculpted by A Vindicare​

Produced by shop.bigchildcreatives.com​

Materiel Grey Resin​

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Packaging and Contents​

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The model was ordered from El Greco Miniatures and arrived very well packaged with plenty of card for added strength and bubble wrap as well. Inside this was a plastic blister containing the model which was wrapped in more bubble wrap, there was also included a card stuck to the back of the blister showing a nicely painted example of the model. The kit consists of a total of 10 grey resin pieces, with 3 of these pieces being connected to a single resin sprue and the rest being individual pieces.​

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Kit Components ​

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The Heads​

Head 1​

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Head 1 is a realistic and highly detailed female face. There was only one slight issue I found on the whole model and it is a slight casting block situated on the left hand side of the neck near the hair. This will come of easily with a pair of clippers but will need to be filled smooth after.​

The face has a nice determined and focused expression on it which fits perfectly with the subject matter. The helmet has a lot of detail in it from the fabric folds to the ear pieces and the highlight for me would have to be the pilots goggles. I love how realistic the goggles look even down to the tiny rivets around the rim and the connectors between the goggles and strap, this really shows a great attention to detail. Added to all of the above is some of the most amazing flowing hair I think I have ever seen, this has been so well sculpted it should be a lot of fun to paint.​

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Head 2​

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Head 2 has a more cartoonish feel to it resembling a manga character with the enlarged eyes, stylised hair, cute pixie nose and small mouth with full cupids bow lips. The helmet is the same as head 1 so it is only the hair and face that have changed. I couldn't find any casting blocks or casting lines on the head but it does appear as if the top of the helmet has been sanded so I would guess after casting all pieces are checked and cleaned before being shipped.​

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Torso​

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The torso has a single casting block on the bottom which has been clipped of already and just needs sanding smooth. There is also what would have been a casting line on the left hand side but this has been cleaned and sanded which saves some work for me .​

The quality of sculpting is really nice on the jacket with some lovely folds and two nice little pockets at the front and a nice trim around the bottom of the jacket. The collar has a lovely fur effect on it which should paint up nicely and around the neck area is a scarf , this is a nice little touch and adds some extra character to the model. You also have two well sculpted and detailed seat belt straps and once the model is placed against the seat it will look as if the seat belt really connects to the seat.​

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Hair and Straps​

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These parts are the smallest and most delicate parts of the model but have been sculpted and cast to the same high level of detail and quality. Once the straps are clipped off from the sprue they will only need to be cleaned up and will then fit perfectly on to the helmet. The hair piece is designed to be used with only head 1 and completes the long flowing hair look.​

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Arms​

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The arms have been cast to the same degree as the rest of the model and I couldn't find a single casting block and the casting lines have been sanded smooth.​

The arms are very clever with the same attention to detail in the folds and some really well sculpted cuffs with a nice textured detail. The gloves are really nice and have a little raised detail on the back to add some extra interest. One of the arms has been sculpted holding the top of a control stick reminiscent of a Word War 2 fighter plane. I think this is a really nice touch and when assembled creates a really nice effect for a bust. The other arm has been posed in a salute position and completes the look of a proud pilot either just landed or ready for take off.​

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Plane Base​

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Continued in next post​

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[Gary_81]

The cockpit and base have been extremely well thought out and executed. The seat back acts as the base for the bust with the plinth attachment being built into the bottom of the seat. Added to this is an extending arm which connects to the cockpit panel and holds it in place creating the illusion that the pilot is sat in her plane. There is a small removed casting block on the bottom of the base which will simply need to be sanded smooth and one small casting line under the connecting arm to be removed.
The cockpit panel has a single casting block to be removed and apart from that there is nothing else to do. The details on the panel is really nice with some deep panel lines and some nice rivets running along them. This really does give a lot of freedom to the painter to decide how they want the finished cockpit to look and for me the addition of this base makes the pilot bust really feel like a pilot.

Final Thoughts

I purchased this bust as I have been looking for a model to be my first after a very long break from painting of about 12 years. The reality is I have more than enough models to paint already but for this model offered me something that can be as simple or as complicated as I want to make it. At 1/12 scale it is just big enough without being overwhelming, which after a long break many models can feel like. There are enough details on this to keep it interesting but without the model becoming cluttered or confusing, I feel this will be a model where I can form a clear vision of what I want to achieve and also exactly how I will achieve it.
One thing that did surprise me about this bust is the level of engineering involved in it's production. Every part is perfectly keyed so they fit together without any need to alter things or mess around, pretty much out of the box all you need to do is wash the resin parts clean one or two casting blocks and lines and then glue together. For me that is a big plus on a first model back and I'm sure for experienced and inexperienced modellers alike it will be a bonus.
Another bonus for me and one I would love to see more is the inclusion of two heads. For me I will go with the more traditional sculpt but I will also paint the other one as well for practice. I think for anyone wanting to try some of the Neko Galaxy, Nuts Planet or Life Miniatures models that have a more manga feel about them this head could be really useful. It's a great way to test out painting something in that style without having to spend a lot of money on a full kit, I know before I paint my Neko Galaxy kits I will do a test run on this little head.
My final conclusion would be for my first Big Child Creatives model I am very impressed in all departments, sculpting excellent casting perfect and imagination and invention spot on and all this for the price of £33.65. I would say if you are thinking about this model go for it, for me I can't wait to start on mine and get some pictures up in the work in progress forum. I will leave you with a picture of the alternative box art and hope you like the review.

Gary

 

[Kimmo]

I like it, a nice change of pace and plenty of texture(s) to work with. Thanks for the review.


Kimmo

 

[Jim]

Nice!

 

[Gary_81]

I like it, a nice change of pace and plenty of texture(s) to work with. Thanks for the review.


Kimmo

Hi Kimmo, glad you liked the review and the model .

Gary

 

[Gary_81]

Nice!

Hey Jim glad you liked it .

Gary

 

[Jimmy S]

Gary I have this on the workbench as well, saw a great version on Shoshies Minis where she demonstrated painting the leather jacket that made me go and buy it. The plane part will have a hint of a roundel and some victory markings.....Heres a link to the clip.

 

[Gary_81]

Gary I have this on the workbench as well, saw a great version on Shoshies Minis where she demonstrated painting the leather jacket that made me go and buy it. The plane part will have a hint of a roundel and some victory markings.....Heres a link to the clip.

Hey Jimmy,
Thanks for posting the link. I think this highlights why it's such a great model for people of all painting abilities, and that video is a great guide on how to get a good looking leather jacket.
I think for my plane I will go purely fantasy markings rather than anything historical. Can't wait to see how yours turns out and once again thanks for posting the video guide.

Gary

 

[Mr Lee's Minis]

Nice review indeed. Though the second anime head was only for those lucky to pick up copies of the original batch. As the regular pack does not include it anymore.
Big child do this with many of their first run kits to add in a special extra before it is removed from production. Makes the one you have a more 'limited' edition version.

 

[Gary_81]

Nice review indeed. Though the second anime head was only for those lucky to pick up copies of the original batch. As the regular pack does not include it anymore.
Big child do this with many of their first run kits to add in a special extra before it is removed from production. Makes the one you have a more 'limited' edition version.

Hi and I'm glad you liked the review .
I was surprised and also feeling very happy about the second head being limited, I only ordered it on the 7th of this month so I think I got really lucky getting both heads.
I just finished doing some photos for my next review of the wonderful Siggi bust from you so hope to have that up this week or early next.

Gary