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Review Bear Clan Iroquios Indian from Stormtroopers

Discussion in 'Reviews , Video Reviews and Open Book' started by Nap, Aug 26, 2013.

  1. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi everyone ,

    Stormtroopers which is run by a PF member Stuart Hale and with the help of his wife Alison (who now has her own company running alongside called Grenadier Miniatures) they have built up a following with their previous releases and have now another range to add to tempt the modeller ....its called the V12 range and its my pleasure to show you the 1st of the range .

    The subject is an Iroquois Indian from the Bear Clan ...from around the period of the French Indian Wars
    kev 130.jpg


    ..before we look at the piece lets have a bit of background info on the subject .

    The Iroquois call themselves the Haudenosaunee, which means "People of the Longhouse," or more accurately, "They Are Building a Long House." In their culture they have several clans amongst them the Turtle and what our subject is from the Bear Clan .

    During the AWI , the Iroquois first tried to stay neutral. Pressed to join one side or the other, the Tuscarora and the Oneida sided with the colonists, while the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga and Cayuga remained loyal to Great Britain, with whom they had stronger relationships.

    Iroquois men were in charge of hunting, trading, and war. Iroquois women were in charge of farming, property, and family. These different roles were reflected in Iroquois government. Iroquois clans were ruled by women, who made all the land and resource decisions for each clan. But the chiefs, who made military decisions and trade agreements, were always men. Only men represented the Iroquois Confederacy at the Great Council, but only women voted to determine who the representatives of each tribe would be. Both genders took part in Iroquois storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.

    The Iroquois tribes were known for their masks . Iroquois masks are considered such a sacred art form that outsiders are still not permitted to view many of them. Beadwork iroquois3.jpg and porcupine quillwork are more common Iroquois crafts. The Iroquois Indians also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. These designs on Iroquois wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family.

    Warriors were brave and very skilled in bushcraft and considered to be dangerous enemies .Tomahawks were prized by Native American warriors for their versatility. They could be used in hand-to-hand combat, thrown short distances, or used as a tool. The length of the shaft varied from as short as one foot for the throwing tomahawks of some tribes, to nearly three feet for the two-handed war axes of others.Pipe Tomahawks were more ceremonial in nature (using the same shaft of wood as both the handle of a tomahawk, symbolic of war, and the body of a pipe, symbolic of peace.) Many were very ornate, made with unwieldy carved stone heads, and never actually used in battle. Others were more simply built and were completely functional as both a military weapon and a pipe.Spiked Tomahawks retained the single spike found on the war clubs of some tribes, so that the tomahawk could still be used as a piercing weapon as well as a hatchet. tomahawk2.jpg
    indian.jpg indian 1.jpg indian 2.jpg indian 3.jpg indian 5.jpg indian 8.jpg indian 7.jpg indian 4.jpg indian 6.jpg
    Surely a subject well worthy of our hobby .

    There are of course many books to read but Opsrey have a good series on all Indian Tribes ...all with great artwork these are of particular interest
    9780850459999-th2.jpg 9780850459999PB_th.jpg mcdn_dIjUldOolPRDHqwVfg.jpg

    Continued in next post:

    Nap
    crf and stu like this.
  2. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Open the box I hear you say ...

    Model details:

    Title: Bear Clan Iroquois

    Scale: 1/12th

    Material: Resin

    No of Parts: 4

    Sculptor: Carl Reid

    Box Art: Ernesto Reyes

    Casting: Stuart Hale


    The model is packed in a strong cardboard box with a colour picture on the top kev 130.jpg , on opening I found the box to contain a mass of bubble wrap carefully protecting the preciuos cargo (all the pieces were again secured in a clear plastic bag) kev 136.jpg .............this is the quality packing that is needed to protect the often delicated part so well done to Stormtroopers on this area.

    In addition to the model we also find a small information sheet as a starting point showing what picture was used as a basis by Carl . kev 137.jpg

    There are as said a total of 4 parts , the main torso including the head which incorporates a base (nice idea this as it makes the model flow), in addition to the headdress consisting of 5 feathers and 2 ear tassels .

    Prep needed before priming on the main piece consists of sanding of 2 small casting plugs one at the top of the back and the other on the undersides of the base , a couple of seconds work is also needed confirming no casting lines on the back ...all easily done and no problem . the feathers have a casting plug that will need careful removal to ensure a good fit to the back of the head , the ears tassels just need cutting away from the plug and the very careful fitting to the ears .

    Looking at the main piece my first impression is that it has been cast by someone who knows their craft ..not a blemish could be found so well done Stuart ..hope this trend continues with future releases ...I am sure it will .
    The head is turned with wonderful facial features , unmistakinly an Iroquois kev 138.jpg kev 145.jpg ( The face is similar to another release done by Carl) .The head is super smooth , the distinctive nose , the piercing eyes and the held together mouth all very nicely done ....he has rather large but perfectly formed ears kev 148.jpg ...all adding character to the piece .
    kev 139.jpg kev 141.jpg kev 142.jpg kev 140.jpg kev 144.jpg kev 147.jpg
    At the back we see the hair held together in a tie , hanging very naturally onto the shoulders . kev 149.jpg

    He wears a "found" officers gorget , together with beads and a very impressive looking looted jacket , taken no doubt from some slain enemy , hanging down we have a knife in a scabbard .
    kev 143.jpg
    All the way from top to bottom casting is flawless IMO with brilliant undercutting and great details , I like the way the lace has been done as well . kev 146.jpg

    Looking now at the feathers ...a group of 5 all nicely reproduced , splayed out and worn with pride by our warrior kev 151.jpg ...fit is clean with minimal filler (if any) needed ..I would pin this into the back of the head .

    The ear tassels are easily removed form the casting block kev 150.jpg , fit is finicky ...especially if you have fingers like bananna's (a la Nap!!!) but when secured again adds a nice extra bit of interest .

    My overall thought are that this is a great start with the range and I will reviewing more (very soon!!!!) , sculpting is great this together with 1st class presentation and casting makes for a great product and a range I shall certainly be adding to my GA/Bench ...................

    "BRING THEM ON" Stormtroopers I say

    Box art is wonderful we have seen it before on PF but lets have it again ...pure indulgence P1.jpg P2.jpg P3.jpg P4.jpg P5.jpg P6.jpg P7.jpg

    Have a look at this and other releases from Stormtropers via their website: http://www.stormtrooperminiatures.co.uk/
    (also links to Alisons company)

    Thanks for looking in

    Nap
    crf, marta, stu and 5 others like this.
  3. Wings5797 A Fixture

    Country:
    France
    Hi Kevin,
    A very infomative excellent review of a super bust from Carl.
    Many thanks for posting it Mate.
    Cheers,
    Keith
    stu likes this.
  4. brian A Fixture

    Country:
    Scotland
    I bought this bust and give it the big thumbs up.Brilliant sculpt,superb casting and at a very reasonable price.I really like the 1/12th scale as it's not too big and not too small.
    I highly recommend this bust and the ones that will follow,hopefully for some time to come.Trust me Stu your onto a winner here
    I have to add that Kevin's review is brilliant, including the pictures.
    Brian
    napoleonpeart and stu like this.
  5. DEL A Fixture

    Country:
    Scotland
    Agree with Brian, I got it as soon as it came out and it's a stunning sculpt perfectly cast (y)
  6. stu A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Many thanks for the comments fella's and the support for the product.

    Glad you like it, brian I sure hope I am on to a winner here.

    Many thanks and for taking the time to post

    Stuart
  7. stu A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Nap,,,superb review

    Stuart
    napoleonpeart likes this.
  8. smudger1960 PlanetFigure Supporter

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    I purchased this as soon as I saw it a figureworld this year,it's a subject I'm beginning to like,as Brian has already pointed out the size is really nice,and the sculpting is top class,I definatly agree Stuart is on to a winner here,I bet this will be popular at euro this year as well.

    Thanks for the review Kev,I now have the Osprey Woodland Indians which is a very good book and highly recommended,those pictures you added,one of then looks like Wes Studi,first picture middle row ?,I remember him from the film 'Last of the Mohicans' ?
    stu likes this.
  9. Filipe Well-Known Member

    Country:
    Brazil
    Kev, thank you for posting. I liked a lot of this ideia; few pieces, a pedestal already casted. Superb sculpture.
    stu likes this.
  10. marta Active Member

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Beautiful.
    I was really tempted during FigureWorld. It looks like Euro will be tough on me and my wallet;p
    stu likes this.
  11. Dennis Active Member

    Country:
    England
    Kevin thank you a for a great review on a brilliant piece. I think this is a must for Euro.
    See you there
    Dennis
    stu likes this.
  12. sd0324 PlanetFigure Supporter

    Just ordered one today because of this review. :)
    napoleonpeart and stu like this.
  13. brian A Fixture

    Country:
    Scotland
    I've started this bust but he's still in the early stages.The blue is just an undercoat so it will eventually be much darker.I found that painting his face was a bit of a poser because of his darker skin tones,much prefer working with pale skin.Then there's the warpaint to think about.Decisions ,decisions.!!!!!
    Brian

    DSC05989-001.JPG
    napoleonpeart, stu and crf like this.
  14. Alex Long A Fixture

    Country:
    England
    Very good review of a very good bust. As others have mentioned the scale is nice and the V shape with molded pedestal is very appealing. Really starting to like these 1/12th busts. I wont need a tot of malt from Stu to convince me to buy this at Euro!

    Alex.
    napoleonpeart and stu like this.
  15. stu A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Many thanks for all the great comments.

    Alex the malt is purely for fun and friendship.

    Cheers

    Stu
  16. Alex Long A Fixture

    Country:
    England
    I'll drink to that, If the Malt is as good as your figures it'll have to be a Saint Magdalene 19yo!!!

    Looking forward to the 21st

    Alex.

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