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Review Harald Hardrada from RP Models

Discussion in 'Reviews , Video Reviews and Open Book' started by Nap, May 29, 2017.

  1. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hello to one and all ,

    I received recently the latest from RP models run by a PF member Hugo Pereira , the release has been eagerly anticipated by all , coming in 2 scales a bust and the one we will look at here the 75mm Figure.

    The release of the figure was announced her on the forum by Hugo :

    http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/harald-hardrada.94428/

    Th release is the first in a new series from RP " Ancient World" with restyled box artwork .

    A.jpg

    This has been a particularly busy time for Hugo as his main military career called for his attention so it is impressive that this has been released ....and there are more to come!!!

    Originally the idea was to have him holding a torch and after much input from many including members of Planet Figure this was changed to what you see here ....for me I was more than pleased to see that RP Models and Hugo continue to listen to idea's and suggestions and act upon them ...its something that I know Hugo is very keen on doing .

    So a big pat on the back to RP and to everybody that commented here and on FB

    Unusually for me I am doing the 75 scale first rather than the bust ...why because I was very intrigued about how the details RP are well known for look in this scale .....for the review I have both this and the bust in front of me to visually compare.

    The sculpt depicts him whist besieging a town initially with no success ..he noticed small birds flying into the thatched roofs of the buildings so had the idea to attach fire to their legs and let them go ...it worked and he captured the city ...all because he saw these small birds nesting .
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    Harald wears the very best armour a a high ranking warrior, highly decorated and all showing off his status and leadership .
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    But who was this man ?

    Harald Hardrada was the King of Norway for two decades in the middle of the eleventh century. He showed early signs of being a proficient military general and fought many battles during his lifetime. His death is considered as the end of the Viking Age and he is famous as the last great Viking.

    1 He was not known as Harald Hardrada during his life

    Harald Hardrada was born Harald Sigurdsson in Ringerike, Norway in 1015. He was given the title Hardrada after his death in stories. Hardrada roughly means ‘stern counsel‘ or ‘hard ruler‘. Harald’s father Sigurd Syr ruled the region of Ringerike.

    2 Harald fought in the Battle of Stiklestad at the age of 15

    In 1028 there was a revolt in Norway and Harald’s brother Olaf Haraldsson was forced into exile. Two years later Olaf returned to Norway to reclaim his throne and Harald took 600 men with him to help his half-brother. 15 year old Harald fought alongside Olaf against people loyal to Cnut the Great in the Battle of Stiklestad in July 1030. The brothers were defeated. Olaf died in battle and Harald was seriously wounded and had to flee. Despite the defeat Harald showed remarkable military talent during the battle.

    3 He was the leader of the elite unit of the Byzantine Army

    In mid 1030s Harald and his men moved to the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. They joined the elite unit of the Byzantine Army, the Varangian Guard. Soon Harald became the “leader over all the Varangians”. As commander of the army Harald fought in places as far apart as the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Sicily, the Holy Land and Constantinople. Due to his exploits Harald became a renowned military leader and was well respected.

    4 He became the joint ruler of Norway along with Magnus in 1046

    In 1045 Harald looked to reclaim the Norwegian throne that Olaf had died fighting for. Cnut the Great had turned his attentions to England; and Norway was being ruled by Olaf’s illegitimate son Magnus the Good. Sweyn Estridsson of Denmark had been defeated by Magnus and Harald joined forces with Sweyn against Magnus. However instead of war a compromise was made through which Harald and Magnus would jointly rule Norway and Harald would share half of his sizeable wealth with the bankrupt Magnus.

    5 He was the sole ruler of Norway from 1047 till his death in 1066

    In 1047, within a year of co-rule, Magnus died with no heir. He willed Harald to be king of Norway and Sweyn of Denmark. Harald was however not content and in the next two decades there was constant warfare between Harald and Sweyn over Denmark. Despite losing nearly every battle against Harald, Sweyn held on to Denmark. Fatigue and huge costs of these indecisive battles ultimately led to the two kings agreeing to unconditional peace in 1064. Harald remained king of Norway till his death in 1066.

    6 He died at the Battle of Stamford Bridge

    After the death of Edward the Confessor, the English throne passed to Harold Godwinson. Hardrada allied with Godwinson’s brother Tostig, who had been exiled by his brother. Together Hardrada and Tostig invaded England from the River Tees in September 1066. They met Harold Godwinson’s army in the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September. Godwinson’s forces hugely outnumbered theirs and both Harald Hardrada and Tostig died in the battle. Harald Hardrada’s death was caused by an arrow that struck his neck. He was buried at the Mary Church in Nidaros, Norway
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    7 Harald Hardrada is considered as the last great Viking

    Although Harald was known to solve internal disputes by brute force, his reign of Norway was marked by peace and progress. His economic policies are considered good and he developed a Norwegian currency which allowed Norway to participate in international trade. He advanced Christianity in Norway, building and improving churches.

    Books on the subject and on Vikings are available here are a few , all providing good details and information

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    Continued in next post

    Nap
    myouchin likes this.
  2. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Lets move to the Resin

    Details of the release:

    Title: Harald Hardrada ( Ancient World Series)

    Reference: RPM-75-01-0001

    Scale: 75mm

    Material: Gray Resin

    No of parts: 13

    Sculptor: 3D

    Casting YS Castings ( Yiannis )

    Box Art: N/A

    The parts were in a clear bag with this in turn being wrapped in a bubble wrap bag , nice to see that the sword was stuck using tape to the small RP business card to avoid damage to the blade .

    The parts were in good strong box with a new style box art , no painted version but that does not matter in my opinion as the brand of RP is enough and of course there will be painters who have bought this showing their work .
    RP 001.jpg
    Also included is information sheet with a background on the subject on one side , on the other the number of the release in the run .......and all are personally signed by the man himself ...Hugo .

    RP 004.jpg RP 003.jpg
    .....Remember all RP releases are limited so when they are gone they are gone , no additional castings will be produced.

    Parts consist of main full figure , 2 arms, head, cape, shield , sword , scabbard , small knife ,a long handled axe, shield , bird and finally a cord with fire on the end , no base is included
    RP 002.jpg
    Prep

    As this is a 3D sculpt I am expecting very little to do and this proved to be so ..on all the pieces I found only 4 very small and I mean small casting plugs to take off ...... at the arm on main figure , on the axe , sword end and edge of shield , a small amount of flashing between the legs...so a good start and shows how good the casting at YS is and the standard of quality RP insist on .

    Initial thoughts

    The details and textures are pouring all over all the parts and all well cast throughout

    You will need to fit the arms , head , sword, scabbard , knife etc

    I would suggest you paint the cloak separately then add once complete

    The shield fits to the back of the cloak

    The sword blade is a little thin but could easily be replaced if you wish

    The axe is a bonus weapon and as such does not fit to the figure itself ...you could :
    a Use it as part of the basework or

    b Take the sword out the hand and use the handle in the scabbard and put axe in hand


    In this part I will look at the main figure , continuing with the remaining parts after .

    Main Figure

    First impressions of this comparing it with the bust ..is WOW !!!!

    All over there are nothing but detail , he has his cloak held together at the front with high quality lamellar armour and chain mail vest , trousers and lower leg protection .
    RP 005.jpg
    Belts are around his waist , one holding his bag of money/valuables on the right hip , the other has the samll dagger on it when built , , his chest is criss crossed by 2 belts , the sword on his right shoulder and the shiled on his left .

    At the neck we have 2 talisman on cords , one with a boars tusk the other circular with a design on

    At the back the armor continues with a cut out for the cloak post to fit to .....and remember this detail will not be seen !!..again an example of the quality from RP ...could have been so easy to leave an area that is covered by the cloak un sculpted.

    Starting at the top and working down .....

    The shoulders have the quilted cloak showing very nice work including a small "button" in each separate padded section , the undercuts are good .

    The neck area has a cut out ready to take the head

    The sleeves are textured with a design at the lower edges , sharply done .

    The armour is excellent , every individual plate is accurate and all the same shape , the edges are clear with the plates having a texture as well .
    RP 011.jpg
    The belts are very good indeed , excellent undercuts , the shield belt is edged and fits accurately to the end which is cast to the cloak, the sword has good buckle definition as have the belts around his waist , the small straps for the knife being cast finely on , we are treated to stitching and the belts being tucked in and agai its all about textures .

    There is a cutout to fit the scabbard

    The small bag has a design on it as well , good work here and another area of detail
    RP 012.jpg
    The trousers are very full and no doubt warm , very well formed folds and sitting nicely , bloused out at the lower edge where they meet the lower leg ...again the material textures are wonderfully done .

    The lower legs have the leg armour in strips as in references and these are very well done , really sharp edges to each piece , held in a framework which is pulled tight to the back of the legs by 2 straps

    The boots are high , both have textures ..again one having more folds at the back , the work on the actual boot lower is very good , laces being evident , thick soled .

    RP 014.jpg RP 013.jpg

    RP 010.jpg RP 009.jpg RP 008.jpg RP 007.jpg RP 006.jpg



    Continued in next post

    Nap
    swralph and Paulo like this.
  3. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    On now to the remaining parts

    I will do this in my suggested build

    Head

    Fully armoured with a sectioned helmet with a comb running over the top , excellent work again , he has his eyes protected by a mask , again well detailed , the nasal bar at the centre sitting straight on his nose , the eyes are well worked again , careful work will be needed to get to them for painting , he is bearded which shows nice textures , mouth shut tightly . the neck protector is mail and sits well onto the torso .

    RP 022.jpg RP 021.jpg RP 020.jpg RP 019.jpg

    Arms

    These both consist of mailed arms with more protection similar to the lower leg armour , suffice to say the mail is to scale and well done , the lower arm protected by plates , excellent and nicely edged , held on a leather backing which itself is held by ties at the rear , as a result the materials is pulling in good folds .
    Both wrists are open ready to take the sword hand and the bird

    One thing I would like you to not is the way the muscles have been shown the left is raised , the right is lowered so the upper muscle is not in action...I feel this is Hug's medical background in action here !!!..good to see a simple detail like this being considered.

    RP 017.jpg RP 018.jpg

    Cloak

    This is a really well worked piece the quilting continues not only on the outside but also on the inside , nice to see the movement in keeping with the standing pose , folds are excellent all over ....the shield strap ends are sculpted onto the cloak and fit very cleanly to the shield.

    With so much details its almost a shame to fit to the torso!!! ..this is achieved by a simple plug into a cutout , the edges sitting onto the shoulder and marrying up with the front very well ...only a swipe of filler might be needed.

    RP 016.jpg RP 015.jpg

    Shield

    A shield that means business and shows off his his status to its best effect , a mythical monster is on the face of the shield , great details , quite prominent with really nice definition , at the centre there is the boss , showing a sword cut and knocked about on the surface ...you can almost see the craftsman making this .

    The work on the shield with the surface displaying textures very well , on the rear we have the individual planks themselves with metal bars running across ...this whole piece is a painters delight .

    RP 031.jpg RP 030.jpg

    Sword/Scabbard/Knife

    The sword is a little delicate and could be replaced , the handle shows good details on the pommel and crossbar , the hand grips the handle well , good finger details and there is even the veins o the back of the hand , straining slightly with the pressure of holding the weapon.
    The scabbard fits well into the torso cutout with the textures of wood being worked and with a series of metal bands running its length
    The knife also fits well to the torso under the 2 tiny straps already there , again we have textures both on the scabbard and the handle ...leather and bone perhaps .

    RP 024.jpg

    Axe

    This is an additional piece to use I think as you wish , perhaps include it as part of the base , these were fearsome weapons and very much seen in use , you could make a strap and add to the figure ..the choice is yours ...what you get is a well detailed and well shaped weapon , excellent work on the wood of the handle the head edge is knocked and a shape seen in references again .

    RP 025.jpg RP 026.jpg

    Bird/Fire

    The bird is just about to fly from the hand , wings raised and outspread in preflight , excellent work on the feathers both on the wings and the body itself , the eyes and beak are clearly seen , in the palm of the hand we see a cord , this is holed to take the other piece that is on fire .

    The fire itself is very difficult to represent and looks good , careful painting will pay dividends .

    The hand itself holds gently but firmly the bird itself just seconds prior to the hand being opened up and the bird flying to freedom , again the work on the fingers and veins is well up to the standard we expect from RP

    RP 028.jpg RP 029.jpg RP 027.jpg

    Final Thoughts

    Well what to say really ..again I think RP have gone that extra mile , packed full of details and tells a story , casting is very good indeed , this is without doubt a painters piece , and I certainly look forward to see this being shared by the artists.


    I think this is the best figure RP have done and everyone gets better

    I salute Hugo and his team ( remember you all too are part of it ) for this release another great result .

    Highly recommended

    Lets have some pictures from Hugo...ENJOY

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    For more details contact:

    www.rpmodels.pt

    sales@rpmodels.pt

    www.facebook.com/RPmodels

    or you can contact Hugo via this site

    Thank you for looking in on this little write up hope you found it of use and interest

    Nap
    Redcap, Wings5797 and swralph like this.
  4. TERRYSOMME1916 A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Nap this looks amazing, what scale is the other full figure going to be produced in?
    TERRY
    napoleonpeart likes this.
  5. mortier A Fixture

    Country:
    Germany
    Thank you for this very great review.Th details of the figure are fantastic,great stuff
  6. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England

    Hi Terry

    This is the full figure in 75mm there is also a bust which I will be looking at soon ..as soon as my hear eat calms down ...lol

    Nap
  7. swralph A Fixture

    Excellent review Nap:).
    napoleonpeart likes this.
  8. TERRYSOMME1916 A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Sorry Nap I read it again and its 1no 75mm full figure and 1no Bust, I think I knee jurked into hoping there was a 120mm lol.
    TERRY
    napoleonpeart likes this.
  9. Viking Bob PlanetFigure Supporter

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Incredible detail for a 75mm, wow.
    napoleonpeart likes this.
  10. clrsgt A Fixture

    Country:
    United-States
    I just received mine and it is an amazing kit. Hugo has outdone himself on this one. The review, as always, is excellent. I am not usually a painter of midieval figures, so the research begins. Thanks for the head start on that.
    napoleonpeart likes this.
  11. Richard Baxter A Fixture

    Country:
    Scotland
    The bird is a Redwing (see Hugo's photo). Interesting choice, what's the association there?
  12. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Guys

    Just spoke to Hugo he sends his apologies he will reply later at the weekend he is concentrating on his examinations till then .

    Robert ..not sure of the bird it was one of the references used

    Nap
  13. Richard Baxter A Fixture

    Country:
    Scotland
    It's definitely a redwing, get loads of them in my garden in the autumn when they migrate south. The sculpted example looks a bit large, they're only the size of a blackbird, maybe slightly smaller.
  14. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England

    Looking again at the bird and figure and IMO looks right but everyone has their own thoughts

    Nap
  15. Wings5797 A Fixture

    Country:
    France
    Thanks for such a great review Kev.
    A splendid piece and I like the beauty and the beast angle.
    All the best
    Keith
  16. Wings5797 A Fixture

    Country:
    France
    Internet gift BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. Even when you thought none of them made it.
    All the best
    Keith

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