Hi
Name a ECW leader and the Cromwell will certainly be right up there , from a rich landowning family in Cambridgeshire , he is often known as "The man who killed a king" , of course this was Charles 1st in 1649 by beheading .
No real military education before the ECW , he led from the front at battles like Edhill and by the time he fought at Naseby he was a Lt General
In 1649 he led the invasion of Ireland , his troops killing 3500 including religious and civilians , in 1657 he was made Lord Protector
Dying in 1658 from suspected kidney failure, in 1661 his body was exhumed and the head cut off , this remained on a pole outside Westminister Hall till 1685 where it was fell... off in heavy winds and taken home by a guard !!! ........appearing at a private exhibition in 1710, sold and resold eventually being reburied at his old Cambridge college in 1960...in the original 1815 box !!!, Cromwells body remains at Westminister

Books are of course many , all providing interesting information not only on Cromwell but also the ECW itself




Details of the figure

Title: Cromwell

Scale: Approx 1/9th

Orginal Sculptor: Rob Hardwick ( released by Imperial Gallery ) ..information from Foxwood

Material: Gray Resin

No of parts: 1

Box Art: N/K

Casting: Richard Wharton (the same of Oakwood Bases fame )



I will deal with any prep as we look at the resin

Continued in next part

Nap

Lets look at the rein ....

Firstly I would like to say that Foxwood tell me the master was amongst many other subjects in a box they bought up , this is in my opinion a fairly old sculpt and obviously sculpted using traditional methods .

Prep....
Casting/slip line on lower arms to remove
Some rework on the hair is recommended and where it falls on the collar
Under the chin a small bit of filling is needed
Cleaning up the edges on the armour straps
The swordbelt/buckle would benefit looking at
Sanding on the underside and filling tiny air holes

The sculpt shows Cromwell with facial hair , the hints of which you can see in the death mask but as yet not seen in accessible portraits, so I feel this is him later in life .

He wears a buff coat under a breast and rear armour , a large collar , in the middle we see a neck gorget , above the collar a neck scarf .

The head is bare with the head turned to the left , long hair sitting on the right shoulder and hanging down at the rear , the distinctive warts are sculpted on the forehead

Facial features are not the best , the nose seems too full , the mouth lacking definition as does the eyes which also need levelling up , however access for painting is no issue

The hair will benefit some putty work , tidying up the strands ...you will see this in the pictures

The sash has some good folds but there are tiny air blows to fill

Underneath there is a fitment point for a post to fit ...nice touch



Click on pics for larger images if needed











Final thoughts.....

A good subject but I have seen better sculpts since this was first available , however I have really looked at this and feel time spent reworking details you can have some fun producing a finished piece

to contact Foxwood :

Email: foxwoodfigures@btinternet.com

www.facebook.com/Foxwood-Figures-100808079085192

Thnaks for looking in

Happy benchtime

Nap