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Review Carthaginian Elephant from RP Models

Discussion in 'Reviews , Video Reviews and Open Book' started by Nap, Sep 28, 2018.

  1. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi everybody

    Euro Miniature Expo at Folkestone is always a showcase for new releases and one which was eagerly awaited was one from RP models ,the subject of the review ...a War Elephant.

    [IMG]

    2018 was an extremely challenging one for the owner of RP Models , Sr Hugo Pereira so its all credit to him and the RP team for getting not one but three releases out ( the others being a Boudicca War Chariot in 75mm and a Boudicca bust in 1/12th ).

    Lets have a bit of history

    Elephants were the ancient armies "tank" and used to great effect by possibly the greatest commander Hannibal , most famously he took them across the Alps in a bold attempt to take the war directly to Rome, the Carthaginian general Hannibal marched an army across the Alps and into northern Italy.

    There is no real certainty of the size of force that Hannibal took with him, though estimates range from 20-40,000 infantry, 6-12,000 cavalry and 40 elephants. As Carthage was in North Africa, elephants were commonly used in war. They were a deadly weapon designed to charge, trample and generally create a sense of panic in the enemy, but from a Roman perspective, their use was a bizarre novelty.

    z00.jpeg
    zaaaaa.jpg

    Although Hannibal did successfully negotiate the Alpine passes, his losses were considerable. Over half his army died in the severe, cold conditions, Hannibal himself was blinded in one eye, and it is recorded that only one of his elephants survived the trek.

    Time for some reference pictures :

    The African elephant:

    z.jpg zzz.jpg zzzzz.jpg

    z0.jpg z000.jpg zzzzzzzzzzzzz.jpg

    zzzzzzz.png zzzzzzzzz.jpg zzzzzzzzzzz.jpg zzzzzzzzzzzz.jpg

    And now the figure:

    IMG_4303.jpg
    IMG_4304.jpg
    IMG_4296.jpg IMG_4297.jpg zaaaaaa.jpg IMG_4300.jpg IMG_4301.jpg IMG_4302.jpg

    The release:
    w.jpg

    Continued in next post

    Nap
    Perseas, zernina, Dolf and 5 others like this.
  2. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Let us move forward

    Firstly here are some good books you might like to take a look at , of course in addition to paper we have the resources of the internet.

    zaa0.jpg zaaa.jpg zaaaa.jpg za.jpg zaa.jpg zaa00.jpg


    Details of the release:


    Title: Carthago War Elephant (Ancient World )

    Reference: HRP-B-01-003

    Scale: 1/12th

    Material: Gray Resin

    No of parts: 22 plus information insert

    Sculptor: 3D

    Casting YS Castings ( Yiannis )

    Box Art: N/A


    General Comments
    • Its a big box!!!
    • Resin weighs in at just under 900 grams
    • Limited edition of 300
    • Packing is very good indeed ..lots of bubble wrap
    • The engineering of the pieces are cleverly thought out
    • 1/12th will be all of RP bust releases except in the cockpit series ( Douglas Bader etc) which will be 1/10th
    RP.jpg RP ELEPHANT 001.jpg

    PLEASE NOTE:
    When RP say its sold out this means to their partners for example SK Miniature, El Greco Miniatures in UK so contact them , of course Hugo will be only happy to help as well.


    Pieces are many a total of 22 , for the elephant we have the main head , trunk , 2 ears , 2 tusks 2 tassels , and a circular "badge" , the rider consists of upper body , lower legs , right arm, left upper and lower arm , head, bandanna ends , right hand with spear , spear and goad upper and lower pieces, sword and knife , shield.

    RP ELEPHANT 003.jpg RP ELEPHANT 002.jpg RP ELEPHANT 004.jpg RP ELEPHANT 005.jpg

    Prep


    For such a lot of resin I was expecting a lot ...I was happy to find very little to deal with consisting of small casting remnants and fine casting lines to cut and sand away , and obviously add the pieces in placeto build the kit
    You will need to carefully consider how this is being mounted to allow for the weight , a brass rod will be my choice on a suitable sized base .


    Continued in next post
    Nap
    Perseas, zernina, Dolf and 5 others like this.
  3. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Onto the resin

    First the elephant!!!

    As you would expect its a very powerful piece packed full of skin textures throughout , the main piece being the head which is cut downward behind the ears finishing it nicely .

    The elephant has his mouth wide open exposing both tongue and teeth , the truck raised upwards eyes wide

    There are cutouts for the ears , tusks and the trunk in addition to the tassels ....no filler needed when fitting any of these

    Details on the eyes are very sharp giving a good opportunity for detail painting the same comment applies to the mouth area , the teeth in particular.

    On top of the head we have armoured piece shaped to the head , dented with wear , at the end of the under coth there are tassels to place in position

    Without a doubt this is a painters piece with all the textures of the skin

    Lets look at the pictures:

    RP ELEPHANT 046.jpg RP ELEPHANT 049.jpg RP ELEPHANT 051.jpg RP ELEPHANT 047.jpg RP ELEPHANT 048.jpg RP ELEPHANT 050.jpg RP ELEPHANT 052.jpg RP ELEPHANT 053.jpg RP ELEPHANT 054.jpg RP ELEPHANT 055.jpg
    RP ELEPHANT 056.jpg

    The Ears

    As expected these are impressive both in size and the continued work on the textures on both sides , fit is easy and accurate with a tiny bit of filler needed , when in position they certainly add a new dimension to the model/

    RP ELEPHANT 063.jpg RP ELEPHANT 065.jpg RP ELEPHANT 066.jpg RP ELEPHANT 068.jpg

    Trunk

    Packed full of the textures folds of skin , its raised up high adding height to the piece and very imposing as well , fit is excellent as it sits nicely under the sculpted metal band on the head

    RP ELEPHANT 057.jpg RP ELEPHANT 060.jpg RP ELEPHANT 062.jpg RP ELEPHANT 061.jpg RP ELEPHANT 059.jpg RP ELEPHANT 058.jpg

    Tusks

    Again fitment is spot on , these are a fully grown male and again we see textures , painting will bring these out even more , plenty of reference above and on the internet.

    RP ELEPHANT 069.jpg

    Tassels

    Well worked long and swinging with the movement of the elephant , good details on the strands with fitting being simple

    RP ELEPHANT 070.jpg RP ELEPHANT 071.jpg

    "Badge"

    A large circular addition and naturally it depicts an elephant's head sitting centrally at the lower edge at the front , fit again good , detail on the elephant si nicely shown .

    RP ELEPHANT 072.jpg

    Continued in next post

    Nap
  4. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    On now to the figure

    I will just look at the main torso and head here due to the number of pictures I have , following on with the remainder of the pieces in the next part


    Main Torso

    The torso is again full of action the upper body turned to the right , the lower part consist of the upper thighs cut underneath to fit accurately onto the elephant .

    Those that know me know I don't normally do legs but...Hugo has added the figures legs so he has done something I thought would never happen...LOL !!...more on the legs later!!

    The body is clothed and again as with all of RP's releases textures are very much in place ...great for painting , the clothing has good folds in conjunction with the movement .

    The rider is Hindu , these were considered the best , he is well armoured both front and back and sides, shoulders .... and this is an area that has been wonderfully sculpted and even more cast ...the armour is packed full of intricate details ..let the pictures show you

    RP ELEPHANT 013.jpg RP ELEPHANT 014.jpg RP ELEPHANT 015.jpg RP ELEPHANT 016.jpg

    There is a belt over his shoulder again finely textured and detailed , leading down to a cutout for the sword to fit to .

    Must admit I am really looking forward to painting my version ...even though he has legs..LOL

    RP ELEPHANT 006.jpg RP ELEPHANT 007.jpg RP ELEPHANT 008.jpg RP ELEPHANT 009.jpg RP ELEPHANT 010.jpg RP ELEPHANT 011.jpg RP ELEPHANT 012.jpg

    Head

    The head is again well sculpted with his mouth wide open showing teeth and tongue , bearded , long flowing hair , detail on the facial features are well cast , very cleanly , and again we have textures this time on the hair .

    RP ELEPHANT 017.jpg
    RP ELEPHANT 020.jpg RP ELEPHANT 021.jpg RP ELEPHANT 019.jpg RP ELEPHANT 022.jpg RP ELEPHANT 018.jpg RP ELEPHANT 023.jpg

    He wears a head band which has a cut out to fit the ends

    Continued in next post

    Nap
  5. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Onto the remainder of the pieces

    Arms

    Your might not be aware Hugo's main job is as a doctor so his knowledge of anatomy and muscle make up is very good and in all of RP releases something that he really works at in all.

    Our driver is well muscled on the arms , tight and well defined forms with both arms having arm bands , well detailed , fit again ...no issues , the left has a 2 part make up the lower fitting securely , the hand is gripping the goad and spear sections.

    RP ELEPHANT 024.jpg RP ELEPHANT 025.jpg

    The right one is raised high with the hand being cast onto the spear .

    RP ELEPHANT 027.jpg RP ELEPHANT 026.jpg

    Legs

    Again a well muscled area the sculpting is clever in the way its cut on the inside upper thighs , fitting well both into the elephant and the upper torso ( fit to torso first!!)

    I do like the way they are bare , particularly like the detail ion the feet , well sculpted and well cast



    RP ELEPHANT 028.jpg RP ELEPHANT 029.jpg RP ELEPHANT 030.jpg RP ELEPHANT 031.jpg RP ELEPHANT 033.jpg RP ELEPHANT 035.jpg

    Weapons/remaining parts

    Our warrior has a sword in a scabbard , nicely textured again with stitching , he also has a small dagger again in its sheath

    Fit offers no problem with very good cutouts in position

    RP ELEPHANT 037.jpg RP ELEPHANT 038.jpg

    Goad and Spear

    The goad was used to despatch the elephant if they went wild !!! ...and as a weapon , these pieces consist of tasin picture with the upper spear part and goad cast together ..I definately suggest pinning it in postion




    RP ELEPHANT 039.jpg

    Lower parts of spear and Goad/Bandanna ends

    The lower parts are separate , a little delicate to position , certainly pin these , the scarf ends present no problem adding more movement to the whole piece.

    RP ELEPHANT 036.jpg

    Right hand and spear


    The Spear is cast within the grasping hand , well sculpted and again I suggest pin it , the hand shows good work on the fingers and the straining veins




    RP ELEPHANT 040.jpg RP ELEPHANT 041.jpg RP ELEPHANT 042.jpg


    Shield

    This has been based on the reference in this review , very well detailed on the outer surface as we can see , this is a good addition very well cast , fit to the left arm is good .

    RP ELEPHANT 043.jpg RP ELEPHANT 045.jpg





    Final Thoughts

    To say its impressive is an understatement , excellent idea and concept well sculpted , it really only remains to me to say I am looking forward to painting this ...I suggest you all get a copy from RP's partners

    Again RP would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all PF members and so many others on their valuable input ...so much appreciated .

    For more details contact:

    www.rpmodels.pt (website currently undergoing maintenance)

    sales@rpmodels.pt

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/RPmodels

    E mail: hpereira@rpmodels.pt

    or you can contact Hugo via this site

    Thank you for looking in on this little review hope you found it of use and interest...off for a large coffee!!!

    Nap
  6. Babelfish A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Great review Kev.

    I'm hoping that Hugo was just getting "warmed up" with this one, and that a full elephant is in the pipe!!! Now THAT would be awesome!!! :eek::eek:

    - Steve
    Hans Urbaner likes this.
  7. DaddyO A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Not a big fan of busts as you know Kev, but this is a bit special and might even tempt a confirmed 'Leg man' over to the dark side. It is quite frankly superb :cool:

    Thanks for the in-depth look and references as ever
    Paul
    Hans Urbaner and Nap like this.
  8. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England

    He is Steve !!

    A full elephant is coming but not in 1/12th ! ...due I am led to believe December this year ...75mm , Same rider with a "castle " on top and occupants !

    Even I might be tempted with that

    Nap
  9. Babelfish A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    I'm in!!!

    I always rather liked the Verlinden 1/16 war elephant. I think that one came with 3 figures IIRC.

    I never got one though, and it does look a bit dated now. But at the time it was released (late '90s) it was a bit special.

    - Steve
    Hans Urbaner and Nap like this.
  10. Viking Bob PlanetFigure Supporter

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Excellent in depth review Nap, looking forward to you slapping some paint on it too.
    Nap likes this.
  11. MCPWilk A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    I saw this at Euro - very impressive.

    Mike
    Nap likes this.
  12. kilsh Well-Known Member

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Great review and background research Kev, going to save me some time!

    Cheers

    Neil
    Nap likes this.
  13. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Indeed it was Mike ..the painted version was awarded a bronze ....see pics

    If my version gets a Commended in May I will be happy ...lol

    Nap

    image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg
  14. Wayneb A Fixture

    Country:
    United-States
    Excellent review Nap.....I can't deny I like this piece; but for me, at it's main focal point and somewhat larger would make a great wall mount....Sorry, that's just me.....Well done Hugo....

    Wayne
    Nap likes this.
  15. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England

    Cheers for comment Wayne ...that's a good option for the piece as well , the flat rear makes it ideal as well

    ........I also think it would look good bronzed up

    Nap
  16. Paulo A Fixture

    Country:
    Portugal
    Hi Kevin , Nice review.
    As I said EUROMODELISMO is going to launch in the next issue a SBS upon how I made this work.
    And if you guys want a quick view of it, is:

    1.JPG 2.JPG 5.JPG 6.JPG 7.JPG
    Face/skin painting, Oils over acrylics
    8.JPG 9.JPG
    How I made the elephant - airbrush - acrylics - oils

    12.JPG
    How to make metals with a sponge - good for big surfaces
    13.JPG DSC01244.JPG
    How to draw the colar
    21.JPG 22.JPG 40038110_879266442283321_4919183815437451264_n.jpg
    My metals techniques with acrylics

    And some more tecnhiques ...
    Paulo Carrelo
    Perseas, zernina, Kaws and 5 others like this.
  17. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Paulo

    Thanks for the comment and details of the forthcoming aticle

    Nap
  18. Zastrow.cuirassier PlanetFigure Supporter

    Country:
    France
    And another great review by :
    [IMG]
  19. Dolf Well-Known Member

    Country:
    Portugal
    Great review Kevin! :)

    Thanks a lot for such detailed posts and all the pics! (y)


    "The African elephant:"

    IMO the real King of the Animal Kingdom!


    Cheers!

    Dolf
  20. Alex A Fixture

    Country:
    Canada
    I will buy the full elephant in 75 mm but this bust is a little too big for my taste. I have also preordered the charriot from El Greco and I can't wait to receive it.
    Nap likes this.

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