Hi to all ,

Following on from my previous review of the first releases from the Russian company

here on Planet Figure and FB ...http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/trapper-from-altores-studio.78266

Its now time for me to share the 2nd release this time we have a subject that s both unusual and pleasing to see , keeping to the same background of the wild forests and its populations.

The 2nd release being

Iroquois Indian

The Iroquois were hunters, farmers and fisherman that allowed them to get food in different ways. Most of the food they ate came from crops they grew. Probably the most important crop was corn, which had many ways to be cooked. It was cooked as a porridge, often with beans or other vegetables. Most important, the dried kernels were ground into flour and used for puddings or baked into a kind of bread.
The Iroquois traveled considerable distances to fish before the work in the fields began. Using nets, hooks and harpoons,

they caught as many fish as possible to preserve them for later use. The preserving consisted of drying or salting.
In the fall after the crops were gathered, groups of families left the village to go hunt game in the woods. The larger animals, such as deer and bear were hunted with bows and arrows or caught in pits or nooses. Rabbits, birds, and other animals were hunted with bow and arrows and blowguns, or were caught with snares and nets.

The Iroquois used longhouses.

They also used tree branches, rocks, leaves and animal fur as different form for shelter. They slept in tepees that look like tents. To build there shelter they used three branches rocks and leaves as well as animal fur to cover the up.

Women took a big part in the society making major decisions for the menfolk , and it was said that they should always have a fire burning , masks were also a big part of the ritual all amazing shapes and styles

The Iroquois clothing was made from the skins of animals and the fur, usually soft deer. However, they did not know how to weave cloth. Later, after the trade began with the Europeans, the Indians began to use woolen cloth for clothing and blankets. The men and women wore leggings, shirts and moccasins, they also used leaves as a form of clothing.

Books are fairly easy to get hold of and its an interesting subject to read up on here are a few :




Continued in next post
Nap

On now to the resin

Lets have some details:

Title: Iroquois Fisherman

Reference: F-54-002

Scale: 1/30 scale.

Material: Gray resin

No of pieces: 6 plus a copper wire

Sculptor - Alexander Deryabin

Boxart - Alexander Kataurov


Shipping of the review item was fast and well packed the model being held in a cardboard box with the parts in bags and sandwiched between foam pieces .
The box has Yellow on black lettering with the Altores logo of a bear , the box was also sealed with another label which allows you to make sure it has reached you unopened.

Parts consist of the main figure, 2 arms , ( 2 fish in one casting) , the spear , base and a length of copper wire to attach the fish to the hand (wire not in picture)


Prep
Main figure ...slight sanding on the underside of the feet prior to fitting to base
Arms... Remove excess casting plug to fit to torso
Fish ...fit to hand using copper wire
Spear/Harpoon...Remove excess casting at end and fit to right arm
Base...Remove casting plug from underneath and fit main figure .

Again as with the Trapper prep is minimal , and yet again I find myself initially impressed with the look and quality of the figure, despite using my optivisor I could find no casting lines .

Lets look at the pieces now starting with the :

Main figure, what first strikes me is the facial features very distinctive of the Iroquois head shaved to just leave a long length of hair at the back , the detailing of the hair strands being very good , around his head we see a bandana , he looks ahead mouth closed , but with a strong attitude , proud as he knows his family will eat later with his catch.





The fisherman wears a hooded cape and clothing made of animal skins with the fur texture on the inside , showing at the bottom just above the knees , with more at the opening down the middle, the sculpting gives the painter a good opportunity to paint both smooth (waterproof) and the fur liner .

Around his waist we have the hunting knife and an axe , both held in place by the waist sash , details on both the weapons are nice especially the shape of the axe head itself with a "hammer" type end opposite the cutting edge.

Hanging at his waist on a decorated strap is a bag , beaded and with long tassels , again these are sharp in definition.

His lower legs are fully covered with leggings the ties at his knees are very good and are sitting correctly , on his feet we have mocassins these have a good shape with a central beading , all adding up to a fine looking figure .





The Arms these are showing the same high level of detail wether its the folds or the way the cuffs are worked , the right is ready to receive the harpoon with the left hanging down holding the fish , the hand on the left has a small hole through ready to have the wire put in to hold the fish, the working of the hands are really good




Now the Harpoon this is a really good bit of work , in resin as is all the parts ( this is delicate so perhaps a white metal might have been a better option ) but it is well done with the hand gripping the end and the shaft resting on the shoulder , must admit the sit of this is really nice and very natural..becareful of the ends they are pointed and sharp!!!. the banding holding the end on has been nicely worked

as is the hand grip.

Now to his catch of Fish , a pair of nicely formed in shape ( perhaps slamon , hanging down , the fins can all be seen , I like the way the sculptor and caster has managed to keep the fish separate but as one for casting ..nice touch .Now to the final piece ..

The Base now and as with the trapper a perfectly useable piece textured and with rocks cropping the surface , either use on its own or as part of a larger base

Final Thoughts

This is a company to keep a look out for , releases are interesting , well sculpted with good casting , nice presentation on the boxart with a distinctive good overall look. At present they are only releasing 1/30th but they have made a very good start, I would like to see them do 1/24 ( 75mm ) as well as busts.
For details on this and more from them :

E-mail: altoress@mail.ru

Website: www.altores.com

They are also a member of FaceBook and the forum here on PF

Thanks to Altores for the review piece

Also to you all for looking in

I will be looking at the next and additional release soon

Nap

Here is a couple of pictures from the website of the unpainted figure:


And now some painted ones ...ENJOY

Nap