Available August 12th

YM1811
SS TOTENKOPF OFFICER WWII
Size : 1/10 Scale Bust
Material : Resin
Pieces : 7
Master & Painted by Young B Song

Young Miniatures web-site
click here

Another beautiful bust from Young Miniatures.

It's a pity it's another WW2 German, but with quality sculpting like this, I'm not complaining.

I'm looking forward to Guy's review of this one.

Cheers

Its a great sculpt but as Tony I wouldnt mind different objects than WWII Germans.

And I like WWII Germans!

But I wouldnt be surprised if those subjects sells a lot better.

Cheers

Hi

Is the deaths head motif on the right collar tab correct? Never seen that before, always thought it was the SS Runes symbol on there.

Alan

I concur, the sculpting is fabulous, but I have to say I would love to see some variation on his subject matter (something other than German WWII) and at least a change in facial features/shape, whatever you want to call it. Most of his faces appear very similar, as though it is the same guy in a different uniform.
WIth that said, it is good to see the large scale busts from Young and I do love the quality of his work!

Of course it's nice, but I think the idea is copied by the 90mm Pegaso miniature SS Sturmbanfhurer of Artillery, 2º SS Panzer Division ''Das Reich'', France 1944 (clothes, pose, cigarette etc) http://www.pegasomodels.com/image_view.asp?id=640&img=1 . Anyway I do agree with Rob's oppinion that is good to see bust manifactured by Young, since almost no other company builts so regurarly busts. I loved his "Roman Aquilifer", "Spartan" and the "Crusader" bust!

I like this piece very much except for that hand. This is only my opinion, as I'm sure there will be many people who like the hand, but to me it has an awkward, disembodied look. It's almost as though the hand looks like it's not his (maybe someone reaching around from behind?). Also, from the back the ears look a little thick and lacking depth. That may sound like a nit-pick, but in this scale these things are important. Otherwise, the face is great - one of the best in the Young series. Am I alone on the hand thing, or does anyone else agree??

Jason

It is accurate.

It reminds me the Model Cellar Von Richthofen bust rather than the Pegaso figure. The hand has no turning on the wrist and seems a bit inflated, look how the hand of the Von Richthofen piece has been sculpted (right way) to see what I mean. The face has a weird asymmetry, it seems the left side is going to fall down, but maybe it is just the way the eyes are painted.

Looks great, though l do remember a bust sculpted by Mike Good a few years ago for Jaguar, that this is almost the same as, though as l said it is very nice.
Cheers Andrew

Well, I should probably keep my big mouth shut here....but here goes.

Luca has an excellent point as it looks as if the left eye is not symmetrical to the right. It does appear to be lower on the face, and I don’t think the painting is the culprit. Does it “smack” of the Von Richthofen piece? Yes, a bit, but it also harkens to Mike Good’s Obersturmfuhrrer from Jaguar a few years back as well. I think we like our Germans haughty and smokin’. No harm there.

Jason, I see your point about the hand, but in all honesty, it doesn't bother me one bit. It's obviously his and I don't think the sculpting or proportions are at all off. His ears, well, I would say they stick out quite a bit, and due to that they tend to have a larger surface on the back. I think good painting could easily take care of that.

Does it look like the Andrea 90mm piece? Yes, that is the first thing I thought of when I saw this sculpt. Is that a bad thing? No way! I could see a KILLER vignette with this bust and that piece together...............

It's just another German. Yes, that's my gut reaction as well. However, from a manufacturer's standpoint, if it sells.....do it. I myself may not invest in one, but I'm sure that many others will, and I have a REALLY hard time imagining Young NOT ultimately being in this for the money. I can certainly appreciate his love for the creativity and the hobby, but at the end of the day, he has to put food on his family's table, and I can completely respect that. I'll have to wait one more month for a subject on the more unusual side!

Now, something that has been getting under my skin for months. I'm not singling any one out here, and I reiterate, this is only my opinion (we all have one and they all stink.....I know, I know), but this complaint of Young’s faces either all looking the same or the thought that he is actually using the same ones over and over is just preposterous to me. We have gotten so spoiled by the quality of sculpting out there that we seem almost jaded or blinded by the most insignificant things. I think there are far less appealing sculpts out there that get praised and don’t see what would ultimately be deserving constructive criticisms. I’m a fan of Young’s work, no question, and this is in no way an endorsement or suggestion that there isn’t superior work available out there. I go to his products for consistency, casting, quality, packaging, value and YES, certainly sculpting, because they are very well sculpted representations. I challenge you to look at any artists work and tell me there are no similarities from one piece to another. Hell, that is precisely why I keep going back to his product, their consistently GOOD. Do some of the faces look similar, absolutely, their all sculpted by the SAME GUY! I for one expect similarities from piece to piece. Look at any of the great painters past works and tell me that within reason, you couldn't consistently identify each artists work, Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, etc. I don’t think this is that different at all! I could pick out Mauritizio Bruno’s, or Andrea Jula’s, work, or JR Lamb, or Mike Good or Young’s sculpts. Or Danillo C’s, or Harddy T’s or Diego Ruina’s painting. It’s their consistency we all come to look for, it’s GOOD consistency! That’s why we like it.

Let the fall-out commence!

Jay H.
OKC

with all the bleating about Young's faces looking the same.......I believe he's taken it onboard.....this face is nothing like the last few in fact the last 4 or so busts all have different facial features. I'm sure if he did a one eyed ogre someone would say it looks too much like his "Yul Brinner" Ramses bust

As for him copying others, how many different poses can one make before its the same as what someone else has done?

I also prefer his historical range more than the WW2 stuff but that is only my personal preference and as a seller his Germans sell just as well as his Romans

and to me the eye's look fine, his head is tilted one way and the cap the other .... well thats how i see it. will have a closer inspection when my next lot of stock arrives in a week or so's time

anyway thats my 2 cents worth

No fall-out from me, Jay. As I stated in my first post, I think the face is great. Yeah, the left eye appears to droop just a bit, but hey, not everyone has a perfectly symmetrical face! I'm sticking with my opinion about the hand and Calvin helped clarify what I mean in his post when he mentioned the lack of rotation in the wrist. Try placing your hand in the same position as that depicted on the bust and ask yourself if that's a relaxed, natural way to hold a cigarette (pinned against the chest with no rotation in the wrist.) For me any way, the answer is no.

Jason

It reminds me of both pieces and I just don't like it.

it would appear the facial comments are likely directed at me, which is fine. It is just my opinion that his faces are very similar in shape and overall look. sure they are not exactly teh same, but that is the way I feel about it. I agree with Jay, the sculpting and overall look of Youngs busts are top notch. I was just voicing my opinion of the piece.

Jay!

We must also see that the criticism is much higher on good sculpters than on average. The scrutinazing on Young´s bust is only because he is one of the top sculpters. And when in comparision merely really nitpicking at a low level.

There are other sculpters that we oversee with because we love the bodylanguage, choice of subject, or historical correctness or several things combined.

So, yes, top modellers get more criticism than average. Take beginners for example that we encourage the best we can even if we would never even consider buying the sculpt.

Cheers

The left eye is lower, but that's normal - when you turn your head generally the angle shifts slightly to have the shoulder-side eye go up. Try it and see

What should catch the eye is the right ear appears lower than the left; personally if I get this (and I might, I like it) I'll be resculpting both ears from scratch. And I'll probably thin down the hand near the wrist to make it more like my own.

There's no doubt they were for a while from the same mould; metaphorically if not literally!

As busso_boy mentions, this one is different; much better too I think.

Einion

I'm with Jay on this one.
Man, we must be spoilt for choice if this standard of sculpting doesn't cut it. ~ @#!*.

This is the uniform of the concentration-camp-murderers

The death-head on the collar is correct.

This was the bagde of the "SS-Totenkopfverbände", a special Unit of the "Waffen SS".

1939 the "SS-Totenkopfverbände" covered about 9.000 men in one cavalry- and four foot-units.

Members of these units were preponderately taken as guardians in concentration camps (KZ).

I really don't understand the editors by bringing such a concentration-camp-murderer to the market.

Greetings

Boy oh boy, talk about an open can of worms.