Hi to one and all ,

One of the best on line retailers IMO in our resin filled world is

El Greco Miniatures (www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk)

Run by husband and wife team Matt and Celine Grech .

Matt is a sculptor who has produced his own range of pieces , and has a skill for facial features , and IMO should be sculpting more but its always worth the wait when another one is released and that is what we will be looking at ..Matt's latest.

The Roman soldier was a seasoned campaigner working and fighting in all weathers , the cloak provided protection against the elements perhaps against the bitter rain on the German borders or on sentry in Northern England. .

There are 2 known types of cloak the paenula and the sagum, the first being big and heavy and therefore warmer the second often featuring a hood , if left undyed then the natural properties assisted in keeping the wet out.

Armour as seen on the bust is the lorica segmenta , providing protection and allowing easy movement in battle or any other task
.

( the car was not Roman issue!!)

The Sagum and this armour are what Matt has chosen to depict in the sculpt .

As always there are lots of books available here are a few of my favourites from my library .



Continued in next post

Nap

Lets now look at the release ,


Title: Roman Legionary circa 2nd Century AD

Reference: EGM-BU21

Scale: 1/10th

Material: Gray Resin

No of pieces: 2

Sculptor: Matt Grech

Box Art: Sergey Popovichenko

Casting: YS Masterpieces (Yiannis Sagladinos)


The review piece was received quickly and well packed in a jiffy bag , and its not in a box but in a very distinctive and well produced round metal tin ( so really Box art should read Tin Art!!), this is something seen used by EGM and as well as the resin you also get a rather useful tin for those essential modelling items ...needless to say I have a good collection of these tins !!.

On the top we have the version painted by Sergey with a product label around the tin edge .

On opening the box we are greeted by the resin safe in a plastic bag and packed onto recycled shredded material , also inside Matt has put a small card with some historical info on it , in addition to this we have the caster card.

Opening up the plastic bag now we have 2 pieces , the hood and the actual bust complete with head.


Lets see what I can find to Prep up ....optivisor on !!! to be honest there is minimal work to do , a fine casting line at the back of the head running along the cloak and a even finer one underneath ..both were easy to clean up , the model consists of 2 parts only and I will be painting these separate , this will allow easy access to paint the head with the hood being fitted after painting.

One thing to mention here the hood is a cracking bit of engineering in the way that it fits onto the torso , when fitted there is absolutely NO filler required with the folds sitting very naturally .

Matt's aim in sculpting this piece was to focus on the features of the face so we have a simple cloak and armour , I really like this idea as it brings the viewer to the face...more on this in a moment.

Looking at the hood first this is a fine bit of both sculpting and casting , super smooth a really good rendition of the folds , fitting is easy to do when you choose , I will probably texture the cloak a bit when its on my bench using paint effects.

The main Torso now.....consisting of the head and body , immediately I notice the undercuts on the armour really well done , the edges are clean and well defined , a good opportunity to rust up a littleand perhaps apply some wear and tear.

On the underside Matt has thoughtfully left a hole to fit a rod ( mine will be brass) , also seen is the EGM logo a rather appropriate greek helmet.

The cloak is around his shoulders , sitting naturally with good folds , under this we see a retaining strap , good undercuts here , around the ragged edge of the cloak there are toggles on one side with the corresponding loops on the other ....nice addition and well thought out.

Around his neck we have a scarf knotted at the front with good folds here.

On now to the main aim of the sculpt the face , this is a man with a great nose , large and very prominant , a battle hardened soldier perhaps in his last 5 years of service , good work on the eyes etc , the brow is a little furrowed , a strong chin with a spot below his nose ..another individual touch ...

Matts has a talent for sculpting hair ( oh how I remember hair!!) and it shows again in this piece , straggly over his forehead , no doubt dripping with rain after being on sentry perhaps. Due to the excellent fit of the hood not all the hair is sculpted ...sensible that why do it when its not even going to show... Has Matt achieved his aim .. he most certainly has.


Lets have some pictures of the hood fitted:


Final thoughts:

This is a painters piece for sure the simplicity of the armour and the hood , with that great face makes for a great display , good opportunity to let you wear and tear mojo go to town if you wish , dirty and torn cloak , perhaps a bit of rust on the armour but get that face right ...have a look at the painted version by Sergey..I certainly will be!!
The piece is well presented and packaged ,sculpted with flair and well cast , can't ask for more IMO


Finally lets enjoy some more pictures of Sergey's painting ...nice stuff.

For more information , visit the website at: www.elgrecomimniatures.co.uk

e mail: info@elgrecominiatures.co.uk

They also have a face book page so why not follow the latest news there as well.

Thanks to you all for looking in and thanks to Matt and Celine for the Review piece , I do hope we see Matt sculpting again very soon.

Enjoy the modelling

Nap

Nice review Kev. I really like this bust. As you say, a very nicely sculpted face. Full of character and a change from the more "Hollywood" faces that we often get from Young Miniatures and others (as excellent as they also are).

- Steve