Celtic warrior (1 Viewer)

[blaster]

Hi All,

I have had this figure in the stash for a very long time. it is an old Time Machine Miniature, one of their earliest production kits. The scale is slightly smaller than the usual 54mm and I believe that it was sculpted by Rendall Patton. I have just decided to build this kit, but converting some parts as I go along.

Rgds Victor

View attachment 166398View attachment 166399

 

[blaster]

Hi All,

Sorry for accidentally starting two threads on the same topic. I'll go with this thread as it has the most number of lookers. Here's a pic of the kit according to the instructions. I decided to convert the pose drastically as I wanted to depict a fighting mad berserker.

Rgds Victor

 

[blaster]

I substituted a Pegaso head for the original head, which was too small. The body appeared to be too flat from the side and I built up the back musculature. I have also built up the hair to create a swept-back limed effect.

 

[theBaron]

Nice! The hair reminds me of the portrayal of Caractacus in "I, Claudius".

Prost!
Brad

 

[Wolfgang_UK]

Well done, I wonder how you are going to proceed. Very dynamic pose and yet again a very interesting subject.
Thank you for sharing.{sm3}
Kind Regards
Wolfgang

 

[blaster]

Hello Wolfgang and Brad,

Thanks for looking. I have had this piece for well over 20 years (!) and had always wanted to try out this more frenzied pose. It was the usual spring cleaning chores that uncovered yet another hidden stash. I had been ferreting figures here and there, to keep them away from the prying eyes of my beloved, but now I am forced to bring them all out in the open, and sort them out...

Anyway, I digress. I added epoxy putty to the inner right thigh and started to sculpt some creases. I probably have to redo most of the pants because of the new pose. As to the hair style, I can go with this lswept back look or there are ponytail, braided hairstyles too. Jury still out there. I have a choice of shield (tiny rectangular or small round shield) and weapon (sword or spear).

Rgds Victor

 

[theBaron]

...It was the usual spring cleaning chores that uncovered yet another hidden stash...

I know the feeling. I went looking recently for a specific casting, and it wasn't where I thought I'd left it, so I had to go digging. I realized that I have far more soldiers in my "gray army" than I thought, and many that I'd forgotten. I could probably not buy any new figures for the next three years, and just paint what I have.

Prost!
Brad

 

[blaster]

Hello Brad,

here's a pic of my restored workspace area. Previously it was a junkheap...



After sculpting the pants, I decided to redo his hair. Not convinced that my first attempt was realistic (looked like he had a perm), I went for another hairdo.



Rgds Victor

 

[blaster]

Hi All,

More progress on the Celt. I glued on the hands and weapons and am now sculpting the belt to take the scabbard. I have further trimmed the right thigh and built up the left thigh.
Hair almost finished, courtesy of V. Sassoon. If you don't look good, we don't look good.

Rgds V

 

[Wolfgang_UK]

Hi All,

More progress on the Celt. I glued on the hands and weapons and am now sculpting the belt to take the scabbard. I have further trimmed the right thigh and built up the left thigh.
Hair almost finished, courtesy of V. Sassoon. If you don't look good, we don't look good.

Rgds V



Hi Victor,
looking great so far. Especially his new hair is looking really good - well done.
rgds
Wolfgang

 

[theBaron]

It looks like we have just about the same amount of working space...



Mine is on that baking sheet I have lying on the bench top.

The Celt is coming along nicely, and such a dynamic pose!

Prost!
Brad

 

[blaster]

Hello Brad,

Your workspace is more realistic, away from prying eyes, rather grungy, eh?.....

Mine is too pristine, under the eagle-eye of my beloved. I actually have two areas. The earlier pic shows the sorting, drilling, cutting, etc area. That is where I have all my powertools and play at Dr V Frankenstein to my plastic/metal patients.

The below pic shows my painting area away from the dust, by the window where I use an old secretary desk. I store all my paints here, again all carefully closely monitored by The Power.

Rgds Victor

 

[blaster]

Hello Wolfgang and Brad,

I applied more gel to his sidelocks so that he looks more fearsome from the front. I added a belt and stuck on the scabbard. The sculpting is finished and I have also added a thin undercoat of paint to highlight defects and to start painting.

Rgds Victor

 

[theBaron]

His scabbard's on his right side. So he's a lefty, then?

Prost!
Brad

 

[Sahara]

His scabbard's on his right side. So he's a lefty, then?

Prost!
Brad

Not necessarily. The Romans wore their scabbards on the right whether they were right or left handed. The thinking behind this was the shield would have to be extened out or away from the body if a cross draw was performed. If this method was deployed it risked the breakup of formation which was critical to Roman military success. iIt also risked the soldier cutting or hurting himself in an attempt to make that motion while maintaining a rather large shield. I'm by no means an expert on Celtic battle formations but it might be something similar.

 

[Wolfgang_UK]

Hello Victor, hello Brad

would you mind if I join? You showed yours now I show you mine ....{sm3}
May be our wifes should get together one day - might be interesting .....
Bon weekend


Victor, the celt is going to look really good, have fun painting the chequered pattern of his trousers....^&grin
Sahara, roman military history is a challenge to study thanks for you interesting reply
Kind regards
Wolfgang

 

[blaster]

Hello All,

Thanks for looking and inputs.

Workspaces aside (....), from what I gather, all the pictorial references that I have primarily show the scabbard, with or without sword on the right side. The mode of suspension was either the belt or a cross body strip (leather?) from the left shoulder to the right hip. The sword if held, is almost always in the right hand.

I understand the Roman cross-draw analogy and it makes sense. However, the Roman sword is short, unlike the generally longer Celtic sword. I think perhaps the Celts used various weapons, not standardised. Thus longer swords may be on the left side and any Roman trophy swords could be suspended on the right side. The Celts may also have picked up the Roman style of drawing their swords?

Alternatively, the Celts may have drawn their swords long before they rush off to meet the enemy, unlike the Romans who had to throw a couple of pila )) before drawing their swords?

Rgds Victor

 

[theBaron]

My thought is that it's more basic for the barbarian Celts and Germans, who fought in undisciplined formations, that were essentially groups of individual fighters. They may have advanced as a group (eg, the Teutonic "boar's head" wedge formation), but their fighting devolved into many individual fights. I suspect that they were governed more by handed-ness. As a righty myself, I'd find it awkward to draw a weapon of any length greater than a foot, with my right hand, and present it for use. The tip of the blade would tend to be drawn across my torso as I draw it, risking getting caught in any harness I might have on, or nicking myself, if I were naked from the waist up. I could draw it with my left hand, provided it's not carrying a shield, but then I'd have to shift it to my right hand.

It's not a big deal, I just noticed it was mounted on his right side.

Prost!
Brad

 

[blaster]

Hi All,

Finally got round to slapping some oil paint on this figure. Dreading those tartans, I will be painting some woad designs and still figuring out what shield design to use.

Rgds Victor

 

[blaster]

I worked on the groundwork for this piece, adding grass, branches and brass-etch ferns.