Hi to one and all on PF ,

After a hard days work (all together ..poor lad) that I came home to a parcel from China ..now what could this contain I thought and hoping I ripped at the package like a child on Christmas day ....and found to my delight :

The latest (including others which I will review later) release from Linjo of a 165th NY Volunteers (1863)......armed with my optivisor I began looking at it

Here is the link to Linjo's announcement of the release;
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showpost.php?p=442872&postcount=1

...but first before I do the review for your entertainment lets have a history lesson on this famous and colourful regiment:


The mere name Zouave conjours up a colourful and brave image wether its French or American .

The 5th New York Volunteer Infantry, "Duryée's Zouaves," was one of the most renowned fighting regiments of the American Civil War. Their colorful Zouave uniform, precise maneuvers, effectiveness in combat and steady bearing under fire, won them universal respect and recognition. Many observers considered the 5th New York to be the best-drilled volunteer unit in the Federal Army. In addition to a casualty list that totalled 211 dead out of 1,508 men borne on the rolls, nine of its soldiers attained the rank of general - five the full rank, and four by brevet.

Despite the far-flung fame of the French Zouaves, it is unlikely that the gaudy uniforms of those exotic soldiers would have found such widespread popularity in the American Civil War had it not been for Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth.
Ellsworth was born at Malta, Saratoga County, in New York, on April 11, 1837, and raised in the Hudson River town of Mechanicville. As a youth he struggled to support his impoverished family by selling newspapers and clerking at a dry-goods store, his hope of attending West Point a pipe-dream. When he was 17 years old, Ellsworth moved to Chicago. Though unsuccessful in business, he began to rise to prominence in the State Militia.
Elmer Ellsworth
In 1857 a chance encounter with Charles DeVilliers, a veteran of the French Zouaves, prompted Ellsworth to explore the intricacies of French light infantry drill, and he began considering the possibility of forming an American Zouave unit. After a brief period studying law in the Springfield office of Abraham Lincoln -- who became a lifelong friend -- Ellsworth returned to Chicago where he transformed a lackluster local militia outfit into the "United States Zouave Cadets." Ellsworth required that his hand-picked volunteers be "morally upright," abstain from alcohol and tobacco, and subjected them to a strict regime of physical training. He outfitted his Cadets in a Zouave uniform of his own design, and drilled them in tactics he had adapted from French manuals.
Though short of stature, Ellsworth was a striking, athletic figure, who exuded authority. He was an ideal drillmaster, and by the summer of 1860 his U.S. Zouave Cadets of Chicago were being hailed as the finest militia unit in the Midwest.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Ellsworth issued a blanket challenge to the State Militias of a dozen states: That his Zouaves would compete against them in drill competition for the prize of a specially commissioned flag...they inspired and treated all that came to watch the drill .

James W. Jackson innkeeper of the Marshall House over which the flag had flown had sworn to kill any man who attempted to take his flag and a shot rang out ........ the shot tearing into Ellsworth's hear ......Corporal Brownell attempted to knock Jackson's weapon aside, but stumbled on the steps and the shotgun roared out . As the Colonel sprawled down the steps, Brownell rose and fired, his bullet striking Jackson in the face. The innkeeper's second barrel went off as he toppled backward, Brownell following up his shot with a bayonet thrust into the dying Secessionist.

Elmer Ellsworth had been instantly killed, and the Union had its first Martyr of the Civil War. Devastated by the loss of his young protogé, Abraham Lincoln ordered that Ellsworth's body lie in state in the East Room of the White House. "Avenge Ellsworth!" became a Northern battle-cry, and the death of the charismatic founder of the "Zouave Craze" spurred even more volunteers to don the flashy attire Ellsworth had championed.

Dozens of Zouave units would fight on the battlefields of that war, from Bull Run to Appomattox; and one of the finest of them was the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry, "Duryee's Zouaves."

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Nap

Hi Guys ,
For your delight lets now have some images of original uniforms, paintings and reenactors ..all rather stirring stuff I feel !!!

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Nap

Hi Ron ,
It's coming along and well worth waiting for ..hopefully!!!!!!


Nap

On now to the best bit ...the model itself :


What do we get in the box :


Subject title: 165th NY Volunteers,1863

Scale: 200mm

Parts: 7

Material : Resin

Sculpted by Chunmei Zhou

Reference: LJ20016

Lets start the journey then :

Firstly the Torso , as I expected quality just screams out to me , beautifully finished underneath an area so often found with air holes ..not with Linjo , there is a casting plug to remove from under the right arm ..not really any problem with snips and sanding blocks.

Sculpting is 1st Class , smmothly done with the straps for the backpack actually looking like they are carrying the weight , the actual lacework is partly hidden by these but where it shows its nicely done , all the cothing folds are very natuaral and very effective .

Note: although not included sometimes the letters D & Z in brass were worn on the vest (you could use commercial letters or sculpt your own )

In the neck area there is a diamond shaped plug which ensures a perfect fit for the head ..another measure of quality ...well done Linjo .

On the back there is a cut out for the backpack which fits snugly and accurately .

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On now to the head:

Facial features are well done with a finely sculpted and detailed "French" style beard , hair at the back is also nicely worked , eyes are well done in particular ..making painting a lot easier in this area so important to us bust modellers Ears are also very good and truely scaled correctly .

There is a casting plug to remove (again easily done) , on the top of the casting is a nother diamond plug ..ensuring another perfect fit of the turban , under the neck is the cut out that matches the plug cast onto the neck area of the torso ....


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Looking now at the turbanned cap and the tassel :

The cap is surrounded by a turban wrapped round , normally only worn at the request of the regiments officers or on guard duties .

The folds of the turban are really good , there is a casting plug at the back which will need very caredul removeal so as not to loose the sculpted folds ..personally I think there will be a bit of rework needed with the putty of your choice , a little work yes but which will be more than worth it .

Underneath we have triangle cut out which matches the opposite in the top of the head . .

The tassel is a extremely finely detailed piece , and fits naturally , some might want to replace this ...for me this looks the job , copper wire is provided to produce the cord ..again some might prefer to rework using finely rolled out and twisted putty.

Once put together the profile and look is spot on .

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Nearly there ...now we have the final 2 pieces , the backpack and the base:

Firstly the backpack :

This has been sculpted to finish at the same point as the underside of the bust ..giving the modeller a nice clean finish and symetrical lines . , on the back there is a plug which fits well into the corresponding hole at the back of the torso.

There is only a small amount of the backpack to paintup ..oiled leather ..good chance to put your painting skills for worn leather here , the main area is the blanket roll on top , being held in by the straps pulling tightly into the blanket roll itself , again details are well done , particularly the folds at the ends and with a surface slightly roughed , so like the hard and I am sure itchy issue blanket ..good chance to get the drybrushing skills out .

Onto the base , a simple pedastal type , which fits tightly into a corresponding hole in the underside of the bust , the lower part needed a little bit of work to give a rounded aspect .

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Final thoughts from your scribe :

A subject that has been covered by others but in my opinion this has the true "Zouave" look about it , well presented and sculpted ..WELL DONE LINJO :awesome:

There is a lot of potential to convert this piece as well , resulting in individual pieces (there are cases recorded of Crimean veterans serving in the Zouaves...so a possibility for some medals there !!!) for your display cabinet as well as a great original from Linjo

There are some areas that need careful prep work but then we all do this anyway .

Thanks to Linjo for the review model and WELL DONE..another great bust


Put Linjo in your favourites on your PC

Another one I am pleased to recommended .

In the UK it can be got from El Greco of course at a cost of £30 plus shipping

Note El Greco are the sole distributor in UK

Phone: +44 (0)1280 840364

Email: info@elgrecominiatures.co.uk

Home Page: http://www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk


or direct via the Linjo website at www.linjomodels.com or contact them by e mail at linjomodles@sina.com



Nap

Hi Ron ,
Thank you for your comment ....its not the must have's I have to hide its the have gots !!!:lol:

Glad you enjoyed the review ...there will be another one coming along in the next couple of days ..have to earn a crust you know by doing a full time job !!!!

Nap

Thanks for the review and the history Kev.
Carl.

Hi Guys ,
Thanks for the comments , always good to receive them good or bad .......

I am not happy with the pictures so my apologies to Linjo for this I will redo them this weekend ...hopefully clearer ...well I never said I was a photographer!!!!

It would be great to see PF members versions of the Linjo releases on the forum .

Nap